User:Abt10

Allie Thorpe is a 4th year at Hampshire, graduating in the 2011-2012 school year. Her Division III is titled "The DADT Project" and is a collection of oral histories regarding the military's former "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy banning homosexuals. Thorpe is building a website to house the oral histories and constructing a timeline to keep track of the stories she collects.

Allie grew up in Pepperell, Massachusetts, attending Varnum Brook Middle School and North Middlesex Regional High School. She excelled at sports and was one of two goalkeepers for her high school soccer team. After graduation, she lived in Fitchburg, Massachusetts briefly before packing up and moving to Wichita Falls, Texas for fun. While in Texas, Thorpe enlisted in the U.S. Navy. She served four honorable years in the military before an abrupt discharge under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy when a fellow sailor outed her.She returned to Massachusetts in 2006, moved to Northampton to attend Holyoke Community College in 2008, and finally arrived at Hampshire in the spring of 2010. She is married; she and her wife have two Maine Coon cats.

Division III
Contract

For my Division III concentration, I will document and chronicle the treatment of LGBT service members under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” This will be a continuation of my studies here at Hampshire, Smith, Mt. Holyoke, and Holyoke Community College, and will tie together my graphic design focus with an academic perspective. It will incorporate aspects from each course I’ve taken and will work to establish me in academic and design communities.

This project is near and dear to my heart. When I came to Hampshire College, I enrolled as your only military veteran and as a “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” survivor. I have taken my time at Hampshire to explore DADT, LGBT history, and aspects of design aesthetic as well as taking courses that break down the marginalization of minorities and the science behind sex and gender designations. After a year and a half at Hampshire, the fact that has stuck out most is that no one has compiled the stories of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” or compiled the stories of their treatment and the impact of the policy on their lives.

I plan to interview subjects on both sides of the DADT repeal; both positive and negative responses are expected. My list of interview questions will include but not be limited to the following:

- “ Do you have a service connected disability and is it a result of being closeted during your service?”

- “ What happened upon your discharge regarding your ‘out’ status?”

- “Were you harassed or assaulted during your military career as a result of perceived or known homosexuality?”

- “What was it like for you to serve with open or perceived homosexuals?”

- “What is your opinion on the repeal of ‘DADT’? What are the supporting reasons you feel this way?”

- “Did your time in the service impact your opinion of DADT and if so, how?”

I will use my interviews to build a multimedia project reflecting the results of the interviews. When acceptable, I will videotape the interviews. In other instances, I will have service members write their answers in the form of a short story or essay for publication. If possible, I will also compile a series of photographs representing DADT and its impact on the military community. Pending an appropriate number of responses, I will compare responses between the sexes to distinguish if there is a verifiable difference. I will compile all of the results and as many responses as possible into one website, which will chronicle the treatment and impact of DADT on service members, both gay and straight.

Advanced Educational Opportunities

This semester, I am going to TA an Introduction to Gender Studies course by Jaclyn Pryor at Mt. Holyoke College. I hold office hours on Monday and Wednesday before and after class, assist in fielding questions about assignments, and facilitate educational activities in the classroom.

I have also lined up two internships that will enhance my abilities as a designer and as a journalist. Currently I am interning for the USDA Rural Development office in Amherst, Massachusetts, as their web designer and office automation assistant. USDA Rural Development deals in home, business, and farm loans in rural areas throughout the United States and territories. In the spring, I wll intern with The Rainbow Times, working in their graphic design and broadcasting departments. The Rainbow Times is an LGBT newspaper and podcast based in Northampton, Massachusetts, with the aim of spreading the word about LGBT news and events.

Division II
Studies Spring 2011

Intro to Queer Studies, Jaclyn Pryor Advanced Learning Activity: Advanced Adobe CS5, John Bruner

The Past Recaptured, Michael Lesy

Fall 2010

SWG-205 Lesb,gay,bi,trans Hist in US, Daniel Rivers (Smith) CSC-240 Computer Graphics S, Joseph O'Rourke (Smith) IA-0200 Independent Study - Adobe CS5 Basic Design, John Bruner LA-ACT Learning Activity - Digital Media Research Project with John Bruner

Spring 2010

SS-0129 Gendered Bodies SS-0228 Af. Amer. &amp; Reparations CS-0174 Computer Animation I

Holyoke Community College transfer courses

POL110 US National Govt/ Holyoke Community College ART131 Art History 1/ Holyoke Community College SOC110 Intro to Sociology/ Holyoke Community College ART132 Art History 2/ Holyoke Community Colleg