CBTA Hosts Retreat of Nunnian Institutions

03 May CBTA Hosts Retreat of Nunnian Institutions

by Jess Falcone CB04 TA07

photos by Puneet Singh MB16 TA17

Jess Falcone CB04 TA07 makes a comment as Alexandra Medzibrodszky CB17 looks on

CBTA faculty guest Matteo Magarotto CB16 introduces a classical music concert

The first Nunnian Weekend ran from April 27^th to April 29^th at Cornell Branch in Ithaca, NY. The core group was comprised of two Telluride Association members (Jess Falcone and Morgan Whittler), two CBTA delegates (Alexandra Medzibrodszky and Albert Chu), one MBTA-er (Puneet Singh), two Arete Project representatives (Caroline Kanner and Kavita Hardy), and two Deep Springs College alumni (Zooey Wilkinson and John Dewis, who is also the current Deep Spring development officer), but for shorter periods through the day, we were also joined by other CBTA housemembers and TA executive director, Ellen Baer. We talked a little about the nascent Outer Coast College project, although none of their representatives were able to attend.

Weekend participants, left to right: John Dewis DS94, Morgan Whittler SS08 SP09 TA14, Caroline Kanner AR14, Zooey Wilkinson DS15, and Kavita Hardy, Arete’s Blue Ridge Session Program Director

Morgan Whittler SS08 SP09 TA14, John Dewis DS94, and Caroline Kanner AR14 share a discussion over dinner at CBTA

After a glorious classical piano concert on our first evening (organized by a house fellow), we jumped right into informal discussions over adult beverages. The next day included organized sessions, such as these: a discussion of how Nunnian values influence each institution; a conversation about a set of shared readings about Deep Springs self-governance; a nuts and bolts discussion of how each institution enables (and sometimes places limits upon) radical self-governance, including how they handle problems and how they work towards accountability. Several house-members joined the participants at the evening lecture delivered by John Dewis, entitled, “What does education look like when the students are in charge?” John talked about how to make education more liberating and student-directed in Nunnian-inspired ways, even outside Nunnian institutional contexts. Overall, participants found the weekend energizing, constructive, and intellectually stimulating, and recommended that it become an annual event. The weekend organizer, TA-Arete Liaison, Jess Falcone, wants to thank CBTA again for accommodating the group, as well as for their engagements with weekend events (and for the wonderful conversation over meals).

Jess Falcone CB04 TA07 (standing) welcomes John Dewis DS94, Deep Springs Development Officer, to give a lecture

A poster comparing the represented Nunnian institutions: CBTA, MBTA, Telluride Association, Deep Springs, and the Arete Project