CLIMATE CHANGE IS EVERYONE’S FIGHT
The Scarlet THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF CLARK UNIVERSITY NOVEMBER 17, 2017
BSUFloetic Friday Floods Dana Commons With Talent
By Anna Schaeffer Scarlet Staff
Students attend a rally held by Divest Clark in the Red Square. Photo by Krithi Vachaspati.
By Maggie Sullivan Contributing Writer
On Friday, Oct. 27, the impassioned members and allies of the non-hierarchal, activist student group, Divest Clark, took to Red Square in the fight for “climate justice, student power, and our future.” Anticipation built amongst the crowd as Ari Nicholson (‘20), a Divest Clark member and Clark student, kicked off the rally by announcing that a nearly sixty-page proposal for fossil fuel divestment had landed in the laps of Clark’s Board of Trustees just hours earlier. Though a decision must wait until February, change seems closer than ever before. “They have spent the past year following the process in place for petitioning the Board of Trustees relative to items of social responsibility and particularly investments by the university,” said Board of
Trustees secretary and spokesperson, Jack Foley, when asked to reflect on “Divest Clark’s most recent efforts to demonstrate the students’ desire to divest their university from fossil fuels.” However, the movement has a long way to go before it reaches an end. In fact, after two years of various hindrances and numerous derailments, the campaign for fossil fuel divestment is only beginning. This is due in part to the divestment process itself, which has been called to fruition for the first time since its conception on Clark’s campus in 1987 when colleges across the country called for an end to Apartheid by liquidating their stocks in corporations doing business with or banks lending money to South Africa. This concept is called “protest divestment.”
CLIMATE CHANGE PG. 4
The Dana Common’s fireside lounge was packed to capacity Friday night as attendees settled in for two hours of impressive performances relating to black identity, social justice, and celebrating creativity. In collaboration with the Black Student Union (BSU), November’s Floetic Friday was a celebration of black excellence, joy and expression. Combining student-made artwork, photography, dance, and a stunning musical performance by Mal Devisa, this month’s showcase centered around “The Black Monologues.” Students, alumni, and local artists alike took the stage during the poetry segment of the show. Award-Winning spoken word poet Ashley Wonder of Worcester treated the audience to both an original saxophone piece as well as several new, untitled poems. Noticing a shortage of black representation in A Capella and singing groups on campus, Ruthy Bob, Ashley Gaston, and Erica McIntosh formed their own gospel group, which performed several songs Friday night, opening up the musical section of the show. African Diaspora Dance Association (ADDA) members Daysha J. Williams, JonErik Brodhurst, and Andre Torbibo gave a stunning dance performance to Solange’s “Don’t Touch My Hair.” Shortly afterward came singer and guitarist Mal Devisa. Devisa is a musician working out of Western Massachusetts, whose thundering voice is as explosively powerful as it is flexible and smooth, effortlessly leaping between hope, sweetness and unshakable confidence.
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The Scarlet THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF CLARK UNIVERSITY
EDITORS
Editor-in-Chief: Jessica Macey Managing Editor: Alika Gillard Layout Editor: Ryan King News Editor: Giulia Elena Casella Opinions Editor: Elyse Wyatt Living Arts Editor: Katherine Hamilton Sports Editor: Natalia Raja Photo Editor: Amanda Quiñones General Manager and Fact Checker: Daniel Juarez
SCARLET STAFF
Julia Baldacci Drashhti Bilimoria Steven Castiglione Sara Conroy Max Elias Jason Fehrnstrom Sheila Ford Sabrina Hallal Brett Iarrobino Eric Keller Simone McGuinness Kayleigh McHugh Nandita Modhubonti Sarah Reinbrecht Arianna Reyes Andrew Rose Monica Sager Anna Schaeffer Andrew Vontzalides
LAYOUT & WEB STAFF
Madison Jones
The Scarlet
nov. 17, 2017
Police Logs 11/7/2017–11/14/2017 Compiled by Jessica Macey Tuesday, Nov. 7 12:51 – Report of disorderly person in Bistro not paying for soda. 13:27 – Report of physical altercation outside 934 Main Street. Wednesday, Nov. 8 14:30 – Officers confiscated toy gun from outside of Hughes Hall. 17:12 – Report of male being disorderly outside of 908 Main Street. Individual was moved along. Thursday, Nov. 9 20:14 – Small fire reported in Dodd Hall. Cooking issue. Sunday, Nov. 12 16:00 – Report of backpack stolen in Goddard library. Suspects identified and contacted. Tuesday, Nov. 14 14:11 – Report of cellphone stolen in the Kneller near the volleyball court. 19:35 – Two students reported that a male tapped them on the shoulder and asked for directions to the Kneller. He then stepped on their foot. Investigation ongoing.
PHOTO STAFF
Rodney Cargill Olivia Knightly Emily Monahan Morang Jay Sundar Rajan Krithi Vachaspati
CONTACT
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It’s a Yes for CYES
Meet Clark’s newest major By Brett Iarrobino Scarlet Staff
For some students, Clark’s motto is more than just a pristine sentiment that sounds impressive and prestigious -- there are plenty of Clarkies enrolling every year who are firmly intent on challenging convention, and changing our world. But as majors such as Cultural Studies and Communications appeared to lose their relevancy, and were ultimately dissolved from Clark’s academic offerings, professors began to fear incoming students eager to develop their own theories of change and transformative models would no longer be provided the proper spaces to grow their ideas. This is what led Professor Eric DeMeulenaere of the Department of Education, alongside other professors from a variety of subjects and academic fields, to pioneer the newest major Clark University has to offer undergraduates: Community, Youth, and Education Studies (CYES). A work-in-progress lasting nearly four years, the decision to create this amalgamation of studies and combine them into a singular program addressed a multitude of other concerns, namely Clark’s offering of an Education and Community Development and Planning minor, but nothing beyond this. Merging these studies with youth and child development analysis, the CYES curriculum investigates a variety of critical theories and issues of debate, ranging from social inequality to questions of identity and positionality. DeMeulenaere is hoping all these components will feed into the formation of a concept of social change, one that is embedded in social contact, reflects social background, and engages in a theory of knowledge. “If you think knowledge is a tool for power and social change, then what does that look like?” DeMeulenaere asked. “How do you engage in a community and document the process of change and learn from
your mistakes?” The unique and anomalous curriculum of CYES is reflective of the unprecedented journey undergraduates face, as CYES differs from traditional customs found in other courses of study. The process for declaring in the major proves to be more detailed than other subjects, asking students to truly consider where they are in their studies at Clark, and how their path will be affected by the major. DeMeulenaere said that the questionnaire that is mandated in the declaration process is designed to help folks be more thoughtful about where they’re going and how CYES will affect them. From there, a specific professor will work closely with one graduating class (DeMeulenaere is working with majors from the Clark Class of 2021), and an adviser is assigned to students in a manner that will ideally foster a personal connection between the student and the professor, leading to more powerful guidance and growth for the advisee. However, students majoring in CYES interact with many more professors and faculty beyond these assignments, with educators from History, Sociology, and a myriad of other departments teaching courses involved with the track. Professors aren’t the only factors that influence an undergraduate’s education in CYES. DeMeulenaere explained that while these faculty members are instrumental in working with students in the early stages of exploring the major, CYES majors will often work closely with one another, and learn and grow by hearing about each other’s experiences and ideas “You really build a community with the folks in the major and the students and faculty involved,” he explained. The CYES program culminates in a final project that must be begun by the end of a student’s junior year, in which undergraduates articulate a final proposal that addresses the the-
ory of social change they personally engineered. After executing the project over the summer or in the fall of their senior year, students then engage in creating a senior thesis that draws from the results of the project, going back to the major’s roots in addressing central themes of social change and positionality. DeMeulenaere explained that, in his view, one of the greatest benefits of majoring in CYES is the diversity of background and education one can glean from it. Courses that count towards the major span a variety of subject matter, and offer great insight into how one fits in with the history of both the country and the world. “It’s important to understand a history of race in this country,” he said, “but it’s also important to understand where you are in that history.” If these processes and concepts don’t sound familiar to Clarkies old and new, that’s likely because CYES is an incredibly fresh and new major, launching at the end of August 2017, and holding its first open house and orientation meetings just weeks ago in the months of October and November. While it is a recent addition to Clark’s academics, its popularity is quickly on the rise - 10 students have already ten students declared CYES as their major, and 15 underclassmen have shown genuine interest in a future with the track.
William Chambers speaks in the Dana Commons. Photo by Emily Monahan Morang.
Painting with Purpose Speaker discusses socially engaged art By Daniel Juarez General Manager
Aestheticians of varying ages filled the seats at Higgins Lounge Wednesday, Nov. 8, as Dana Commons hosted its final talk of the semester, “Art as a Social Practice.” The guest speaker of the hour was William Chambers, a current art instructor at the Massachusetts Bay Community College and the Visual Arts Chair at the Bancroft School, who discussed the challenges of daily, socially engaged pieces of art. “Socially engaged art,” he began, “is really thinking about the field and expanding it to involve people as participants as authors, in many ways.” “When you think about art,” he continued, “there’s usually something, and that thing that we own, maybe a painting, or a sculpture, or– in the modern age– a postcard of a piece of art, it’s there, in existence, and we think it’s all about us. But in fact– looking at how things really happen, in this field of objectoriented ontology– we look at the object in terms of what will happen to it when we’re gone. Just because we forget that it’s here, doesn’t mean it has the potential to go in all these directions.” He explained that this creation of legacy through art is more difficult than ever, as the practice of producing artwork has become much more financially-driven in recent times. “If we think about art, we have this idea that there’s an artist, and they’re going to add value to the thing-in-the-making. If it’s really good, then it will go to a museum, and be there forever.”
He then flipped this assumption on its head. “But the truth is a little different: museums don’t keep everything they get. In fact, museums will sometimes do things to without the artist’s consent,” he revealed, going on to say that they would go so far as to “repair” artwork by painting over it so that the main audience will be entertained, and that sometimes, art can be suffocated when put into a museum, as museums often times have the same type of audience coming in to look at the art on display. Changing gears to offer insight into everyday artwork outside of exhibits and subverting the usual expectations one may have of artwork, Chambers said that some of the most socially engaging art pieces and performances take place on street corners and neighborhoods where more everyday people will be able to see it. Recalling the Dada movement of the twentieth century as the starting point, Chambers cited “social sculptors” artists Marta Minujín and Joseph Beuys, who integrated themselves into their art in order to tell a story. Chambers went on to explain that this practice truly began to gain traction in the seventies with Adrian Piper’s performance art. By physically transforming herself and going out into the public, at one point soaking a set of clothing in a mixture of vinegar, eggs, milk, and cod-liver oil and walking in it for a week, Piper brought attention to identity construction and how society has resulted in bodies becoming cultural inscriptions.
SOCIAL PRACTICE PG. 4
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The Scarlet
nov. 17, 2017
The Past and Future of Free Clinics What patients and practitioners can learn from alternative healthcare By Jason Fehrnstrom Scarlet Staff
and a litany of other socio-political movements established free health clinics that provided essential services for people left behind by the for-profit healthcare system. These health clinics provided care in a collaborative, respectful, and patientoriented environment. Practitioners at radical clinics emphasized the interconnectedness between socio-economic ills and the health of communities. Their comprehensive, innovative approach to healthcare saved lives and strengthened the social fabric of many communities in need. While the the movements that spawned them have largely ended, a handful of these historic clinics exist and continue to expand their scope of services. Kapsalis, who has volunteered for and researched several free clinics, suggested that the healthcare community at large could benefit from learning about the strategic approaches practiced in free clinics. Kapsalis has a strong relationship with the team of practitioners at the Chicago Women’s Health Center (CWHC). A team of healthcare providers, community organizers and social workers formed the CWHC in 1975 to improve access to women’s healthcare in urban Chicago. Today, CWHC continues to provide access to over 6,000 patients a year. Practitioners at CWHC encourage their clients to “be self-advocates and active participants in their own health care,” according to their website.
Kapsalis emphasized that CWHC’s collaborative approach to healthcare facilitates the formation of client-practitioner relationships and promotes self-reliance. Kapsalis drew on interviews with participants at CWHC in order to demonstrate the impact of its services. Ari, a health educator at CWHC, was asked to distinguish between best practices at CWHC and traditional ways of administering medicine. She responded to Kapsalis by saying that things happen “with you” rather than “at you” at CWHC. Practitioners at CWHC acknowledge that medical professionals have expertise, however, they do their utmost to give autonomy and control to the recipients of their care. Kapsalis has also researched and collaborated with the Berkeley Free Clinic, a historic free health clinic located near University of California Berkeley. The Berkeley Free Clinic was established in 1969 to serve the basic needs of northern California’s homeless and transient population. Practitioners at Berkeley Free Clinic are strongly opposed to “health care delivery as a profitmaking industry,” according to their website. Their services are provided free of cost and the patient’s needs are considered within the “larger context of their unique circumstances and access to resources,” as they explained on their website. Despite having no operating revenue, practitioners at Berkeley
Free Clinic are able to offer dynamic care that is responsive to the changing needs of their client base. Kapsalis shared her experiences about collaborating with Dr. Fred Strauss, one of Berkeley Free Clinic’s practitioners. Strauss’ work with Berkeley Free Clinic began in 1973, during the incipient stages of the clinic’s existence. His experiences helping the homeless and gay men fighting the AIDS epidemic inspired him to attend medical school and become a physician. By virtue of having had experiences in the traditional medical world and the Berkeley Free Clinic, Strauss was able to provide Kapsalis with many valuable insights about the benefits of the free clinics. Strauss said his experiences working at Berkeley Free Clinic taught him how to “work in a collaborative team of providers” where one can “admit that they are wrong.” Strauss was sadly surprised when he entered a private practice and found a lack of discourse amongst doctors. Kapsalis posited that the lack of collaboration and openness in the traditional medical world prevents better, cost-efficient outcomes for patients and doctors alike. Kapsalis is going to continue her research and collaboration with free clinics emerging across the world. She ultimately aspires to integrate the most fundamental lessons free clinics have to offer into her next book.
SOCIAL PRACTICE CONTINUED FROM PG. 3
ing an image of a rocket ship-container he constructed on the street at a storefront. He asked passersby if they were interested in writing their own dreams on pieces of paper, all with the playful notion that by putting them on display with the ship, they would be seen by others who wouldn’t have ordinarily seen them. Chambers reminisced about the “intense” experience, stating that “the walls of the store were filled with people’s dreams and it seemed that– as an art piece– everything could be fair, just because someone might have had more money than someone else didn’t mean that their dreams could be broadcast louder than someone else’s. The inequality was all there.”
He compared it to the works mentioned at the beginning of his lecture, offering his opinion of how this “street-art” compared to those pieces in a museum. “The world doesn’t need more paintings and sculptures for no reason. The world needs to understand each other better.” Ending his talk on this note, the opportunity arose for questions. Questions addressed topics ranging from Chambers’ interactions with the people at events such as these to where the money and resources to fund them comes from. One audience member asked how some museum pieces could be on display and what qualities lead them to have a “transformative” ef-
fect on their viewers. “You could have a deeply profound, emotional experience with anything that doesn’t even come close to the basic definition of ‘art.’ Our lived experiences are different,” explained Chambers. “Something worth ten cents but you have a deep relationship with can matter more to you than any master painting.”
Students, faculty, community members, and health professionals gathered Tuesday, Nov. 7, to hear author, professor, and health practitioner Terri Kapsalis speak about the past and future of radical health clinics. She supported her discussion with quotes from health educators, doctors, and clinic websites. Kapsalis’ lecture, “Health Care for Good: What We Need to Learn from Radical Clinics,” was part of a larger sequence of lectures this semester sponsored by the Higgins School of Humanities. This semester’s theme, common pursuits and the public good, examines how individuals and groups form, contribute to, and learn from their social, economic, and civic goals. Kapsalis began her lecture by undermining the conventional wisdom about socio-political movements in the 1960s and 1970s. Many of these movements, such as that of the Black Panther Party and the Women’s Health movement, are remembered for their political beliefs and determination to change the existing social order of their day. However, a forgotten element of many of these social movements is their contribution to the public health of the communities in which they operated. The Women’s Health Movement, the Black Panther Party,
Moving forward in time, Chambers then highlighted a more recent work of art, Suzanne Lacy’s 1994 piece “The Roof Is On Fire.” The piece featured public high school students holding unscripted conversations about family, sexuality, drugs, their cultures, and the future on a rooftop garage as Oakland City residents listened in, allowing their perspectives to be heard like never before. Chambers then focused on his own work, which he hopes follows in the footsteps of social-artists before him, show-
CLIMATE CHANGE CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 Currently, 12.11 percent, or $37.2 million, of Clark’s endowment remains invested in fossil fuels. While this investment represents the mere tip of a nearly $1 trillion iceberg, Nicholson believes that shaving it from fossil fuel funding as well as Clark’s investment portfolio has the potential to produce reverberations in policy internationally. As the global political atmosphere heats up, students refuse to let the subject cool down, arguing that “This Can’t Wait.” Divest Clark maintains momentum and campus consensus by organizing petitions, art demonstrations, collaborations, zines, and rallies, in order to increase student pressure for divestment. The group advocates for Clark students to show up for one another, especially in times demanding social and political action. Ariana Mohamed (‘18) pointed out something to the opposite effect: the crowd of resisters was almost exclusively white. She raised the point, “if we’re going to hold our institution accountable, we have to hold ourselves accountable.” According to Mohamed, it is not enough to stigmatize fossil fuels without addressing heavy topics like race, class, and sexism. “Please do your research and realize how intersectional this issue of climate change is, and how it’s not just about fossil fuels. You have to look at yourself, your identity, and the identity of those who are most affected by this issue. So, I expect everybody to stand up to every issue that intersects with climate change, which is every issue,” said Mohamed. Following the rally, Mikey Ippolito (‘21) remarked that, “while the rally was designed to demand accountability from Clark Administration, it was excellent to have some dialogue about holding each other accountable as a mutually supportive student body.”
The Right to Know A panel of professionals from the reproductive rights world By Daniel Juarez General Manager
All eyes faced front in Jefferson 218 Thursday, Nov. 9, as Clark’s own NARAL (National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws) Pro-Choice branch hosted four guest speakers to discuss their experiences working in the world of reproductive justice, as well as answering any questions that attendees had about abortion and related issues in the modern age. The panel comprised of Katherine Fine from Worcester NOW, Kate Froehlich of NARAL Massachusetts, Marcy Ostrow of the Jane Fund of Central Massachusetts, and nurse practitioner and Clark alumna Debbie Bamberger of a Planned Parenthood location in California. After some quick introductions of the club’s e-board and an invitation for attendees to grab some food and beverages, the panel started, with each panelist providing some information about themselves. “I guess I’m a lifelong feminist,” Fine began. “Being a feminist isn’t something I can turn off and on like a switch, and I have a lot of respect for people in the reproductive rights field as professionals, but I like to feel that those of us who aren’t can be there to support them and spread the word in many ways.” She explained that she believes that feminism is all-encompassing, referring to the gaps of inequality in areas outside of reproductive rights, going on to discuss the term itself. “The word ‘feminism’ shouldn’t be a dirty word, we shouldn’t be afraid to say, ‘I’m a feminist.’ For everyone to be equal, we must discuss important topics such as due process and offensive behavior without equating the word feminist with the word extremist.” Froehlich, picking up the conversation, introduced herself as a current student at representing NARAL Massachusetts, as well as part of the leadership circle of the Eastern Massachusetts Abortion Fund (EMAF), responsible for providing the grants that allow people to obtain abortions. “Sometimes it’s as little as $50 that makes the difference whether someone is able to have an abortion or not, which is a difference between, ‘What’s going to happen to them if they have this child, that–for any rea-
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son– they decide they cannot carry’ and if they don’t have this,” she explained. She went on to say that whatever the amount, whether it is $50 or $1000, that EMAF provides, it can make all the difference. Having been a part of Emily’s List as well as having worked for Wendy Davis during her campaign for Texas governor in 2014, she credited both experiences in leading her to the path of being an advocate for reproductive justice she is on now. As Froehlich’s turn ended, Ostrow took the reigns. Explaining how she got to where she is now, she revealed that she got her start in high school. “My friends and I started a girls varsity soccer team when we were in high school,” she described. “Here we were, seniors in high school, who decided that it was time for there to be a girls’ soccer team, and so it was less of an athletic issue than it was an issue of equality.” Moving to Worcester thirty-six years ago, she outlined her experience working as a humane educator for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), teaching classes on egalitarianism, as well as doing volunteer work when the need for it arose. She then talked about her current work for the Jane Fund of Central Massachusetts. “Twenty-nine million women are denied abortion coverage, and that could be because they can’t afford their health care, or it could be that they’re in the military,” she explained. “This group unites organizations and works toward lifting bans that deny abortion coverage, and the vision is to restore public, abortion coverage for every person, no matter how much they make, to get affordable, safe, abortion care when they need it.” Bamberger was the final panelist to speak on her experiences before questions began, and as a Clark alumna, she recalled that her fight for reproductive rights began just right outside on the Green. “In October of 1986, I was nineteen and a sophomore at Clark, and I was hanging out with my friends, reading the Worcester paper, and
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS PG. 6
Clarkie of the Week by Andrew Rose like, when it’s…[in the] seventies, that’s when people back home put on a winter coat. People can’t go outside when it’s that cold, so it’s like, how do you feel when it’s in the thirties. Scarlet: How’d you adjust to the Worcester winters? Marissa: As much as I can, I run to my classes, and try to minimize my time outside as much as possible. But, just layering galore, and everybody always teases me because I have the furriest winter coat just to keep warm.
Photo by Krithi Vachaspati.
Marissa Callender Marissa Callender (‘18) is a Global and Environmental Studies major from Barbados. In addition, her studio art minor, internship with Worcester Magazine, and extra curricular activities such as Hip Hop Collabo have allowed her to pursue a variety of interests and opportunities during her time in Worcester. The busy senior took some time to sit down with The Scarlet and discuss the past four years, her future, and everything in between, from marine biology to vegetables. Scarlet: Where are you from? Marissa: I’m originally from Barbados. Scarlet: How is it different from here? Marissa: Okay, well for sure, sizewise, because we’re really small -we’re only two-hundred and some square miles, like 256, so basically, probably the whole of Worcester is the same size as Barbados. But it’s interesting how people are a bit more open-minded to racial issues, and sexual issues, and stuff like that. Coming from a smaller society where things like that are a bit more taboo, I’d say that it, only now, has started to become accepted, whereas here, it’s a thing, and you have to adjust to it being normal. Scarlet: How does the weather around here compare? Marissa: For sure, a lot colder. I feel like there’s really no way to ever mentally prepare yourself, because
Scarlet: So what is your major? Marissa: I am a Global and Environmental Studies major and I minor in Studio Art. Scarlet: Did you come in knowing what you wanted to major in, or is it something you came to later? Marissa: Originally, I wanted to come to Clark to do the Community Studies and Cultural Studies program, but while I was in school back home I did Environmental Studies, and so I basically figured out that I like to do both. GES allows me to do Environmental Studies, and my skills and my department perspectives [are things] I can take in writing, the media, something related to that. So, it kind of changed, but it worked out to incorporate both in a better way. Scarlet: Alright. And you’re a Senior? Marissa: Yes, unbelievably. I feel like I just came here. I don’t understand what happened. Scarlet: So you dance, is that correct? Marissa: Yeah, I’m on the hip-hop team. I’ve been on the team since I was a freshman. I’m choreographing this semester, and hopefully next semester, if everything goes fine. But, you know, just trying to do as much I can, because it’s my last year on the team. I still want to, it’s weird, because when I was a freshman, I feel like I looked at seniors as these people who were so much bigger than me and had it all together, and now I’m here, and I really don’t [see it that way]. Scarlet: Were you into dancing before you got to Clark, or is it something you came to here?
Marissa: I’ve done dancing since I was five. I started off with ballet, then I did jazz, and then I went into tap dancing. I actually wound up teaching tap dancing to students around four to twelve for three years before coming to Clark. I had three to four classes I would teach through a dance company in Barbados. Scarlet: So explain to us what you do with Hip Hop Collabo. Marissa: Hip Hop has a show each semester; it’s always on a Friday and a Saturday night, and we do workshops throughout the semester. Sometimes we’re asked to perform at events. I know Hip Hop is going to be performing at this year’s Midnight Madness; it just kind of depends, we go to WPI, Holy Cross, whichever schools reach out to us, if they want us to be a guest performer. We have mandatory practices on Sunday and throughout the week. It’s dependent on your choreographer, who is a Hip Hop member, when they choose a day to schedule a practice, that’s when we would have one. I pretty much have practices almost every day of the week, because I’m in at least four people’s practices. Scarlet: Looking back at your experience at Clark, what have been the highlights? Marissa: There are so many things I’ve enjoyed. Probably, my first highlight freshman year was getting on Hip Hop. I made a lot of great friends that way. I started off doing Connections at Clark, so that was also really great. I had the opportunity to proctor with the photo lab, so that gave me a lot of experience with my own work, with what I do. And then … I know that my first ever performance with Midnight Madness was amazing for me. I actually facilitated a talk during Geography Week one year, and that was really great, because it was my first time being solo and talking about everything. My LEEP project was another really great highlight for me, because I was in South Africa doing my work, and it was really great.
CLARKIE PG. 6
6 | news REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS CONTINUED FROM PG. 5 there was this ad for phone volunteers at Planned Parenthood in Worcester.” She answered the ad, and began volunteering. “I really loved it,” she said. “I hadn’t thought of myself as a feminist before that, but I feel like I became a feminist by volunteering there.” Moving to the West Coast upon graduation, she eventually became the first nurse practitioner in the state of California to be legally trained to provide first-trimester abortion operations, which she has continued to do for the past fourteen years. “I was a clinician for many years before I started to do abortions,” she said, “and you can give out a lot of birth control, you can do a lot of lab tests and treat chlamydia and it’s really great, but there’s nothing else that I had done where I could change the course of a woman’s life in the five minutes when I saw her.” The panel then opened up to a wide range of questions, from talking about whether any of the panelists faced opposition from their friends or family for the type of work they do, to the subject of abortion and its place in the political landscape, to the kinds of opposition abortion clinics face on a daily basis. Fine answered the latter ques-
CLARKIE CONTINUED FROM PG. 5 Scarlet: Good stuff. So what’s on the list for the rest of your time at Clark? Marissa: Currently, I intern at “Worcester Magazine” for the semester, and I’m actually going to be going to “Pulse Magazine” for next semester, so ... just trying to finish off strong as I can, and then I want to do a Barbados dance for Gala, because I feel like, you know, every year there are really cultural dances, and it wasn’t portrayed per se, so I wanted to do that for my country, before I leave. Scarlet: So what’s it like writing for “Worcester Magazine”? Marissa: It’s good. It’s really interesting. ... I’ve never done news-style writing; I do more like features or, like, more creative writing, so it was definitely an adjustment in writing style, but I’ve also been able to meet and go to a bunch of different events that I probably wouldn’t have gone to see a lot of Worcester outside of Clark. If you’re just going to a few restaurants or doing things on campus, that is completely different from
The Scarlet tion by talking about phony clinics, known as “crisis pregnancy centers,” that exist to thwart the efforts of women looking to obtain advice on abortions or actual abortion operations. “There are health clinics that will mimic the sign and the logo and the colors [of Planned Parenthood clinics] so that they look very similar, and they will try to lure people in there and keep them there so that they miss their abortion appointments,” she explained. She highlighted one such clinic in Worcester, Problem Pregnancy, which is located directly across the street from an actual Planned Parenthood on Pleasant Street. These clinics do not offer abortions, and many give out false information to dissuade pregnant individuals from seeking one. Near the end of the panel, the talk switched gears to recalling moments that the panelists felt were worthy of highlight in their work. It was then that Ostrow described an instance when she received a call on the Fund’s hotline from a woman looking toward obtaining an abortion and her walkthrough of the process with her, asserting that, “there are people out there who care about you, who you’ll never meet again, but we’re out there. It’s our job to help.”
when your whole life is based on different aspects of Central Massachusetts. Because “Worcester Mag” covers that, I take the bus, like, when I’ve gone by myself before, just really getting out there to explore issues; I’ve made really good connections from the Worcester area, which is really good as well. Scarlet: Good stuff. Alright...what’s your favorite animal? Marissa: Dolphins. Scarlet: Any special reason? Marissa: I wanted to be a marine biologist when I was younger. I was so set on being a marine biologist, and I hated chemistry, so like, I was like, this is not going to work out. But yes, definitely dolphins, whales, marine life in general, but definitely those species in particular. Scarlet: Alright, and what’s your favorite vegetable? Marissa: Probably butternut squash, I’m really a big fan of that. My mom cooks it all the time. I love butternut squash soup. It makes anything better. Thanks for the interview, Marissa!
nov. 17, 2017
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The Scarlet
nov. 17, 2017
living arts | 7
The Color Lavender Latest PlayFest drama delivers a new spin on the 1950s
Zohaib Bilal (‘19) performs. Photo by Krithi Vachaspati.
Eid-Diwali Dinner Shines SASA celebrates culture with fellow Clarkies By Giulia Elena Casella News Editor
The South Asian Students Association (SASA) lit up Tilton Hall for their Eid-Diwali Dinner on Saturday, Nov. 11. The club hosted its biggest event of the year, which celebrates two major festivals among two prominent religions in South Asia, Islam and Hinduism. Guests could feel the incredible energy that filled the venue as soon as they entered, with upbeat Hindi and Bengali songs playing in the background, and SASA as well as many audience members in colorful traditional outfits such as the salwar kameez and the kurta. The space was intricately decorated with beautiful tapestries which people used as backdrops for pictures throughout the evening, as well as with paper cut-outs of distinct attractions found in South Asia on the walls and windows, such as the Taj Mahal. On each table was a card with a brief description of the Muslim festival Eid and the Hindu festival Diwali, which the club also explained to their audience through a dialogue and a skit, respectively. As the centerpiece explained,
“Eid al-Adha…honors the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his promised son, Ishmael, as an act of submission to God’s command. God, however, then intervened to provide Abraham with a lamb to sacrifice instead.” On the card’s flipside, Diwali was explained: “The festival spiritually signifies the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, good over evil, and hope over despair.” Before the Eid dialogue and Diwali skit, Manahil Mir (’19) and Maham Imtiaz (’21) recited the Eid prayer, followed by Amritesh Singh (’20), Shrivats Saharia (’19), and Meyru Bhanti (’18) who recited the Diwali prayer. As hosts Maha Akbar (’20) and Darshan Mody (’20) mentioned, SASA decided to pair the more educational Eid dialogue and Diwali skit with their respective, more intimate prayers. They explained they not only wanted this event to be a chance for the club members to celebrate the festivals, but they also wanted it to be an opportunity for them to share their unique and diverse culture with the Clark community. SASA’s President Tenzing Ngodup Gurung (’19) and Vice-
President Kubahan Ryan Giambrone (’19) also took centerstage. They thanked SASA members for their dedication, the audience for their support, and wished the audience to enjoy the entertainments to follow. Most notably, Giambrone discussed the event’s admission fee ($3 for Clarkies and $5 fee for non-Clarkies). He said that the proceeds will aid the Rohingya refugees fleeing from Myanmar into Bangladesh, and that SASA chose to do so because “everyone deserves the right to live, no matter their religion.” As a final statement before the performances, the two hosts reminded their audience that SASA had created their own Snapchat Geofilter, and they encouraged all their guests to share their experience with their friends and family on social media. The SASA E-board opened the performances to come with their own dance, one that transmitted the pride and excitement they felt for their cul-
EID-DIWALI PG. 9
By Katherine Hamilton Living Arts Editor On Thursday night, students poured into the Little Center for the latest installment of PlayFest’s student-produced drama, “The Lavenders.” Hosted by Clark Arts and Clark University Players’ Society (CUPS), the New Play Festival showcases young talent from Clark students every other year. “The Lavenders” was the third in a string of shows, all written, directed, and acted by Clarkies. By 7:30, the four-person cast was preparing themselves as they stood behind the set of a well-detailed 1950’s cookie-cutter house, complete with a record player, liquor cart, and checkered tablecloth. It was their third and final production, but the crowd had established the excited tension and shear magnitude that might be expected on opening night. The first scene began on a lighthearted and humorous note in which a husband, Beverly (Tim Jones,’19), and wife, Grace (Lena Eaton,’18), playfully bicker about the landscaping and yardwork. The couple is an unlikely pair: Grace is a sensible but introspective freelance writer, and Bev is far more animated and dramatic. The two are still trying to adjust to life in Los Angeles after moving from the east coast for Bev’s new position as an English professor. However, despite the seemingly “average” lifestyle and conversation, it is soon revealed that Grace and Bev are actually both gay and have married to appease their friends and relatives, and to protect their own well-being. Like all PlayFest shows, “The Lavenders” was completely created and produced by current and recently graduated Clark students. The director and former CUPS member, Amelia Mohr (‘17), sat beside the play’s creator, Emily Denny (‘17), in the audience on Thursday night. Denny, who recently gradu-
ated from Clark and now resides in Washington, explained where her inspiration for the show stemmed when she first began writing it about three years ago. “I had recently been doing a lot of reading about LGBT history, particularly in the mid 20th century,” said Denny. “I got really interested in some of the ‘survival tactics.’” Mohr, who is enrolled in Clark’s fifth year program and recently came out as queer, said that this was her first directing job. Both she and Denny said they felt it was critical to have a queer female direct the show. According to Denny, Bev and Grace’s arrangement in the show was not unusual or unique for the time, and has more recently been dubbed a “lavender marriage,” influencing the play’s title. As Denny continued her research about the topic, she said she expected to find some sort of story already written about a lavender marriage, and was surprised to find absolutely nothing. “The short answer of why I wrote this play is because it didn’t exist yet … It was a play I really wanted to see.” Although the couple’s story may have occurred countless times throughout history, the actors’ portrayal of the characters was entirely fresh, unique, and devoid of stereotypes. Bev was endlessly sarcastic and joking, even at inappropriate moments, and gave several hilariously witty monologues. Grace, however, was an equally intriguing personality, as her quiet and serious remarks revealed a much more tumultuous inner struggle. The atmosphere begins to take some darker and more poignant twists as the plot and characters progress. As they prepare themselves for dinner with Bev’s boss (Brett Iarrobino, ’21) and his wife, Charlotte (Hannah Brier, ‘20), the couple skirts around their fears about
LAVENDERS PG. 8
8 | living arts
The Scarlet
nov. 17, 2017
B!tch in the Spotlight The Little Center premieres the fourth installment of the New Play Festival By Monica Sager Scarlet Staff
“B!tch,” the fourth of six New Play Festival hour-long plays, was performed last weekend. “How many playwrights does it take to change a light bulb?” Gino DiIorio, program director of theater, joked in his welcome. “None. Because they say, ‘I’m not changing anything.’” May Feynman (‘18), “B!tch”’s playwright and actress in last week’s performance of “Us,” didn’t seem to have to change anything anyways. The Little Center was packed full on opening night, Nov. 10. Some people had to even stand in the balcony. The play received a standing ovation that night. “I loved it so much,” Feynman said. The play was partially improvised. Each night had a slightly different dialogue, especially dur-
LAVENDERS CONTINUED FROM PG. 7 a recent crackdown on homosexuality at Bev’s university. A surprise call from Grace’s disapproving mother to say she’ll be visiting that night only aggravates an already stressful situation. It was clear that Denny’s portrayal of the couple was nothing slapped together or guessed about. The writer explained that she researched the topic and time period extensively through a variety of medias. “I wanted readers/audiences to experience the 1950s as they were,” Denny said. Indeed, the cordial conversation among the four acquaintances painfully demonstrates the intense discomfort of an LGBT individual
ing the “scene change” scene and conversation between the Narrator (played by Maria Connors. ‘20) and Cynthia (played by Liat Graf, ‘18). This may be accountable to Graf being a member of Shenanigans! and Connors of The Peapod Squad. The play was definitely a hit. The actors and actresses had a great chemistry on stage that made the audience continuously laugh throughout the play. “B!tch” started off with Connors walking through a row of seated audience member and “yelling” at them, apologizing for being late. Her monologue is interrupted The Boyfriend (played by Henry Hutcheson, ‘20) walks on stage in a “drunk” stupor to try and win Cynthia back- little does he know that she has a guest, the Locksmith (played by John Lepard, (‘19). When Cynthia’s sister (played by Gaby Joella, (‘19)) shows up the plays takes a hilarious
in the 1950s. Prying questions about Bev and Grace’s sex life and plans for children are laced with smaller statements like “isn’t that queer?” and concerns about the decline of the neighborhood due to diversity. At first, I often found myself laughing at the ridiculously bigoted comments of [Bev’s boss], but I would then realize the heavier weight of his words on Grace and Bev. As Harris Eidelman (’19) explained in his introduction to the play, the subject matter is meant “to make the audience feel uncomfortable.” “The issue is that a lot of the popular culture that exists of the 50’s isn’t an accurate portrayal,” Denny noted. The ending of the play leaves
Left to right: Riley Smith (‘20), Gaby Joella (‘19), Liat Graf (‘18). Photo by Jay Sundar Rajan.
turn, ending in two deaths, or a “gay murder suicide,” and the appearance of the sister’s ex-lover No Dick Dicky (played by Riley Smith, ‘20). “B!tch” is full of sexual and homosexual innuendos, both hidden and blatant. The best lines of the play were actually the over-explained jokes, such as when Connors explained that the homosexual jokes were ok “as the playwright is gay herself.” There was also the ongoing joke of Cynthia and her sister,
Lily, being identical twins. While the sounds, designed by Sowhi Jeong (‘20), were sometimes off, it added to the hilarity of the play overall. It was also a cool sight to see Feynman, who sat in the front of the audience, mouth the lines along with the characters. The play was directed by Tyler Terriault (‘17) and produced by Toni Armstrong (‘18), who also wrote New Play Festival’s “Us.”
the audience with a sense of dissatisfaction, frustration, and sadness -nothing is resolved. After a shouting match between Bev and his motherin-law, everybody leaves the dinner party, and the couple unsuccessfully attempts to see a way out of their unhappy marriage. As a viewer, I was angry that the couple had to stay together in order to keep their jobs and security, but, like the characters, I was unsure whom to direct my anger at. The ending was certainly very difficult to watch, but it seemed like the most realistic outcome. “I want everyone to have their own experience,” Denny explained when asked about the message of her play. “That’s the magic of theater, no two people are obligated to have the same reaction.”
“The Lavenders” is not Denny’s first play, and the former Clark English major has won many awards for her past plays and other writing. At Clark, she was also involved in Shenanigans!, Clark Writes, and the Freudian Slip. After two playwriting classes, she was encouraged by Professor Gino DiLorio, who helped create PlayFest many years ago, to submit a piece to PlayFest. “I had this play sitting around in my computer only half finished,” Denny recalled “I picked it up, got to work, organized a reading, made some revisions, and the rest is history!”
Attendance is free with a college ID and $5 for general admission. Clark University Players Society (CUPS) and the visual and performing arts department handed out New Play Festival punch cards as an incentive to attend all six plays. There are two more performances: “Bert’s Cardiac Arrest” Nov. 14 and 15, and “Glass Walls” Nov. 17 and 19.
New Play Festival Don’t miss the LAST show!
Glass Walls Fri, Sat, Sun, November 17-19
Little Center 7:30pm
The Scarlet
nov. 17, 2017
living arts | 9
Dance the Night Away Variant Dance Troupe and Dance Society host Fall Showcase in Atwood
Dancers owned the stage in Atwood last weekend in the Variant and Dance Society fall showcase. Photo by Jay Sundar Rajan.
FLOETIC FRIDAYS CONTINUED FROM PG. 1 Each performance offered contagious energy and an outlet for Clark Students and community members to express their creativity and promote their artwork and even businesses, such as Williams’s beauty company AsanRa. But this was a celebration with a purpose, as co-organizer Geraldine Arielle Pierre stated, the show was intended to offer a platform for oftneglected Black creativity and black art. “Black art and black product are completely disregarded and not seen as something that’s worth paying for or presenting, so it was important to have a place to come together to share it,” Pierre said. “But it’s really meant to be a stepping stone, just like a step in the right direction to bring together all of the different black-identifying people at Clark,
and there’s still a lot more to be done.” The collaboration with the Black Monologues, the Pub Entertainment Committee (PEC), and Floetic Fridays also set out to give audience members themselves an opportunity to challenge personal biases, to think critically, and to share stories in an uncensored and vulnerable environment. November’s Floetic Friday also stood to remind the Clark community that there is still a long way for the school itself to go, with just 3.5% of Clark’s undergrad community identifying as black. Overall, Friday’s exposition of art, poetry, and music was a chance for Clark students to share a space with one another, to dispel internalized stereotypes and to celebrate the talent, stories, and experiences of our community.
By Arianna Reyes Scarlet Staff
there was always something interesting happening and the audience waited for the next dance in anticipation. From bootylicious hip-hop dances to light ballet dances, the show had a great variety of talents and pieces to watch. Two of my favorite dances from the show put on by VDT were “Afro-Caribbean Hip Hop Mix” choreographed by Fatima Diallo and “Got MILF?” choreographed by Nate MacDonald (‘18) and Julie Reed (‘21). “Afro-Caribbean Hip Hop Mix” was one of my favorites because of the liveliness of the dancers, and I could really tell how much they enjoyed the dance they were putting on. “Got MILF?” was another super fun dance. It was bootylicious and made me laugh, and I could also tell that the dancers were enjoying themselves and what they were doing. Both dances really made me want to get up and dance. Another dance I really enjoyed was DS’s “Unsteady” which was choreographed by Adrienne Kas-
mally (‘19), I thought that this performance was very emotional and the dancers also put a lot of emotion into the way that they were dancing. Throughout both acts of the showcase I was very intrigued and enjoyed every part of what was happening on stage. Both groups performed incredibly well, and you could tell that every dancer was having a good time doing what they were doing. There was a special silence that filled the room when the audience was waiting for the dancers to get in place and for the music to start playing, and it made the anticipation that much greater. Not only did the dancers have fun, but the audience did too, and there was a huge applause after every dance. If you didn’t have the chance to go out and see this wonderful show this past weekend, definitely keep an eye out next semester for both groups’ performances and try to make time to go. Seeing those Clark students dance their booties off was definitely a treat!
EID-DIWALI CONTINUED FROM PG. 7
crowd favorite dessert, gulab jamun. Dinner was followed by more entertainment, and SASA opened this final part of the evening with the perfect choice, an original Hindi song performed by Zohaib Bilal (’19). This was followed by the boys’ dance, the girls’ dance, and finally the very special senior dance. Guest Tracy Graham (’19) particularly enjoyed the senior dance: “the last dance of the night was super fun to watch because everyone moved really well together and had so much happy energy,” said Graham. Ralitza Mondal (’19), another audience member, was pleased with SASA’s Eid-Diwali Dinner. “I think it was an overall very energetic event with great food and music,” said Mondal. Mir attributed the event’s success also to the E-board members. “We were all on the same page, and were being so supportive of each
other,” said Mir. “Just the way we communicate with each other is super efficient and respectful.” “The whole night was full of dancing and laughing and enjoying good food with good company, and I think that means the event was a huge success,” said Mir. “It made me so happy to be part of an amazing club.”
This past weekend at Atwood Hall Variant Dance Troupe (VDT) and Dance Society (DS) put on their fall showcase. Variant’s co-directors are Molly Bond (‘18) and Taylore Lombardi (‘18), Dance Society’s codirectors are Taylor McAllister (‘18) and Brittany Lacerte (‘19). The two groups are both studentrun and choreographed. However, Variant is a non-audition based group while Dance Society is. This is the only show that the two groups do together, there are other shows in the spring that the groups do on their own. The fall showcase consisted of twenty dances, while some were fast-paced and very engaging, others were more somber and evoked emotion. All the dances were incredibly interesting to watch, especially since they were all choreographed by students. Throughout the show
ture and event to their audience. From the back one could see all the phones held up to take pictures and videos, the photographers moving around the room to find the best angles for their pictures, and SASA, as well as audience members, cheering on their friends who had taken the stage. The E-board dance was followed by the first-year dance, and then the couples dance, both equally as spirited and appreciated as the first performance. Akbar and Mody then announced that dinner would be served, a part of the evening their large crowd was very much looking forward to. The delicious buffet-style meal included various spicy meat and vegetarian side and main dishes, as well as a
10 | opinions
The Scarlet
Domestic Terrorism: Unofficial yet Powerful By Max Elias Scarlet Staff
About a week ago, the United States was struck by another mass shooting, perpetrated by Devin Kelley in a Texas church. Kelley shot and killed 25 people with an AR556 semi-automatic rifle (Grinberg and McLaughlin). He bought that gun in San Antonio, and during his background check no prior criminal history was found. But Kelley certainly had a past; he was a former Air Force member who was court-martialed and found guilty of domestic violence several years ago. Despite that, he was not barred from purchasing three guns between 2014 and 2017 — the Air Force failed to communicate the charges to civilian law enforcement. Beyond this, Kelley had shown signs of being troubled in the past. In 2012 a fellow Air Force member reported Kelley using dogs as ‘target practice’ (Kravarik), and Kelley would frequently make jokes about killing people. Kelley also expressed admiration for Dylann Roof, another church shooter from South Carolina. Kelley was once heard saying he wished he had the nerve to do what Roof did. And when a crime of this nature occurs, the media (and apparently President Trump) tends to dismiss the assailant as mentally unstable, while others denounce them as domestic terrorists. The contemporary definition of domestic terrorism comes from the Patriot Act, and occurs when someone commits an act “dangerous to human life” that is intended to intimidate civilians, change government policy through intimidation, or affect the conduct of a government through violent means such as assassination or kidnapping (ACLU). The establishment of domestic terrorism falls within the umbrella of terrorism at large; it is not a separate crime. Domestic terrorism has specific criteria, but there is no federal charge; since it rests within the broader category of terrorism, a per-
son suspected of it must be affiliated with a group declared to be a foreign terrorist group (there are almost 60 of them, which include ISIS and Al Qaida). Someone with a racist, homophobic, or religious bias, committing a similar act to Devin Kelly, but acting independently could thus not be accused of terrorism of any kind. This is problematic because when domestic terrorists are portrayed as merely unstable, it devalues the impact that such crimes have on those against whom they are committed. As an example, Dylann Roof’s shooting of a church in South Carolina targeted African-Americans explicitly. The act killed nine people,
“The word terrorist only ever seems to enter discussion when the criminal in question is not white.”
and CNN coverage of the event revealed his manifesto, which detailed his desire for a race war and the return of segregation. Roof was never described as a terrorist by media, and was even given fast food by police on their way to prison. He was treated as mentally unstable, at least before his life story was investigated and his prejudices began to show. Even so, these types of crimes have no satisfying characterization; just dismissing every mass shooter as mentally ill reads like avoidance of deeper issues. In Devin Kelley’s case, there is no evidence of an ideology or policy change he was attempting to promote or a group he was intimidating. His victims did not come from a specific group like they did in. Roof’s case or in the case of Omar Mateen’s shooting of the Pulse nightclub— which was classified terrorism, but because of ethnic reasons, not legal ones. Mateen had no official ties to
ISIS according to family. Terrorism aside, Kelley’s actions should be sparking a conversation that they are not: one around gun control. The impetus for the event was a background check error that allowed Kelley to even buy a gun. And yet, President Trump even tweeted that gun control was the problem, not the solution. This conclusion comes from the fact that Kelley was chased off by a civilian who also had a gun— but presumably, that civilian met the requirements for gun ownership, while Kelley slipped through the cracks. His violent history was not communicated by the Air Force, and if it had been this tragedy might have been avoided. In conclusion, even if the problems surrounding the Kelley shooting have more to do with gun control than they do terrorism, domestic terrorism is simultaneously too vaguely defined and unfortunately never prosecuted. The word terrorist only ever seems to enter discussion when the criminal in question is not white. On the other hand, not calling someone like Dylann Roof or Timothy McVeigh—who blew up a government building with explicitly anarchist motives—a terrorist ignores the prevalence of the destructive ideologies these people represent. Domestic terrorism should have criminal charges attached to it as it is distinct from terrorism committed in accordance with groups. Terrorism has also come to be associated mainly with Islamic groups since 2001, and neglecting to establish domestic terrorism as an offense overlooks the fact that destructive ideologies like racism or homophobia are prevalent among Americans as well.
nov. 17, 2017 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.
Cycling Cities Are Modern Cities By Kaiomi Inniss Contributing Writer
Cities need to prioritize bikes. The future of sustainable cities depends on the efficiency, accessibility, and eco-friendliness of the transportation network. Traffic congestion and urban air pollution are threatening the safety and vibrancy of cities across the globe. The solution? Bicycles. This past September, Chinese dock-less bike share company, Ofo, launched in Worcester, one of the first U.S. cities to welcome the company. The bright yellow Ofo bikes can be seen across Clark University’s campus and in a variety of public spaces, especially in the downtown area. Users must download the Ofo app, register, and use the in-app map to locate the nearest bike. It is a dock-less program so the bikes can be found anywhere throughout the city, and need to be unlocked using a smartphone. The competitive price - $1.00 an hour, $0.50 an hour for college students - makes Ofo’s bike share appealing. Affordable and relatively easy to find, the system seems like a revolutionary concept, but with one set back -Worcester’s motorist-dominated, unfriendly streets. I decided to try the app myself. I rode from Walgreens on Park Avenue to Clark University’s campus. There were no bike lanes on my journey, so I rode on the sidewalk due to fear of riding on the street and colliding with motorists. Riding on the sidewalk poses its own safety issues against pedestrians whom I had to constantly swerve around. I was ultimately discouraged from biking again, because of Worcester’s lack of bike-friendly infrastructure. Worcester does have some bike lanes marked by white lines on the street, but this does not offer much protection from the fast-moving trucks and
cars in the lane next to you. Due to this lack of safety barriers and efficient bicycle infrastructure, people are not so keen on the idea of biking in Worcester – or in many U.S cities in general. Just recently, Worcester Police announced a “crack-down” on Worcester youth for swerving on bikes throughout the city. Worcester youth were accused of riding their bikes up to cars and then swerving off at the last minute. On the flip side, the Worcester police were accused of criminalizing the youth in the community. If Worcester had properly designated bike paths that separated bikes from cars, this problem could be avoided. Cyclists would be required to only operate their bikes on the designated paths. In order to boast itself as a “bikefriendly” city, Worcester needs to do more than welcome bike shares and paint on a couple bike lanes; and this could be said of a number of cities across the U.S. City governments need to prioritize bicyclists’ safety and well-being. This would include designing and establishing safer infrastructure. Where to start? Clearly demarcated bike tracks/paths, not bike lanes. Take the painted white lines a step further. There needs to be a physical segregation between bicyclists and motorists, similar to the ones already established in Amsterdam. Along with barriers between cyclists and motorists, traffic intersections need to be designed to let pedestrians and cyclists go first at the green light. The entire transport network of cities would need to be transformed to prioritize bicyclists. I believe cities have a responsibility to encourage cycling and public transportation in order to curb car usage and carbon emissions. This encouragement must be done through structural and legal transformations that prioritize making these alternative transport systems safe, functional, and even enjoyable.
opinions | 11
The Scarlet
nov. 17, 2017
Off-Year Insecurity Analyzing the bipartisan impact of the 2017 elections By Andrew Vonzalides Scarlet Staff
The elections that took place across the country on November 7 were a huge wakeup call for the Trump administration. In states that voted in last Tuesday’s off-year election, the results that came in reaffirmed what had been borne out in polling for some time: that the public, frustrated with the actions (and lack thereof) of the Trump administration had shifted significantly towards the Democratic Party. Democrats picked up the governor’s mansion in New Jersey, had a near landslide victory in the Virginia governor’s race, potentially flipped the VA House for the first time since 1987, and won other legislative seats that had been in Republican hands for decades. An off-year election usually consists of some losses for the President’s party, but the results from last Tuesday should frighten any Republican running in 2018. Not only will Republicans be facing headwinds running in 2018, but they will have a tougher time getting good recruits for the upcoming elections. Any ambitious and talented Democrat, on the other hand, is now more likely to run against an incumbent Republican. Successful but vulnerable Republicans are more likely to resign. All across the board there are significant issues that are plaguing the party in power. However, Democrats should proceed with caution. If they have any desire to not only defeat Trump and the Republicans, but create a sustainable and broad coalition to enact their policies, they still have some deep soul-searching to do. The party has fundamental divides, not just on policy, but the cultural appeals they want to make. As Democrats have become more reliant on mi-
norities and professional whites in recent decades, there has been an increasingly vocal element of the party beginning to stress economic issues in a way not seen since Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. This was seen in Bernie Sanders’ run for the Democratic nomination in 2016 and the subsequent leftward economic shift in the party that came as a result. In opposition to this populist economic approach are two facets of the Democratic party. This first is the wing of the party that was ascendant in the 1990s, one that cultivated Bill Clinton and influenced Barack Obama. It advocates a moderate approach to politics (a third way) and believes that most Americans are centrist and compromising in nature. The second is one that became ascendant in former President Obama’s coalition: the young, urban, activist and occasionally disaffected liberals who have embraced multiculturalism and social justice as the defining issues of their generation. It remains to be see whether either of these two approaches (in addition to the populist one mentioned earlier) have the capability to create a broad coalition able to sustain itself in the absence of animosity towards President Trump. In conclusion, the main takeaway from the 2017 elections is that Democrats are favored in the shortterm, but ultimately both parties have structural issues they must address if they truly desire to realign American politics. Republicans are divided between the economically conservative old-guard of the party and an ascendant populist wing of white working class voters. Democrats, holding no majority in the present government, are divided between the pursuit of identity politics and social justice and economic populism. Regardless of the election results on Tuesday, it remains to be seen whether either party can construct a coherent synthesis of these competing objectives.
The Pawtucket Red Sox’s current home, McCoy Stadium, needs at least $68 million in renovations to bring it to the franchise’s standards. Photo by user Waz8 via Wikimedia.
PawSox become Free Agents Worcester in the running to sign Red Sox’s top minor league franchise to a long-term deal By Ryan King Layout Editor
In July 2017, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, the Pawtucket Red Sox, ended their exclusive negotiation rights with Rhode Island. In doing so, they allowed other cities besides Pawtucket to offer them a stadium deal. Worcester has been active in luring the Pawtucket Red Sox out of state. There have been multiple backroom conversations between owners and city officials, and Larry Lucchino, the co-owner of the team and former head-honcho of the Boston Red Sox, has taken a few tours of the city. These conversations have clearly been productive, since in October the city hired two prominent consultants: Andrew Zimbalist, a professor at Smith College, and Jeffrey Mullan, a former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation, to aid in negotiations. This is a can’t-miss opportunity for Worcester. Minor league baseball is a boon to any city economically and culturally. The Pawtucket Red Sox generated a reported $2.3 million in tax revenue for Rhode Island in 2016, and this amount is likely greater since it does not include the increase in revenue that Pawtucket’s other businesses saw on game days. In Connecticut, the Yard Goats rebranding and relocation from New Britain to nearby Hartford rejuvenated the crippled state capital. Businesses near the stadium
have become the beneficiaries of hordes of Yard Goat fans 70 days a year. From all of this, their stadium, Dunkin Donuts Park, has become a centerpiece for Hartford’s “Downtown North” redevelopment project. For Worcester’s already popular Canal District, an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox bringing along a new stadium could prove to be the key ingredient needed to transform it into the city’s cultural downtown. However, while Hartford is an example of how minor league baseball can alleviate a city’s struggling economy, the city also teaches valuable lessons on the do’s and don’ts of ballpark construction. The rebranding and relocation of the popular New Britain Rock Cats to Hartford seemed to perfectly fall into the city’s grand “Downtown North” restoration project. Yet delays and other oversights turned Dunkin Donuts Park from a large $56 million project into an agonizing $71 million city block that required an extra year for completion. Due to these delays, the Yard Goats were homeless during their 2016 season, and were forced to play “home” games in other minor league ballparks such as Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn. about 40 miles south of Hartford. Lastly, the cherry on top to the city’s struggles was the developers’ frustration exploding into a $90 million lawsuit, adding to the stadium’s laundry list of issues that will continue to loom over taxpayers for many years. For a team with as much local
support as the Pawtucket Red Sox, not having a home stadium for a season would simply be not be an option. Therefore, if construction plans do falter, Worcester may be put in the stressful situation of coming up with more money to carry the project over the finish line. However, even when cities like Worcester and Hartford do cave under the pressure of team ownership and developers, they may still get sued.Worcester’s stadium could very quickly turn into another Dunkin Donuts Park if lawmakers and executives fail to come to unequivocal terms. Only time will tell how the fiasco in Hartford turns out, but the city’s failures paint a sullen picture that minor league baseball isn’t just about affordable seats and blue-chip prospects, but about millions of dollars that taxpayers may unjustly be held accountable for. While Worcester is the ideal spot for the possibly displaced Pawtucket Red Sox, the city’s lawmakers will need to learn lessons from their neighbors in Hartford. Consequences from the construction of Dunkin Donuts Park will permeate through the city for many years. Ticket sales and passionate fans can only do so much to ease the burden of a near $100 million lawsuit. However, since Lucchino has given no signs of commitment, the Canal District may not even need to make space for its grandiose centerpiece, and if negotiations with Rhode Island improve, the Pawtucket Red Sox might not need to leave.
12 | sports
nov. 17, 2017
The Scarlet
Cougar of the Week: John Pisacreta by Jason Fehrnstrom
Photo courtesy of Clark Athletics.
John Pisacreta Editor’s note: this interview was conducted on Saturday, Nov. 11 and discusses expectations of Tuesday’s game against Worcester State, which had not yet occurred. The game has now been played, and the Cougars defeated Worcester State 92-89, with some of those points being scored by Pisacreta, according to Clark Athletics. John Pisacreta (’18) is an Economics major from Andover, Mass. He is the only senior on Clark’s basketball team this year. After he graduates, John hopes to work as an accountant and basketball coach.
Scarlet: FormyfirstquestionIwant to wind back the clock a little bit. Whendidyoufirst begintoplaybasketball? John: This is a tough, interesting question. I grew up in Andover, Mass. and our church had a basketball league. I probably started playing in that league in around 3rd or 4th grade. My dad also influenced me to play basketball. He played at the collegiate level for Haverford College, which is in Pennsylvania. I played multiple sports growing up, but I was always the best at basketball. My interest and my dad’s love of the game are definitely the main reasons I started to play seriously. Scarlet: What has made you stick with it all these years? John: Definitely the love for the game. I get excited to play everyday. My teammates motivate me to compete to the best of my ability. The adrenaline I get from playing brings me back to the game every year. Scarlet: What aspect of basketball doyoufindmostrewarding? John: I’d say the feeling I get after a hard-fought win. I don’t particularly care for personal statistics too much. When the team is performing well the coaches, other players, and I are all satisfied. Having the team working together as a unit is the most important thing at the end of the day.
Scarlet: How did you decide to come to Clark? John: I actually transferred to Clark from Ithaca. I had the opportunity to play for Clark as a senior in high school, but I decided to go to Ithaca where I wasn’t on the team. When I got up to Ithaca I realized that I really missed having the opportunity to play. I gave Coach Phillips a call and he was really helpful. He was able to get me into Clark for my second semester of my Freshman year. I am getting minutes here, I have a good relationship with the coach. Clark turned out great. Scarlet: How is the pre-season going so far? John: We have a lot of younger guys on the team. The first couple of weeks were slow because we have so many guys learning the drills and plays. However, the last couple of days I’ve really seen things come together as a team. Many of the younger guys are adjusting to college-level basketball faster than we expected. We will get better as they get more experience at the college-level.
two freshman on the team, we were able to run through our drills very quickly. This year it is important for us to teach and be patient with the freshman. There’s a lot more to college basketball, in terms of rotations and defense. It’s important for the older guys to be vocal leaders with the younger guys. I’ve had to criticize them at times, which is hard, but I know it is important to help them get things right before the season starts.
ability to play. Last year Luca [McCormick (19’)] hit a game winner in Worcester State’s gym, which was really memorable. We always love to see the fans come out. This year we have it at home, in the Kneller, which is awesome.
Scarlet: What are your post-Clark plans? John: Currently I have a job opportunity at company called Bright Horizons in Watertown, Mass. It is a daycare company, and I would be Scarlet: Thefirstgameoftheseason working as a junior accountant in is this upcoming Tuesday against their finance department. I’ve been Worcester State. What does t he team working with this company for the need to do have a successful opener? past two summers, and they’ve been John: We need to come out the first very flexible with the hours. I hope night and compete. Our defense to be able to help out Coach Phillips makes our offense go. If we get stops with the team here at Clark. I’m goand get out in transition, we will get ing to be living in Worcester, so I’d the open shots we need. Our coach’s like to help out the team with my exapproach is defense first. I think it is tra time. From there I hope to work important that he preaches that be- my way up to being a coach. cause if you can’t defend your opponent, you’re not going to win games. Thanks for the interview, John!
Scarlet: What is the most memorable moment from your first three years on the team? Scarlet: Eight out of fourteen play- John: I would definitely say the ersontheteamarefirst-years.What midnight games from the past two are some of the challenges and re- years. The past two years we played sponsibilities that come with being the game at Worcester state. The the only senior on a young team? crowd has been very electric, and John: It’s definitely a difficult pro- playing in front of that many people cess. Last year, when we only had raises your level of adrenaline and