Students Do Something Quiet with Geiger Pop-Up Awards

“As a sort of experiment, a group of friends and I planned a party for the quiet, timid, and mainly chem-free folks who don’t feel comfortable at typical Marlboro parties,” said sophomore Marty Piper. “We called this ‘quiet party,’ and it was a big hit.” Marty submitted a proposal for a second quiet party through the Geiger Pop-Up Award, and was one of five applicants awarded a $1,000 grant to “do something extraordinary.

Marlboro supporters Harvey and Pam Geiger like to make things happen. For a second year (Giving in Action, Summer 2016), they funded pop-up awards offering students the opportunity to pursue something special, with no boundaries. Marty’s Quiet Party 2.0 made a big impact for a number of students, especially those who “are nervous, awkward, or have pretty bad allergies that prevent them from being able to participate in Marlboro ‘night life.’”

While the original quiet party focused on board games, card games, word games, and snacks, and was funded entirely by Marty with help from RA funds, the second party was more ambitious and focused on creating art. The Geiger award provided for all of the art materials Marty could imagine, including watercolors, acrylics, face paints, colored pencils, oh, and snacks too. “Towards the end of the evening we even had an exhibition of the art created, for everyone to show off their ‘skillz.’”

Other Geiger Pop-Up Awardees included freshman Hailey Mount, who requested a summer course in Rocky Mountain Field Botany, and freshman Jadian Bryan, who proposed going on a photographic road trip in the tradition of Robert Frank and Stephen Shore. Senior Mariel Mastrostefano, who completed her Plan work in politics and disability studies, made plans for a small garden accessible to disabled people through an open source robotic system.

“A thousand dollars, although a lot of money, is not quite enough to buy a yacht, or even a one-way freighter cruise ticket to Italy,” said sophomore Lydia Nuhfer. “Luckily, it’s certainly enough to get the next best thing—a space here at Marlboro College, accessible to all, devoted to classical learning.” Lydia proposed a classical reading nook, with a vintage chaise lounge and a small library of classical literature to peruse. Like all of the Geiger Pop-up Award winners, Wynne was thinking big, but quiet.