The Grotto Gazette

Volume 8 Issue 6

February 13, 2006

Upcoming Events:

~ 2.16.06 ~ Calathump, 9 p.m. in the Cavern; "Challenge your professor" trivia, karaoke, drinks for those of age, and fun with history friends and family. T-shirts will be available to commemorate the event.

~ 3.23-25.06 ~ The History Weekend. Full description is available in last month's issue of the Gazette (http://clubs.roanoke.edu/historic/Gazette.htm).

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"Damn These Calathumps!"

By Bradford Pelletier

One brisk evening in September of 1840, upon the campus of the University of Virginia, law professor John A.G. Davis made his usual stroll from the library back to his apartment across campus.  Suddenly, a group of about one hundred masked students, paying no mind to the professor, scrambled across his path firing pistols into the air, breaking windows, and screaming “bloody murder.”  Yet, unbeknownst to any among the raucous crowd, one bullet went astray and fatally struck the innocent professor.  As he lay there and death began to consume him, the only words he could utter were "Damn these Calathumps!"

No, Professor Davis was not referring to the students, but rather the event in which they were participating.  "A 'Calathump' was a late-night raid up and down the Lawn...Masked students paraded the grounds, fired their revolvers, and made night hideous to those who remained indoors and dangerous to those who ventured out." (www.uvaguides.org)

The time has come for the second annual Roanoke Calathump presented to you by the dedicated members of the Historical Society this Thursday, February 16th in the Cavern at 9:00 p.m.  Fortunately for faculty across campus, revolvers have been replaced by karaoke microphones and students have been invited to attack only in the arena of trivia.  So, come on down and join the trivia challenge/karaoke jam session.  

Thursday Feb. 16, 9:00 p.m.

-"Challenge your professor" trivia game show- bring teams of 3! (GREAT PRIZES)

-Starts at 9:00 p.m., sign up for trivia until 9:30!

-"Opening Ceremonies" with miller lighting the "flame of history" and let then the games begin!

-Trivia game, music, drinks and karaoke!

-Also contest for best historical costumes! Bring your own or check some out there!

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The Difference the Big Puddle Can Make

By Stephen Robinson

     As many of you know, Stephen has joined our history family for the year from University of East Anglia in England.

When I first left England last August to attend Roanoke College I was naturally very excited. My mind was full of the stereotypes that are associated with America and Americans and I was curious to see just how accurate they were. I have always had a feeling that Brits and Americans were actually very different people and were in fact only linked by a relatively similar language. Therefore this is a great opportunity to immerse myself in American lifestyles and see just how accurate my assertions were.

Since being here I have been frequently told that this is not a typical American college but it is my only basis for comparison so you will have to excuse any generalised statements that might not be entirely accurate. My first impressions of the college were very favourable. The campus seemed so picturesque compared to the concrete jungle where I attend university and everybody was very friendly and welcoming. It was clear that I would certainly have an enjoyable year at Roanoke but I could see immediately that there were certain differences between English and American student life. In England students have much more of a say in what goes on. We have a student union, made up of student-elected representatives from the student body itself. This union plays a big role in decisions that the university as a whole makes thereby making each and every student feel as though their own opinion matters. On campus the student union runs a small grocery shop, a newsagents, a laundrette and, most importantly, a pub, bar and nightclub. 

I have found at Roanoke, and from talking to English friends at other American colleges, that there is a much more ingrained sense of school spirit and pride than we have in England. Everyday I see countless people walking around campus wearing a variety of garments with ‘Roanoke’ or ‘Noke’ or ‘Maroons’ emblazoned upon them. I think this is largely due to the role sports have to play in American colleges. In England we do not get crowds watching games nor are any university games ever televised. For us sports at university is an extension of our social life. Of course we have many sports played in proper leagues and at a competitive level but university teams are virtually always run by the students themselves and do not play such a central role, for many students, in their university experience.

I would certainly say that in England the students are trusted more and given much more freedom to make their own decisions. Of course in England, and in most of the world, you are a full adult at 18 and have every legal right that comes with being an adult. Instead of secretly binge drinking in our dorm rooms or going to parties in basements we have pubs and nightclubs on our campuses. This means that drinking can be regulated more easily and largely reduces the chances of alcohol-related accidents. Fortunately as a 22-year-old the only indignity I have to suffer here is continually showing my ID to the same guy in Mac ‘n’ Bob’s every night, surely he should remember me by now!

The educational aspect of American college life has been an interesting experience. Being the foreigner in the class makes it harder to just merge into the background but at the same time I have found that people tend listen to what I have to say with more interest. Of course that could just be because I have an accent. The professors have all been very friendly and have gone out of their way to help me on many occasions. Classes are a lot more formal at Roanoke than they are at my home university and remind me of being back at school. As a history major I would normally have a lecture and a seminar per week for each course that I was enrolled in. The lecture would cover the main material of the week and the seminar would then involve a more detailed discussion of the same material. It is not uncommon to be on first name terms with the seminar leader and usually everyone talks during the discussion. The seminars put much more of an emphasis on the students to lead the discussions.

I have found the experience of studying and living abroad for a sustained period of time to be very rewarding. I would recommend to anyone reading this piece to take up any travelling opportunity that comes their way. In the six months I have been here little has happened to change my mind on the differences between Brits and Americans but the experience has been so much better because of that. There are so many cultures out there and you will often be surprised at what you find but you are unlikely to ever forget it.

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Catholic Feminism: Dr. Henold's First Book

By Tara Hall

Perhaps one of the hardest parts about being a lifelong scholar is finding new things to explore. Our own Dr. Mary Henold has found a real diamond-in-the rough for the subject of her new book. Not only does she have a personal interest in it, but [the subject has never been tackled by a historian before.

Henold’s topic for her first book is the Catholic feminist movement in the United States. Her research covers the 20 years between 1963 and 1983, but the movement still exists. In particular she is studying the major players and their belief system, as well as the agenda and protests of the movement as a whole. She is literally starting from scratch, which means she has to designate the periods of the movement and everything. There is no existing authority. “Mine is the book everyone will have to argue with from now on,” she said.

She says that many people have called Catholic feminism an “oxymoron,” but in fact one of the most fascinating parts to her is that “they harmonized Catholicism and feminism.” One of the huge questions within the movement is one of identity. She is herself a Catholic feminist, though before she began her studies she didn’t realize that there was an entire movement. “There are a variety of ways to be a feminist,” Henold said. “The movement recognizes the depth of feminism, particularly in the 70s.”

She began working on her dissertation with a vague idea of what she was looking for. Starting with a plan to research Catholic women in the 20^th century, she tried to do a case study of Detroit women. After being denied access to the key archives for her study, she went back to the drawing board. The archives at Notre Dame were accessible, however, and there she became convinced that there was an entire movement to be studied that was a particular kind of feminism – Catholic feminism.

After three long years of work, Henold completed her dissertation on the subject. It was 380 pages long and titled Faith, Feminism, and the Politics of Sustained Ambivalence: The Creation of the Catholic Feminist Movement, 1963-1980. For the first chapter of the dissertation alone, she read 518 magazine articles and used well over 100 footnotes. It took her several visits to different archives to collect all the materials, and much more time to put it all together. She also put together an online guide to 35 particularly useful sources, which unfortunately is only available by subscription.

Now she faces the ordeal of turning a dissertation into a book. “A dissertation is written to experts. You are trying to convince them that you know everything you need to know,” Henold said. “It’s dry with lots of footnotes…not fun at all.” After you have proven that and you have the degree, no one questions that you know it all anymore. A book, at least the kind that she is writing, is written to a much larger audience, including us undergrads and, in her case, the general public. She wants to tell more stories and have a lighter tone. It also can’t have the depth and length of the dissertation either. “I can’t do everything,” she said. “I have to make choices about what to include.”

The manuscript is due to the University of North Carolina Press in the fall, so the bulk of the writing will be done in the next few months. Once it is submitted it will be reviewed by three anonymous readers, and if they approve, it will be revised and then go on to publication.

Henold recognized that the project was “very ambitious” but she didn’t realize it until she was up to her neck in archives. Her next project is more manageable. She will be analyzing “Mass” by Leonard Bernstein, a piece of music written for the opening of the Kennedy Center. She will be discussing how the music encapsulates the 70s and connects American Catholic history to American history in the period.