February 2011

BARD FREE PRESS

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY

FEBRUARY 2011

VOLUME XII ISSUE 6

bard free press EXECUTIVE EDITORS

jesse “i am great” feldmus abby “i use hemp” ferla ezra “i take full responsibility” glenn j.p. “i talk to ken cooper about my feelings” lawrence joey “i didn’t bring you an extra cookie” sims

SECTION EDITORS

jessie “i am not a handbag” channell - lifestyle lucas “i fucked up” opgenorth - features elena “i am hermione” watson - arts & entertainment kurt “i am american” schmidlein - opinion

PHOTO EDITOR

will “i am a powerhouse” anderson

ASSOCIATE EDITOR

grayling “i don’t know what a missed connection is” bauer

ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR

katy “i apparently work here” schneider

WRITERS

LETTER TO THE EDITORS This letter to the editor is from members of the Bard College chapter of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). We feel that it would be best to address the recent controversy through our own words rather than through a Free Press reporter.

The International Solidarity Movement is an organization founded in Palestine by Israelis, Palestinians. Its purpose is to invite people from around the world to join Palestinians in non-violent direct action against the illegal military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza. The Bard College ISM support chapter, which was founded in 2009, functions as one of many international contact points for people who want to join the ISM in Palestine. However, most of our efforts are directed at making change here, from doing fund-raising for direct action projects such as the US Boat to Gaza, to bringing speakers such as the former US Ambassador to Iraq to speak about his experiences aboard the Gaza Flotilla. While we support Palestinian liberation, our beliefs and actions are grounded in international law. We are not about taking sides so much as we are about solidarity with people under a military siege. There are ISM support chapters all over the world. Because the ISM believes in Palestinian national liberation, and non-violent re-

sistance toward that end, it has attracted opposition. Recently, a few bloggers decided to put forth the same dated, false, ugly, and at times racist accusations against the ISM, this time targeting the Bard support chapter, and President Botstein for allowing us to exist as a student group. Some of these bloggers have harassed other ISM support chapters and the ISM on the ground in Palestine in the past. Some accusations leveled against ISMers at Bard do not even paint the ISM in a bad light; the only running theme is that they are consistently false. For example, one blog claimed that the ISM at Bard had sent some fifty Bard students to Palestine to engage in non-violent resistance. While we would love for this to happen, it is simply not true. Other, more serious accusations were countered by President Botstein himself who points out that the ISM is not illegal in the United States or Israel (and by extension, in the Palestinian Territories).

Nonetheless, as a group we have thanked President Botstein for his defense of our freedom of speech and assembly; we plan to continue using it to promote non-violent direct action, here and in Palestine.

Bard ISM

will anderson nicholas carbone sean colonna ken cooper abhishek dev abby ferla gavino garay ezra gelnn kate jackson margaret kucera

j.p. lawrence abby miles-ruttenberg raguia mostafa mariel norris lucas opgenorth suyog shrestha kurt schmidlein joey sims mujahid sursar elena watson

COVER ARTIST martha tuttle

bardfreepress@gmail.com the free press reserves the right to edit all submissions for spelling,

grammar, and coherence. we protect our student journalists’ first amendment

rights and accept the responsibilities that accompany that freedom. content decisions are made by the editorial board, and the free press will not print anything libelous or discriminatory in nature. anonymous submissions can only be printed if the writers consult with the editorial board first.

all articles in the features and opinion sections reflect the opinions of the

authors, not those of the free press editorial board or staff. responses to

opinions are totally welcome and can be sent to bardfreepress@gmail.com, as can letters to the editors.

decision sparks debate over bard’s disciplinary system by j.p. lawrence

It seemed a party like just any other for Hamza Haya-ud Din ‘11. By his account, Hamza arrived with a six-pack of Mike’s Hard Lemonade, stayed for just an hour, and then left.

It would end up more than just an average party, however, as before the end of the week, Hamza and two other students would find their peer counselor jobs terminated as a result of it.

The violation lies in a peer counselor, a student who is trained by the college to be a leader and a resource, bringing alcohol into a freshman dorm. Hamza, who is over the legal drinking age, said a room check after a fire alarm the next day led to the discovery of the alcohol.

The firing of the three peer counselors touched off a firestorm of campus protest, as students rallied in their defense. Many were shocked by the divide between their view of Bard’s disciplinary system and the actions taken in this case. Members of the Office of Residence Life, which oversees and trains a staff of over 50 PCs, arranged a meeting with each dorm affected by the firings to talk about the reasoning behind the decision and acknowledge its impact on the residents.

While the meetings were emotional, heated, and highly confidential, many of those present were willing to talk about the issue afterward, including Hamza, who attended the Leonard dorm meeting on the slim chance it would help save his job.

While acknowledging that there was a violation, Hamza, a political science major in the last semester of his time at Bard, and his 50 or so supporters argued that the punishment alloted to him was too harsh, especially in light of his previous service to the Bard community. For the Islamabad, Pakistan native, the events of the past week are an unexpected stain on a Bard career that had included four years as an emergency responder, three years as a respected PC, and two years on the rugby team.

In support were the residents of Leonard, who felt their dorm was closer than most thanks to Hamza’s work. They also encouraged others to join them at the meeting in support, via a Facebook group.

“There’s just something about Hamza,” said Melissa Jarrett ‘14, her voice cracking as she described her PC. “You don’t want to disappoint him. He feels like a big brother.

You can talk to him.”

“From the very beginning of the year he’s been somebody I feel that I can go to for support, emotionally or academically, and yet I still respect him as an authority figure,” said Jarrett. “And I think that’s what being a PC is all about.”

Gretchen Perry, Dean of Campus Life, has been the chief target of the outrage the firings have generated. Since the decision Perry has been working overtime to speak with her staff, her peers and angry, despondent students. Her situation is complicated by confidentiality rules - Perry cannot provide details of what occured, and cannot clarify when facts are misrepresented. But still she must deal with the tender feelings of students, like Jarrett, who were affected by the decisions.

“There is a lot of emotion, and sometimes it’s hard to look beyond the emotions when you think someone you care about is being treated unfairly,” Perry said. Still, she expects that when the dust settles, people will realize how important it was to maintain the long-term credibility of the PC position and the responsibilities, as represented by the code of conduct, inherent to it. Additionally, both Perry and Ashley Boltrushek, Hamza’s supervisor and area coordinator for South Campus, stressed that students, especially the 50 who gathered at the meeting to support Hamza, must be aware that there are other valid viewpoints besides their own.

“The thing that you all are not seeing are the peer counselors who are coming to us and thanking us for holding

“What I heard from somebody was, ‘This isn’t the school I signed up to go to.’ Because usually you’re told that Bard is all about second chances.” their peer and their colleague accountable,” said Boltrushek. “You’re missing the students who feel strong enough to say, ‘I am glad that something is being done.’ We have an obligation to the rest of those students who don’t feel like their voices have been heard.”

“There are students who meet with administrators on a fairly regular basis who really struggle around the culture of alcohol and drugs on this campus,” said Perry. “For those students....it can get very isolating, because even the people who are supposed to be leaders are violating the policy.”

Both Perry and Boltrushek stressed that they are not bureaucratic automatons, and that the decision to fire students they have employed was a hard one. But, they argue, the needs of both the individual and the larger community need to be addressed.

“It’s not something we take lightly,” Boltrushek said. “I was the person who said to him, “Hamza, I’m sorry, but you’re being terminated from your position.” There was never a time when I wasn’t considering not only Hamza and his residents, but also the impact on my 15 other PCs and the greater student body. There is a trust....we have to put in the hands of our PCs. And there was a violation of that trust. The intentions are what we believe is best, both for Hamza as a student and as a person.”

Hamza the person, on the other hand, said he disagrees with the college’s intentions. He sees a huge gap between the current disciplinary system and the systems of previous years. “What I believe, is – usually at least – Bard operates on the notion that this isn’t an institution where restitution is practiced, where Botstein and the teachers will say, ‘oh, you’re going to drink but hey, be smart about it,’” Hamza said. “What I heard from somebody was, ‘This isn’t the school I signed up to go to.’ Because usually you’re told that Bard is all about second chances.

“That being said... I would expect a very severe backlash” Hamza continued. “Either PC probation and something as silly as say, 2000 pushups a week, or anything

that they find to be the next degree below termination, essentially; whether that be alcohol education, community service, anything.”

Hamza’s supporters disagree. Some argued that they are seeking not a separate set of rules for Hamza, but rather consideration for the students caught in the crossfire: the residents of Leonard.

“There is no justice in this situation, because Hamza’s wrong,” said Alexander Kirkpatrick ‘14, a Leonard resident and prospective poli sci major. “I was just trying to ask for mercy for Leonard. Mercy doesn’t mean that you’re right; it means that you’ve admitted that you’re wrong. It means you’re asking for help, you’re asking for repentance.

“I’m not claiming that this is some little thing, so let him off the hook,” continued Kirkpatrick, who said he often talked to Hamza about political topics, “I think that alcohol is a big deal and obviously in the eyes of the college is something that should not be taken lightly....[but] Hamza, to me, is an exceptional situation. He’s done an exceptional job. And sometimes, in a system where you have to judge wrong from right, you can make these exceptional exceptions.”

Hamza said that, officially speaking, he has been terminated as a PC - but that an appeal is currently in process.

He said there is a “1 to 3% chance” that ResLife will reconsider. ResLife would not comment on the odds of a successful appeal. But they promise to take student feedback seriously, and to recognize students’ right to be angry.

On his part, Hamza said he regrets the choice he made, but will continue to fight. If he cannot be PC of Leonard, he will still be around, albeit not as frequently.“I made a mistake,” he said. “I made a bad choice. As a result, it cost me my job at ResLife. And now, I’m appealing to get them to reconsider.”

Until that appeal is done, however, Hamza and the two other PCs will remain in limbo, Bard students will remain in protest, Bard administrators will remain in meetings to discuss what is to be done, and normal business of Bard will, as always, continue.

03

community news

Peer counselors fired for alcohol violation

05

student club accused of aiding terrorism

BOTSTEIN DEFENDS GROUP, DISMISSES “BASELESS ALLEGATIONS” by abhishek dev

President Leon Botstein has come under fire in the past month for allowing a Bard chapter of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) to operate on campus. Bard’s ISM chapter, the only organization directly affiliated with ISM that is known to exist today at a US college, was formed in fall 2009 by Amith Gupta, and has been an active club ever since. Yet in the past month, several pro-Israel organizations and bloggers have accused the club of supporting terrorist activities.

The ISM, founded in 2001 and a 2004 nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize, is a Palestinian-led organization focused on assisting the Palestinian side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The accusers, a group of pro-Israel bloggers and others affiliated with organizations that support Israel, have alleged that ISM is a terrorist organization, and that it is affiliated with Palestinian groups that have been listed on the State Department Terror Watch List.

The official website of the ISM, however, states that the organization is “committed to resisting the Israeli apartheid in Palestine by using nonviolent, direct-action methods and principles.” The student club regularly organizes movie screenings, lectures, and donation activities pertaining to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.

Over a month ago, following the active involvement of Bard ISM with a number of activities supporting the larger

reslife discovers off-campus student population by will anderson

ISM, accusations began to surface. The accusers began an e-mail campaign directed at President Botstein, urging him not to allow the Bard ISM chapter to continue as a club.

The basis of the allegations was that Bard ISM, by supporting the ISM, was indirectly involved in supporting Palestinian terrorist groups. The blogs reported that Bard ISM, like other anti-Israel campus groups, engages in propaganda and promotes the boycott of Israeli and Jewish businesses and institutions.

The accusers also interpreted the Bard ISM blog as saying the club was training students to be human shields in the West Bank for Palestinian terror groups. The bloggers accused Botstein of opening the door for subsidized training of terrorist support groups on Bard campus.

In response to the accusations, President Botstein made a public statement defending the freedom of speech of Bard ISM activists. Botstein argued that although he does not personally share the views of ISM or Bard ISM, he respects the club’s right to exist. Talking to the FREE PRESS, Botstein said, “Bard ISM like any other student run club it has the freedom to organize, affiliate, and assemble as long as it is open to all students [and] non-discriminate and no college rules are broken.” Botstein also noted in his statement that “ISM operates legally within Israel and the United States and does not appear on any State Depart-

The month of February means almost nothing to the majority of Bard students: it’s cold, short, and home to the worst holiday of the year. But while most hibernate this time out, there is a small collection of students actively pursuing one goal: off-campus housing.

While Bard is home to more than 40 student residences throughout its campus, many students choose to instead live elsewhere - mostly in the neighboring towns of Tivoli or Red Hook. Roughly 25 percent of Bard’s 2,000 undergraduates resided offcampus this past year. While this is not a significant number, it is still substantially larger than neighboring schools. At Vassar, 98 percent of students live on campus. Sarah Lawrence houses 90 percent of its undergrads. According to a 2010 survey conducted

by Bard’s Office of Residence Life, the primary factor for students wanting to move off-campus was the mandatory on-campus meal plan. Students also cited a desire for independence and cost of housing as important factors.

Officially, Bard holds to the belief that all students should live on-campus. Gretchen Perry, Dean of Campus Life, cites the availability of campus resources, protection and security, and the close-knit community fostered by on-campus living as reasons why the college does not encourage students to move off-campus. But realistically, the college cannot house each and every student in dormitories.

“We obviously need to expand the on-campus housing,” admitted Perry. “But in the mean time, we’re still trying to figure out why students are moving off-campus, and how to keep them here.”

Yet many students move off-campus not in response to college policies, but beause of their personal tastes. “I love the freedom of living off-campus - I get to cook my own food and live in my own space,” said Danielle Sinay ‘13, who lives in Tivoli.

“It can be isolating at times, and the shuttle is pretty difficult to deal with. But I just don’t want to live in a dorm. It’s not really Bard’s fault.”

ment terror watch list.”

Botstein spoke of the importance of active debate and discussion at Bard around sensitive and contentious issues. “The issue of disputed land, population, and history is an important thing to discuss, and Bard ISM as an organization is important for the generic need to have serious political discussion on campus,” the President said.

Botstein also made it clear that college has to protect the freedom of association and free speech for any student organization that operates within college rules, and that the college not engage in the business of intervention. According to Botstein, the space given to students to organize and form the clubs they like is an important learning process that teaches them how to organize and pursue their interests.

“These baseless allegations towards a person or an organization are not constructive and only aim to create an atmosphere of fear and demean people for exercising leadership and pursuing their interest,” added Botstein. He did clarify, however, that in general he would prefer that student organizations create their own identities and not affiliate with non-university organizations, so the could remain issue-based rather than affiliating with a “brand name” of any kind.

Other students offered similar anecdotes. Many also noted that, the way Bard’s campus is laid, there is not a huge difference between on and off-campus living. “I live on North Campus, so I have to take the shuttle to class, take the shuttle back, take the shuttle if I want to eat - take the shuttle if I want to go pretty much anywhere,” said Rebecca Samuels ‘14.

“So I really don’t see moving to Tivoli or Red Hook as that big of a difference. It’s not like I walk out my door and I’m in a typical college quad. On-campus living feels somewhat like living off-campus already.”

Many students expressed a desire for Bard to get more involved with students wishing to live off-campus. “It seems kind of unfair that I have to pay a real estate agent $750 to find a house, instead of ResLife helping me,” said Katy Schneider ‘14. “The college doesn’t have enough room to house all the students, so they should help those who want to move off-campus.” While the college does host a Housing Board in its online classified section, the site currently has no listings posted.

Last year, ResLife began hosting information sessions for students planning to move on campus. “We talked about things like protecting yourself against landlords, the leasing process, things like that,” said Perry. “So while we don’t assist students directly, we are trying to do more to help students transition to off -campus housing.”

While the desire for off-campus housing is clearly evident, actually getting there can end up being difficult. “Everyone keeps telling us to start looking now, because things go really quickly,” said Schneider.

“We found one house, but the day we were going to tour it another group of kids took it. So now we’re just waiting for another to open up. It was hard enough to find three other people committed to moving offcampus next year. Now I’m trying to deal with actually finding a house for us to all live in.”

internet upgradezzz REALLY NOW, though by will anderson

Thanks to network upgrades completed over winter break, Bard students can finally actually access most of the internet. Upon arriving to campus, students discovered a world previously impossibly out-of-reach. A senior, who had been accustomed to Bard’s painfully slow Internet these past four years, had never realized that YouTube actually played videos. A sophomore who had missed out on the last three seasons of How I Met Your Mother gleamed with excitement, as she was able to stream them to her computer. “It’s a whole new world, full of whole new possibilities,” she squealed.

William Terry, the Chief Technology Officer on campWilliam Terry, the Chief Technology Officer on campus, is just as excited about the finished upgrades. “I’m ecstatic with how the upgrades improved our network,” Terry said. “If it were not for Marieluise Hessel’s generous gift, we would not have this improvement. But now we’re at a good, solid 200 mob/s.” (Hessel, a prominent art collector and philanthropist, previously made the founding gift of $8 million to establish Bard’s Center for Curatorial Studies.)

While many students do report faster speeds, there

are still people reporting dissatisfaction with the internet. “In Tewksbury, the internet feels only slightly faster,” said Madeline Porsella ‘14. “I definitely can’t load a typical YouTube video in under 5-minutes. I can’t use Netflix. It’s a sad existence.” Terry warns that students looking to stream media probably won’t see a “stunning improvement” in speeds. But he says that “overall bandwidth and our overall connectivity has improved substantially.”

In addition to the improvements already made, Terry hopes to make several more down the road. “Because of the new core switch, we can have better connections on the campus,” said Terry. “We have also just now purchased a second core switch, which is located in Tewksbury. We are still experimenting with our package shaper rules, which will allow us to shift available bandwidth at night to dorms, which is normally reserved for academic buildings. The next thing that we need to start doing is improving our campus cabling and move it to single mode fiber. This will give us solid gigabit connection between buildings. When we get more money, I’ll be able to do that.”

botstein gives talk on ‘leading change’

says ‘you follow me?’ a lot, probably by suyog shrestha

“Opportunities exist when people think they don’t.” President Botstein spoke these words as part of a lecture entitled ‘Leading Change’, which was organized by the Change in Action (CIA) program and took place at the MPR on February 7. Citing as example the establishment of Bard High School in 2001, Botstein insisted that people should be aware that opportunities for change can arise any time.

Besides the students’ enthusiasm to listen to thoughtful words from the President himself, repeated emails sent to students about the lecture may have contributed in the large turnout. There were many students eager to listen to suggestions on leadership from President Botstein. Dimitri Cacouris ’14, who was interested in attending the ‘Time Management’ workshop, believed that the experienced people leading the workshops would share inspiring and informative experiences, as well as life lessons.

The Mission page of the CIA website reads: “Change in Action will engage participants in a process that challenges them to develop consciousness of self, other, and the collective. Following the Social Change Model of Leadership, which is grounded in the development of specific skills, this program strives to empower participants to become effective change agents.” CIA regularly conducts one hour interactive workshops that aim to develop leadership skills

related to one of its three tracks: Individual, Group and Society. One can gain a certificate of completion after attending five workshops in any one of the tracks.

President Botstein focused on themes of change and leadership in his talk. As it progressed, he seemed to sway the crowd with his enlightening opinions and interesting personal anecdotes. The idea of change, he explained, manifests itself in the minds of those who are dissatisfied with conventions. It is difficult to change those who think they are right, but one must persevere. To be a leader, one needs to build allies who will not always agree with the presumed fundamental notions. One must also have capacity to compromise. Then Botstein elucidated why only a few people can be leaders, arguing that not everyone can handle the inevitable unintended consequences that come along with change. A leader should, therefore, improvise the changes against reality, which consists of multiple variables that can affect the intended strategies.

“One shouldn’t succumb to the public image of what one has done,” President Botstein warned the crowd. He said that one should be wary of the delusions that an initial success can bring, since those against the change regularly try to restore the status quo either through resistance or seduction. He also explained that it is easy to make enemies

as a leader because change leads to others becoming displaced. “If you don’t want enemies, stay home,” the President humorously added. Asserting the inevitability of risks involved in a change, he motivated the crowd. “Be brave in entering the unknown.” By the end of his lecture, he had explicitly or implicitly spoken to every one of CIA’s seven values of leadership - consciousness of self and others, congruency, commitment, collaboration, common purpose, controversy with civility, and citizenship.

Influential as his words sound, it is important to note that actions speak louder than words. Change in Action’s aim is not to develop mere orators, but leaders who will contribute something substantial to society. Yet its structure lends more to people exchanging experiences and learning the fundamentals of leadership than to putting these theories into action. President Botstein himself expressed his lack of interest in talking about change and social action, arguing that these require more than words to materialize. So those who have attended the CIA workshops may actually benefit more from their own actions and experiences than the advice from others. However, let’s follow Mr. Botstein’s suggestion and, instead of moralizing about CIA, try to selfreflect and act like leaders.

community news

community news

04

07

06

community news

things are happening to make it less of a problem by lucas opgenorth

after long struggle, aramark workers reach deal for cheaper healthcare

by j.p. lawrence

The deal was set. Signed and sealed. Bard College’s housekeepers, after a long, drawn-out labor struggle had finally hammered a contract agreement between them and their employers, Aramark, a service company out of Philadelphia, Pa. The three-year agreement would give the employees family healthcare for $356 dollars a month, far below the $815 dollars a month initially proposed. Among the other benefits were 3% pay raises retroactive to the expiration of the previous contract, a higher starting wage, and pay raises for 15 workers who would not have otherwise received them. After nearly 15 months of haggling over wages and health care, the tempo of negotiations had increased, sped up after an offer by Bard College to pay whatever extra costs necessary to break the impasse.

So it was quite the shock to Zeke Perkins, head of Bard’s labor advocacy group, when he came back from break to find that the deal had been voted down, rejected 26-17, by the workers.

“It was frustrating because we didn’t really know what happened,” said Perkins, whose group, the Student Labor Dialogue, had been advocating on behalf of the workers since spring. “I thought the students have done as much as they can. They’ve pushed the college toward taking care of this. And why on Earth would they not like this healthcare?”

Like anything in Aramark’s 15-month negotiation with its workers, which included a student strike, threats, mudslinging and rumor-mongering, the end game would be anything but easy.

A Deal Maker The end game began in early December, when the college administration had finally had enough. “I think it was the college’s desire to not let the impasse last forever,” recalled Jim Brudvig, Vice President for Administration, who oversees the college’s contract with Aramark. “It’s a difficult situation to have a contractor on your campus who can’t come to terms with the people who work here.

“Aramark said, ‘Listen, we’re not making any money here,” Brudvig continued. He explained that from Aramark’s perspective, stepping in to lower healthcare costs would mean loss. “At the same time, the healthcare plan – it’s ridiculous,” said Brudvig. “They can’t be making that hourly wage and pay 800 dollars a month for family healthcare.”

So with both sides deadlocked and exhausted, the buck fell to Executive Vice President Dimitri Papadimitriou, who picked up his phone and had “a serious talk” with Aramark officials, according to Brudvig. “He said, ‘if you’re serious about doing business here, get this thing done. I’ve heard enough, I want this thing settled. If it requires college re-

sources, you gotta let me know.’”

Meanwhile, Lyons and the union had found another insurance policy under the same company that served the same options but was much cheaper. Armed with this and the backing of the school, the union head committee agreed to the deal on a Friday morning and arranged for the entire union to vote the following Tuesday, Feb. 11. And that’s when things went haywire.

Out in the Cold “I think the union representative, who I think did a very good job in general, was very excited to get this contract done with after a year of negotiation,” said Perkins, “so he pushed for a vote.” The committee negotiated the contract on Friday, then schedule a vote for the following Tuesday.

Perkins feels this was too rushed. “I think that the workers didn’t get educated.”

“Being that we spent 15 months campaigning, I thought everyone would know all the issues,” an incredulous Lyons argued. “And the committee signed off on it.”

As rumors swirled, Aramark corporate offices handed down an ultimatum: have a contract signed by the end of the month, or the retroactive pay increases the workers had won during bargaining would disappear.

“Basically,” said Aramark worker Annette Coons, “they’re telling us, ‘you vote yes, or you lose it all.’”

As the month neared its end, union representatives arranged a meeting with an insurance broker to allay concerns over cost and coverage - but a winter ice storm prevented the meeting from ever taking place. With the contract stuck in a holding pattern until the agent made it in, Aramark workers were left out in the cold.

The Counting of the Votes In the early morning hours of Jan. 27, from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m, before most of Bard’s students were even awake, Bard’s housekeepers walked by the little box, set up by the time clock at Aramark’s Bard office, that would determine their immediate financial futures. The union had brought in the insurance representative, and now they were having their re-vote, just days before the deadline. If the morning’s vote was yes, their 15-month struggle would be over, and they would have healthcare. If the vote was no, “I don’t even know,” said Coons.

One minute past eight, Lyons opened up the boxes and started counting. “I wasn’t sure if it was going to pass.

You never know these things for sure,” he recalled. Sorting through the slips of paper, he counted: 30-12, the vote passes. Relief, he said, was the emotion he felt then.

For the Aramark workers gathered for the counting of the votes, relief came with the knowledge that they could now afford insurance for their children. “It was really a great feeling,” said Jody Cerasano, a housekeeper with two children. “It felt like the world was totally off my shoulders.”

“This is what we wanted from the beginning,” said Lyons.

“Healthcare is going up everywhere, so it’s hard to get a deal that’s actually affordable. So this, under the contract negotiations, is a really good deal. It went down to probably $350 a month, instead of $815. That’s a really big difference.”

As for Brudvig, he received an email from Aramark simply stating that the deal was done. Although insurance premiums are not effective until March 1, he said there is a chance the deal, as currently constructed, won’t need the college’s money at all. “To my knowledge,” Brudvig said, ”the plan that they developed doesn’t involve any contributions from the college. They were able to find room in the contract to be able to do everything that they needed to do.

“What it really means for the employees of Aramark is that they’re getting their back wages paid,” Brudvig continued. “Because they had been out of contract for a while, so they’re getting retroactive money for the increases that they are now getting. Presumably Aramark is busy issuing catch-up checks.”

While giving due credit to Lyons, Aramark, and the college for breaking the long impasse, Brudvig also lauded the students of the SLD for their contribution. “I give them a lot of credit for keeping it on the table, keeping it alive, making sure it wasn’t forgotten.”

As for the SLD, they are moving swiftly on to the next cause. “I’m very happy that it was signed,” said Perkins.

“I’m very happy that we can maybe move on to some other things.” In particular, Perkins wants an expansion of the code of conduct Bard created for subcontractors in 2008.

Lyons, too, wants to continue his union work on campus.

“I’ve always had that in the back of my head to come here and support what the students are doing. I think it’s about building a movement. There are other workers on campus that need our support....it’s more than this one issue.”

As for the workers themselves, their period of uncertainty is over. The contract is signed, and workers like Cerasano can now bring their children to the doctor. With her retroactive pay now in her bank account, Cerasano said she plans to ditch her dying truck and make another deal: a down payment for a new truck, for navigating the New York winter.

“I’m actually really thrilled,” she said. “I think we did a tremendous job. We’re getting raises. We’ve got the affordable insurance.”

The times they are a-changin for freshman dormitory Tewksbury Hall. Following the three-week long Citizen Science program which took place in January, during which Tewksbury lived up to its reputation for being loud, wild and dirty, the dorm sat down for a hall meeting with South Campus Area Coordinator Ashley Boltrushek. The residents collectively agreed on several new measures to reform Tewksbury and make it a nicer place to live.

The meeting was prompted by numerous shocked parents calling Residence Life to complain about the lifestyle in their child’s dorm. “I heard from a lot of parents asking ‘What the hell is going on in Tewksbury?’” said Boltrushek.

Apparently many of them, after hearing their child’s college tales during winter break, were shocked by the difference between life in their serene household and that in Tewks.

These calls, and the issues during Citizen Science, led to increased concern - though Boltrushek plays this down somewhat. “Tewksbury definitely has a certain reputation,” said Boltrushek, “and whenever some thing goes wrong there, that reputation just magnifies it, even if its something that would happen in any other college dorm.” Nonetheless, Residence Life decided to push Tewksbury residents to discuss ways they could change the dorm’s living coniditons for the better.

At the dorm meeting, the students of Tewksbury came up with three student-operated programs to address some of the problems that have been most prevalent in the dorm.

First, students have created a chore chart in which residents volunteer to pick up trash in the dorm and clean areas such as the kitchen for a certain time slot during the week. Second, the dorm will host a Tewksbury Forum that will most likely occur once a month and will serve as a venue for discussion regarding life in the dorm. Residents will be able to voice concerns, ask questions, and speak both

about what is going well and what is going poorly. Lastly, the students agreed to work towards an environment in the dorm in which issues of noise and general disrespect can be addressed in a calm manner, in which both parties are receptive.

A few other plans that have been discussed for the dorm.

One involved a new door system in which exit and entry points would have been limited, and new alarm systems on the side doors would prevent door propping. The parent of a Tewks resident offered to put forth the money to pilot such a program on the dorm, and Boltrushek would like to see such a program in all dorms for security purposes.

However, Residence Life has no plans to install such a system.

Also discussed was a “front desk attendant” intended to reduce the destruction that many residents claim is caused by outside students coming to Tewks to party.

However, Residence Life has no plans to implement this either - and, contrary to popular rumor, a parent did not offer to fund it, according to Boltrushek.

For the time being, Residence Life is satisfied with the programs the students have created, saying they have so far been successful.

Upper college students living in Tewks have commented on the improved behavior in

the dorm. Additionally, Tewksbury’s Aramark workers have left the residents several notes complementing them on the recent cleanliness of the dorm’s kitchen. Freshmen residents have even discussed the possibility of a special application for current first years in Tewks to be placed in the dorm next year, so they could continue to promote the new student initiatives.

“Most importantly, we want to emphasize that we do not think that the current class in Tewks are a bunch of problem children,” said Boltrushek “This group is taking the initiative to change the reputation of Tewksbury.”

WILLIAMS TO BE REMOVED AT THE END OF THIS YEAR

New Village suite building to be constructed by joey sims

The Williams dorm on north campus will be removed at the end of this semester, the administration has confirmed.

At the same time, construction on a new Village suite building akin to Villages J & K is slated to commence in March.

“We are returning Williams to its owner at the end of this term,” confirmed Jim Brudvig, Vice President for Administration. “They are going to come in with trucks, load it up and take it home.” To account for the loss of Williams’ 40 beds, current plans have a new Village building ready by September. The new building will house 20 students, and will be situated on the north end of the Village, behind Villages J & K. It will not be visible from the road, however, and will resemble Villages A-I in design.

The impetus for finally removing Williams was the building’s deteriorating condition, said Brudvig. “The condition of it is such that it wasn’t a good investment to try and recondition it,” he explained. Its removal was made easier by a recent gift to the college which afforded the construction of the new Village building.

The 20 beds of the Village building will only half cover the loss of Williams, meaning some reconfiguration will be necessary. “Some of the larger singles on North Campus and Stone Row will be converted to doubles, and some of the larger doubles to triples for upper college students or incoming transfer students,” confirmed Gretchen Perry, Dean of Campus Life. “There also may be a need to create more temporary triples in first year housing, which would be de-tripled as soon as possible.” Other possibilities, such as reconfiguring the Old Toasters and South Hall to mixed first year and upperclassmen configurations, are also under consideration.

While current plans have construction on ‘Village L’ com-

plete by September, Perry also outlined back-up plans being conisdered in case of unforeseen delays. “There is the potential of creating more triples for first year students to allow upper college to go temporarily into doubles,” said Perry. “Then when the upper college students are able to move into the new facility, the first year students could shift from the triples to the emptied doubles.” Perry added that the Robbins Addition exercise room could even be converted into temporary housing for 4-6 students, if neccessary.

Regardless of any delays to the Village complex, Brudvig and Perry are insistent that Williams’ days are over. “If you

are fond it, you can say your goodbyes in May,” said Brudvig. (Few are likely to take him up on the offer.)

Brudvig is also looking eagerly to the future of housing on campus. “We have more Village dorms approved – we’re waiting for funding for that,” he said. “And then we probably will build another large dorms in the Robbins area to take the place of Hudson and Catskill.” The imminence of such projects will, as always, depend on the generosity of donors. Both projects have been folded into the college’s 150th Anniversary Capital Campaign.

community news

this just in: tewksbury is a problem

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features

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cop byshop ken cooper mental health at bard we’re all crazy about it

Our amazingly safe campus avoided problems from two legged creatures over break, suffering attacks only from one real “mother”.

B&G put on their combat boots, fighting and defeating that “mothers” snow and ice. Resident students might consider borrowing those combat boots, as they contemplate digging out their cars from Mother Natures “gift”.

Our E-2 Emergency Alerting System - originally designed to be used only for dire emergencies - has been used for shuttle stoppage notifications. It seems that shuttle stoppages are accepted as dire emergencies. Everyone now wants to be on the alerting list - Great!

I’m happy.

The Annandale Road Monster bit a student an inebriated local driver (not part of the Bard Community), love-tapped our student late one evening with his vehicle. The student was not seriously injured, thankfully. The pilot of the vehicle is receiving a driver-ed immersion course... in the county jail. Annandale Road is NOT a Bard sidewalk - it is creature that shoots 3000lb bullets at pedestrians. Be careful - there is no coming back from being squished.

Prior to break, Bard was given a profound

Christmas gift. A guest lecturer a the Campus Center reported to security that her car was hit in the parking lot, severely damaging it. She asked if we had cameras so that the hit and run driver could be located. I explained that we do not have the equipment nor the philosophical belief systems in place to allow surveillance of our community. I composed an email to the community, explaining this is not the way Bardians treat people.

The offending driver, after reading the email, replied to me, apologizing and asking to contact the guest to make amends for the poor decision. This happened. I wrote to the student and told him that he has just defined who he is as a person. - he is also the poster child for “manning up” and a fine example of who we are as Bardians.

We have the best students. ken

by abby ferla

According to BRAVE Director Rebecca Stac, the crisis hotline has historically received about 10-15 calls a semester, translating to 20-30 calls over the course of a year. This year alone, however, and only two weeks into the second semester, the BRAVE student counselors have taken over 50 calls, suggesting a drastic increase in the demand for emergency counseling on campus. BRAVE (Bard Response to Rape and Associated Violence Education), which provides support for issues ranging from sexual assault to depression to Plan B requests, also rarely gets even one call during L&T. This past August, BRAVE counselors took five calls. So when the New York Times published an article entitled “Record Levels of Stress Found in College Freshmen,” Stacy said, “it really resonated with me.”

The mental health of college students has been getting a lot of press as of late - much of it suggesting that mental health on college campuses is in crisis. Tamara Telberg, Director of Counseling Services at Bard, said that there is some evidence to support this claim. “What the research and a lot of college counselors are saying is that there is an increase in students who self-report having mental health concerns,” said Telberg.

She cited the demystification of mental illness over the past twenty years as one possible explanation. Counselors around the country have theorized that as it has become more socially acceptable to speak about mental illness, more and more young people have had access to diagnoses, counseling, and psychometric prescriptions.

“They’re so widely prescribed now that students who may not have had been stable enough in the past to go far away to a four year institution are now on medication, more stable and able to go to school,” said Telberg, who also explained that the increase creates a higher demand for mental health services on campuses; students who had counseling at home, for instance, are more likely to come to college wanting to continue with it. They also need ongoing medication and support.

Both Telberg and Stacy also theorize that some of the increased anxiety might be due to the economic downturn. “I can’t help but think that the pendulum has swung in such a marked direction that it can’t not impact students,” Stacy theorized, “and the evidence is that we’re getting more stressed [as a result].” Telberg echoed this theory. “Students have taken out large loans and are wondering, ‘How am I going to pay these back, or work?”

Looking at my face, she asked, “Are you worried about that? Have I struck a chord?”

Conversely, Margaret Bertram, Assistant Director of Residence Life notes that national trends have actually remained relatively constant over the past ten years.

“In the past four to five years...each year, one in four students will have a diagnosable DSM disorder but far far fewer of them will seek help for that disorder,” said Bertram, who is well-versed in research on the subject.

Like Stacy and Telberg, she also noted an increase in students with severe disorders attending four-year institutions. Bard, she told me, is pretty much on-par with national trends.

Whatever the national statistics may reveal, stories have recently abounded of students turned away by a Counseling Services with a full case-load. Telberg confirms that over the past few years, Counseling has often been forced to put students on a waiting list for over two weeks. This, coupled with the substantial increase in BRAVE crisis calls, indicates that even if the number of students self-identifying as mentally ill has remained constant, the demand for help is on the rise. Whether this can be attributed to the recent deaths of Bard students, the flailing US economy, an increased willingness and ability to talk about mental health issues, or all of the above, it seems that more Bard students are asking for support than ever have in the past.

So how has Bard responded to the increased demand?

“There are a number of programs that we’ve instituted over the the past few years on a number of different levels,” said Tamara. From offering depression screenings in the campus center twice a semester to the creation of a new Wellness Director position, Counseling and the administration are working to make mental health a more visible priority on campus. One of the first steps that they took was to train counselors, deans, PCs, and the entire Residence Life staff through Campus Connect, a program that educates members of a campus to recognize signs of suicide. Tamara hopes that soon B&G and all ancillary staff, such as Aramark, will also be trained.

Beginning this semester, Counseling will use a new intake system to address the waiting list problem. Every student who requests counseling is now guaranteed a short, half-hour appointment within 24 hours of his or her request. “Two weeks in the middle of the semester can be a really big deal for some students,” said Telberg. “If

you’re a student who’s not going to class because you’re so depressed or can’t sleep - that’s a huge period of time.

We really felt like we couldn’t not catch those students any more.”

Also starting this semester, students will periodically also be able to ‘drop-in’ with counselors at two different campus locations as part of the “Let’s Talk” program.

Designed at Cornell, the program aims to offer the opportunity for students to “just talk anonymously about what’s going on,” said Telberg. “It is not a formal therapy session or evaluation, but a place to catch students who are really busy, or shy, or hesitant to request counseling.” Starting this week, Larry Cerecedes, PhD, will be at BEOP Mondays 4-5pm; and both Jason Mehringer, MSW, intern and Jen White, LCSW, will be available in the Campus Center Red Room Tuesdays 2-3pm.

Telberg conceded that there is always more work to be done - for instance, she would like to see more service groups at Bard. There is already a Grief Group that meets once a week, and Counseling Services has also just created new group for students returning from medical absence. Telberg added that Bard’s nutritionist hopes to offer an eating disorder group soon - eating disorders are “an under-acknowledged issue on campus,” she acknowledged. According to Bertram, students who developed depression or anxiety during their first few years of college were much more likely to be diagnosis-free leaving college than those who develop an eating disorder. “I think our society is better-equipped to deal with anxiety and depression,” she explained.

On a more positive note, Stacy, Telberg and Bertram all speak positively about student initiative in starting groups and programs to support mental health at Bard. Bertram, who acts as advisor to Bard’s chapter of Active Minds - a nationwide group that aims to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness - feels Bard is particularly supportive in this regard, noting BRAVE as an example.

“What’s really great and what I’m really proud of as the advisor of the Active Minds chapter is how much students want to do for each other,” she said. Stacy similarly reported, “I had an increase in BRAVE applications this year too, and I don’t know if that’s because of more students or if we did a better job advertising. But I think that it’s because when there’s a demand, people sense that and rise to the occasion.”

Obituaries by joey sims Shirley M. Minkler Shirley M. Minkler, a longtime Bard College employee in Central Services, died January 28 at her home in Tivoli. Minkler worked at the college for twenty-five years until her retirement in 2006. She was 80 years old.

Minkler was born November 5, 1930 in Tivoli, where she remained a lifelong resident. Prior to her arrival at Bard, she was secretary at St. Sylvia’s Parish in Tivoli. She married Gordon Q. Minkler in 1952 - he died in 1999. The two had one son, James.

Minkler became a beloved campus figure over her 25 years at the college. Stuart Levine, Dean of the College 1980 - 2001, recalled her in a piece for Annandale Online as a “prominent character.”

“She surely will be hard to forget,” Levine wrote. “Stature, voice and particular language were present always [in her], as was a lively spirit and constant special humor. If one went to Central Services once it was sure you would go back again to savor a place like no other....The death of Shirley brings to my mind the sound of her voice and her stature as few others have and had the power of personality to convey.”

Minkler is survived by her son, four grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, four sisters and several nieces and nephews.

Peter Hobbs Actor Peter Hobbs, a graduate of Bard College, died in his home on January 2 following a short illness. Hobbs was 92 years old. He was a Bard graduate with a bachelor’s degree in theater.

Hobbs was born in France but raised in New York City.

He attended Solebury School in PA before arriving at Bard. In World War II he served in Europe as a Sergeant in Combat Engineering, and fought at the Battle of the Bulge.

After the war, Hobbs made a long career was a character actor, successful both in film and on stage. He appeared on Broadway in Teahouse of the August Moon and Billy Budd. His film credits include The Andromeda Strain, Sleeper, and The Man With Two Brains. In film and TV he often played authority figures such as judges, doctors and officers.

Hobbs is survived by his wife Carolyn Adams Hobbs, three daughters, two stepsons, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Romulus Linney Romulus Linney, a prolific playwright and friend of the college, died at his home in Germantown on January 15 2011 after a battle with lung cancer. Linney was 80-years-old.

Among Linney’s best-known plays were True Crimes, Childe Byron and his adaptation of Earnest J. Gaines’s A Lesson Before Dying. Linney’s work was known for its variety -- his plays ranged wildly in their themes and tone -- and the playwright’s penchant for literary and historical references. Linney wrote more than 30 plays in his lifetime. The Signature Theater Company, a prominent offBroadway house, devoted the entirety of its 1991 season to his work. He was also the father of Oscar-nominated actress Laura Linney.

Linney, who had made Germantown his home (he also had a residence in Manhattan), has been associated with Bard College in different capacities for several years, mostly commonly in the First Year Seminar lecture series. In September 2005 Linney participated in a staged reading of Aristophanes’ The Clouds at the Sosnoff Theatre, starring alongside professors Daniel Berthold and William Mullen, along with many students. In 2009 Linney gave a lecture on Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Nympholepsy at First Sight

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Bard’s 2011 Opera Workshop Production by sean colonna

arts & entertainment

As we greet (or bitterly curse) the beginning of this chilly new semester, a familiar tradition has welcomed us back along with below freezing temperatures. The Bard College Opera Workshop presented their latest show: Nympholepsia. (This is Bard - you all have smart phones on hand right now. Look it up.) The general structure of the production was similar to that of previous years: a sweeping historical overview beginning with works from the early seventeenth century and ending just before the beginning of the twentieth. A notable change this time around, however, was to be found in the orchestra. Rather than the usual hired-help under the baton of James Bagwell, Chairman of Bard’s music department, this year’s instrumental ensemble was composed almost entirely of Bard students, even including the conductor. David Bloom led his small, yet determined group of musicians with precision, exhibiting his usual superlative ability in the field of musical leadership.

The singers, having been under the tutelage of artistic directors and Bard vocal professors Ilka LoMonaca and Rufus Müller, performed exceedingly well. Beginning with pieces from the Baroque era, these singers displayed a mastery of the all-too-elusive art of properly shaping the elaborate counterpoint so ubiquitous in the music from this period.

Particularly, the performance of the scene from Handel’s Radamisto epitomized much of the excellent counterpoint singing that pervaded this part of the program: each of the four lines were shaped simultaneously as both independent musical thoughts and as parts of a larger whole. Emily Cuk, Rosina Williams, Ellie Tsachtani, and Devin Lackey all deserve special recognition for the artistry they exhibited in their performance. Their vocal craftsmanship was mirrored and elegantly supported with the subtle staging by threetime returning director, Alessandro Rumie.

Two exceptional soloists from this part of the program bear mentioning here as well. The first is Emily Gildea, whose performance of “O s’apre il riso” from Handel’s Alcina was notably well done, not only for its elegance and fluidity, but also for the gracefulness with which she spontaneously ornamented the music, in keeping with the performance practices of the era. Secondly, Hannah SloaneBarton, a new-comer to the vocal arts program, dazzled all who were present with both her powerful projection and her deftly-handled runs in both of her performances, most especially in “Non è amor nè gelosia.” One may certainly expect great things from her as her career as a vocal artist progresses here at Bard.

Rumie’s skill as a stage director came across most clearly in his rendering of the opening scene from Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Recontextualized in a modern setting and choreographed with a daringly-violent rape scene, this number was easily one of the most exciting in the whole evening.

Of course, the staging can only be as good as the performers who bring it to life, and in this respect the effectiveness of the scene was as much the singers’ triumph as it was the director’s. Bravo to Devin Lackey, Otto Berkes, Emily Gildea, and Giulio Santini for their excellent performances.

Ending the first part of the program with a soloist as strong as Sean Christensen was a wise choice on the production team’s part. Charming everyone with his usual combination of dramatic flair and elegant vocal craftsmanship, his stage presence during his performance of “Alma, sol degl’occhi miei” from Manuel García’s Don Chisciotte sealed off the first half of the production nicely.

Performing the famous fisherman’s duet from Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs der Perles, Gregory Giovine and Evan Seitchik spun out an incredibly moving performance on both eve-

nings, despite the large degree of breath support required to maintain such soaring, high melodies. Also remarkable was their chemistry together. Truly, bromance at its finest.

From here we quickly reached erotic heights that very suitably justified this year’s nympholepsia theme. Lesley DeMartin’s performance of “Io son l’ancella humile” from Adriana Lecouvreur certainly steamed up the theater, a product of both astute vocal ability and sizzling acting. However, the climax of sexual energy was assuredly reached in the performance of the Habanera from Bizet’s Carmen. Here Rumie’s skills as director synergized perfectly with the naturally-high energy level of the cast to produce another spectacular number. The soloist, Marissa Papatola, wooed both on and off-stage spectators alike with her nuanced and subtle vocal shading. The chorus ladies, however, though musically subdued, commanded a very strong presence as well. Watching this performance, one was absolutely convinced that all those on stage were enjoying themselves very much. (Perhaps too much...)

The penultimate number, a performance of “Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante” from Carmen sung by Rosina Williams, was arrestingly moving in both the simplicity of the staging and the power of the singing. Indeed, the former nicely complemented the latter, and Ms. Williams reached unprecedented musical heights in this number (literally: she hit a high B).

The finale, “Fra dolci e cari palpiti” from Rossinni’s Il Viaggio a Reims, provided a bubbling, high-energy ending to yet another successful opera workshop production.

Although we are all saddened to see our senior vocalists leave us, we eagerly anticipate what lies in store for next year.

another year

The film’s story is hard to analyse, as it does not follow the traditional ‘exposition, climax, falling action’ structure.

Leigh is more interested in reflecting reality, and presenting the characters and their dilemmas. In examining each character, we recognize their pain and contentment as the kind we ourselves experience every day.

Leigh’s direction focuses on the simple acts of living. He often closes in on a ripened fruit, a wine glass or the wrinkles on a face to reflect the slow but beautiful pace of a day.

Each moment of the film has an amazing ‘slice-of-life’ feel to it, bringing to mind the work of the late great Japanese director Yasujiro Ozu. Lesley Manville shines brightest of all the ensemble with her depressingly comedic portrayal of Mary, a middleaged woman on the prowl for a man to keep her company.

Through Mary’s excessive drinking and nervous babbling, we can see the darkness that underlies her actions as she confronts her loneliness. The only man who does show interest in Mary is an overweight sad sack named Ken (wonderfully played by Peter Wright) who manages to eat, drink, and smoke at the same time as he confronts the solitude of his life. Ken’s clumsy advances toward Mary fail to attract her and she ends up turning to a much younger man in the hopes of satisfying her desires.

The film does not fall into any cliches as it deals with adult relationships, and remains very humane in the treatment of all its characters. The opening shot of the film immediately tells us that normal story conventions will not apply here - we are shown the sad, wrinkled face of Imelda Staunton with the title “Spring.” Normally associated with birth or growth, ‘spring’ is here associated with crippling depression.

Another Year will keep you interested throughout its two hour plus length, and will make you wonder about the way we all live our lives. While most onscreen marriages need to confront some underlying problem, the martial bliss of the Hepples remains unexplored. There is no attempt to explain why they ‘work’ - they just do. And even as Leigh shows Mary and Ken succumbing to drink and misery in their loneliness, he also allows for many enjoyable and pleasant moments between Tom and Gerri. Mike Leigh ultimately gives us a rewarding view of the everyday struggle for happiness through his engrossing portrait of a couple and their friends.

fight, to the marriage in its last throes, to their wedding day. But far from being disorienting, these cuts feel natural, helping to bring into focus not just the beginning of the marriage, or the way it breaks apart, but Dean and Cindy’s relationship as a whole. Both Gosling and Williams inhabit their characters absolutely; there’s never a moment when you don’t feel like you’re watching two real people, fighting or fucking or just walking down the street. The camera itself adds to this feeling. It jerks and twitches, focusing in closely on a single detail or shifting slowly from face to face. It’s like watching the couple through a crack in the door, or from the perspective of a fly on the ceiling. Unaware they’re being observed, they hide nothing.

The reality that the actors and the cinematography create is an extremely painful one—of two people realizing that their relationship is coming to an end, and that there’s no

longer anything they can do about it. Even moving back and forth through time, it’s difficult to see exactly how the whole thing descended into the screaming and pleading and desperation it eventually becomes. But knowing the heartbreak that’s going to come in the “present day scenes” makes shots of the past even more difficult to watch, as though the couple was doomed from the very start.

Blue Valentine is not an easy movie to sit through. It spares nothing in delving into the extreme pain of Dean and Cindy’s split. It makes you understand everything each of them is going through, and feel everything they’re feeling. But in spite of this it never feels exploitative or heavyhanded. This is just the way things are, and nothing is ever going to change that. It’s a beautifully shot and beautifully acted movie. Just make sure you don’t see it right after a break-up.

by nicholas carbone

The Latest on Contemporaneous by mariel norris You’ve probably heard of Contemporaneous, the student-run ensemble that has recently been gaining momentum. Based at Bard but performing all throughout New York, Contemporaneous features cutting-edge music arranged by up-and-coming composers. They are devoted to bringing new artists into the music world, and many of their performances are world and regional premieres.

The composers are students and professors from the Bard Conservatory, as well from other schools. Violinist Sabrina Tabby explains that Contemporaneous provides a chance for musicians to collaborate with composers of their own generation, and to keep the music of today alive.

Tabby is currently working on piece by John Boggs, who recently graduated from Bard, and a piece by Bard Conservatory composer, Ben Pesetsky. She explains, “We’re playing music by us for us.”

Contemporaneous began performing only in March of last year, but it has been evolving at an exponential pace.

Tabby and pianist Mayumi Tsuchida recall that at the very beginning they weren’t sure if it would take off since it is a student-run ensemble that is financially independent of Bard, and because the music is so different. They didn’t know if they would enjoy playing contemporary music, or if the audience would appreciate it. Most of the music is not recorded, so they have to guess at how it will sound to the audience in typically four rehearsals or fewer. But it has gained energy fast. Tsuchida recalls, “I was pleasantly surprised when we performed at the chapel and it

was pretty full, which was unusual for a classical concert.”

Tabby adds, “Because we’re at Bard, we’re doing well.

People are really open to listening to new pieces. The audience was almost all students who were not from the conservatory, most of whom we didn’t even know.” The large turnout inspired them to keep performing.

They mention that Co-Artistic Director David Bloom has also really helped push them forward. “He’s one of the most organized people I know,” said Tsuchida. “In the beginning, the students weren’t as excited, but it’s gotten going because he’s so passionate. He’s really busy, but he even sends us personalized emails with our schedules.”

Tabby notes that Co-Artistic Director Dylan Mattingly also puts a great amount of energy into the ensemble. The group of over 35 members breaks into smaller ensembles for each of the pieces, and Mattingly tries to be in almost all of them.

In his piece “Your Music and the Age of Choice” from the group’s blog, Mattingly explains, “The goal of Contemporaneous is to perform only the music that describes our world. This music is our universe.” Mattingly writes that the second movement of Beethoven’s seventh symphony, for instance, still speaks to many of us today, but with a different effect than contemporary music has, because it was written for a different world. Contemporaneous performs music directed in our day and age, music that is more relevant to current sensibilities.

Tsuchida and Tabby mention certain pieces they have

performed, such as “In C” by Terry O’Reilly, which particularly focus on the present mood. These all-inclusive pieces are arranged for an infinite number of instruments.

Anyone, including audience members, can join in at any point because the pieces are circular without definitive beginnings and endings. They always sound different; it all depends on who is involved at any given moment. “Playing music together is a bonding experience,” said Tabby.

Tsuchida adds that for this reason, “it becomes organized chaos because when you play together, you automatically sync-up.”

Contemporaneous has performed in a variety of places including the Chapel of the Holy Innocents, Club Helsinki in Hudson, the Hudson Opera House, the Parliament of Reality, and the Shrine Church of Saint Anthony of Padua in SoHo. They have opened for the American Symphony Orchestra, and are featured on Bard College internet radio station WXBC every Monday from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. This spring, they have a total of nine performances on and off campus, which will include four world premieres and many regional premieres. Their next performance is “The Unusual Suspects” on Wednesday, February 23, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel of the Holy Innocents.

For more information on upcoming events, visit their website: www.contemporaneous.org

Mike Leigh’s films are unique for the level of input he allows his actors. Leigh worked with the cast of Another Year for months, without any script, to discover their characters and build their world. He then structured their improvisations into a final ‘script.’ Most of the actors involved were accustomed to this routine from previous experience with Leigh, and it is clear that the film benefited hugely from the experience each of them brought to the table.

Another Year follows a happily married couple and the company that they run. The action is set over the course of the four seasons of a year - hence the title. Throughout the film, the happy couple, Tom and Gerri Hepple (Ruth Sheen and Jim Broadbent) face the less cheery aspects of their friends’, colleagues’, and families’ lives.

Leigh achieves a certain amount of realism through heavy and personal dialogue. He does not flinch from awkward moments and painful realizations, all of which help the audience understand the complex characters as well as the struggles they are going through.

blue valentine

by elena watson

At the heart of Blue Valentine are two questions: What is it that makes people love each other, and why do they stop? Watching Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams in the beginning of the movie, as an unhappy, working class couple, failing to connect and falling out of love, the answer to the second question may seem obvious. But soon the action cuts back in time, to when the two (Cindy and Dean) are first getting to know each other, and a completely different picture emerges—of a thrilling new connection and the beginnings of, (pardon the cliché,) a real romance.

From here Blue Valentine shifts back and forth through time, from a chance encounter on a bus, to an explosive

arts & entertainment

arts & entertainment

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RECIPES

for foods that don’t sound real by abby ferla

Recently, I had my wisdom teeth taken out and couldn’t eat any solid food for a week, which gave me the opportunity to perfect the art of puree. People on the run or the perpetually late should take notice: I’ve warned you before to never underestimate the value of juice; it’s food that doesn’t look like food, a fact that makes meals possible when they would otherwise be socially prohibited or inappropriate. Fuck social convention, you say? Well, you can, but take it from someone who is always running so late that she’s always eating in class: sprawling two tupperware containers and a plastic baggy out onto the table is obtrusive, and spilling salad dressing all over yourself (let alone licking it off) is never going to raise your participation grade. That being said, I know juice does not give you the same satisfaction as a meal, so I want you to consider the middle ground: soups and smoothies, things you can run through a blender or cuisinart and into a thermos before you run out the door or-- if you’re into planning ahead-- make the night before. Of course, if you’re into planning ahead, you probably don’t eat your meals in class to begin with.

lifestyle

Green Goo Sounds and looks like slime. Smells like soup. Tastes like nourishment. Who am I kidding, no one is going to want to make this.

1/2 cup water or broth 1 tbl olive oil 1 stalk celery 1 carrot 2 cloves garlic 1/3 a head of cauliflower 4 large broccoli florets two cups spinach

Señor Loko is Back?!

great with diet pills?!!!??!??!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?! by margaret kucera

A few months ago we all cried ponds of drunk tears when Four Loko, the most fucked up crazy drink evEverr, was deemed unsafe because of it’s super crazy content: 12% alcohol and a shit ton of caffeine. Essentially, when one would congest a Four Loko, they were slickin’ back a six pack of beer and five cups of coffee. (As well as 660 calories.) Four Loko was the drink of choice for many throughout the beginning of the fall semester as it was a cheap and beautiful way to get shitty as well as an excuse to yell “I’m getting Loko” at everyone you saw that night. Watermelon and Cranberry Lemonade Four Loko cans were littered across the woods every Sunday morn.

The drink quickly swept the nation, sickening stupid college kids and destroying lives. My parents were sure to

send me every article from the Chicago Tribune, where the drink is brewed, updating me on the horrors of the drink.

One article that really stuck with me told of a man being kidnapped and tortured, forced to drink eight Four Lokos.

Needless to say, we suffered a great loss when it became officially banned slowly but surely all across America. (The Getty’s sales took a pretty harsh hit as well.) Sadly, we all went back to drinking hard alcohol mixed with sugary liquids, trying desperately to replicate the beauty that was Four Loko. RIP. Until now! It’s back! That’s right kids, everyone freak out...kinda. Señor Loko has returned to the shelves of the Ghett(o). Alas, our malty friend now lacks the caffeine that once made you puke, but it’s still alive. So, we can still all

enjoy the yummy flavors, such as cough medicine Grape, we just can’t enjoy the fucked up feeling you get when your stomach is drunk, but your brain feels like you just did four lines of coke.

After talking with others who have tried the altered brew, I’ve gathered mixed reviews. Some say it gets you nutty, others say it now lacks the certain kick it once boasted.

Yes, the kick that made you want to hump a tree and run up and down the Kline hill until you threw up. Regardless, for all those who never got Loko, now is the time! Get out there and get on i! Just maybe bring some road beers if it doesn’t do the trick...good luck and safe loko-ing!

1/2 cup almond milk or 1/2 avocado (optional) salt and pepper to season 1. Loosely chop all the veggies. If you’re feeling lazy, you can make them into big chunks. If you’re really pressed for time, make them smaller so that they cook quickly.

2. Meanwhile heat the oil in a skillet. Add the celery, carrot, and garlic and cook on medium-high heat for about four minutes. Add the broccoli and cauliflower and saute for about a minute. Add about half of the water or broth and continue to cook until all of the veggies are mushy and tender. Add more broth as needed.

3. Puree the veggie mush in the vehicle of your choice.

Add the spinach, and if you want it to be creamy, avocado or almond milk. If you have trouble liquifying, add more water or broth.

4. To serve, drizzle with olive oil or throw into a thermos and drink.

Power Smoothie I think smoothie recipes are dumb-- who can’t figure out how to throw a bunch of delicious things into a blender?-- but I wrote one regardless. It’ll give you the energy for eight hour power-sessions in the library.

1 banana 4 tbsp chocolate protein powder (I use hemp) peanut butter to taste (1-4 tbsp) pinch of cinnamon almond milk honey to taste 1. Blend everything together, pour into container, devour eagerly.

pop culture is lol

Perez Hilton is “Too Sexy” for the Elephant Man and That’s About It by abby miles-ruttenberg On February 7th, Perez Hilton released his new single, which is a remake of Right Said Fred’s song from 1992, “I’m Too Sexy.” Holy baby Jesus child of Nazareth Israel Bethlehem frankincense and myrrh. First of all, if you’re in the business of making fun of others, don’t step out of your comfort zone. Seriously. So foolish. Second of all, you can’t start off a song attempting to channel Freddie Mercury and then randomly venture into the baritone of Johnny Cash. What you end up sounding like is a castrated Tom Jones with emphysema and a high-dose estrogen prescription. Sometimes I thought I liked you a bit (just a lil’) Perez – I mean, some of your bitchy comments were on point at times…especially when it came to criticizing the autotuned singles of any Real Housewife on Bravo. But I can’t possibly appreciate anything you say or do now (even if you just made a cameo appearance in Rihanna’s “S&M” music video) after listening to you squeal the line, “while I do my little turn on the catwalk – WATCH ME TWIRL!!!” I don’t remember that being in the original. Get fucked.

ADVICE/ SUGGESTIONS/ OPINIONS/ I’M A PROFESSIONAL: “DEAR R.A.B.” by r.a.b.

Dear R.A.B., I have a problem: There’s a hot freshman, whom I haven’t met, but I want to friend her on Facebook.

-AnonymousDesperonimous Are you attractive? If you aren’t, is your profile picture misleading? Because if yes to either of those, maybe there’s hope for you. Ehh, don’t do it. Well, maybe do it. Do you have a chance in hell? Wellll, probably not if you’re relying on a Facebook introduction. Man, don’t you wish the FB “Poke” would be changed to “Penetrate”? Yeah, me too… cuz that shit would work. So you’re afraid of human contact, I’m guessing, which I know is accurate because BARD. The suave me says steer clear of virtual contact prior to human contact. And if you continue to have trouble with this, I left you a consolatory gift at Health Services. It’s a pamphlet entitled, “How to Cope with Getting Your First Period”. Yes, I’m calling you a little girl. You’re welcome.

Dear R.A.B., I have a problem: I keep slipping on campus. Attractive upperclassmen have noticed.

-Anonymous Now THIS I can help you with. Sort of. I just purchased duck boots from Land’s End. They’re butch, too big, and welcome/trap every particle of snow in to freeze my fucking toes off. I now realize that these winter boots are horrible, but the point is – I don’t slip. Moving forward. In case you slip when you’re alone, quickly realize that there is no cool way to do it. If you pull the embarrassed laugh option while you’re sprawled out on the floor, know that it isn’t charming. It has never been. Your best bet is to get upright on your first attempt and book it HARD. Really…get out of there. We WILL be laughing, but at least you won’t be around to notice.

Dear R.A.B., I have a problem: I can’t stop procrastinating.

-Anonymousaurus Want some of my Adderall? Oh, that’s against Bard policy? …We have a policy? K, I was just joshing you anyway. You should Google “how to stop procrastinating.” Honing your Google search skills is an entertaining and beneficial process. I am currently able to answer any short, trivial question. Like for example, if you were to ask me, “Who’s the black guy who…acts…and he keeps doing movies with… snakes?” I’d type in, “black snake” and “Black Snake Moan” would pop up (if your SafeSearch is enabled). Go to the first link, which is IMDB (if your SafeSearch is enabled) – and BAM! Samuel L. Jackson. You’re impressed, I know. Level 2: Disable SafeSearch.

Do your fucking work.

Send in your relatable problems that won’t get fixed to bardfreepress@gmail.com

lifestyle

lifestyle

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opinion

opinion

who’s next?

my generation/who are you/quadrophenia by mujahid sarsur

opinion

send your opinions to bardfreepress@gmail.com

outside 12504 by kurt schmidlein The start of a new year is the time when resolutions are made for the coming year. Usually these resolutions pertain to weight loss, diet, and other self-imposed goals. But this year, Bardians and Americans alike should turn outward and dedicate themselves to becoming involved and informed citizens. For as we begin this new year, both America and the world are faced by many significant challenges.

At home, Americans are assaulted by several complicated dilemmas. The most pressing is, of course, the economy. One in ten Americans are out of work, and the job market is barely growing at a sufficient rate to accommodate each year’s college graduates, never mind the millions of longterm unemployed. Politicians and economists continue to argue about how best to deal with this trend, though they are left with few fiscal options as our national debt continues to climb. Questions concerning how to structure the tax code, how to sustain Social Security, and

how best to fund public education desperately need attention and solutions. While these economic and fiscal debates rage, the country is still plagued by cultural divides.

Roe v. Wade continues to evoke passionate discourse, and the fight for marriage equality rages on across the country.

These issues must be addressed by informed voters and sensible candidates for political office.

The situation abroad is equally troubling. Similar to the global economy, the peace process in Israel-Palestine is stagnant and progress on a climate change agreement is sluggish. Iran and North Korea continue to be petulant on the subject of nuclear weapons, Tibet is still occupied by an ever-growing and assertive China, and cyber-warfare is being waged across the globe. Still, as we’ve seen in the eighteen days of protest in Egypt, the global march towards democracy continues. And though this Egyptian revolution has inspired many across the region and the wider world, there are millions who remain oppressed, and

millions without economic or cultural freedom. As such problems - and so many more - are tackled by individual countries and international bodies alike, the rise of powers like China, India, Brazil and Turkey have forever changed global diplomacy. These issues, problems, and challenges are real, and there will be consequences if the citizens of the world do not become more engaged.

In 2011, there is only one excuse for being uninformed: apathy. In this age of lightning-fast access to information, there is no excuse for not knowing what is going on in Egypt, which party controls Congress, or how President Obama’s health care plan works overall. Current events, historical analysis, laws and political arguments - it’s all online. If we have hours to spend roaming Facebook and Hulu and StumbleUpon, we can take a few moments out of our day to visit Politico.com or Al Jazeera online. This year, let us all make more of an effort to keep up with current events. There is no excuse not to.

First was Tunisia, and now is Egypt. Who is next? When the Tunisian revolution happened, and autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali fled the country, some started speculating about other Arabic autocrats who might face the same destiny. However, news annalists explained that Tunisia is a unique, secular and educated society, and that it is naive to think what happened in it will be repeated in other Arabic countries.

When millions rallied peacefully in the streets of Cairo, it became more certain that there is something happening, not only in Tunisia and Egypt, but in the whole Arab World. The Tunisian revolution demonstrated, for the first time in fifty years of the Arab World’s modern history, the power of the people.

Western commentators have argued that economics is the main factor behind these revolutions. However, Arabian commentators, especially Al-Jazeera’s commentators, have argued that the quest for the lost Arabic dignity is what is driving these millions onto the streets.

In fact, the percentage of Tunisians who are living under poverty level, according to the CIA World Fact Book, is only 3.8%. When Mohamed Bouazizi set himself on fire sparking the Tunisian revolution, he did not do it because he was poor.

He did it because his face was slapped, in front of his friends and family, by a police’women.’

Similarly in Egypt, Google executive, Wael Ghonim, the admin of the facebook group “We are all Khalid Saad,” and the man who organized the revolution, comes from a rich family. His wife is American, and he explained on the Egyptian television that he could easily get the Green Card. Yet, he emphasized, “ this is about dignity.” Mr. Ghonim listed actions

of the Egyptian police that made the Egyptian people feel that they are worth nothing. It has always been said, in books like the Arabian Nights, an Arab prefers to be killed rather than disrespected.

As we are now seeing on television, the protests are not ending with Egypt. Several Arabic countries had witnessed some protests that are not relatively huge, but they have a potential of becoming revolutions. A few of these countries include: Yemen: It is now being speculated around the news that Yemen might be the third station of the train of revolutions. Thousands of urban protesters have been rallying in the streets of San’a, the Yemeni Capital, calling for change. Other thousands of protesters have also rallied supporting President AbduAllah Saleh. The former protesters said that the latter was given money by Saleh’s regime and special transportation from their towns to come and support him. Moreover, Human Rights Watch HRW reported that when the anti-Saleh protesters were celebrating the ousting of Mubarak, Saleh sent hundreds of men armed with knives and sticks to attack them.

Algeria: Algeria has been under the grip of the military rule since 1991 when the government canceled an election that the Islamic Party won. When it was said around the Arab World that Mohamed Bouazizi burning himself was the reason behind the Tunisian revolution, five Algerians burned themselves hoping to spark a similar revolution in their own country. Ten thousand protesters went to the streets to find three times their number of riot police! In its efforts to calm the protesters, the government announced that they will be lifting

the emergency law, which has been in place for decades, in the ‘near future’.

Jordan: Fearing a revolution that will end the monarchy in Jordan, King AbduAllah dissolved a two-months old government and appointed a new Prime Minister. Still, thousands of protesters went to the streets asking for change. King AbduAllah started meeting tribal leaders, who some of them pledged their loyalty to the King. However, other tribal leaders have written a document threatening to repeat what happened in Tunisia. After the fall of Mubarak, the Jordanian opposition is meeting to assist their choices.

Bahrain: The situation in Bahrain involves a dangerous element because of the sectarian difference of its population. The Shi’a majority planned a “day of rage” to protest their Sunni oppressive leader, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa. Fearing that he would end up like Bin Ali and Mubarak, he gave $2,650 to every family in Bahrain.

Syria: The protesters in Syria also planned a “day of rage,” but they ended up few in numbers. Yet in its efforts to appease the people, the government lifted a five-year ban on facebook.

Moreover, in a very smart move from the unelected president Bashar al-Assad, as the Egyptians were celebrating the fall of Mubarak, he ordered to switch the broadcasting of Syria’s National Television to that of Al-Jazeera, showing his people that he, them, Al-Jazeera and the Egyptian people are all together against the Israeli-loving Mubarak. Another advantage for Bashar al-Assad is that he kept a very hostile relation with Israel which grants him greater support among Syrians.

The Dog Days Are Over

kiss with a fist/you’ve got the love/rabbit heart (Raise it up) by raguia mostafa

Twenty five days ago, I gave my last hugs, cried my last tears, and walked into the Cairo Airport. I had mistakenly taken someone else’s cigarette pack and walked into the airport with a piece of hash as big as my finger in my handbag. Unknowingly. I got away with it because I’m rich. Today, twenty five days later, my country is cleaner than that and above bribes and corruption.

When I left Egypt, I did not have the right to be out on the streets without being at risk of being searched, harassed or even arrested-- for absolutely no reason. Twenty five days later, I can say with pride that I come from a free country.

Hosni Mubarak, who has been president since 1981, is now Egypt’s former president, the first former president I get to witness in the 22 years of my life.

Is this the end of oppression? I don’t think so.

Egypt is now a military state; a military state is not a democracy. A democratic country is run by civilians.

Many people fear what might come next, but I don’t. I have faith in my people, faith that has never been stronger. If we managed to bring down a 30- year- dictatorship, we can deal with the army; there are 86 million of us.

In the seventeen days of the revolution, Egypt has seen a change. The real change was not in the regime. The real change was in the people. Those who hijacked every protest, the Muslim Brotherhood, acted like human shield around praying Christians.

Sexual harassment did not exist; there was not a single case. Christians helped Muslims wash up for prayer. People

shared food, drinks, shelter. Criminals who were let out of jail knocked at peoples’ doors and kindly asked for food.

This change is way bigger than Mubarak leaving, because the change came from within. We got over our class differences, and we unlearned bribery, the bribery that I can admit made my life easier and the lives of so many so much harder.

If the entire world learned from the Egyptian spirit in past weeks, the world would be a better place. I’ve always been proud to be Egyptian, but I have never been prouder.

In the past weeks, Egypt has risen up from the ashes, the good spirit of the Egyptian man was reawakened, the spirit that’s been crushed under oppression and corruption, under a terrorist regime that’s been a dog to the west.

But the dog days are over. And it’s only the beginning.

children of the revolution

hot love/get it on/telegram sam/metal guru by kate jackson

UNREST ON the BARD SHUTTLE Students are acting out violently against the Bard Shuttle.

On any given weekend, dozens of students can be seen stranded outside shuttle stops, waiting for a ride in freezing temperatures, to no avail.

It was the talk of the night the first Friday after students returned to campus in 2011. The shuttle driver would stop, and people waiting for a lift would swarm, leaving the driver with no option but to shout at students when seats were full, telling them to get off.

Those that made it on were dropped off in inconvenient locations. Passengers were trying to go to a bar called the Sportsman Inn near Tivoli, but the driver refused to stop

by gavino garay

there, even though it is a junction where students could be picked up and dropped off in years past.

Large sticks and whole branches were allegedly thrown at the shuttle itself when it would not stop. One student, waiting hopelessly, paced up and down the center-edge of a dangerous street, wondering how he would get home.

Bard Safety and Security questioned a girl, who asked to remain anonymous, as to whether or not she was on the shuttle when physical violence apparently ensued outside of the Kline stop.

Over the past two years, the Bard Shuttle has become a source of frustration for students. It has changed directors,

and drivers. In addition, it has changed its route, and now its stops. The condition of the ‘newest’ Shuttle is dismal, and drivers have been heard complaining about the need for a new one. The heater on the inside of Shuttle is taped together poorly, and the outside is often filthy.

Many seem hopeless about the situation surrounding Bard’s largest form of transportation for students. For now, residents of Bard’s neighboring villages and partygoers alike wait in the cold. The more desperate ones hitch a ride, oftentimes with drunk drivers, making this state of transportation mayhem seem like a liability for Bard itself.

It began as anticipation for the April 6th protest, a yearly student demonstration in Cairo. Initially, it was just resistance to police brutality, and quickly it got ‘out of hand’, but in this case, it went into the right hands. Youth protesters took to the streets, but few expected a game-changing event. The fact that this is spreading from Cairo, the centerpiece of political and social action in Egypt, is a testament to the power of the people’s resistance to Mubarak’s regime. Remarkably, he has finally resigned after only 18 days of protests; arguably, this is something that only youth could (and did) do. Most of the people resisting in Egypt, in fact, are college-aged.

This has been called “a youth revolution”, and as such was fought with technologies such as cell phones and Facebook.

The government’s blockage of internet access and cell phone service was surprisingly effective in stemming the protests initially, because of who the protesters were. The danger of getting information mostly from Facebook include false information, as well as information that may be monitored by government watchdogs.

Through word of mouth, Facebook and other sites, demonstrators learned that sodas such as Coca Cola were being used in the eyes in order to protect them from the crowd-clearing effects of tear gas. Other tactics used by the so-called “rabble-rousers” to fight the tear gas included bandanas soaked in lemon juice, vinegar, etc. The reasoning behind this method is based on the possibility that acidity can counteract the effects of tear gas or, at least, minimize them.

Some doctors say nothing is as effective as the use of saline solution or blowing a fan in order to eliminate chemicals, yet this knowledge isn’t as popular among the young resistors who are organizing through unobvious ways—the advice of a doctor, if easy to find, is likely to have been blocked by the government if Twitter is. It’s all part of the shut-down that these kids are so against.

The fact that this is a youth revolution is not taken lightly by the government. They shut down the internet and phone services in order to cripple the two mediums most used for organizing, particularly by young people. They arrested two

girls for creating a protest-related event on Facebook; for the first time, Facebook is a revolutionary and “dangerous” tool in the eyes of an oppressive government.

A major criticism of the youth being in charge is that they are disordered, but this isn’t accurate. They have assembled medical teams, food donations, cooks, etc to keep the protesters safe. They know that tear gas is the biggest threat next to police beatdowns—while policemen almost all carry guns, there is not enough money to buy bullets for every gun, and even among those most of them are rubber. Now, the people of Egypt are essentially leaderless, and have been for the last 30 years. The reason young people are taking charge is because they are frustrated that they are not old enough to have seen an efficient government in Egypt, and want that to change. Bureaucracy that can’t help its citizens is of no use to those citizens, so they will fight it until it begins to do so.

What’s this on my Facebook wall?

“Bard College Named Nation’s No. 1 Dinner Party School.” We’re in the Onion? Oh my god! We’re in the Onion! That’s basically the New York Times! We’ve made it! Does my mom know about this? Does Julianna Passe, who went to Carleton, a school not in the Onion, know about this? Wait, are we being made fun of? “Rampant seven days a week dinner party culture… intimate gatherings of friends making vegetarian lasagna…studio

Lost: Bowtie Last seen: Foreplay party at Manor Please return. Integral to owner’s image and allure. Also I somehow only have one.

If found, return to: President’s House (just slip it through the mailbox, no questions asked)

Dear #2, I met you on the path to SMOG. It was pound city: population you and me. When I woke up, you were gone. I was trying to listen for your heart, while you were probably listening to your iPod with my Bose headphones. Please give them back.

Sincerely, Your #1

You: An Onion Me: Sautee Savvy I love you. You change everything for the better. Sometimes I cry of happiness when you are in the room with me and I am stabbing you because I know you are about to make magical things happen when I heat you up in oil, maybe with your cousin garlic. You are my everything, and you also come in powder form. Who could ask for more?

PS - Shallots are too small to be useful.

You: The Onion Me: Dinner Party Attendee, Occasional Host What are you in love with me or something? What are you a virus or something? Chill out. I need to go stir my root vegetables.

arts major…gluten allergy….” Hey! They’re saying we’re boring and gluten intolerant! Wait…I have gone to several dinner parties in the last week…and I do enjoy taking about Nietzsche and playing Apples to Apples…Well played, the Onion. We are boring. God, this article is probably the biggest thing to hit this campus in years. What’s this, someone posted it on my wall again? And another one?

now in sideways!

missed connections /whatever

The Sun Never Sets on the Bard Empire Harvard-on-Hudson Bard: A Place to Drink Bard: It’s Okay to Have Feelings, Just Don’t Share Them Bard: A Lot of Famous People Didn’t Graduate From Here Bard: Winter Science!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bard: Future Brooklynites of America Bard: A Sexless Ice-Desert Bard: The Food Isn’t Good Bard: Not Bates or Barnard or a High School... Okay, it’s also a high school.

Home of the Bard Free Press Bard: Where the American Symphony Orchestra Kicks Back with a PBR Leon Botstein’s Playground Bard: Fearless Bard: It’s Cheaper If You Go to Prison First Bard: We Just Got Faster Internet Bard: Famous Professors, Famous Buildings.

Bard: Meet a Moviestar(‘s Child).

Bard: You’ll Never Stop Paying For It.

(un)official bard slogans