Mulberry Tree

The Mulberry Tree magazine is produced for alumni, faculty, staff, trustees, the local community, and friends of the College.

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The Mulberry Tree Fall 2021

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The Mulberry Tree Fall 2021 Cover photo of varsity volleyball

We’re happy to be here!

Current students and faculty share what they’re most excited about for the return to in-person living and learning at SMCM:

Nick Ashenfelter ’24: “I’m most looking forward to having in-person club meetings.”

Aliya Berger ’24: “I’m excited to join more clubs to meet more people.”

Andrew Cognard-Black, assistant professor of sociology and junior faculty professorship awardee: “I’m looking forward to being able to see people in three dimensions, but I’m mostly excited to be back in shared space where surprise encounters happen in the stairwell or on the sidewalk. There’s a lot of work that gets done on the sidelines, and under normal circumstances there’s a lot of creativity that happens spontaneously. It’s hard to schedule a facetime meeting to capture all of that. I’ve really missed the magic that can happen during chance encounters when you run into old friends or, completely unexpectedly, meet brand new ones.”

Asif Dowla, professor of economics and Landers Endowed Chair in the Liberal Arts: “For me, teaching is performance. Teaching online was being on a stage without any audience. … I wasn’t sure if they understood the concepts and if and when I should try another trick to explain them.”

Brayan Ruiz Lopez ’24: “I look forward to embracing the St. Mary’s Way from a new perspective. I see it as a blank slate because the current seniors and juniors have not experienced more than two years of traditional college life. That means it is up to us to remember the culture of responsibility, integrity, respect and intellectual creativity that the College’s reputation holds.”

Barry Muchnick, associate professor of environmental studies: “I’m excited to help students harness their energy and educational experiences to collaborate on projects to protect, preserve and celebrate all that our colorful and vibrant campus community has to offer.”

Meghan Stevens ’24: “I was able to live on campus both semesters in the 2020-2021 academic year, but I definitely got a unique first-year experience with St. Mary’s College. However, through it all, with canceled sports events and seemingly endless Zoom meetings, I fell in love with the beautiful campus and the welcoming atmosphere of my peers and the faculty! I am so excited to hopefully get a realistic, non-pandemic taste of St. Mary’s College.”