From 915795913a1eed0af7a4f126d32dcaf262c50f3a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Thomas Makin Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2025 11:28:11 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] docs: reorg and add history --- _docs/history.md | 38 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ _docs/index.md | 35 +++++++++++++++++++++-------------- 2 files changed, 59 insertions(+), 14 deletions(-) create mode 100644 _docs/history.md diff --git a/_docs/history.md b/_docs/history.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..b307909 --- /dev/null +++ b/_docs/history.md @@ -0,0 +1,38 @@ +--- +title: "History" +--- + +**SCCS** has been around for decades--and we have the cruft to show for it. Across many years of +server migrations, drive recoveries, and more. Learn more about the club's history and about +Swarthmore itself here! More to come. + +## SCCS History + +The Swarthmore College Computer Society (**SCCS**) was founded in Fall 1991 by a group of Swarthmore +students, who obtained an official charter from the Student Budget Committee for the Spring 1992 +semester. We were founded, in part, to support the activities of students in Dana and Hallowell who +had decided to create an AppleTalk network by stringing phone cable between rooms. Approximately 32 +Macintoshes on 4 floors (3 in Hallowell, 1 in Dana) were on the network, as was one heavy-duty laser +printer—two years before the College network came into being. Gobs of time were spent diagnosing +the many network outages that occurred on an almost-daily basis (usually due to cables being clamped +by window frames). + +In the more than 30 years since, we've swapped buildings, upgraded our hardware, and expanded our +Staff. We're no longer stringing phone cable through dorms, but we're still having fun and providing +useful facilities and services for our fellow students. Check us out in Clothier basement! + +## Swarthmore History + +**SCCS** hosts a large collection of historical and archival sites created by former students. A few +highlights: + +- [swat history](https://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/03/dbing/history/buildings.html) + This site includes old building info and pictures from an '03 alumnus. Really cool info on here + about ML, old gymnasiums, and various other buildings. +- [Free Culture Swarthmore](https://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/scdc/history.html) + FCS (and the Swarthmore Coalition for the Digital Commons, site no longer available) hosted the + [Diebold memos](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_Election_Solutions#Leaked_memos) in a somewhat + famous incident resulting in school-wide uprising to defend against DMCA and cease & desist attacks. +- [Book and Key History](https://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/98/elizw/Swat.history/Book.and.Key.html) + Did you know Swarthmore had a secret society? Not so secret anymore, however, and this Class of '98 + student expands upon the history of the now-defunct (or are they?) Society of the Book and Key. diff --git a/_docs/index.md b/_docs/index.md index 5b9d51a..70634ea 100644 --- a/_docs/index.md +++ b/_docs/index.md @@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ CS lecture. [Frequently Asked Questions](/docs/faq) +[Club and School History](/docs/history) + [Usage & Data Policy](/docs/policy) ## Our Services @@ -89,17 +91,22 @@ accept new members in the first few weeks of each semester. - Vahan Tadevosyan '27 - Yana Outkin '26 -### History - -**SCCS** was founded in Fall 1991 by a group of Swarthmore students, who obtained an official -charter from the Student Budget Committee for the Spring 1992 semester. We were founded, in part, to -support the activities of students in Dana and Hallowell who had decided to create an AppleTalk -network by stringing phone cable between rooms. Approximately 32 Macintoshes on 4 floors (3 in -Hallowell, 1 in Dana) were on the network, as was one heavy-duty laser printer—two years before -the College network came into being. Gobs of time were spent diagnosing the many network outages that -occurred on an almost-daily basis (usually due to cables being clamped by window frames). - -In the more than 30 years since, we've swapped buildings, upgraded our hardware, and expanded our -Staff. We're no longer stringing phone cable through dorms, but we're still having fun and providing -useful facilities and services for our fellow students. Check us out in Clothier basement! - +### Statement on Application Strategy +SCCS has a semesterly application cycle. We interview, select, and purge staff members based +purely on experience, interest, activity, and occasionally interpersonal relationships. We +include the following statement on our application form describing this policy: + +SCCS does not discriminate based on any attributes, protected or otherwise, with the only +exceptions being CS skill/knowledge and interpersonal conflicts. However, we recognize that +studies show some protected groups are disproportionately unlikely to complete applications if +they feel they may not be qualified. We would like to emphasize: **You lose nothing by applying**. +Worst-case scenario, you can reapply next semester, and we give application priority to +reapplicants. We've admitted people who got every coding question wrong and people who had to +reapply multiple times, and often these are some of our most active members. We want you to +apply, even if you are afraid you don't have the experience. + +Our one hard requirement is you must **have taken**, **be enrolled in**, or **have equivalent** +**experience** to a 30-level CS course. This is purely to ensure you've worked with **at least** +**one "curly brace" language** (i.e. C, Java, JS, etc., NOT Python) so we don't have to start +from scratch teaching for our work in JavaScript. We do "hiring" cycles semesterly so if you got +lotteried out or otherwise need more experience, it won't be long before you can apply again.