COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 1978 CATALOGUE 1979 College of the Atlantic Catalogue for 1978-79 This catalogue is a product of the combined efforts of numerous students, staff, and faculty. Merging many perspectives, we have worked for an honest presentation of this college. No written or graphic work can hope to fully portray the richness of life at College of the Atlantic; this catalogue can only be offered as a point of access. Interested readers are invited to come visit and formulate their own views. INTRODUCTION College of the Atlantic is an accredited, coeducational, four year college awarding the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology. COA is small (120 students and growing), independent, and located in a beautiful natural setting on the coast of Maine. The twenty acre shoreline campus lies within walking distance of Acadia National Park. The college's inte- grated curriculum revolves around the study of Human Ecology, which we understand to be the relationships between people and their natural and social environments. College of the Atlantic was conceived in the late 1960s by a group of Mount Desert Island residents. The first students arrived in the fall of 1972. COA immediately became a place where students, staff, and teach- ers worked together as equals to develop a new kind of institution, and to define a new academic discipline, Human Ecology. Its definition grew quickly to embrace studies as diverse as animal behavior and meta- physics, held in touch by their common focus on the problems of human beings and their environments. The curriculum has always begun in concrete problems, not only those of the global and local physical environment, but also the problems of the individual person living in a changing and complex society. Our courses and workshops approach these conditions as subjects for study, some- times formally, sometimes informally and personally. At the same time, the COA community of 150 energetic and committed people is a place where the problems of Human Ecology are encountered and solved in a way that goes beyond the classroom experience. Students are encouraged to direct their own lives in an ecologically sound manner, to participate in the governance of their college, and to develop a real communication with the island community where they live. 3 Introduction In the beginning, the "environmental crisis" appeared to be a situation created by technological change which could be solved by the application of more technology. But during our first year it grew clear that the tradi- tional scientific approach alone could not comprehend its own effects on human and natural relationships. In shaping the perspective of Human Ecology, the sciences had to be humanized and the humanities had to be brought into practical relevance for our time. An education in Human Ecology works towards a world view that combines the clarity of science and the compassion of art and literature. In our first six years we have come to see that action was the natural result of study, that students had to realize their knowledge in the actual environment. The rapid growth of Environmental Design has made a place for people to design their own surroundings with both a sense of beauty and a concern for the limits of natural resources. In the sciences, students work in the field winter and summer; their work takes them out on the ocean and at times to far corners of the continent. In the arts, the new artist-in-residence program ensures that creativity has an equal place with scholarship. Because COA is small there are no "departments" to form conven- tional barriers between the disciplines. We have worked to open com- munication between students and faculty in different fields, trying to achieve common languages and points of understanding. Because Human Ecology transcends specialization, interdisciplinary study becomes a re- ality. Team-taught courses such as Evolution constantly bring philosophers and scientists into the same classroom. 4 Introduction OA is a community which continually seeks to understand itself. It is wn experiment in the ecology of human interrelationships, and in the ning of community. All members of the college can participate in its ernance and growth. The study of Human Ecology has grown and spered as a specific reason for being; and we continue to insist that pretical knowledge must be informed by a real sense of the practical lications which give it meaning. he natural resources of the earth are finite, and some of the problems Human Ecology will always be necessarily ones of preservation. But ause we recognize our interdependence with the world and seek to ore to it a measure of sanity and balance, the principal concern of man Ecology has become a creative one: the challenge to remake selves through understanding. 5 ACADEMIC PROGRAM An education in Human Ecology attempts to bring together disciplines and perspectives which have traditionally been separate. Our academic program is designed to develop an understanding of the human condition in terms of social, biological and physical interrelationships. We em- phasize acquiring the skills to solve complex practical and philosophical problems with confidence and imagination. The organization of the curriculum into four interrelated resource areas is primarily an aid for students and the college in academic planning. Model programs are available as guides for any student wishing to em- phasize a particular curriculum area. These programs incorporate courses in all academic areas and do not represent strict disciplinary divisions. Most students design individualized programs that include work in all four resource areas. Many different kinds of study are available at COA. While courses provide the foundation of the curriculum, student-initiated workshops, independent studies, internships, and final projects also provide impor- tant learning experiences. Classes are small and informal, ten students on an average. COA's small size necessarily limits the breadth of its curriculum. Stu- dents who want courses of study not available here are encouraged to make use of our exchange programs with Marlboro College and Huxley College of Environmental Studies, or to apply as visiting students to a college appropriate to their interests. This kind of resource-sharing allows us to supplement our curriculum without diluting our primary focus. Academic Program Degree Requirements Degree requirements at COA are viewed as landmarks attained in the process of earning a BA in Human Ecology. They mark the areas of knowledge and skill defined by our educational focus and philosophy as fundamental competencies. Students design their own programs suited to their interests and style but must demonstrate successful completion of the following: - at least one activity in each of the college's four curriculum areas - laboratory or field experience for at least one term - participation in an interdisciplinary, problem-solving workshop college-building participation in the form of service on a committee, advising, or workshop administration - a Human Ecology essay relating the student's development as a human ecologist - an internship of at least one term in a job relating to the student's academic interests or occupational goals - demonstration of basic competency in the areas of writing, non- verbal expression and foundational math - a final project: a major piece of independent work that reflects the student's primary field of concentration These degree requirements are one facet of the new curriculum which is being instituted in the academic year 1978-79. After careful consideration of the constitution of a degree in Human Ecology, and competencies characterizing a "Human Ecologist," a majority of the community ap- proved these requirements. 7 Academic Program Evaluation Every course, independent study, internship and workshop must have a three part evaluation for credit to be given. The first part, written by the teacher, is a description of the course work and the criteria used for evaluation. The second part is the teacher's evaluation of the student's And we will know that of all issues in edu- performance, and the third is the student's evaluation of his or her own cation the issue of relevance is the phoniest. progress and performance. Evaluations focus on both process and prod- If life were as predictable and small as the talkers of politics would have it, then rele- uct. Grades are optional and often recommended for students considering vance would be a consideration. But life is graduate school. large and surprising and mysterious, and we don't know what we need to know. When I was a student I refused certain subjects Advising because I thought they were irrelevant to the duties of a writer, and I have had to take When a student enters the college he or she is assigned a two member them up, clumsily and late, to understand team of advisors from an advising pool of staff, students and faculty. Near my duties as a man. What we need in edu- the end of the second year, or for transfer students after approximately cation is not relevance, but abundance, two terms in residence, the student chooses a permanent team composed variety, adventurousness, thoroughness. A student should suppose that he needs to of one faculty member, one student and one non-designated community learn everything he can, and he should member. These two teams of advisors work with a student planning a suppose that he will need to know much program of study directed towards his or her educational or occupational more than he can learn. goals. They also approve independent studies and the fulfillment of degree WENDELL BERRY requirements. We consider the consistency and intimacy of this advising system to be the most appropriate way of guiding a student toward educa- tional and personal growth. 8 Academic Program Outdoor Orientation A strong community spirit is one of COA's distinguishing features, and the Outdoor Orientation helps to nourish this feeling of shared enterprise and interreliance. The Orientation precedes the opening of school each fall and provides the opportunity for entering and older students to get to know one another through the experience of wilderness travel. The Out- door Orientation is 5 days long and serves as an introduction to both the college and some of Maine's true wildlands. The Orientation trips are planned and led in small groups by experi- enced students and faculty members. These trips are not a test of endur- ance. They simply present an opportunity to camp and sharpen skills, and at the same time to form the judgements and friendships that will be the basis of the coming term. Recent Orientations have taken people down the Allagash River in northern Maine. Future trips will include backpacking in interior Maine and canoeing on the St. Croix River, the Machias River, and rivers in Nova Scotia. Academic Orientation Following the Outdoor Orientation all students and faculty members gather at the college for a three day weekend. Mornings and afternoons are devoted to reviewing the academic program, explaining degree re- quirements, and discussing the college's various resources; evenings are spent in such activities as films, a cookout, and a dance. There is also time during academic orientation for students to meet with their advisors and to become acquainted with the resources of the Bar Harbor area. 9 Academic Program Summer Program The 1978 Summer Program offered fifteen courses during two intensive four week sessions. A diverse curriculum provided opportunity for field study and exploration of Maine life through the following courses: Marine Mammals, Landscape Photography, Electricity, Body-Mind Integration, Shakespeare Outdoors, Wilderness Writing Workshop, Maine Coast Flora, Alternate Energy, Poetry Workshop, Wood Works, Maine Woods Ways, Dyeing and Spinning, Maine Coast History, Folk Music Work- shop, and Celestial Navigation. PEC FACULTY There is no rank among the COA faculty. Teachers simply teach, without titles or tenure. There is no pressure to do research, though it is carried out nonetheless, because it is recognized that faculty are here to teach. The student/faculty ratio is small, approximately 10:1. That there are no departments at COA is less a function of our small size than a reflection of the college's commitment to interdisciplinary education. An asterisk (*) before a name indicates that that person holds a parttime appointment. Stephen Andersen attended Utah State University and received a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in Agricul- tural and natural resources economics. Before coming to COA he was a research economist for the Sierra Club. He is an associate of the Environmental Law Institute in Washington D.C. and a consultant to government and business. Steve is conducting research on nuclear power plant size, energy conservation and land use planning. His courses covering environmental, agricultural and consumer economics emphasize cost benefit decision making and theories of resource allocation. Steve is an enthusiastic whitewater rafter and hang glider pilot. 11 Faculty *Elmer Beal, in addition to his teaching duties, works with the internship program and the advising pool. Elmer earned his B.A. in music at Bow- doin and went on from there to Bolivia as a member of the Peace Corps. Before coming to the college he was Executive Director of the Maine Coast Heritage Trust. He and his wife, Carole, have built their own house in Blue Hill, where they maintain their farm. More recently Elmer re- ceived his M.A. in anthropology from the University of Texas. He has taught courses in Maine culture, economic anthropology and the history of anthropological theory. He helps keep folk music alive at COA and performs regularly in the area. Judith Blank was an undergraduate at Oberlin College and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in anthropology at the University of Chicago. She spent two years doing fieldwork in India on the Chou dance, the art form of a feudal state. She is interested in non-verbal communication, cultural pat- terning in the body, and the way movement supports a culture's world view. Judith is offering courses on the ethnography of work, an- thropological film, the culture of childhood, non-verbal communication, and the performing arts and culture. She plays the dulcimer, enjoys weaving, and is interested in film and all forms of traditional dance and music. Faculty Roc Caivano earned his B.A. in art and architecture at Dartmouth and his Master of Architecture from Yale. As founder of the Elephant Trak design and construction company, Roc has designed and built buildings in many parts of the country. In addition, he has made four animated films for Sesame Street. Air Conditioned Comfort, an animated film on an en- vironmental theme made by Roc and his wife, Helen, has won three national awards. At the college Roc has taught courses in two and three dimensional design and practical building skills, as well as mechanical drawing. With four students he has prepared a campus master plan that will bring the college significantly toward physical self-sufficiency. *Joanne Carpenter received her B.A. in history from the University of Massachusetts and her M.A. in art and architecture history from the University of Minnesota. Before coming to the college Joanne taught at the University of Minnesota and Roosevelt University and was an art editor for the Encyclopedia Brittanica. At COA she has taught courses in primitive art, modern architecture and environmental design, and the history of Maine architecture, as well as having been a member of the Orient study group. Through Joanne's efforts the college maintains an active art gallery which brings to the community the works of many Maine artists. Joanne paints with watercolors in an attempt to capture the Is- land's beauty, and with her husband, Bill, is currently engaged in writing a book about Cape Cod houses in Maine. 13 Faculty William Carpenter received his B.A. in English from Dartmouth and his Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota. Before coming to the college Bill was an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago. He is currently concerned with "finding the place of the human mind, and particularly of the creative imagination, in nature," and to this end he has offered courses in fiction, aesthetics, comparative mythology, poetry, and the work of such writers as Thoreau, D.H. Lawrence and C.G. Jung. Bill has also studied celestial navigation and conducted historical cruises along the Maine coast aboard his 30 foot sloop Puffin. Richard Davis earned a B.A. in philosophy from Yale and his Ph.D. from Washington University. Before coming to the college Dick taught at the University of Tennessee, the University of Pittsburgh and Indiana Uni- versity. At COA Dick has taught courses in value theory, symbolism, evolution, and the history and philosophy of science. His primary profes- sional interest in developing an ecological value theory has led him to investigate sociobiology and the philosophy of biological explanation. Dick has served as a consultant to Maine public television and is currently the Chairman of the Maine Council for the Humanities and Public Policy. Dick and his wife, Norah, have built one of Maine's first solar and wood heated houses. He is an ardent fisherman, cross-country skier and a former professional filmmaker. 14 Faculty William Drury received his B.A. and his Ph.D. from Harvard in biology and geology. He has been a lecturer at Harvard as well as the Director of Research at the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Bill has worked for many years studying the shore and marine birds of the Northeast coast and the flora and geology of arctic America. He and his wife, Mary, and two of their sons, have spent recent summers studying the ecology of seabirds in Alaska. At COA Bill offers courses in animal behavior, plant identification, evolution and the study of landscapes. Samuel Eliot earned his B.A. and M.A.T. in English from Harvard. He has also studied film and writing at Columbia University's School of the Arts. Before coming to COA he worked as an administrator at Reed College and served as a Teaching Fellow at Harvard. In addition to his duties as Vice President of the college, Sam teaches and advises. The courses Sam has offered at COA reflect his interest in human nature and in human responses to nature. He is particularly interested in human isolation as depicted by such artists as Milton, Byron, and Conrad. A doctoral candidate in Administration, Planning, and Social Policy at Har- vard, Sam is also interested in conflict resolution and organizational learning. Faculty Harris Hyman received his BS in engineering from MIT and an FK from the University of Stockholm. He has worked as a structural engineer with Bethlehem Steel's Shipbuilding Division and as a senior systems analyst with Litton's Sweda Division. Before coming to COA Harris ran a rural engineering shop in Vermont doing surveys, laying out subdivisions, de- signing everything from pubs to chicken houses. He enjoys dabbling in local politics, plowing snow, and "getting involved in all the good time foolishness characteristic of a back country practice." Harris is currently building a solar house of his own design in Middlebury, Vermont where he resides when not in Bar Harbor. As a member of the environmental design team he offers courses in site development, systems analysis, and various areas of engineering. Daniel Kane holds a B.A. in physics and philosophy from Yale and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Before joining the college Dan worked as a patent attorney in California and did legal work for the Sierra Club. His interests in law and the philosophy of science and anthropology have found expression in courses dealing with landmark cases in environmental law, land use regulation, legal ethnography, frontiers of physical science, and sources of invention. Dan keeps himself in shape with long distance running, doing much of his long distance thinking at the same time. Dan and his wife, Marion, live near Somesville with their two boys, and take frequent canoe trips into the wildlands of Hancock and Washington Counties. He will be on leave in 1978-79. 16 Faculty Steven Katona earned both his B.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard. Before coming to the college Steve taught at the California Institute of the Arts. At COA he has taught courses in invertebrate zoology, the ecology of natural systems, and human effects on natural systems. Steve's interest in marine biology led him to the study of whales. Under his direction the college has developed the Allied Whale workshop, which has in turn established the Maine Coast Whale Sighting Network. Steve has led whale watching trips off both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts and partici- pated in a study of bowhead whales near Point Barrow, Alaska. He is co-author of the recently published Field Guide to the Whales and Seals of the Gulf of Maine. Carl Ketchum earned his B.S. in mathematics and physics from Bates College and his Ph.D. in oceanography from M.I.T. Before coming to COA he was an Assistant Professor at the State University of New York at Albany. Carl's teaching interests have found expression at COA in oceanography, physics, math, and group process courses. He has spon- sored independent studies in estuaries, fourier series and boundary value problems, advanced calculus, differential equations, tensor analysis and general relativity. Carl views math as a natural and fulfilling creative endeavor which can offer new perspectives on ourselves and the world we live in. While at COA Carl has pursued his scientific interests in coastal oceanography through research into the physical processes in estuaries. He is intrigued with the concepts of modern physics, relativity, and sta- bility theory and how these concepts relate to human ecology. Carl's training in group process skills reflect his concern for how people work, learn and play together. 17 Faculty *Susan Lerner received a B.A. in English from the University of Cincin- nati and has studied at Exeter University (England) and the California Institute of the Arts. Before joining the college, Susan had been a repor- ter and an assistant in psychological counseling. She has been the director of the program for teenagers at the Bar Harbor YWCA. She is a dancer and is committed to "reshaping the role and understanding of women in our culture." Reflecting these interests, Susan has offered courses on the history of women in America, women artists, and modern and foreign dance. *Sally Lutyens, a graduate of Bennington College, was a special student in music at the University of Southern California and has spent many years studying with piano virtuoso Claude Frank. She is an active composer. Her works have been performed by the Bennington Wind Trio, the Chorus Pro-Musica in Boston, and the Dance Collective in Cambridge. Sally has also worked as a synopsis writer for Twentieth Century Fox and the Theatre Royal in London. She is currently composing a song cycle, a musical theater piece and an opera. At COA Sally has taught both music composition and appreciation. Her most important contribution has been in creating and developing the means for quality music expression through recorder and chamber ensembles and a community chorus. 18 Faculty *Ernest McMullen has studied at the University of Maryland, at the Port- land (Oregon) Museum School, and with potter Jerry Glenn. Ernie and his wife, Marilyn, helped to found Cherryfield Pottery, whose work has be- come widely known in Maine. At the college Ernie has pursued his inter- ests in art, low impact technology, and education. In addition to his courses in ceramics and design, he has been active in the World Systems and Alternative Energy workshops. Ernie designed Dick and Norah Davis's solar and wood heated house. "I am interested in the application of art and technology in a life-positive way to create a more benign, energy efficient, and beautiful environment. The fields of ceramics and shelter design are particularly suited to this as processes that require an integration of the creative and the practical." Susan Mehrtens received her B.A. from Queens College and holds her Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from Yale University. Before coming to the college Sue was an Assistant Professor at Queens College. She has taught courses in American history, Twentieth century America's historical leg- acy and Latin. She is interested in futurology, particularly in the realms of environmental rehabilitation, population issues, and women's equality. She is co-author of Earthkeeping: Readings in Human Ecology. Sue's intellectual model is "the character in Terence who recognized in his humanness that nothing human was alien to him." Sue is also an instruc- tor of celestial navigation with the U.S. Power Squadron and has offered courses in piloting and navigation. Sue's hobbies include gardening, yoga, piano, ballet, cooking and knitting. 19 Faculty Frederick Olday received his B.S. in botany from Pennsylvania State University and his M.A. in botany from Harvard. His Ph.D. in plant and soil science was earned at the University of Massachusetts. Before com- ing to the college, Fred taught courses in biology and plant physiology at Lowell University. His combined interests in chemistry and plants have led to courses at COA in biochemistry, chemistry, soils, and horticulture. In addition, Fred oversees the college's two greenhouses and the vegeta- ble gardens. His wife, Linda, is a speech therapist whose special interest is working with aphasic adults. Sentiel Rommel earned his B.S. in physics from the U.S. Naval Academy and his M.S. (in electrical engineering) and Ph.D. (in zoological oceanog- raphy) from the University of Maine. Before joining COA, he taught and conducted research at Yale, the University of Maine, and the Migratory Fish Research Institute. In addition to his work in oceanography and physiology, Butch has a long-standing interest in epigraphy, and has pre- pared an English-Egyptian dictionary. His courses at the college include animal physiology, icthyology, computer programming, alternate energy, and electricity. Faculty Visiting Faculty The college hosts visiting teachers whose course offerings supplement the curriculum. Visitors have included COA trustee John Dreier, a former U.S. ambassador to the Organization of American States, who taught a course on world politics, and retired Director and senior staff scientist of The Jackson Laboratory, Earl Green, who offered a course in statistics. Dr. Doris Allen, Professor Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati and founder of the Children's International Summer Villages, taught a course in psychodrama. Organic farming proponent Eliot Coleman's course in- vestigated the methods and principles of biological agriculture. COA makes use of local resources whenever possible. Peter Roy, an attorney in Ellsworth, taught "Legal Entanglements" and Wendy Einhorn, an island poet, has offered a writing seminar. The college also has an ongoing resident artists program that has brought to the COA community folksinger Gordon Bok, woodsculptor Tilo Kaufman, weaver Susan Nestle and reknowned flutist and harpsi- chordist Marianne Monteux. William Russell, a field ornithologist and editor of the American Birding Association magazine Birding, regularly teaches a course in ornithology. Willy has led bird trips all over the world. In the spring of 1978 he led a group of COA students on a field trip to the Florida Keys. Recently, COA received a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education to create a model Environmental Design pro- gram. Under this grant COA has added to the part time faculty cabinet- maker Jamie Johnston, carpenter-builder Tinker Bunker and full time in- structor Harris Hyman. 21 CURRICULUM ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN The Environmental Design curriculum takes as its focus Harbor, designed and built the student workshop and de- the manmade environment. There are three distinct signed and built a unique series of playgrounds for the levels of study in this area: remedial, intermediate, and Mount Desert Island elementary schools. esoteric. The remedial courses cover basic survival in- formation in the built environment: carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, working with iron and clay, elemental Listed below are courses that were offered in the aca- visual thought and manual competency. The intermediate demic year 1977-78. The list is followed by representative level of study involves the acquisition of marketable samples described in detail and accompanied by a stu- skills: cabinet making, drafting, surveying, landscape and dent's self-evaluation from the course. site analysis, basic economics and small business prac- tices. The esoteric or specialized area of study here in- volves architectural design, site analysis and environ- Visual Elements mental impact surveys and presentation, structural and Ceramics II mechanical engineering and alternative energy or appro- The Graphic Description of Natural Systems priate technology. Our hope is to educate people capable Three-Dimensional Design I of defining and defending our endangered landscapes, Domestic Systems and highly skilled designer/planners able to suggest at- Cabinet Making tractive and cost-effective alternatives to current building Alternate Energy practices. The COA community built the first solar Wood heated house in Maine. There are now four such struc- Wood Sculpture tures and three more on the drawing boards. Environ- Carpentry/Building mental Design classes here have prepared site analysis/ Site Development environmental impact statements for the Federal Gov- Visual Elements II ernment, designed to retrofit package for a home in Bar Modern Architecture and Environmental Design 22 Design Three-Dimensional Design I Roc Caivano This was a course in basic three-dimensional and ar- chitectural design. The first one-third of the course was spent familiarizing students with standard sculptural/ architectonic concepts: structure, space, light, etc. The middle third of our syllabus involves simple architectural design assignments. All of these projects involved mas- tering basic drafting skills. The remainder of the class in- volved working on an actual practical project. This year's project involved the design, presentation and preliminary working drawings for 10 specific pieces of playground equipment for each of the four Mt. Desert Island elemen- tary schools. "By far the most demanding course I have ever taken, 3-D I was also one of the most rewarding. I often had to spend an entire day or more to complete a weekly as- signment. The amount of time spent reflects not only the demanding nature of the course but also a desire on my part to come up with, and accurately represent graphically, practical, workable, and carefully thought out designs. The final project, designing playground equipment, presented a real challenge because of the sometimes conflicting factors requiring consideration: safety, cost, aesthetics, materials and actual construc- tion details, exercise, and play situations (both physical and fantasy). I came up with a design for a climbing structure which met all of the requirements and still left a wide margin for the child's imagination." 23 Environmental Design Alternate Energy Harris Hyman Most of today's energy comes from fossil fuels or thermo-nuclear disintegrations: fossil fuels are limited and nuclear fuels create extremely toxic by-products. Meanwhile the sun pours 50,000 times all human usage of energy onto the planet each year. Some of this can be captured and put to use. The course will cover the availability, application and implications of three alter- nate energy sources: direct solar, wind and wood. We will consider both why and how to go about designing such projects as solar heaters, woodburning air con- ditioners or windmills. "By exploring and applying the first two laws of ther- modynamics, this course has illuminated the fundamentals and feasibilities of transferring alternate energy into useable power. In particular I feel I benefited in two ways: 1) it has equipped me with knowledge of what non-polluting energy options are available for our energy intensive society; 2) I have acquired alternate energy systems, such as solar, wind, and wood. My final project was on the feasibility of generating electricity from the wind at a particular location. This course has opened new doors for me. I plan to pursue the concepts and utilize the skills with independent work in the fu- ture." 24 Environmental Design Wood Works Jamie Johnston This ten-week course has as its focus cabinet and furniture-making. Students completed a series of projects exposing them to the tools and techniques essential to cabinet work. We began the term with discussions on the use and maintenance of hand and power woodworking tools. We immediately put this knowledge to use by building the storage facilities and work surfaces for the COA student shop. Once this organizational experience was completed we moved on to group and individual woodworking projects directly related to COA's needs. "Because of my past experiences working with wood and in cabinetry, I was in a position along with a couple of other students to use this course as a basis for doing more involved and independent work. During the ten weeks I worked on a shop workbench, cherry trestle table and an oak rocking chair. This work involved design con- siderations as well as dovetails, mortice and tennon, dowelling, steambending and other construction proces- ses. I received much technical advice about design and construction from Jamie but feel I learned most from him about the processes he goes through when working with wood; of being sensitive to the material and keeping one's head together." Environmental Design Visual Elements Ernest McMullen This introductory level course covered most material basic to the study of the visual arts. Assignments in- cluded problems in line, plane, mass, texture, light qual- ity and a combination of the above elements. Classes were divided into critique and work sessions. Eighteen to twenty assignments were completed in a 10-week period. "I witnessed a real progression in my work. Much of the preparation in class for assignments loosened me up. I found the less I rationalized, the stronger the flow of creativity. I also felt a growing assertiveness of my capabilities. I also found that as I progressed, the more criticism I had in my own work, hence creating an inner drive to do more, to push myself. I have an overall good feeling of accomplishment in my work and I see a good consistency despite some of the tightness I recognized. This way my favorite course and I put most of my effort here. One more aspect I might add is my heightened awareness of observation. I see more when I look." 26 VALUES AND CONSCIOUSNESS Enduring solutions to socio-ecological problems will not Students concentrating in this area have already begun be achieved through technological or governmental ac- to establish themselves as freelance writers, teachers and tion. Ultimately we must address basic issues of human workers in public education through media or civil ser- lifestyle, the attitudes and perspectives with which we vice. Some have entered divinity school or are develop- engage both the world and each other. Courses in this ing alternative lifestyles involving their humane or artistic area explore the dimensions and potentialities of human skills. However, the thrust of the program is not to pre- identity in forms which encourage practical expression pare for career specialties SO much as to provide a broad and heightened sensitivity rather than environmental de- grasp of human perspective requisite to meeting the struction. growing public need and demand in a variety of fields for These courses employ philosophy, psychology, his- addressing issues of values, private and public ethics, and tory, and literary analysis to examine the nature of human self-actualization. values, methods of knowledge, the evolution and origin The following courses are among those offered last of ideas, views of the self and environment, and the pro- year under Values and Consciousness: cess of human learning and growth. In every case, par- ticular effort is devoted to helping the individual student Lawrence and Woolf Sex Roles relate the factors considered to the corresponding ele- Radical Thinking Freud-Jung Seminar ments in their own experience. Group Process Short Fiction Similarly, expressive courses concentrate upon the Aldous Huxley Psychodrama creation of original works in painting, ceramics, dance, Men and Women Religion and Ecology music, photography, film, and poetry. A writing pro- Language of Music Reading, Riting gram, initiated last year, places equal emphasis on Writing Seminar (3 terms) and Roaming achieving competence and self-confidence in the uses of Humans in Nature A Study of Music language. Facilities include studio space, fully equipped Ecology as Metaphysics Through Composition photography, film and sound editing studios. A writing Voyages II Pen and Pencil resource center is currently under development, as is a teacher certification program in environmental educa- tion. 27 Values and Consciousness Radical Thinking II William Carpenter Humans in Nature Richard Davis This course was designed as an introduction to literature This course combines an examination of traditional value and writing at College of the Atlantic. It was a study in theory with an intensive focus on clarification, presenta- the literature of changes, and student writing focussed on tion, and development of the value perspectives of indi- understanding the changes within their own frame of ex- vidual students. Particular attention is paid to ecological perience. It centered on writers who have radically re- implication. Figures examined included Aristotle, Epic- perceived themselves or their environment. Readings in- letus, Hobbes, Mill, Kant, Sartre, Lao Tzu, Schumacher, cluded Thoreau's Walden, Nietzsche's Zarathustra, and others. Marcuse's Eros and Civilization, Casteneda's Tales of Power, Laing's Politics of Experience, Bateson's Steps "It is an understatement to say that this course was dif- to an Ecology of Mind, de Beauvoir's The Second Self, ferent than any other philosophy course I've ever taken. and Loren Eiseley's All the Strange Hours. Here was a real attempt to identify personal values and relate them to everyday living. I feel that I have gained a "I realized this course as a look at how writers (Thoreau, lot by taking this course. The first and most basic benefit Laing, Marcuse, etc.) have explored the self and how it was the introduction to the numerous value theories that relates to others. This is a process that I'm going through we studied. This was only a superficial discussion of right now and I was able to use the class in a helpful way. each, but it did help me put my own values into clearer Through each of the four papers I strove to further define terms. Secondly, and most importantly, was the expres- how I look at myself and what directions I would like to sion of my values in my presentation and paper. This was take. I noted a steady growth in my papers, from the first certainly only a beginning in a process of value clarifica- paper, a fictional story which timidly alluded to feelings tion which I hope will continue throughout my life. I had and definitions of myself, to the final paper (which I sub- not realized how difficult and complex a job it is to or- mitted on a cassette tape), which was a more honest ganize and categorize a value theory, but through my reflection of personal understandings and questions I presentation and paper, I do feel to a certain extent_my have developed." values are clearer to myself." 28 Values and Consciousness Language of Music: A Study of Music Through Composition Sally Lutyens This course integrated fundamental vocabulary, structure and styles, with the composing process, as a way to un- derstand music as a medium of communication and artis- tic expression. Assignments emphasized both creative ability and technical skills, with an individual term proj- ect required in some area of music - performance, com- position, research, instrument design and construction. "This was a very successful course for me. Having had a good deal of classical music theory I had some technical knowledge and skill but knew little about how to apply it to composition. This course brought out the creative musical side of me, helping me to write down the sounds that had been storing up in my mind. I wrote numerous, specifically structured, short compositions as well as a longer jazz guitar solo for my final paper. I feel my ac- complishments were not measured in any substantial composition, but in development of a melodic style and in a more sophisticated approach to harmony. 29 Values and Consciousness Pen and Pencil Norah Davis Ecology as Metaphysics Richard Davis In this course emphasis was placed on acquiring a intui- Philosophic world views tend to be refined expressions of tive feel for correct usage, rather than memorization of cultural perspectives. The latter, in turn, may be re- grammatical rules. Direct one-to-one help was stressed, garded as both product and cause of the ecological im- both for those needing remedial help and for the more pact, socio-economic structures and technology of differ- advanced. Students were expected to write nine 1,000- ent societies. This course basically contends that what word essays. Students selected their own paper topics we think of the world is reciprocally dependent upon within assigned forms, narrative and descriptive receiv- what we do to it. In developing this point, we examined ing attention along with expository and argumentative. several philosophic views, their popular correlates, and elements of representative cultures. We employed "What I gained from this course is as immeasureable as Stephen Pepper's World Hypotheses in conjunction with it is invaluable. Never having been good at memorizing extensive material on Taoism, the early Vedantic tradi- rules and formulas, I have always relied on my intuition tions, the Lakota and Cheyenne, and the medieval for what constitutes good writing. Ironically, the intuitive Europe. approach taken in this course made clear to me, for the first time, the grammatical foundations of good writing. "My interest in this course was high, as I think my par- The acquisition of this knowledge, plus the strengthening ticipation reflected. I learned from the mistakes in my of both my confidence and my intuition, enabled me to first oral presentation and researched, organized and serve effectively as co-editor of Echo, the college's re- presented better the second time. I feel that the elements search publication. Specific improvements are evident in of this course form the best hope for man's evolution my grammatical understanding, brevity, and the sharp- toward a more humane, thoughtful and generous exis- ening of my own style. But more importantly I have tence; indeed, the best hope for avoiding extinction and gained an understanding of how writing in general, and terracide. I give myself "B" for effort, knowing that this my own in particular, works. As a result of this both my subject will be a lifetime in the learning, with final marks desire to write and my confidence have been reinforced. reserved." 30 SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES The social and cultural resource area approaches an un- The following courses were among those offered last derstanding of humanity from legal, political, historical, year under Social and Cultural Studies. economic and anthropological perspectives. Stressing Introduction to the Legal Process causality, critical reasoning and observation, this cur- Nature of Cultural Traditions riculum area attempts to stimulate ideas for more Agricultural Economics ecological and equitable modes of living. Students can Ethnography of Work work towards attaining the legal and economic skills Environmental Economics necessary to effect social change, and the ability to re- History of Technology spond to the unpredictable demands of the future. Historical Legacy Projects and programs in this area are designed to en- Environmental Education courage students to perceive human issues in their rela- Peoples and Cultures tions to different disciplines. Working on real community Anthropology Films issues, COA students and faculty become familiar with Consumer Economics local inhabitants, institutions, and problems while devel- Medieval History oping skills in the research methods of social science. Maine Culture Students have conducted studies in the workings of the Legal Entanglements county court system, the economic analysis of wood- Orient Study Group burning and homesteading, legalized gambling, and Evolution, Ethnography and Epistemology of Law communication problems of local independent pro- Performing Arts and Culture ducers. The Body, Dance and Social Interaction Research experience, abilities, and knowledge ac- American History quired in this area have been preparation for the fields of public administration, environmental management, and education. COA students have gone on for professional training or graduate schooling in economics, law, an- thropology, environmental planning, education, and re- ligion. 31 Social & Cultural Studies The Nature of Cultural Traditions Judith Blank This course was a basic introduction to anthropological and sociological thinking. The purpose was to help the student conceptualize the individual as a member of a cultural group. The course covered the following topics: what kind of a science is social science; the evolution of culture as part of human biology; how culture structures perception and organizes experience; the concept of culture; the concept of society. The idea from sociobiol- ogy, that cultural patterns are adaptive, was contrasted with the idea of cultural relativity, that cultural symbol systems are arbitrary systems of value. "Driven by the desire to be objective and to understand the dynamics of human interaction, I took this course. This course has generated a lot of excitement within my- self. In anthropology, I have found a framework for working ideas. It's a way of looking at the world, realiz- ing the inter-dependencies and finding rules that govern social behavior. I have become fascinated with symbol systems and systems of value. I wonder about the con- trolling agents in society. The beliefs that are beyond the social structure. I can start to see these higher levels of abstraction within culture itself. Here, out of the tam- pering hands of humans, there is a mirror of objectivity and human understanding from which no one can hide.' 32 Social & Cultural Studies Twentieth Century America's Historical Legacy Susan Mehrtens What does the past - 5,000 years of "western civiliza- tion - mean to us in late 20th century America? Our attitudes about many current issues, e.g. land use, per- sonhood, cities, the wilderness, have roots in the past. This course was planned as a wide-ranging (2,600 years!) and intensive (1,869 pages of reading!) inquiry into our inheritance from the ancient, medieval and early modern periods (c. 800 B.C. to 1,800 A.D.). What we tried to do was to see threads from the past woven into our im- mediate present, concentrating on issues of concern at COA: land, environment, values, human liberation, sci- ence, education. This course was intended to serve as a basic background course for all further history courses. "The thing I thought was most beneficial was the sense of historical perspective I achieved through this course. I feel I know in some small way how a Roman citizen or a medieval man viewed the world around him. To under- stand and appreciate the history of a time or place, this "feel" for what the people were like is absolutely neces- sary to the inquirer. A sense of the historical continuum, how each society builds on the previous one, is another concept I obtained in this course. This concept has shown me how deeply rooted certain environmentally detrimental values are within our culture and how painful and arduous the process of displacing these harmful traditions will be." 33 Social & Cultural Studies Environmental Economics Stephen Andersen Introduction to the Legal Process Dan Kane This course surveyed the accepted and emerging issues in Resolution of disputes over environment, consumer natural resources management and introduced students protection, and civil rights, through the formally consti- to the use of economic logic. The topics included: tuted legal systems of our country, formed the subject economics and nature, property rights, conservation, matter of this introductory law course. In actual con- public and private resource management institutions, troversies from Mineral King, The Everglades, and the benefit/cost analysis and the role of scarce resources in St. John River, to the "free market" system and the "no-growth" society. criminal process, we considered how it is that ecological, aesthetic, economic, and ethical questions are resolved "For the first few weeks of the course, the reading into legal issues for decision. Case materials proved seemed pure drudgery as well as confusing, as I had not background and followed controversies through admin- participated in an economics course of any sort in the istrative and judicial levels, illuminating the legal process past. Gradually an understanding of economic tools of our society. began to form, making assignments easier and reading smoother. By midterm I was equipped to apply my newly "My work in this class was extensive, enjoyable, and gained knowledge to the take home exam. It required achieved, I feel, my personal objective of obtaining a about eight to ten hours to complete the answers to three general yet comprehensive introduction to the legal pro- questions. This period of intense activity left me with a cess. Through a series of court observations, a study of a greatly increased awareness of the thought process. proposal to reform the Maine criminal justice system, the class readings and sessions, and additional readings, I have come to a functional understanding of the legal system, its structure, functionings, scope, inherent limi- tations, and faults. I somehow no longer feel alienated by this alienated process but in fact now feel somewhat competent in my ability to move around in our legalist world. Significantly, I concluded this course by studying and advocating alternatives to the traditional court sys- tem.' 34 Social & Cultural Studies Perspectives on Learning Richard Davis During the weekly morning meetings of this course we read and discussed the major classical and contemporary figures in philosophy of education, including: Plato, Aristotle, Rousseau, Dewey, Whitehead, Freud, Neill, and Piaget. During evening sessions, we met with a group of local primary school teachers to discuss the ideal and immediate aims of educational practices. "It was my purpose in taking this course to consider more than one perspective on learning and to understand my own. I felt that there had been something very wrong with my past education. I began to really know that the things I had learned in the past were to a great extent dictating my reaction to the actions and thoughts around me. Using this course as a background, I spent a great deal of time tearing my own thinking apart. I was able to become acutely aware and intimately involved with the prejudice of my own thoughts and thought processes. I could objectively think about my own thinking. I now feel that I can make better judgements about what is impor- tant in education, and in my own way, how I might be able to make a contribution.' 35 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES The Environmental Sciences play an important role in applied environmental sciences may be advised to sup- our assessment of the earth's ecosystems, their impact plement their program of study with advanced course- upon humans and, in turn, the ways in which humans work taken elsewhere. influence them. The Environmental Sciences area at College of the Atlantic is strongest in the several fields of The following courses were among those offered last interface and interaction biology; ecology, natural his- year under Environmental Sciences: tory, marine biology and horticulture. The curriculum Math/Physics I also offers basic science courses which provide the foun- Nature and Property of Soils dation for addressing more specialized problems and ad- Evolution vanced research. Classes typically cover topics which Cellular Biology would be contained within several courses in a more Plant Identification traditional science curriculum, choosing for emphasis Animal Physics that which is valuable to our human ecology focus. Mt. Chemical Principles (three terms) Desert Island, Acadia National Park, and the ocean pro- Statistics vide rich outdoor laboratories for field work and re- Math/Physics II search. College facilities include a 30 foot research boat, Sources of Invention a greenhouse, two laboratories, and the necessary lab- Study of Landscapes oratory equipment to support research conducted on Math: A Human Endeavor campus. Fish Classes and field work emphasize the enrichment of Coastal Oceanography the student's appreciation of the natural world, develop- Entomology ment of critical and independent thinking, and the mas- Physics of Electricity and Magnetism tery of field research skills. The interdisciplinary and Computer Programming focussed education offered here provides pre-profes- Biology and Natural History of Birds sional training, particularly in the areas of applied natural Crop-Husbandry history and the life sciences. Students preparing for graduate school or work in a highly technical field of the 36 Environmental Sciences The Study of Landscapes William Drury Introduction to Environmental Studies S. Andersen/S. Mehrtens/F. Olday The theme of the course is that the landscape processes that are expressed in hilltops, valley sides, flood plains, This course was taught by an economist, an historian, or sea beaches are also expressed in the local vegetation. and a biologist. Students were introduced to a variety of The course begins with an examination of shoreline pro- ecological problems through the eyes of each disciplinary cesses and beaches, and discusses the vegetation of con- perspective, the inter-disciplinary approach showing how sistently unstable sites. Next, the effects of glaciation of scientists and humanists can cooperatively assess com- the landscape of New England are discussed followed by plex problems of resource use. Topics included: ecosys- the effects of frost action as an illustration of soil proces- items, population, food resources, land use, natural re- ses, the action of rivers in humid climates, the topog- sources, pollution and pollution control, environmental raphy in dry climates, the effects of underlying bedrock economics, and environmental politics and ethics. structure, and the unifying principle of plate tectonics. The continuing discussion of the interaction between "In this course we were exposed to an interdisciplinary vegetation and its substrate is centered on the concepts of approach to basic ecological concepts and current en- stress and succession. vironmental problems. Although much of the material was review for me, it was valuable to review and helped "So much information was presented in such a short time me to pull together my two years of study at COA. For I feel I have barely begun to skim the surface. I feel I my final project I gave an in-class presentation on the have a good sound basis to build further study of land- topic of jobs and the environment. I did extensive re- scape processes upon. Conflicting arguments and search and presented data showing that environmental theories were pointed out time and again until I did not regulations are creating more jobs than they are de- know quite who or what to believe and was forced to stroying. I also presented the arguments surrounding draw conclusions for myself. When experts disagree you growth and employment and attempted to show how a have no choice. (Bill Drury has a sneaky way of getting scenario of zero energy growth could create more people to think for themselves.) I have learned that land- employment than our current high energy intensive soci- scape development and geomorphic processes are much ety." more complicated than previous over-simplified expla- nations ever even hinted at." 37 Environmental Sciences Mathematics and Physics I Carl Ketchum This introductory level course has developed the con- cepts of mathematics, especially calculus, that are neces- sary to study several physical processes of our world. The term starts with basic concepts in algebra and trigonometry, and moves into differential and integral calculus, emphasizing key concepts and the applications of these concepts to natural processes. The topics include right triangles, trigonometric functions, functions, equa- tion for a straight line, slopes, derivatives, maximum- minimum problems and area by integration. Applications included surveying, reflection and refraction of waves, and velocity and acceleration. Participants learn by com- pleting exercises, small group discussions, and creating and solving their own problems. Emphasis is also placed on the problem-solving process and internalizing the mathematical concepts. "I must admit this is the first time I've put my all into any course. I think it showed in the work I did and the excite- ment I gained from learning a new language. For the second exam, I took the option of writing up a set of notes on the derivative. Through this came the clarifica- tion of the processes involved with derivatives. I've been amazed at the clarity I now have with material I had had before. I know how to do calculus but it doesn't all fall into a picture quite yet. I'd like to be able to do calculus with simplicity, to have my mind find the subtle 38 Environmental Sciences simplicities of the language of Math|Physics, without Evolution: Natural Selection and the Dissent of Man taking the long, difficult route it now seems so intent on E. Beal/R. Davis/W. Drury/W. Russell taking. The concept of natural selection is one of the most pow- erful intellectual tools available for understanding the living world. This course provides an introduction to the Animal Physics Sentiel Rommel biological processes of natural selection and the impact of the concept of evolution on modern thought. Biological A look at the physics behind some biological phenomena. topics considered will include inherited variability, Topics discussed will include structural properties of natural selection, population differentiation, co-evolu- bone (e.g. tensile and compressive strength), joints, basic tion, and an overview of life on earth. We will discuss the levers and movement, fluid dynamics of flight and drag, implications and problems of the concept of universal thermodynamics of heat transfer and thermoregulation, evolution as it is extended in one direction to embrace the and animal orientation. development of matter and the physical cosmos, and in the other direction to include the implications of "This course literally opened entire worlds for me. It was evolutionary thought for the study of human cultures. fascinating and absorbing from start to finish and neither my enthusiasm nor my interest ever waned. For my term "During my first year at College of the Atlantic I took an project I constructed a scale model of the bones of the Ornithology course which placed emphasis on the evolu- human arm as an illustration of the mechanical workings tion of birds. That exposure to evolution promoted my of the elbow. The project involved both research work taking this course. In SO doing I wanted to get a more and the actual creation and assembly of the bones and complete overview of the theories of evolution and their was an educational and creative experience in itself. practical uses. The discussions between the teachers Through this course I have gained a thorough under- were challenging and valuable to me. One of the most standing of simple structural engineering, fundamental important outcomes of the course was my discovery of physical systems, fluid dynamics, and the basic princi- the wide variety of theories and the controversies sur- ples of thermodynamics. This knowledge constitutes a rounding them. I had never before been SO aware of how useful tool for understanding and appreciating the much disagreement there exists in the scientific and natural as well as the man-made world.' philosophical communities. 39 Environmental Sciences Horticultural Science Fred Olday The object of this course was to impart a fundamental understanding of plant structure and function and how humans have applied this knowledge in manipulating the plant and its environment to meet their aesthetic and food-growing needs. Topics covered included: crop-plant structures and processes; factors limiting plant growth - water, light, temperature, nutrients; plant breeding; plant propagation; soil and fertilizer practices; crop-growing structures and operations; pruning; and pest control. One greenhouse/garden practicum per week stressed the ac- quisition of basic horticultural skills such as garden plan- ning, seed selection, propagation by seeds and cuttings, transplanting, watering, fertilization, composting, prun- ing, and grafting. "I have had a longstanding interest in horticultural pur- suits, and taking Fred's horticulture course this spring seems a natural step forward for me. My past experience in this field had been largely of a practical, applied na- ture, SO I benefited especially from the anatomical, physiological, and biochemical aspects of the subject which were presented. In lieu of attending the weekly greenhouse practicums I opted to undertake an experi- mental project involving nitrogen deficiencies in lettuce seedlings and the process of tissue testing for nutrients." 40 Environmental Sciences Marine Biology Steven Katona/William Drury This team-taught course emphasized processes related to energy flow in marine systems and discussed organisms relevant to commercial fisheries. Primary productivity and the behavior and effects of first level consumers were discussed in detail. We reviewed the biology, life cycle, and commercial status of lobsters, shrimp, herring, cod, haddock, clams, mussels, and scallops. Special attention was devoted to seabirds, whales, porpoises, and seals. One afternoon of each week was spent on fieldwork on plankton, seashorelife, oceanographic work, or visits to commercial hatcheries or fisheries. "Through my interactions in classroom discussions and reading assignments I have learned a great deal about the relationship between commercial exploitation of the ocean and scientific research. Upon entering this course I had a good understanding of natural marine ecosys- tems and marine invertebrates. I benefited from this course in that it brought together my biological under- standing of the ocean with the political and commercial aspects. In light of this I feel my work in this course was successful and of prime importance in advancing my un- derstanding of the marine environment.' 41 INDEPENDENT STUDY Whenever a student's needs cannot be met through - Advanced ceramics. courses or workshops, the opportunity for independent Systems analysis: an approach to corporate activity in study usually exists. These studies, which are carried out the arctic. with the supervision of faculty sponsors, are important - Philosophy of science. learning experiences. The independent studies listed - Vegetation, communities, and succession on Little below are selected from the list of those conducted in the Duck Island. past two years. - Beginning Spanish. - COA solar greenhouse architectural drawings. - Survey and report on aquaculture and aquaculture Social problems of small colleges. facilities in the Gulf of Maine. Wind generated electricity. - Survey and report of economic and technical design Low cost, low technology dwellings in Waldo and aspects of methane digesters, and construction of a Hancock Counties. functioning model digester. - 19th and early 20th century French and German painting. - Ethnology of the Maine Indian Culture. - Skeleton preparations of a white sided dolphin and a beaver. - Fingerpicking, flatpicking, improvisation, ragtime, and counter-point guitar. - Black and white photography technique. - Non-invasion detection and recording of elec- tromagnetic signals in animal nerve and muscle tissue. - An introduction to anthroposophy. - Korean traditional funerals, religious beliefs and cul- tural heritage. - A study of Genetic Epistemology. 42 Independent Study The following are final projects completed in the year 1977-78. The final project is a major piece of independent work which is the culmination of a student's studies at COA. - Student teaching at Pemetic Junior High School. - Dolphin communication studies in Florida. Journal: "naturalist" essays in the Bitterroot Moun- tains wilderness of Montana. - Feasibility study on farming cherrystone clams in Maine. - An analysis of the fiscal plight of New Jersey cities. A study of small business administration education at COA. - Examination of the philosophies of criminal punish- ment and survey of current attitudes on the subject. - Study of marine birds on Little Duck Island. - Writing and directing a musical at Mount Desert Is- land High School. - Writing a novel. Writing an annual report of the Gulf of Maine Whale Sighting Network. - Setting up and managing a maple sugar operation. 43 WORKSHOPS Workshops are a vital part of COA's problem-solving "This project was probably one of the most productive curriculum. They can be generated by either students or endeavors undertaken by a group of COAers under the faculty members and have included such subjects as framework of a workshop in the school's history, and was whales, alternative energy, subdivision law, and home- definitely the best group effort of its kind with which I steading in Maine. Workshops are intended to develop have been involved. As a result, I found myself over- students ability to deal with concrete problems. They whelmingly dedicated to the work we had undertaken, often contribute productively to the community beyond i.e., the job of producing a thoroughly professional site the college. In addition they aid students in learning how analysis for Acadia National Park. Frankly, I worked to work cooperatively and effectively in a team effort. damn hard this spring on the vegetation analysis and Four recent workshops are described below. mapping aspects of the project, spending many long hours wading knee-deep in murky sphagnum swamps, measuring and recording specimens of Picea rubens, and Site Analysis Workshop Roc Caivano, Advisor meticulously coloring and lettering the numerous maps produced. Simply, I feel very good about this total ef- This workshop took as its goal the completion of an en- fort.' vironmental analysis contract with the National Park Service for Acadia National Park here on Mt. Desert Is- land. According to this agreement we inventoried three parcels of Park land, approximately 105 acres on three separate sites. We studied and mapped each parcel in terms of its soils, hydrology, vegetation, wildlife, slope and ecosystems. These inventory maps were then trans- lated to value overlays fashioned after the Ian McHarg system. The potential number of park users was then studied and predicted. With this data we proceeded to design and present site and building plans for a 3,450 square foot Acadia National Park Information Center. 44 Workshops Courts of Hancock and Washington Counties, Maine Daniel Kane, Advisor This field-oriented workshop was devoted to observation of the various courts in our area as the official modes of "dispute resolution," and from the point of view of "legal ethnographers." Approximately two days a week were spent in the Superior Courts, District Courts, and Small Claims Courts observing trials and the judicial pro- cess in civil and criminal cases. On the basis of this direct experience the workshop members characterized aspects of the process from lawyer/adversary system to the role and obligations of judges. Ideas in court reform were de- veloped in project work ranging from proposed legisla- tion, to small claims court education in high school classes on MDI. "One of the problems of our legal system is that it has become inbred; tradition has insulated it against the evolution of modern society. By studying other systems of dispute resolution I came to understand the relation- ship between the institution of dispute resolution and the culture it serves. On that basis I could judge Maine's court system with the etic eye of an ethnographer. I be- came less awed by its formal appearance and more con- scious of how well it served its social role. In my paper I proposed some improvement for Maine's small claims courts, based on successful and judicious versions of other state courts." 45 Workshops Environmental Education Workshop - Beverly Agler, two fourth grade classes as well. This gave me some Jean Hoekwater, Workshop Administrators perspective on the differences that exist between the age groups.' This workshop designed an environmental education program and implemented it in a local elementary school. We met twice weekly to cover administrative matters and discussion topics such as discipline, alternative schools Plumbing Workshop Sentiel Rommel, Advisor in Maine, and sensory awareness techniques. The first four weeks of the term consisted of scheduling, forming Hands-on experience in plumbing at an introductory level teaching teams of 2 to 5 people, meeting with teachers, applied to renovation of the shower room in the base- and observing classrooms. During the 5th week, the ment. There were class lectures as well as the workshop. practical teaching experience began. Classes were ex- Evaluation was based on success in learning basic skills posed to a variety of natural settings including forest, such as soldering copper pipe, minor repairs, planning pond, and rocky shore. Another important outdoor ac- and laying out a bathroom design. tivity encouraged group cohesiveness through problem solving. In-class activities designed to supplement the "I found this to be a very instructive and exciting course. curriculum included music, gardening, and creative I began with little knowledge of this area so everything I writing. The teachers' assistance and evaluation were an did was a new and varied experience. I learned a great important part of the workshop. deal about plumbing fixtures, installations and repairs and feel I could competently do more of this work. The "I am glad that this workshop came to be. Because of it I sessions where we worked on the shower room gave me was able to have a broad exposure to a public school experience and helped me learn soldering techniques, system. Although my initial intention was to provide an shower installation and use of copper and plastic pipe. I environmental education curriculum for second graders, also assisted in the completion of various extra projects my experience went well beyond. I enjoyed coming into in my free time. I found that I was able to understand and their classroom early and helping the kids with their work with these materials and as time went on I gained reading program and I am now anxious to observe how self-confidence and ease at working in these areas. I feel other subjects are taught. Besides working with my own that this will help me greatly in my own house and future class, I found the chance to work with a third grade and projects. 46 INTERNSHIPS Internships, further evidence of the college's commit- Administrative assistant for the Massachusetts His- ment to applied learning, provide students with the op- torical Society compiling and cataloging information of portunity to integrate their academic program and a the 351 local Historical Commissions in the state. practical job experience. All students take an internship Apprentice blacksmith at Strawberry Banke in Ports- for a minimum of 10 weeks, usually in their second or mouth, New Hampshire. third year. Students explore the fields of their career interests, and the knowledge and skills gained are im- ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES portant factors in planning future academic course work. College of the Atlantic's Internship and Career Ser- Laboratory assistant studying the effects of oil and heat vices Office maintains an active file of organizations and on the feeding alarm responses of the marsh mud snail at job contacts compatible with the school's focus. Work- the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Mas- shops and individual counseling concentrate on helping sachusetts. students find internships through the development of a Research assistant with the Center for Energy and En- process applicable to future job hunting endeavors. Re- vironmental Research in Puerto Rico studying the ecol- cently concluded internships have included the following: ogy of their fresh water reservoirs and its relationships to schistosomaisis. ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN Marine mammal research assistant in charge of photo- graphy on r/v Regina Maris, as oceanographic research Special Assistant for Maine Audubon, researching and vessel. developing a series of information packets on alternative Field research assistant under Dr. Frances Hamer- energy for use in secondary science classes. strom, gathering behavioral and population structure data Soil investigator, surveyor, and mapper for a licensed on the marsh hawks of a 40,000 acre marsh in Plainfield, Site Evaluator in Blue Hill, Maine. Wisconsin. Drafter and design assistant for the Herrick Corpora- Field research assistant studying loggerhead turtles on tion, a contracting firm in Blue Hill, Maine. Little Cumberland Island, Georgia. Apprentice under Tullio Inglese at NACUL Environ- mental Design Center in Amherst, Massachusetts. 47 Internships SOCIAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES VALUES AND CONSCIOUSNESS Watch officer for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound Administrative assistant and promoter for Clivus Mil- School. trum, Inc., importers of composting sewage systems for Legislative assistant for Representative Skip Greenlaw home use. in Augusta, Maine with the committee on marine re- Developer of a Pisgah Museum display through Warren sources. Wilson College in Swannanoao, North Carolina. Farm worker, community organizer, and organic Library assistant and receptionist at the Spiritualists farming researcher at Green Power Farm run by the Association of Great Britain. Weston Youth Commission of Weston, Massachusetts. Volunteer of the United Presbyterian Mission working Environmental and outdoor education teacher at the with the Kojedo Community Health Project and helping Androscoggin School, a bilingual alternative school in design low cost and low technology solar heating systems Lewiston, Maine. for homes. Legislative assistant in the office of Representative George Brown (d. CA) assisting with a bill designed to aid small farmers and to help provide them with the technical information necessary. Initiator and organizer of a marketing association of in- dependent producers from Mount Desert Island and sur- rounding island. 48 49 GRADUATES OF COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC If COA is to be considered "experimental" it would be - a senior naturalist in the Monmouth Museum in because of our experiment with a focussed curriculum, a New Jersey focussed Bachelors degree. It is appropriate to ask: - a biologist for National Marine Fisheries in Alaska "What can one do with a degree in Human Ecology?" - three field research assistants studying sea and With our small alumni body (32) we can not answer in shore birds in Alaska percentages. The list of graduates must speak for itself. - a fisherman and coordinator of whale and seabird We can report that our students who have taken sighting tours from Bar Harbor Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) have scored very - a biologist from the Arctic Whale Task Force, well, and that those who have sought admission to grad- Marine Mammals Division NOAA in Alaska uate school have been successful. Of those focussing in Social and Cultural Studies we COA graduates have been or are enrolled in the following have among our graduates: graduate programs: a Peace Corps Volunteer who served as conserva- Boston University School of Theology tion education specialist for the National Parks and Harvard School of Design Wildlife Office of Nepal University of Maine Law School an environmental educator who has taught in Out- Episcopal Divinity School, Harvard University ward Bound and for Headwaters in Ontario, and Curriculum for Community Planning and Area Devel- who is now teaching at Maine Reach in Wiscasset, opment, University of Rhode Island Maine School of Education, University of Alaska - the assistant administrator of the Washington Han- cock Community Agency The variety and quality of jobs held by our graduates a post graduate intern for the Maine Bureau of also speaks well for our program in Human Ecology. Parks and Recreation in Augusta assisting in the Among those students who focussed in the environmen- development of a conservation plan for Maine Is- tal sciences, we can include: lands 50 Graduates marine biology educator and coordinator of the volunteer program at the New England Aquarium - the Director of the Maine Audubon Society a Headstart teacher in Alaska In the area of environmental design, students have as- sumed the following positions: carpenter in Lubec post-graduate intern with the Maine State Planning Office water quality control coordinator for the Washing- ton County Community Agency in Machias, Maine - boatbuilder with Joel White in Brooklin, Maine And finally, in addition to the two students who went to seminary following their concentration in Values and Consciousness, we can add: a freelance writer with publications in The National Audubon Magazine and Downeast, among others, and district representative for the Bangor Daily News. a student who is preparing for graduate work in psychology through independent, post-graduate study. 51 WHO WE ARE We have profiled a few representative examples of individual experiences to point to the diversity of students at COA. In her last year in high school at the George School in Pennsylvania, Priscilla Bright was becoming aware of the world environmental situa- tions. She was looking for a school which would allow her to explore not only the environmental sciences but her more immediate questions of per- sonal lifestyle and purpose. In retrospect she says, "I needed to clarify my ideas and understand Human Ecology within myself before I could begin applying it to world problems. COA offered me the opportunity to begin living my ideals and dreams." Priscilla spent her first two years exploring the areas of alternative energy, environmental design and natural systems. "The first two years were really theraputic. I left high school frustrated with education. At COA I was able to work on a solar house, grow my own food, become a vegetarian; all the time working with others exploring the same questions. My activities, no matter how unacademic, were always related to the integrated whole of Human Ecology. I found my mind reawakening, and my curiosity grew. I began to actively educate myself, sampling more demanding courses waiting to find the work that I could call my own." In the spring of her second year, Priscilla took a Biological Agriculture course with Eliot Coleman which stressed the importance of soil fertility and optimum plant nutrition for plant health. The natural balance between plant health, pests, and disease which has been upset by current agricul- tural practices has resulted in pest outbreaks and the use of poisonous pesticides. Biological organic farming attempts to facilitate the natural process. "As I came to understand these ideas I saw the same concepts Who We Are relating to human health. Our relation with disease is out of balance; our resistance to disease is low because of our poor nutrition and stressful, inactive lifestyles. Medicine must be holistic, taking into account nutri- tion, physical fitness, and environmental factors." The concepts of natural balance and plant and human health became the focus of Priscilla's studies. In the next year and one half she gathered skills and information by taking chemistry, math/physics, nutrition, cell biology, evolution, and statistics. For her internship, Priscilla went to the New England Health Foundation in Cambridge, Massachusetts to work with a doctor and his staff on nutrition, Orthomolecular Medicine, and Holistic Health. Priscilla will be coordinating a holistic health course to be offered at COA in the spring of 1979 which will be her senior project while serving as a pilot course for a health curriculum at COA. Priscilla plans to continue her education in medicine and nutrition. "This will most likely take me to a learning environment very different from COA, yet I feel that the ability to integrate information as well as my sense of purpose will aid me in many varied learning environments. My experience is a statement about the college; that the support, freedom, energy, and program at COA are successful for students like me who really must explore and clarify what they feel is important before they can make a commitment." Following two years at the Putney School in Vermont, Jackson Gillman arrived at College of the Atlantic in 1972, its first year of operation. His commitment to environmental studies, his interest in wilderness areas, the arts, and small communities led him to join in the building of the new school. Taking advantage of the flexibility of the curriculum, Jackson has ex- plored a broad range of experiences. He has enrolled part-time and taken Who We Are terms away from school to devote his energies to a variety of jobs, busi- ness ventures, the piano, study sessions in emergency first aid, the Cele- bration Mime Theatre, and the Center of Northern Studies. His interests have shifted from environmental law to environmental design and land- scaping and finally to a concentration on agriculture. As an outgrowth of his studies, Jackson has become a self-employed landscaper and received his license as a Maine arborist. In the spring of 1976 he initiated and directed the Grounds Workshop which began to restore the formal gar- dens and terraced slopes on the COA campus. Jackson is "into trees" and has as one of his life goals succeeding at organic orcharding. He has planted, grafted, and pruned many fruit trees around Mt. Desert Island, including the college's small orchard which bore its first fruit last year. The college kitchen serves Jackson's fresh organic cider during his fall business season. For his internship Jackson assumed complete responsibility for the management of a large maple sugaring operation in Vermont. A second internship with the Student Conservation Association was served as a park assistant in Merck Forest, Vermont. His senior project was an ag- ricultural study for the Community Action program which involved inter- viewing farmers in Hancock County, gathering information on the organi- zation of cooperative marketing. Jackson considers his involvement in the growth of the college a signif- icant part of his education. He has served on the Admissions Committee, been a student advisor, and done independent study work on the college Master Plan. "Human Ecology to me is the art of helping things to grow harmoni- ously, whatever these 'things' might be - plants, individuals, com- munities, institutions, one's self. COA has been a good place to learn and apply this art." 4 Who We Are Upon graduating from high school in 1965, Jim Frick entered the U.S. Army, was trained as a paratrooper, and assigned to the 101st Airborne Division, Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. In 1967 he was transferred to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, Viet Nam. "It's difficult to calculate the impact the Viet Nam experience has had on my life, as a state-side soldier awaiting my time to go, as a participant in the war itself, as a returning veteran trying to adjust and rationalize the experience, and finally as a Viet Nam Veteran Against the War, reorder- ing my values and my perspective of the world. The morality of the war never troubled me while I was in Viet Nam. I saw the defoliation and dehumanization, but having grown up in the 50's and early 60's I was ingrained with the idea that we had to save the world from Communism." "Early in 1970 I finally realized that the war was wrong and I joined with other veterans in protesting it. My political and social awareness expanded, especially in the area of environmental problems. I read all of the environmental books being published at that time and began joining every ecology group I came across. Understanding the interrelatedness of things was a radical, almost religious, experience for me. It made a pro- found difference in my life and lifestyle." Before returning to college in 1975, Jim worked as a house painter, gardener, and maintenance supervisor. During this time he devoted a good deal of his energy in environmental groups. Jim's volunteer work culminated in his serving as President of the Monmouth Ecology Center, Asbury Park, New Jersey, from 1973-75. At COA Jim has pursued an interdisciplinary program with emphasis on the social sciences. He has also pursued his interest in jazz guitar and has performed with a local jazz quartet for the college and the community at large. Jim's senior project, a study of the fiscal problems of New Jersey cities, reflects his interest in urban problems and economics. Who We Are After graduating, Jim would like to work in an administrative and politi- cally active capacity toward improving environmental quality and pro- moting more humane, less comsumptive modes of living. "I would like to bring to this work a spirit of compromise and cooperation rather than confrontation. To me, this is the most challenging work that a human ecologist could be involved in. There are scientific and technological problems to be sure, but the real problems are those of values, lifestyle, and human relations - things that will change only through enlightened education and economic and political persuasion. Environmentally sound scenarios are easy to design. Getting them implemented is the real chal- lenge." A strong interest in ecology brought Tim Milne to COA in the fall follow- ing his graduation from high school in Northampton, Massachusetts. In his first year Tim was "pursuing a personal crusade to save nature from man's destruction, to save man from himself. I saw ecology as the solu- tion to all the great problems of the world that I kept reading about in books and journals. I was pointing a guiltless finger at the big multi- national corporations as the root of all evil, and I was ready to die fighting them." Through courses and late night conversations, Tim's commitments began to change toward a field which he saw to be "beyond ecology," concerning itself with the real roots of our environmental problems - religion and the ministry. "I saw all the problems no longer in any far off, impersonal institution but deep within each one of us. The real problems were the ones I had known all along-greed, - hatred, selfishness, jealousy and fear of death. These are the real sources of war, injustice, exploitation and ecological destruction. No amount of legal or political action would change anything SO long as these vices continued to flourish and our 56 Who We Are society continued to cultivate and fertilize them. The great problems of today exist primarily at a spiritual level and only at that level can they be solved." Tim shifted the focus of his studies to the Christian faith. He spent one term of his second year at Pendle Hill, a Quaker Center for Study and Contemplation. The following year he studied Christian Theology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Tim found the experience of COA's flexibility and emphasis on individually designed programs useful in ap- proaching a very traditional preparation for the ministry. Tim returned to COA for his last year and interned at the Bar Harbor Episcopal church. His responsibilities included initiating youth and Bible study groups, parish calling, organizing ecumenical activities, and acting as an assistant troopmaster for a Boy Scout troop. Through continued studies of Christianity and work with the church, possibly in the area of youth ministry, Tim hopes to help "remove the barriers to restoring Christianity as an intellectually viable alternative to the modern mentality." Tim sees Human Ecology as a stepping stone to religion. In dealing with the concepts of limits, balance, interrelationship, the wholeness of the universe and personal responsibility, "Human Ecol- ogy acts as a bridge between science and religion, between modern sec- ularism and Christianity." Throughout his four years in college, Tim developed his musical skills through independent studies, a composition course, and work with the local junior high school music teacher helping to direct several musical groups. While at Aberdeen he joined the university orchestra, a brass group, and a madrigal choir. Tim's final project challenged these skills; he wrote a script and full score for a three act musical which was performed by a group of COA and island high school students. 57 Who We Are The summer after she graduated from high school in Belfast, Maine, Cathy Ramsdell was playing and singing bluegrass in Blue Hill, Maine, when she met COA faculty member Elmer Beal. Though she had visited COA and courted the idea of attending a college whose focus SO closely matched her interests, she had put off the decision for financial reasons. Elmer convinced her to enter in the fall semester that was to begin in two weeks. During her four years at COA, Cathy took at least one course each term in the environmental sciences. Building valuable competencies she filled the remaining slots with a variety of courses from Dance to Modern Architecture and Environmental Design. She wanted to build a concen- tration in an area interesting to her, useful in addressing the world's problems, and at the same time financially rewarding. By the end of her senior year Cathy had done considerable field work in biology and public administration, experience that she hopes to apply in the field of public education. "As a young person, I saw any environmental problems as being the fault of human beings, of their refusal to care. But I have learned not to write off the human element. I've taken a variety of courses here, such as a philosophy course, Humans in Nature, which have led me to the question I now face: How can I relate scientific research to the human condition?" Cathy's interest in marine mammals and her work-study experience with Allied Whale, a COA-based research group, led to a position as Coordinator of Allied Whale during her last year. In this position she coordinated the efforts of fellow COA students and more than 600 volun- teers of the Gulf of Maine Whale Sighting Network. For her senior project Cathy wrote the 1977 annual report for the Whale Sighting Network. In the summer of 1976, Cathy did her internship in Alaska working with COA faculty member Bill Drury on a federally funded project that studied Who We Are the relations between marine birds and oceanographic conditions of the North Bering Sea. Following graduation Cathy will join the research team again to finish this research and co-author its final report. Her other projects include a second internship in southern Georgia tagging and ob- serving sea turtles as they came onto the beach to lay their eggs, observa- tions of a colony of seals along the coast of Maine, and publications on Blue Fin tuna and mushroom taxonomy. But there is more to Cathy than whales and scientific papers. She teamed up with Elmer Beal to learn and perform traditional folk music, and recently she sang with a Bar Harbor based jazz group, enthusiasti- cally received wherever it played. She also served as a member of the college's Academic Steering Committee, coordinated the Advising Pool, and sang in COA's choir. Cathy feels that Human Ecology is a way of looking at the world that combines hope with realism. "A degree in Human Ecology is very hope- ful. It encourages a realization of self and potential, and a balance be- tween self-consciousness and self confidence. It tells you that all you can do is what you do. It is difficult to separate the degree from the experience of being at COA. Combining a variety of learning experiences you learn to ask questions, and to synthesize and determine what you want and need to know about. I don't believe in the 'save the world' ethic. It's too large, too unrealistic. But I do want to figure out what's realistic for me to do; I want to be a part of the solution." Wells Bacon, after graduating from Phillips Academy and sailing in the Caribbean, decided to come to COA because of an appreciation for the focus of the curriculum and an attraction to what he saw to be a friendly community. On the outdoor orientation canoe trip, Wells found that he 59 Who We Are shared interests with a new COA faculty member in environmental de- sign. Exploring this field in his first year at COA, he found that courses in drawing, drafting, and design tapped his dormant mechanical, technical, and design abilities. Through an alternative energy workshop Wells dis- covered the excitement of talking about, and then exploring, solutions to real problems. In the next two years Wells developed his skills and perspectives. Joining the Strawberry Hill Workshop, he helped in the design and con- struction of an 1,800 sq. ft. workshop and worked on a comprehensive land use plan for the college's 80 acres on Strawberry Hill. When it was decided not to relocate the campus on the Strawberry Hill property, Wells joined two students in producing a Master Plan for the future use of the college's present facilities. He was hired by two faculty members to assist them in the design and drafting of their solar homes. His internship is to complete construction of a faculty member's solar heated home, and to finish the design and construction of a wood burning furnace. To expand his knowledge of alternative energy technology, Wells has worked on the design of a wood burning furnace with heat storage capac- ity and a combustion chamber which would be two to three times more efficient than other wood stoves. He and another COA student are speculating on the application and marketing of this furnace. Through working closely with two COA faculty members, Roc Caivano and Ernie McMullen, Wells has developed a design outlook - a perspec- tive on how to build buildings that would work for people and incorporate the benefits of alternative energy sources. Wells has also developed his interests in math, astrophysics, and photography. With a year to go before he leaves COA, Wells is toying with the idea of organizing a consulting firm in alternative energy or continuing to build, learning through experi- ence rather than jumping into graduate school immediately. THE ISLAND Mount Desert Island is a beautiful environment of forests, lakes, moun- tains, and ocean, located 250 miles own east' from Boston. Parts of the Island remain undeveloped; one third of its 150 square miles is perma- nently protected by Acadia National Park. The Atlantic Ocean tempers the climate of the area; while the winters are cold and the summers warm, neither season experiences the extreme weather of inland Maine. The pleasures of Mount Desert Island and the Park draw approximately two million tourists to the Island during the summer season. From Oc- tober to June the year-round population of 8,000 enjoys a quiet and un- crowded island. The economy is supported by the tourist trade; The Jackson Laboratory, the nation's largest center for the study of mamma- lian genetics; and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory. The west- ern side of the Island remains less developed and is sustained by an economy of fishing, lobstering, and boat building. The regional Coast Guard group, with whom the college works in maintaining the Mount Desert Rock Whale Watch, is located in Southwest Harbor. The Island is crisscrossed by many miles of trails and carriage paths that provide opportunities for hiking and, in the winter, cross-country skiing. In addition, there are regular ferries to outlying islands as well as the large Bluenose Ferry, which journeys between Bar Harbor and Yar- mouth, Nova Scotia. 61 THE CAMPUS College of the Atlantic occupies three former estates and several adjoining buildings just outside of Bar Harbor. One of the estates, a large granite building called "Turrets," has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Completion of its renovations in 1978-79 will double the college's existing academic space. In addition, the college owns eighty acres of undeveloped land on nearby Strawberry Hill, overlooking the town of Bar Harbor. This property may someday be used for college and community housing sites. The twenty acre campus includes, in addition to the main building, a greenhouse, a pottery studio and gas-fired kiln, and a solar and wood heated workshop designed and built by students. The college grounds include 2,800 square feet of vegetable garden space, a small orchard, a root cellar, and complete composting facilities. Fourteen hundred feet of shoreline on Frenchman Bay provide valuable access to the ocean. Stu- dents have worked closely on the present campus master plan with the college's resident architect. Future plans include construction of solar heated dormitories and a solar heated greenhouse. The main building houses all classrooms, laboratories, and offices as well as the library, which now contains over ten thousand volumes. The building also features an art gallery, an auditorium, a darkroom, a design studio, a film editing studio, and a kitchen and dining area. Computer facilities added in the fall of 1978 include a single processor operated on an open shop arrangement whereby a student or a faculty member has unre- stricted use of the facilities. The Campus Housing on the campus provides double and single rooms for 30 stu- dents. The three campus houses are equipped with kitchens. Students manage their housing in a semi-autonomous relationship to the college. The residents of Sea Fox, the largest house, have organized a successful co-op - purchasing their food in bulk, cooking meals on a rotating sched- ule, and sharing maintenance chores. Regular house meetings insure open communication and an opportunity to discuss household business. The majority of the students rent houses or apartments in the nearby village of Bar Harbor or other small towns in the vicinity. The college offers a housing referral service to students who require assistance. Most off- campus students live within walking distance of the campus. WHAT GOES ON Community Bar Harbor, its community and environment, plays a large role in shaping a student's experience at COA. Resource sharing with The Jackson Lab- oratory and Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory broaden the scope of the educational experience. An agreement between the college and the Park, establishing the college as a Cooperative Research Unit, gives students the opportunity to do professional research. In the spring of 1977, for example, a group of students and faculty prepared a site analysis and designed a proposed Visitors Center at the head of the Is- land. The Coastal Resource Center, founded by the college and now independent, works to promote wise use of coastal resources and helps to demonstrate that economic development can be environmentally com- patible. COA students have participated in a number of research projects funded by the center, including studies of clamflat management, solid waste disposal, fish marketing, and peat mine development. While using the Island as a source of work and problem-solving experi- ence, students contribute their energy and talents to the community that founded the school. Involvement with the community takes many forms - working with a local church as a lay minister or in the choir, teaching swimming at the YMCA, or forming a cooperative with local crafts- people. Students have team-taught at the local schools, helped to create environmental education exercises, and designed and built playgrounds for three island elementary schools. What Goes On As a town that helped Maine earn its nickname of "Vacationland," Bar Harbor in the summer teems with tourists entertained by gift shops, res- taurants, and pubs. As the students return in the fall, the stream of traffic reverses direction and the town starts to shutter up and settle down. Creative resourcefulness becomes more important as ready made enter- tainment declines. When one has exhausted the opportunities offered by the Park, local music events or speakers, the YMCA, and the few restau- rants and pubs remaining open, there is always Ellsworth, a town 17 miles from Bar Harbor. There one may find a number of city features: shopping centers, a popular cinema and the noteworthy Hancock County Au- ditorium, which presents a year-round concert and film series as well as theatrical productions. An hour away is Bangor, the "big city," where more theaters, stores and a symphony can be found. Just beyond Bangor is the University of Maine at Orono. UMO has a fine research library and many scheduled campus events such as films, concerts, and workshops. Although the world beyond Bar Harbor is accessible and appreciated by COA students and staff, the most popular form of enjoyment is still homemade fun - handcrafts, music, knowledge and friendship shared with the immediate community. 66 PUMPING 67 What Goes On Events and Activities Life at COA is fast-paced and informal. Regular college-sponsored ac- tivities include a film series that screens foreign and domestic films each week, and a speakers series that has brought such notables as Ian McHarg, Helen and Scott Nearing, John Cole, Joel Oppenheimer, Joe Weizenbaum, Robert J. Lurtsema, James Krenov, Richard Hill, Buckminster Fuller, and Dr. Benjamin Spock. In the performing arts, COA has hosted Tony Montanarro, Two Penny Circus, David Darling of the Paul Winter Consort, and Gordon Bok among others. COA joins with MDI Arts Council to sponsor a concert series each year. COA's art gal- lery shows the work of nationally known artists as well as local talent. Student-generated activities change each term to reflect the full range of current interests. Among the recent projects have been a jazz band, a recorder ensemble, regular folk music gatherings, a choir, a modern dance group, life drawing classes, a poetry workshop, and a crafts cooperative. It is not unusual to walk into the college auditorium to find a group of echo students and faculty exploring psychodrama, Tai-Chi, or improvisational theater. Contradances, informal dances, potluck suppers, and cof- feehouses are regular weekend happenings. The life of the college is re- Volume V Number 2 flected in its two regular publications, Echo, a research journal, and Off the Wall, a weekly news sheet. Athletic activities are informal and non-competative. Acadia National Park offers great opportunities for hiking, cross-country skiing, snow- shoeing, sailing, rockclimbing, canoeing, birding, ice skating, and exploring. Volleyball or frisbee on the front lawn, weightlifting or wres- tling in the auditorium, or jogging around the Park's carriage trails, are common sources of enjoyment. 68 FINE PRINT Accreditation College of the Atlantic is a fully accredited member of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Academic Calendar for 1978-79 Outdoor Orientation September 5-8 Academic Orientation September 9-10 Fall Semester Classes September 11-December 15 Winterim January 4-January 31 Spring Semester Classes February 19-April 6 Spring Break April 9-April 13 Spring Semester Classes April 16-June 1 Commencement Sunday, June 3 Student Handbook All students receive a copy of the student handbook which serves as an introduction to the few regulations by which we are self-governed. In addition, the handbook gives detailed degree requirements, an outline of evaluation and transcript procedures, and a guide to the advising system. The handbook is a reference for the different procedural elements, large and small, that concern people on a day-to-day basis. 69 Fine Print COSTS AND POLICIES Tuition $3,200.00 Double Room 600.00 Lunch Board 160.00 $3,960.00 Tuition for the academic year 1978-79 is $3,200, or approximately $1,400 per semester and $400 for the required four week interim. Room and lunch board fees are $760 per year. Fees per semester are $300 per double room ($360 single room), and $80 for lunch board. Off-campus expenses for housing and meals vary with choice of accommodations and individual taste; however, a budget of $1,200 to $1,400 for a year's room and board is an accurate estimate. A weekday lunch plan is recommended for students and staff at a discount cost of $80 per semester. Please note: the budget covering all college costs including tuition, room and board, books, mate- rials, and miscellaneous expenses can total $5,400. Tuition and room and board charges are billed a few weeks before each semester and must be paid prior to registration for classes. The fall semester bill will include one half of the interim tuition. The spring semester bill includes the last half of interim tuition. Alternate payment arrangements should be negotiated with the college Business Office man- ager before the start of each semester. Fine Print Growth and Governance Students at College of the Atlantic have the rights and responsibilities that come with participation in the growth and governance of all aspects of the college community. As full members with equal votes, students share in the deliberation of all major college committees: Academic Steering, Per- sonnel, Student Affairs, and Building. They play a significant role in the discussions which shape the college's curriculum and in deciding who will be invited to teach. Students prepare the agendas for, and run, the All College Meetings, in which any issue or problem may be introduced for discussion by all members of the college community. Health Medical care is available at the Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor. Twenty-four hour emergency care service is provided by the local medical group. Psychological help and counseling is available through the Mount Desert Island Family Counseling Service. In addition, there are several dentists on the Island, as well as a Family Planning clinic in nearby Ellsworth. All students not covered by a parent's health insurance policy are re- quired to participate in a group Blue Cross policy for accidents and hos- pitalization at an approximate charge of $175.00 for the year. 71 ADMISSIONS College of the Atlantic's commitment to Human Ecology strongly influ- ences the character of its curriculum, its educational style, the kinds of students admitted, and the educational experience they can expect. Since our curriculum emphasizes interdisciplinary work and balancing of prac- tical and theoretical knowledge, it provides an effective approach to broadly based and intricate environmental problems. Our educational style is informal and intimate. Personal initiative, resourcefulness, and self-knowledge are encouraged as students pull together their own pro- grams of study from a variety of learning experiences. Human Ecology calls for academic involvement as well as an exploration of social action, personal values, and lifestyles. Students who consider attending COA should carefully assess the spe- cial focus, commitments, and educational experience we offer. They should ask whether or not COA promises to be a good match for their own educational goals. Students and their families are encouraged to visit the college for a day, sit in on classes, and talk to students and faculty, SO that they can fully appreciate the strengths and limitations of the college and its environs. The application, designed as a self-selection process, re- quires that a student has given some consideration to these issues. The Admissions Committee looks for qualities of imagination, critical thinking, basic skills, discipline, and enthusiasm that characterize an ac- tive learner. An ability to conceptualize beyond the personal or the im- mediate, and an active approach to problems both social and personal in nature, are important considerations as well. The Admissions process is, therefore, highly personalized; standard measures of board scores and grade point average take a supporting role, while teacher references and the personal application often carry considerable weight. Admissions Application materials can be obtained by writing or calling the Admis- sions Office. The student's form of the application, references, and a high school transcript, should be forwarded to the Admissions Office by May 15. Generally, the Admission Committee, composed of students, staff and faculty, will make its decision within a month of receipt of all parts of the application. Interviews are required but may be waived for those who find it impossible to journey to Bar Harbor. Transfer Students About fifty percent of College of the Atlantic students have transferred from such colleges and universities as Tufts, Middlebury, Bowdoin, Yale, Reed, Oberlin, Dartmouth, University of California at Santa Cruz, Wes- leyan, Cornell, Washington University, Goddard, Boston University, Colorado State University, and the University of Michigan. Admissions procedures and standards are the same for transfer students and freshman applicants (see above). Special emphasis is placed on the transfer appli- cant's college transcript and recommendations. The transfer of credits is determined on an individual basis. All transferring students are required to undertake a minimum of two years of study at COA. Visiting Students Frequently students will arrange to spend from one semester to one year as nonmatriculating visiting students in residence at the college. Visiting students choose a course of study that will act as a supplement to their programs at their home institutions. Students wishing to visit College of the Atlantic should write or phone the Admissions Office for application and information. Admissions Exchange Program COA and Marlboro College, a small liberal arts college in Vermont, have worked out a simple agreement whereby a limited number of students and faculty members at either institution may spend up to one year at the other institution. Student exchange arrangements have also been made with Huxley College of Environmental Studies, a cluster college of West- ern Washington State College in Bellingham, Washington. Advanced Placement College credit may be given for superior performance in the CEEB ad- vanced placement examinations or the College Level Examination Pro- gram. Financial Aid When student and parent financing is unable to meet educational costs, the college can award financial assistance. Financial aid awards are based on need and merit. Any student who qualifies will be granted aid to the extent that funds are available. The financial aid committee uses the ser- vices of the College Scholarship Service and the financial "need analysis" method to determine a student's level of need. Awards are offered in an aid package which will usually include gifts, part-time work opportunities (College Work Study), and educational loans. Assistance is extended for one year at a time, and students reapply for aid in the winter of each year. Financial aid information can be ob- tained from the admissions office. The Financial Aid Form (FAF) is avail- able at most high schools or through the college. 74 Admissions How to Get Here Driving from Boston, take Interstate 95 north to Bangor, Route 1A from Bangor to Ellsworth, and Route 3 south from Ellsworth; bear left for Bar Harbor after crossing the bridge onto Mount Desert Island. College of the Atlantic is on the eastern side of Route 3, about nine miles from the bridge and one quarter mile beyond the Bluenose Ferry terminal. This drive usu- ally takes from five to six hours. (For a longer and more scenic drive, take Interstate 95 to Brunswick and coastal Route 1 from there to Ellsworth. Bar Harbor and Delta Airlines provide regular service to the Bar Har- bor and Bangor Airports, respectively. In addition, Greyhound Bus Lines provides regularly scheduled transportation from Boston and New York to Bar Harbor, and from Bangor to Bar Harbor. Students are admitted to College of the Atlantic without regard to race, religion, sex, or national origin. 76 BOARD OF TRUSTEES Current term expires: 1978 Mrs. Robert E. Blum Lakeville, Connecticut Mrs. Frederick E. Camp East Blue Hill, Maine Ms. Margaret Dulany Concord, Massachusetts Mr. William J. Ginn Freeport, Maine Mr. Curtis M. Hutchins Bangor, Maine Mr. Robert H. Kanzler Detroit, Michigan Mr. Richard F. McFalls Greenville, Maine Judge Edwin R. Smith Bar Harbor, Maine Mrs. R. Amory Thorndike Bar Harbor, Maine 1979 Mr. John C. Dreier, Vice Chairman Southwest Harbor, Maine Dr. Thomas S. Hall New York, New York Dr. Steven Katona Bar Harbor, Maine Dr. Leo Marx Amherst, Massachusetts Dr. Bodil Schmidt-Nielsen Salisbury Cove, Maine Mr. Donald B. Straus New York, New York Mr. Charles R. Tyson Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1980 Dr. Seldon E. Bernstein Bar Harbor, Maine Mr. Leslie C. Brewer Bar Harbor, Maine Mr. Amos Eno Princeton, New Jersey Mr. Thomas S. Gates, Chairman New York, New York Fr. James M. Gower Orono, Maine Mr. Winthrop C. Libby Steuben, Maine Mr. Benjamin R. Neilson Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Dr. Elizabeth S. Russell Mount Desert, Maine Mr. Thomas J. Watson, III Dover, Massachusetts 77 PRESIDENT DEVELOPMENT Edward G. Kaelber, President Richard C. Rianhard, Development Samuel A. Eliot, Vice President Sherry L. Miller, Development Secretary Penny E. Grover, Secretary to the President MAINTENANCE AND KITCHEN BUSINESS OFFICE Millard L. Dority, Supervisor Liane N. Peach, Business Manager Leslie A. Clark, Maintenance Bunnie N. Clark, Assistant Business Manager Michael W. Leonard, Maintenance Bernice M. Sylvestor, Faculty Secretary John K. Mitchell, Maintenance Mary C. Silk, Bookkeeper Dennis W. Mitchell, Maintenance Laura E. Woolley, Receptionist Pam Parvin, Food Service LIBRARY Marcia L. Dworak, Librarian Marcia H. Dorr, Assistant to Librarian STUDENT AFFAIRS Theodore S. Koffman, Co-director of Admissions and Student Affairs Gail P. Stuart, Co-director of Admissions and Student Affairs James G. Frick, Admissions Assistant Anne Van Twisk, Admissions Secretary Dolores S. Jordan, Registrar Carole P. O'Donnell, Internships and Placement 78 INDEX Page Introduction 3 Academic Program 6 Faculty 11 Curriculum 22 Environmental Design 22 Values and Consciousness 27 Social and Cultural Studies 31 Environmental Sciences 36 Independent Studies 42 Workshops 44 Internships 47 Graduates 50 Who We Are 52 The Island 61 The Campus 63 What Goes On 65 Fine Print 69 Admissions 72 79 CREDITS The cover drawing and the drawing on page 51 are by Garrett Conover '78. The loon on the title page is by Dale Davison. The lines by Wendell Berry are from his essay "Think Little," which appeared in the Last Whole Earth Catalog, and are reprinted by the author's permission. The drawing on page 26 is by Kim Rudkin, and the drawing on page 68 is by Lisa Damtoft. Thanks to the many students and staff who made contributions to the text, especially: Paul Beltramini, Bill Carpenter, Joan Feely, Jim Frick, and Nina Zabinsky. Photographer - Stephen B. Papazidis Editor - Gail P. Stuart Photo Credits: John March pp. 9, 23, 45, 61, 67a, b, 75, 76. Steven Katona p. 43 Bill McDowell p. 49 George Bennington p. 66 Cathy Johnson p. 67c Beth MaCleod p. 73 Courtesy of Ram and Strout p. 62 All others by Stephen B. Papazidis For further information please write or call the Office of Admissions College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 (207) 288-5015 EASTERN BAY THOMPSON ISLAND 3 HULLS COVE 0 BAR ISLAND o COLLEGE OF THE ATLANTIC 198 MOUNT DESERT ISLAND BAR HARBOR WESTERN BAY 102 BALIX 0 PORCUPINE 237 ISLAND SOMESVILLE 198 102 CADILLAC MT 3 SAND BEACH 102 SEAL HARBOR HARDWOOD BLACKWOODS ISLAND 3 NORTHEAST HARBOR GREENING ISLAND SOUTHWEST HARBOR SUTTON ISLAND TREMONT 1111 LITTLE CRANBERRY ISLAND BLUE HILL BAY SEAWALL BAKER ISLAND GREAT CRANBERRY ISLAND BASS HARBOR BASS HARBOR LIGHT College of the Atlantic/Bar Harbor, Maine 04609 Tel. (207) 288-5015