herban gardeners • gallery opening • sports updates • and more
volume xciv, no. 5 • october 9, 2014 | clarkscarlet.com |
Men’s lacrosse team loses fall season Recruit hospitalized By Ethan Giles sports editor
The men’s lacrosse team has lost their fall season following an incident in which a high school recruit was hospitalized due to the consumption of cocaine, alcohol, and possibly other substances. One men’s tennis player who was present at the scene was suspended for his fall season as well. The entire lacrosse team has also lost its locker room privileges, meaning each student-athlete will need to store his gear elsewhere. The incident occurred on the night of Saturday, September 27 at an off-campus party hosted by members of the lacrosse team. Police arrived at the scene to break up the party, and the recruit was hospitalized. Sources close to the situation report that the recruit in question actively sought various hard drugs— a situation that the team had not encountered with past recruits. Director of Athletics and Recreation Trish Cronin issued the following statement on the matter: “Due to an off-field violation of the
Athletics Code of Conduct, lacrosse coach Jeff Cohen and I made the decision to suspend the remainder of the lacrosse fall season. The Clark administration supports this sanction. This is my first experience of an incident of this nature with any team at Clark. As with any sanction my hope is that everyone associated with Clark Athletics will learn from this experience.” The Clark University Athletics Code of Conduct has a section about hosting recruits, which states: “All hosts of student-athlete recruits must abide by Clark conduct policies, as well as state and federal law. At no time may alcohol or drugs be used or made available to a visiting recruit. Any activity deemed inappropriate or dangerous by athletic department administrators, while hosting a recruit, may be subject to sanctions.” Dean of Students Denise Darrigrand issued the following statement: “I was consulted by the Athletic Department about the situation and concurred with and supported their recommended sanction.” Members of the men’s lacrosse team, as well as Coach Cohen and As-
sociate Athletic Director Joe Brady, declined to comment on this story. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), whose mission statement in part claims that they “represent the student-athlete voice and facilitate dialogue at the departmental, coaching, and team levels,” did not respond to multiple emails asking for a comment. Assistant Director of Admissions Aaron Segura (’14), who liaises with the athletic department as part of recruitment efforts, explained that “overnight visits for athletic recruits are not run through [admissions, but] the general expectation from coaches…is that visiting students conduct themselves responsibly while on campus and that the host creates an environment that encourages this.” The fall functions as a preseason for the lacrosse team, as they play games that do not count toward their record, in order to get in shape for their regular season in the spring. Offseason training is very beneficial for teams, and men’s cross country continued on page 13
the.clark.scarlet
End Demand Worcester rally Shifting blame in prostitution culture By Jenna Lewis news editor
On Wednesday evening, 875 Main Street was transformed from a place of sex solicitation to one of activism as throngs of community activists, students, and survivors took part in the End Demand Worcester rally. Participants, ranging in age from toddlers to the middle-aged, flanked either side of the crowded street, holding signs reading, “Is your daughter their next victim?” and “Our girls are not for sale.” Between the activists’ synchronized cries of “no more johns”, passersby honked their car horns in support, met each time with cheering and dancing by the activists. Organized by End Demand Worcester, Wednesday’s rally aimed to spread awareness about Worcester’s ongoing problems with prostitution arrests. “We’re here to educate the community,” says Athena Haddon, an activist with End Demand. “If the men were being arrested, they wouldn’t troll the area and threaten the safety of our community. Demand is what fuels the industry, not the prostitutes.”
In 2013, Worcester made 171 prostitution-related arrests, the most of any city in Massachusetts. Of the 171 arrests made in Worcester, a staggering 91 percent were sex workers—not those who solicited the transactions. This year, of 126 total arrests so far, 121 (96 percent) have been women. Across the state, 70 percent of the 900 total arrests in 2013 were women. While the disproportionate number aims to prevent women selling sex, End Demand believes the number shows a clear bias. This trend of arresting sex workers rather than johns (those who purchase sex) is one that End Demand Worcester aims to stop. “If we are trying to combat prostitution…men need to be the target of arrests, not women,” says Hannah Yore (’15), who frequently works with the organization. According to police, arresting the buyers is far more difficult than arresting the sex workers. It’s easier and less costly to arrest prostitutes, according to Michael Shively, founder of Demandforum. net, a website that aims to track prosecucontinued on page 3
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The Scarlet
october 9, 2014
UPCOMING EVENTS
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF CLARK UNIVERSITY CONTACT
[ Thursday, October 9 ]
scarlet@clarku.edu | clarkscarlet.com
Torkwase Dyson Artist Talk - 12:00 p.m. in Razzo Hall
EDITORS
RAWR Wooberry Frozen Yogurt Fundraiser - 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. at Wooberry
Editor-in-Chief: Jeremy Levine Executive Editor: Sarah Cramer Layout Editor: Rose Gallogly Web Editor: Pooja Patel News Editor: Jenna Lewis Opinions Editor: Alex Grayson Living Arts Editor: Matt Emmer Sports Editor: Ethan Giles Photo Editor: Celine Manneville Managing Editor: Madhubanti Anashua
SCARLET STAFF Senegal Carty Savannah Cohen Ronald Gerber Scott Levine Jonah Naghi Hannah Rosenblum Tyler Terriault
PHOTO STAFF Jonathan Edelman
LAYOUT STAFF Erin McKeon Christian Rentsman
WANT TO BE PART OF
The Scarlet? The Scarlet is looking for writers, copy-editors, photographers, graphic designers, and web designers. No previous experience necessary!
EMAIL SCARLET@CLARKU.EDU
CASA Jeopardy! - 7:00 p.m. in McCann Resource Room (LEEP Center) Clark’s First Time - 8:00 p.m. in the Grind
[ Friday, October 10 ] Women’s tennis vs MIT - 5:00 p.m. SAB Game Night Tournament - 7:00 p.m. in the Grind
[Saturday, October 11 ] Cycles For Change’s “Learn to Ride Day” - 1:30 p.m. in Red Square Women’s volleyball vs Salve Regina - 11:00 a.m. Field hockey vs MIT - 12:00 p.m. Women’s tennis vs Wheaton College - 1:00 p.m. Women’s soccer vs MIT - 1:00 p.m. Women’s volleyball vs Worcester State - 3:00
[ Sunday, October 12 ] Women’s soccer vs Springfield College - 6:00 p.m. Women’s volleyball vs Wellesley College - 7:00 p.m.
[ Wednesday, October 15] Women’s volleyball vs Wellesley College - 7:00 p.m.
The Scarlet
october 9, 2014
news | 3
The Scarlet/News Genocide denial conference to come to Clark
The mystery of the disappearing trash cans
Scholars gather to analyze mass violence
As the new school year began Sackler’s waste bins were noticed to have gone missing
By Jonah Naghi scarlet staff
On Saturday, October 25, Clark University will host the conference “Manufacturing Denial and the Assault on Scholarship and Truth.” It will be one of two conferences, the first occurring at Worcester State on October 24 and the second at Clark the following day. It will mark the first time that social scientists and natural scientists will meet and analyze together the literature of genocide denial. The organizational committee for the second conference consists of Professors Taner Akcam, Sarah Cushman, Debórah Dwork, Marc Mamigonian, Khatchig Mouradian, and Henry Theriault. In addition, it will be co-sponsored by the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark. Genocide denial will be the topic of discussion, specifically in terms of the scholarship of denials of mass killings and their strategies. They will focus on the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, and the Rwandan Genocide. The Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide are two particular cases that have been questioned by various scholars. The event’s webpage states that, “Since the 1980s, genocide denial, particularly of the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide, has generated a substantial body of literature analyzing and documenting the methods and rhetoric of those who seek to negate or obscure docu-
mented cases of mass violence.” The conference at Clark will be divided into four two-hour sessions beginning at 8:30 a.m.. The sessions are primarily for people who have participated in the conference; however, a certain number of seats are available for the public, though they must reserve their spots in advance. A panel featuring Professor Dwork, Richard G. Hovannisian from UCLA, and Massimo Pigliucci from City University of New York-Lehman College will conclude the conference by summing up the day’s session, opening the floor to questions from the audience. There are going to be a wide variety of scholars, both social and natural scientists, attending the conference. Mamigonian said, “What I am most looking forward to is bringing together this collection of scholars of such diverse backgrounds and disciplines…[and] broadening the discussion beyond genocide denial (with which each of us is pretty familiar) to include denial within the natural sciences. We think that this is a new approach and an opportunity for insights and new channels of communication.” Anyone interested should reserve a spot for the conference, as seats are limited to the public, unless you are participating in the conference itself. If you have any questions, get in touch with Sarah Cushman, Strassler Center Academic Program Liaison Officer, at 508793-7764 or scushman@clarku.edu.
By Alexis Stabulas contributing writer
As part of an effort to make Clark more environmentally conscious, trash bins were removed from classrooms in the Sackler Science Center this summer, only keeping large bins in the center of the building. The trash can removal began in February of 2013 after being proposed in 2012. Phase one got rid of the classroom waste bins in Jonas Clark and put big waste bins at the busiest part of the building. “The way JC is designed, it’s perfect,” said Marla Carrara-Raleigh (‘16). “Everyone passes through this common area to get to their classrooms. So why not put really large, decorative, wellseen bins right there so students can just drop their trash on their way in or out of their classrooms?” Carrara-Raleigh, along with Olivia Will (‘13), proposed the trash can removal in JC in front of the Student Sustainability Fund board. After agreeing that the plan would make Clark more green, the project was given a grant by the fund.
Rally cont. continued from page 1
tion of sex buyers nationwide. To arrest a sex buyer, the police must deploy an entire team of officers to catch a buyer in the act, whereas arresting a sex work-
The purpose of the plan is to diminish trash contamination and increase recycling. Classroom garbage was frequently contaminated when the waste bins were in classrooms – things that should be recycled were put in trash, and trash was put in the recycling. By mixing the two, both bins became trash, and neither could be recycled. “It was astonishing,” said Jenny Isler, Campus Sustainability Coordinator. “It was a 30-40 percent decrease in contamination . . . so by putting things next to each other and letting people make a choice… it really improved the recycling rate in that building.” By having the bins in public places, the Jonas Clark project hoped to “peer pressure” students into recycling. The findings of the project were positive and found that 38 percent of recyclables were in the recycling and much less trash was in the trash bins. The large centrally-located bins also decreased labor. Instead of having to take out every individual bin in the classrooms, the large bins save time for the maintainers. In prior years, heavy bins had to be loaded on to carts on every
er requires only one officer. Although Worcester Police Chief Gary Gemme has repeatedly declined to comment on the numbers, he said in a written statement that the police force was acting to “[reduce] the visible presence of prostitution related activity that negatively impacts the quality of life in our neighborhoods.” As a response to these statistics,
floor and brought down. After such positive reactions in Jonas Clark, the project was moved into Sackler at the beginning of this semester. Overall, Clark is seeing a huge change in recycling and waste. The classroom waste is going down as Moodle continues to be an integral part of Clark’s system and paper assignments are disappearing in classrooms. Students are becoming more educated about what is recyclable and how to go about doing it. “Clark’s recycling goes up every year,” said Isler. “Since 2011, the number was at about 19 percent and we’re at 35 percent now . . . that’s almost double in three years.” Ultimately, the goal is to reduce waste altogether, diminish the number of products that are being discarded, and increase the presence of reusable food containers (such as the Green2Go containers) and reusable water bottles. The next legs of the project hope to branch out to Jefferson and Lasry. Students’ help is needed to expand and keep the project going, and all that are interested are urged to join and add to the cause.
Attorney General Martha Coakley compiled a task force last year to address ways to reduce the demand for commercial sex. The report concluded that “arresting prostituted women and trafficked girls is inefficient at best, and leads to re-victimization at worst... continued on page 4
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Sustainable partnerships Herban Gardeners and Food Truth collaborate with Dining Services By Sarah Cramer executive editor
In another partnership between Clark students and Dining Services aimed at promoting sustainable food practices on campus, the Herban Gardeners are bringing fresh herbs from the Clark Community Garden into the Clark kitchen. Located between Clifton and Woodland streets on the President’s lawn, the Clark Community Garden is primarily maintained by the Herban Gardeners, a student club whose mission is “to promote sustainable agriculture through practice and community education,” said co-president Eric Pasay (‘16). The garden has always been open to all members of the Clark and surrounding Worcester communities (as the name implies), yet this marks the first collaboration between the club and Dining Services. Club advisor and Campus Sustainability Coordinator Jenny Isler said that working with Dining Services has “always been the goal,” adding, “It’s not as though we’re growing for [Dining Services]; we’re growing for the students and we’re growing for the community.” With two new raised garden beds, bringing the total to seven, the Herban Gardeners are finally equipped to offer Dining Services the large crop of herbs that is needed to last through most of a meal period. Dining Services serves thousands of meals daily, so one bunch of parsley will not get very far. Herbs such as lemon basil, oregano, and sage have been delivered to the kitchen thus far. Dining Services General Manager Heather Vaillette and her team wholeheartedly support this partnership, and even cater their menu to include the available herbs. When the Herban Gardeners first came to Vaillette and asked what herbs she could use, she responded, “No, what do you have?” She explained, “We can take whatever they give us...and [we will] alter our dishes accordingly...So it’s kind of fun for the chef too.” Its partnership with the Herban
Gardeners allows Dining Services to simultaneously support another student initiative: The Real Food Challenge. The Real Food Challenge is a national campaign that aims to increase the amount of “real food” - locally sourced, ecologically sound, fair trade, and humanely raised food - in university dining services. Thanks in large part to Food Truth (Clark’s food-sustainability club), in April 2013, President David Angel and Dining Services signed the Real Food Commitment of 20 percent “real food” on campus by 2020. With the herbs from the Clark Community Garden, Dining Services can help satisfy the commitment’s locally sourced requirement, which can be difficult due to Clark’s geographic location. “This greater Worcester area is in even less of a green bubble than other areas of Massachusetts where you can find locally grown pork or eggs or honey...It’s just harder here,” said Isler. Vaillette, the university, and Food Truth are nonetheless committed to reaching their goal. This entails much work on Food Truth’s part, as members must collect, input, and organize data from Dining Services’ food purchases. This data analysis process is done through a tool called the Real Food Calculator, which identifies the percentage of the food purchases that can count as “real food.” Food Truth member and Calculator Chair Andrea Boffice, who oversees this tedious process, said, “Once we have enough data that accurately represents our food purchases, in the future we will identify where we can and should shift products, and then begin research on what products we can buy that will count as ‘real food’ for a low price.” This data input and measurement is key to fulfilling the Real Food Commitment. Isler points out that Clark won’t be able to go all local and organic in an instant —it will take time. But with the Herban Gardeners, Vaillette, Food Truth, and numerous other groups working to promote sustainable food practices at the university, in the words of Isler, “This bell can’t be unrung.”
october 9, 2014
CUSC in brief By Kate Summers contributing writer
At the first CUSC meeting with the new Fall 2014 board, new committee chairs were appointed. Dale Watt (’17) was appointed to the Financial Committee, McKenna Hunter (’17) to Communications, Emma Binder (’15) to Student Life, Wandong Yang (’16) to Grants, and Janna Kelnhofer (’18) to the Elections Committee. Grants Committee allocated $160 to Cheyenne Wzzyard-Jones for her trip to Puerto Rico to attend the 2014 National Women’s Conference. $500 was allocated to Clark Quidditch to buy new jerseys that will feature their new name “RavenClarks.” Clark Club Hockey was allocated $300 for tickets to the Worm Pot Tournament. After much debate, The Peapod Squad was allocated $653 to buy their customized baseball jerseys; the group failed to apply for a budget last year, so they did not have the funds to buy the shirts. Alex Turgeon (‘16) was allocated $300 to fund a flag football tournament that will raise money for his new app WOO Connect. Timmy Global Health was given $1,600 to help pay for a faculty advisor for their trip to Quito, Ecuador. The group was told last week by the Office of Student Leadership and Programming that they would need a Clark staff member in order to go as a Clark affiliated group. The Ping Pong Club requested $300 to buy a new table. However, the issue was tabled until the next meeting, because the Council needs to match-up information they have received. The group planned to store the tables in The Grind, but CUSC wanted to double-check to make sure that this would be acceptable. The Council went back and forth on the issue, but decided they did not want to make a set decision until they received more information. The Judiciary Committee announced that they are reviewing the request for a referendum regarding adding a transfer student representative to the Student Council. During the Vice President’s report, Sami Noor stated that Speaker’s Forum is back and they will no longer be holding a referendum to dissolve the group out of the constitution. He also said that he is working on getting a bus from Clark to New York Port Authority for Thanksgiving Break. President Brittany Klug (’16) talked about a closer relationship that Student Council will forge with Gryphon and Pleiades Honor Society, because both groups are working to better the Clark community. McKenna Hunter (’17), chair of the Communications Committee, plans on working with other members to restructure the way the committee is run. Specific details will come later, but they will be working on transparency. It was announced that L*IN*K is now up-to-date with all the clubs’ budgets. During Last Word, Dale Watts reminded his fellow Council members that they are responsible for spending other people’s money. They must remember to use their money in the best interest of all Clark students. On a similar note, Tim St. John, who is the Council’s advisor and Director of Student Leadership and Programming, spoke about how Student Council is an elected body and how, when voting, they should not be voting their personal opinion, but rather that of their constituents.
Rally cont. continued from page 3
If demand is not addressed, thereby shrinking or destroying the market, traffickers will continue to victimize their prey for profit.” Although the task force pushed for reforms including “john schools,” a court-ordered education program meant to deter demand, progress has been slow, and classes have not been held since September 2013. According to the Telegram and Gazette, this is due to an insufficient number of men arrested to fill these classes. Arrests of prostitutes, according to Haddon, fail to offer any long-term
prevention. “Most times, they’re arrested at four in the morning, and back out on the streets by that night. There’s no services provided, so they don’t really have a choice.” This, combined with the failure to arrest buyers, results in what many see as a victim-blaming complex. “It echoes our culture and who we blame for sexual transgressions,” says Yore. End Demand’s rally aimed to change this convention. Through their signs, literature, and rhetoric the organization clearly aimed to shift the blame from the sex workers to the buyers and perpetrators of the movement. “It’s a call to the police force. We see the statistics, we think it’s wrong, and we want
you to do something about it,” said Yore. Although sex workers are obviously the more visible party, End Demand aims to educate the community to make those who buy sex liable for their actions. “These men rob, rape, and beat these women on a daily basis, and [the women] don’t report it because we often blame the victim for these crimes, and ask them why they got themselves into the situation to begin with,” says Haddon. “We want to help these women, but we can’t do that if things stay the way they are. If we can get the community on board with this rally or anything else we do, that’s the first step in making a change.”
october 9, 2014
The Scarlet
news | 5
CLARKIE of the WEEK Scarlet: What does the calendar include? Eli: So each month has two things: there’s a checklist, which is more or less the same for each month, simple things like, make sure your window shades are closed, or unplug everything and turn off your office things; kind of like simple things you’d think that people would do normally, but don’t. And then also each month is a short little paragraph that has energy saving tips for that specific season. So in warmer months, it might be something like, [making] sure your AC unit is off. Or in the colder months, it might be, [making] sure the furniture in your office is situated in a way that you’re not blocking heating vents, so heat can come out and heat your office the way it should, so you don’t have to crank it up all the way. So those parts are tailored to the season, and then the checklist is more or less the same each month. photo by jonathan edelman
Eli Goldman Eli Goldman of Northampton, Massachusetts, is a junior Global Environmental Studies major. He enjoys exploring Worcester, making beats, eating well, and bringing good, affordable food to the community.
Scarlet: You just received a $400 grant from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Apple Day of Service Program. How did that come about and how will it affect the Clark Community? Eli: The grant came about from my LEEP Project that I was doing this summer, working with Jenny Isler and Physical Plant. The broad topic was looking at ways to reduce energy consumption at Clark. So I audited pretty much every building on the campus, filling out work orders for Physical Plant that would improve energy efficiency, but in doing that, I realized that a lot of the things that I was taking note of weren’t things Physical Plant could fix, so trying to promote behavior change was the idea behind the calendars. So we think that using the calendars – they’re going out to all faculty and staff members – the idea is to target office spaces… that faculty and staff control, so the hope is that they’ll be able to reduce energy consumption by almost 25 percent by cutting down phantom loads and things like that at night and over the weekend.
Scarlet: And you also run Local Root? What does that involve, and how is Local Root doing? Eli: Yeah, I’m the co-manager. Local Root’s doing really well, we changed completely how we’re operating this semester. In the past, we’ve done CSA [Community Supported Agriculture]style boxes and delivered them to students and faculty, but not that many people were signing up for that last semester, so we kind of thought, how can we change this up? So we decided, what if we still brought fresh produce to people but let them choose exactly what they wanted to buy and not have it be predetermined, like, okay we’re going to give you a box and you have no idea what’s in it, but you’re going to get it every week! We thought it would be cool to let people pick and choose, so we started just doing a mobile farm stand, so we bring the
by Hannah Rosenblum
farm stand to different spots around campus and sell it to people like that. So as a manager, we decide what we’re going to buy each week and we price things out, and we try to keep things as affordable as possible, we market ourselves, yeah, it’s like we’re running a small business. Scarlet: It’s cool that you were able to adjust to the Clark community’s needs, rather than continuing the CSA-style. I know sometimes with CSA’s people get really different things that they don’t even know how to use. Eli: Yeah, we wanted to try to make it so people enjoyed it. That’s another part of what we do, we try and do an education aspect of it and show people that it’s really not impossible to eat well, and eat well without spending a lot of money. Scarlet: And you also do Club Tennis and Ultimate Frisbee? Eli: With Club Tennis, just this last weekend we were at [a] sectional tournament at Harvard, so every school in New England that has a club team was at the tournament, so we played a lot of tennis. We did alright, it was fun. And then for Ultimate, the exciting news is that we finally have access to fields at the Dolan; it’s exciting. We’ve been stuck playing behind Big Y and there’s like rocks and broken glass and who knows what out there, so it’s nice to be able to play on nice fields and be at Clark when you’re playing. Ultimate was always something that I played just kind of casually, throwing a disc with friends, but it’s a really fun sport. I think it has a different perception in the college atmosphere than other places, but it’s a real sport, it’s really active. Scarlet: Is it also true that you make music?
Eli: Yeah. I grew up in a house with a lot of stringed instruments going around. My dad plays a lot of instruments, my sister played the violin and I played the cello when I was younger, and then I started listening to a lot of jazz and hip hop at the same time and wanted to make my own music, like pulling from both of those things, so I make music on my computer, I make beats and sample a lot of jazz and stuff like that. It’s a good hobby. For a while, I missed playing an instrument and then I started doing this stuff and it kind of filled that gap. Scarlet: What do you like to do in your spare time? Eli: I bike a lot, I do a lot of road biking. One of my favorite places to bike in Worcester, is if you go out into Holden, like out past the reservoir, especially at this time of year, all the leaves are changed, the roads are pretty calm. It’s nice to get out there and just kind of think, or not think, and just kind of blank out and go places. Scarlet: Is there anything you’d like to add? Eli: I’ll plug the Local Root and say that every Wednesday we do our farm stand in Red Square from 11-2:45, and we stop with our mobile market at the library, Jonas Clark, Jefferson/Geography, all along Woodland Street, and the administrative buildings. Thanks for the interview, Eli!
Email scarlet@clarku.edu if you have a suggestion for Clarkie of the Week!
The Scarlet
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october 9, 2014
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.
Julia Pierson rightfully resigns from Secret Service
editor-in-chief
Departure not influenced by gender By Alex Grayson opinions editor
Julia Pierson, the first female director of the Secret Service in its 150-year history, was not-so-gently nudged into a resignation on October 1 following a White House intrusion and multiple lapses in security that threatened the life of the President and the First Family. Politico Magazine and The New Republic quickly entertained the idea that sexism played a significant role in Pierson’s resignation. Her gender. Not the armed intruder making it as far as the East Room on September 19, nor the days-delayed response to the firing of five bullets at the White House in 2011. With the dust not yet settled, renowned political magazines published articles—shared thousands of times on Facebook—painting a picture of a patriarchal Washington and the subjugation of women in power. A damaging, inappropriate spin on a clear-cut resignation. In a culture plagued by genu-
courtesy of nytimes.com
ine, crippling sexism that affects all women in all social and economic standings, the perpetual and kneejerk play of “Is it because I am a woman?” card renders responses to true instances of sexism weak and farcical. Bryce Covert, of The New Republic wrote, “Reasonable people can disagree about whether, ultimately, she deserved to lose her job [...] But it’s probably not pure chance that
By Jeremy Levine
Pierson … was a woman. Time and again, women are put in charge only when there’s a mess, and if they can’t engineer a quick cleanup, they’re shoved out the door.” He continues, “Pierson was, in fact, explicitly brought in to clean up a mess. [...] Pierson was meant to be a breath of fresh feminine air...” continued on page 7
After two years on our staff and a year as Opinions Section Editor, our good friend Keitaro Okura is stepping down from his position in order to focus on a thesis. His work ethic, high standards, dignified approach to journalism, and interpretive eye have been cornerstones of our work throughout his tenure here. Keitaro is amazingly smart. I am somewhat intimidated by his intelligence. He has taught me (and, probably, the rest of the staff) how we can be proud of our paper and make decisions that, on a weekly basis, improve its integrity. I’ve thought on countless occasions “No, Keitaro wouldn’t settle for this,” and worked to make it, whatever it was, better. Keitaro’s attention to detail and ruthless delete key have set an example for the rest of us. He provides each of our new writers with feedback that’s the result of a huge number of work hours. But, probably most importantly, his argumentative skills are unmatched. Rarely showing any kind of frustration, he’ll take you to the end of your argument and demonstrate the small details that make it logically unsound, and he’ll do it verbally and in print. Keitaro just knows how words and ideas work, and this quality, above anything else, has made him a key member of our staff. We’re going to miss him and the balance he lent to our group dynamic over the past two years. He’s been with us through a good deal of restructuring and rough moments, and we couldn’t have done it without him. We wish him the best of luck, but we all know that he doesn’t need it. That thesis is going to be unbelievably good.
The Scarlet
october 9, 2014
Secret service cont. continued from page 6
Covert neglected to mention that this “breath of fresh feminine air” was a law-enforcement veteran and the highest ranking woman in the Secret Service after 30-years of advancement. I guess that information wasn’t important and I guess, as a woman, her gender negates the merit of her professional accomplishments. To substantiate the demise of Pierson and shine a light on female accomplishment, Covert reminds readers that “women are often put in these positions because rough patches make people think they need to shake things up and try something new [...] Women are also thought to have qualities associated with cleaning up messes.” This generalization is sickening. Most women in power are hired not for their ability to “clean up messes,” but for their professional capacity and ability to effectuate change. To suggest Pierson, whom, among other lapses, called for her staff to “stand down” during an active attack on the White House and failed to implement sufficiently stringent measures to prevent the President from riding in an elevator with an armed man with a criminal record, resigned because of the forces of sexism is inappropriate. Gender did not play a role in Pierson’s promotion nor in her subsequent resignation. The unwarranted play of the sexism card is nothing but a degradation to a generation of women who have achieved roles of power with hard work and yet another roadblock to the true victims of sexism trying to fight an often losing battle.
opinions | 7
Wal-Mart’s seat belt defense raises questions Superstore fumbles for controversy By Savannah Cohen scarlet staff
In June, a Wal-Mart truck driver slammed into the back of a limousine van on the New Jersey Turnpike carrying Tracy Morgan and several other comedians. Morgan and two other passengers were critically injured and Morgan’s friend James McNair was killed. Another four cars were involved in the accident, but its occupants were not injured. Last week, Wal-Mart responded to the lawsuit filed against them citing that “By failing to exercise ordinary care in making use of available seat belts…plaintiffs acted unreasonably and in disregard of plaintiffs’ own best interests… all or a portion of the injuries could have been diminished or minimized by the exercise of reasonable conduct in using the available seat belts.” However, this is vastly different from Wal-Mart’s initial re-
sponse back in June. While the investigation was still underway, Bill Simon, CEO of Wal-Mart, said that “If it’s determined that our truck caused the accident, Wal-Mart will take full responsibility.” It is also important to note that no one knows whether or not the passengers were wearing seat belts. Officers on scene did not note the usage of seat belts in their report, and the three injured comedians all suffered brain trauma in the accident rendering their memory of that night hazy. The limousine van that Morgan and his associates were in was completely stopped in traffic prior to the incident; the tractor trailer plowed into the completely stopped vehicle, while going twenty miles over the posted speed limit. Truck drivers are allowed a 14 hour work day, with only 11 hours allowed behind the wheel; this particular driver was noted as driving for approximately 13 and a half hours. Kevin Roper, the driver in question, has already been charged
with one count of vehicular homicide and four counts of assault by auto, and had already been previously noted as a Wal-Mart employee. Wal-Mart also recanted on this statement, saying the injuries “may have been caused by third parties over whom Wal-Mart had no control.” So the truck is not theirs, the accident is not their fault, and it is basically not their problem. Wal-Mart has been facing a lot of problems recently regarding their treatment of employees, including barely livable wages and their Chief Spokesman, David Tovar, resigning after his college degree was uncovered as a fraud. This recent issue regarding Morgan could have been an easy fix if they had settled in the first place, like they said they were going to. This would have been forgotten fairly quickly. However, it seems Wal-Mart intend to place blame anywhere and everywhere else; this is another strike the company really does not need.
Not only is the victim well known, but Wal-Mart already made a statement about the driver. People recognize that this a Wal-Mart employee and law, or no, the no seat belt excuse isn’t the strongest defense. Yes, it is a defense, but at most it can shave a little money off of the settlement; their driver was almost at his driving limit, and hit a completely stopped car. The limousine van was halted in traffic, and was rear ended at 65 mph, causing it to rollover. The rollover cannot be blamed on a seat belt, or lack thereof. The seat belt did not cause the accident, and it is pretty difficult to expect a jury to make an estimate to what degree of the plaintiffs’ injuries were caused from not wearing one. But let’s say they do place some blame on Morgan and his associates, that doesn’t take the blame off Roper, and it certainly doesn’t let Wal-Mart off the hook for the negligence its driver demonstrated.
Bombing ISIS is necessary But it shouldn’t be us By Bareesh Chowdhury contributing writer
In light of recent air strikes against ISIS strongholds in Syria, a call of justification has rung out that needed to be addressed by Barack Obama. There are the obvious humanitarian reasons and the “we need to stop the bad guys” pressures. But, despite op-
position to the idea of American military intervention in the Middle East - about a decade after the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq - someone needed to step up against the ISIS rampage. The Islamic State or ISIS has proven to be a brutal and effective organization. ISIS emerged from the shadows of the greater Syrian conflict and overtook stretches along the Syria-Iraq border with
their crowning glory coming after taking the city of Mosul in Iraq before striking fear into the world with the threat to head down toward Baghdad. If you have read the headlines recently, you would be forgiven for thinking both countries are pretty much under ISIS control by now. In reality, ISIS is still small; their mujahideen or army consist of less than 10,000 militants. But one
thing everyone can agree on is that any organization deemed too brutal by Al Qaeda is probably one that needs to be stopped. In that respect, I am wholly for military action against them. What may be argued, is that it is not the US that should be carrying it out. The first point of contention against the US entering is simple. continued on page 8
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Students stand up for democracy 2014 Hong Kong Protests contributing writer
courtesy bbc.com
the candidates for Chief Executive must be pre-approved by a nominating committee and that the Central People’s Government of China must then officially appoint the winning candidate. The Protesters see these new election rules as a direct violation of the “One Country, Two Systems” principle. Hong Kong has enjoyed its increasing independence from China. It is important to note that Hong Kong only became an official part of China again less than two decades ago and even though residents of Hong Kong are primarily ethnically Chinese, they do not necessarily view Hong Kong as China. This is especially true of younger citizens of Hong Kong, who are coming of age long after the transition of the region from British to Chinese rule. Hong Kong’s youth have never experienced the region as anything other than stable free and that is why their shock and outrage spurred them to action first. The protesters are demanding that Beijing give them universal suffrage as the people of Hong Kong interpret it - not the pre-approved regulatory version that China is trying to force on them. As China refuses to respond to the protests and as more demonstrators abandon the frontlines to return to school or work, the protesters are on the verge of losing momentum. There is some hope for the protesters’ refusal to adhere to the government’s
ISIS cont. continued from page 7
By Molly Powers
Democracy is making tremendous strides as the student-led protests in Hong Kong’s city center enter their second week. While demonstrator turnout has dwindled over the past week, the passion of the pro-democracy advocates has not diminished. The citizens of Hong Kong have been promised autonomy and free elections, and this public outcry will not cease until Beijing comes through on that promise. The student-led groups Scholarism and the Hong Kong Federation of Students organized their first class boycotts and protests outside the government headquarters on September 22, and were quickly joined by the more representative group, Occupy Central. Thousands of protesters stormed the streets and were met with full-force by Hong Kong’s police. Protesters were physically dragged from the scene and hit with round after round of tear gas. Rather than withdrawing from the scene, however, protesters donned goggles and raincoats and shielded themselves with umbrellas. The protests were henceforth referred to as the Umbrella Revolution on social media. Following its 150 year colonized rule by Great Britain, Hong Kong reverted to being part of China in 1997, with respect to the cultural differences that had developed between China and Hong Kong. The “One Country, Two Systems” principle allowed Hong Kong to retain its capitalist economic and political systems, and be mostly autonomous from socialist However, on August 31, 2014, Beijing set new limits for the 2017 elections for the Chief Executive of Hong Kong – the first ever directelection for the region’s leader. These new regulations state that
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deadline to lessen and end the protests by October 6; but the protesters making some concessions to the police further offset this defiance. Some protesters have agreed to remove their barriers from the government headquarters so that government employees could access the roads and return to work. There are those within the movement who see it as a sign of weakness to partially scale back their protests, but most likely this is meant as a gesture of goodwill from the activist leaders. The protestors do not want violence or riots. They want a free Hong Kong, but they also want to maintain stability, just as the governments of Hong Kong and China have done it the past. The protests have decreased in size, and the activists have partially withdrawn from the government building, but this fight for democracy is far from over. Student leaders have affirmed that they will continue the protests, and are confident that once other protesters have gotten some rest, they will return to the scene and the movement will get its second wind. They are also beginning the processes of conducting formal negotiations with the government, although these are in the very early stages. The heart and soul of this movement are the students who are responsible for spurring it into action. They are standing up and demanding that their home be given
It is not really legal. Think back to George W. Bush era rhetoric, the bombing of ISIS looks a lot like President Bush justifying action against Saddam Hussein. Syria has not provided express consent. Any military action after that fact would be in violation of international law - despite Syria’s cooperation with the air strikes implying consent. The UN Security Council has not authorized this, nor can this fall under the justification of self-defense. The US has enough enemies already in the Middle East and airstrikes, potentially harming innocent Syrians and Iraqis, will not help. But if “overwhelming humanitarian necessity” can be a reason to bomb ISIS, then, the US needs to recheck its requisites for what constitutes overwhelming humanitarian necessity and apply some consistency to whom it decides to act against. A common theme of 2013 was to decry the oppressive Syrian regime - something that seems to have dissipated quite suddenly as the US finds itself bombing those who wish to overthrow Bashar AlAssad. The Syrian civil war rages, and according to UN statistics, over 191,000 people have now been killed, the majority of which have been civilians and rebels. What about Nigeria? Don’t Boko Haram need some stopping? How about dealing with rising Shia militancy in Iraq? In June, Shia militants gathered 40 people on the streets of Baghdad and killed them for being Sunnis. In August, 68 more were massacred in a mosque. There’s talk of some sectarian cleansing to be rid of Sunnis once
the democratic rights that have been owed to them for centuries and they show no signs of submitting to Beijing’s attempts to control their government. The rest of the world must take note of this incred-
ISIS is defeated. With blasphemy laws and the Taliban in the mountains, Pakistan’s almost begging for some bombs under that logic. And most importantly, where was the overwhelming humanitarian necessity when 2100 Palestinians were killed in Operation Protective Edge this year? Qatar has slave labour, immigrants who are treated lower than scum and are dispensable if they happen to die from the beyond poor working conditions that they endure. The statistics are shocking. One Nepali dies everyday working on the construction of the FIFA World Cup stadiums. Saudi Arabia is almost medieval with its backwardness; women were only given permission to drive this year. They have had 54 beheadings just this year. But, Saudi Arabia is a friend. Humanitarian necessity obviously doesn’t apply. If it did, the US would have to bomb not only a great span of the Muslim world, but a host of its allies. But by all means, someone needs to bomb ISIS. They need to be stopped. Someone has to do it. The US might not be the right people to do it is all. After all, do the American people want to get tangled up in another war in the Middle East? The War on Terror as it has been called is one of the most misunderstood and miscommunicated wars of all time. Just linguistically speaking, terror cannot be waged war against. Physical force does not bring down an intangible quantity as the Salafi Jihad. Instead all bombing and drone warfare does is convince innocent civilians in those countries that they need to oppose the destructive forces of the West. It’s time for the Middle East and its governments to step up.
ible national movement and wait to see what the collective force of a country’s will can achieve in these coming weeks and months.
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The Scarlet/Living Arts Insane Clown Posse plays the Palladium An evening with the Juggalos By Scott Levine scarlet staff
To the untrained eye, it looked as though there was a clown convention in the Palladium in downtown Worcester on Saturday, October 4. Several men, women, and even children, many clad in clown makeup, were in line outside the venue. However, there were only two clowns in the Palladium that night. One of the clowns goes by Violent J, and the other, Shaggy 2 Dope. Together, they identify as the Insane Clown Posse, or ICP. A hip hop duo from Detroit, ICP headlined ShockFest, a night of horrorcore music. Horrorcore is a sub-genre of hip-hop that heavily features violent and horror themed lyrics in their songs. Other, more mainstream artists who fall under this category are Eminem and Tyler, The Creator. Those who identify as fans of these two clowns affectionately refer to themselves as Juggalos. Most Juggalos are fiercely loyal to the ICP, as evidenced by the willingness of many to paint their face and frequent the group’s concerts. While the majority of the Juggalos waiting to enter the venue were unfamiliar with one another, one could easily detect a pervasive notion of unity. Every few minutes, one fan begin chanting “family.” The other Juggalos followed suit, shouting
the word repetitively with the same rhythm and intonation found in the beat of Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” “Everyone loves everyone here,” said Amethyst “Amy” Booth, who traveled from Stowe, MA. to attend the concert. “Nobody hates anybody here. We’re all family. We’re all one big fucked up family.” This sense of unity was apparent throughout the night. Four acts performed before ICP, most notably The Mafia 6ix, who are comprised of four of the five members of the former Tennessee based rap group Three 6 Mafia. The Mafia 6ix was followed by metal band Mushroomhead, whose loud music, alien-like masks, and gratuitous strobe lighting intrigued the crowd. After the first four acts, the Palladium crew started wheeling out the baskets of Faygo, an affordable Midwestern brand of soda, which could only mean that it was time for ICP to perform. Faygo is more than just a brand of soda to ICP and their fans. It is the brand of soda. However, most of the Faygo on stage was not for drinking, but for Swaggy 2 Dope and Violent J to spray on their fans during songs. As the Juggalos let themselves be drenched in the soda, there was an aura of lawlessness surrounding the haggard, black-floored Palladium. One felt enabled to do whatever
he or she pleased, granted it wasn’t harmful to others. ICP barreled through their 90minute set, performing the trademark “Down With The Clown” and the ever-triumphant “Fuck The World.” The group also took periodic breaks from their set to spray the crowd with Faygo, and ultimately unleashed a torrent of the soda during their final song, “Bang! Pow! Boom!” During this song, they were
by Tyler Terriault
Now that I’ve finished About A Boy, what else do I do with my life? You ever go for a fist bump, but your friend was not. Even. LOOKING. Shoot for the moon! But watch out, that bullet’s coming back. And very fast.
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Intertwining narratives Two women tell their stories By Celine Manneville photo editor
Two Women Talking, held last Thursday, October 2 in the Higgins Lounge in Dana Commons, was part of the Higgins School of Humanities dialogue symposium on exploring the power of narrative. Storytellers Benaifer Bhadha and Monsoon Bissell told the stories of their lives in this completely unscripted performance. They touched on issues deal-
ing with rebellion, religion, culture, gender, illness, body image, sexuality, and self-harm. After a quick introduction explaining that the performance was completely unscripted, Bhadha and Bissell came into the room. Bhadha immediately started telling a story about her life growing up in Bombay, India. After she completed her short story, Bissell started recounting her own story about a time she bit her father for yelling at her mother. These first few stories were light in their
subject matter dealing with things such as getting lost for a short while in Bombay and sneaking food from a fridge that was off limits. As the event continued, the narratives became more serious in subject matter. Bhadha and Bissell both talked about religious discrimination, but their stories differed in how they dealt with it, either trying to pass as something they were not or continued on page 10
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Two women talking cont. continued from page 9
holding steadfast to their beliefs. Bissell recounted the time after going through chemotherapy and how she would be mistaken for a man, saying that the way she was being treated was “amazing.” Bhadha told a story describing a time when she would wake up early every morning to exercise with her father only to disappoint him every time she stepped on a scale. Bissell discussed the time her parents sat down with a counselor and how they had asked her if she was a lesbian. She then fast-forwarded two years and recounted how she came out to them and how they did not take it very well. Bhadha described the time she first saw the words “dissociative disorder” written on a page in a doctors office and her self-loathing and selfhate which led her to self-harm. She told about the time she told her mother and about it how she reacted, trying to figure out what she did wrong as a mother. As heavy as their stories became, they ended the storytelling on a light note, being candid and honest in saying that neither one of them would be able to do this without the other.
They then left the room to gather themselves and returned moments later to field questions. Bissell discussed how they tell the stories saying that they “only use the methodology of what happened,” leaving out their interpretations, judgments, feelings, and opinions because “that is for the listener” and by adding them could “take away from the experience.” Bhadha admitted that for a while she felt like she did not have a story but later found out it was because she never had anyone listening to her. She discussed the importance of a safe space in which to tell her stories, saying that she only regretted telling a story once, when she felt that she was being judged by an audience member. Touching on the idea of making herself vulnerable in order to tell her stories, Bhadha stated, “it’s not possible to give [a full picture of] who you are in one hour, and we tend to do that in society today.” She stressed the need for safe spaces because only there can we be the most honest and vulnerable. Two Women Talking was an emotional rollercoaster ride. Bhadha and Bissell were able to honestly tell some of the stories of their lives that made them who they are. Between moments of laughter and complete silence, they showed the power stories can have.
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Unlocked voices Clark Keys seek to become another established a cappella group By Kate Summers contributing writer
This Fall, Clark has a new a capella group on campus, and they are almost ready to unlock their voices. The Clark Keys held auditions at the beginning of September and are now preparing for their debut concert in November. The Clark Keys began when Stephan Eleftheriou (‘17), did not get into the Clark Bars, and realized that he no longer had a musical outlet on campus. As a result, he chose to create another a capella group. “I think that the sound is really fascinating and I love arranging music,” he said. Prior to the creation of the Clark Keys being created there was only one other option for male vocalist to perform a capella music. “Especially for males, when they don’t get into one a Capella group…then there’s nowhere to really go, unless they want to do theatre or something like that, so we wanted to provide more options,” said Jake Kiley (‘17), who is the Vice President and Co-director. “What we wanted to do was provide
options for people that weren’t in different clubs, because there is so much talent at Clark right now.” The group held auditions and started practicing last semester, but held another round of auditions at the beginning of September. Auditioners were required to sing a verse and a chorus of two different songs. A total of 27 people showed up to auditions. They asked 12 to come for callbacks, and by the end they had four new first-year members. The group now has a total of 16 members. “We have a mixture of people. People who have gone in front of hundreds of people singing. And then we have people that had only sung in the shower before,” said Kiley. The tagline for the Clark Keys is “Unlock your Voice” and that is what the leaders are trying to do for their members. Kiley said there is a theory in different a capella groups that if one voice is too different the group will not blend well. “In our audition process we found that just because a voice is different doesn’t mean it doesn’t necessarily come together,” he said.
The goal of the group is to create a fun atmosphere. They plan on doing this by using choreography in their acts and by singing energetic, more pop-oriented songs. “My vision is to become an established group on campus that is known for having an approachable kind of sound and for overall having a fun atmosphere,” said Eleftheriou. The Keys’ first song as a group was “I Kissed a Girl,” by Katy Perry. Eleftheriou realizes that there are some apprehensions about welcoming a new a capella group on campus. “I expect them to come in kind of unsure and I’m hoping for them to leave with the knowledge that all of these people are actually talented,” he said, “I want us to come off friendly towards everyone, including the audience, so that people can feel like they connect with us on a different level.” The Clark Keys’ first performance is slated to be in midNovember. “We’re excited and can’t wait to perform,” said Eleftheriou with a smile.
in which Violent J calls a greedy wealthy person a pig, and claims that he played the role of the big bad wolf: “Opened the door, he’s sleeping in his bed / I grabbed a brick of gold and laid it upside his head.” Lyrics like these, along with the clown face paint, are essential contributors to the unfavorable public perception of ICP and their fans. Their reputation once caused the FBI to label them as a gang. Most Juggalos detest this
reputation and feel that they are generally misunderstood, “Everyone thinks that just because of the music we listen to, we’re fucking horrible people,” said Booth. Don Swain of Chester, CT was also dubious of the public perception of him and other Juggalos, “It’s ridiculous that they think everybody’s going to go out and cut someone’s fricking head off,” said Swain, “not everyone’s a psychotic person, we just want to have fun.”
Insane Clown Posse cont. continued from page 9
joined on stage by the opening acts, who helped spray Faygo throughout the venue. Shortly after the song ended, the soda-drenched Juggalos began once again to chant “family” in unison. The tacit bond between all fans in attendance burned just as brightly as it did in the line to enter the Palladium. The decision to become a Jug-
galo is a personal one, which could be made for any number of reasons. Booth, who has been a Juggalo for six years, said she first heard ICP when her friend played the group in the car, and she “fell in love right away.” Her boyfriend, Brett Powers of Acton, MA., became a Juggalo because she was one. John T. of Worcester has been fan of ICP for 11 years; he said he became a fan because he enjoyed the music, and was able to relate to the group’s lyrics regarding poverty in
the Detroit area. “I’m from Main South,” he said, “and that’s a shit hole. And when you’re from that area, you can connect with that, you know what it’s like [to be] like, ‘why the fuck am I always in this rut? Why am I here?’, and that’s a lot of what that music does. It questions things.” When discussing the poverty in Detroit, ICP will often direct aggression towards the wealthy. They will do so through violent lyrics, as evidenced in the song “Piggy Pie”
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Blueprints of a troubled past Torkwase Dyson exhibition opens at Traina By Senegal Carty scarlet staff
MINE, an exhibition by celebrated interdisciplinary artist Torkwase Dyson, opened in Traina’s Schiltkamp Gallery on Wednesday October 8, . The exhibit’s focus is Dyson’s depiction of a site of chilling historical importance, Elmina Castle in Ghana. The castle, which was originally built as a trading post, was later repurposed and used “for keeping humans,” to use Dyson’s way of describing the confinement of slaves within the castle walls. On backgrounds of deep blue, Dyson’s clean white brushstrokes evoke the familiar and comforting blueprint, a minimalistic style choice that, in simplifying and condensing the structure that inspired it, also unfolds and displays the starkness of the reality faced by the occupants of Elmina Castle. In a short question and answer session with the guests at the opening reception, Dyson explained that for her, “blueprints represent a sort of wish… a plan… something ambiguous” and contrasts the blue chosen with the blue of open water, which she experienced as “vast” and “intimidating.” Her emotions while in contact with that sort of blue became closely tied to those associated with Elmina Castle, and were another source of inspiration for the paintings in MINE. Visitors to the gallery will note that Dyson’s paintings seem to suggest a sort of motion. Their shifting feel comes back to the ways in which Elmina was adjusted as it transitioned from a trading post to a place where slaves were kept. In her mind, Dyson explained the changes could be seen as movement within the castle’s architecture. In addition to the seven paint-
photo by celine manneville
ings on display, eight graphite drawings entitled “Step Up, Step Out, Step Down (Auction Block Drawings)” are included in MINE. These drawings are Dyson’s reconstruction of the auction blocks on which slaves were shown to prospective buyers. When questioned on how it felt to address issues that are still a raw wound for those of African descent, Dyson described it as “a relief based on my newfound ability to talk about the subject.” Toby Sisson, an Assistant Professor of Studio Art at Clark University, is the exhibit’s curator. Sisson said that she first heard about Dyson several years ago, during “a conversation with a colleague about art and environment.” Sisson chose Dyson’s
work for its expression of a “big idea with minimal work,” something that Sisson aimed to show the Clark community with this exhibition. It was also Sisson’s decision to present the paintings and drawings without frames or glass. The simple wall mounting was chosen “to show the provisional nature of the work” and to give each painting “the slump and drape” of a blueprint, which the careful work so strongly evokes. This opportunity to see work by Dyson, whose art has been exhibited at numerous notable venues, including Franconia Sculpture Park and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, will last through November 21.
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october 9, 2014
The Scarlet/Sports A new coach, a new season, and a new team Clark University welcomes Laurance Kimbrough as women’s tennis coach By Alexis Stabulas contributing writer
Clark hired new women’s tennis coach Laurance Kimbrough in late August, but rewind to a couple of months ago and it was unclear if there would be a women’s tennis team for fall 2014. “Originally we weren’t sure we were even going to have a team,” said Captain Rebecca Kravetz (‘16). “The only returning people were [fellow cocaptain] Kera [Snyder] and I, a senior named Sara [Clay], and there was an incoming freshman, Isabelle Long, who had been recruited by our old coach… So there were four of us.” A few weeks before the start of preseason, the tennis team had four players and was down a coach. The women’s tennis team has had bad luck with tennis coaches; there has been a new coach every year for the past three years. The most recent coach, Helaine Vrana, was hired in July of 2013 and left this past spring for another position at the Natick Racquet Club. The coach before her left after the fall season, leaving the women’s team to be coached by Mickey Cahoon, head volleyball coach and men’s tennis coach, and current Director of Athletics and Recreation Trish Cronin.
The team last year was predominantly made up of seniors, so after graduation only a few players remained. A week before the team’s pre-season in August, there was no coach to be found. “I had no idea there wasn’t a coach,” said Long, “I asked someone right before coming here and they said that the coach left.” The girls worked together to create a team. Asking friends to join. Calling up girls on rosters from the athletic center who had shown some interest in playing tennis in the past. In the end, a team of six was formed; the remaining six members were later added during the Activities Fair. Half of this year’s team are first-years. With a new team and new coach, this is sure to be an important season for the Clark women’s tennis team. “It’s important this year that we have bonding and building a warm and familial atmosphere that makes people feel warm and welcome to be themselves,” said Coach Kimbrough. Before coming to Clark, Kimbrough was a guidance counselor for the Cambridge Public Schools, where he also was in charge of the girl’s tennis department from 2007-2011. Kimbrough was also the Family Outreach Coordinator of the Boston section of the Tenacity tennis program for underserved youth. “Laurance showed a lot of pas-
SPORTS RECAP By Ethan Gilles sports editor
women’s tennis The women’s tennis team had a rough week as they lost to Mount Holyoke 8-1 on Saturday, October 4 and Smith College 6-3 on Tuesday, October 7. The team is now 3-9.
men’s tennis The men’s tennis team had a down week as they lost to Assumption College 6-3 on Friday, October 3. The team is now 2-1 on the season.
field hockey courtesy of clarkathletics.com
sion for wanting to be at Clark and he works hard to get here on a daily basis,” said Athletic Director Trish Cronin, “We had some of the athletes meet with him during the interview process and they really felt that they connected with him, that he would be able to take a program that was struggling and be able to, in increments, be able to recruit and develop a program that would be a little bit more productive.” Kimbrough is excited to be a part of the Clark community and, like the rest of his team, is looking forward to a great season. “We’re definitely excited for the future of the team,” said Kravetz, “we’re making improvements…we’ve gotten our first win and we’re finding our rhythm and having fun.”
The field hockey team had a disappointing week as they lost to Mount Holyoke 4-1 on Saturday, October 4 and WPI 1-0 on Tuesday, October 7. The team is now 6-5.
volleyball The volleyball team had a poor showing this week, as they lost 3-0 to both Connecticut College on Thursday, October 2 and Springfield College on Tuesday, October 7. The team is now 6-11.
women’s soccer The women’s soccer team played well this week. They took Mount Holyoke College to overtime on Tuesday, October 7 before losing 2-1. The team is now 1-10.
men’s soccer The men’s soccer team had a triumphant week this week. They started out by tying Springfield College 2-2 in double overtime on Saturday, October 4 before winning against Mount Ida 2-1 on Wednesday, October 8. The team is now 5-7-1 for the season and 1-1-1 in the NEWMAC.
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Lacrosse cont. continued from page 1
believes that “having that offseason taken away is probably going to hurt their quality of play in the spring.” Conley’s co-captain John Allard (‘16) feels that in order to remain competitive, a team cannot “just train for three months out of the year, which is pretty much what they’ll end up doing.” The responsibility is now on the individual members of the team to be in shape for the regular season. Many other Clark athletics captains were asked to comment on this report, but only Conley and
Allard responded. Both Conley and Allard felt that the team would put this incident behind them. “Their reputation might be down a little bit [right now],” Allard said, “but I think in the long run, like when the season rolls around, people will forget and focus on [the season].” Conley felt it should not hurt future recruiting, as “it seemed to be one exceptional case,” nor should the incident “reflect [badly] upon Coach Cohen,” as he has “had a pretty substantial impact on the program since taking over.”
Men’s soccer on a roll A rundown of the Coast Guard win and Springfield Tie By Kassie Benzing contributing writer
The Clark men’s soccer team has had a successful past two weekends. The team defeated Coast Guard 2-1 on Saturday, September 27, who at the time was the 23rd overall team in Division III. The Cougars then tied 2-2 after double overtime against Springfield on Saturday, October 4. The team’s first goal of the Coast Guard game was headed into the net by forward Tim Rovnak (‘17), with assists from midfielders Vaske Gjino (’15) and Alberto Polo-Herrera (’18). “[The goal] greatly boosted our confidence early into the game,” said PoloHerrera. Midfielder Kyle Russo (‘16) scored another goal in the thirtieth minute, but maintaining the lead for the rest of the game proved difficult. Midfielder Tj Zirkman (’17) felt the
team “played a little panicked” in the second half and the main focus of the half was to hold “on to [the] lead rather than trying to extend it.” There were also some problems with the officiating, as many of the referees made questionable judgments. Zirkman said that it was “important for us to try to focus as little as possible on the referees’ calls,” and that they had to “just keep playing at a high level.” This strategy paid off as the team held on for a 2-1 win. Clark played in one of the most intense games of the season against Springfield; the game went into double overtime before officially ending in a tie. Clark started the game poorly and was down 2-0 by the 57th minute. Captain forward Oscar Zapata (’15) quickly responded with a goal two minutes later on an assist by Polo-Herrera (’18), to bring the Cougars within one point. After an even thirty minutes, Zapata scored again
Fantasy Football Add/ Drop for Week 5 By Ethan Giles sports editor
AD D • Branden Oliver, RB, San Diego Chargers: Chargers running backs have been bitten by the injury bug this year, as Donald Brown’s concussion has made him the third San Diego half back on the inactive list. After running for 134 yards and a touchdown on only 19 carries against the New York Jets last Sunday, Oliver will probably get the bulk of the carries against a horrid Oakland Raider defense. Olver is owned in only 0.7 percent of espn.com leagues and 0.6 percent of nfl.com leagues. • Andre Williams, RB, New York Giants: The Boston College product will be the biggest beneficiary of Rashad Jennings’ injury; owners can expect Williams to see an increase in carries until Jennings’ probable return in a few weeks. Jennings is available in 36 percent of espn.com leagues and 37.7 percent of nfl.com leagues.
D R OP • Toby Gerhart, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars: The former Heisman candidate was poised for a breakout year after leaving the Minnesota Vikings for a starting role on the Jaguars, but it just has not worked out. Gerhart has not looked good at all this season, and coach Gus Bradley seems to be giving some of his carries to former University of Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson. As former Dunder Mifflin employee Michael Scott might say, I want this season to be a beautiful memory for you, and if Toby is a part of it, then it will suck. • Geno Smith, QB, New York Jets: He probably was not on any team in the first place, but if you have him, drop him. He is not a good quarterback and he has no offensive personnel around him. Honestly, this piece of advice is here more to make fun of Jets fans than fantasy football advice.
B UY L OW • Jordan Reed, TE, Washington NFL Team: He is still trying to come back from a hamstring injury he sustained earlier in the season, so owners might be willing to part with Reed on the cheap. Reed should be coming back either this week or next, and Washington’s next three games are against the Cardinals, Titans, and Vikings; three teams that struggle to cover the tight end position. Try to trade for Reed if you need a tight end.
SEL L H IG H • Matt Asiata, RB, Minnesota Vikings: Asiata has had a few good games this season, but his carries will decrease as the team gives more opportunities to rookie Jerick McKinnon, and Adrian Peterson could move back into the lineup. See what you can get for Asiata now. His value will probably never be higher this season.
in the 86th minute with an assist by forward Vinny Morra (’17). The game then went into double overtime with neither team scoring a goal, ending the game in a tie. The team felt that they played well against Springfield and were not disappointed by the tie. Zirkman
points out that coming back from a 2-0 deficit is an accomplishment, and shows as a team that they have “a lot of potential” and “perseverance.” Overall, both games were nail biters and the team showed significant improvement from the begin-
ning of the season. Podesta thinks that they are “in a good position to make playoffs,” and believes that they can reach their goals. Clark is currently in fifth place in the NEWMAC, which is where they need to stay to be the final seed in the playoffs.
The Scarlet
14 | sports
october 9, 2014
COUGAR of the WEEK
by Scott Levine
Nikki Feinberg (’16) added two goals to the 3-0 romp of Elms College on Tuesday, September 30. With that win, and the overtime loss this past Tuesday, October 7 at Mount Holyoke, the team is now 1-10. Feinberg understood that the wins would not come easily given the number of new players on this year’s roster.
Scarlet: What was the expectation for the team going into the season? Feinberg: I think that we just really wanted to push ourselves to come together as a new team, and just try and be better every game we play. Scarlet: How has the team done in achieving these goals? Feinberg: I think so far, we’re making progress with each game as we go along… we got our first win, so that’s exciting. Scarlet: How does the win affect that process? Feinberg: I think it definitely gives us some confidence going in being able to know that we can score. A lot of our games, we just haven’t been able to capitalize on our chances, so it just gives us a little bit more confidence. photo by jonathan edelman
Nikki Feinberg soccer
Scarlet: Did it feel as though you were close to winning a lot of those games? Feinberg: Yeah, a lot of them. Like the Coast Guard game was a PK [penalty kick] that they scored on. It’s frustrating. Scarlet: Does the frustration from close losses play into how you approach the follow game? Feinberg: No. I think we just need to go into each game as it is, and it’s a clean start. New game, starting fresh. Scarlet: How have the new, younger players dewalt with the adversity during the beginning of the season? Feinberg: I think for the most part, they’re seeing as they go along. They’ve played on teams before and this isn’t different than any other team. Every team has its ups and downs. And so they’re learning that this is just a team, and we just gotta work up. Scarlet: So no one has been deflated by the lack of wins? Feinberg: I think it even makes us more determined to… win. In one way, it’s just there, you’re always thinking about it. In the same sense, you always want to push to get that.
Scarlet: Are you surprised it took as long as it did to win the first game? Feinberg: I think our season last year, we only had two more wins [total], I want to say. And we were close in a lot of our games. It was just getting through and scoring those goals to really break through. Scarlet: What do you think led to those problems early on this season? Feinberg: I think just the fact that we were a new team, just trying to mesh together and find what worked for us. Scarlet: How has the team chemistry been since? Feinberg: Really good. We’re a family. There was an even number of returning players and freshman, so that was a little scary, but I think we’re all one unit now, and really joined together. Scarlet: Has the tone of practice been different after your first win? Feinberg: No. We have “Rocktober” coming up, where this is going to be our month, and we’re going to turn it around. It’s gonna be really intense. Scarlet: Did you have that mentality prior to the win against Elms? Feinberg: Definitely. Scarlet: Is this a widespread mentality among the team? Feinberg: Yeah. I think everyone wants to move forward. Scarlet: What home games does the team have coming up? Feinberg: MIT on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., then if [fans] can’t make that. We have Springfield the following Tuesday at 6. We [only] have four home games left. Scarlet: And why should every student be at those games? Feinberg: It’s just nice to know that people are cheering for you. It’s nice to hear that. Support Feinberg and the rest of the women’s soccer team game at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday against MIT at Granger Field as they look to continue their newfound success.
The Scarlet
october 9, 2014
puzzles | 15
The Scarlet/Puzzles CROSSWORD by Ted Randich
ACROSS
DOWN 1. ___ on the side of caution. 2. A.K.A. gasoline. 3. Nation-wide auto club. 4. Six-legged creature. 5. Local Vietnamese restaurant. 6. Small-town supermarket chain. 7. Dippin’ makes it better than Dunkin’. 8. E.g. driver’s license, credit card, and Clark OneCard 9. Top pitcher on a team. 10. This thing sucks. 11. Single unit. 12. Zero in England.
SUDOKU
13. Mouse-catcher. 14. Off-limits. 15. For ____ us a child is born. 16. Tennis player Ivanovich. 17. Western Native American. 18. Loose from moorings. 19. Up above. 20. Most infamous Hun. 21. Alicia Keys’ hit. 22. On-campus students’ rep. 23. Islam-friendly food. 24. GA city abbrv. 25. Sign of approval. 26. Baseball’s Gehrig. 27. Baby dog. 28. Valuable rock.
1. Tree-hugging gov’t agency. 9. Non-oral language. 10. Skateboard shoe-maker. 11. South-eastern continent. 13. Neighbor state! 19. Epic Eminem song. 21. Not-so-neighbor state. 25. Big Easy nickname. 27. Oinker. 29. A hat or cap. 30. Digital music information. 31. Elementary ability. 32. Siesta in Madrid. 33. English translation of 41 across. 34. Mass-transit boss. Worcester
has one. 35. Sunburn soother. 36. Filling, as in a meal. 37. Rappers Wayne, Durk, B, and Kim have this in common. 38. Olympic skater Apollo. 39. Idiot, klutz, etc.
40. Restriction. 41. Latin for 33 across. 42. Private company abbrv. 43. Michael Scott’s secretary.
THIS WEEK’S SOLUTIONS IN NEXT ISSUE
16 | puzzles
The Scarlet
october 9, 2014
LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS
Police Logs
CROSSWORD
SUDOKU
compiled by Alex Grayson
Last week (September 29 - October 6), University Police responded to 11 medical emergencies, 1 heating problem, 30 fire alarms, aided in 6 money transports, secured 11 buildings, responded to 1 Emergency Box calls, assisted Worcester Police 16 times, responded to 5 suspicious persons/activities, responded to 7 lockout of building calls, 7 burglar alarms, 4 Larceny/Forgery/fraud, and performed 25 miscellaneous services.
what happens in The Scarlet office at 2:22 a.m. stays in the The Scarlet office... sort of “I love you guys too.” - Keitaro “There was a big fight about the Ping Pong Club.” - Kate “Tell me about this.” - Jeremy “They’re not sure if they’re getting a new table.” - Kate “Are they going… back and forth on it? Will they…. table the issue? I hope they… let it through. It isn’t their…. fault!” - Jeremy
“Why is the quidditch team the RavenClarks? I feel like now is not the best time to be associating with the Baltimore Ravens.” - Ethan “No, it’s really not accessible.” - Kate “Hot 93.7, TELL ‘EM WHY YOU’RE MAD.” - Scott “Try not to double-dip, ‘cause of like Ebola.” - Jonathan “Is it a slumber party, or is it a crack party?” - Jonathan
“Club Hockey is opening for the Worcester Sharks.” - Ethan “Will they do a song and dance?” - Jeremy “Well, according to the juggalos I interviewed...” - Scott
“[One characteristic of Juggalos is] expressing a generally tongue-in-cheek obsession with murder committed with a bladed weapon.” - Wikipedia