clark’s got talent • climate change activism • and more
volume xciv, no. 4 • october 2, 2014 | clarkscarlet.com |
the.clark.scarlet
ITS revamps Wi-Fi
Speaking from the elsewheres
Increased connectivity expected across campus
Junot Díaz discusses literature, politics, and marginalization By Jeremy Levine editor-in-chief
photo by jonathan edelman
By Alexis Richards contributing writer
Over the past few years, fast, efficient Wi-Fi has become increasingly essential to student productivity, and increasingly unreliable. In response, Information Technology Services (ITS) has begun the tedious process of com-
pletely revamping the wireless connectivity of an entire campus. Michael Cole, Manager of Network Operations, is one of the staff members who is involved with what he calls the “Wi-Fi revamp.” Cole explains that the university “started last May on an continued on page 3
The first of this year’s talks in the Presidential Lecture Series was a bit of a misnomer. Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao and National Book Award finalist for This Is How You Lose Her set foot on Atwood’s stage on Tuesday evening with no lecture planned. The talk, organized by Professor Paul Posner in conjunction with multiple university departments (including the President’s Office) filled Atwood to capacity. Díaz made it clear from the start that he was not planning on giving a speech. After some lighthearted comments about the audience’s quiet reception of President Angels’ preintroduction of Paul Posner’s introduction, Díaz launched into a question and answer session, asking for the first few questions to come from female students. An early question was on the nature of writer’s block and how to
overcome it. After some introductory material, Díaz arrived at the idea that “students in general don’t get into college because they’re very compassionate toward themselves.” This theme of compassion, and that “most of us choose not to drive ourselves through passion… [but] through cruelty” extended throughout the evening, both directly and indirectly shaping discussions of race, literature, and gender. Sam Wallace (’16), an employee of the Clark University Bookstore who spent some of the night selling copies of Díaz’s books (many of which he signed after the reading), cited this as her biggest takeaway from the talk. “Students need to hear that,” she said. “It’s so relevant now with midterms and just in general.” Claudia Osorio (’15), another bookstore employee, agreed. After reading “Alma,” a tragicomedic short story from This Is How You Lose Her, Díaz fielded a question on Dominican masculinity, as much of his work focuses on young Dominican men and the ways in which the image of the stereotypical Do-
photo by will heikes
minican man affect their identities. The question at hand, essentially, was what makes Dominican men unique with regard to how masculinity shapes them. The answer, largely, was that they are no different from other men. Díaz referred to the typology with which his characters struggle as “the Dominican version of a global system called ‘patriarchy,’” and continued on page 4
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The Scarlet
october 2, 2014
UPCOMING EVENTS
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF CLARK UNIVERSITY CONTACT
[ Thursday, October 2 ]
scarlet@clarku.edu | clarkscarlet.com
Two Women Talking - 7:00 p.m. in the Higgins Lounge
EDITORS
Women’s Volleyball vs Connecticut College - 7:00 p.m.
Editor-in-Chief: Jeremy Levine Executive Editor: Sarah Cramer Layout Editor: Rose Gallogly Web Editor: Pooja Patel News Editor: Jenna Lewis Opinions Editor: Keitaro Okura Living Arts Editor: Matt Emmer Sports Editor: Ethan Giles Photo Editor: Celine Manneville Managing Editor: Madhubanti Anashua
What is “Protective” Edge - 8:00 p.m. in Persky Conference Room
SCARLET STAFF Senegal Carty Savannah Cohen Ronald Gerber Scott Levine Jonah Naghi Hannah Rosenblum Tyler Terriault
PHOTO STAFF Jonathan Edelman
[ Friday, October 3 ] Sold: An auction to raise awareness for human trafficking 5:30 p.m. in Red Square Men’s Tennis vs Assumption College - 3:30 p.m.
[ Saturday, October 4 ] CASA Welcome Back Event - 1:00 on the Green Men’s Soccer vs Springfield College - 1:00 p.m.
[ Monday, October 6 ] Eliminating Stigma: Discussing Mental Illness - 1:15 p.m. in Red Square
[ Tuesday, October 7 ] Narrating Race - 7:00 p.m. in the Higgins Lounge
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Field Hockey vs WPI - 7:00 p.m.
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The Scarlet
october 2, 2014
news | 3
The Scarlet/News Wi-Fi cont. continued from page 1
18-month project to totally upgrade the campus wireless infrastructure.” The new technology was placed first in the Goddard Library, and then in residence halls, houses, and academic buildings as students left for the summer. Cole explained that prior to last May, the wireless equipment was about six years old; the technology was put in place before most students had smartphones and wireless laptops. This outdated technology has created problems for many students: Dennis Spencer (‘17) commented, “The network frequently disconnects...It’s unstable.” Before any work had been done last summer, the campus had less than 300 wireless access points. At the project’s completion, there should be 1,500 higher quality access points. Cole believes that with the new improvements, the network is now more suited to handle increased traffic, allowing the same amount of devices to connect without interfering with one another. However, Sia Higa (‘17) said, “Honestly, I haven’t seen any difference, but I think
Wi-Fi goes on and off, and [connectivity] is dependent on your location.” Some problems have risen with the connectivity of computers, yet Cole says the problem can be solved with a simple update. Clark’s wireless network, distributed by Aruba, is one of the fastest and newest on the market. According to Cole, buildings including Dana, Hughes, Dodd, Jonas Clark, Goddard Library, and all 14 of the residence houses have been recently updated. Cole says, “Goddard Library and the Academic Commons is the biggest wireless concentration on campus,” because “as we get to exam time, half of all the wireless clients on campus are in the library.” As well as indoor Wi-Fi, ITS is also concentrating on outdoor wireless connectivity by focusing on access points that hang on the facades of buildings. The Wi-Fi on campus is a work in progress to which ITS members are committed. Clark’s wireless project is expected to finish at the end of next summer, at which point the entire campus should have the latest Wi-Fi and the best connectability.
Counseling and Wellness Center expands reach Office works to become more accessible By Andrew Michaels contributing writer
Clark University’s Counseling and Wellness Center, an update to Counseling Services, has set its goals on reaching out to Clark students in order to create a culture in which students utilize it as a resource. Clark Counseling and Wellness Center’s name change reflects the addition of a wellness outreach component to the center. Director L. Megan Kersting said in an email that “with the addition of a wellness outreach component, we can now expand our reach to connect with not just those who seek out counseling, but the entire Clark campus.” Kersting said that this outreach will be expanded in the future with the design of a new website, which will provide students with access to information regarding the potential mental health issues faced by college students throughout the year. Kersting said that the main obstacle in getting students to attend programs is time management. “We understand that students are really busy— between classes, homework, clubs, sports, friends, work and other commitments, it can be tough to add more to their place.” The center plans to deal with this obstacle by creat-
ing accessible programs that take place on weekends or evenings, and increasing the number of programs held in residence halls. Outreach programs held by the center “will focus around collaboration with students and come from a proactive standpoint.” These are intended to address issues that have not yet been addressed by the office, such as drug and alcohol abuse, stress management, and procrastination. The Counseling and Wellness Center will be running a variety of outreach programs in the upcoming year. These events include Exchange the Language Day, coming on October 25, a mindful eating seminar leading up to Thanksgiving, and the first annual Clark University Week of Happiness, to occur in the first week of February. In addition, the Counseling and Wellness Center will be running a social media-based group called “Life Through the Filter” and a sexual assault survivors support group called “Circle of Hope.” There is also an increased emphasis on collaboration with other groups on campus. “CWC therapists Kara Massie and Laura Tsotsis are collaborating with many groups and departments on campus, such as OPEN, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, and the Athletic Department to help in our efforts to reach those particular
groups of students,” Kersting said. The most notable factor influencing the changes made was student input. “Last year, there were hundreds of students who reached out and expressed the importance of counseling services on the Clark campus,” said Kersting. “They recognized the crucial role that mental health plays on the college experience, and the importance of programs to target such issues. As a result, we were given the go-ahead by the University to add another full-time therapist position to our counseling center and we hired Kara Massie, Ph.D, who brings a lot of experience from her previous work with other college counseling centers.” This input occurred as a result of the decision to limit students to six counseling sessions per semester last year. This decision resulted in backlash from the Clark community. The six session limit is set to remain in effect throughout the year. Another factor which contributed to the changes was the university’s decision to restructure former Associate Dean of Students and Wellness Outreach Coordinator Jason Zelesky’s position. Zelesky, who officially resigned from the position in October continued on page 4
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Junot Díaz cont. continued from page 1
CUSC
Fall Election Results Senior Class Rep: Emma Binder Junior Class Rep: Wandong Yang Sophomore Class Rep: Will Heikes First Year Class Rep: Rohan Roger International Student Reps: Amy Fallon, Mariam Iashgashvili, & Anny Ul-Ain Minority Student Rep: Anayeli Nieves & Dale Watt Off Campus Reps: Caleb Encarnacion-Rivera & Stephanie Le, plus two more students from an eleven-way tie, to be determined. Wright Hall Rep: Kassidy Benzing Bullock Hall Rep: Emilee Cocuzzo Blackstone Hall Rep: Kevin Kim Dana Hall Rep: McKenna Hunter Hughes Hall Rep: TBD Maywood Hall: Five-way tie, to be determined. Dodd Hall Rep: Alicja Gancarz
asked for someone to “show [him] a society where the women in that society are really happy with the men’s behavior.” He referred to his work’s focus on Dominican masculinity as a means of recognizing the larger pattern of patriarchy. “What’s disturbing,” he said, referring to The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao’s settings of both New Jersey and Santo Domingo, is how “patriarchy seems completely unchanged. It’s almost as if it has a diplomatic passport, [but] one of the tactics of first-world patriarchy is to say that it’s only the brown men” who inhabit this system. Much of the rest of the talk focused on similar systems and how they permeate society. When asked about the lecture, Amelia Ayres (’16) stated that she was surprised by, but appreciated, Díaz spending “less time speaking about his works, and more time on policy and how race works in society.” Subject matter for the rest of the hour followed this pattern. When asked about how the immigrant experience could be a constant one, despite the massive diversity of the country’s immigrant population, Díaz responded by describing the importance of keeping both individual and collective experiences in mind when considering large issues like immigration; he stressed that doing so “gives you a certain amount of nuance and range” required to understand such issues.
A question about Palestine was met with a discussion of the topic’s taboo nature as well as how media in this country constantly spews antiArab material “that would never pass muster if we were talking about any group.” He said that it is “difficult for Americans to stomach” the idea that “if [a state] occupying other people’s shit, that’s fucked up.” He also discussed New Jersey, his home state after moving to the U.S. from the Dominican Republic as a child. Díaz described the state in Robert Smithson’s terms, as an “elsewhere.” This concept is that of a place which is not a massive cultural or economic hub, but “the only art that really matters is produced elsewheres… by people who see society from the outside, looking in.” Matt Newberg (’15), himself a native of the Garden State, said that “obviously [Díaz] was great… and I appreciated him repping Jersey. He actually used to deliver pool tables in my hometown.” Díaz closed by reading “Wildwood,” a short chapter from The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao, about a young daughter finding a lump on her mother’s breast. Professor Posner stated that “Junot Diaz demonstrated that he is as gifted a speaker as he is a writer. The give and take between Diaz and the audience is exactly what I had hoped for. He has a rare gift for illuminating the human condition and I couldn’t be [happier] with the way in which he engaged with the audience and they with him.”
Counseling cont. continued from page 3
2013, and is currently Dean of Students at Mount Wachusett Community College, has been replaced by Counseling and Wellness Center staff therapist Erin Dolan. The Counseling and Wellness Center can be reached online at www. clarku.edu/offices/counseling, reached via email at counseling@clarku.edu, or via phone by calling (508) 793-7678 and leaving a message in mailbox one.
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Entrepreneurship at Clark Ranked one of America’s most innovative universities in business By Jonah Naghi scarlet staff
This past summer, Forbes, an American business magazine, ranked Clark University as the thirteenth most entrepreneurial university in the nation. Forbes ranked the universities based on what they called “entrepreneurial ratios” - the number of alumni who have had success in the business world with their own innovations, such as becoming founders and business owners, and have credited their success with their past university on LinkedIn. Under each university’s listing, there was a brief description of one particular alumnus for each university and his success story. For Clark, the alumnus was Matthew Goldman, one of the cofounders of Blue Man Group. It read, “Matthew Goldman turned his economic lessons at Clark into Blue Man Group, now a multimilliondollar show across the country that he cofounded.” Matthew Goldman graduated from Clark in 1983. He was an economics major and got his MBA through the fifth-year program. Although he pursued economics, he always thought of himself as an artist and believed he could still apply that passion to the field of economics and business, which was where innovation and entrepreneurship helped him. “I always believed one could be artistic in any medium,” he wrote on the department’s website, “whether it’s fine arts, business, finance or anything!” This is precisely what the Innovation & Entrepreneurship department and Clark believe in: combining your passions and dreams with the knowledge of knowing how to run a business with a team. That is why Clark offers it as a minor, so you can combine it with your major. Amy Whitney, the director of
Clark’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship department, described how the department hopes to help students combine their passions with creative thinking. “We welcome students from any major to participate in our minor coursework and co-curricular activities,” she said, as this creates “crossdisciplinary collaboration throughout the program, fosters creativity, and sparks innovative thinking.” However, as proud as Whitney was of Goldman and their award, there were a few other achievements she wanted to recognize. Some other noteworthy accomplishments were when the Fashion Cookbook created their own website and “WooConnect guest starred on a Worcester cable channel program, Exposure with Mosher.” There was also the re-opening of the Community Thrift Store on Main Street and the “Local Root began its fall mobile market and farm stand… These recent examples highlight the frequent and longstanding entrepreneurial spirit of Clark students,” Whitney said. But the innovative successes won’t stop there for Clark. The entrepreneurship program started its annual U-reka! Big Idea Challenge this week. Whitney says that they’re seeking teams of undergraduate students who are hoping to make their ideas, services, and dreams into realities. The teams who participated will be given the opportunity to make the successes other students in the department have made in the past. For instance, throughout the fall semester, the department will continue to develop their plans and ideas with the assistance of a mentor. Next semester, beginning in late January, the teams will be participating in an event they call a “Shark Tank-style pitch event.” The teams will be given a budget of $5,000 to fund three ideas. Applications for the U-Rekaare due October 14 and can be found on the department’s website.
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CLARKIE of the WEEK Rebecca: I do event planning on the side, people hire me to do events, so that’s kind of on a contract basis. And then before that, I lived in Kenya after my freshman year of college, and I helped to start an education company while I was living there.
Scarlet: This past semester you took a leave of absence. What did you do? Rebecca: I started a company in Boston and we teach personal finance through an online game. Let’s say you graduated from college, get a job. How do you budget your money, how do you know if you should have a 401K, a Roth IRA? What’s the difference between a Roth IRA and a Traditional IRA? Just basic things about personal finance that you never learn in the school system. We teach that, but in a non-intimidating way, because if you don’t know anything about finance, it’s just really scary. And it’s something that you need to know for the real world. And it’s something I never knew, and once I figured out that I didn’t know it and once I learned it, everyone was asking me about personal finance, and I thought, this is a great way to teach people. So I started that company, and it’s been going really well.
Scarlet: How is the education company going, back in Kenya? Rebecca: It’s going well, I haven’t been back to Kenya but I’m still in contact with all the people there who run the company now. Basically, I studied abroad—I did the Luxembourg program after my freshman year and so I was traveling around Western Europe doing environmental research and I decided to go to Kenya for three months and I was going to continue my environmental research in Kenya. But when I got there, I realized it just wasn’t really going to happen the way I thought it was. So I got a job teaching English in the school system, so I was teaching English in a rural village in Kenya with no water and no electricity. Education was not a huge priority but definitely important to people. And when I was teaching, one day I said the word ‘dragon’ and nobody knew what a dragon was, and so I went to the other teachers and I said, “How come nobody knows what a dragon is?” So we started talking about the Kenyan education system and there’s a very limited amount of textbooks so there’s not a lot of knowledge source or vocabulary source, it’s very limited. And so we started a company to change that and to make sure that books and educational resources were distributed more equally throughout the towns in Kenya.
Scarlet: That’s so cool. Did I also hear that you have an events company?
Scarlet: And on Clark’s campus,
photo by jonathan edelman
Rebecca Liebman Rebecca Liebman, of South Windsor, Connecticut, is a senior majoring in Global Environmental Studies and minoring in Entrepreneurship. She has started multiple companies, locally and abroad, and loves to talk about grammar and finance.
by Hannah Rosenblum
you founded Take Back the Tap, and that’s been very successful so far, right? Rebecca: Probably the number one reason I came to Clark was for the environmental program, and the first thing I noticed when I came to Clark was, why does everybody have water bottles? You know, everyone comes in as a freshman with a 24 pack of water bottles, so basically starting my freshman year, I started Take Back the Tap and got a group of people together to try to change behavior on campus around water bottles. And so, we had a lot of meetings. We initially found out we can’t ban water bottles, because we have a lot of contracts that are going on and don’t end yet, so basically all we could do was create other options. So we applied to the Student Sustainability Fund and got a lot of money. The amount that we received got matched by physical plant, so we installed filling stations around campus and then bought hundreds of water bottles to give to students, faculty, and staff, and we’re applying for another grant right now. So we should have a lot more filling stations and water bottles by the end of this year. Scarlet: Everyone I’ve talked to says, “Oh, she’s such a world traveler!” What have you learned from your travels? Rebecca: I like a lot of different places for different reasons. I think Kenya was just such a cool place to be and so different from any other place, and coming from this five-star hotel in Luxembourg to a mud hut in Kenya. I was in Ireland—I love Galway, Ireland; Belgium, I love. I love traveling. I get bored of things very easily, so I like to just pick up
and go somewhere and kind of test my abilities of what I can do. I once wrote this article called “The Difference Between a Passport and a Diploma” and it got nationally published in a magazine, and it was basically about how when you travel initially you start seeing things and you think that everything is wrong because it’s not the way you’re used to it being done. But then you realize that it’s not wrong, it’s just different; that inherently, humans have very similar traits. I think humans no matter where they are just trying to the best with what they have, I think that’s just a universal thing. And when you get a diploma, you know, you’re in school, you’re always taught to look at the differences, like what’s different between North America and Africa, or North America and Europe. And when you have a passport and you travel, I think you see more of the similarities, and just that everyone’s the same and it doesn’t matter where you are. Scarlet: Is there anything else you want to add? Rebecca: I’m on E-Board for Entrepreneurship Club and we’re doing a lot of great stuff this year. And then with Take Back the Tap, we’re small but mighty. Look out for water bottles, and we’re showing the movie Tapped pretty soon, so look out for those things. Thanks for the interview, Rebecca!
Email scarlet@clarku.edu if you have a suggestion for Clarkie of the Week!
october 2, 2014
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The Scarlet/Opinions 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.
Slowly but surely Global climate change activism hampered by lack of urgency
By Jeremy Levine editor-in-chief
By Patrick Fox scarlet staff
On Sunday, September 21, a massive march now known as the People’s Climate March converged in Metropolitan New York City. The various groups represented listed their demands while city law enforcement looked on smugly. The march was the largest of its kind in history, accompanied by similar protests worldwide. However, whether or not the activists were truly successful in spreading their message is another question entirely. Activism pertaining to climate change is crippled by its very nature. There can be no denying that climate change is a very acute, very real problem. It is slowly seeping into the public conscience as extreme weather events such as Superstorm Sandy continue to shake and strain the public infrastructure of various
LEEP and Marketing
photos by aviv hilbig-bokaer
municipalities and countries. However, that is also part of the problem. There will never be an incredibly cataclysmic “Armageddon” scenario that will sweep the world into complete darkness and disarray. Instead, climate changes happen insidiously. Much to Al Gore’s chagrin, there
is simply no effective way to make people care about the decaying state of our planet. We as human beings are more inclined to focus on issues that we perceive to be a direct and
Let’s make one thing clear before we get going: I do not think that LEEP is a bad idea. Clark’s initiative to make it possible for every student to participate in hands-on, experiential learning is admirable. However, with every passing day, the name itself begins to look more like a marketing gimmick used to label what Clark has been doing all along. I refer you to the new LEEP decals plastered on the floor in front of major campus buildings, as well as the swanky red LEEP flags that look conspicuously like the Clark flags which line Woodland and Maywood Streets. The more cynical among us may have noticed that both of these decorative additions to our campus were put up just in time for Family Weekend, along with those flags in Red Square. The flag issue, which I’ve written about before, is separate but related; the flags appear to be a way to demonstrate to visiting families that Clark is an international and continued on page 9
continued on page 9
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Scarlet Letter cont. continued from page 8
diverse place, but really amount to a token gesture. After all, any school, no matter how multicultural, can make a trip to the Flag Store. Basically, the flags look like a shallow representation of something that Clark takes seriously. And so it is with LEEP. Clark students caring about hands-on education, about research or volunteering or interning and having a fulfilling undergraduate experience that blurs the line between inside and outside of the classroom work is not a new idea. It’s part of this school’s character, and has been for some time. The difference between this established part of Clark’s identity and LEEP is still not clear. I have heard some ideas: that LEEP will bring these “frame-breaking experiences” to every student and not just the top twenty percent, that LEEP will help students find meaning in the many experiential aspects of their experience, that LEEP will be able to translate the theoretical ideas that populate the liberal arts into real-world skills. The trouble is that it is very hard to notice this kind of thing happening. Much of what happens to any student during the course of their Clark career will be a result of their own gumption, advising, dumb luck, and LEEP. But if you ask a current student if they got their internship or if they were able to do their research project because of LEEP, it’ll be hard for them to tell. It’s hard to judge whether something so large is actually making an impact on individual
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Stop the violence, stop corporal punishment Don’t damage the future of our society By Cherie Li contributing writer
Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Viking’s star running back of the NFL, was recently barred from participating in all team activities after being charged for beating his 4-year-old son with a wooden switch. Reports indicate that the boy had open wounds from lacerations on his thighs, bruises on the lower back and buttocks, and cuts on his hands. One of his other sons was also left with a scar over his eye. The incidence has reignited a debate over whether corporal punishment can be considered socially acceptable. Peterson, in his defense,
people as it’s being implemented. We haven’t gone through college under any other system, so we won’t know what it’s going to be like otherwise. Whether or not LEEP works is not something that I’m qualified to answer. What I do know is that it looks like a gimmick, and being unable to notice its impact is going to make it look like a gimmick for a long time. Clark’s classes teach us to be critical of what is handed down to us—it is natural that the student body is skeptical. Essentially, this: Until Clark students buy into LEEP in a real and serious way, plastering its decals all over campus are going to make it look more and more of an imposition.
claims that he had meant only to discipline the boy and not to hurt him. He has also pointed out that he himself was subject to corporal punishment as a form of discipline when he was a child. However, even if corporal punishment is an old-school parenting style as Peterson claims it to be, that fact alone doesn’t make it okay to do it. For example, just because there may be tribes that consider cannibalism to be a tradition doesn’t mean we should respect their practice or start eating people ourselves. At any rate, there is a huge difference between disciplining and violence. What happened to grounding kids or taking away internet privileges? The degree of violence inflicted by Peterson
on his sons is appalling. In addition to from moral concerns, corporal punishment may also have dire psychological consequences for children. According to child psychologist Robert R. Butterworth, murderers generally come from families with parents who are far too coercive and inclined toward brutal physical punishment. What’s more, corporal punishment may be potentially harmful to the long-term development of children. Studies have suggested that corporal punsihment reduces the brain’s grey matter, which is a connective tissue between brain cells that influences intelligence and learning ability. Hence, corporal punishment could causes cogni-
tive impairment and long-term developmental difficulties. We should all be raising our children to help them become successful and thoughtful citizens. There is no excuse for potentially causing long-term damages to children’s development. Of course, whatever Peterson now says or does will not erase the potential psychological damage that has already been inflicted upon his sons. The only thing that can be done is to make sure Peterson learns his lesson to truly realize what he has done and face the consequences of doing so. Hopefully, his example will help others realize that corporal punishment is unacceptable.
Climate change activism cont. continued from page 8
immediate threat, such as the Islamic State. It is the common evolutionary “fight or flight” response. Threats deemed to be the most immediate are dealt with first. This paradigm extends to climate change. A politician in the upper echelons of a nation’s government is far more likely to accept an economic proposal that will further their own fiscal goals or those of their state rather than one that will hinder their people economically through the capping of carbon emissions. Present economic conditions and greed undoubtedly trump the need to prevent the nebulous, hard to discern issue of climate change. Where are we as a planet left as a consequence is dismal. Only time will tell, but for now, best of luck to those marchers in New York City (including the Clarkies who participated!). Hopefully your calls for change were not in vain.
photo by aviv hilbig-bokaer
10 | living arts
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The Scarlet/Living Arts Clark’s Got Talent And talent only Clarkies would have
photo by celine manneville
By Dalton Phillips contributing writer
Saturday, September 27 saw the return of Clark’s Got Talent, the university’s annual display of student performances. More than three hundred people sat expectantly in Atwood as the lights dimmed and the hosts of the evening strode on stage. The five judges and a mix of prominent students and faculty sat in front, and the stage was set for the 2014 rendition of Clark’s Got Talent. As the grand conclusion to Family Weekend, the talent show did more than entertain. It showcased many Clarkies and their various skills, giv-
ing a taste of what Clark is all about. In 18 acts, students proudly displayed everything from video game prowess to traditional Hawaiian dancing. The judges provided insightful and sometimes questionable commentary after every act. Each act spoke to the diversity of Clark students. A few clubs took the opportunity to show off new members while executing a variety of intricate songs and dances. Hip Hop Collabo and Dance Society each wowed with flawlessly executed, yet contrasting styles. The 13th Key, chock-full of new and exciting talent, jazzed things up with a composition called “Mischief.” Counterpoints made an appearance, singing their way into the audience’s
heart and reminding us all of why a cappella clubs remain so popular at Clark. Despite these well-established groups, the acts that stole the show (and eventually the cash prizes), were a series of unique new faces whose showmanship and enthusiasm catapulted them to victory. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life” said judge Tyler Terriault (’16) after Courtney Drahms (‘18), a hula-hooper and eventual champion, concluded her dazzling light show. “Like, I can’t even. I can hulahoop; what you did was art.” And indeed Terriault’s words rang true. The stunning routine left the audience and judges dumbfounded. Similarly, Jamin Fine (‘15), the second act and eventual runner-up, danced his heart out on a particularly difficult level of Dance Dance Revolution. His feet were a blur as he slid across the DDR pad in a demonstration of what a hobby looks like when turned into a passion. Both winners found success through unorthodox means. It was edgy and unusual, but they stayed true to themselves. It was the type of talent that is applauded and encouraged here at Clark, and the type of material we expect to see more of in future events.
by Tyler Terriault
Drake’s “Started from the Bottom” is better after finishing homework Who wants to play “Guess How Many Dining Dollars Tyler Has”? (Like, one) Did you all go to Clark’s Got Talent?! It’s weird that this place still shocks me Microecon is the study of how little I care for Econ How come the end of September feels better than a day in mid-June?
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“I hit it on something stupid” The Equalizer Review By Ronald Gerber scarlet staff
The fact that Denzel Washington has been making a living out of wielding guns while being vaguely out of shape the last few years may be laughable at times, but shouldn’t surprise anyone. His character choices have long been divided between kindly, Sidney Poitier-esque role models, gangsters, drug dealers, and rogue government officials. The types converge in Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer. This amalgamation comes in the form of Robert McCall, who works at a Boston hardware store and can’t
sleep at night. He goes to a diner late every evening to sip tea and read a series of books that his late wife was unable to finish. There, he becomes acquainted with a young hooker with a heart of gold named Alina (Chloë Grace Moretz). Aside from what appears to be a casual meticulousness, our protagonist seems to have all the traits of a relatively normal widower… until we discover that he is a former CIA agent adept at killing people in less than thirty seconds. McCall goes after Alina’s pimp, Slavi (David Meunier), and his compatriots after he finds his friend beaten badly. An enigmatic sociopath
named Teddy (Marton Czokas) is sent from the top of the Russian mob’s chain of command to take care of the situation, not knowing what he is getting into. This is familiar ground. A vehicle for an aging star that features him playing a former killing machine who reluctantly comes back from retirement to regain his former grit and shoot a bunch of unnamed people to protect a poor, helpless, underage prostitute. On the surface, it is practically like remaking Unforgiven in Boston with Russians. Yet there is an airiness to the first two-thirds of The Equalizer that is unlike most other Hollywood thrill-
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ers. The aesthetic includes smooth camera work and longer takes than usual. The pacing feels more or less like a comedy-drama interspersed with stereotypical action sequences. We do not even witness some of McCall’s killings, instead seeing him wiping off a sledgehammer to comic effect. For much of the film, the violence seems nearly beside the point. Rather, our focus is drawn to McCall’s daily life, the ways in which he busies himself by helping people like Ralphie (Johnny Skourtis), a co-worker who wants to lose enough weight to become a security guard. These subplots, though mundane for an action
Education Elementary Secondary Educational Leadership Teacher Leadership* Communications Interactive Media* Journalism** Sports Journalism** Public Relations Law JD – Juris Doctor JD/MBA (Joint degree in law and business) LLM in Health Law Health Sciences Biomedical Sciences Cardiovascular Perfusion Occupational Therapy (post-professional)* Pathologists’ Assistant Physician Assistant Radiologist Assistant Social Work
film, do not simply disappear twenty minutes in to be picked up again at the end. They stick around and are eventually integrated somewhat preposterously into the main story. This is not a serious enough film that it invites condemnation when it pushes its luck or makes use of ludicrously overblown dialogue. Despite its intermittent ventures into the dark and dangerous crime world, The Equalizer shamelessly keeps its tone light and its hero one step ahead of his enemies. It’s a light-hearted, often amusing foray into genre subversion that will entertain for a couple of hours but likely be forgotten within a few weeks.
Nursing Adult Gerontology or Family Nurse Practitioner Care of Populations Nurse Anesthesia Nursing Leadership* Medicine MD – Doctor of Medicine Anesthesiologist Assistant Arts & Sciences Molecular & Cell Biology Business Business Analytics* MBA*** MBA-CFA® Track (Chartered Financial Analyst) MBA/HCM (Health Care Management)*** MBA-SCM (Supply Chain Management)*** JD/MBA (Joint degree in law and business) Organizational Leadership* * Program offered only online ** Specific program tracks offered either on campus or online *** Program offered on campus and online
The Scarlet
12 | sports
october 2, 2014
The Scarlet/Sports Celebrating Linda Wage A profile of Clark’s most successful head coach By Kate Summers contributing writer
In her thirty years and 53 combined field hockey and softball seasons here at Clark, Linda Wage has won a total of 716 games as a head coach, easily making her the winningest coach in school history. In addition to coaching both teams she also recruits, schedules games and events, counsels players, provides academic support, and performs all the other aspects that go into creating a successful sports team. “I don’t know how she does it. She has no down time,” said assistant softball coach Michael Cole. Despite all of the hard work, Wage keeps coming back because of the people and the relationships she has formed throughout her career. “You’re passionate about teaching a game that you love,” she explained, “you want to see these women be successful in this part of their life and support them in all the other parts of their life.” Wage credits her players for the success of her two teams. “Coaches don’t win games,” she commented, “players win games.” Wage guides her players by sharing her own experiences and knowledge with them. She understands that coaching is teaching, except her classroom is the field,
and her subject is life skills. Wage explained that she is “guiding [her players] along and trying to lead them in the direction that I think they’re going to be successful.” Field hockey captain Kaih Murphy (‘15) attributes Wage’s success to her consistency and passion for the game. “With Coach Wage you always know you’re going to get a consistent, mellow person,” she continued, “[Coach Wage] shows up and wants to be the best she can be.” Not only does Wage care about her players’ performance on the field, but she takes interest in their off the field endeavors as well. Softball captain Hayley Buckheit (‘15) explained that, “Coach really cares about us as people and that we’re succeeding off the field, which is sometimes even more important to her than us succeeding on the field.” Wage believes that being a strong student is important, because students come to learn skills they will use for the rest of their lives. “I think that if you want to play here you have to have your priorities straight,” she explained, “I love the fact that [students are] trying to balance multiple things, not just sports and academics, but other interests that [they] have on campus.” Wage believes that people respect the Clark education, and that students leave well prepared for the future.
Granger Field gets a makeover Clark turfs the Soccer Field By Kassie Bensing contributing writer
photo by celine manneville
Wage has been an athlete for as long as she can remember. Unfortunately she was not able to join a team until seventh grade, as she grew up during a time in which girls were not allowed to participate in Little League. The coach is happy to see that the young women she coaches now have “much more” opportunities than she did growing up, as she believes that sports are an important life lesson. Wage wants to see both softball and field hockey continue to win games. She feels that the team continues to “face the challenge of competing with the best. We’re going to continue to strive, to push ourselves, and try to win championships. That’s what we’ll always try to do.”
On August 29, Clark debuted its new turf field with a 6-0 win for men’s soccer against Becker College. Fans came out to see the team and inspect the new field that was under construction all summer. Clark replaced Granger’s grass field with a new turf one. Athletic Director Trish Cronin spearheaded the project. She recalls touring “multiple facilities in the state,” in order “to choose a turfing system that would be conducive to soccer and lacrosse and other activities.” Thanks to the process, Clarkies will be able to greater utilize the field. According to Associate Athletic Director Joe Brady, part of the purpose of getting a new field was to “be able to play on it all year round… even in the season when weather [is] an issue.” Another main reason for getting the turf was a lack of space. “This turf field now allows us to have two fields [on which] we can schedule our varsity sports,” Brady explained, and the department can now “open it for recreation use, intramurals, and club sports.” Athletes seem pleased with the new turf as well. Men’s soccer midfielder Vaske Gjino (’15) felt that “the turf was a bit overdue, as we were one of the few teams left with grass.” This
was a problem because the grass was hard to maintain and not as consistent as turf. Players had to wait for the field to be mowed, and the unevenness of the field caused the ball to bounce unexpectedly during games. Fellow men’s soccer midfielder TJ Zirkman (’17) added that the new turf “really supports our style of play.” The new turf also provides a sense of community, as both neighborhood residents and non-athlete Clarkies now have more access to it. Cronin explains that before the new turf, the field was often closed to the general public because the grass had to be allowed to regenerate for the fall athletic season. This has all changed since the field was turfed. Sports Information Director Kevin Anderson said that he has seen neighborhood children running laps around the turf. The field is now a place for the community to go and exercise, instead of using the Green or the smaller multipurpose field. Brady also commented on the community aspect with regard to Clarkies, saying that the new field gives the department space for “the non-athlete or the athletes that don’t play soccer but want to do other things.” This field will hopefully start to bridge the gap between the Cougars and the Clarkies on campus, creating one united community.
The Scarlet
october 2, 2014
SPORTS RECAP By Scott Levine scarlet staff
women’s soccer After a tough 1-0 loss to Coast Guard Academy on September 26, the women’s soccer team won 3-0 against Elms College on September 30. Midfielder Nikki Feinberg (’16) scored two goals while forward Charlotte Mays (’15) scored one. The team is now 1-9 on the season.
sports | 13
The Scarlet congratulates men’s soccer goalie Connor Maguire for winning the NEWMAC defensive player of the week.
Fantasy Football Add/ Drop for Week 4 By Ethan Giles sports editor
AD D
men’s soccer The men’s soccer team won 2-1 in hard-fought match against innerconference opponent Coast Guard Academy on September 27. Kyle Russo (’16) and Tim Rovnak (’17) provided the goals for Clark. The team also lost 6-2 on October 1 to a strong opponent in Western New England University. They are currently 4-7.
women’s tennis The women’s tennis team earned their first inner-conference victory on September 27 against Emerson College. This came off a 7-2 loss against Worcester State. Isabelle Long (’18), the number one singles player, has remained a star for Clark, winning five of her last six singles matches.
women’s volleyball The volleyball team lost to MIT in four sets on September 30, and to Babson and Amherst on September 27. After facing several formidable opponents such as these three, the team is at 6-9.
field hockey After winning against Anna Maria on September 23, the team beat Regis College 4-1 on September 27. Several different players have stepped up, as evidenced by the fact that no player has more than five goals on the season. The team is now 6-3.
women’s cross country The women’s cross country team also placed third out of seven teams on September 27 in the Worcester City Championships. The team was largely helped by Kristen Glenine (’18), who finished fifth overall with a 5k time of 20:39.
• Bishop Sankey, RB, Tennessee Titans: Although Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt has refused to give Sankey carries so far, this will hopefully change soon. Sankey was one of the few bright spots against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, as he rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown while also collecting 23 receiving yards. Owners can expect Sankey’s numbers to increase once Whisenhunt finally gives Sankey the ball consistently instead of the ineffective Shonn Greene, so pick up this chess piece while he’s available. Sankey is owned in 92 percent of espn.com leagues and 64.2 percent of nfl.com leagues. • Larry Donnell, TE, New York Giants: Donnell burst onto the scene last week against the Washington NFL Team, as he caught three touchdowns and recorded 54 receiving yards. Fantasy owners should not expect this type of production from him throughout the season, but he is at the very least a worthwhile backup. Donnell is available in 26.8 percent of espn.com leagues and 19.4 percent of nfl.com leagues.
D R OP • Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots: I know it is heresy to even hint at dropping Tom Brady here in New England, but it does not look good for the Patriots’ QB. Not only is Brady playing abysmally, but his offensive line is in shambles, his wide receivers are mediocre, and Rob Gronkowski looks like a shell of his former self. It is probably not going to get better for Brady and the Patriots offense, so check the waiver wire for another quarterback. • Bernard Pierce, RB, Baltimore Ravens: Pierce is a graduate of Temple University, but even praying will not get him consistent carries the rest of the season. The Ravens coaching staff refuses to commit to Pierce as their starting running back, as they have had success with the tandem of Justin Forsett and Lorenzo Taliaferro. If you need to clear up a spot, Pierce Bernard from your roster.
B UY L OW • Jordan Cameron, TE, Cleveland Browns: Cameron hurt his shoulder in the preseason and aggravated it in week one against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he says he is feeling better coming off the team’s bye. The Browns play the putrid defenses of the Tennessee Titans, Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Oakland Raiders over the next four weeks, so Cameron should have his opportunity to break out soon. Try to find an owner that’s willing to give him up on the cheap.
SEL L H IG H • Steve Smith Sr., WR, Baltimore Ravens: After destroying his former Carolina Panthers Sunday to the tune of 139 yards and two touchdowns, expect Smith’s production to drop. His value will never be higher than it is right now, so see what you can get for him.
men’s cross country The men’s cross country team placed third out of seven teams in the Worcester City Championships on September 27. Clark beat out teams such as Worcester State and Nichols partially due to top 20 times from John Allard (’16), Seamus O’Connor (’16), Ryan Van Dine (’18), Alex Hull (’18), and Tim Conley (’16).
The Scarlet
14 | sports
october 2, 2014
COUGAR of the WEEK
by Scott Levine
John Allard (’16) has consistently been the first Clarkie to finish races this season after coming in just behind his teammates last year. He has also assumed a larger leadership role this year as a co-captain with Tim Conley (’16).
Scarlet: Is it different going in to the race as the top runner? Allard: Yes. I think it puts more pressure on me, because I can’t really mess up, or it’ll seriously affect our team placing. It’s actually not a first time thing for me because my freshman year, towards the end, I had to take over as the number one guy because our top runner was injured. Scarlet: Are you handling that pressure better than when you were a first year? Allard: Yeah, I think so. Going into freshman year, I was nervous before like every race, and now I just kind of go in every race like, “I’ve done this a billion times,” and just try to stay cool.
photo by jonathan edelman
John Allard cross country
Scarlet: How long have you been running cross country? Allard: I ran sixth grade, and I decided to quit since I didn’t like it. In eighth grade, I came back to it, and I improved a lot, and that motivated me to keep running for longer. And I ended up running all through high school. Scarlet: What brought you back to it in eighth grade? Allard: I’m not really sure. I guess I just kind of liked the team aspect of it, and I was doing track still. And during seventh grade when I was doing track, I was like, “Well, I kind of like just having this time occupied by hanging out with the team. I really like being on the team.” And that kind of motivated me to be like, “You know what? I’m going to give running another try and see where it goes.” Scarlet: I know cross country is a sport that is based on individual performance, but how much of a team aspect is there to it? Allard: I think the team aspect in a race is almost more psychological. I remember my freshman year, my coach said that when you’re in a race, if you’re ever feeling down, tired, unmotivated, and you feel like you’re just going to drop off, just think about what your team’s doing. They’re counting on you to run well. And also there’s the aspect of pack running where if you have a guy on your team right next to you, you wanna stay
with him. He’s a guy you’re familiar with. You want to work together and push each other. Scarlet: Do you have that team oriented mentality even when you’re just running by yourself? Allard: Kind of. I know that I can’t afford to slack off, because I know as an individual, I need to perform well in order for the team to look good, and to perform at its best. So whenever I’m on my own, I just remember that. Scarlet: Speaking of motivating forces, what are your goals for this season? Allard: My goal personally is to get my PR, my personal record, because it’s been a long time. I haven’t done it since my freshman year, so it’s kind of, like, demoralizing to not reach your peak performance when you’ve been working hard all summer. I want to feel like I worked hard all summer, and all season, for something. And I think that something is the new PR. Scarlet: What is your PR? Allard: It’s a 26:35 in the 8k that I set in my freshman year. Scarlet: It seems like getting such a good time as a first year was a blessing and a curse, since it’s been difficult to best it. Allard: Yeah, it’s also just like, I was 19th in the conference, and I was the fifth fastest freshman in the region. I was really close to making All-Conference. We’ve never had an All-Conference runner, so it’s pretty upsetting to have seen myself drop back. I want to move back up again. And I feel like it’s not an insane thought at all to think at some point I could make it. So that’s [another] goal: to make All-Conference. Scarlet: How do you approach trying to improve your personal record? It seems like there’s a huge difference between a 26:35 and, say, a 26:30. Allard: I’ve only gone under 27 once since, but when you think about it, it’s really not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things. It’s just hard to achieve it. If you think about it in terms of laps on the track, it would be something like 20 laps. In 20 laps, to make up 20 seconds, you just have to improve one second a lap. So when you think about it in terms of that, it becomes easier to quantify how much time that is, and it doesn’t seem like as much. Allard and the rest of the men’s cross country team will race next in the James Early Invitational at Stanley Park in Westfield, Mass. on October 11.
The Scarlet
october 2, 2014
puzzles | 15
The Scarlet/Puzzles CROSSWORD by Ted Randich 1
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DOWN 1. Versatile plant. 2. College-based military training program. 3. Nationals’ pitcher Gonzalez. 4. “Double D” in 90s TV show. 5. Cocaine, or stealing, e.g. 6. Expression of hilarity. 7. To lose your fur coat. 8. Present tense of 29 across. 9. Yeezus’ last name. 10. Greeting, “Hey, what’s the ____?” 11. Joliet Jake’s counterpart. 12. Unfortunate reaction to hug attempt.
13. Karma-seeking TV character. 14. Ticklish TV character. 15. Bear in Madrid. 16. Sound-sensor. 17. For the public good. 18. A short-lived style is _ ___. 19. Peter and Mary’s bud. 20. Maneuver a vehicle, yesterday. 21. “A” in PEMDAS. 22. Tenement photographer. 23. 70s Swedish pop band. 24. Ruby, emerald, e.g. 25. Reddit Q&A session. 26. Harry’s friend
1. Method for cooking a lot of really good food. 3. Hair-styling substance. 5. Sick. 7. Not hi, not lo. 8. “Mr. Blue Sky” band. 11. Gridding software. 18. Upper-body extremity. 19. Snow-remover. 24. Clark study center. 27. Middle-eastern terrorists? Or freedom fighters? 28. Clark performance center. 29. Past tense of 8 down. 30. High-priced. 31. Similar to slime, gunk, etc.
39. Colorado mountain destina32. Tears fell. tion. 33. Ice bucket challenge benefi40. Finale. ciary. 41. New York jam band. 34. Authority in all things sociol42. Computer manufacturer. More Puzzles: ogy. 43. “Emotional Hardcore” music. www.sudoku-puzzles.net 35. Canoer’s friend. 44. Homestead down by the 36. Gold, in Mexico. river? 37. Biological term for plant life. 45. This land was made for you 38. Sheep talk. and me.
THIS WEEK’S SOLUTIONS IN NEXT ISSUE
16 | puzzles
The Scarlet
october 2, 2014
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS
Police Logs compiled by Alex Grayson
University Police has newly altered the format in which they record calls, therefore we regret to inform you we can no longer supply detailed call descriptions. Last week (September 21-28), University Police responded to 22 medical emergencies, 1 heating problem, 17 fire alarms, aided in 7 money transports, secured 11 building, responded to 11 E-Box calls, assisted Worcester Police 11 times, responded to 13 suspicious persons, responded to 13 lockout of building calls, and performed 25 miscellaneous services.
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Sudoku Solution - Medium
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More Puzzles:
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what happens in The Scarlet office at 12:22 a.m. stays in the The Scarlet office... sort of “Oh the Clark World Cup is coming up, we definitely need to cover that. Giles, you know what it is?” - Jeremy “Yeah, like, people play soccer.” - Giles “I hate you.” - Jeremy “So this writer’s convention is going to be like the cat convention in the DCU Center, but instead of cats, it’ll be writers.” – Matt “I’ve been trying to get in touch with him for an interview. Like, I’ve emailed him, added on Facebook–” - Kassie “Maybe he’s just incredibly creeped out.” - Jeremy “It feels very weird, but very good.” - Rose “Like a… you know what, nevermind.” - Jeremy
“Memmer, you led with a date.” - Jeremy “Your mom led with a date.” - Sarah “In the 4 a.m. section, you should, like, put in a thing, like, I mean, a thing like, that we all looked at the U.S. Interior’s Instagram.” - Sarah “But if we’re going to do Squirrel Of The Week, how will we know if we aren’t doing the same squirrel multiple times?” - Sarah “We kill it!” - Matt “We brand the Scarlet insignia on their hind legs!” - Sarah “Wait, are we just photographing them or–” - Celine “No, we’re interviewing them!” - Jeremy