Fall 2008- Spring 2009 Barnard Bulletin Issues

BARNARD

BULLETIN

Inside: The Tower of Babel: ESL Students at Barnard Can You Keep a Secret?

An interview with Nightline’s Co- Directors A Review of Chekhov’s Three Sisters

Vol. CXVII, Issue 7

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February 22nd- March 7th 2009

Letter From the Editors Do you know the name Lilly Ledbetter? It may sound vaguely familiar, and it should.

The first piece of legislation that President Obama signed was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, resetting the 180-day statue of limitations for suing on the grounds of pay discrimination.

Despite what we may perceive, pay discrimination is still a very real problem for women everywhere, especially in our own backyard.

Last semester we started our column, The Art of Negotiation, to help Barnard students better prepare themselves for the real world. This was all due to Ms. Ledbetter’s unwavering strength and resilience. As a factory worker at Goodyear Tires, Ms. Ledbetter was a victim of pay discrimination like many women, but did not stay silent. Before retiring in 1998, she received an anonymous note with details comparing her pay to that of her male counterparts. When she filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she was assigned to lift heavy tires.

Ms. Ledbetter’s case went on to the Supreme Court, and was championed by numerous Senators last year. Among those Senators was current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who visited Barnard this fall to hold a press conference about pay equity.

Without Ms. Ledbetter, Barnard women today would be facing not only a difficult job market, but also dangerous loopholes in our anti-discrimination laws. Using Ms. Ledbetter as an example, we can find a certain kind of unwavering hope; we know that the fight continues.

Also, to be a little trite, if it weren’t for Ms. Ledbetter, Hillary wouldn’t be coming.

Alison Hodgson

Allegra Panetto

Corrections: In our final fall issue, the centerpiece article “Honoring the Code: Academic Integrity at Barnard” contained a few errors. Much to our embarrassment, we misspelled the name of a woman who is near and dear to the Bulletin, Dean Dorothy Denburg. Dean Karen Blank was also referred to as the Dean of Students, rather than her proper title, the Dean of Studies.

Editorial Board Co-Editors-in-Chief Alison Hodgson ’10 Allegra Panetto ’09 Managing Editor Viana Siniscalchi ’11 Editor-at-Large Amanda Lanceter ’09 Co-Features Editors Samantha Greenberg ’11 Hayley Panasuik ’11 Politics & Opinion Editor Nancy Elshami ’10 Arts & Entertainment Editor Rebekah Kim ’10

Music Editor Rebecca Spalding ’12 New York City Living Editor Emma Brockway ’10 Art Director Emily Stein ’09 Head Copy Editor Gillian Adler ’10

Management Head of Finance Nelly Davcheva ’10 Advertising Manager Iffat Kabeer ’11 Office Manager Claire Frosch ’10

Please note that the opinions expressed by individual authors are not necessarily reflective of the Bulletin Staff.

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Public Relations Coordinators Tracy Rodrigues ’11 Miriam Toaff ’10

Production

Photo Editor Julia Martinez ’09 Web Designer Diana Windemuth ’11

Associate Editors Ariel Merrick ’09 Daliya Poulose ’12 Amanda Rodhe ’12 Claire Stern ’12 Layout Editor Meagan McElroy ’10

Front Cover Art

Assistant Art Director Mabel McLean ’12

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

Concept and Design: Alison Hodgson Allegra Panetto Emily Stein Drawings: Rebekah Kim

Ashley Smith

Want your artwork on the back? Please submit it by email to backcover@barnardbulletin.com.

Features

Staf f Events Calendar 4 The Ar t of Negotiation 5 Bear Essentials 6 Rever ber ations 7 Cooking Column 8 Can You Keep a Secret? They Can An Inter view with Nightline’s Co-Direc tor s 18 The Wandering Photogr apher 28 Alumna Let ter 31 Archive Page 4

Politics & Opinion

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Ga za: Per spec tives Solidarity in Peace New Column: Women in Politics

Centerpiece

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Tower of Babel: ESL Students at Barnard

Arts & Entertainment

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So Long, Str avinsk y, Hello Chelsea Handler : Comedy at Carnegie Hall Notorious Movie Premieres Turn into Shootings Small Space, Big Impac t: Classical Theatre of Harlem Good One, Virginia Musings of a Pop Culture Junkie: Doctor Who?!

Music

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Is Sharing Caring?

Broadening the Musical Spectr um at the Oscar s Familiar Ar tists, New Releases

NYC Living

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Madoff and Tradeoffs The Many Sides of New Yor k City Living Southern Comfor t Moves Uptown The Fr ugal Foodista: Bao Noodles

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FEATURES

Events: Staff Picks February 20th Show your Barnard school spirit at the 5pm Tailgate Dinner in LeFrak gym before the Columbia women’s basketball team faces off against Brown. RSVP by February 17th to Annie Aversa (aaversa@barnard. edu) and get dinner, game tickets and a chance to support the great causes of Breast Cancer Awareness and women’s basketball.

February 20th Ever wanted to see theater troupes competing in a cage match competition? The Battle of the Bards is the closest you’ll ever get to that experience.

Theater companies will perform one-act plays written, rehearsed and staged in only 3 weeks at The Canal Room at 6:00 pm. Get tickets and more information at www. theatermania.com.

February 22nd This is your last chance to see the Paris/New York: Design Fashion Culture 1925-1940 exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York.

Featuring drawings, photographs and films, the exhibit compares the creative arts of Paris and New York during a truly exciting time in fashion and design history. Admission is free for students so head down to 103th street and 5th Avenue before this exhibit finishes its run.

Samantha Greenberg, Co-Features Editor February 25 Whether you’re interested in sociology, architecture, or African culture, this lecture is bound to have something to tickle your fancy.

Abosede George will be giving a talk on Reflections on the Historical Practice of Architectural Representations of Lagos, Nigeria from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Common Room, Heyman Center for the Humanities East Campus at Columbia University.

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February 25 If you’re ready to get on your feet and dance, then listen to this! Colombian pianist and composer Pablo Mayor and his powerhouse band, Folklore

Urbano, release their third album at the High Line Ballroom at 8pm.

Tickets are $12, $10 for those at tables. www.highlineballroom.com February 26 Labelle takes the stage at the Beacon Theatre for their “Back to Now” tour— the reunited trio’s first national tour since 1977. Don’t miss this night of R&B as Patti Labelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah Dash perform their classic hits along with songs from their latest album also titled “Back to Now” at the Beacon Theatre at 8pm. Ticket prices range from $59.50-154.50. www. beacontheatre.com Hayley Panasuik, Co-Features Editor March 3 Love marionettes—or are Muppets your thing? Go Inside the Mind of Basil Twist at 7:30 p.m. at the Japan Society and hear puppet-master Twist talk about his craft with the prestigious Awaji Puppet Theater Company. Also attending will be Cheryl Henson, daughter of the late, great Muppet man himself. To nab an $18 ticket check out www. japansociety.org.

March 3 If for some reason you can’t get enough Jeff Goldblum or Willam Dafoe in your life, watch them in all their glory in the new film Adam Resurrected at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater.

And if Goldblum just doesn’t do it for you, stop by anyway and hear Director Paul Schrader talk about the acclaimed work after the 9p.m. showing.

March 5 Iraq ’n’ roll with Rahim AlHaj, virtuoso ’ud player. If you’re a fan of the lute, don’t miss the 7:30 performance at Symphony Space’s Thalia Theatre ($18). Or, if you dance to the beat of a Latin drum, check out the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at 8 p.m. to bust a move with the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra ($20). Buy tickets at www.symphonyspace.org.

Rebekah Kim, Arts and Entertainment Editor

The Art of Negotiation Tips on pay negotiation from powerful and accomplished women 1. Do your homework. Know what the market pays for a comparable job -- it’s always better to play from a position of knowledge.

2. Negotiate. This isn’t a “dirty” word. Often you are given an offer and there is wiggle room - either in relation to the salary or other benefits. Data shows that women often accept an offer without negotating. Men almost always negotiate. You should too.

3. Don’t overplay your card. While you should negotiate -- and try to get the best offer. Don’t be so full of bravado to make them take the offer back (this has been known to happen).

4. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s not just about a salary. You want to ask questions about structure, about expectations for success etc.

Remember you want to take a job where YOU will be successful... so make sure to try to ascertain that there will be tools in place to help you once you get to the job. .

Maryam Banikarim, Chief Marketing Officer, Univision Communications Inc.

BEAR ESSENTIALS PROGRAM PLANNING MEETINGS FOR THE FIRST-YEAR CLASS will be held on Tuesday, March 3, in 202 Altschul Hall at 12-1pm and 5:30-6:30pm. At the meetings, Dean Hollibaugh will discuss important deadlines and information for advance program filing, L-course and lottery sign-ups, departmental program meetings, summer course policies and more. All firstyear students should plan to attend one of these meetings. Visit barnardfirstyear.blogspot.com for updates.

PROGRAM PLANNING MEETINGS FOR SOPHOMORES will be held on Monday, March 2, 5:30-6:30pm, 304 Barnard Hall (Held Auditorium); and Thursday, March 5, 12-1pm, 304 Barnard Hall. All sophomore students should plan to attend one of these meetings.

LAST DAY TO DROP A COURSE for the spring 2009 semester is Tuesday, February 24. Please pick up the appropriate form at the Registrar’s Office. All students are expected to enroll in a minimum of 12 points each semester. Academic advisers must approve course drops.

STUDY ABROAD REPRESENTATIVE: A representative from Boston University will be present in Hewitt Dining Hall on Monday, March 2, 11:30am-1pm, to talk about their programs in Spain, Niger, China, and Italy and other countries.

STUDY ABROAD LISTSERV: If you would like to receive information regarding study abroad, or updates on upcoming events or visits, please send your name, email, and class to studyabroad@barnard.edu and we will add you to our listserv.

STRESSED OUT? Every Wednesday, 12:15-1pm, there’s a Stress Management workshop in the Well Woman office (119 Reid), facilitated by therapists from Furman Counseling. No sign up necessary, just show up. Come once, come every week!

FIGHT THE FLU WITH A FREE FLU SHOT! Flu season has arrived at the College, but it’s not too late to protect yourself.

Free flu shots are available for students in the Barnard Student Health Service, 9am-4pm, Monday through Friday. Just walk in. Students with chronic illnesses are especially encouraged to get a flu shot.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO TRAVEL ABROAD DURING SPRING BREAK, make sure you are up to date on your vaccines and aware of health concerns in the regions you are traveling to.

Call the Health Service at 212-854-2091 to schedule a pre-travel visit.

BARNARD HEALTH SERVICES SPRING BREAK NOTICE: The Barnard College Student Health Service will be closed for clinical care during Spring Break, March 16-March 20. The Health Service will be open for administrative purposes only during the Break, 9am-4:30pm. Barnard students will have access to Columbia University Health Services during the Break for urgent care needs only. Call Health Services at Columbia at 212-854-7426 for information. Additionally, the Emergency

Clinician-On-Call will be available 24/7 during Spring Break for telephone emergency medical advice at 866-966-7788.

Emergency Room visits must be authorized by the Clinician-OnCall in order to activate the Barnard Student Medical Insurance for reimbursement.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS: All F-1 students who will be traveling outside the United States for Spring Break and whose I-20’s have signatures older than six months must obtain a new signature prior to leaving the US. Dean Kuan Tsu, Dean Starks and Mr. Farrell in the Dean of Studies Office are authorized to sign I-20’s. Seniors who are interested in working in the United States after graduation or any other F-1 students who wish to work off campus for the summer should make an appointment to see Dean Kuan Tsu or Dean Starks as soon as possible to begin the application process for optional practical training.

STUDENTS INTERESTED IN STUDYING ABROAD: As you begin to consider studying abroad, we encourage you to obtain a passport if you do not already have one. To start the process, visit the U.S. Department of State Passport Information website at http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html.

International students should speak with Dean Kuan Tsu or Dean Starks about the impact of study abroad on your visa.

SPRING 2009 PROGRAM PLANNING MEETINGS FOR MAJORS AND PROSPECTIVE MAJORS (scheduled as of 2/9/09): These meetings are very informative, and we urge prospective majors, as well as majors, to attend.

AMERICAN STUDIES: Monday, March 23, 6-7pm, 421 Lehman CHEMISTRY/BIOCHEMISTRY: Friday, April 3, 12-2pm, Sulzberger North Tower DANCE: Wednesday, March 11, 12pm, Barnard Annex (2nd floor) EDUCATION: Thursday, March 12, 12pm, 327 Milbank ENGLISH: Tuesday, March 24, 2:30-4pm, Sulzberger Parlor (Barnard Hall 3rd floor) ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE: Thursday, March 26, 6:30pm, 530 Altschul FILM STUDIES: Tuesday, March 3, 6-7pm, 202 Barnard Hall GERMAN: Thursday, March 5, 6pm, 318 Milbank HISTORY: Monday, March 30, 5-6pm, 409 Barnard Hall HUMAN RIGHTS: Thursday, March 12, 12:15-1pm, 225 Milbank ITALIAN: Friday, March 6, 12-1pm, 320A Milbank MUSIC: Wednesday, March 4, 2:30pm, 319 Milbank PHILOSOPHY: Tuesday, March 10, 12-1pm, 326 Milbank PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY: Tuesday, March 31, 4pm, 514 Altschul POLITICAL SCIENCE: Monday, March 30, 11:30am-1pm, Sulzberger North Tower THEATRE: Wednesday, March 25, 6pm, 229 Milbank URBAN STUDIES: Wednesday, April 1, 6pm, 202 Barnard Hall

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FEATURES

R E V ER BER AT IONS Creative fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose submitted by Barnard students.

Wars to Fight

by Nina Spierer

And I know there are wars to fight And revolutions to write, poems to start And a life beyond these walls And I know you’ll be gone and then I’ll miss you tomorrow but right now I just want to watch your skin glow moonlight Watch your eyes fade Into the darkness of love I want to pretend that your arms never have to leave and flowers never die And maybe Bowie was wrong I would never have to be face to face with the man who sold the world And all I want do is to stay here the bridge lights will illuminate the souls of the trees And we won’t ever have to let them in My hand touching your Scent mingling with my How can I hold you in my fears?

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FEATURES

Photography by Christina Black

Moroccan Tagine Fit for a Queen (or some impressive Barnard Women) A column by Christina Black

Fly away with me to warmer climes where dinner parties always look extraordinary and are fun to host. David Tanis’ much-anticipated cookbook, A Platter of Figs, provided the magic carpet one day when I had no idea what I wanted to eat, much less cook for a party of friends. It led me to one of my best meals to date. I ended up tweaking his marvelous “Moroccan Comfort Food” menu to fit the ingredients that looked appealing to me at the grocery store and to suit my limited number of pots and pans.

This meal was accompanied by an excellent Chilean Cabernet-Sauvignon: Veramonte, a 2006 Riserva from the Colchagua Valley. It’s $11 at my wine store.

Serves six large appetites.

Warm Buttery Chickpeas * One pound dried chickpeas, picked over, and soaked overnight. * The next day, drain them, and put them in a pot with three quarts of water along with an onion chopped in quarters, one cinnamon stick, a few cloves, a splash of olive oil, and some salt. * Bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer until the chickpeas are tender, about 1 hour. (If you usually use canned beans, you’ll notice this method produces meatier, more flavorful beans.) * Leave it to cool. You’ll use the cooking water for the tagine. * When the tagine’s almost done cooking, reheat the chickpeas in whatever liquid is still in the pot. * Drain over a bowl, reserving all leftover cooking water for the coucous. * Dress the chickpeas with butter, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, and chopped parsley.

Butternut Chicken Tagine * Peel a two lbs. butternut squash (or any other winter squash like pumpkin), remove seeds, and chop into large slices. * Season all with salt, pepper, and ground cumin (toast and roughly grind the seeds yourself if you can. * Then season six pieces of chicken legs (with thighs) with salt, pepper, fresh mashed ginger, and more ground cumin. * Dice three large onions, and sauté them in a combination of olive oil and butter (two tb each). Season with salt. * When golden, turn off the heat and add a large pinch of saffron (crumble between your fingers), and six sliced cloves of garlic. Season to taste with red chili flakes. * Spread the onions in a bottom layer in a shallow earthenware casserole dish (but a glass one can work too). * Top with the slices of squash. * Arrange the chicken, skin-side up on top. * Add 3-4 cups of the chickpea cooking liquid, barely covering the chicken. * Cover the casserole (tin foil works), and bake for 30 minutes at 400˚F.

* Uncover, and cook at 375˚F until the chicken in golden brown on top. ** It’s great vegetarian too. Simply omit the chicken and take 5-10 minutes off both ends of the cooking time.

Harissa Oil * Toast a tablespoon each of cumin, coriander, caraway, and fennel seeds (however I got by with only the first 2, augmenting it with sesame seeds) over medium heat until they are fragrant. * With a pestle and mortar, smash 2 garlic cloves with a tsp of salt so that it forms a paste. * Add the toasted seeds and grind them up. * Add 3 Tb. sweet paprika, 1 tsp red chili flakes, a splash of red wine vinegar, and up to a cup of extra-virgin olive oil. * Stir well. * This keeps in the fridge for up to a week. Spoon the oil over the tagine, couscous, and chickpeas to taste while serving.

It adds the essential North African spice kick.

Spiced Carrot Salad * Take a bunch of beautiful, peeled carrots. * Using a vegetable peeler, turn all the carrots into long curls. * Season liberally with salt and pepper. * Add 2 cloves minced garlic. * Add 2 tsp. each: ground, toasted cumin and coriander seeds. * Season to taste with red pepper flakes, lemon juice, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and chopped parsley. * Chill in the fridge until ready to serve.

Couscous * Cook about 400 g. (or 15 oz.) of couscous according to the packet instructions. You may want to substitute the water with any left over chickpea stock!

Christina Black is a Barnard senior and Bulletin cooking columnist.

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FEATURES

Can you keep a secret? They can.

by Emma Brockway BB: What would you say to the author of the Spectator article and the quoted individuals who write off a crisis hotline as impersonal and useless? What are the benefits of a crisis hotline?

RS: Callers come to Nightline when they don’t know what to do in a given situation. They want to talk, have someone listen to their issues and help them reflect on what’s going on in their life.

EB: There’s a difference between being impersonal and being anonymous. Our counselors are trained to relate to callers and help them through any given issue. Just because our counselors are anonymous, it doesn’t mean that they can’t relate and help people through their problems.

BB: Nightline isn’t a substitute for professional counseling, though.

EB: We’re not licensed therapists and we don’t pretend to be. We listen, but we are also a huge referral service. We never end a call without giving practical guidance as to where our callers can turn for professional help.

I recently sat down with Rachel Simonson, BC ’10 and Elisheva Bellin, BC ’10, the new directors of Nightline, Columbia University’s venerated peer counseling hotline.

The lines are open every night from 10 pm to 3 am, at which time trained Columbia and Barnard peer counselors field calls from students seeking anonymous, nonjudgmental support. This semester, as a new crop of volunteers begins the rigorous training process, returning members grapple not only with difficult new economic realities, but also a tragic death on the Columbia campus. Just weeks into their tenure, Simonson and Bellin have experienced the inherent problems associated with their assignment as the public voice and face of an otherwise anonymous organization.

Barnard Bulletin (BB): Nightline was the topic of a recent Spectator article in which the doubts were raised about Nightline’s relevance and purpose on campus. How did that piece make you feel?

Rachel Simonson (RS): The piece wasn’t what we were expecting; the jump title of the article read “Students Skeptical of Nightline.” We felt as though our organization was made into something controversial, whereas we feel that there is nothing controversial about Nightline.

Elisheva Bellin (EB): The article spoke harshly of our callers and was judgmental of them. They were described as desperate and our lines were described as a last resort.

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RS: A lot of times our callers don’t even know what resources are available to them on campus. When they call Nightline, we explain to them how to seek out professional resources.

BB: How does your group respond to campus issues such as the dismal economy that seniors will face in a matter of months and the tragic suicide at Columbia?

RS: An ongoing conversation with staff is how we can become better counselors; the way to do that is to know what’s happening on campus. This attentiveness is an effort for us to know the particular needs of our callers to be better able to help them.

BB: How are members of your group trained to deal with the range of callers, from someone who is just having a bad night to those whom you consider “high-risk?”

RS: Everyone who wants to become a member of Nightline has to go through rigorous training. If you are working on the lines one night, you have no idea what kind of issues may come up in a call, so our training process is twofold. We have on campus professionals from Counseling and Psychological Services at Columbia and the Furman Counseling Center at Barnard talk to us about particular issues they deal with in their offices. Then, trainees apply that

FEATURES

An Interview with Nightline’s New Directors

“There’s a difference between being impersonal and being anonymous.

Our counselors are trained to relate to callers and help them through any given issue. Just because our counselors are anonymous, it doesn’t mean that they can’t relate and help people through their problems.”

information in practice calls that they do with members of staff who are currently on the lines. The training culminates in a certification test where skills are evaluated to determine if the candidate is ready to staff the lines.

EB: Throughout the process, trainees acquire active listening skills and learn how to be sympathetic and empathetic on the phone. It’s not like we can hug or console our callers like we do our friends.

BB: What do you do to keep the confidentiality of your membership?

EB: You learn how to become a good white liar. Late night study groups and meetings at random times become your cover stories. It’s awful that we have to lie to our closest friends, but ultimately it’s for the all important purpose of protecting our callers.

BB: With anonymous membership, it must be difficult to publicize your group. Does that mean flyers go up at 3 am, or that the bulk of the outreach is done by the two directors?

EB: “Flyering” actually isn’t as much of an issue as one might think, because everyone is always flyering all over campus. People don’t really pay that much attention to us. That said, we try to post in a discrete way; if there are a

million people at Java City, then we don’t flyer there at 10:25 in the morning when class lets out.

RS: Elisheva and I deal with offices on campus that involve student workers or are student run. The only contacts for our group are Elisheva and me.

BB: How did your friends react when you revealed that you were the co-directors of Nightline? Were they pleasantly surprised, or annoyed that you had kept a secret for two years?

RS: At first, I thought that my friends would be upset that I had been lying to them, but most everybody was intrigued, interested and not concerned with the fact that I had kept my work with Nightline a secret from them. Everyone seems to be very interested in how the organization functions and what it is like being a counselor.

EB: It’s nice for people to know that students they see all the time, their friends or people in their classes and around campus are the ones staffing the lines.

BB: Your organization seems very much in tune with the Barnard mission statement of “helping students achieve the personal strength that will enable them to meet the challenges they will encounter throughout their lives.” While your group is open to all Columbia students, do you think the Barnard milieu of empathy carries over to your organization?

EB: For Simon and me, both being strong Barnard women, something that enabled us to join Nightline was the empowerment that Barnard has instilled in us. That independence, strength, and sensitivity that Barnard cultivates is something you need to help others and yourself.

RS: I always found a supportive environment at Barnard, but being a member of Nightline has made me feel like an even more integral part of the community. I feel like I’m really helping to bring the Barnard and Columbia communities together.

Editor’s Note: Nightline is open from 10pm to 3am nightly; counselors can be reached at 212-854-7777.

Emma Brockway is a Barnard junior and Bulletin New York City Living Editor.

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POLITICS & OPINION

Perspectives on Gaza

by Samantha Greenberg Safety and security are inalienable rights that people everywhere deserve.

This, at least, is a fact that Israelis and Palestinians can agree on. Yet many observers of the most recent conflict in Gaza believe that Israel should back down no matter the consequences. These people forget the years-long buildup to this explosion of violence. The Second Intifada, as the recent conflict in the territories and Israel is most often called, began in 2000. For nearly a decade, the back and forth nature of the war has made everyone involved a victim and a criminal. The media loves to criticize Israel for the way it responds to terrorist attacks that target civilians on a daily basis. Others continually chastise the Palestinians for their continual reliance on violent methods to achieve freedom.

The key to both arguments is violence – violence perpetuates the cycle of hatred, death, resentment and dissatisfaction that has made Israel a tinderbox for decades.

I do not, even as a proud proIsraeli Jewish-American, condone the acts of the Israeli Defense Forces. I do not condone the acts of the Palestinian Liberation Association, Hamas and other terrorist organizations that provoke Israel at the expense of Palestinian civilians. Israel has run out of options and found it necessary to respond to the terrorist attacks that occuvrred despite the ceasefire. How else can Israel disarm terrorist organizations but with violence?

Palestinians have no government to advocate on their behalf or negotiate with Israel. Hamas may have been elected,

Intangible Peace

Israeli transgression upon the Palestinians is no novelty. For over sixty years, Israel has successfully expelled millions of Palestinians from their homeland, dispossessed them of their jobs, and killed hundreds of thousands.

Since the United Nations partition plan of 1947, Israel has aggressively and unlawfully expanded its borders into Palestinian territory without any consideration for the land’s incumbent owners. From 1967 onward, Israel has disregarded countless UN resolutions and international humanitarian pleas.

Among these are Resolutions 242 & 338 (which state that Israel must retreat from the territories it occupied during the Six Day War), Resolution 194 (which states that it must allow refugees to return to their homes), and countless others. The most recent display of brutality in the Gaza strip thus comes as no surprise considering Israel’s long history of

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unrelenting, systematic oppression of the Palestinian people and violation of international law.

The seeds of last December’s conflict were sown when Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza strip in 2007 after Hamas asserted its power in the strip. The blockade triggered a grave humanitarian crisis in Gaza, leaving people without sufficient food, water, or electricity. Clashes between Hamas and Israel persisted until the six-month truce was signed in June 2008, a truce stipulating that Hamas would stop firing rockets into southern Israel and that Israel would not attack Gaza. However, Israel continued to restrict humanitarian aid to the region even after the truce, and so tunnels on the border of Egypt were dug to transport foodstuffs. Israel broke the truce when it bombed these tunnels, killing 6 Palestinians.

As the occupying power, Israel

but using children as human shields and hospitals as terrorist cells are acts of despotic rule. I wonder what would truly make Palestinians happy enough to stop launching thousands of rockets into Israel. Realistically, Israel will never simply give up their entire state to Palestinian rule. Israel has offered a two-state solution only to be denied time after time by Palestinian leaders.

In order to live in peace, something both Israelis and Palestinians want, one group will have to stand down. An organized government has the right to defend its people. Israel will never fully capitulate to Palestinian demands of withdrawal until it can guarantee the safety of its citizens.

Samantha Greenberg is a Barnard sophomore and Bulletin Co-Features Editor.

by Nancy Elshami is bound under international and humanitarian law in its relations with Gaza. The International Law Division in Israel (IDL), the unit responsible for assuring that the Israeli Defense Force’s attacks are legally permissible, does little in the way of actually upholding the law; rather, the division interprets the law to suit the IDF’s aims. “The unit is considered more militant than any other legal body in Israel, and is ready to adopt the most flexible interpretations of the law in order to justify IDF operations,” states an article published by Haaretz.

This explains why people who try to protect their homes from destruction are deemed human shields by the IDL, and therefore permissible targets.

That Israel has committed war crimes and violated international laws is indisputable. Israel’s attack was disproportional and cruel by all measures, killing over 1,300 Palestinians

POLITICS & OPINION (mostly women and children) in comparison to 13 Israeli deaths. That is a 100 to 1 ratio. While Hamas rockets are by no means laudable, the brute force with which Israel came down upon the people of Gaza transcended the aims of self defense to bolster support for the Kadima party in the Israeli elections.

The bombing of an UNRWA school housing women and children (the GPS coordinates of which were provided to the IDF), the use of white phosphorous in weaponry (prohibited by international law because it burns the flesh of victims), and the targeting of civilian police officers (who hold civilian status unless they are actively engaged in battle) are all blatant legal infringements that must be condemned.

In the wake of this tragic event,

the prospect of peace seems to have become more adamantly illusive. Israel’s refusal to recognize the sovereignty of the Palestinian people, the thousands of illegal Jewish settlements existing throughout Palestinian territories, and the destitute living conditions of the Palestinians are integral causes to the impossibility of peace. What Hamas and similar organizations have asked of the Israeli government are basic, universal rights; Hamas demands the implementation of UN resolutions and international law.

It is often overlooked that Palestine is an occupied territory.

Resolutions that acknowledge some of their rights are useless so long as Israel continues to violate them. The failure of the international community to attend

to the Palestinian humanitarian crisis and hold Israel accountable for its legal transgressions is tragic and shameful.

Amidst this injustice and oppression, it is not surprising that the Palestinians often see violence as the only way to secure their survival, let alone their rights.

Reciprocating this with more violence will not solve this problem. Even if Israel beats Hamas into submission, another liberation organization will bud, and another, and another. That is because the Palestinian cause is unscathed by Israel’s missiles and tanks. Peace will inevitably remain intangible so long as justice and human rights remain concepts that exist only in ivory-tower resolutions and proclamations. As Nelson Mandela once said, “only free men can negotiate.”

Nancy Elshami is a Barnard junior and Bulletin Politics and Opinion Editor.

Solidarity in Peace On the heels of the most recent breakdown in Israeli-Palestinian relations, the Middle East and the international community are once again surveying the damage done. Following a three-week long Israeli offensive in which Israel launched a ground attack in response to the firing of rockets by the Palestinians, a ceasefire was reached during the third week of January. The conflict resulted from a prematurely ended six-month truce.

Israeli civilians caught in the middle of the conflict feel that Israel has the right to defend itself against shelling by the Palestinians. According to Amnesty International’s Donatella Rovera, from September 2000 to December 2008, Palestinians have killed 1,100 Israelis.

Israel’s military power indisputably dominates that of the Palestinians; Israeli forces have killed an estimated 5,500 Palestinians. An estimated 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israeli citizens were killed in the most recent conflict.

Both the United States Senate and House of Representatives voted to support Israel in its acts of self-defense, and Israel undoubtedly reserves the responsibility of protecting its citizens.

The question at hand is not whether Israelis or Palestinians are right. The matter at hand is one of accountability.

Although the Palestinians’ usage of rockets poses a threat to the citizens of Israel, no justification exists for the disproportionate attacks employed in Gaza. Israel’s denial of humanitarian

by Claire Frosch assistance and media access to the war white phosphorous, which was used front creates many questions as well. in other civilian areas and is intended The United States and the as a smokescreen agent, is prohibited international community must insist by the UN because it causes severe on accountability for the actions of burns. Israel’s attack on a humanitarian Palestine and Israel. Most importantly, assistance mission, as well as the denial the Palestinian and Israeli people must of humanitarian aid to the people in Gaza, demand that their leaders comply with violates international humanitarian law international guidelines for conducting and may constitute a war crime. war. Although both sides suffered Observers of the Israeli-Palestinian innumerable atrocities and devastation, conflict too often only look at legitimacy. committing crimes of war and crimes At times, the international community against humanity remains unacceptable grows so involved in claims of justified and inexcusable. As a U.S. ally and actions and legitimacy that they lose a democracy, Israel should strive to sight of the bigger picture: peace. Instead represent the ideals of freedom and of displaying solidarity and pride in the equality that a democratic country wake of dissolving relations, supporters should herald in the region. Retaliating should display solidarity when either with attacks that leave large numbers of group commits peaceful acts that are civilians dead or wounded does not induce conducive to resolving the ongoing feelings of goodwill and tolerance. conflict. Although displaying support During the three-week long conflict, remains important, one should be wary both sides established strong cases for not to turn a blind eye to atrocities that crimes of war, and even crimes against are being committed. In the words of humanity. Firing of indiscriminate Malcom X, “You’re not supposed to be rockets by Palestinian armed groups so blind with patriotism that you can’t violates international laws of war. Israel’s face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter attacks often targeted civilians and who says it.” Although Malcom X spoke civilian objects. Moreover, these attacks during a different time, the message frequently exceeded the justified level is the same. No matter one’s personal of response by being disproportionate beliefs, the leaders of Israel, Hamas, and indiscriminate. The bombing of a and their allies have a responsibility to United Nations Relief and Work Agency minimize damage and casualties and to (UNRWA) compound provides an genuinely work towards peace, even if it especially gruesome example. The UN means forgiving past transgressions. We Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, called owe it to the civilians who have died in for investigations into the use of white this conflict to demand accountability phosphorous in this attack; the use of and answers.

Claire Frosch is a Barnard junior and Bulletin Office Manager.

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POLITICS & OPINION

Women in Politics

by Gillian Adler

exhibit aggressive motives and behaviors to get ahead or be taken seriously all the time. In her research on women, power and politics, journalist Maria Hinojosa, BC ’84, found women leaders who enunciated unique voices and styles in their leadership positions, women who mean an enormous stride forward toward hope and change. Hinojosa discovered female politicians around the globe who sought determinedly to correct problems within their domain; for example, Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet built shelters for abused women and created more drastic reprecussionsrepercussions for cases of sexual harassment.

The need for diversity and, in particular, women, in all kinds of leadership positions, is imperative.

Nevertheless, there must still be a cautious examination of candidates; woman does not mean women’s rights.

A generation of new women leaders is on the rise, and if people are wise, they will let in those who will progress and prove themselves a force that changes the world.

Gillian Adler is a Barnard junior and Bulletin Head Copy Editor.

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Drawing by Stefie Gan

When Sarah Palin was asked to aid Republican presidential candidate John McCain as vice president, she was congratulated. Many trustingly envisioned her as the first potential female vice president. Others called Palin gutsy for being able to raise five children and also to asvpire to leap from the position of Alaskan governor to United States vice president. Even though she was clearly unqualified, people were proud to have a woman running for this position.

In her article featured on Washington Post’s website, Barnard president Debora Spar highlighted the imperative need for women in leadership positions, mainly “because they tend— over time and in the aggregate—to make different kinds of decisions and to accept and avoid different kinds of risk” than men do. The workplace needs diversity not to fulfill a quota but to enable the cooperation and inclusion of various viewpoints.

Nevertheless, one look at Palin can make a person question this argument, which from one angle seems to suggest that all women, qualified or not, are needed in positions of power. Aside from

Palin’s dearth of qualifications for the vice-presidency, her views and policies can in many cases be labeled as antifeminist. Those who call for women in power should advocate women who endorse women’s rights, and who stand, through experience and as vehicles of positive change, as reasons for the necessary election of women to office.

Palin may have been ambitious, but she did not even support abortion in the direst cases of rape. She fervently planned to install anti-women policies. According to pbs.org, political activist Gloria Fledt hit the nail on the head—“Sarah Palin is to women’s rights what Clarence Thomas and Ward Connerly are to civil rights: the antithesis of the struggle for social justice and equality.”

This is not an argument against Palin, per se. This is an argument against individuals who would support a woman for a position of extreme responsibility merely because she is a woman, or a man merely because he is a man, and so on.

Why would one encourage women to pursue high positions if not to stand up for equality and human rights in doing so? In the case of an election of such an unqualified woman, women’s rights would have no chance of improvement.

The only way to truly overcome issues of gender discrimination is to laud the election of qualified persons, regardless of gender.

Women don’t need to act like men or

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Are You There, Carnegie?

It’s Me, Chelsea

by Sophia Mossberg Okay, I admit it: my copy of Judy Blume’s Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret was well worn by the time my tenth birthday came around, in part due to the fact that I had received copies from various acquaintances at my past three birthday parties. So you can imagine my surprise when, upon perusing the new nonfiction section at Barnes and Noble, I came across the wittily titled Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, looking up at me like a blast from the past (albeit a newly unsuitable version for my fifth grade book group). The cover, which features Chelsea Handler, her “little nugget” assistant, and obviously a glass of Grey Goose, was soon turned backward-facing and stuffed into my purse between Anna Karenina and The Aeneid like the guilty pleasure it most certainly was.

Luckily for me, Handler’s latest collection of essays proved an immensely amusing break from schoolbooks and my relatively pedestrian life (which seemed increasingly so with every turn of the page). Even luckier, America, or rather the fraction that watches the E! network at 11:30pm, was to be treated to a nightly comedy show in which Handler proves to be a funnier personality and stage presence than her writing could ever measure up to. Chelsea Lately, a comedic talk show that slaps the ridiculous aspects and people of Hollywood in the face nightly, has turned out to be a full-fledged hit that has earned Handler spreads in W magazine and Vanity Fair, a contract for another upcoming book, and sold out stand-up performances at venues like Carnegie Hall and DC’s Warner Theater.

It turns out the fraction of America I mentioned before was larger than I thought; Are You There, Vodka…? debuted at #1 on the New York Times Bestseller list, and managed to stay on the list for more than 19 weeks as audiences discovered the hilarity of her always

from the stage and fifty flights up, I watch the show with my knees smashed against a railing (the “obstructed view” price I got should be renamed “obstructed circulation”) among a completely packed house of twenty and thirty-somethings, all hoping for a good laugh. Handler certainly delivered, and proved a live force to be reckoned with on par with, or even surpassing, her televised shtick.

Classic brash humor riled the crowd up, including lines advising the audience to never register for gifts upon engagement, especially at pricey places like Barney’s or Bergdorfs, as “I don’t want to have to go in on a fucking pillowcase with a friend, and then have to send a card saying, ‘hope you get the other one!’”

Handler’s ease on stage makes sense, especially considering that she began her career as a stand up comedian; she reminded the posh crowd that ten years ago, she was telling jokes in bars in New Jersey where her shape meant more than her wit. Ultimately, Chelsea Lately, her books, and her live shows offer a brief relief from the stresses of daily life and the absurdity of much of media today. There is something important to be said for that fact that Handler tackles the blatant frivolity of our time with no mercy, a refreshing addition to our celebrity obsessed culture. As she told New York Times, “the only way I could ever do a show like this is if I can make fun of everything E! stands for;” her targets are the very figures that ridiculously dominate much of our pop culture media.

Her willingness to utter those risky unP.C. zingers that cause people to scrunch in their chairs while cracking up all the same is making its own mark on culture today, which seems increasingly inclined to embrace irreverence in the face of frivolity—and perhaps this is exactly the kind of comedy we need.

irreverent take on outrageous situations.

Predicaments include Handler and her father being upgraded to first class based on the airline’s assumption that they are a couple (and worsened by the fact that her father initiated this fabrication), or being accosted with a towel at a sketchy massage joint only to be called a “wesbian” on the way out (to be clear, Handler dates the CEO of Comcast Entertainment…no big deal). Always fearless, and always self-deprecating, Handler manages to stun with her bluntness yet charm with her delivery and understanding of audience— a key aspect to good comedy. These factors seem to add up to what Time Out New York calls her recent “meteoric rise.”

Fast forward eight years: Margaret and Judy Blume are a distant memory, and I find myself at Carnegie Hall on a freezing Friday night, anxious to see how Handler’s stand-up routine holds up to her fearless interviews with B-list celebrities and monologues that trash Sophia Mossberg is a Barnard first-year them later. About four hundred miles and Bulletin staff writer.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Notorious Movie Premieres Turn into Shootings

by Claire Stern Brooklyn native Christopher Wallace, a.k.a. Notorious B.I.G., once rapped, “If you got a gun up in your waist, please don’t shoot up the place,” in his 1995 hit single “Big Poppa.” If Biggie Smalls were alive today, he would not be pleased with what went down at the premiere of his biopic Notorious.

According to the Associated Press, a 32-year-old man was shot twice in the abdomen during an argument at the Grand 18 Theater in North Carolina on premiere night and around 700 people were evacuated from the venue.

Notorious, which chronicles the life and untimely death of rapper Notorious B.I.G., opened in theaters nationwide on January 16. The film came in at second place in the box office opening night, grossing an estimated $8.3 million.

A spokeswoman for the Grand 18 Theater promised that customers who had tickets for the interrupted premiere

would receive refunds. But despite the success of the film, all showings of Notorious at the Grand 18 will be suspended indefinitely.

Moviegoers were waiting to see Notorious as the sound of gunfire rang

out in the theater’s lobby. Police and witnesses who were at the theater at the time of the shooting noted that the movie’s star, Jamal “Gravy” Woolard, was in the theater at the time of the

shooting.

Greensboro police declined to comment on whether the shooting was in direct relationship to the movie Notorious, which centers on the life and music of B.I.G., and ends with the star being fatally shot on March 9, 1997, after leaving an after-party in California.

Coincidentally, at a separate event in Biggie’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York, four were stabbed at an after-party for Notorious at the Djumbala club.

Police said a 21-year-old victim stabbed numerous times was in critical condition, while three others were stable.

Much like the tragic story that had just been seen on screen, premieres of Notorious turned violent. While nobody really knows what exactly went down to provoke the incident, people can’t help but wonder if it’s directly related to the life and death of B.I.G. Maybe the East Coast/West Coast battle isn’t over.

Claire Stern is a Barnard first-year and Bulletin Associate Editor. .

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Small Space, Big Impact

Drawing by Rebekah Kim

Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov February 5-March 8 Harlem Stage Gatehouse, 150 Convent Avenue (one block east of 135th Street and Amsterdam Avenue) Tickets: $40, or $26 with student ID Wednesdays-Saturdays: 7:30 p.m.

Sundays: 3 p.m. www.classicaltheatreofharlem.org

As candlelight danced over the faces of Andrei and Natasha, just feet away a couple held hands in the dark.

A young woman watched her friend’s theatrical debut, a middle-aged man waited for Olga to come back onstage, and a group of high school students experienced Chekhov’s Three Sisters for the first time. It was opening night of the Classical Theatre of Harlem’s 10thanniversary season, and the audience, whether hailing from Harlem or Midtown, assembled to see a great show.

A great show is what they got, and they got it in a big—and small—way.

Harlem Stage Gatehouse, the 135th-Street venue showing the CTH production, greeted the crowd with a black box-style space draped in warm rugs and filled with violin music.

Though small, the theatre beautifully held the big talent of the impressive cast.

Familiar faces included Sabrina LeBeauf and Earle Hyman (memorable as TV’s Sandra and Grandfather Huxtable, respectively), though with the play’s start any thoughts of The Cosby Show quickly evaporated from the dramatic atmosphere.

Three Sisters depicts quite a different kind of family, after all—a family degenerating from youthful promise to uncomprehending exhaustion from “the burden of life.”

Yet they do have snatches of happiness, small glimmers of light and music that Director and CTH CoFounder Christopher McElroen uses to great effect, paralleling the quickly shifting feelings of the characters. A single candle yields to full lights; a raucous, drunken Russian dance glides into a waltz; a smile becomes an intense kiss; and an awkward gibe escalates into a shouting match, all while the audience experiences the gradations on an almost

subconscious level.

The interplay of small, often trivial moments and huge existential questions is at times hilarious—“I have to go home, my wife poisoned herself again,” for instance—and at others terribly sad. Josh Tyson’s portrayal of Baron Nikolai Tuzenbach is particularly touching with his little hopeful, loving glances at Irina (Carmen Gill) that hint at the desperate feeling within him. In fact, when the lights went up on the first scene, it wasn’t long before the audience expressed affectionate chuckles for nearly every character, especially those little people most pathetic in their apparent uselessness: the feeble old nanny (Carmen de Lavallade), the hobbling and deaf Ferapont (Hyman).

Yet these little characters are not useless. Despite the barrage of orders for them to be quiet or simply to “Get out!” they have a real presence in the production, as the questions of who gets seen and heard, of what is important, and ultimately of what can be understood in life, play out before—and with—the audience in the intimate theatre.

In some respects CTH is not unlike these little characters. Right now the city is having its own love affair with Chekhov, three of his plays currently running on New York stages. Uncle Vanya at Classic Stage Company and The Cherry Orchard at Brooklyn Academy of Music have drawn considerable attention and crowds. Compared to BAM’s century-and-a-half of history and 874-seat Harvey Theatre, CTH’s 10 years of shows in small spaces seem paltry.

But, like those glances and flickers in Three Sisters, there is life in the little as well as the big. Since its founding in 1999 by McElroen and Alfred Preisser, CTH has tackled Euripedes,

by Rebekah Kim Aristophanes, Richard Wright, Samuel Beckett, and, nearly every year, Shakespeare. In 2003, during the run of Derek Walcott’s Dream on Monkey Mountain, the New York Times called CTH “that giant-killer of a company.”

You might say that Three Sisters, too, is a giant among plays, as New York theatre certainly believes that Chekhov’s place in the canon is assured.

But to call it a giant “killed” by CTH and the cast would actually be to diminish the true experience occurring in that small theatre on 135th. It is the shifting between the giant and the tiny that so captivates; it is the gradation, the movement between comedy and tragedy, trivia and importance, boredom and despair that is both subtle and impressive in the intimate setting. Time itself becomes questionable with the simultaneous whirlwind of relational changes and the incomprehensible stagnation miring the characters in the perpetual suffering of their present.

With this ambiguity naturally comes uncertainty as to the possibility of the characters’ future happiness and self-understanding. What is palpable, though, is the experience shared by the audience sitting shoulder to shoulder in the shifting light, just inches from the stage. On that opening night, the smiles turned into chuckles and then guffaws, and then dead silence as Irina’s shining, youthful eyes darkened and the lines on Olga’s face deepened. Long after the lights went out and the actors met up with their friends in the lobby, the common experience of those little and big moments, in pathetic and great people, in a small yet encompassing setting, remained.

Rebekah Kim is a Barnard junior and Bulletin Arts and Entertainment Editor.

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CENTERPIECE

Tower of Babel: ESL Students at Barnard Barnard is known for its student resources, services and guidance. But what happens when these resources must be stretched to accommodate students’ academic and personal needs outside of the conventional range?

Such is the case with English as a Second Language (ESL) students. The admissions office has proved more than willing to embrace and welcome those students whose first language is not English. In fact, International Admissions Coordinator Laura Kaub refers to multilingual students as “especially attractive candidates” because of their enhanced “ability to contribute interesting things to Barnard” and because of the diverse perspectives and knowledge they bring to the campus. With the College’s focus on international recruitment, the Barnard community can also expect an increase in students whose first language is not English.

by Laura Oseland

Currently, about 4 percent of Barnard students are citizens of a country other than the United States, and many others have lived or studied outside the U.S. before attending Barnard. However, according to Kaub, prospective students are only required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) if they did not attend an English-medium high school, a school where all subjects are taught in English. “[These scores] are a big concern because we don’t want students to get here and not be able to succeed,” Mrs. Kaub states. Maisha Rashid ’10, whose first language is Bengali but who had learned Hindi and English long prior to her acceptance at Barnard, agrees. “English proficiency is expected because the international students take the TOEFL prior to applying,” she says.

“The U.S. education system is different from many others in that it places a greater emphasis on class discussion, as well as independent critical thinking and analysis rather than the repetition of the theories and writings of experts or professors.”

Shilpa Lokareddy, India. First language: Tamil

Barnard admissions officers also take SAT and ACT scores, as well as the writing in the essay portion and the application itself, into consideration when evaluating a prospective student’s grasp of the English language. In the last applicant pool, 20 percent of international applicants were admitted, and their average TOEFL score fell within the high range of 100 and 117 (the maximum score is 120).

However, even highly capable students whose first language is not English may need assistance in certain areas, particularly in essay writing. The U.S. education system is different from many others in that it places a greater emphasis on class discussion, as well as independent critical thinking and analysis rather than the repetition of the theories and writings of experts or professors. In fact, the copying of writings by experts that is common in many other educational systems is considered to be plagiarism in most United States educational institutions. These differences may prove to be challenging to international students, particularly those whose first language was not English. Furthermore, there are linguistic subtleties that native English speakers may not realize. “The challenge [for ESL students] is usually the adjustment between British English and American English. Like most, I was raised with British English and used to spell things differently back when I was in ESL. The two types do have a lot of differences,” explains Rashid.

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CENTERPIECE

The Barnard Writing Center and the English department provide guidance and academic support to ESL students facing these challenges.

When it was founded in 1990, the Writing Center included ESL training within its list of proposals.

It was decided that “that ESL classes…be redesigned and supervised by a specialist in ESL, to be hired by the College,” according to the Center’s website.

Today, that specialist is Professor Pam Cobrin, who oversees the ESL program in addition to her role as a Senior Lecturer in English Julia Helmes, Germany. and the Director of the First language: German Writing program. Professor Cobrin explains that special attention is given to ESL students in the Writing Center by qualified individuals. “The Writing Fellows…take a training course in which they explore ways of working with a variety of populations, in particular ESL students,” she says. ESL students are particularly encouraged to make use of the Writing Center, as Writing Fellows serve as a non-judgmental but well-trained sounding board. However, it is the Writing Center’s policy to restrict students to two hours per week.

Professor Cobrin also oversees Studies in Writing, a course for first-year students that is especially recommended for, but not limited to, Barnard students whose first language is not English.

The course description includes “intensive practice in writing, emphasizing drafts, revision, peer response, and individual conferences.” Another course that is supportive of ESL students is Essay Writing, an upper-level writing course that offers a particular section, taught by Professor Cobrin, for students who would like more intensive practice in English.

ESL students often face unique challenges in terms of transitioning from their educational systems to the U.S. writing style and standards, as well as mastering the language fully so as to succeed at an equal level with other capable and well-versed Barnard students. These challenges are being addressed by Barnard advising and academic support systems, though much credit should be given to the students themselves, who proactively seek to improve their English writing and conversational skills through intensive classes and conferences with Writing Fellows.

Laura Oseland is a Barnard sophomore.

Anna Garofano, Spain.

First Languages: Spanish and Catalan

Bo Yun Park, South Korea.

First languages: Korean and French

Clare Korir, Kenya.

First languages: Swahili and Kalenjin

All photography by Embry Owen.

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B

NYC LIVING

The Wandering Photographer W i l l i a m s bu r g , Br o ok l y n

by Embry Owen

Bedford Avenue is Williamsburg’s main thoroughfare. It is lined with small shops and affordable restaurants. Williamsburg’s quieter, narrower streets and pedestrian-friendly environment make it the perfect escape from Manhattan.

Williamsburg is a rapidly changing neighborhood. Its increased popularity among young, wealthy New Yorkers has led to the development of new high-rise condos, as well as local worries about gentrification.

Beacon’s Closet, a large vintage and thrift store just off of Beford Avenue, offers one of the best selections of clothing in New York. The area holds many other vintage stores that are popular with visitors and hipster residents alike.

Just a short walk away from from the main avenues of Williamsburg, the neighborhood’s industrial waterfront section offers incredible views of the Manhattan skyline.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Not the Women’s Project Virginia Woolf: revolutionary novelist, insightful modernist, satirical comedienne? The last category has hardly ever been applied to this celebrity of 20th-century literature not only because of the content of her writing but also because of her reputation as someone seriously afflicted with mental illness. However, Woolf’s only and littleknown comedic play Freshwater was

recently presented for the first time as an American production. The off-Broadway show appeared for one month with the support of the Women’s Project (WP), founded in 1978 to better represent women in American theatre.

How is it that a satirical play arose amidst an entire repertoire of extremely un-comedic writing?

Woolf began writing Freshwater in 1923 to help her

by Heena Sharma family cope with the post-war unrest pervading Europe. The play was to be performed by the Woolf household (family members were cast for the various parts) to entertain friends. The play was performed only once, in 1935, and remained below the literary surface until the 1960s.

Woolf actually wrote the play in two parts, having left it unfinished for quite some time and then taking it up again years later. The WP production was an artful combination of the two scripts. Memorable characters included the artistically inclined maid Mary Magdalen; a photographer obsessed with finding the right angle for a picture even among madness; an elderly painter with a young actress wife, Ellen Terry, who poses for hours as his muse; and Alfred Lord Tennyson, the famous poet portrayed as a self-involved pervert.

However, there was no sense of malice in Woolf’s deliberate mockery of the artists who were, in fact, probably much like those in her own Bloomsbury circle. Furthermore, Ellen Terry is a strikingly strong woman who is ahead of her time. Tired of her loveless marriage and insignificant existence, Ellen meets a handsome, albeit simple-minded, lieutenant.

Although their romance starts off quickly, Ellen gains the courage to follow her dream of becoming an actress. Not only does she succeed in putting her career goals first, but she also seeks to shatter restrictive gender roles, at times even insisting on wearing men’s clothing. Thus, even in the lighthearted play Freshwater, Woolf—and WP—managed not just to entertain but also to present feminist ideals in a most delightful way.

Freshwater ran from Jan. 25 to Feb. 15 at the Women’s Project’s home stage, the Julia Miles Theater, located at 424 West 55th Street. The 20082009 season will continue in March/ April. For future productions and more information, visit www.womensproject. org.

Heena Sharma is a Barnard sophomore.

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B

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Musings of a Pop Culture Junkie:

Doctor Who?!

by Amanda Lanceter I have a crush on a man who’s over 900 years old.

Well, sort of.

I’m obsessed with Doctor Who, a show that’s a central part of pop culture in the UK but only has a cult following in the states. The longest-running sciencefiction series in history, it ran from 1963 to 1989 before being revived in 2005 (excepting a made-for-TV movie in 1996).

To describe it makes it sound completely inane, but I’ll do my best: it is a show about a Time Lord who goes by “the Doctor.” He travels through time and space. He doesn’t die—he regenerates into a different body (allowing many different actors to play him over the years). And, naturally, he’s always accompanied by a female companion, though these women aren’t just love interests or eye candy.

Instead, they are strong, smart women who more often than not are central to saving the day.

This summary does not do the series justice. Although it can border on cheesy, mostly due to the less-thanstellar special effects, it redeems itself in other ways, namely the appealing actors and the strong writing. But the core of the show, to me, is the relationships between people: whether they are between the Doctor and his companion, or even between the many races of aliens they encounter. In the end, it’s all about the complexities of what it means to be human—how we get along and don’t get along, how we forge bonds, and how we learn from each other—all things that are not so strange after all.

But back to the subject of my crush: David Tennant has played the Doctor since the second season of the show. As the Doctor, he’s chatty, energetic, smart, witty, ethical—all appealing qualities in a man. Tennant, however, will be leaving the show in 2009, paving the way for Matt Smith, the youngest actor ever to play the

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iconic role of the Doctor. Expectations are high, and the pressure is on Smith to live up to them. Fans can only trust that the people who have handled the show so

well in the past know what they are doing in choosing this relatively unknown actor. Let’s hope there are more great adventures to be had with the Doctor.

Amanda Lanceter is a Barnard senior and Bulletin Editor-at-Large.

MUSIC

Is Sharing Caring?

Charles Nesson, a Harvard law professor and founder of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society, recently countersued The Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) after the RIAA sued his client Joel Tenenbaum for copyright infringement. The RIAA claims that Tenenbaum, a 24-year-old Boston University graduate student, violated The Digital Theft Deterrent Act when he allegedly uploaded at least seven sound recordings from the peer-to-peer (P2P) network Kazaa in 2004. Nesson in his countersuit states that The Digital Theft Deterrent Act violates his client’s constitutional rights by imposing a range of statutory damages for copyright infringement. This federal law states that minimum damages of $750 should be awarded for each copyrighted recording that has been found to be “shared,” or exchanged free of charge by the citizen.

The law allows private copyright owners or controllers like the RIAA to enforce a criminal statute through a civil suit meaning that the copyright owners can seek money damages from private citizens.

While the lawsuit against Tenenbaum is still pending, the RIAA announced this past fall that it would cease to sue private citizens for copyright infringement, leaving many in the music industry to question the RIAA’s motivations. Many of the estimated 35,000 lawsuits that the record companies filed over the last six years target university students. While the RIAA and other record companies have been successful in recouping damages from such cases, their persistent litigation has done very little to deter illegal downloading. According to P2PNet, the RIAA’s new policy may also be an attempt to improve the association’s public image which has been tarnished by suits brought against children, single mothers, and in

one incident, a person who was no longer living. Those in the industry examining the RIAA’s new policy also point to the possibility of Professor Nesson’s case being tried as contributing to the end of

“The RIAA’s new policy may also be an attempt to improve the association’s public image which has been tarnished by suits brought against children, single mothers, and in one incident, a person who was no longer living.”

by Julia Martinez ask them to stop. In some agreements, the ISP may also slow internet service or stop it entirely if the customer does not respond to the alerts.

Music artists who lose money as a result illegal downloading are also beginning to search for alternative methods in order to regain the profits they lose each year to illegal downloading.

Some artists are beginning to work independently by distributing their own music online, and therefore acquiring earnings that would typically have to be shared with a label. Independent record labels have also begun to spring up and share in the market with the major record companies of the United States, such as BMG Music and Warner Music Group Inc. While the new policies of the RIAA and individual artists expand the availability of online music even further, it is important to remember that copyright infringement is still a federal offense. Large record companies reserve the right to sue heavy file sharers or those that have not stopped sharing after repeated warnings. Students should therefore remain vigilant and mindful of all online habits regarding illegal file sharing and music in general.

the RIAA’s litigation of private citizens.

While this new policy may come as a relief to those who illegally download music, it should be noted that private citizens already found guilty of illegally downloading music must pay their fines in full. Also, the RIAA continues to search for alternative methods for addressing file sharing. One such method is to work with Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in order to prevent internet users from downloading music. Once the RIAA discovers that a user is illegally file sharing, it notifies the ISP. The ISP will then in turn notify their customers and Julia Martinez is a Barnard senior and Bulletin Photo Editor.

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MUSIC

Broadening the Musical Spectrum at the Oscars

Ranging from controversial politics to the slums of India to love in outer space, the 2009 Oscar nominees for Best Musical Score are varied. The music composition for Slumdog Millionaire was arranged by first time nominee A.R. Rahman and is considered the front-runner of the category. Rahman’s South Asian style is making its first appearance at this year’s Oscars and faces stiff competition from other more experienced Oscar nominees, namely Thomas Newman (Wall-E), Danny Elfman (Milk), James Newton Howard (Defiance), and Alexandre Desplat (Curious Case of Benjamin Button). Rahman, who is renowned for his musical genius in India, recently won his first major U.S. award for Best Composer at the 66th annual Golden Globe Awards. With the Oscars coming up, this

Indian composer has the chance to gain recognition from the prestigious Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by competing with some of the greatest motion picture composers in the industry.

In addition to composing, Rahman is also nominated for Best Song, not just once, but twice, for “Jai Ho” and “O Saya,” featuring M.I.A. (both from Slumdog Millionaire). The recognition of different musical styles is not entirely new to the Oscars, but this is the first time that a South Asian musical piece has been nominated for an award. However, other untraditional genres of music have made an appearance at the Oscars in the past.

For example, in 2003, the film 8 Mile won an Oscar for Best Original Song for Eminem’s “Lose Yourself.” The spectrum

by Shazeeda Bhola of musical composition was widened once more in 2006 when the film Hustle and Flow won Best Original Song with the hip hop track “It’s Hard out Here for a Pimp.”

The films chosen for nominations over the years display an important change: topics of controversy are embraced while new and unique films are added to the list every year. In more recent years, the nominees for Best Original score and Best Original Song have also reflected this transition toward new and unique sounds.

Regardless of who wins the award for Best Original Score, it is an exciting enough prospect that the category has widened to encompass music never before recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Shazeeda Bhola is a Barnard sophomore.

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MUSIC

Familiar Artists, New Releases

by Sophia Mossberg What do Buddy Holly, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Frank Sinatra, the Jackson 5, James Brown, Paul McCartney, Louis Armstrong, and Johnny Cash all have in common? No, the answer does not lie in your father’s record collection in the garage, or in the fact that these artists have managed to create some of the most influential music of their respective generations.

Rather, they all recently re-released versions of classic albums during the week of January 27, 2009. These iconic artists include Louis Armstrong, Ashford and Simpson, and Paul McCartney, who have released live sets that show them to have admirable, if seasoned, voice and vigor.

Another trendy release is the unfinished or unnamed category, in which the original vocal cut is restored sans splicing or edits. Examples include the late great Buddy Holly’s Down the Line Rarities offering alternate takes; Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’s Eye-Legacy features unfinished studio scraps by the late TLC rapper spliced with guest appearances.

Other forms of re-releases include albums that are “remastered and remixed,”

“Is the current state of the economy—and specifically in the music industry— pushing record labels to try and sell to a main demographic of CD-buyers?” ranging from ridiculous— think Johnny Cash Remixed, which includes a funky “Machine Drum Remix” and Snoop Dog rapping over “I Walk the Line”— to satisfying but ultimately novel, like Dean Martin’s remastered version of “Amore”.

The final category defining the slew of rereleases seems suited for Valentine’s Day, as the Supremes, Gladys Knight and the

Pips, and the Jackson 5 have all released compilations entitled Love Songs, and Frank Sinatra’s Seduction pleased romantics upon their release in February.

However, amidst the throwbacks that cater to the familiarity of a classic age, corresponding new releases are competing to make a financial dent.

Are the ailing financial times pushing record labels to sell to a crucial demographic of CD-buyers from the Supremes’ era? Or are listeners naturally inclined toward songs of earlier, nostalgic moments in music during times of struggle, economic or otherwise? Interestingly, the top album of the moment neither negates the value of classic comebacks nor proves the fickleness of young audiences to be primary; Bruce Springsteen’s Working on a Dream shows the current American audience as leaning toward a true artist for whom appreciation spans generations.

Sophia Mossberg is a Barnard first-year and Bulletin staff writer.

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NYC LIVING

Madoff and Tradeoffs

“This notion of socially responsible investing... doesn’t come without a price.” for the little guy. Upon emerging from this recession, the college graduates of the coming years have an opportunity to make a change for the better— to invest less recklessly, to borrow more prudently, to anticipate the realistic consequences of their actions— whatever that change may be.

Melissa Lasker is a Barnard junior.

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Drawing by Rebekah Kim

Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme will go down in history as one of Wall Street’s biggest cases of fraud. His investors— including banks, prominent individuals, charities and educational institutions— have lost all of the billions of dollars with which they entrusted him. Ongoing investigations will hopefully elucidate who, besides Mr. Madoff, was involved in executing this scam, and where, if anywhere, the capital was really invested.

Until very recently, Bernard Madoff, the former chairman of NASDAQ, was a trusted and well-respected figure in both the financial community and New York City social circles.

The news of this plot could not have broken at a more devastating or pivotal moment. The economy is in a tailspin and is enduring unprecedented damage: commercial and investment banks are collapsing in record numbers, thousands of people have lost their jobs in every sector of the market, prices are dropping and there is no telling how long these crippling trends will continue. How could

news of this scandal, during the bleakest of economic times, resulted in anything but complete and utter demoralization?

Madoff’s mistake is unforgivable, as is the recklessness of those on Wall Street, who extended credit to unfit borrowers in uninhibited pursuit of profit, and those on Main Street, who foolishly accepted it. Collectively, these parties are responsible for the current economic condition. Everyone is a victim of these half-baked investment strategies, as their effects ripple through industries across state and national borders. In the wake of this financial disaster, many argue that Bernie Madoff and Wall Streeters, in general, have failed to heed their implicit obligation to invest in socially prudent ways.

Should you agree that these individuals are beholden to parties beyond investors, shareholders and boards of directors, ask yourself if it is right that schools, pension funds, businesses and charities will necessarily forfeit a large margin of their previous returns on investments in exchange for a national peace of mind? Consider the diminished capability of these organizations to provide essential goods and services at the lowest possible rates. Consider the undermined ability of non-profits and charities to do good in a marketplace constrained by these imaginary rules.

Won’t the financially challenged resent the disappearance of companies like WalMart, whose existence is only possible because of cut-throat capitalism and the inherent inequality it breeds and sustains? Try explaining to the physically disabled, the elderly, and the poor that the benevolent institutions on which they

By Melissa Lasker rely each day no longer exist “for their own good.”

The Madoff scandal is an off-thecharts example of social, financial and ethical negligence. Albeit in an extreme way, its implications and context raise doubts about the culpability of consumers, investors and investment managers in perpetuating relationships that suffer from severe imbalances of power. There is no clear answer to this question; no solution that comes without major penalties to all parties entrenched in the economy.

It is not the single-handed responsibility of the next generation to restructure corporate America, but there may be a resolution that offers greater equality of opportunity and less instability

nyc living

The Many Sides of New York City Living

By Emma Brockway

I’ll admit it. I consider myself ever-so-slightly cooler now that I’m on the Bulletin masthead as New York City Living Editor. The Long Island girl in me embraces this new title and should (though probably can’t) stop repeating “Oh Mah Gawd.”’ It’s as though my zany wardrobe choices, awkward encounters in Greenwich Village, and digestive woes in cash-only vegan restaurants can now be absolved in the name of New York City living. In preparation for my new role, I spent winter break perusing different city-centric magazines, newspapers, and blogs, trying to find templates and urban voices on which I could model this section. I found novel ideas for articles and great new buzzwords that I can throw around in Bulletin meetings (recesionista, anyone?), but I also discovered that not everyone who reports on New York City living shares my youthful gusto. For starters, real city beat journalists--you know, the people whose parents don’t pay for their Hewitt single, the people who actually want to work nine to five--are finding it hard to get a writing gig during the economic downturn.

Barnard women, who have had their sights set on the magazine industry from the moment they got to New York, may need to broaden their eRecruiting horizons and brush up on their networking skills. Condé Nast, the publisher of magazines such as Allure, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair and twenty others, has had trouble with advertising sales since the early stages of the recession, which has resulted in noticeably thinner issues. Industry insiders doubt the publishing powerhouse’s ability to continue to dole out high salaries to writers, editors and magazine staff in this fiscal turmoil. Just recently, Condé Nast axed Domino, a home décor and shopping

magazine, and decided to absorb Men’s Vogue into Vogue. Things aren’t looking much better at other media empires; The Hearst Corporation and the grey lady herself, the New York Times Company, are all feeling the crunch. Fewer publications, less revenue, and periodic hiring freezes mean that— for both the budding journalist and industry vet— it will be

“There are still myriad opportunities for the resilient recessionista resigned to working as a hack writer and inhabitant of an Upper West Side studio with six other people.” tougher to stay in New York.

Don’t send out your law school application just yet, though. There are still myriad opportunities for the resilient “recessionista” who is resigned to working as a hack writer and living in an Upper West Side studio with six other people.

Let your parents mourn the death of print

media, and instead embrace and cultivate the sleeker, sexier, and snarkier alternative: online media emporiums that address New York City living from all angles. Take a tip or two from online media wiz Nick Denton, whose profitable, highly trafficked Gawker.com operates under the assumption that “all news is fit to print.” Blogs like this one are able to present scandals in a way that the sanitized print media of yesteryear cannot. Chances are that neither Vanity Fair nor The New York Times would make a connection between Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme and the plot of Arrested Development. It’s even less likely they would label Madoff as a “hedge fund hustler.” Scroll through Cityfile.com and Gothamist.com, the personal blogs of journalists who are inbetween jobs, or even the Bulletin website to reaffirm your belief that New York media are alive and well, even after major reconstructive surgery.

In the current economic situation, you might notice more homeless people than usual on the one train. You might hear about more people losing their jobs and not being able to pay their rent. You may think that Obama’s promise of change is never going to become a reality. You may even reconsider a future in journalism. As New York City Living editor, I welcome articles on all aspects of New York City life. Perhaps this semester there will be fewer articles on sample sales and more on subway line cuts.

Whatever the content of this section might ultimately be, I urge writers and readers alike to recognize that our fair city is full of both the frivolous and the formidable. And for the record, I don’t think there’s much chance of a Bulletin hiring freeze.

Emma Brockway is a Barnard junior and the Bulletin New York City Living Editor.

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o o o nyc living

Southern Comfort Moves Uptown

by Juliana Colangelo

Native 151 Lenox Ave., at 118th 212.665.2525

While Koronet’s is quite possibly the best slice around, pizza can get repetitive.

When you’ve had just about enough cheese and tomato sauce, head east of the wellknown Columbia staples and discover Native. Located a convenient and scenic 15-minute walk through Morningside Park, Native features classy comfort food in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

The ambience at this hole-inthe-wall bar and restaurant is local and unassuming, with just the right amount of décor to create an enjoyable dining experience. With 10 tables and a small bar, the dining room is warm, intimate and perfect on a cold winter’s night. Ochre colored walls flanked with bright and funky local paintings create a comfortable yet eclectic vibe.

The creative menu puts a fresh spin on southern comfort food by adding unexpected spices such as the Moroccan

Fried Chicken served with classic collard greens and mashed potatoes and finished with a decadent gravy spiced with curry. On the dinner menu, anyone can find featured entrées that will make their mouths water, as Native caters to both meat lovers and vegetarians.

The Red Beans and Rice plate served with garlic infused sautéed spinach and fried sweet plantains is a protein rich choice perfect for vegetarians. For carnivorous types, the seared tilapia with caper sauce and jasmine rice is both a tempting and healthy choice.

Native is affordable too, with appetizers ranging from $5-$9 and entrées from $9-$15, making it a bargain for college students on a budget. For those over 21, Native’s trendy yet unpretentious bar with drinks ranging from Jamaican brand beers to rare after-dinner specialties is a nice alternative to 1020. Native also offers a delightful brunch special ($9.95 for an entrée with coffee and juice) with choices for entrée including classics such as eggs Benedict and eggs Florentine. If

frustrating lunchtime lines at Hewitt or John Jay become unbearable or if dinner is not your meal of choice, this restaurant also offers unique, economically priced lunch specials ($6-$8) such as the chicken, guacamole and bacon sandwich served with fries or salad.

“Ochre colored walls flanked with bright and funky local paintings create a comfortable yet eclectic vibe.”

Juliana Colangelo is a Barnard first-year.

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B

nyc living

The Frugal Foodista A column by Ava Friedmann

Bao Noodles Bao Noodles 391 2nd Ave (between 22nd and 23rd) 212.725.7770 www.baonoodles.com Cash only!

My winter vacation took me to the eastern hemisphere—Vietnam to be exact—where I had the pleasure of being surrounded by a complex history, an exotic culture, and most importantly, outstanding cuisine. Not surprisingly, food dictated my travels abroad. I was determined to find the most authentic street food, each city’s signature dishes, and to work my way through countless food markets before I returned to New York. My explorations transformed my love for Vietnamese food into a full-blown obsession, so naturally I made it my mission to find authentic Vietnamese cuisine as soon as I got back to the city. After eating at Bao Noodles in Manhattan’s Kips Bay, I knew my search was over.

Bao Noodles successfully embraces the shared history of Vietnam and France through its French colonial design.

Smoky mirrors, tiled floors, and walls decorated with green bamboo transport diners to a fusion of worlds where both French café culture and the tropics of Vietnam intersect. Dim lighting and wide wooden tables invite diners into this relaxed restaurant where the service is laidback and the food takes center stage.

This Vietnamese haven features specialties from some of the country’s most well-known cities (Saigon, Hanoi, Hue, and the Mekong River Valley), creating a diverse menu highlighting

the country’s most celebrated dishes.

Appetizers range from light summer rolls with a peanut dipping sauce, to traditional Vietnamese crêpes stuffed with bean sprouts, pork and shrimp.

Their menu offers a refreshing take on salads, spotlighting grapefruit or green papaya with shrimp. Spring rolls, a Vietnamese take on the familiar Chinese egg roll, are fried rolls that diners have the option of rolling in fresh lettuce and mint, creating contrasting temperatures and flavors that will wow your taste buds.

Entrees include traditional favorites such as a stir-fried lemongrass chicken with an extra chili kick that is sure to awaken your palate. The crunchy salt and pepper shrimp is not to be missed with its unpeeled skin and fresh lime juice. I was convinced I’d never find Hanoi style fish outside of the city, but was pleasantly surprised to see the specialty, classically made with deep fried bass and turmeric. Pair that entrée with Vietnam’s popular Tiger beer and you have a perfectly satisfying meal.

Highlighting Vietnam’s national staple, Bao Noodles offers a traditional noodle soup, pho. The key to making an outstanding pho lies in the broth made from oxtail and infused with anise. Rice vermicelli is then added in with chicken or the meat of your choice. While the broth didn’t stand up to some of the pho I slurped abroad, the soup was accompanied with a basket of bean sprouts, fresh basil, and limes, enhancing the flavor and texture of the ethnic comfort food.

Don’t forget to leave room for dessert. Their black rice pudding made with coconut milk and garnished with a scoop of homemade ice cream was both

exotic and comforting. I paired mine with black sesame ice cream, but I’m sure that the jasmine or mango sorbet would have been equally delicious.

In Vietnam, I had the pleasure of eating at Morning Glory, arguably the best restaurant in the country. The chef shared her words of wisdom on the menu, explaining the cuisine’s motto: every dish must include fresh herbs. I kept that mantra in mind while chowing down at Bao Noodles and happily noticed that the majority of their food includes fresh greens in one way or another.

The inclusion of herbs offers a bright, balanced palate that keeps you craving more. Luckily, those cravings won’t put a dent in your wallet. Although prices range from $6 to $17 for appetizers to entrees, dishes are prepared with family style eating in mind. While the prices are a bit steeper than those in Vietnam, Bao Noodle’s menu can easily compete with food I scarfed down abroad.

Ava Friedmann is a Barnard senior and Bulletin Food Critic.

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B

alumna letter

As You Prepare to Graduate, Turn to Julian of Norwich

Dear Barnard seniors, This is my story: I grew up in the suburbs of Boston; arrived at Barnard two weeks before September 11th, 2001; majored in English, with a concentration in Creative Writing; began writing songs and singing my sophomore year; began playing shows in the city shortly after that; worked at a guitar store in the Village on weekends; joined a band; fell in love; started a novel about the music industry as a junior; graduated in 2005; moved to Brooklyn; fell out of love; broke up with the band; began playing on my own again; worked at a museum for two years; published The Words of Every Song; fell in love; released an album, Backyards; worked up the courage to quit my job and get my MFA in Fiction; began teaching Creative Writing to Hunter undergrads; started a second novel—and here I am.

In May I’ll receive my MFA. After that...

I have no idea. I’d love to keep teaching Creative Writing, but I’m not sure I can support myself that way. I’ll certainly try to publish my second novel when it’s finished, but the publishing industry is struggling, and selling new manuscripts is more difficult than it ever has been.

Suddenly I find myself feeling very much like I did four years ago, when I was in my last year at Barnard, juggling an internship in television and my parttime guitar-store job, and working as a Writing Fellow. I felt frantic and unprepared; I felt the weight of all of my obligations and all my decisions bearing down on me. The only difference now is that I’ve been through it once before; I graduated from Barnard without a job or an apartment, without knowing what I’d be doing in six months, or where I’d be living, or where my friends—the eight or nine friends I’d come to love and rely on at Barnard—would be, either. You, the class of 2009, are in an even more difficult spot: the dollar is tanking, unemployment is up, there are a ton of you, and you’re all wicked smart, as we say in Boston. In other words it’s a bad time for all of us to be looking for jobs.

Let me say, however, as someone who has already taken the plunge into

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the cold, cold waters of post-collegiate life: you’ll be fine. A favorite saying of mine, one that my mother has repeated throughout my life, and which I came across again in a wonderful class I took with Timea Szell, comes from Julian of Norwich: “And all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.” It means stop worrying.

I repeat it to myself all the time, and so should you. Aloud, if necessary. It’s New York: no one will bat an eyelash.

Here are other things that might comfort you (and me): we have a new, exciting president who is promising us lots of new, exciting things. Spring is right around the corner and you know what that means: cherry blossoms. The price of apartments in New York is going down for the first time in forever. More and more I think that things just . . . happen, and if you sort of point your finger in the general direction of where you want to go, and hold your gaze steady, and start walking, you’ll get there someday. Trite but true. You’ll meet people, then you’ll meet those people’s friends, and then one of their friends will be the junior vice-president of a company you want to work for, or a literary agent, or an acrobat affiliated with the circus of your dreams.

That’s how it works.

That’s how it’s always worked. Try to be the kind of person other people like to be around, and work hard at what you’re good at, and smile sweetly when your Aunt Joanie asks you for the twentieth time if you’ve found a job yet, and all manner of thing shall be well.

Dear Barnard sophomores, I know that for many of you, declaring your major feels like a hard and frightening moment. I had all these weird ideas about “practical” and “impractical” majors swimming around in my head, and I was so paralyzed by fear that I decided over winter break to major in Neuroscience and Behavior, which I still think would be a fascinating, worthy thing to major in—for someone who isn’t me. I spent every day from ages 5 to 15 with my nose lodged in a book. I spent every night before a high-school science test crying.

A love of Oliver Sacks books does not a neuroscientist make. Fortunately, I came to my senses two weeks in, and switched a bunch of courses around, and, with a sigh of relief, declared myself an English major. It was the right thing to do. When choosing your major, go with your gut.

You know what you’re good at: pursue it.

“You’ll meet people, then you’ll meet those people’s friends, and then one of their friends will be the junior vice-president of a company you want to work for, or a literary agent, or an acrobat affiliated with the circus of your dreams.”

Dear Barnard juniors, Here’s what you should be doing: praying for the economy to rebound in twelve months.

And . . . go.

Dear Barnard first-years, The fact that you chose Barnard says very promising things about you. I like you already. Have fun for the next three and a half years. Learn the subway system so well that you don’t need a map.

If you haven’t ventured below 14th Street yet, do it. This weekend.

And say hi to my sister B for me: she’s in your class.

Fondly, Liz Moore ’05

features

Well-Woman No meal plan? Do you have a kitchen but don’t quite have the culinary know-how? Well, before you order delivery, think about testing your skills, you may be surprised! As soon as I got out of the Quad and into a suite, I decided that it was time to teach myself how to cook more than just eggs and pancakes. Learning how to cook was a gradual process but I did it mostly through experimenting. Initially, I stuck to the basics…pasta, sauce and frozen vegetables. However, once I got more comfortable I began to add more to my pasta like mushrooms, sliced chicken breast or tomatoes. After two years of experimenting in the kitchen, I graduated from only making pasta to other foods. I know that it’s a hassle finding time to cook in between schoolwork, work, meetings and/or rehearsals but I have some dish suggestions that will save you time.

For those of you who eat meat, making burger patties from ground turkey or beef and freezing them comes in handy for later. What I do is season the meat, add onion and green pepper and grind it with a fork. Then take enough meat in your hands (yes this requires you to get a little messy!) to make a patty the size of your preference. Cook what you want and individually wrap the patties that you have left in plastic wrap and foil, and then freeze them for later use. Recently, I made burgers out of canned salmon meat, which is a nice alternative to beef or turkey, especially because it offers the “good fat” or

omega-3 fatty acids. For side dishes, try satuéeing fresh spinach or frozen spinach with fresh garlic or garlic power, olive oil and your preferred seasonings.

If you need a relatively quick vegetarian dish, try this dish idea using squash, zucchini and eggplant. What I normally do is slice each vegetable, however much you want, and lay them on an oven tray. Lightly pour olive oil over each slice and then sprinkle garlic powder, salt and pepper over each. Now bake them in the oven on 350º for about 12-16 minutes or until they’re as soft as you like.

When you’re craving a quick and healthy dessert or breakfast, opt for vanilla flavored yogurt with granola, blackberries and raspberries and honey drizzled over top.

It’s definitely worth it to go out on a limb and make lunch or dinner for yourself here and there because it saves money on delivery, it can be fun and it’s a nice break from your to-do lists…just don’t set anything on fire. For more tips and great recipes stop by Well-Woman in 119 Reid— we have wonderful cookbooks and a subscription to Vegetarian Times magazine.

Good luck and happy cooking!

Jade Smith is a Barnard senior and Well-Woman Peer Educator.

As long-lived as the motorcycle

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