The William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Prize

2010 William Nicholas Liberi '05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship

2010-04-14T10:45:00.004-04:00

Hi all, it's that time of year again! Honors Convocation is approaching, and we're soliciting nominees for the The William Nicholas Liberi ’05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism
and Scholarship. This prize was established in 2007 by friends and former classmates of Will Liberi, Wells College Class of 2005, and is awarded each year in his memory.

Here is the award description:

The William Nicholas Liberi ’05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship is to be awarded annually to a current student in good academic standing who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Allies (TLGBQA) community via activism, visibility, literary, or artistic endeavors.

Previous winners of the award are Siobhan Gaynor-Kee, Greg Murdock, and Asa Bartholomew

If you know of someone who you wish to nominate for the prize, please email Vic Munoz (vmunoz[at]wells.edu) with that person's name, a description of how you believe the student has demonstrated hir commitment to TLGBQ issues, and why ze should be considered for this award.

Nominations must be submitted by April 23rd.

Congratulations, Asa Bartholomew '09

2009-05-07T11:58:00.010-04:00

We are very pleased to announce that Asa Bartholomew '09 is this year's William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Prize winner! While the selection committee received many excellent nominations, Asa's commitment to TLGBQ activism and scholarship stood out. As one nomination stated, Asa has consistently demonstrated an exemplary understanding of "the intersections and connections between trans- studies and trans- activism and race, sexuality, class, white privilege, and colonialism." Additionally, she helped to found "la esquiniTa," a student support group intended to provide a safe space for trans- and questioning students on the Wells campus. Those who knew Will Liberi will doubtless be proud to include Asa Bartholomew among those who continue to honor his legacy at Wells and beyond.

Asa asked me to pass on a message of thanks to readers of this blog. Please click here to continue reading.

I remember meeting Will when he was a senior here at Wells, and I was living and working in Ithaca. I never got to know him, but the few times we met he struck me as a very open, kind, playful and loving
person. We met because he and Dr. Muñoz had organized a series of talks by transgender activists, and I drove up to Wells several times that year to hear people like Leslie Feinberg and Bear Bergman speak.
These experiences very directly influenced my identity as a transgender activist.
I am deeply honored to have received the William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Prize this year. I know that my experience at Wells was made easier because the work that he did educating students, faculty and
staff during his time here. I will continue to work for TLGBQ people in his name, and in the name of all of the transgender activists who have worked, lived, and loved before me. Thank you for the work that
each and every one of you do; none of us can do this work alone.

With much love and respect,
Asa Davis Bartholomew, '09

Nominations 2009

2009-04-21T22:32:00.003-04:00

The selection committee is now accepting nominations for the Will Prize. Please submit the name of the individual(s) you'd like to nominate and a brief statement of why you think they should be selected to Lisa Hall, Chair of the Women's Studies Department at Wells College at lhall@wells.edu

The deadline for the committee's final decision is quite soon, so please submit your nominations as quickly as possible! For the prize description, see my previous post.

Nominations Warm-Up 2009

2009-04-10T18:33:00.004-04:00

Spring is upon us, which means it's time to start thinking about your prize nominations for this academic year. To refresh your memory, here are the prize criteria and description:

The William Nicholas Liberi ’05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship is to be awarded annually to a current student in good academic standing who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Allies (TLGBQA) community via activism, visibility, literary, or artistic endeavors.

Stay tuned for more info on this year's nomination process.

Transgender Day of Remembrance 2008

2008-11-20T15:22:00.006-05:00

As many of you know, today is Transgender Day of Remembrance, the day each year that we remember those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. Although I have been observing TDOR for many years, it took on new significance for me after Will's death last year. I thought about him last year and I think about him today, both because he is a transgender person whom I have known and lost and because I think that it's important to remember that even for trans people who were not killed due to anti-transgender discrimination or bias, even death is not the end of the misunderstanding and discrimination that they face.
In Will's situation there were the problems with the media in reporting on his death, and there was also the issue of how his family referred to him at the funeral and on his headstone. For many trans people who have passed away, I suspect obituaries and death certificates often serve to memorialize misrepresentations of their lives.

Syracuse University held a Transgender Day of Remembrance memorial today at Hendrick's Chapel, one that was particularly difficult because a Trans woman in Syracuse, Teish Cannon (nee Moses Cannon, also known as Teish or Lateisha Green) was murdered last weekend because of her gender expression and perceived sexual orientation. Syracuse Community members came together to remember Teish, and all trans people who have been killed due to discrimination and bias. Alexandro Garcia spoke briefly, and noted that it was not long ago that he stood in the same place, in the same position, at the memorial SU held for Will.
I am finding that there are a lot of things this fall that remind me of Will; the anniversary of his death on September 11th, the anniversary of Wells going coed on October 2nd, and today, Transgender Day of Remembrance. And my feelings as I remember Will today are also very tied into Teish's murder, the incredible setback in the Queer Rights movement that took place on November 4th, the way that reporters, even at the NY Times, seem unable to write about Trans issues with any sort of integrity, and the way that I am seeing LGB and especially T characters written out of network TV shows. This is a very exciting time in our history, but for me it is a time that I do not completely feel a part of, and one that, for whatever reason, has made me seriously rethink my feelings about my safety as a gender/queer person for the first time.
I think it is more important now than ever to follow the example that Will set of reaching out to people across borders, of meeting them where they are, and of educating them. Of speaking out against the things we see that we know are wrong. Of responding to situations with both patience and persistence, and of being living examples of the fact that in order for change to happen we have to make it.
Please remember Will today, and also Teish Cannon and the dozens of other trans people killed this year because of their gender identity.

205 Things Will Loved About Wells

2008-09-12T10:39:00.009-04:00

Nicole Pellegrino '05 forwarded this to me yesterday. I wanted to share it because I think it's a nice way to remember Will, and also because I was really moved when I read it.

Subject: 205 things I love about Wells

>===== Original Message From William Liberi =====
Dear President Ryerson,

At the student meeting tonight, we were encouraged to write to you about why
we love Wells, the way it is, why it doesn't need to add biomales ("real"
men).

So, one odd-liner to another, I thought it would be important to write about
loving Wells and preserving tradition. As resident Bear said, this is a
"single sex, many-gender" school. As a member of the class of 2005, I offer
you 2'05 reasons I love Wells.... in no particular order. I can't speak for
others. goodness knows, most actually complain about the geese, etc. but
these are just 205 things I, myself love about Wells (if you all think of
better ones, write them!) and I could come up with another 1800 to make it
2005, but neither you nor I probably have time for that.

1. The look and Feel of Faculty Parlors
2. Safe Space
3. The Big Dyke Party
4. Openness around trans* issues, in class, the WRC and life
5. Getting the door for 400 talented, smart, independant ladies who don't need me or anyone else to get the door for them
6. Because we steal dryer sheets, but we report stolen money
7. Because it was Henry's conservative school to pen up "ladies" for the Cornell Boys to marry, but it is now one of the safest places for liberal thinking, freedom of religion and lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer, questioning, heteroflexible and allied students.
8. The lake
9. Being a bellringer
10. Odd/even songs
11. Asking boys, "who owns you?"
12. Being able to write about sexuality in my short story writing class
13. The sunsets
14. The ghost stories
15. That oddline won the first odd/even game
16. The social life crystallized on desk graffiti
17. The view from the top of GP
18. The hayride
19. The Gigs & 8's
20. That protests actually *work* here
21. Intense political dialog
22. The tree by Weld where I met my partner
23. ...that I can say "my partner"
24. Seeing red vans when I'm away, and expecting to find the Wells logo on the side
25. Watching seniors act silly at champagne breakfasts
26. Sex Collective
27. Chatting with my professors
28. Having been a freshman elf
29. Being able to wander into Dean Morales' office
30. Trans* friendly speakers
31. Getting tapped for "boy parts" (singing, and on stage)
32. Joking about changing the meaning of the freezing lake
33. Being a bellringer
34. Being up to my ears in club responsiblities
35. School acknowledgement of Transgender Day or Remembrance
36. Sitting in the dining hall, and chatting about so-and-so's boyfriend, and the other girl's girlfriend
37. Greens
38. Vagina Monologues on Valentines
39. Chatting with staff
40. Maypole dancing
41. Dean VanVechten asking, earnestly and without consequence, which bathroom I use.
42. "Singles Awareness Day" --Feb. 14
43. Knocking on the computer-lab window in Weld to get let in
44. Knowing security by name
45. Being able to chat with anyone in the dining hall
46. Talking to parents while their kid tours
47. Selling Vagina Mirrors at spring weekend
48. Watching 30+ girls get really, really drunk at Junior blast without them ever having to worry at all about rape.
49. ...bribing my freshmen
50. Going to conferences, and knowing everyone before we even leave.
51. Jokes about B.U.G.s and L.U.G.s (bi until graduation and lesbian until graduation respectively)
52. Japanese Club
53. Being devoted enough to sit through hours and hours with the very talented members of the Student Diversity Committee as we figure out how we work.
54. Sundae nite... every sunday night.
55. the courtyard
56. Having a religion major here officiate my commitment ceremony
57. Reading ANYTHING that is purple/yellow as oddline... even when I'm off campus
58. Knowing the dining hall staff by name
59. legends of recent alums
60. wandering around my dorm in an A-shirt and boxers... without worrying about males trying to prove who the "real man" is.
61. Singing oddline lyrics to the radio when nobody is around
62. wandering the forest behind Macmillian
63. Babysitting for WILL students
64. Being able to ask a ride from anyone
65. the Ithaca area in general
66. the spirits in GP
67. Walking into every dorm and feeling completely at home
68. giving roses to seniors
69. Ongoing sarcasm rivalries with the tech guys
70. Using the gym without funny looks
71. Having pagan ceremonies in the lakehouse
72. Consoling Dean Green
73. Being able to talk to the Med Center doctors about hormones
74. Being able to ask really sensative questions
75. Being asked really sensative questions and being able to respond without fear.
76. The real sense of attachment we have to our professors (most evident when one leaves)
77. The light-hearted jokes and rumors
78. Freedom of thought, and sometimes even speech.
79. The marks in the sidewalk to Dodge: "It's a baby"
80. Chatting casually about charting menstruation at the senior table.
81. arming people with knowledge
82. Internships based on what really interests us
83. Advisers who actually advise
84. ...and professors who actually teach (I'm a TA, and I'm really grateful that I'm not teaching the classes or grading the papers)
85. The sor of trust we had when the printers were in the computer labs
86. The trust we have in a library that has so many exits... we still check books out.
87. Chalking the campus for Nat'l Coming Out Day
88. Ooh.. and the turnout for Day of Silence
89. Tea Time
90. Speaking up in class
91. having good feminist lunches... entirely by accident, at a random table in the dining hall
92. Having an alum president who actually reads e-mails
93. ...ok, and that Dean Green cooks us Soul Food
94. feeling really supported in all my hair-brained ideas
95. Finding friends at the ever-repainted grill
96. Hearing stories about expeditions to the fargo
97. That my fellow students can be themselves, in a way they cannot around bio-men
98. Being asked why I'd choose Wells
99. Really having to have struggled to think of "12 things at Wells that really get to me" during freshman year
100. Knowing that Pleasant is a name and not an adjective ::Shudder::
101. Hating everything the republican club stands for, but being friends with the chair and other members
102. Having people tell me, after the "go co-ed?" student meeting that they value my opinion and wish I had spoken up
103. Getting to challenge male stereotypes and essentialist thought about what a "woman" is... and what a women's college is
104. Forming "families" that go beyond Wells sisters: I was Papa Will
105. ...my partner was Mama Kim (Hannan)
106. ...our friend was Grandma Hillary (Green)
107. ...our freshman sisters were Aunt Dominique (?) and Aunt Bobby-Jo (Bly-Owens)
108. ...and the kids were Baby Tina (Morse-Fish) Kim (Juul) and Kirsten ?
109. Watching Madonna in a Women's Studies class
110. Having a professor chat openly about identity politics in relation to her own sex life
111. Professors having time to chat at all.
112. Having the houses of professors so close I can walk there if I missed office hours. ;)
113. Being on good enough terms with the president and my professors to include smilie-faces in an e-mail
114. Being delegated to set up a round-table discussion for the Women's Studnies Department
115. meaning something by "when the lake freezes over"
116. joking about braiding leg hair
117. Going to class in PJ's...
118. ...worried that one is late, only to find the professor strolling in right behind
119. old pictures of the Belltower, an evenline team, and maypole dancing
120. That students are backing an initiative to include gender neutral language in the constitution
121. Being able to brag about how many days we've gone without showering
122. Being able to have sex-toy "tupperware parties"
123. re-empowering "dirty" words for female-genitalia
124. Minerva. Athena is my patron diety, so it was really exciting that we have a statue of Minerva.
125. Having face-time to plan independant projects. With a dean, even.
126. Having the dirt on which staff and faculty are going out on maternity leave...
127. Going for evenline flag-hunts in the middle of the night.
128. Confusing parents as I help them move their daughters in on the first day.
129. Knowing looks when I wear a yellow tie and purple shirt...
130. ...or paint a purple goatee on my face for the sing-off
131. Being able to sprint across campus if I need to
132. Chatting with freshmen about where the pipes run behind the walls, and how not to put their beds against that wall...
133. Romantic dinners on the balcony of Weld
134. Getting haircuts from students
135. sitting in the shade of the sycamore
136. The Peachtown Native American Festival
137. Silly costumes for Mainly 80's
138. Hanging out in Dean Dan's office
139. Chatting about near-careers and distant babies
140. Having political or religious debates without fear
141. not having to lock my door
142. The look of the buildings... some of them, anyway
143. Trying to get lost in the library
144. Playing hide-and-seek in the library
145. handing down stories about our professors
146. Working out Saturday mornings with some guy from Aurora who is in the Mr. Universe Sr. category?
147. laughing as some girls insist there are too many butches, and others swear there really aren't enough
148. The defensive look of the boyfriends as the crowd together outside for a smoke
149. Knowing that some parts of the honor code just AREN'T broken.
150. Recognizing new students, perspectives, parents on sight... because we know everyone else.
151. That each of us can just be ourselves.
152. That we're almost ready to talk about class issues.
153. Funny hats at convocation
154. Getting assigned to take pictures of seniors jumping into the lake
155. The Peachtown children yelling as they play outside my window
156. Reading old books that time has forgotten.
157. taking the elevator to the healthy living floor out of laziness
158. napping in the AER
159. Opportunities to teach, grow and reach beyond Wells
160. The feeling like I want to buy a house in Aurora and live here forever
161. Bonfires by the lake
162. Harvest dinners by Foundations, Interfaith forum
163. The Onyx on a lazy afternoon
164. The comfy chairs in Barler and the library
165. Tears in my eyes when I get back from long breaks... I end up feeling like Wells is... the Promised Land
166. the former fountain-mound hill just west of GP.
167. Watching freshmen in love
168. The strong participation for everything... even giving blood
169. A gym I can use without being accused of going to look at te boys
170. students, faculty and staff that areally trying to understand how to deal with me, especially Professor Penniman who once said, "So, Will... when I'm talking about you (you know, behind your back) should that be 'he' or 'she'?"
171. Falling asleep in my friends' room by accident... in perfect safety
172. Security being able to recognize my coat and remind me that I left it in the oter wing of Macmillian
173. Doing homework on the treestand on a clear autumn day
174. Watching people from other regions complain about out "horrible" winters
175. Watching people become true leaders in a few short years
176. Being the Collegiate Representative for the Women's Resource Center (oh, the irony)
177. Having a dining hall staffperson give me legal advice toward my name change.
178. Recognizing most of the "I love ..." scribbles on the desks
179. And that most of them are other Wells folks!
180. And the number of woman+woman signs in general
181. That a Dean would stop me and say, "You look tired; let's schedule an appointment and chat"
182. That I can always check on my professors by going to the library and asking their wives!
183. ZAP! panels
184. dressing any way I want
185. professors who care enough to chide me when I skip class
186. Having buildings that are 4 stories or less.
187. Scenery
188. A chance to be on teams, etc.
189. Symposium
190. Awareness in general
191. Being small enough to really know everyone's face, if not name, and probably some snippet of gossip about each name, even if you can't connect it to a face.
192. "The Wells Web"
193. Being able to poll the computer lab about anything
194. Running sophomore smash in flip-flops
195. Crawling back into bed after 3 consecutive firedrills
196. Being able to chat with the president of collegiate
197. Stepping up to the bat to help with May-Day traditions and helping to gender-neutralize the constitution
198. The geese (I live across from a pond so they're very comforting to me)
199. The kindness of Aurora folks
200. Being able to borrow a CD from anyone
201. Leaving my coat, my bag or my homework anywhere
202. Keeping guests overnight
203. Looking out for each other
204. The squirrels!
205. Being able to call each other out on stereotypes embedded in our speech.

Thanks for your time. Keep Wells the way it is.

Sincerely,
Will

Read the full post.

Remembrances

2008-09-11T10:12:00.004-04:00

Today marks a very sad anniversary, the one year anniversary of Will's passing. Although it's been awhile since our last update, this blog has served some very important purposes over the last year. We established The William Nicholas Liberi ’05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship, and we awarded the first prize at the Wells College Honors Convocation last Spring. We also raised nearly $2000 in funding, so we know that that prize will have funding to continue on, at least in the near future.

But, perhaps more importantly, the blog provided a space for us to grieve collectively for our friend and former classmate. It has given us a space to voice our remembrances in the company of others who knew Will well. In a way that many of our friends outside of Wells just couldn't understand.

I know that this anniversary day brings back for me a lot of the same feelings I had when I found out about Will's death almost a year ago. I hope that as those feelings come up again for others around this anniversary date that this blog can again be a space for us to share our memories and our grief.

And for people who want to do more than share their memories, there remains an opportunity to join the Advisory Board for The William Nicholas Liberi ’05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship, and help decide who on campus should receive the prize. And of course, there is also the opportunity to donate to the prize once again, to help make sure that Will is honored through the giving of this prize for years to come.

Let the Nominations Begin!

2008-03-31T11:34:00.002-04:00

We are very excited to announce that the selection committee is now accepting nominations for this year's prize recipient! Nominations are being conducted via email, so please use the following description and instructions for your nominations:

The William Nicholas Liberi ’05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship is to be awarded annually to a current student in good academic standing who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Allies (TLGBQA) community via activism, visibility, literary, or artistic endeavors.

To nominate an individual for this prize please send the individual’s name, along with a description of how you believe the student has demonstrated hir commitment to TLGBQ issues, and why ze should be considered for this award to Lisa Hall at lhall@wells.edu.

Please submit all nominations by April 15th, 2008.

(Selection committee members stay tuned! We will convene before April 21st to select the recipient; details to follow.)

The Prize Fund Keeps Growing

2008-02-20T10:33:00.002-05:00

Over the last few weeks we've seen many donations come in in memory of Will, in response to the college's final approval of the prize. If you haven't donated, get your donations in. You can click on the link below the thermometer to donate, or send a check to:

Gift Accountant
Development Office
Wells College
Aurora, NY 13026

Make sure to include with the check the information that the check is meant to go to the Will Liberi '05 Memorial Prize Fund.

So far the prize has received nearly $2000 from 26 generous donors. Help us to expand the prize and to ensure that it will be available to students for years to come by making your donation now.

If you don't want to donate, but do want to be part of the prize in memory of Will, contact Carrie Elliott or Katie Fong about joining the prize's advisory board.

Well College Approves The William Nicholas Liberi '05 Memorial Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship

2008-02-07T14:36:00.000-05:00

And the good news is in! After several months of work Wells College has accepted the terms of The William Nicholas Liberi '05 Memorial Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship. The terms of the prize are listed below, now all that's left to do is make your donation!

Wells College

Permanent Prize Record

(Income restricted – Prizes)

Fund Name: The William Nicholas Liberi '05 Memorial Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship

Contact Persons: Katie Fong '06 and Carrie Elliott '05

Date Fund Established: October, 2007 (Note: Prize details to be reviewed and updated in 2012 by the selection committee)

Sponsor(s) or Donor(s): Annually, friends and classmates of Will Liberi

Purpose of Fund: To honor Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Allies (TLGBQA) activism within the Wells College community

Description of Fund/Criteria for recipient: This prize will be awarded annually to a current student in good academic standing who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Allies (TLGBQA) community via activism, visibility, literary, or artistic endeavors.

Criteria for recipient: This prize may be awarded to a current student in good academic standing.

Selection of recipient: The recipient will be chosen by a group of 7 individuals in the Wells community who comprise the William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Fund Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will include a representative of the Dean of Students Office, two members of the student body (one representing Q&A*, and one representing Sex Collective*), the current faculty member assigned to instruct W401*, the previous years' recipient** of the William Nicholas Liberi '05 Memorial Prize and an alumna or alumnus of Wells College designated by the Advisory Board. Additionally, Nicklin Eldon Heap '02 will serve as a representative with the committee until 2012, with ongoing participation optional.

The amount of the prize will vary depending on funds given each year. The minimum amount will be $250.

The Prize is Growing

2007-11-27T15:06:00.000-05:00

More donations have been coming in for the prize, so don't forget to check back regularly. We will update the fundraising totals as often as we receive updates from Pettibone. And don't forget to send us an e-mail and let us know if you want to be on the board of rotating alums and former class members of Will's who help decide the recipient of the prize each year. You can let us know to add you to the list by posting on the blog or by e-mailing us at willmemorial@gmail.com.

Will's work honored in Burlington, VT

2007-11-13T21:51:00.000-05:00

Eliza Heppner '06 reports that a broadside printed by Will at the Wells Book Arts Center will be displayed in an art show honoring people of trans identity at Vermont's R U 1 2? Queer Community Center, where Eliza works as Resource Coordinator. The broadside, which showcases a poem by S. Bear Bergman, is on loan from Tiffany Silliman '04, who also resides in Burlington. R U 1 2? will host a Transgender Day of Remembrance event on November 17th which will include a memorial service and a keynote speaker in addition to the art show. If you'll be in the Burlington area this weekend, be sure to check it out. For more details, visit www.ru12.org.

Don't forget that if you're attending an event and would like to help spread the word about Will's prize fund, you can download our flier from here (see entry dated October 15th)--we'll have a permanent link to download the flier up shortly.

Stay tuned for more updates, we expect news about the prize description approval soon.

SU Mourns Will

2007-11-09T09:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon Syracuse University, where Will attended graduate school, held a memorial for him at Hendrick's Chapel organized by the university's LGBT resource center. For more information, check out this article published today in the Daily Orange.

The memorial prize we are organizing in Will's name was mentioned both in the program for the event and during the service.

More progress...

2007-10-22T12:28:00.000-04:00

Many thanks to everyone who voted in both polls and gave their feedback in the comments sections! We have taken the poll results and your input into consideration in our conversations with each other and with the Office of Development and have made a few decisions about how the prize will be organized. All of these details are pending the final approval of the College. Please note that the prize I'm talking about here is the monetary prize whose description reads:

Awarded annually to the member of the Wells College Community who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Allies (TLGBQA) community via activism, visibility, literary, or artistic endeavors.

This does not mean that we've ruled out the idea of an additional, non-monetary honor, but the details mentioned here refer to the monetary prize only.

Here are the basics:

The prize will be awarded to a student. This detail is subject to review if/when the prize becomes endowed; for now, we felt that this was the most effective way to honor Will's memory through a monetary prize.
The selection of the recipient will be organized as follows:
The recipient will be chosen by a group of 6 individuals in the Wells community, including a representative of the Dean of Students Office, two members of the student body (one representing Q&A*, and one representing Sex Collective*), the current faculty member assigned to teach the W401*, the previous years’ recipient of the William Nicholas Liberi ‘05 Memorial Prize and an alumna or alumnus of Wells College designated by the William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Fund Advisory Board.
* Should there fail to be a Q&A organization, a Sex Collective, or a WS401 instructor during the selection year for the prize a new rep will be selected by the Advisory Board Chairs.
The amount awarded will vary depending on funds donated each year. The minimum amount will be $250.

You may notice that we've mentioned an Advisory Board; this is Carrie's brilliant idea! We've designed the Advisory Board as a way to include all of you in the process of selecting the prize recipients. We envision the Advisory Board functioning as follows:

Anyone interested in joining the Advisory Board may submit their name and e-mail address via the blog (here) or via e-mail to willmemorial@gmail.com.
The Advisory Board Chairs are Carrie and me. We will serve as the acting members for the first two years that the prize is awarded.
Advisory Board members will be ranked at random on a numbered list and will be informed of their numbered rank as soon as the roster is finalized.
Beginning in 2010, the Advisory Board member at position #1 will serve as acting Board member and will participate in the selection process in cooperation with the prize selection committee as detailed above.
Acting member responsibilities will progress down the list in numbered order and will begin again with the Advisory Board Chairs followed by position #1, etc., when the list has been exhausted.
The Advisory Board Chairs will be responsible for keeping the Advisory Board informed of relevant news and upcoming selection committee responsibilities.

So, if you want to be on the Advisory Board, leave your comments here with full name as you want it to appear on the Advisory Board roster and an e-mail address that you check often! If you don't want to post it here, e-mail us at willmemorial@gmail.com. We'll be setting a deadline, so look for that soon, and stay tuned for more updates!

(Don't forget, if you want to receive an e-mail whenever we post something new to the blog, enter your e-mail address in the box at the top of the right-hand side panel!)

Donating Books in Will's Name

2007-10-17T08:44:00.000-04:00

Meghan has been inquiring about the process for making book donations to the Wells College Library in remembrance of Will. She's started a wonderful blog on the subject at:

http://rememberingwillwithbooks.blogspot.com/

Check it out.

Got fliers?

2007-10-15T11:19:00.000-04:00

Want to help with fundraising? If you'll be attending a conference, community outreach event, party, or other gathering, drop us a line and we'll e-mail you a copy of the William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Prize flier that Carrie made. It's a great way to get the word out about Will and the prize fund. (This past weekend, for example, I got to spend some time with Vic Munoz, Ednie Garrison, and Jenna Basiliere at the American Studies Association conference in Philadelphia, where we distributed the fliers and posted them on the info boards for folks to look at and pick up.)

If you work at or spend time in a community center, safe space, or other venue with a bulletin board or literature table, we'd love to send you an electronic copy, too. Download our flyer here or send e-mail to willmemorial@gmail.com

(Please note, the flier contains the wording for the prize as of our posting on October 9th, and does not yet reflect any upcoming changes or poll results.)

Poll Extended

2007-10-15T10:35:00.000-04:00

We've decided to extend voting on the "Who should be eligible to win the Will Liberi Memorial Prize" poll, which had previously been set to close today. If you've been reading the blog but have not yet weighed in on this aspect of the prize, we encourage you not only to vote, but to leave your feedback in the comments section. To recap:

The poll is to determine whether the prize should be open only to students or to the broader Wells Community.
Some of the feedback has suggested that students will benefit more from a monetary prize than faculty or staff will, and also that faculty and staff have the potential to play an equally significant role in tlgbq activism as do students. What do you think?
For the purposes of the official wording of the prize, we'll have to designate who is eligible, but Maggie Thomas '84 has assured me that exceptions can be made (and have historically been made) with regard to criteria for prize recipients.

So, please continue to think about this part of the prize designation and give us your thoughts (even if you've already posted, we'd love to read more!). We'd like to close the poll with a larger majority on one side or the other than just four or five votes.

Suggestions for the Wording of the Prize

2007-10-15T10:27:00.000-04:00

A quick recap on all the suggestions that we have received for the wording of the prize thus far.

Lee Bender has suggested this:

Awarded annually to a Wells College student who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender issues through service to the community via activism, visibility, literary, or artistic endeavors.

We've also heard the suggestion that the prize be given to a transgender student specifically.

Vic Munoz has also suggested the prize be named The William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Prize for TLGBQ Activism.

My previous suggestion was: The William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Prize: Awarded annually to the member of the Wells College Community who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the tlgbq community.

Does anyone else have any feedback towards these suggestions or other suggestions on the prize name, or the prize description? We would like to nail this down soon, because we feel that the more stable the terms of the prize are, the more comfortable people will be sending in their donations. All of your feedback helps immensely.

Speaking of donations, some have already come in, and we will be receiving weekly reports from alumnae relations as money continues to come in. We've set a fundraising goal of $5000, and over the coming week, we'll put up an icon that will track our progress towards that goal.

After we get the terms of the prize squared away we can move towards deciding who should judge the prize. Please keep your feedback coming in that area as well. Later in the week we will recap the suggestions for judging committees for the prize.

Good news!

2007-10-09T09:26:00.001-04:00

We just received word that our first donation has come in! Thank you to our donor and thanks in advance to those who plan to donate this year! Once we determine a fund raising goal, we'll be posting an application to give you regular updates on the fund raising progress, so look for that soon.

To anyone who has been hesitant about donating to the fund at this early stage, we want to share with you a message we received yesterday from the Development office:

Katie and Carrie: For your records, please note that all gifts made in
memory of Will Liberi, unless otherwise specified by the donor, will be
designated for the William Nicholas Liberi '05 Memorial Prize Fund.

I've copied both of the people (John and Lori) who work in development
services at Wells in on this so that they have this information for gift
entry.

I will also check with each person who made gifts in memory of Will
during Volunteer Retreat weekend to see if they want their gifts
designated this way.

We'll talk more soon!

Maggie Thomas '84
Director of Annual Giving

So, to anyone who's thinking about donating, but wants a little reassurance that the money will go to the right place, we hope that helps! You can donate online now by clicking the link on the top right-hand sidebar, which will take you to the Wells giving page. Don't forget to select "Will Liberi '05 Memorial Fund" under Gift Designation.

2007-10-08T10:55:00.001-04:00

Thanks to everyone who's commented so far! We want as much feedback as possible, so if you haven't weighed in yet, get your comments up on the blog or shoot us an e-mail at willmemorial@gmail.com.

There's been a lot of conversation going on so far. Here's what we've taken from the comments that have been made:

1. It sounds like a lot of you want to see a memorial book donation in Will's name, in addition to a prize given out at Honors Convocation.

2. It sounds like people want the prize at Honors Convocation to be a prize for students.

3. Many of you would also like to recognize community members in general (especially faculty) with a second prize. On this end, we're doing research into what's feasible in terms of how the College awards prizes on an annual basis. To the best of our knowledge all the prizes awarded at Honors Convocation are monetary prizes, so if people are interested in an honorary, non-monetary prize for the non-student community at Wells that may be separate from a prize given out at Honors Convocation.

We've been talking to Development at Wells and working specifically on developing a memorial prize that honors Will that will be given in some form during Honors Convocation every year. In order to get one established we need to figure out the terms of the prize. Because we want to establish this prize to be awarded for the first time at the end of the 2007 - 2008 academic year, setting up the terms and fund for the prize is our #1 priority. So to move forward, these are the questions we still need to answer:

1. Do we have a wording and a name for the prize that everyone agrees on? We haven't seen other suggestions for wording besides Carrie's suggestions (The William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Prize: Awarded annually to the member of the Wells College Community who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the tlgbq community.) Should we move forward with this? Do people have specific objections or other suggestions?

2. It's really important that we establish a prize with longevity. This is part of the reason that we've set up the poll on fund raising goals. We need to know that the monetary fund that is established is easily replenished each year, and we need to set dollar amount to award at Honors Convocation every year. Do you plan to donate on an annual basis? Will you commit to donating every year or even a few times a year?

3. Should only students be eligible to win the prize given at honors convocation, or should the whole community be eligible? Opening up the prize to the whole community means that anyone from a student to a professor, to a housekeeper to an employee of the bookstore can win. If the prize is student-only, obviously, it is restricted to the student body. (Look for a poll on this question in the right hand column.)

4. Who should the judges be? There has been a lot of talk about alums judging. We can find out if that is possible. If it is, who wants to volunteer to do it every year? If it's not who should be in charge of making the decision?

Finally, in terms of donating books in Will's name... if people want to get started on that, it's a wonderful idea. Is there someone interested in taking the helm, and finding out the feasibility of the project? We are committed to setting up the prize fund, which we'll have to do directly through the Office of Development. If someone else is interested in contacting the library, or taking charge of doing this book thing as a separate project that would be great. Perhaps the best way to organize book donations would be to set up a separate memorial project and there's definitely room for discussion about how to do that here--or even on a separate, linked blog.

Donations!

2007-10-05T15:15:00.001-04:00

Thanks to the External Relations Department at Wells, online donations are up and running ahead of schedule! Please click the link at the top of the sidebar to go to the Wells gifts page. Make sure you specify that you want your gift designated to the Will Liberi '05 Memorial Fund. According to External Relations, "Gifts that come in with that designation will be marked for that fund even before a decision is made as to the specifics of a prize or other memorial."

We're still counting on you to help us work out the specifics of the prize. Any bloggers out there not from Wells, please don't hesitate to comment and/or donate! All who knew Will are welcome here and we hope that this memorial fund will honor his memory and his passions at Wells and beyond.

If you have any questions and don't want to post publicly, we've set up an e-mail for the prize fund as well. Send e-mail to willmemorial@gmail.com

2007-10-05T12:24:00.000-04:00

Ok, a second option. How do people feel about:

The William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Prize: Awarded annually to the member of the Wells College Community who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the tlgbq community.

and another aspect to think about, should it be open to the whole college community or just to students. check comments on my last post for more discussion on that topic.

Decisions, decisions...

2007-10-05T12:23:00.000-04:00

Now that we've got a thread going on the wording for the prize, we need to decide how we'd like the recipient to be determined. Please keep in mind that all of this will have to be approved by the College before it goes into action, but we are working through the proper channels to make sure that happens.

So, when it comes to judging, many prizes at Wells work differently. Vic Muñoz has pointed out that the Women's Studies department judges for the Dorothy Allison Razor's Edge Prize, the Psych department judges for the Psychology Prize, etc. The Ann Russ Prize, on the other hand, is judged by a panel comprised of various community members, faculty, administrators, and students.

Whom do you think should decide on the annual recipient of the Will Liberi prize?

2007-10-05T10:51:00.000-04:00

How about The William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Prize - Awarded annually to the member of the Wells College Community who has demonstrated a commitment to queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the queer community.

Thoughts?

2007-10-05T10:50:00.001-04:00

Good morning, everyone!

I've got a brief update on our progress toward establishing the financial end of the prize fund. Here are the basics:

In order to avoid the financial and administrative legwork of endowing a scholarship fund, it makes sense to call this memorial the Will Liberi Prize (or the like) rather than the Will Liberi Scholarship and designate a dollar amount to be awarded at Honors Convocation at the end of each year. (You may notice that change to the title of this blog.)
Online donations will be up and running very soon! We're working with the Development Office at Wells to get this page linked right up to the Wells giving site and plan to have a place for you to donate directly to Will's memorial prize within a few weeks! (We're very excited about this and hope you are, too!) Remember, these donations will be TAX DEDUCTIBLE!
We need your input to decide on the specifics of the prize, like the wording, the judging, etc. See Carrie's post for progress on that front.

I know there's been a lot of interest flying around about organizing a memorial prize, so if you're reading this, I hope you'll pass the word along that things are happening here! And comment, comment, comment!