March 9, 2012

The Pioneer Log features very year, over two thousand students and their families visit the Lewis & Clark campus to decide whether it is right for them, while the admissions staff does their best to determine whether they are right for it. What is next years class going to look like? Who might the freshmen of the class of 2016 be? Right now is the busiest time of the year for the admissions staff, when the campus is crowded with high school seniors awaiting acceptance letters and juniors trying to whittle down the list of schools to which they will apply in the fall. Caitlin Harper (CAS 10) is the Admissions Counselor in charge of student interns. She sees a lot of incoming students through the whole process. Right now, she is giving information sessions, interviewing students and reading applicationslots of applications. On average, it takes about 20 minutes to review an application. Thats a lot of time, said Harper. Each counselor has over 500 applications, and each one is looked at more than once. Its a lot of work, but the admissions offices are well staffed. First, there are interns, students who work in the office and help organize tours, information sessions and other logistical elements for the department. Harper started as one of them, and moved into the position she currently holds after she graduated. I actually graduated a semester early. So while most of my friends were finishing their senior year, I would be going to work. Lisa Meyer is the Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, and she is every bit as busy as Caitlin this time of the year The admissions process rolls on an 18-month calendar, said Meyer. Every part of the year for us is something different. In April, over 200 prospective students and parents visit the campus each day. Its a tough job to sort through this huge volume of students, especially with the level of detail the counselors try to give to each application. For me, the most important part of the application is the transcript, what kind of coursework the student has taken, said Meyer. We look for lots of honors or

7
AP classes. Trends in the GPA, whether it is getting better or worse. We definitely look at the essay as a writing sample and as a reflection of who the student is. Sometimes the essays can make an application truly memorable. There was a young woman who talked about how she had a cranky neighbor, described Meyer. She would complain to [the students] mom about how their grass looked, where they put their trashcans. One day, the cat got out and the neighbor was furious. Then, when [the student] went out to get the mail, the mailbox was filled with cherry Jell-O. She had a copy of Teen magazine and she says she remembered looking at Taylor Lautners Jell-O-soaked body and had a choice at that point to be angry or to laugh. She laughed. Thats a great essay. And this is just the sort of thing the admissions office looks for in applications. They arent a bunch of old white guys in suits, smoking cigars and dissecting your service recordmany of them like to sit down with a stack at a coffee shop. One of the admissions counselors reads applications while wearing red footy pajamas. You have to get comfortable when youre reading about 200 potential LC students. So what is next years class going to look like? Its too early at this point to tell, said Harper. Theyll fit the current trend of having high test scores and GPAs, but if current students really want to get to know the incoming class, admissions counselors say, the best thing to do is meet them in person. Current students can go up to admitted students and put in a good word about the campus to help create what the admissions office calls a culture of yield. Yield is the percentage of students who visit LC that end up applying here, and the percentage that decide to come after getting accepted. The culture of yield is an attitude on the part of the staff, faculty and students that would make anyone who visited campus want to come here. Its incredible how much of a difference talking to a student, one who is not associated with the admissions staff, can make, said Meyer.

AN INSIDE LOOK AT CHOOSING THE CLASS OF 2016

BY KYLE MCCALL
Staff Writer

Admissions

Lisa Meyer and Lauren Brown discuss an applicants file.

PHOTO BY DANIAL AFZAL

On the 31st annual Gender Studies Symposium

CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE of divorce, and Pamela D. Bridgewater, professor of law at American Universitys Washington College of Law, who will present about popular culture, technology and a 21st century framework for reproductive rights and activism. On Thursday, students, professors, staff and guests will speak on queer identities, women in Islamic law and sex trafficking, among other things. Police misconduct attorney and activist Andrea Ritchie will give a talk entitled Invisible Crimes, Inadequate Remedies: Uncovering Police Profiling and Brutality Against Women and LGBTQ People of Color, followed by a talk by Linda McCain, professor of law at Boston University School of Law, entitled Changing Families, Contested Values: The Evolution of Family Law and Policy, 1992-2012. Friday continues with more panels and discussion about families, the notion of freedom in relation to gender, the pros and cons of modern progressive social movements and women in literature. I hope that the main takeaway that our audience has from the symposium is to really consider the way that our legal system works and doesnt work. To be specific, who are the kinds of people who seem to really benefit from our current legal system, and who are the kinds of people who tend to be denied the rights and privileges that others receive? said McGieson. I want people who are interested but dont know much about feminism to attend a session and say to themselves, Holy shit! These people are so smart and I agree with them, and damn it, Im a feminist too! I had that moment and I want those moments to happen over and over until we topple the patriarchy, said Glowacky. The symposium will begin Wednesday, March 14 at 9:45 a.m. in Gregg Pavilion. All events are free. For a full schedule and more information, visit http://college.lclark. edu/departments/gender_studies/ symposium/schedule/

Springtime salivation
A recipe for pasta primavera
-2 carrots -4 cloves garlic, minced -3 sprigs thyme -2 tablespoons olive oil -2 tablespoons butter -1/3 cup dry white wine or stock (chicken or vegetable) -1 tablespoon Kosher salt, plus more to taste -1 tablespoon pepper -1 cup heavy cream Method: Set water in a large pot to boil. Meanwhile, wash the mushrooms by rubbing them lightly with a damp towel. Slice the mushrooms and carrots. Cut the top leafy part and the bottom root part off of BY KEVIN RYAN
Staff Writer

Its almost spring, and a lot of wonderful vegetables are in season. In celebration of the coming season, I bought some fresh, organic veggies and made my version of a pasta primavera. It looks and tastes very complex, but in reality its quite easy to make. Heres how I did it: Ingredients: -1 pound pasta -1 pound mushrooms (I used shiitakes and criminis, but you can use whatever you like) -2 leeks

For this weeks Campus Activities Board update, visit piolog.com/features1

the leeks, leaving the white and the light green section. Cut in half lengthwise and slice. In a large pan over medium heat, add the olive oil and the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the mushrooms and about half the salt. Dont worry if some water seeps from the mushrooms, just wait until it evaporates away. After four minutes, add the carrots and half the pepper. Stir occasionally and let them cook down for about five minutes. Add the leeks and incorporate the rest of the salt and pepper. Cook these down for another six minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add your wine or stock and wait until it starts to boil, then add the cream and turn the heat to medium high for three minutes, or until it reduces to your liking. Once the water is boiling for the pasta (it should be about when you put the leeks in), add a pinch of Kosher salt and add the pasta, stirring occasionally. The pasta should cook until al dente, or with a slight bite (there will be a little white left at the middle, but not much). Toss the pasta into the veggies and sauce with a small amount (1/4 cup) of the pasta water. Top with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 4, or 3 hungry college students.

PHOTO BY KEVIN RYAN