The Scarlet
Worcester Muralists Paint the Town at POW! WOW! Festival 2017
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF CLARK UNIVERSITY OCTOBER 6, 2017 | THESCARLET.ORG
By Anna Schaeffer Scarlet Staff
From left to right: Michaëlle A. Trouillot (’20) holds sign that reads “Climate Change, It’s real!” Ashleigh Nongogo (‘18) and Matheus Goncalves (‘19) show their support for the Caribbean. “Why are we paying for the actions of large nations” -Kaiomi Innis (‘19). Photos by Amanda Quiñones.
Politicians and Clarkies Alike Respond to Hurricane Maria By Brett Iarrobino Contributing Writer
As the abnormally active 2017 Atlantic hurricane season conjures its fourth storm, citizens of Puerto Rico are calling out for action as they grapple against the devastation of their most destructive hurricane since 1928. After it made landfall on Sept. 20, 34 of the 78 deaths attributed to Hurricane Maria came from Puerto Rico, and the $98 billion loss caused by the storm can be primarily traced back to the island as well. The fact that Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States and all Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens makes it all the more questionable and disconcerting when one examines the minimal support and attention the federal government has given the
exacerbated island. Puerto Rico’s situation is especially dire due to the extreme poverty that racks their government, which can be traced back to a mid20th century tax break under Section 936 of the Tax Code. This attracted American companies to set up business on the island, who then departed from the country and took thousands of jobs with them after the tax breaks were removed by Congress in the early 2000s. The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 that imposed significant tariffs on foreign imports is another critical attribute to the dire fiscal predicament Puerto Rico finds itself in today, forcing Puerto Ricans to pay high prices for the food they primarily receive from overseas trade. As economic growth crept to a
standstill, islanders abandoned their homes for the U.S. mainland, and as the tax base decreased, the government took on an enormous debt to repay their bills and infrastructure. By June 2015, the governor of Puerto Rico announced their $72 billion could not be repaid, following a year of uncertainty as to whether the country would meet its financial obligations. Since this declaration, there has been virtually no progress in repairing their economic afflictions, and two years later, Puerto Rico essentially declared bankruptcy - budgets for roads, schools, and medical institutions were greatly diminished. The island’s economic ruin puts it in no position to sin-
puerto rico pg. 4
Worcester’s second annual POW! WOW! Festival left masterpieces all over the city in its wake. The festival, which invited local and international artists to adorn the city, featured Worcester native Eamon Gillen and traveling artist Greg Mike. POW! WOW!, named after the Native American term for a meeting or gathering, has brought artists together for a week-long celebration of art, beauty and energy since the summer of 2016. POW! WOW! is not unique to Worcester but is a national group that travels across the country, visiting different cities for art events to create murals. A total of 55 artists contributed to Worcester’s chapter this year. Eamon Gillen has lived in Worcester most of his life. A skater at heart, he took many odd jobs and construction gigs, collecting tattoos all the while. He apprenticed at the Worcester tattoo shop, Crown of Thorns. There, Gillen, who has many tattoos himself, was on the other end of the tattooist’s needle in his mid-twenties. While his tattooing career was budding, he also explored mural works, which he later said was a “good way to explore separate themes and ideas from tattooing in a much larger scale, with a looser, less stressful application.” Gillen created his POW! WOW! mural alongside Greg Mike of Georgia., Drew Merritt of California, and Canadian artist ‘Denial.’ Mike, like Gillen, is deeply entrenched in skate culture, and fuses gritty and incan-
muralists pg. 8
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The Scarlet THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF CLARK UNIVERSITY
EDITORS Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Macey Managing Editor: Alika Gillard News Editor: Giulia Elena Casella Opinions Editor: Elyse Wyatt Living Arts Editor: Katherine Hamilton Layout Editor: Ryan King Photo Editor: Amanda Quiñones General Manager and Fact Checker: Daniel Juarez
SCARLET STAFF Julia Baldacci Steven Castiglione Max Elias Sheila Ford Eric Keller Simone McGuinness Kayleigh McHugh Andrew Rose Anna Schaeffer
LAYOUT & WEB STAFF Madison Jones
PHOTO STAFF Rodney Cargill Krithi Vachaspati Emily Monahan Morang
CONTACT Website: thescarlet.org Email: scarlet@clarku.edu Facebook: The.Clark.Scarlet Twitter: @Clark_Scarlet Instagram: clarkscarlet
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oct. 6, 2017
Police Logs 9/23/2017–10/3/2017 Compiled by Jessica Macey 2:40 p.m. Caller reported that their friend had hip and lower back pain. Individual was transported to the hospital. 7:17 p.m. Party reported an individual preaching and approaching individuals in the area. Units observed the suspicious individual. 5:36 p.m. Caller reported hearing what sounded like a door being broken down followed by footsteps near their apartment. Units responded. 2:24 p.m. Caller reported finding a lost six-year-old. WPD was notified. The child had been reported missing from Columbus Park School and was brought back to school. 6:55 p.m. Party reported seeing a male carrying two bike tires and heading towards Park Ave. Party stated that their friends’ bikes have had their bike tires stolen recently. Man in question was reported to be about 5’8”, in his early 20s, and wearing a grey hoodie. 8:09 p.m. Party reported being approached by an individual claiming to be homeless and in need of money in the stairwell of the back entrance of Maywood Hall. Party asked the individual to stay outside while they found an RA, but were unable to locate anyone. Units responded and searched the area, but did not find the individual.
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Sexism Isn’t Only a Women’s Issue Professor Chris Kilmartin on how men can challenge sexism By Daniel Juarez General Manager
Excitement and curiosity from both students and Clark faculty filled Jefferson 320 this past Thursday night as they awaited for the lecture of the hour: Challenging Sexism: How to Be an Upstanding Man. As shushes and silence made their way through the room, the Clark Psychology Department’s Professor Michael Addis faced them and introduced the guest speaker, former professor at the University of Mary Washington, Chris Kilmartin. Taking center stage and displaying the first slide of his presentation, Professor Kilmartin immediately made it clear who exactly needed to step up not just for women, but for all oppressed groups in general. “The majority have a responsibility to stand up for the minority,” he began, emphasizing the influence that in-group members hold with each other. “Rich people need to stand up for poor people, white people need to stand up for people of color, and men need to stand up with women.” In explaining why some nice guys behave poorly towards wom-
en, Professor Kilmartin highlighted micro-aggressions that men commit so casually and ignorantly, which included calling adult women girls, using the word “rape” casually, isolating women by not including them socially or academically, and hitting on women in professional settings. After this, he went through possible barriers men face in standing up for women, such as a society-embedded belief that sexism is acceptable, diffusion of responsibility, lack of awareness of their own privilege, and a fear of disapproval from other men. “I’ve done 25 years of sexual assault, sexual harassment prevention, and most of it has been in dealing with men,” Kilmartin revealed, “and I have yet to meet a college man – no matter how enlightened – say this: ‘A program about rape? I’m there!’” “Obviously, all this maltreatment is a moral issue,” he went on, “but my experience is that the moral issue is a poor entryway into the topic.” “A better entryway… is in light of selfinterest,” he clarified this statement, “help them understand how it helps them.”
Professor Chris Kilmartin speaks at Clark. Photo by Emily Monahan Morang.
He went on, “if you end up running a tech-company, and it’s a hostile work environment for women, you’re going to have low productivity.” He followed this with another example: “The most diverse companies also turn out to have the most market-share.” Having made a solid point for how supporting women is also a benefit to all, he went back to the subject of why some men don’t speak up, but also how men can change that. “You have to intervene as a leap of faith,” he explained, “what you’re doing is planting seeds and you don’t always get to see those seeds grow.” Telling a story to better spell this out, he recounted a time when a friend of his shut down his catcalling companions during a lunch date with a sim-
ple “shut up.” It wasn’t until long after this incident that he apologized to him in private and assured him that his display of discomfort had caused him to reevaluate his behavior. The accompanying slide to his story listed other ways men could help, some of which were learning about the privileges that come with masculinity, accepting feedback non-defensively, and taking sexism as seriously as any other form of discrimination. At the end of his lecture, Kilmartin opened the opportunity up for audience participation, asking the women and men in the seats what kinds of behaviors they would like to see men change, and which behaviors they would find helpful in negotiating their place in their dai-
ly lives. One audience member revealed that she’d spoken up on social media in reply to someone who had made a sexist comment about Jared Kushner. Having expected and prepared herself for backlash the day after, she was pleasantly surprised to see the individual recognize his mistake and apologize. With the lecture having gone into overtime, Kilmartin concluded his talk with a final bit of advice for the members of the audience: “When you see men performing the [disrespectful] role, do not sell us short, do not think that we are simple if we are conforming. When you communicate to others that we are simple, you are letting us off the hook, and I do not want us to be off the hook.”
Clark Administration Supports Dreamers By Monica Sager Contributing Writer
Students speak at the DACA Public Forum. Photo by Krithi Vachaspati.
On Sept. 5, Jeff Sessions, attorney general of the United States, announced the repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). “Like many of you, I am dismayed at President Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program,” President David Angel wrote in a school-wide email that same day. Patricia Doherty, director of the International Students and Scholars Office, has been assigned to help Clark University’s DACA students, who are “lumped into that [catego-
ry].” She helps students individually, especially “if they need help interpreting laws.” Doherty also helps DACA students with what their options are for after Clark. The DACA policy was established by the Obama administration in 2012, and former President Barack Obama announced his intentions to expand the program in 2014. The plan was to include illegal immigrants as well. In 2012, Obama stated in a speech that this was “to lift the shadow of deportation from these young people.” Deferred Action could have been requested if an individual met one of the seven criteria, which included currently being
in school and arriving in the United States before turning 16 years old. But with the implementation of Trump’s repeal, DACA has been suspended for six months. DACA has deferred deportations to people, colloquially known as “dreamers,” who arrived in the United States as undocumented children. According to the Department of Homeland Security, DACA has deferred over 787,000 deportations since this past March. “I’m very disheartened by the recent…news from Donald Trump,” said Doherty. “The only good part of it is—perhaps—in the next few
dreamers pg. 5
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puerto rico continued from pg. 1 glehandedly rescue themselves from a deadly and calamitous event such as Hurricane Maria. The neighborhoods of La Perla, Cataño, and Jana Matos were almost entirely destroyed, storm surges and flash floods trapped the town of Toa Baja, and the island’s power grid was expunged, leaving all 3.4 million residents without electricity. This sort of chaos and annihilation has left the government in a great deal of dependency on financial and disaster relief aid from the federal level -- aid that has been largely absent for the majority of the crisis. The immediate aftermath of Hurricane Maria saw little action from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; the Merchant Marine Act was not suspended until Sept. 28 (nearly two weeks after the storm’s arrival), while the act was immediately waived in response to Hurricane Irma and Harvey impacting Texas and Florida. Not until Puerto Rico’s Governor, Ricardo Rossello, publicly pleaded for the bill to be suspended and a general cry for aid came from San Juan’s Mayor, Carmen Yulín Cruz, did the DHS take action. As critics took aim at the questionable amount of concern expressed by the Trump Administration for Puerto Rico, National Guard
Students gathered around Red Square to voice their thoughts on the damage occurred to the Caribbean after the hurricanes. Photo by Amanda Quiñones.
Bureau Chief Gen. Joseph L. Lengyel defended the government’s course of action. He argued that Puerto Rico’s status as an island rather than a member of the mainland hampered relief efforts. Despite these deflections, harsh objections to the handling of the Hurricane Maria crisis persisted - Trump himself was forced to state he does care about Puerto Rico. These insistences were again questioned when the President made a visit to the country this past week, and made a comparison between Hurricane Maria and 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. This comparison was
seen as an invalidation of the hardship Puerto Rico has endured. “...If you look at a real tragedy like Katrina, and you look at the... hundreds of people that died, and you look at what happened here with really a storm that was just totally overbearing, nobody has seen anything like this...What is your death count as of this morning, 17?” asked the President at a government meeting in San Juan. Many saw this remark as a reflection of an overall condescending and apathetic opinion toward the serious and dire struggle Puerto Ricans are facing. Trump later implied in a statement to Puer-
to Rican residents that their need for aid and relief was “throw[ing] [the] budget a little out of whack,” further suggesting a minimal concern towards taking the necessary steps to help the U.S. territory. While the public and the media debate whether Trump and his administration are doing all that they can in their action and rhetoric to better the situation, the students and faculty of Clark University are making it clear there is no room for ignorance and indifference when it comes to the urgent crisis Puerto Ricans are facing. “Puerto Ricans are U.S. citi-
zens, and the government’s response to Puerto Rico when compared with the response to places like Florida and Texas is very telling of what kind of Americans the government wants to prioritize,” said Kaiomi Inniss (‘19). During his Friday morning FirstYear Intensive class, theater professor Raymond Munro denounced the media’s coverage of the NFL national anthem controversy when ongoing crises like Hurricane Maria persist: “[Puerto Ricans] are more part of our country than an anthem, or a flag.” For some students, such as Amanda Quiñones (‘20), this is more than just a news story; she calls Puerto Rico home, and said she believes the governments of both her country and the United States need to pay attention to more than just the metro areas of the island. “The countryside of Puerto Rico has been neglected entirely...more attention and coverage needs to be directed to the entire island, not to just where the money has gone,” said Quiñones. “It needs to happen on the national level, but also on the campus level, because there needs to be more attention and care given to students affected by this crisis; and there’s a lot of us who are.”
Cynthia Enloe: How Do Feminists Keep Us Interested in the Syrian Civil War? By Giulia Elena Casella News Editor
Trigger warning: this article discusses wartime rape, sexual assault and sex trafficking. Cynthia Enloe opened her second talk of the semester with a little quiz for her audience: draw Syria and its neighboring countries, and then label those countries. Her audience knew them all: Turkey, Iraq, Israel, Jordan and Lebanon. According to Enloe, this is because Americans only start to think about certain countries when they are at war with them. The outbreak of the civil war in Syria drew the United States’ attention, but that was years ago in 2011 – who has kept the United States (as well as the rest of the world) interested in Syria since? According to
Enloe, it is feminists who remind us to care about the Syrian civil war, and this was the main topic of her talk on Thursday, Sept. 28. Enloe emphasized that she was sharing a gender analysis of politics in Syria at a specific point in time: late 2017. The time period is important because it was not until recently that humanitarian aid organizations became responsive to pressure, embarrassment, and persuasion by feminists, who have analyzed other wars, to consider that “you have to ask feminist questions and gather feminist data to understand the Syrian civil war,” according to Enloe. Since 2011, 50 percent of all Syrians have either fled as refugees to neighboring countries or have been internally displaced within Syria. It is estimated that 4.9 mil-
lion Syrians have become refugees, but only 1 million additional Syrians are internationally recognized as refugees through political agency funding and guidelines. Another 5 million Syrians do not know how to attain refugee status or do not have the resources they need to become recognized as refugees. Feminist questions have allowed researchers like Enloe to understand how the issue of becoming a refugee is difficult for Syrian women specifically. Enloe explained that female illiteracy was at 26 percent before the war. “Once you’ve crossed the border, can you read anything?” The fate of refugees is heavily dependent on reading and writing, and not having these skills is a further loss of
power. Enloe then discussed working for pay: only 39 percent of Syrian women were reported to be in paying jobs before the war. “What do you do during war with no money? You can’t buy a bus ticket to cross the border. You can’t bribe an officer to let you pass the border,” she said. Feminists have made important improvements in pushing humanitarian aid organizations to consider war through a feminist lens, which has alleviated some problems Syrian women face in the civil war. It was not until the 1980s that people trained in women’s studies were employed as professional staff in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). These new employees insisted that the humanitarian aid organization
modify the language it uses. “2/3 of all the displaced people outside their own countries that the UNHCR was legally responsible for…were women and their dependent children,” said Enloe. “Not women and children.” The latter is the way most journalists and international analysts lump women and their children together. This language difference has a significant effect on policy and how people are treated. Lumping together women and children suggests they are both dependent on someone else, but ‘women and their dependent children’ distinguishes that it is women who are taking care of children, and that it is children who are dependent on women.
enloe pg. 5
The Scarlet
oct. 6, 2017
A crowd gathers in support of the “Dreamers” at the DACA Public Forum in the Red Square. Photo by Krithi Vachaspati.
dreamers continued from pg. 3 months Congress will act on DACA so that we have a better solution.” The solution Doherty was referring to is allowing DACA students to become residents if they want to be, because “they had no say in coming here.” Doherty was also adamant on allowing DACA students’ parents to have access to residency as well. At Clark, international students need to be on the university’s insurance unless their home country’s insurance is “as robust” as Clark’s. DACA students are a special case. Since they live in the United States, they typically have the same insurance as domestic students. However, how they pay their fee or who they pay it to may be different.
“It’s tough because the situation is so awful,” said Doherty. “At the same time, it’s wonderful because I want to help them.” It looks like some of the progress Doherty was talking about may come into play. Republican Senators Thom Tillis, James Lankford, and Orrin Hatch revealed their first step to “fixing” the DACA bill. The senators stressed that immigration as a whole needs to be re-addressed. House Speaker Paul Ryan said to radio station WCLO, “I believe that this is something that Congress has to fix.” According to Tillis’s tweet on Sept. 25, the SUCCEED Act (Solution for Undocumented Children through Careers Employment Education and Defending our nation), would be made up of “four core principles: compassion, merit, prevention, and fairness.” After five years of employment
enloe continued from pg. 4 “Words matter – they carry political consequences,” said Enloe. It also was not until after the Bosnian and Rwandan genocides, in which systematic wartime rape became viewed as a strategy of ethnic cleansing as well as of physical violence and fear, that humanitarian aid organizations declared rape an “internationally prosecutable violation of rights in wartime,” according to Enloe. Because the Syrian civil war comes after these genocides, organizations are paying attention to sexual assault, and “they don’t treat war-
or earning a degree, a recipient of the SUCCEED Act would be eligible for another five-year protection. Then the person could apply for a green card. “I think this is better than nothing,” said Doherty. “At least there is some hope if this goes through…but if it does go through, there will probably be a whole lot of changes to it.” A DACA student explained that there are a lot of rules during a longer path to permanent residency, but rules such as having a degree would be accomplished upon graduation. While all of this is happening, Angel has calming words for students. “Please be assured,” Angel wrote, “Clark will support DACA students who are members of Clark University.”
time rape as simply ‘guys will be guys’,” said Enloe. Syrian parents are aware that a woman is “fair game” if she is unprotected, explained Enloe. Not only with regards to sexual assault, but also sex trafficking, which increases during wartime. “Sex traffickers think war zones are heaven, because in wartime girls and women are without community and family protection,” said Enloe. Consequently, Syrian refugee communities feel increasingly pressured to marry off their young teenage daughters, because the male suitors (who are usually much older) promise they will protect them.
While marrying off a young teenage girl to a much older man may not be ideal, the idea that a woman needs to be protected is part of Syria’s gender history, and one that is difficult to challenge during a vulnerable time such as war. Enloe reminded her audience that every country has a gender history, and that even Clark has its own gender history. “Does anyone know how many female presidents Clark has had since it was founded?” Her audience guessed correctly: zero. “Think about that,” said Enloe.
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oct. 6, 2017
Clarkie of the Week Scarlet: So, where are you from? Emilee: I’m from Everett Mass. — just outside of Boston. Scarlet: What made you choose Clark? Emilee: Honestly it was financial aid. I got a really good financial aid packet and I actually didn’t want to go here originally. Classic story, but honestly it has been the best decision of my life and I’m really glad I ended up choosing Clark by default, in a way. Scarlet: So what kinds of things do you do for Clark? The community? Emilee: I’m the president of the Worcester Student Government Association, which overlooks the student governments at the 11 colleges in the area. I’m also president of the Newman Association, which is a Catholic club, and Speakers Forum. I’m also the treasurer of the Student Alumni relations committee and I volunteer at Columbus Park, right now with third graders. I was a mentor for teaching entrepreneurship, so I helped students pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. Photo by Krithi Vachaspati.
Emilee Cocuzzo Emilee Cocuzzo is a senior who is a part of the fifthyear MBA program. She is involved in the Worcester Student Government Organization, the Newman Association, Speakers Forum, the Fiat Lux Honor Society, and The Gryphon and Pleiades Society. Her hobbies include listening to podcasts (Modern Love, The Moth, This American Life), musicals, and playing games with friends. Emilee sat down with the Scarlet to talk about her involvement with Clark and the Worcester community, the future, and memes.
Scarlet: Wow! How do you manage to do everything you do? Emilee: I don’t sleep, but it all comes down to keeping a good schedule. Scarlet: Do you do anything fun ever? Emilee: [LAUGHS] Yeah actually I do! I try to find balance every day by having dinner or lunch with a friend. On weekends I’ll take the time to hang out with friends at night and play games and stuff. We just got “What Do You Meme?”. It’s so funny! Scarlet: I’ve heard so much about that! Is it worth the $30? Emilee: It so is. You can add your own memes so it’s an endless possibility of memes. Scarlet: What’s your favorite meme?
by Alika Gillard
Emilee: Um... you know I really like Grumpy Cat. It doesn’t really speak to me because I’m not that grumpy, but I think it’s the all-time meme. Grumpy Cat was one of the first memes of existence. I also think it’s incredible how that owner can make a million-plus dollars off of their cat, like let me just go quit my job and sell my cat everywhere. Scarlet: I agree. So, it’s senior year, you’re doing all of these things, what are your plans for beyond Clark? The future? Emilee: So I’m doing the MBA program hopefully, and after that possibly going abroad a year, maybe study, work, teach English maybe, and then come back and go into either consulting or marketing in the tech industry. I really want to end up working for a non-profit or some [organization] that works for the public, preferably utilizing my business skills. So it’s kind of up in the air, but I will be here for a fifth year. Scarlet: Are you going to continue to work in the community? Emilee: Oh yeah, I think the best thing is that you don’t stop. I would get way too bored, and I want to find uses for my time that can be productive and useful for the community Scarlet: Okay, one more question about the future: if you were going far into the future and could only bring one suitcase, what would you pack in it? Emilee: I’d pack my phone and a charger, the essentials. My favorite clothes, like my preppy loafers and red pants and lots of shirts — don’t forget the blazers and the skirts — you gotta look professional. On a more personal note, I would take pictures of my family, letters from my friends, and...a hair brush. It’s really hard to find a good hair brush. Thanks for the interview, Emilee!
Email scarlet@clarku.edu if you have a suggestion for Clarkie of the Week!
The Scarlet
oct. 6, 2017
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Clark Alum Presents “Ten Blocks on the Camino Real” By Katherine Hamilton Living Arts Editor
Dancers perform at the festival (left) and attendees survey the food options (right). Photos by Zongyao Li.
Mid-Autumn Moon Festival Lights Up the Grind ACS Event Celebrates Culture with High Attendance By Jessica Macey Editor-in-Chief
Every seat and most of the floor space in the impeccably-decorated Grind was filled Saturday night, as students enjoyed the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. The Asian Cultural Society (ACS) joined with other student groups, such as the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), the Korean Students Association (KSA), and the Vietnamese Students Association (VSA) to provide food and entertainment in celebration of the major East Asian holiday. Based on the lunar calendar, the festival falls in early autumn each year, and originated as a celebration of the year’s harvest. Each year, ACS works through the entirety of the first month of the fall semester to celebrate the festival at Clark. This year, the event had an especially large turnout. “It was actually really successful,” said Crystal Tang (‘18), president of ACS, noting that while past years have been successful as well, this one was especially well-attended.
“We even ran out of chairs, and people were sitting on the floor, which I felt bad about, but I’m happy that so many people showed up.” Generally the event draws over 100 people, but this year that number just about doubled. “We actually counted the number of packages of plates we opened,” said Tang, explaining how they reached the estimate of over 200 attendees. The crowd enjoyed a spread of food from New China Lantern that stretched across two walls of the Grind and featured a variety of options. With CSSA matching ACS’ food budget this year, the organizers were able to significantly increase the food offerings. To prevent a food stampede and introduce a bit of fun into the waiting part of the evening, the hosts organized the process through a game, calling a representative from each table to the stage to compete for their group’s spot in the food line. After 10 seconds of a pop song was played, participants had to race to the microphone to name the title and artist.
“Please be careful when you fight for the mic,” said the hostess as the game began, anticipating the battle that would soon ensue. Participants, remarkably agile and polite in their attempts to claim their spot in the food line without knocking over any competitors, raced to the microphone one-by-one until each group had been invited to get their food, and the line snaked around the room, weaving between tables and chairs. Shortly after the guests began settling back into their seats, a series of performers began to take the stage. The rest of the night featured a number of musical and dance performances. Kicking off this segment of the evening was Mina Tran (‘19), who sang and played guitar, performing covers of “Fall For You,” by Secondhand Serenade, and “Thinking Out Loud,” by Ed Sheeran. She was followed by a number of fellow students showing off their talents. Tang explained the process of collaborating with other clubs to recruit performers for the events. “I think that was probably the most successful thing we did this
year, we collaborated with a lot of clubs,” she said. She noted that other cultural clubs, such as CSSA, KSA, and VSA were very involved, as was the Music Society of Clark University (MSCU). While the clubs that ACS collaborated with were a major part of the event’s success, Tang also discussed the hard work of the ACS members who made up the various committees that worked together to plan the event. “There was just so much … passion and effort,” she said. “I’m really proud of my e-board, especially.” From publicity committee to skits committee to food committee and more, each component of the event was covered by an e-board member and group of club members. On Saturday night, each of those different aspects came together to create a warm, welcoming atmosphere and an overall successful celebration. “I’m just really happy that it all worked out,” reflected Tang.
It was the fall of 1973, and sophomore David Kaplan (’76), was preparing for his first college production at Clark University – the Tennessee Williams drama “Suddenly Last Summer.” The play received mixed reviews, with The Scarlet saying, “When it was good it was very very good and when it was bad, it was horrid.” However, it ignited a spark that would last a lifetime for Kaplan, as he quickly progressed to directing award-winning plays by Williams across the world. It’s hard to say if Kaplan could have imagined himself, forty-four years later, sitting back in the seats of Atwood Hall’s auditorium and watching another one of his uniquely-interpreted Tennessee Williams creations. Directed by Kaplan and performed by Ghanaian theater company, Abibigroma, “Ten Blocks on the Camino Real” arrived in Worcester from the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival on Thursday evening. Several groups and individuals from around Worcester, including the Worcester Cultural Coalition and Ken Asafo-Adjei (on behalf of the Ghanaian community), joined together to sponsor the event, which had showings at Clark and the Worcester Common Oval. The 1946 classic is only one act long, with individual episodes, or “blocks,” but its themes
camino real pg. 8
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English Department Launches New Creative Writing Minor By Drashhti Bilimoria Contributing Writer
This semester, the English Department has launched a new Creative Writing Minor in line with Clark’s motto to “Challenge Convention. Change Our World.” The new minor gives both English majors and students majoring in other fields a chance to express themselves through the creative process. Courses in the minor are structured so that students can study literary works from a writer’s point of view, in order to apply what they learn to their own writing. In addition, the minor provides students with interactive workshops, so students can receive feedback that will help them develop and refine their work. The minor offers students courses in poetry, fiction, and creative
nonfiction, and is entirely taught by writers whose work has been published. For example, Professor Jessica Bane Robert has had her poems and essays published in several journals, and has won prizes such as the Rita Dove International Poetry Prize and the “Atlanta Review’s” International Merit Award. Professor Morris Collins, who teaches Writing the Novel I and II, has published fiction and poetry, some of which appears in “Gulf Coast,” “Pleiades,” “Michigan Quarterly Review,” and “The Chattahoochee Review,” along with a novel which will be reissued in a second edition later this year. The minor originated from the journalism concentration already established on campus. However, the concentration was limited only to those who were English majors. Those majoring in other sub-
jects were allowed to take the classes, but would not receive a formal distinction on their diplomas or transcripts for it. However, English majors were not the only students taking these courses. Consequently, the English Department decided to provide a program which all Clark students, regardless of major, could join and receive credit for on their transcripts and diplomas. The Creative Writing Minor requires a total of six courses: one 100-level English Literature course (non-FYI), two introductory creative writing courses, one two-hundred level English literature course, one advanced creative writing course, and a Creative Writing Capstone.
camino real continued from pg. 7 of love and heroism are bursting with energy and depth. The story follows Kilroy (played by Isaac Fiagbor), a big-hearted idealist, who falls in love with a gypsy’s daughter (Joycelyn Delali) and remains faithful to her even after death. These shorter scenes were designed for outdoor marketplaces where onlookers could stop by for a just a few minutes and easily be enticed into the storyline. Although written by an American, this “block” technique was originally influenced by German theory and Chinese acting, Kaplan said. Despite an already varied background, the play was brought to new and unexpected heights in this production thanks to Abibigroma. “I thought it might demonstrate diversity in unexpected ways,” Kaplan said of his adaption. Abibigroma is the resident drama company of the National Theatre of Ghana, and has been performing for over twenty-five years. They focus on developing a mix of music, dance, and movement based in spiritualism and folklore. This past year, they performed an English version of “Oedipus Rex,” along with several Ghanaian plays. Kaplan’s interpretation certainly achieved a fresh perspective with its setting (originally written as a Spanish-speaking town) in a Ghanaian village. Songs, names, and phrases that were in Spanish in the script
oct. 6, 2017
Pennywise the Clown Proves to Be No Jester in “It” By Sabrina Hallal Contributing Writer
Do you remember your childhood fondly? Maybe you won an award in school or made an ambitious art project. Maybe you made really amazing friends and spent the summers going on adventures. Or, better yet, maybe you were chased around by a demonic dancing clown who desperately wanted to kill you. Nice childhood memories, right? Well, you might just get to relive your childhood memories with Andy Muschietti’s new horror movie, “It.” Fans of Stephen King’s novel, or Tommy Lee Wallace’s mini-series, have been waiting 27 long years for the return of Pennywise the Dancing Clown. With almost 500 million dollars in worldwide box office sales and an 85 percent “Certified Fresh” score on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear that the wait was worth it. Considering that “It” is about a clown who kills children, it is no surprise that the main protagonists are children. The seven children Pennywise preys upon deserve their own round of applause. Each one of them
is endearing in their own right, and each one has a distinct and memorable personality. Perhaps the best performance in the film, though, is Pennywise himself. Played by Bill Skarsgård, Pennywise is the combination of everything we feared as little kids. Though he doesn’t get much screentime, he never fails to send chills down the spines of the audience with his killer smile and deadly sense of humor. Pennywise isn’t just scary for people afraid of clowns either. There is just something unsettling about him that renders even adults scared of the dark. As far as horror movies go, this one wasn’t the scariest. At times the movie solely focused on the children’s friendship and their summer antics, making it feel more like a Disney movie than anything else. But when Pennywise was on screen, everyone in the audience held their breath. We didn’t get to learn much about the killer clown’s background, or why he is haunting this particular town. Fortunately, we don’t have to worry, because “It” is only the beginning.
muralists continued from pg. 1 Poster courtesy of Clark University.
were translated to Ghanaian, and the blue guitar used for music that carries the entire play was swapped for blue djembe drums. Kaplan is well acquainted with “Ten Blocks,” and this is not his first production of it. In 2012, he adapted the play to be performed in Uruguayan marketplaces, and he also worked with other Tennessee Williams dramas in places like Hong Kong and Russia. He listed Clark as one of his many inspirations during his lengthy career in the theater industry. “What I learned at Clark emphasized…the simplest means to share a play’s depth,” he remarked. “[It] has become a goal of my practice as a director.” Kaplan also recalls his 1975 Clark adaptation of “Punch and Judy” as an influence for this version of “Ten Blocks.” He explained
that this college comedy, in which humans acted as puppets, was full of laughter and shenanigans. “The same silliness runs through ‘Ten Blocks,’” he said. Thursday’s show was indeed full of humor as actors danced through the aisles and interacted with the audience. As the curator and co-founder of the Provincetown Tennessee Williams Theater Festival, Kaplan has spent the last ten years directing and coordinating shows in locations including South Africa, Ghana, and Uruguay. The festival is currently emphasizing Williams’ connection with Shakespeare, and Kaplan recently finished directing a version of “Antony and Cleopatra,” which appeared in open-air markets in Provincetown, Mass.
descent graffiti with the intricacy and detail of market illustration and psychedelic pop art. Their styles are clear in the massive work that features a snake twisting around fruit and flowers, which is painted on the outside walls of the magnet school on Canterbury Street. The influence of tattoo art is also apparent in the hulking piece, which has inspired both Gillen and Mike as artists. Gillen stated that the piece shows his interest in the intersection of “art, science, and nature.” “Plus, my daughter’s name is Clementine so there are a few meanings hidden in there,” Gillen added. Despite the gargantuan nature of the piece, Gillen was able to accomplish what he wanted. “Creative problem solving is important in any job in any field, which you learn a lot about when working through a painting of any size or medium,” he said. The POW! WOW! Festival
Mural by Greg Mike. Photo courtesy of POW! WOW! Worcester.
could certainly be considered a celebration of creative problem solving and, perhaps, that’s just what Worcester needs to reinvigorate its long-neglected downtown center. Murals may seem to be an intimidating task to undertake, but Gillen had some words of advice: “Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, you can always paint over them, unless it’s a tattoo.”
opinions | 9
The Scarlet
oct. 6, 2017
United We Kneel?
The opinions enumerated in this section represent those of the author and the author alone. They do not reflect the opinions of the editorial board, The Scarlet, or Clark University.
Controversy arises as NFL players forgo societal convention during National Anthem By Monica Sager Contributing Writer
At 9 p.m. on Friday night, President Donald Trump tweeted an almost two-and-a-half-minute video of the national anthem. Players and fans of the St. Louis Blues and the Chicago Blackhawks stood for the song. Trump captioned the video with “19,000 RESPECTING our National Anthem! #StandForOurAnthem” Trump tweeted this in wake of football players taking a knee during the national anthem. During the football weekend beginning Sept. 23, each National Football League (NFL) team had at least one player stand—or kneel. Football teams showed support differently. Some locked arms, others took a knee, and a few raised a fist to the sky. The Pittsburgh Steelers (with the exception of former Army Captain Alejandro Villanueva), fully boycotted the anthem and did not leave the locker room. These players are not the first to make a statement in this fashion. Colin Kaepernick, the former quarterback for the San Francisco 49’ers, took a knee in the 2016 football sea-
Washington Redskins teammates during the national anthem before a game against the Oakland Raiders at FedExField on September 24, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. Photo courtesy of Keith Allison via Wikimedia.
son. He faced a lot of wrath and fury for such a move. Now all of these other players are following suit, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Critics, like Trump, say the players moves are disrespecting the flag, fallen service members, or whatever else, but isn’t such a stance humbling? Little league players of all sports are taught to take a knee when another player is hurt. It’s a sign of respect. They are acknowledging the
I’m Working On It
A look into body shaming at the gym By Ari Reyes Contributing Writer
Feeling comfortable in a public space is generally something everyone wants, especially in a place like the gym. However, sometimes this isn’t the case due to body shaming by others who are working out at the gym, with people gawking at them or videotaping them, making them feel uncomfortable. While this can happen to anyone regardless of gender, often women will find themselves the target of such behavior.
No one wants to feel uncomfortable, especially when they’re trying to better themselves. The last time I was at the gym I didn’t feel totally welcomed or comfortable. As a person who doesn’t work out too often, it was upsetting to see others being rude while I was there with a friend to improve my well-being. Two girls who I knew a bit from high school were on the treadmills behind us, and they were snickering. I could hear them whispering rude comments, so instead of
injured, stopping play, and hoping they’re okay. This action is a humbling sign, as kneeling is a symbol of honor, even outside of the sports world, such as in religious contexts. It is not disrespectful like Trump is making it out to be. Standing with arms linked can symbolize unification. Is that not what America is about? We are “the land of the free, home of the brave.” Together. Not separate. Roger Goodell, the NFL com-
missioner, spent a lot of time listening to the players. He told Sports Illustrated that the players really care for the sport. “They reflected the frustration, the disappointment, of the players over the divisive rhetoric we heard [from Trump],” Goodell said. But Trump called the player’s actions a “total disrespect of our heritage, a total disrespect of everything that we stand for.” He later tweeted Saturday, Sept.
standing up for ourselves we stopped our treadmills and left. Thinking back on that situation, I should’ve said something about how disrespectful they were being. If people are made uncomfortable they tend to try to avoid the situation instead of standing up for themselves. As welcoming as the environment at Clark can be, even the gym here is full of judgment. A few of my friends have used the gym and have had to avoid places, people, and certain times of day there. People would stare at or even video tape them working out. While working on their health, students shouldn’t feel as if they have to wait until a certain time to go to the gym. I person-
ally haven’t experienced any shameful acts here, but I know friends who have. In the cases of women being videotaped while running on the treadmill or using the bikes, they should be able to confront the people who are doing so. Unfortunately, most will not because the majority of people do not like conflict. If I were to catch someone recording me, I would stop what I was doing and go somewhere else in the gym to avoid them. Body shaming is harmful to a person’s mental health. The gym is supposed to be a place where not just physical, but also mental health can be strengthened. The gym is some people’s safe haven, but the
23, after some NFL teams already took their knees, “Roger Goodell of NFL just put out a statement trying to justify the total disrespect certain players show to our country. Tell them to stand!” If Trump believes you need to stand to respect the flag, he can. It’s okay. If a football player—or any ordinary person for that matter—feels differently, that’s totally okay too. Neither person’s actions affect the other. It’s not just the NFL taking a stance. An eight-years-and-under football team in Cahokia, Illinois took a knee on Sept. 23. Bruce Maxwell, an Oakland Athletics catcher, was the first Major League Baseball (MLB) player to take a silent stance. Singers in both Detroit and Nashville both knelt in protest. Rico Lavelle finished “The Star-Spangled Banner” at the Detroit Lions game, dropped to his right knee, and raised both hands in fists. NFL players took a stance this past week as well, and it seems like the movement may continue throughout the season.
rude remarks of others can ruin it. Everybody should feel welcomed, not ashamed of the way they look. Instead of gym goers making fun of others, they should encourage them to push themselves in furthering their fitness. Making the gym a welcoming place would result in more people feeling comfortable and wanting to go. Through encouragement, we as a school can make the gym a safe place to be, and people will be happy.
10 | opinions
The Scarlet
Red, White, and Green
Individual towns fight back after statewide legalization of marijuana By Andrew Vontzalides Contributing Writer
This past election cycle, the voters of Massachusetts narrowly approved a ballot question that would legalize recreational marijuana in the state by a margin of 53.7 percent to 46.3 percent. Despite this success for pro-legalization groups, parties in opposition to the newly liberalized marijuana laws have been pushing back with some moderate successes. One does not have to look far back to see examples of this: as recently as Sept. 19, Milford voted by a 56 percent to 44 percent margin to impose a ban on the sale of marijuana in their town. This is despite the fact that last November Milford voted by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin to legalize the sale of marijuana in the state of Massachusetts. Under a law passed by the Massachusetts state legislature this past summer, municipalities who opposed the legalization of marijuana can ban the sale of recreational marijuana in their towns without a vote. On the other hand, towns that voted for the legalization may ban recre-
ational marijuana sales in their town, but it must be done by vote. With the early voting results, there has been an expected but disappointing trend of hypocrisy, with voters being okay with the legalization of marijuana, just “not in my backyard.” This perspective can be seen with issues transcending the legalization and sale of drugs; many communities were largely supportive of the proliferation of wind turbines in previous years, but only as long as they weren’t obstructing the view of their particular skyline or ocean. Though disillusioning, this is certainly an all-too-human characteristic: supporting noble or transformative ideas in the abstract and opposing the process of making them reality. That voters would oppose the sale of drugs that were very recently illicit in their town or city should come as a surprise to few people. In my view, the problem lies with the bill passed by the legislature this past summer. I worked for my state representative Brad Jones, the minority leader of the Massachu-
setts House of Representatives, during the passage of this bill. While I respected his and his colleagues’ integrity and pragmatism, I find the bill deeply flawed in its broad decentralization of the implementation process for the marijuana ballot question. Having such a large variation in the new rules and regulations for a legalized drug has more than a pernicious effect on the consistency of our state law. A better compromise would be a bill that was significantly less decentralized but allowed for some leeway for those deeply opposed to the legalization of recreational marijuana. Such a bill would rein in the excesses of the current one in favor of a system where only towns who opposed the vote could ban the sale of marijuana in their town, and then only by vote. Recreational marijuana is now the law of the land in Massachusetts, and we should be much more conservative with the exceptions we make to it.
Municipal voting results of the Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Initiative. Source of underlying data is voting results reported by the Boston Globe in 2012. Graphic courtesy of EMW via Wikimedia.
oct. 6, 2017
Little Packs of Pills
The growing need for accessible oral contraceptives By Sarah Reinbrecht Contributing Writer
Accessibility is a major factor in purchasing any product. For a product to be successfully bought, it needs to be accessible. Birth control, particularly oral contraceptives, are no different; if it is not accessible, birth control will not be bought and used. Unfortunately, too many women, particularly young women and teenage girls, are aware of this reality. Because oral contraceptives require a prescription, there is a clear barrier preventing women and teenage girls from accessing oral contraceptives. Due to the various benefits that oral contraception offers, oral contraceptives should be available over the counter in order to make them more accessible. When considering that teen pregnancy rates have steadily decreased since 2007, one might think that oral contraceptives are less necessary to prevent pregnancy than they were in previous years. However, about 60 percent of teenage girls rely on the withdrawal method according to Insider. Planned Parenthood estimates that method is only 73 percent effective, making it a fairly risky form of birth control. Oral contraceptives, on the other hand, are about 91 percent effective even when used incorrectly, and they are the third most popular method of birth control. If oral contraceptives were available over the counter, it is likely that more teenage girls would use this more effective form of birth control, further contributing to the decrease in teen pregnancy rates. As established in the first paragraph, the required prescription from a doctor for oral contraceptives is a barrier to getting them. That is especially true for the 17 percent of women who do not have access to a primary care doctor according to Fierce Healthcare; this percentage further varies with race. Allowing oral contraceptives to be purchased over the counter would allow those
women to still buy birth control and enjoy the various benefits that oral contraceptives offer. Many teenage girls may have access to a primary care doctor, but they may still be under their parents’ insurance. Even if their parents do not allow them to get a prescription for birth control pills, over-thecounter oral contraceptives would allow them to prevent pregnancies while they are sexually active. Ideally, parents and teenagers would communicate and work together on finding and buying the best form of birth control for the teenager, but because that does not always happen and teens may still be sexually active, over-the-counter oral contraceptives would help teenagers prevent unwanted pregnancies. Further, women and teenage girls may want to use oral contraceptives for legitimate reasons beyond preventing pregnancy, such as reducing the pain of menstrual cramps or treating fibroid cysts. Providing oral contraceptives would ensure women have easy access to a beneficial medicine. Admittedly, oral contraceptives do carry some risks. However, women are generally aware of the health risks and are capable of determining if they are healthy enough to start taking oral contraceptives. Further, NPR reports that the negative side effects of oral contraceptives may not be as severe for teenagers, making it fairly safe for them to get oral contraceptives over-the-counter. Ultimately, NPR cites a doctor that states “these pills are safe and effective and we should reduce barriers to using them.” Over-thecounter oral contraceptives offer various benefits to women and the people around them, and with minimal health risks and increased convenience, it is logical that oral contraceptives should be available over the counter.
oct. 6, 2017
sports | 11
The Scarlet
Cougar of the Week Scarlet: Tell me about the student makeup of the team. Ethan: Most of the team is first-year and sophomore heavy. Scarlet: How do you feel about that? Ethan: As long as you have a core group of upperclassmen to help with the lack of experience the underclassman may have, everything’s fine, but the first-years and the sophomores bring a lot of energy to the team and have no problem stepping up in big games that we’ve had. Scarlet: What has been your favorite moment playing soccer? Ethan: My favorite moment was definitely making the NEWMAC tournament last year Scarlet: What do you find difficult about soccer? Ethan: In terms of playing soccer, it just comes down to time-management during the season. For example, there could be a game where we go up to Maine and get back at midnight and I still have schoolwork to do, so managing your time around practices and stuff like that can sometimes can be stressful Photo by Olivia Knightley.
Ethan Ziemba men’s soccer Ethan Ziemba (‘18) of Glen Gardner, New Jersey has been playing soccer since his arrival at Clark. He sat down with The Scarlet to discuss soccer, time management, and food. Scarlet: What are you majoring in? Ethan: Biochemistry, and I’m also going to be a 5th year MBA student. Scarlet: How long have you been on the soccer team? Ethan: This will be my fourth year, so all four years at Clark, but I’ve been playing soccer since I could walk (about 4 years old). Scarlet: What do you like about soccer? Ethan: I played a bunch of sports when I was little and I just loved soccer, how high pace it is. I love watching it too; Manchester is my favourite team.
Scarlet: Does anyone on the team have a pregame ritual? Ethan: Yeah, I actually have a pregame ritual. Greg French (‘18) and I, we have a handshake that we do before every game. We’ve done it since we were freshmen. Scarlet: What are some other activities you are involved in on campus? Ethan: I’m in the Sprat Lab a lot doing research. It’s a protein lab, and I spend a lot of time there. Soccer does take up most of my time, though. Scarlet: If you had to live off of one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Ethan: Chicken parm, for sure. Thanks for the interview, Ethan! `
by Drashhti Bilimoria Just 4 days left!
Important message for Clark students receiving University Grant aid If you received an email from Dianne Dyslin in University Advancement asking for your participation in a survey for students receiving University Grant (UG) aid, we need your response by:
Midnight on Sun., October 15, 2017 The survey takes only minutes to complete, but is essential for enabling us to match the UG aid you received through the scholarship funds established by our donors that are the source of your UG support. Many of these scholarships have specific awarding criteria with regard to major, place of residence, etc., that we can only match if we know more about you. A reminder email from Dianne will be going out tomorrow that has your unique survey link. Please be on the look-out for it. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Dianne at 508-793-8835 or at ddyslin@clarku.edu Thank you, in advance, for your participation!
12 | extras
oct 6, 2017
The Scarlet
Sudoko — Medium
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