BARNARD
BULLETIN 6
Vol. CXVII, Issue 6
December 7th- 20th 2008
Inside: Honoring the Code: Academic Integrity at Barnard
Letter From the Editors We have a bird with clipped wings. We recite the Honor Code at convocation, we sign the blue books, but in performing these rote acts, are we thinking of its aspirations? It reads: We, the students of Barnard College, resolve to uphold the honor of the College by refraining from every form of dishonesty in our academic life. We consider it dishonest to ask for, give, or receive help in examinations or quizzes, to use any papers or books not authorized by the instructor in examinations, or to present oral work or written work which is not entirely our own, unless otherwise approved by the instructor. We consider it dishonest to remove without authorization, alter, or deface library and other academic materials. We pledge to do all that is in our power to create a spirit of honesty and honor for its own sake. Our centerpiece on page 16 explores the workings and history of the Honor System and its core, the Code. On a basic level, the Code deals with the integrity expected of all academic endeavors and the expectation that we treat of our academic material with respect (which one of us couldn’t seem to grasp in Kindergarten when she “improved” the illustrations of the library’s copy of Green Eggs and Ham). However, in the Code, we see the potential to form trust throughout the College, among students, professors and administrators. It espouses virtues that go unrealized under the reign of proctored exams; it hasn’t been allowed to spread its wings.
Editorial Board
Allegra Panetto
Production
Co-Editors-in-Chief: Managing Editor: Co-Features Editors: Politics & Opinion Editor: Arts & Entertainment Editor: Music Editor: New York City Living Editor:
Alison Hodgson ’10 Allegra Panetto ’09 Viana Siniscalchi ’11 Beth Gordon ’10 Chisato Sakaoto ’10 Nancy Elshami ’10 Amanda Rodhe ’10 AmandaLanceter ’09 Hayley Panasuik ’11
Associate Editors: Ariel Merrick ’09 Daliya Poulose ’12 Delna Weil ’10 Adrienne Zable ’11 Layout Editor: Meagan McElroy ’10 Assistant Art Director: Mabel McClean ‘12 Photo Editor: Julia Martinez ‘09
Web Designer:
Art Director: Head Copy Editor:
Emily Stein ’09 Gillian Adler ’10
Front Cover Art
Management Head of Finance: Advertising Manager: Public Relations Coordinator:
Nelly Davcheva ’10 Iffat Kabeer ’11 Tracy Rodrigues ’11
Please note that the opinions expressed by individual authors are not necessarily reflective of the Bulletin Staff.
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Alison Hodgson
Diana Windemuth ’11
Design: Photography: Concept:
Allegra Panetto Emily Stein Alison Hodgson Allegra Panetto Emily Stein
Asiya Khaki
Back Cover
Want to support the Barnard Bulletin? Check donations can be made payable to the Barnard Bulletin and sent to: Barnard Bulletin, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
Want your artwork on the back? Please submit it by email to backcover@barnardbulletin.com.
Features
Staf f Events Calendar 4 A Let ter to President Spar : Restor ation of ROTC 5 Bear Essentials 6 Internship Column: Chrissy McKeon BC ‘09 7 Reverberations: Oranges 8 The Ar t of Negotiation 8 Well-Woman 9 Cooking Column: Tur kish Feast 10 You Should Take a Year Of f If... 29 Alumna Let ter 31 Archive Page 4
Politics & Opinion
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Proud, But Mindful The Pur suit of Fairness Around the World, Global Reac tions to the Elec tion of Bar ack Obama Mayhem in Mumbai
Centerpiece
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Honoring the Code: Academic Integrity at Barnard
Arts & Entertainment
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Nobody Does It Better Celebrities Protest Prop 8 Decision Musings of a Pop Culture Junkie: Miley Cyr us
Music
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For the Record: DeGraw Live in Soho Free Popcorn and Free Music: CU Postcr ypt Has It All Come Together ’Tis the Season...To Be Cranky
NYC Living
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The Wandering Photographer : Union Square Holiday Mar ket Wor ld Famous Architect Renzo Piano Comes to Columbia Fr ugal Foodista
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FEATURES
Calendar Events: Staff Picks December 13, 8 pm
December 15, 8 pm
Can’t wait for the holidays? The Annual Candlelight Concert; The Barnard-Columbia Chorus at Union Theological Seminary is a festive way to ring in the season with holiday favorites. Enjoy the reception afterward! $3 students. See the Barnard Calendar of Events for more information.
If you enjoyed Augusten Burrough’s visit to Columbia for QUAM, you’ll undoubtedly love An Evening with David Sedaris. The best selling author of Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, and Naked will talk at Lincoln Center’s Avery Fisher Hall (10 Lincoln Center Plz). Tickets starting at 30 dollars, see lincolncenter.org for more information. (Also, check CUARTS for discount tickets.)
December 14, 10 am to 12 pm Need a real study break before finals week really kicks in? Amble Through the Ramble with Alice! Health Promotion Program. Walk through Central Park to stretch your legs and clear your overstuffed brain. Call (212)772-0210 or email margosloan@ gmail.com for more information. December 11, 8 pm Although tickets are $22, it’s definitely worth the cash to see Bon Iver at Town Hall (123 W 43rd St). His sleepy folk music will remind you there’s more to the week than papers and tests. Visit ohmyrockness.com for more information.
Through January 12 Miró at the MOMA: Joan Miró: Painting and Anti-Painting 1927-1937. Who doesn’t like Miró? Don’t miss this before you leave for break, as the exhibition ends Jan 12. And you get in free with your CUID! Visit moma.org for more information. All submissions by Elizabeth Gordon, Co-Features Editor.
A Letter to President Spar Subject: Restoration of ROTC Dear President Spar: Columbia University has produced many of the great leaders and thinkers of our time. A portrait of General Dwight D. Eisenhower, graduate and former university president, looks down the main stairwell in Butler Library. For over 250 years, Columbia University has produced many of our leaders, yet current Columbia and Barnard students have the least contact with the military because of the ban of ROTC in 1969. For Barnard students especially, Columbia’s ban on ROTC has made it all but impossible for young women to follow a path of a superlative undergraduate education while simultaneously participating in ROTC. Thus Barnard turns out exceptional graduates who have no opportunity to become future leaders in the United States Military. Barnard has a proud history of educating women and the ROTC should not be excluded from the opportunities offered to our young women who become future leaders in a myriad of
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fields. The United States Military is deprived of some best and brightest female minds in the world because Barnard women are not given the opportunity. I urge the Barnard Community to return the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) to the campus. The reinstatement of the ROTC to our campus will provide further excellent opportunities for Barnard women in the areas of leadership in the military and the careers the military provides. Hepomene toi logismoi, Mary Anne “Annie” McCormick – Class of ‘91 Former Board of Directors Member: Barnard in Washington VFW Ladies Auxiliary, Chaplain, Post #3150, Arlington VA
FEATURES
Bear Essentials
PRE-DEPARTURE ORIENTATION MEETING: If you are planning to study abroad during the Spring 2009 semester, you must attend Dean Young’s mandatory Pre-Departure Meeting on Wednesday, December 10, 5-6:30pm, in Held Auditorium (304 Barnard). STUDENTS APPLYING TO GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS: If you have a recommendation file in the Dean of Studies Office and are applying to graduate or professional schools this year, please be advised that the Dean of Studies Office will be closed from December 24 through January 2. Therefore, if you have any application deadlines in late December or early January, please give your request and the stamped and addressed envelopes to Ms. Katrina Baker (graduate school) or Ms. Paula Hercules (professional school) by December 15 so that they will have time to process them prior to the vacation. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WITH F-1 VISAS: If you plan to leave the United States during winter break, please have your I-20 signed before December 19. Dean Kuan Tsu, Dean Starks, and Mr. Mark Farrell are authorized to sign. You will not be permitted to return to the U.S. if you have a signature which you obtained more than six months ago. FINAL EXAMINATIONS: Be on the look-out for a message from Dean Blank, which will explain procedures for requesting Incompletes and deferred final examinations. Please understand that exceptions are granted only for compelling circumstances. ROOM FOR STUDY GROUPS: 403 Barnard Hall will be available for study group sessions during the Reading Period and finals (December 9-19, 8am-2am each day). Please reserve the room in the Dean of Studies Office.
INFLUENZA VACCINATION FOR BARNARD STUDENTS: Get a FREE flu shot from the Health Service before winter break and have a healthy holiday! You may walk-in for a flu shot Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:30am to 11:30am. Students with chronic illnesses are especially encouraged to get a flu shot. Please call us at 212-854-2091 with any questions or to set up an appointment if you are unable to come during flu shot walk-in hours. TRAVEL MEDICINE: Are you planning to travel abroad for spring semester? Do you plan on visiting friends or relatives outside the United States during winter break? If you are traveling outside of the US (especially if you are going to Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Central or South America, Europe, Mexico, the Middle East and/or the Pacific), then you may need required or recommended vaccines and/or malaria prophylaxis. Travel health counseling can prepare you for a safe and enjoyable trip! Please call the Health Service to set up an appointment for a pre-travel visit. THE HEALTH SERVICE WILL CLOSE FOR WINTER BREAK at 4pm on Friday, December 19. The Health Service will reopen for administrative assistance only on Monday, January 5, for urgent care only on Monday, January 12, and for routine care and appointments on Tuesday, January 20. Please call 212-854-2091 with any questions. THE DEAN OF STUDIES OFFICE and THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE will close at 4pm on December 23 and will reopen on January 5. Please don’t hesitate to contact either office during Winter Break if we can be helpful. We hope that you will enjoy many wonderful moments while you are away.
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FEATURES
Internship Column: Chrissy McKeon BC ’09
by Jessica Chen What was your internship? How long have you had it? I am interning in the Marketing Department at Marie Claire magazine. I have been interning there since the beginning of September. How did you find out about this internship? This internship was posted on eRecruiting.com, and I was able to apply for it directly through the website. How did you get this internship? After submitting my resume and a cover letter through eRecruiting, I was contacted by the internship supervisor and asked to complete an application with several questions about my interest in the internship and my experience. I was then called in to an interview with one of the marketing team members. What kind of work do you do? What are your responsibilities? Each week, the team of interns is responsible for attending competitors’ events and presenting our findings at weekly department meetings. In addition, each week we are asked to compile articles from trade publications such as “Women’s Wear Daily,” “Advertising Age” and Folio.com that are relevant to the publishing market, our competitors or our advertisers. Each month, we are also responsible for researching innovative and creative advertisements or promotions in international magazines. Tasks change day to day and range from research compilation to working on special events hosted by the magazine. Why were you interested in this internship? I have always been interested in the magazine and publishing industry. I am constantly overloading myself with information and I like reading magazines because I often stumble upon information that I didn’t even know I was seeking! I also have had an increasing interest in the world of fashion and was excited to work in an environment where I knew I would be able to learn more about the industry. What has been your most memorable experience during this internship? Believe it or not, my most memorable experience during the internship occurred on my first day of work. Nina Garcia, “Project Runway” judge and former Fashion Editor of Elle
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Magazine, recently signed onto Marie Claire as the new Fashion Editor. The night after my very first day at the internship, the magazine hosted a very cool party in her honor. Although I was only in charge of managing the guest list and distributing the gift bags, I really got a taste for what it would be like to work in fashion and to be surrounded by people who I had only read about in tabloids or seen on television. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Lindsay Lohan, Kristin Davis and, of course, Nina Garcia were among the party’s attendees. Was this generally a stressful internship? Why or why not? Since the beginning of the semester, I have averaged about 20 hours per week of work at my internship. Given the fact that I am a senior who is working on her thesis, I must admit that I was stressed out by this internship more often this semester than I would have liked. There is a lot of outside work that goes into this internship, such as attending events and compiling Power Point presentations. At the office itself, there is a lot of organization that must happen in order to successfully complete tasks. Especially because I work with four other interns, it is essential that we keep an open line of communication going or tasks can easily slip by. Would you suggest this internship to others? Why or why not? I would definitely suggest this internship to others if they are interested in the magazine or publishing industries. The internship is very hands on and the people in the department place a lot of trust and confidence in the interns to handle significant projects. I would only warn other people about the time commitment. What have you learned/gained overall from your internship? As a senior, I’ve been having a lot of those nerve-racking “what am I going to do with my life?” moments lately. However, this internship has really helped me realize that I enjoy being in the workforce and being able to apply the intellectual and academic skills that I have acquired in college to something other than class. Because I often had to balance my internship with my other academic priorities, I also became much better at time management this semester. Jessica Chen is a Barnard junior.
FEATURES
R E V ER BER AT IONS Creative fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose submitted by Barnard students.
Oranges by Emily Stein
The artist died on a Saturday. When they sliced her open for the autopsy, they found shreds of painted canvas scattered throughout her digestive tract. The bright purples and yellows and reds of the oils had mixed with her intestines, leaving bizarre grotesque frescoes on her stomach walls. She had always loved to paint. She could remember picking up a brush for the first time her sophomore year of high school. It felt so foreign and clumsy in her hand. Her first painting looked like it had been done by a kindergartener. The shapes were awkwardly drawn, lacking volume and depth. After that she began to see the interplay of shadows and highlights. How the purple black shadow cast by the orange sliced across the table top. The delicate contours of the iris’ inner petals. The convoluted twisting of an ear. She began to master the technique of blending, mixing the colors to create shades of red more brilliant than she had ever seen. She loved moving the paint around the canvas, spreading great globs of the buttery stuff with her brush, building it up into mounds like towers of frosting on a cake. She painted landscapes, portraits, still-lifes. She began to paint all the time. It was more than a hobby, it was a necessary release, an escape. Her art was the only thing that made her feel completely secure, exceptional even. When she painted, nothing existed except for her and her beautiful creation. Usually, she was shy, quiet, reserved, a “nice girl”. When she painted she was ferocious, violent, wild. It was a frenzy, and when she was done she would be breathless, her sweat mixing with the paint that glistened on her hair, her hands and arms and chest, on her nose and her cheek. The painting was an expression of her and she loved it and she hated it, she was proud and disgusted, she was completely consumed by it. At the age of seventeen she had sold her first painting. It was a triptych, three huge panels of ruby red grapefruits resting gently in a sea of purple gossamer. She had considered going to art school, but she and her parents decided it would be best to stick to a real profession. She continued to paint in her free time. She was twenty-one when she began her life’s work. Her life’s work was to consist of one enormous painting. She was young, but she thought she knew who she was and where she fit and what she wanted. She wanted to paint something so big and so beautiful and so real that it would cause her viewers to catch the breath in their throats, to be still, to think of nothing but the overwhelming awe they felt for her work and, by extension, for her. She wanted to paint perfection. She wanted to be worshipped. For her subject, she wanted to depict something absolutely
beautiful, something that everyone could relate to, something simple. She decided on the orange. It was flawless. The perfect balance of sweet and bitter. She loved it for the rich color, the waxed bumpy texture of the surface, the way it felt cool and firm in her hand. She loved it for its roundness, its fertility, for its juices and its clumps of thick pulp. It was a circle, the shape of the sun and the world, an orb of beginnings and endings and all possibilities in between. It was so beautiful and pure in its simplicity. It was everything she wanted to be. Her painting could have no other subject. And so she bought four twinkling oranges at the grocery store. She quartered two of them and left the other two whole, placing them gently on the table in her apartment studio, arranging them just so. She brought a lamp to the table as well, positioning the beam of light in a way that made the oranges dance and sing, showing off at their very best. She loved her oranges and they loved her. She bought a roll of canvas, fifteen feet high. She used a ladder to tack the top corners onto her wall. Her canvas was naked and bare and held so much potential that she could not look at it without trembling. It stretched from floor to ceiling, wall to wall. And so she began. Sometimes she would paint quickly, her brush jabbing and darting. Her movements were desperate, she could not get the paint to the canvas fast enough. She would paint with her whole arm, her whole body then. Dragging her brush across the canvas, with huge sweeping gestures, she would sway to the rhythm of her strokes and the steady pulsing of her heart. She would feel so alive in these moments. Every mark on the canvas was a testament to her strength, her ingenuity. These marks were hers and they were her. They were her children and she was their mother and each came with a pang and a nervous sense of will it end up all right? And a pride at knowing she had created something beautiful. Sometimes she would paint slowly, paying attention to every detail, cooing at her marks and coddling them, persuading them to cooperate. Her strokes were still rhythmic, but the beat was passionate and gentle and her brush would caress every curve and contour and she would feel pure content and she would sigh. And she would feel so alive in these moments as well. Sometimes she would become frustrated. She could not see the right color of the seed, the shadow was to dark, the fruit too lumpy. But she never walked away, she would work steadily, consistently, alternating between different sections, and eventually she would find that off white, tannish color of the seed and the right degree of darkness of the shade and the perfect bulge of the orange flesh.
This is an excerpt from a longer manuscript. The full-length version can be found online at www.barnardbulletin.com.
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FEATURES
Well-Woman So I’m desperately typing this at 1 in the morning, with a setup that should seem vaguely familiar to you. Maybe you’ve experienced it before, or are experiencing some variant of it now: there’s a cup of tea next to a laptop and notes (brown ring stain optional); you’ve completed two assignments but need to start on a third (and more); you’ve been sitting in the same spot since dinner time (which seemed like ages ago! Where’s that candy bar?), and your sleep debt is piling up even though the week has just begun. Sound all too familiar? This might be a sign that you’re experiencing what some like to call “the period of our discontent.” More than just a pun on Shakespeare’s famous Richard III quote, almost all students experience this period near the end • • • • • • • • • •
by Marilla Li of the academic semester. The discontent is a reaction I’ve felt resulting from the onslaught of academic, extracurricular, and personal stresses overwhelming and engulfing my sanity and time. I (and maybe you), the overextended, overwrought and under-slept student, often wonder if there is any hope in getting out of the remaining weeks alive. If you’re feeling overwhelmed like this, I suggest a trip to the Well-Woman office. Open every weekday from 1-4pm and from 7-9pm Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the office offers great ways to relax and to rejuvenate your mind, body, and spirit. Take a break from work and take a walk over to Well-Woman in 119 Reid to:
Enjoy detoxifying and tasty treats: green tea and dark chocolate. Talk to someone about your stress, and ways to manage it. Try our fabulous massage chairs (!), “stone” walking path and balance balls to loosen some of those knots that studying can cause. Listen to our fountain and let its gentle and soothing sounds help you relax. Channel your inner artist: make and decorate snowflakes. Take a break from Butler to visit the Well-Woman library and browse great books (on everything from meditation to vegan cooking to sex tips) and magazines like Bust, Vegetarian Times and the Advocate. Wiggle away stress with our hula hoop! Pick up lip balm, lotion, hand sanitizer, a stress ball or stick, posters and other great goodies. For those of you who use sex to de-stress … as always, Well-Woman has free condoms (female and male), lube, and dental dams. Take 10 minutes to practice mindfulness with one of our meditation CDs. Be Mindful. Be Well. Marilla Li is a Barnard junior and a Well-Woman peer educator.
The Art of Negotiation Tips on pay negotiation from powerful and accomplished women
Much of the art of negotiation is about building your self esteem. You have to have the ability to dream and to know want you want. Women are not always the highest dreamers because we may not believe we are worthy. We as women need to build our self-esteem so that we feel confident to ask for what we deserve. You can’t ask for equality if you don’t believe you are worthy of it. The second tip is to raise the bar higher than your comfort zone since when negotiating you’ll need room to come down a little. Work through your fear of walking away if you don’t get a fair deal. Don’t settle for less then you are worth. Whomever you are negotiating with needs to believe you will walk away if your needs aren’t met fairly. Wendy Kaufman, President and founder of Balancing Life’s Issues, Inc.
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FEATURES Drawing by Sonia Tycko
Cooking Column: Turkish Feast Cheese Bureks, Tomato Meatballs, and Garlic Yogurt with Peppers and Turkish bread
A column by Christina Black I promised a Turkish friend to write a column devoted to the cuisine of his country after we both bemoaned its relative obscurity in New York. Turkish food is too good to remain unknown! If you are lucky enough to have a specialty shop nearby like I do (92nd and 1st Avenue for any of you who live on the UES), then you can buy actual Turkish bread with sesame seeds baked in, Turkish feta (which is creamier and less salty than most other styles), and the Turkish yufka pastry (which is a bit drier and thicker than typical Greek-style phyllo pastry). However, pita bread, Greek-style phyllo, and any kind of feta will work in a pinch, so there can be no excuses for not trying this heart-warming meal. The cigar bureks are best when eaten right away, and the meatballs are well served with both the tomato and yoghurt sauce inside a sandwich of Turkish bread, garnished with chopped, long green Italian peppers (which are close to a popular kind of Turkish pepper), with lemon wedges squeezed over everything.
Cigar Bureks (Sigara börei)
Tomato Meatballs (Izmir kôftesi) For the Meatballs:
-1 package of yufka pastry (or phyllo pastry), defrosted and stored in the fridge -1 ½ cups feta cheese (Turkish feta if you can find it) -1 bunch parsley, chopped finely -1 egg -½ tsp. ground black pepper -enough vegetable oil for shallow frying in a heavy pan -Lemon wedges for serving
•Mix the feta, parsley, egg, and black pepper in a bowl. •Using defrosted pastry, carefully peel off only one sheet per burek. Have a cup of water handy for later when you roll it. •If you’re using yufka, the sheets are cut in rounded triangles, while phyllo comes in retangles. The goal is the same: fold them up so that no filling can escape, in the shape of cigars (like egg rolls, but thinner). •Spread about 2 Tb. of the filling into a parallel line 2 inches from the bottom of the round edge on the yufka, or the shorter edge of the phyllo. •First fold the left and right edges over to hold in the filling on the sides. •Fold the bottom edge around the filling tightly, rolling it over and over to the end of the sheet. •Seal the end of the roll with a bit of water on your finger •Repeat until you run out of filling. •Heat vegetable oil in a big, heavy pan so that it is less than an inch deep. (350˚F if you have a cooking thermometer). Be careful when doing this! Use tongs. •Fry each burek until golden-brown on the outside, without crowding the pan. •When done, transfer the bureks to a plate covered in paper towels to blot the excess oil. •Eat while still warm, with lots of lemon juice squeezed on top.
-1 lb. lean ground beef -1 onion, grated -1 handful of breadcrumbs -2 eggs -1 bunch parsley, chopped finely -1 tsp. paprika -1 tsp. red chili flakes -generous salt and pepper, to taste •Preheat oven to 350˚F. •Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mixing well. •Form large balls, and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. •Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, turning the meatballs at the 20 minute mark. For the Tomato Sauce: -28 oz. can of tomatoes -1 tsp. red chili flakes -Salt and pepper to taste •Mix all ingredients in a medium pot, crushing the tomatoes if they are whole. •Simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes, so that it is ready in time if you make it right after the meatballs. Garlic Yogurt Sauce -½ pint plain thick yogurt -½ lemon’s juice -5 garlic cloves, crushed and minced into a fine pulp •Mix all ingredients together either directly in the yogurt carton or a pretty bowl. That’s it!
Christina Black is a Barnard senior and Bulletin Cooking Columnist.
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FEATURES
You Should Take a Year Off If…
…you haven’t already. Too many people consider taking time away from school a recourse of last resort. However, a year off is always appropriate, regardless of one’s proximity to a mental breakdown. Time in the real world helps us young adults develop a healthy sense of ourselves and a vigorous sense of perspective; it makes us better members of the college community by allowing us to create richer identities for ourselves. This has been the case for me and for all other students who I’ve conversed with on the matter. There are, of course, a plethora of things one must consider when deciding to embark upon this course. There are practical considerations, such as how to navigate the bureaucratic side of things, what to do for money, where to live, and how to spend all of this new free time (honestly, it’s amazing how long 24 hours become when you remove homework and extracurriculars from the daily schedule). Refreshingly, when I underwent the process, withdrawing from Barnard was the least anxiety-ridden
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part (talk to your advisor or class dean). The answers to the less-clear questions, such as money, housing, and free time concerns, rest substantially on your goals for the year. A major factor surrounding the year off is university social life. Some students who I spoke with said that, at first, they worried about maintaining their college friendships if they left school (even though many of them were leaving school because they felt lonely), and especially if they chose to leave the city. But at the end of the year, we’ve all found that it actually improved our college friendships. We came back to college as happier and healthier individuals. Thus, we reentered our friendships (or created new ones) with happier and healthier foundations. It may not make intuitive sense to leave your friends behind in order to strengthen your friendships, but it’s an experience proved true across the board. Money and housing are indeed formidable hurdles. There’s a lot that rides on these: messing them up would mean being broke and homeless, which
by Sara Jane Panfil would be way worse than stressing about midterms. For this reason, some people choose to live with their parents for at least part of the time; others who feel prepared enough to stay start hunting on Craigslist. Living in the city during the time off has its perks: you get to know other neighborhoods, you become better at navigating the subway, and you get space from your parents. However, living with parents away from the city doesn’t mean perpetual dependence nor does it mean a deprived sense of geography upon your return. The city is much more than pure geography, and independence means much more than paying rent. Having time away from school, time that is yours and yours alone, will allow you to develop independence and a more confident attitude towards navigation, no matter where you spend your time. Don’t wait for the breaking point to take a year off. Put it on the table to consider now, and save yourself a year of school-related stress. Sara Jane Panfil is a Barnard junior.
Proud, But Mindful
There is no denying that history was made on November 4 as Senator Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United States. His message of hope and decree of change spoke to all voters. But once he was announced as victor, a poignant response overcame many, especially his African-American voters. America has indeed come a long way since its colonial history, and it is clear that the racial tensions of the past are vastly diminished. What concerns me, however, is the manner in which media coverage of this milestone seems to ignore that while great strides have been made race-wise, painting a portrait of its erasure is problematic and, well, false. Don’t get me wrong; I understand that this election has been inspiring. Americans have looked beyond race to elect the first African-American president, something I am sure makes many of us proud citizens. A New York Times article that discussed Europe’s reactions to the election noted that countries like France and Italy have a limited political role for minorities. France has just one black deputy elected to the National Assembly, and Italy has only one black member in its Parliament. Also mentioned, however, is the fact that once Obama leaves his seat in the Senate, there will no longer be an African-American present in this post of government unless he is replaced by one. Can we really consider ourselves that politically different from France and Italy? And can anyone really deny that for some percentage of the voting population, race was a major deciding factor? As an avid supporter of Obama since his entrance into the race, I tried my best to keep up with the coverage. I became increasingly interested in reader’s comments and the wild debates spurred by different responses to the articles, videos, etc. Much of what I read opposing the presidentelect alarmed me. A striking number of people who did not support him resorted to racist comments. It was sometimes hard to fathom the extent of their close-mindedness. Some comments implied that their authors would vote for or against Obama solely because they were either in support of or entirely against his race. I’m sure that some of those opinions are sure to change because of the need for the nation to stand behind him as he does his best to right the wrongs of the Bush legacy. However, I often wonder whether Obama would have fared as well had the previous administration not made such poor decisions. He might not have needed his message of change, which was outstanding in mobilizing voters- especially the youth- to support his campaign and lead him to victory. Obama is an intellectual,
POLITICS & OPINION by Shazeeda Bhola a compassionate individual, a talented public speaker, and a symbol of the change he promises to bring to America. These traits truly qualify him for his new position as leader of the most powerful nation in the world. As Colin Powell stated in his endorsement of the senator, Obama is the kind of leader that the nation desperately needs, and just so happens to be of color. Perhaps the president-elect’s success in terms of race needs a different focus. After all, his becoming president is not ‘post-racial,’ nor should anyone consider his election a conclusion or solution to the still-present racial inequity in America. The most significant change has occurred in the way that many African Americans view themselves and their opportunities since November 4. A Chicago Tribune article highlighted Cristina Cook, a public school teacher, who described feeling a wave of inspiration as she talked to her students about harnessing potential, setting goals and reaching new heights without barriers or limitations. Similar feelings were visible on television on November 5 as Sherri Sheperd of The View gave a very emotional response to the outcome of the election, describing to her colleagues the conversation she had with her son. Sheperd fought back tears as she explained, “I sat on my son’s bed … I said ‘There are no limitations on you.’” But when there are still definite social disparities, such as the fact that African Americans still earn less income, are more likely to be unemployed, and are more likely to be jailed than their white counterparts, race remains a significant fact of life, still woven into social and professional interactions. The hype about Obama being the first African-American president will eventually die down, and it is extremely important that Americans don’t allow the election to become a distraction from an attempt to tackle problems facing African Americans. As exciting as it is to be living this history and to have experienced the poignancy of Obama’s win, I worry that existing racial tensions are being dismissed or painted as nonexistent in order to give ourselves another pat on the back for electing him. Obama won the presidency because of his impressive intellect and fearless determination to right the wrongs of the past eight years. While this article’s main focus is its impact on African Americans, we must also consider other minority groups and whether or not America is ready for fuller racial integration on a political level and in regards to social equity. Now is the time to be proud, but mindful of race discussions— to be excited about how far we’ve come, and at the same time, realize that we can be an even better nation. Shazeeda Bhola is a Barnard sophomore.
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POLITICS & OPINION
The Pursuit of Fairness The impending new age in American politics has reignited fervor and hope in many issues that have remained stagnant throughout the past eight or more years. The Middle East, especially, has been the subject of great debate and concern. While discussions of the war in Iraq and Iran’s growing influence in the region ensue, there remains an ever so critical issue—one which has been seemingly unsolvable for the past 60 years. Discourse on the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis has been ongoing for decades, and yet there seem to be certain insurmountable challenges to the establishment of a lasting peace. An apartheid wall and a Gaza blockade have served as an Israeli sedative of late. However, such displays of oppression and alienation only exacerbate the problem. The concerns surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are many—some are religious, some nationalistic, most political. It is widely felt that, as an article in thenation.com expresses, “the American media are far more sympathetic to Israel than publishers and journalists in the rest of the world.” Thereby this article poses a necessary discussion of the chronically quieted Palestinian concerns. The concept of a two-state solution has become an integral part of most discussions concerning the conflict. President Bush has mentioned this idea, as has President-elect Obama as he maps out his plans for the region. To those who
“Contrary to popular belief, Palestinians do not have a patent on terrorism in this situation. This is a two-way street, in which each party has impeded the well being of the other.” are not attuned to the intricacies of the conflict, this solution seems sound, effective and straightforward. However, the reality of the matter is that this notion raises crucial questions and concerns for both sides: what is to become of Jerusalem? Will a new Palestinian state welcome the millions of dislocated
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by Nancy Elshami refugees? Where do the Israeli Arabs fall in all of this? Approaches to a two-state solution are varied and encompass a broad spectrum of ideas and convictions. Support of the two-state solution has become the “politically correct” opinion for those who shy away from fully supporting either party. For many pro-Israelis, a two-state solution is, in essence, Palestinian surrender. It would involve the establishment of Bantustans (the area of land set aside for black South Africans) where Palestinians can live and cultivate freely in their openair prisons under the auspices of Israel’s control without any true sovereignty of their own. One of the most critical obstacles to the establishment of peace between Israel and the Palestinians is the existence and growth of Israeli settlements in the territories captured by Israel during the Six Day War of 1967. These settlements, scattered throughout the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights are of strategic importance to the state of Israel. It is not only the existence of these occupied territories which compromises the livelihood of Palestinians, but the fact that they are established at the cost of Palestinians’ homes, land, and safety. Settler harassment of Palestinian civilians and even of Israeli policemen trying to maintain order have become a core characteristic of many of the settlements. A New York Times article states that Jewish settlers “are terrorizing Palestinians with impunity, attacking children on their way to school and destroying farmers’ trees and crops.” The existence of the settlements impedes any sort of peaceful resolution of the conflict. How can the Palestinians have an independent country if it is laced with thousands of Jewish settlements that intimidate and infringe upon Palestinian civilians as well as call for the frequent intervention of Israeli forces? The fact of the matter is that just as Israeli officials call for an end to Palestinian insurgency, there is an aspect of Israeli terrorism that needs to be addressed as well. Contrary to popular belief, Palestinians do not have a patent on terrorism in this situation. This is a two-way street, in which each party has impeded the well being of the other. An article on BBC published November 5, stated, “The British government believes that Israeli settlements on occupied territory are illegal. So does every other government in the world, except for Israel.” There is a common goal to be achieved, namely security in the region for both peoples and establishing the rights
Drawing by Rebekah Kim
POLITICS & OPINION
and sovereignty of both nations. It seems only natural that Israel would aspire to be a peaceful nation that influences the region with its advancements in science and technology. The potential of cheap labor and new markets for Israeli products are immense. By antagonizing and oppressing the Palestinian people, Israel is only harming itself and obstructing its own potential for growth. On the other front, the prospects of Palestinian sovereignty are enticing. However, Palestinians pay a hefty price (in the currency of lives and well-being) for their production of petty rockets and suicide bombings. Concessions and compromises need to be made by both sides in order to achieve peace and normalcy. However, part of the problem is that we are exposed to an exceedingly one-sided version of the story by our media and ever too often, the United States turns a blind eye to unfavorable Israeli actions due to its unconditional support of the state, as it upholds the United States’ political interests in the region. When Barack Obama was elected to the presidency on November 4, the glimmer of hope that shone out from Chicago that night reached the homes of millions around the world. Palestinians, too, had hopes that Obama could implement more accountability for Israel’s actions and increased consideration for Palestinians’ interests, which have been overlooked for so long. However, it has become increasingly palpable that our president-elect is taking the path conventionally pursued. The appointment of his former rival, Hillary Clinton— a favorite of the pro-Israel lobby—as Secretary of State sends a message loud and clear of four more years of Israeli precedence. Hillary Clinton’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian issues is one of absolute bias that poses no consideration toward the Palestinian case whatsoever. As her website stated during her presidential campaign, “Hillary Clinton believes that Israel’s right to exist in safety as a Jewish state, with defensible borders and an undivided Jerusalem as its capital, secure from violence and terrorism, must never be questioned.” This advocacy for Israel’s complete control over Jerusalem has severe implications, as this is a deeply contested factor of the issue. Palestinians—both Christian and Muslim—have religious claims over the holy city, as do Muslims around the world. Clinton’s stance is a blunt and inconsolably biased disregard of any elements of Palestinian concerns and rights, as she supports Israeli policies without an inkling of liability or question. Whether President-elect Obama will be able to curb Mrs. Clinton’s extreme partiality will be a
“This is a call for fairness. We as a nation should not overlook the interests and pleas of millions of victimized Palestinians. One would hope that ideals of humanity are still worth something in this country, even if they cannot be quantified in dollars.” litmus test of his effectiveness and strength as a leader. This is a call for fairness. Just as we hold the interest and safety of Israel so dear, we as a nation which strongly advocates the importance of human rights and justice should not overlook the interests and pleas of millions of victimized Palestinians. We should not overlook the impoverished citizens of Gaza who find themselves lacking sufficient food or water or electricity due to Israel’s blockade. We should not overlook the families who have lost their homes and lives because of the Israeli occupation or the millions of displaced Palestinians. Just as we are so keen on calling for the punishment and suppression of Palestinian terrorism, we should also be keen on applying that same ardent fervor in condemning Israeli terrorism. Aggression and insurgency do not materialize in a vacuum; for every action there is a reaction, and we’ve been so utterly consumed by condemning Palestinian reactions that we often fail to conceptualize them in context of Israeli actions. And while the existence of a Palestinian lobby may aid the establishment of fairness in consideration, the Palestinians are not so well endowed as to have that kind of influence. One would hope, however, that ideals of humanity are still worth something in this country, even if they cannot be quantified in dollars. There can be no aspirations toward a stable peace agreement or two-state solution before we first ensure that justice is being served equally on both fronts. Nancy Elshami is a Barnard junior and Bulletin Politics and Opinion Editor.
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POLITICS & OPINION
Around the World, Global Reactions Since November 4, Barack Obama’s victory has elicited positive fervor all around the world. News of America’s new, much needed leader continues to powerfully resonate, reassuring people of the promising future of the U.S., as well as the coming positivve effects on nations all around the world. Senator Obama has become a symbol of hope and change everywhere. People have applauded Obama’s election for several reasons. America has finally replaced the stagnant conservative outlook in office with a Democrat possessing the ability to approach issues on a new range of levels, and the intelligence and openness to confront today’s problems. Thus, the enthusiasm surrounding Obama’s election has crossed party lines in many respects. According to the New York Times, Segolene Royal, socialist rival to French President Nicolas Sarkozy in France’s recent presidential election, said that Obama “embodies the America of today and tomorrow.” The mayor of Paris, Bertrand Belanoe, also claimed that Obama’s “candidacy carries an enormous hope for his country and for peace in the world.” On one of China’s most popular websites, a poll showed that the majority of participants expected Obama’s victory. In Pakistan, Obama’s speech in Minnesota was aired on television the day after his election; according to the Times, Munaway Akhtar (a spokesperson for Pakistan) claimed that Obama’s election
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“should bring a good change in relations with Pakistan.” According to Wamiq Zuberi, the editor of Pakistan’s biggest business newspaper, a historical moment took place for Pakistanis, and its citizens are impressed by the nomination of an African American to office. Many of the verbal accolades for Obama evoke images of America’s new president as the savior of the world’s state of affairs. His victory also called attention to the disparity between the decisions of the Republican and Democratic Parties on the war in Iraq; the election of a new party to office indicates a wounded Republican Party and the global discontent with the Bush administration. International excitement has not only come about because of Obama’s election to office, but also from the idea that Bush will soon be out of the picture, and therefore that America can regain its place as a beloved country in the global sphere. For example, according to the Times, many politicians in Germany have verbalized their hope that Obama brings about effects similar to those of former president John F. Kennedy, both because of his youth and background, and his promise to set America off the tracks of the Bush administration. Obama, to the world, has become responsible for repairing America’s damaged reputation that has built up over the years.
POLITICS & OPINION
to the Election of Barack Obama Some support for Obama’s election seemed to occur as a result of international interest. For example, citizens of Kosovo, whose recent gain of independence was supported by the U.S., would have been pleased with either candidate as long as he would remain an ally to their country, according to the Times. Dependent on foreign policy with American leaders, Kosovo’s government hopes that Obama will lead America to stand up to its challengers Russia and Serbia, countries that oppose its independence. For Greece, according to Nikos Karahlios, a top strategist of the ruling New Democracy Party, Obama appeals to the people because the country is “struggling to make its mark in international affairs” and “has always had a history of siding with the underdog.” According to Karahlios, how well Obama reforms America is important to Greece and how it positions itself with the U.S. The issue of race and ethnicity has also encouraged many around the world to believe that the incoming president’s multiethnic background will cultivate better relationships between the US and other countries because of a new cultural understanding. His multiethnic background, in fact, corresponds to his multilateral perspective, and thus his favorable stance toward diplomacy and dialogue in the international sphere.
by Gillian Adler Moreover, it must not be forgotten how America has been affected by Obama’s win. Obama was capable of mobilizing young voters, and therefore encouraging young people to have their voices heard. While unfortunately, according to the Huffington Post, the election has triggered more than 200 haterelated incidents, mostly comprising a racist backlash against the historic event, Obama’s win has secured ideals among the majority of the country that have already elevated the status of the U.S. internationally. To so many, Obama was the superb candidate. But everyone must remember that while his leadership is necessary for this country, Americans’ self-sufficiency is crucial for upholding control and domestic sanity. Americans should not depend too much on Obama once in office. For example, Obama may focus, in this changing economy, on creating new government programs. He will certainly be an agent of change. But let’s hope that Americans comply with his agenda and change America’s course along with him. After all, it is not only Obama who will influence the dynamics of American politics, particularly globally; it will be a decision made by the U.S. Department of Defense, Congress, the U.S. Department of State, and others who will shape American policy. Gillian Adler is a Barnard junior and Bulletin head copyeditor
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CENTERPIECE
Honoring the Code: Academic Integrity at Barnard by Elizabeth Gordon Last week, the Fall 2008 Honor Board Newsletter slipped into mailboxes, imploring us not to cheat. The reminder of our pledge of academic honesty hit right in time for final papers and exams. Barnard’s Honor Code was started in 1912, but little has changed down to this day. Dean of the College Dorothy Denburg, suggested, “The things that cause students to cheat are probably the same today as in the past—pressure (real or imagined) to succeed, fear, panic, insecurity.” Dean of Studies, Karen Blank, who advises the Honor Board, added that life just gets in the way sometimes. She senses that students who plagiarize are the ones who haven’t taken notes properly from a website or a book, or don’t have enough time to finish their assignments. The student-run Honor Board makes Barnard’s approach to enforcing academic integrity distinct among the undergraduate schools in the University. The Board consists of three professors, nine students, and the Dean of Studies, and introduces the Code to every incoming class during first-year and transfer orientation. At orientation, students stand as a group and recite the Code in unison, pledging academic honesty throughout their time at Barnard. Additionally, Honor Board representatives discuss plagiarism and how to avoid it in every first year English course to ensure that students understand what constitutes cheating. The Honor Code is not only in effect when students sign blue books before midterm and final exams—it is a long-term resolution to avoid academic dishonesty, including cheating on exams, homework, and papers, as well as removing or defacing library books. However, according to Blank, violations of the code today deal mostly with website plagiarism.
“Dean Denburg added, ‘The tradition of unproctored exams is one of the few aspects of my undergraduate experience that have been altered or eradicated by time that I miss with real feelings of nostalgia and regret.’”
Sanctions vary in severity depending on the situation. Once a student admits guilt, even if her confession is not deliberate, she cannot retract her statement. However, Dean Blank reassures that professors are generally generous in imposing sanctions—usually a student will receive a failing grade on the assignment that will factor into their final grade. In addition, they may occasionally have to either redo the assignment for a lower grade or write an extra paper. “Barnard is very much a second chance kind of college in that students have rarely been suspended on a first offense, unless there were two offenses within one,” Dean Blank mentioned. She gave the example of a student stealing a lab report from a classmate and presenting it as her own to illustrate a twoin-one offense. Professors are asked to notify Dean Blank of every infraction in an attempt to keep an up-to-date and strictly confidential record. This semester there have only been five calls to her office.
Dean Blank hears every reported case of academic dishonesty and, if the problem is not resolved between the student and professor, she meets with the student and her respective class dean. Intent is often the first consideration. While Dean Blank recognizes everyone is susceptible to making honest mistakes, she noted that there still must be consequences. Ashley Walls, current co-chair of the Board, added that they usually do not hear the majority of cases. If a student fails to resolve the issue with her professor, she meets with her class Dean and the Dean of Studies, and then if she dislikes the Deans’ proposed sanction, she may appeal to the Board. In the past two years only one case has made it to the Board. The Code itself has only been modified once. In 1986 it was ammended to include respect for library materials. However, in the early 197os students became weary of unproctored exams, calling for a reinterpretation of the Code and a dramatic change in the Honor System. The students who petitioned to enstate proctored exams “feared that there was cheating going on that would undermine their own grades,” according to Dean Denburg. She commented on her experience as a student at Barnard under the original Honor System: “When unproctored exams were the norm, we simply regarded them as a given. The ambiance in the room was certainly as serious as it is under the current model of faculty proctoring; the absence of proctors conveyed to us the importance of the Honor Code.”
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CENTERPIECE
Dean Blank emphasized that she does not want anyone to think that the proctoring of exams resulted from the dean’s lack of trust in the student body—it came from student requests only. Elizabeth Fowler, BC’10, mentioned that she likes having professors in the room during exams because they are readily available to answer questions. Before professors proctored exams, a group of juniors and seniors served on the “Board of Proctors,” although they did not actually proctor exams. “They wore black academic robes and circulated on the floors of the academic buildings during exams to dispense tissues, life savers, or communicate any questions about the exams to the instructor,” Dean Denburg elaborated. She also remembers that during the two weeks of program planning, the Board of Proctors would sit in the lobby of Barnard Hall to answer students’ questions concerning courses. Dean Denburg added, “The tradition of unproctored exams is one of the few aspects of my undergraduate experience that have been altered or eradicated by time that I miss with real feelings of nostalgia and regret.” Now, as professors sit at a table in front of the room during exams, there is a notion that the Honor Code may be less pertinent on campus. An anonymous student confessed that she didn’t really know what the Honor Code is at Barnard. She was under the impression that it only applied when students signed the blue books before midterms and finals because there doesn’t seem to be an emphasis on the Code in day-to-day life at Barnard. Past changes in the Honor System 0ffer insight into the Code’s potential to become more prominent in student life. As seen with the debate over proctored exams, the System is able to react to students’ concerns by engendering the principles that they find fit. However, what students want from the Code today remains to be seen.
Drawing by Rebekah Kim.
Elizabeth Gordon is a Barnard junior and a Bulletin Co-Features Editor.
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“The students who petitioned to enstate proctored exams ‘feared that there was cheating going on that would undermine their own grades,’ according to Dean Denburg.”
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POLITICS & OPINION
Mayhem in Mumbai
Terror struck Mumbai, India on Wednesday, November 26, 2008, the day before Americans celebrated Thanksgiving. The attacks, which targeted the commercial heart of the city, seemed aimed at British and American tourists and citizens in Mumbai. Many of the guests who managed to escape from hotels that were under attack reported to Indian television stations that gunmen sought specifically these groups of people as they took hostages. Along with English and American nationals, Israelis were also targets of the attack. The Foreign Ministry of Israel continues attempts to find and contact an unreported number of Israelis whom they believe to be in Mumbai. However, many more people, including Indian citizens and other foreigners, from countries other than England, the United States, and Israel, have been victimized and murdered in the attacks. There are reports that some law enforcement officials, including the chief of the antiterrorism squad and a commissioner of police, have been killed, as well. The attackers threw grenades at several large hotels, the largest train station in the city, a Jewish center, a movie
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theater, and a hospital. At the same time, many other areas throughout the center of the city witnessed gunfire attacks and random assaults. According to a family who lives on the outskirts of the city of Mumbai, schools and businesses, including the stock exchange, closed during the attacks, which began late at night on Wednesday and continued through the end of the week. While the militants sought out specific targets in Americans and British nationals, the attacks have greatly affected the entire city of Mumbai as well the rest of the nation of India. Suman Mallipattana, a professor in the department of Middle Eastern and Asian Language and Culture and an immigrant to the U.S. from the Bengal state of India, worries that the attacks will have a very negative affect on the entire population of India. Her concern stems from the fear that these attacks will reignite hostilities between Hindus and Muslims in India. Such animosity might result in increased violence and a weakened sense of nationalism throughout the relatively young country. These attacks are not the first in India, nor the first in the city of Mumbai.
by Sigourney Labarre However, they are the perhaps the most strategically planned and armed attacks in years. Previous attacks have involved anonymously placed bombs in isolated locations throughout the city; however, this most recent attack required the Indian military to take action in the city to aid police forces in capturing and stopping militants. The perpetrator of the attacks has not been determined, although several groups and individuals have claimed responsibility for the attacks. According to an early report by the New York Times, a group that identified itself as the Deccan Mujahedeen claimed that it had committed the attacks. During the attacks, a militant holding hostages in the Oberoi Hotel told India television on Thursday morning, “We want all mujahedeen held in India released, and only after that we will release the people,� he said. India has not made any final accusations, at this point. However, it is without a doubt that these attacks have some dangerous implications on the future of the region and the endurance of peace. Sigourney Labarre is a Barnard sophomore
NYC LIVING
T h e Wa n d e r i n g P h o t o g r a p h e r U n i o n S q u a r e H o l i d ay M a r ke t by Embry Owen
Crowds gathered at Union Square on the first day of the annual Holiday Market to peruse artisans’ wares.
Outside of the Holiday Market, street artists sell paintings, jewelery and other artwork.
In addition to the Holiday Market, the Greenmarket runs all year and offers fresh produce from a variety of local growers.
The Union Square subway station is a bustling gateway to Chelsea, Union Square and Gramercy Park
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Nobody Does It Better In 1963, author Ian Fleming watched as the character from his series of novels leapt off of the page and onto the big screen. Little did he, or anyone, know that this movie would lead to a multi-million dollar franchise and would yield a series of 22 films, produced over four decades. And just who is this character? Why, none other than Bond. James Bond. After 45 years, people still flock to the box office to see where the next adventure will lead 007. Quantum of Solace, the most recent addition to the Bond series, was released on November 14 and made $67 million during its opening weekend, according to the Associated Press. So what is the secret to Bond’s continued commercial success? Some of the draw of the films lies in the audience’s desire to see all of the exotic places to which Bond travels. In each movie, Bond finds himself in a unique and enticing new locale; from Jamaica to China to Montenegro, James Bond has an enviable number of stamps on his passport. And since investing in a Learjet is not an option for most people, a $9 movie ticket is an inexpensive way to experience these spots, if only vicariously. And with James Bond, you don’t just see the ordinary touristy sites. You see the most glamorous, most dangerous, most exciting side of every city. There is something wonderful about going to see a movie that allows you to be transported to an entirely different world. The worlds Bond has access to are not just unusual because of their location on a map but also because he has access to the chicest parties and the most top-secret spots on the globe. With Bond, the world the audience is introduced to is always something fanciful and entirely intoxicating. Aside from his globe-trotting nature, there are his legendary good looks. From Sean Connery to Daniel Craig and the four Bonds in between, the men who have played 007 have all been handsome and, as a result of playing the character, have become sex symbols. But the films offer eye-candy for the men as well. While women go to see the Bond movies to marvel at Pierce Brosnan’s handsome face or Craig’s chiseled abs, the men get to see Ursula Andress or Halle Berry in a bikini.
by Amanda Rodhe Then there are the gadgets. Bond always has the newest car with all sorts of custom additions, like guns that pop out of the trunk and bullet-proof glass. And he’s constantly being given the most up-to-date technology, such as a cell phone that is actually a remote control for his tricked-out car. But of course, there are plenty of other action movies that provide viewers with exotic backdrops, beautiful people, and exciting adventures. So why do people continue to look to James Bond as their guide to the daring and dazzling? Well, he did it first, and he did it best. There have been other successful series of action films, like the Jason Bourne trilogy, but it is unlikely that these will have the same long-running success as the Bond franchise. James Bond is the kind of man that every woman wants—as is evidenced in the many loves (or is that lovers?) that Bond finds throughout the series of films—and that every man wants to be. Even without all of the gadgets, cars, jet-setting, and fancy parties that comprise his enviable lifestyle, the man himself is irresistible. Bond has a kind of charm and ease that is impossible to compete with. Who else could look so calm, cool and collected driving his BMW through a parking garage via remote-control from the backseat while dodging bullet after bullet? The desire to be as cool as James Bond is one in which everyone can relate. Everyone has had a job interview or a blind date or a class presentation where everything that happened was completely awkward, making them want to curl up in a ball and die afterward. But James Bond is never in an awkward situation. He handles everything that comes his way— from scary, gun-toting villains to angry, spurned lovers—with incredible poise and aplomb. If we go and watch him up on screen for a few hours, maybe we’ll learn some of his tactics, master some of his moves, and the next time we find ourselves in an awkward situation we’ll think “What would Bond do?” and suddenly find a solution. The chances of that happening are slim, but for the past 46 years we’ve kept on trying. And it looks like we won’t be stopping any time soon.
Amanda Rodhe is a Barnard junior and Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Celebrities Protest Prop 8 Decision “Equality is a right, not a privilege!” Many angry Californians screamed this phrase in protest of Proposition 8, California’s recent move to ban gay marriage. Proposition 8 amended the state constitution to restrict the definition of marriage to a union between a man and a woman. It overrode a recent California Supreme Court decision that had recognized same-sex marriage in California as a fundamental right. And as in 1978 with Proposition 6, which also set to bar same-sex marriage, the election was a nail-biter. Thousands of people poured their talents, their time, their resources and their hearts into this struggle for freedom and this fight to have all relationships treated equally. “Victory was not ours,” said a final statement from the organizers of the “No on Prop 8” campaign, “but the struggle for equality is not over.” From coast to coast, celebrities—gay and straight—are expressing their outrage against this California legislation. Despite the passing of anti-gay marriage laws, the encouragement and support of celebrity allies hasn’t ceased. Celebs have been protesting alongside everyday citizens, adding their voices and star power to the cause, and ensuring that the fight for full civil rights will continue. Rocker Melissa Etheridge expressed her disdain for the decision, saying it made her feel she was “not a full citizen.” New Yorker Rosie O’Donnell said, “I am against Prop 8. Duh.” And DJ Samantha Ronson also stated that the situation was “really sad” to her. Singer Christina Aguilera weighed in, calling Prop 8 “discrimination.” “I don’t understand how people can be so close-minded and so judgmental,” Aguilera said. “We chose an AfricanAmerican president who means so much in a time in history of great change and open-mindedness. Why is this any different? It just doesn’t make sense to me.” Even before Election Day, the campaigns against the gay marriage ban garnered huge support. Those fighting against Prop 8 raised over $30 million,
by Claire Stern making it the highest-funded campaign, with the exception, of course, of McCain and Obama’s presidential campaigns. Since Proposition 8 was passed, there have been many protests staged throughout the state and across the nation. And Hollywood actors are playing active roles in these protests. Not only are they physically engaging in protests on the street, but also releasing commercials against Prop 8. America Ferrera, Samuel L. Jackson, Molly Ringwald, and Ellen DeGeneres, among others, spoke out against the ban on gay marriage. Other celebrities, though not out protesting themselves, said they support the protestors. “I think it might be an idea to go out and join them shortly,” said Sean Penn. “It was a shameful decision that was made.” In addition to staging protests against the legislation, celebrities are lashing out against each other. Most recently it was openly gay celebrity blogger Perez Hilton attacking Mexican heartthrob actor Eduardo Verastegui. Hilton expressed his frustration at the “ignorance” of Verastegui for campaigning in favor of a California ballot initiative aimed at banning same-sex marriage. “It frustrates me and breaks my heart, that someone who’s a minority himself would want to discriminate against others,” says the Cuban-American Hilton. Other opponents are calling for a boycott of Utah tourism to punish the Mormon Church for its support of Proposition 8. The Sundance Film Festival, which is held annually in Utah, is being urged to move to a different location this year. Many think that it’s high time Sundance found a better state to party in than the seat of the Mormon Church, which expresses sanctions against active gay relationships. To the dismay of liberal Hollywood, the Mormon Church played a part in urging the millions of voters who
Columbia’s James Franco is against Prop 8. went to the polls to say yes to secondclass status for same-sex couples. Because of their passionate efforts, celebrities are still optimistic about the possibility of change. George Clooney recently said to E!’s Ted Casablanca, “At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won’t be an issue, and everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black.” Today a constitutional provision barring African-Americans from going to school or one taking away women’s right to vote would never pass. However, what the protesters hope to show voters is that Prop 8 is indistinguishable from these examples because they all involve depriving a certain group of a fundamental right. Even though California has passed the anti-gay marriage amendment, many people—celebrities and average American citizens—hope that marriage equality could still prevail. It’s not over ‘til it’s over. Claire Stern is a Barnard first-year.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Musings of a Pop Culture Junkie: What’s the Deal with Miley Cyrus?
The first time I heard of her was in 2006, when I was a counselor at a day camp. The big craze, besides High School Musical, was Hannah Montana. One of my campers could go on for hours about how much she loved Hannah Montana and how much she wanted to be just like her. I thought that Hannah Montana and its star were just a passing fad, but I was wrong. Over two years later, Miley is bigger than ever, and I’m not quite sure why. Disney has turned her into a money-making machine. Besides all of the usual Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus merchandise, it gave Miley and her alter ego their own concert film that had a limited release, so that young girls and their parents were duped into rushing to the theaters, shelling out money for show after show so that they could get their Miley fix. Her actual concerts sold out, and parents paid ridiculous amounts so that their daughters could see their favorite
star live. And what about her “sweet sixteen” at Disneyland, attended by celebrities and fans who paid hundreds of dollars to be there? I know that there were similar crazes for certain stars when I was younger, especially since my tween years were spent during the heyday of the boy band era, but it seems like this Miley craze is on a whole new level. Then the inevitable question is: does Miley have the potential to crash and burn like so many young stars eventually do (see: Spears, Britney)? The whole “scandal” over her Vanity Fair features, in which she artistically posed with a sheet for Annie Liebowitz, caused a big stir. Was this innocent role model being sexualized at too young an age? Why was it okay when Britney ran around in a school girl skirt, where the sexuality was so blatant and had that innocent/kinky dynamic that was obvious to everyone but her young female fans? Why is it a scandal, then, when Miley takes an artis-
A column by Amanda Lanceter tic picture that reveals nothing any more scandalous? Perhaps she was too young for such a photograph, as it was still a mature look for a 15-year-old, but I couldn’t really see what the big deal was. E!’s pop culture roundup show The Soup, a must for any pop culture junkie, has a field day with Miley on a regular basis. There’s the weekly “It’s Miley!” segment (announced by a grown woman, doing her best screaming tween impression), which covers the next ridiculous situation the young star has gotten herself into. Now that she’s started dating a 20-year-old, the same woman can be heard yelling, “It’s still a felony!” Could this relationship lead to another scandal? There were already questionable photos of Miley released by an ex, so who knows what’s next. Let’s just hope for her sake that she doesn’t follow the path of so many child stars before her and turn into another train-wreck.
Amanda Lanceter is a Barnard senior and Bulletin Music Editor.
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MUSIC
For the Record: DeGraw Live From Soho Singer Gavin DeGraw’s newly released Live From Soho is a testament to his gift of combining rock, pop, and soul (not to mention boyfriend potential). This small-town native made his start playing small gigs throughout Manhattan, finding validation in each escalation from the street to restaurants to bars to clubs, and now, Manhattan once again becomes the backdrop for this latest downtown recording. The live nature of the album allows for an incredibly raw, acoustic feel that does not discriminate against the vocal slides and cracks that are edited out of polished mixed recorded racks; rather, the unique quality of his voice manages to combine his classic unrefined grittiness with a smooth sultry tone. DeGraw’s second selftitled album has rock influence that suggests a push for heavier guitar riffs and darker undertones, and yet the final result is strangely inauthentic compared to his debut Chariot, praised for its piano laden ballads. Live From Soho, which draws on material from both albums, consequently boasts both guitar and piano backings to accompany the voice that is difficult to place with one particular genre. While DeGraw never fails to produce innovative vocals and hooks that promise to repeat in your head over and over, his lyrics range from complex and wonderfully contemporary to rather base and only slightly varying from archetypal ideas and even phrases from the past couple decades of love songs. This discrepancy, however, should not deter any listeners from such a rich acoustic offering. “Chariot,” one of Degraw’s more famous ballads, falls short of its original. With killer guitar and full band backing, the original version is a standout from his collection of previous material, and yet this acoustic version, while accompanied only by a piano, doesn’t seem to be anything new, nor does DeGraw use much presentational variation. However, “Chariot” does offer a showcase of his vocal prowess, which is, at one point during the track, applause-inducing from his audience. “Cop Stop,” however, works very well in this acoustic setting; the melody alongside the lone piano feels natural and even playful as vocal runs pepper each verse. Due to DeGraw’s frequent comments to
by Sophia Mossberg the audience, the song isn’t what could have easily been jazzy rock cocktail party material, but it still more than suffices for a breezy listen. In “Belief,” DeGraw’s vocals are throaty and raw as he allows his voice to slide into the upper register, therefore placing even more emotion than is already conjured by lyrics such as “Tonight, you arrested my mind/When you came to my defense/ With a knife/In the shape of your mouth/In the form of your body/With the wrath of a god/Oh you stood by me/Belief.” This ballad is one of the standout tracks on the album, in terms of both lyrical and vocal complexity. “Follow Through” is a ballad that follows the typical trajectory for Elton John-esque piano pop, and yet does not fall into the cheesy-but-pretty trap that such ballads often do. As he sings the opening line, “Oh, this is the start of something good” you can feel the audience agreeing (I know I am); this song is certainly something good. After all, there is only one Billy Joel or Elton John, and luckily DeGraw’s vocal style and offbeat phrasing differentiates him even on a simple track such as “Follow Through.” “Cheated On Me” is not one of the more rousing tracks on this particular album (and chances are he thought so too, since he begins by announcing, “I forgot to play this one other song”). However, listen for the way he tackles the bridge, which is a pleasant vocal interruption of rather dim lyrics like “I’m a jealous guy/I hear people talk/ and it isn’t hard to believe/I think she cheated on me.” “In Love With a Girl” offers perhaps the freshest rendition in comparison to the previous material compiled, and in fact, transcends its original version by far, vocally and musically. The soulful quality of DeGraw’s voice is most clearly apparent here, and at times the vocals are even riveting as he takes more vocal risks here than in any other track, and yet paradoxically seems most at home, stretching his vowels with a decidedly bluesy twang. The lines “Out the many broken back doors and windows/Through the valley of the love of the lost / Is a hole that is cut to the soles/Falling down from the tones/ Without reading innuendos” are a prime example of DeGraw’s extensive use of metaphor and the poetic nature of his lyrics, even in a song simply stating “I’m in love with a girl.” Although he opens with a cliché introduction of “This is a song for all you young lovers out there,” the song “Young Love” quickly rejects his blasé characterization. Honest and simply arranged, the song questions the worth of the trials of young romance: “Why wait, woman I’ve taken risks that no one dares/And you’re scared, scared of the bottom, afraid of the stairs/For the young lovers, taking the hill/One plants a flag while the other is killed/When the wine pours, we raise our cups/Young love is sacrifice, young love is tough.” A gem is “We Belong Together,” which transcends comparison to any other track on this album. His powerful use of unusual phrasing is most apparent here; listen for the way he elongates words like “undone” and “shores.” The chorus is as hummable as it is complex lyrically and musically. This song is the desert island pick; it manages to sum up the phrasing and sweet rawness that DeGraw’s music offers, while being a perfect tune to adapt into a live version. Sophia Mossberg is a Barnard first-year.
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MUSIC
Free Popcorn and Free Music: CU Postcrypt Has It All Down winding marble steps, tucked away into the dark heart of St. Paul’s, a sanctuary of an unexpected sort exists. Lit dimly by low-strung Christmas lights year round and often perfumed with the hearty scent of popcorn and cider, this alcove, enough to fit about 35 students, flings open its doors every Friday and Saturday night. It welcomes musicians, artists, poets, and intrigued students into its exposed inner sanctum of granite walls and acoustic twangs. This subterranean heart that has a beat made up of guitar chords is known as Postcrypt. With a scuffed wooden box acting unceremoniously as the stage, gothic chandeliers hanging directly above head, and refrigerators kept stocked with Blue Moons and lagers, Postcrypt has brought the concert venue onto campus replacing high maintenance productions with intimacy and egotism with personality. For the record, Postcrypt is not held in a crypt. At all. Though the misconception is common, Postcrypt takes place in a niche of the church that is far more storage room than secret lair. The name derives not so much from the location of the folk venue, although the stone basement does lend itself to many sarcophagus laden daydreams, but has an origin literary in nature. Around 1964, at the time of Postcrypt’s founding, as the official website www.postcrypt.org details, Reverend John Cannon, Columbia University’s chaplain, dubbed the group in reference to philosopher Søren Kierkegaard’s “Concluding Unscientific Postscript to Philosophical Fragments.” Luckily for many attendees, the name was shortened and the “scri-” morphed to a “cry-” in order to acknowledge the arcane lair of
the community, adding a certain “je ne sais quoi” along the way. Not only bestowed with a “wicked cool name,” as one student exclaimed in front of a wavering flyer, Postcrypt is also a locale immersed in a rich musical history—folk greats such as Jeff Buckley, Ani DiFranco, and Suzanne Vega have all at one point climbed upon the boot-beaten stage, singing and strumming. And still, despite being the launch pad of many within the greater folk community and having a reference in the New York Times under its belt, Postcrypt is dedicated to providing a space for unheard and talented Columbia students to perform. There is no amplification to speak of at this venue— no set up times; no tangled electrical cords curled about the musician’s feet; no large, thumping speakers— but merely a
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by Colette McIntyre spot to stand and the projectional talents of the performer which adds to the truly organic feel of the going-ons at Postcrypt. Down in St. Paul’s Chapel lies a gem of a setting where the pretentiousness that clings to many other New York City concert venues simply does not exist, and where music and conversation flow seamlessly and intertwine. It is hard to be in attendance and not stop for a moment, looking about the room witnessing the dark lights playfully casting shadows on others’ intently engaged expressions, and realizing that something special is going on at Postcrypt that is unable to be recreated elsewhere. Every Friday and Saturday, from 9 pm until midnight, the basement of St. Paul’s becomes one of the only free, volunteerrun music venues within the Columbia community and the city at large. Despite being one of the oldest college coffeehouses, Postcrypt is always redefining itself, finding ways to stay relevant and reach out to the students. Last spring, Postcrypt was responsible for a massive outdoor folk festival to the pleasure of many harried ivy leaguers and passing commuters. According to Postcrypt head manager Ginia Sweeney, CC ’10, the event was a large success having been “a straight day of live music... [and] grilled cheese, veggie burgers, popcorn, and other good food. The musicians who played, who were all Columbia affiliates, and mostly undergrads, had their music heard, the audience got to spend time listening to great music on a beautiful day, and Postcrypt got more publicity.” It is an event members eagerly look forward to hold again. Recently, Postcrypt has committed itself to making its site more eco-friendly and sustainable. If attendees bring in their own mug, for example, Postcrypt offers a 50 percent discount on all coffees, teas, and cider. While Postcrypt is regarded as one of the finest folk music sites, it is more than the talented artists performing that keep Morningside Heights’ habitants returning week after week, year after year. Postcrypt is far more than a venue—it’s a community that provides a friendly and warm atmosphere for artists and their fans to gather and share. While musicians are invited to sit on a plastic black chair similar to those scattered about the floor and those in the audience not lucky enough to snag a seat sit haphazardly along the cold floor, Postcrypt is constantly booked and always packed on its performance nights with just enough room for onlookers to bring their drink of choice to their lips and back down. On a campus where it often seems no one student feels attached, a community of any kind is an intoxicating abnormality many eagerly grab on to. Such is the case with Postcrypt. As Sweeney shares, Postcrypt is “a great place to hang out but even more fun to volunteer for. We’re one of the closestknit clubs on campus—I’ve met some of my best friends working for Postcrypt.” Barnard first-years and Postcrypt board members Galen Boone and Halley McPherson eagerly agree, Boone gushing that “it’s the coolest place on campus...it’s just a network of cool people,” McPherson following with the sentiment that “Postcrypt is an intimate community—cozy, comforting. It’s a venue where people genuinely go to listen to musicians and have a good time.” Quickly she adds, with an exasperated hand movement, “It’s the coolest place on campus.” Colette McIntyre is a Barnard first-year.
MUSIC
Come Together by Heena Sharma Today we live in a world where entertainment, politics, and human rights are no longer segregated within different spheres of influence. Instead, it is now common for pop stars to be political icons and for political stars to be pop icons. Benefit concerts have been bringing together people from different social, political, economic, and even musical backgrounds for common causes of the common good. But the benefit concert scene was not always dominated by Live Earth, Al Gore, and Bono. There has been a long tradition for entertainment celebrities to come together for humanitarian purposes. The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was the first of its kind. Held in June 1967 in California, the festival was the first massive rock concert that was widely advertised and in which the artists performed for free to raise money for charity (the non-profit MIPF foundation). The concert’s total attendance over three days reached a maximum of 200,000 and it has been considered the major precursor of the infamous Woodstock Festival that occurred in 1969. The Mamas and The Papas, The Grateful Dead, Simon & Garfunkel and Jefferson Airplane were some of the performers at the festival that were already immensely popular. However, the show served to propel many others into instant stardom. The same show also launched The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, and the sitar player Ravi Shankar into the American spotlight. Though the Monterey Festival was influential because of its huge viewer attendance and famous list of performers, the first highly successful show that was specifically designed for charity was the Concert for Bangladesh of 1971. At the time, East Pakistan was in the process of declaring its independence as Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The immense civil and political strife, as well as violent atrocities against civilians, and the Bhola cyclone from a year earlier had all coalesced to create a huge refugee problem in India. Ravi Shankar and George Harrison organized the concert, which was actually comprised of two shows performed on the same August day, as a means of raising awareness and relief funds (while working with UNICEF) for the humanitarian crisis. A total of 40,000 people came to see the two shows at Madison
Square Garden here in New York City. Shankar and Harrison were joined on stage by Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Billy Preston, and Leon Russell and together they raised more than $240,000. The recorded album and film also generated a generous amount of money for the relief effort. Benefit concerts were not only limited to all-star performers of rock n’ roll. “A Poke In The Eye (With A Sharp Stick)” was the first of a series of Amnesty International comedy shows designed to raise relief funds. The first show was performed at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London in 1976 and it featured the best and brightest English comics of the day, including the Monty Python. The show ended up being the first in a slew of benefit shows known as “The Secret Policeman’s Ball” series. One of the biggest benefit concerts of all time was Live Aid of 1985, a rock concert program that was mainly held in London and in Philadelphia but which inspired shows around the world. It was one of the most successful worldwide live television broadcasts, reaching 400 million viewers across 60 countries. It has been estimated that over 150 million pounds were raised for famine relief in Ethiopia. Live 8 was a series of concerts developed on the 20th anniversary of Live Aid as a means of putting pressure on the G8 summit leaders to increase aid for global poverty. Most recently, Live Earth was developed (and heavily promoted by Al Gore) as an annual event dedicated to spreading awareness of global warming and climate change. The first Live Earth benefit concert took place in June 2007 and was a huge global event with more than 150 musical acts in eleven different locations around the world. Benefit concerts have had a history of using entertainment as effectively promoting awareness and raising funds for international humanitarian crises over the years. In order to continue doing so, we should not let ourselves lose sight of our original missions as human beings: to promote the welfare of our fellow beings and the planet we live in. And if a barely-clad, gap-toothed, faux-English Madonna can help, then so be it! Heena Sharma is a Barnard sophomore.
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Graphic by Jennifer Oh.
MUSIC
’Tis the Season...
To Be Cranky
As the weather grows colder and the leaves fall from the trees, holiday music gains more and more dominance on the airwaves. We hear it in stores, when we switch on the radio, in TV commercials… but what about those who don’t quite feel like joining in on the holiday cheer? Luckily, plenty of musicians understand that sentiment exactly. When you’re just not in the mood to be jolly, refer to this list of the best anti-holiday music. 1. “Boycotting Christmas” – Teddy Thompson. Thompson opens this should-be classic with, “Christmas is crap.” He goes on to declare his boycott of the holiday, vowing never to buy “another damn tree.” It’s a funny song that displays Thompson’s wit, something he likely inherited from his father, Richard Thompson, who once wrote an ode to Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction called “Dear Janet Jackson.” 2. “Suddenly It’s Christmas” – Loudon Wainwright III. Another songwriter known for his wit (and a friend of Richard Thompson), Wainwright laments “the longest holiday,” calling it a “marathon” and “retail eternity.” Thanksgiving is a “buffet in between” Halloween and the holiday in question, and concludes, “It’s not over ‘til it’s over and you throw away the tree.” Anyone whoi finds the excessively long Christmas season ridiculous will appreciate this song.
by Amanda Lanceter though it paints a picture of a Christmas that is less than ideal. Images of parents yelling, shoveling snow, and ruined gifts dominate the lyrics. It ends on the melancholy note, “Silent night, nothing feels right.” The mellow song is fitting if you’re feeling particularly depressed about the impending holiday season. 4. “River” – Joni Mitchell. While not specifically about Christmas, a variation on the familiar “Jingle Bells” opens the song, before the memorable first lines, “It’s coming on Christmas/ They’re cutting down trees/ They’re putting up reindeer/ And singing songs of joy and peace/ Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on.” It’s another melancholy song, full of longing for the peace of a calm, snowy winter night, away from the many complications of life. 5. “Have Yourself a Bitter Little Christmas” – David Ford. “The kids are making snowmen out of mud/ It makes me think about us,” opens this song about leaving a lover on Christmas. “Peace and love starts with getting the hell out of here,” declares Ford, the talented multi-instrumentalist singersongwriter. It truly is a bitter Christmas in this song. Hopefully, by the time finals are over and winter break is upon us, your holiday won’t be as bleak as some of the ones portrayed in these songs, and you can recover some of the holiday cheer that they’re clearly missing.
3. “That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!” – Sufjan Stevens. This has the light, airy sound of most of Stevens’s music, Amanda Lanceter is a Barnard senior and Bulletin Music Editor.
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NYC LIVING
World Famous Architect Renzo Piano Comes to by Stefie Gan Columbia Some of the most amazing buildings are here in New York City, yet not many know about buildings other than the Empire State building. November 19, 2007 was the grand opening of one of 8th Avenue’s most important buildings, The New York Times Building. A 52-story skyline with transparent water glass, double skinned walls, and a skin that changes colors can only be designed by Renzo Piano. Renzo Piano, winner of the 1998 Pritzker Prize for Architecture, which is like a Nobel Prize in science, has designed many elegant and contemporary buildings. He made the California Academy of Science’s Green Museum look like a greenhouse that flowed with its elevated land environment and the National Center for Science and Technology (NeMo), located next to a port in Amsterdam, shaped like a giant boat. He also designed a shopping center in Germany with large sheets of glass and round lines that appear like a tunnel, a boat, or even a submarine. The list goes on, for he is renowned for his unconventional, yet simple creations. Last year, he left his mark on New York City when he erected a stunning transparent skyline that stood out in its environment. The New York Times building went from being a traditional newspaper producing factory to a see-through modern building that allowed people to see the honesty that this newspaper production advocates. Piano wanted the building to share light unlike those buildings with opaque walls that cast huge rectangular shadows down on people; he calls those “selfish buildings.” He wanted the building to be open and inviting. Surely, the sun is going to shine into the glass and overheat the building, so Piano ingeniously thought of creating
another wall with ceramic rods to serve as “sun screen.” That skin also allows the building to take the color of its environment, thus reflecting different colors throughout the day. This quality makes the building unique and not the usual rectangular prism. Piano said, “I love the city and I wanted this building to be an expression of that. I wanted a transparent relationship between the street and the building. From the street, you can see through the whole building. Nothing is hidden. And like the city itself, the building will catch the light and change color with the weather. Bluish after a shower, and in the evening on a sunny day, shimmering red. The story of this building is one of lightness and transparency.” He strives to integrate his buildings into their environment, yet emphasize their glory. The simple rectangular shapes of the Manhattan streets inspired him to design a building that would also reflect the simple lines. The building’s windows are drawn horizontally, spaced equally, and travel down like a column of a newspaper. How appropriate for a newspaper company! An exceptional building, both artistic and environmentally conscious, stands on 8th Ave between 42nd and 43rd streets. It shouts Renzo Piano! More of Piano’s buildings are about to be erected very close to home, for Renzo Piano is coming to Columbia! Although the issue of the Columbia expansion is highly controversial, and though we are not sure how far Columbia is expanding into West Harlem, one thing is for sure: we are going to have the most innovative and beautiful buildings designed by world famous Renzo Piano. Piano and his team have already started making plans for this new project. He promises to abide by the height limit, not surpassing any of the existing buildings, but that won’t stop him from making multiple clear rectangular glass buildings that overlook the waterfront. He has four large blocks to work with, from 129th to 133rd street between Broadway and 12th Ave. This new campus is going to be almost as big as the one we have now, except the new campus will look more like the New York Times building. His goals are to make streets more accessible to pedestrians, while keeping the original grid of the streets, to create larger sidewalks so that light can come into the area, make the view of the water more accessible, and add about 94,000 feet of open space for public use. The open space can be used for street fairs, picnics, art exhibitions, public seating, and University events. This area will transform into a beautiful, bright, and inviting hang out place. So far, we are expected to have the Jerome L. Greene Science Center (a space to do research on finding treatments for Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other neurological diseases), homes for Columbia’s graduate students, and other buildings for math, science, and engineering by the year 2015. By 2030, we are expected to have buildings for biomedical research, nanotechnology, systems biology, and urban and populations studies, and more housing for graduate students and faculty. This Ivy League University is really pushing to have more space for the future scientific endeavors Piano reflects that goal with steel and glass. He will develop the area into a modern city with many prisms of transparent buildings and greenhouses overhead. “Cities are bound to change,” says a man of the future, “You must accept it… You can’t embalm a city.” Stefie Gan is a Barnard first-year.
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NYC LIVING
The Frugal Foodista Graphic by Allegra Panetto
A column by Ava Friedmann
S’mac 345 E. 12th St. between 1st and 2nd Av. 212.358.7912 www.smacnyc.com It’s hard to beat the warm, melted joy of a perfect bowl of macaroni and cheese. Eating freshly baked mac and cheese is an experience that transports you back to your childhood, when research papers and loads of homework weren’t a part of your everyday vocabulary. As finals season approaches, leave your books in Butler and trek over to S’mac, a restaurant devoted solely to this All-American comfort food. Short for Sarita’s Mac and Cheese, S’mac opened in 2006 in the East Village and has been creating tons of mac and cheese ever since. S’mac, however, does not only offer your classic mac and cheese. Like hundreds of other specialized New York eateries, S’mac is devoted to elevating the dish to a whole new level. With dozens of ingredients to add to a plain macaroni base, the mac and cheese combinations are endless. If you’re feeling inventive, you have the option to “build your own” mac and cheese with 14 cheeses and 17 mix-ins to choose from. From classic American to Brie or Gruyere, there is no going wrong when it comes to cheese. Even mixing the cheeses is sure to produce gooey deliciousness. The art comes with the mix-ins. Classics like tomato and garlic are a good match for most cheeses, but Andouille sausage and kalamata olives require a little more thought. My friend created a delicious combination of Gruyere and mozzarella cheese, roasted garlic and shitake mushrooms that was simple but tasty. For those less inclined to create their own combination, Sarita provides a menu with her own recommendations. Classics like All-American and 4 Cheese are sure to please most customers, but her mastery over the comfort food is evident in her more creative combinations. The Napoletana tastes like mac and cheese imported from Italy with fresh mozzarella, garlic, tomatoes, and basil. Paying homage to Switzerland, the Alpine boasts Gruyere and smoky slab bacon. Catering to the more sophisticated palate, the Parisienne is loaded with Brie cheese,
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roasted figs, shiitake mushrooms, and rosemary. Sarita doesn’t forget about her meat-loving crowd with a menu featuring the Cheeseburger, classic mac and cheese mixed with ground beef, and the Buffalo Chicken Mac that fools you into thinking you’re eating the real deal. Perhaps the best part about Sarita’s mac and cheese haven is her choice of serving dishes. Batch upon batch of mac and cheese comes out of the kitchen fresh in the cast iron skillet it was baked in. With three sizes to choose from, “nosh”, “major munch”, and “mongo,” customers chow down straight out of their skillets, ensuring that the mac and cheese stays piping hot until the last bite.
Like hundreds of other specialized New York eateries, S’mac is devoted to elevating the dish to a whole new level. With dozens of ingredients to add to a plain macaroni base, the mac and cheese combinations are endless. S’mac even goes as far to ensure those suffering from food allergies aren’t left out of the fun. Both gluten free and multi-grain macaroni are on hand, and even lactaid pills can be purchased at the counter for only 75¢ a pop. Add high affordability to that list (prices ranging from $4 to $18), and S’mac is officially an all-inclusive eatery where there’s no excuse not to visit. With a second location co-located with Pinch Pizza at Columbus and 82nd, there is no reason not to take a study break and refuel at this one-of-a-kind cheesy heaven. Ava Friedmann is a Barnard senior and Bulletin Food Critic.
FEATURES Alumna Letter
The Young Alumnae Committee is a group of Barnard graduates from the past ten years who dedicate themselves to keeping fellow recent alumnae in touch with the college and each other. These women were recently students themselves, and they freshly remember the blissful weeks of freedom between semesters. Here, they offer you some advice on how to enjoy this time to the fullest. On behalf of the Young Alumnae Committee, we wish you a wonderful Winter Break. Enjoy your Winter Break! Remember, unless you are going straight to graduate school, in the working world Winter Break is a four day weekend, a week if you’re lucky or in publishing. My favorite Winter Breaks during my time at Barnard were the ones I spent traveling to visit friends I met in college in their home towns. I saw San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C., and El Paso. The friendships you make at Barnard can take you beyond 116th street and Winter Break is the perfect opportunity to see your friends’ lives outside of school. Ashley Kelly ’04, Chair of the Young Alumnae Committee Winter break is the perfect time to think about your summer! Not only does it keep you warm, it gets you ahead of the game for housing and competitive internship programs. Do some research either online or in your hometown - you'll have a lot more time and energy to put applications together now then during your spring classes. Aliza Arenson ’03 RELAX! If you will be spending any time in the city, think about the times during the semester when you really wanted to go to an event or museum but told yourself you didn't have the time. Take advantage of the free time you have over winter break! The days I remember most are the days I did something new or went somewhere that I enjoyed, not the days I stayed in and watched television. Kathleen Christatos ’07 Try to spend as little time as possible in the lonely Res Halls and savor your home, your family, and all of your old friends even if you think your time in New York has made you way more sophisticated. There will be time for great internships and cool travels during the summer--use these four cold weeks to recharge and feel like you're a blissfully ignorant high school student again! Gillian DiPietro ’07 Barnard opened my eyes to the diversity within our campus and in New York City. As a pre-medical student I didn't have an opportunity to take advantage of the study abroad programs that Barnard offers. Looking back now, I wish I had taken advantage of those cold winters during winter break to explore a new culture through travel. Planned early enough it can turn into an amazing internship on an affordable budget. And who knows, maybe it will open your eyes to something novel and amazing, something you just might have missed. Sabrina Huda ’02
Winter break is the perfect time to experience something new; a month off and no classes to worry about. Take a tour of another country, help out at a local food pantry, try 5 new restaurants and 5 new cuisines, attempt snowboarding or surfing, learn how to make a 5 course meal from scratch. Maybe you will discover a new passion that will help you in finding your perfect summer internship, travel excursion or even your senior thesis topic. Nicole Leavenworth ’06 Take time to relax, go to museums, visit family and friends, try yoga or some fun exercise, learn to cook a new meal, or try another new activity. Do something good for your soul. Free Mondesire ’03 Spend a vacation in NYC. With all of the classes, homework, and activities, it can be difficult to find time to explore the city. I spent one of my winter vacations in the city and loved taking in all of the sights and spectacles of the holiday season without the pressure of having to rush back to Morningside Heights for a seminar or discussion section. Or else, go travel! Once you graduate college, your vacation/free time becomes extremely limited and you no longer have the luxury of taking off 3-4 weeks at a time. Plan your time wisely and take advantage of your free time. Pamela Wiznitzer ’07 Take a moment to write down a list of things you want to do (non-academic) before you graduate. Think about how you can make the most of your time with friends who may end up moving far away or take advantage of all that Barnard and CU offer that you may have taken for granted. Also take some time to write down a few things you hope to have done, or manifested in your life in a year from now. This is the time to start transitioning to life after college and the intentions you put in place now will have time to grow into reality over the coming several months. There's no clear-cut path once you leave the Barnard gates, but defining what you truly want in the next year will make sure you're ready to jump at opportunities when they arise! Michaella Holden ’03
AD Healthy Women 19-29: Egg donors needed. Help women with infertility create families. Be compensated for doing good! To apply, email info@mydonor.net or call 212-691-6600. Info will be kept confidential. www.MyDonor.net
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AD
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FEATURES
ARCHIVE PAGE
From February 8th, 1988:
To access back issues of the Bulletin, please go to http://barnardcollege.newspaperarchive.com
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featured artist: Asiya Khaki
printed on recycled paper by Corcoran Printing