Welcome to Sweet Briar College!

When George Orwell's novel 1984 was published the date became fixed in the popular imagination as a time in the mercifully distant future when Europe would be ruled by a Big Brother who could control people's thoughts. Eventually, the year 1984 arrived, and we found ourselves with a very different present from the future envisioned by Orwell.

When Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey was released in 1968, a new vision of the future took hold - a future in which technology would take us to unimaginable adventures and subject us to equally unimaginable dangers.

Orientation this year celebrates the class of 2001. Our theme, "A Sweet Briar Odyssey," recognizes the adventure we are about to undertake together. As in Kubrick's film, it will be a journey into the past, the present, and the future: we will look at the way people once lived and see that the past is much more than a list of dates, wars, and famous people; we will look at life today, try to comprehend the many possibilities and problems that it offers, and learn to use the tools that will allow us to understand it and contribute to it; we will travel to as yet undiscovered realms -- whether these be products of the imagination or a glimpse into what the future might bring -- and begin to forge our own paths into uncharted territories.

This anthology is about where we have been, where we are, and where we might go as the year 2001 approaches. It gives you a sampling of the diversity of work done by faculty, students, and staff at Sweet Briar College. We had fun putting it together, and hope you will have fun reading it. Additional materials (videotapes, artwork, web sites) will be on exhibit during Orientation week. Throughout that week you will be meeting with many of the authors/creators of this material, so get your questions ready!

Alix Ingber
Professor of Spanish and
Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs