THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSIT Y OF PENNSYLVANIA
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 31, 2014
Peace Love and Fling SPEC announced the 2014 Spring Fling theme yesterday, and will begin new “Fling Fridays” BY KRISTEN GRABARZ Staff Writer Brush up on your disco and practice your peace signs — Spring Fling is going to be a groovy blast from the past. This year’s Spring Fling is throwing it back to the ’60s and ’70s with the theme “Peace Love and Fling,” the Social Planning and Events Committee announced on Thursday. It will be held on April 11 and 12. While this theme has been considered in past years, the Spring Fling committee is excited to finally carry it out. Although Fling originated in the 1970s, the decision was not meant to reference this history. Instead, the committee said the theme was chosen because of the culture of the era as a whole. “The laid-back atmosphere and strong emphasis on music fits perfectly with Fling’s role on campus,” College sophomore Derek Standlee, who is co-director of the Spring Fling committee of SPEC, said. However, the weeks leading up to Fling will be nothing but laid back. The Fling committee will be holding series of smaller events called “Fling Fridays” over the four weeks preceding the main event. Fling Fridays will give students the opportunity to channel their inner hippie by tiedyeing clothing and making flower crowns, and attendees will be encouraged to dress in ’70s garb. “Is it going to be like Woodstock at Penn? That would be fun!” College freshman Ariel Smith said. The Spring Fling committee will be accepting submissions to the annual logo design contest until Feb. 14. Entries should reflect the retro theme, and winners will receive two floor passes to the concert. Penn performance groups are invited to join in on the spotlight and perform in the Quad during one of the days of Fling. Performance submissions are due by Feb. 2. Fling themes of past years have included “40 Years of Fling,” “Fling Never Tasted So Sweet,” and, back in 2000, “Fling Me Baby One More Time.”
BARE-ing it all
to end rape culture An event put on by the Vagina Monologues and partners aims to encourage discussion of slut-shaming BY JESSICA McDOWELL Contributing Writer Sometimes stripping down is the best way to make a statement. L a s t n i g ht , H o u s t o n H a l l played host last night to BARE: A Fashion Show to End Rape Culture put on by the Vagina Monologues, Fiji, ASAP, the Lambda Alliance, One in Four and Penn Non-Cis. The show made a bold statement about rape culture and v iolence. The walls were plastered with neon signs that read “Rape is NEVER justified,” “I refuse to feel like a victim” and “Consent is sexy.” The show opened w ith a monologue per formed by College junior and 34th Street edi-
Abby Graham/Senior Photographer
tor Rosa Escandon called “My Short Skirt,” proclaiming that just because a woman wears a short skirt, it is not an invitation for sex. When the models started walk-
ing, the crowd star ted cheering. Sparsely clothed male and female models paraded dow n the runway holding more signs decl a r i ng messages of t hei r independence and demanding
consent . T he crowd snapped their fingers for men whose bare chests read messages like “1 in 4,” and “This doesn’t mean yes.” Women in nothing but their underwear painted their legs with the words “My body, my rules.” The room filled with cheers when a man walked out dressed like a vagina. After a particularly bold monologue about derogatory names for the vagina, the entire room started shouting the word “cunt.” But however bold the event, the tone was serious. The group sought to tackle the ideas of rape culture and blaming the victims sexual assaults. Vagina Monologues member and College junior Dani Castillo said, “We did this because it’s so many positive messages being conveyed all at once. We should all be proud of our bodies, and we shouldn’t feel ashamed for what we choose to wear. And, more SEE FASHION SHOW PAGE 3
One in 10,000: Paganism is Penn’s smallest religion BY BRENDA WANG Deputy News Editor It’s not easy being pagan. Deidre Marsh, a College senior, founded Penn Wheel a semester ago in order to build a community for earthbased religions and paganism. But even in a school of over 10,000 undergraduates, Marsh has been unable to find anyone else who shares her
religious beliefs. Marsh defines herself as an unaffiliated pagan, meaning she believes that “rather [than] having to go to church to talk to some spiritual entity, it’s everywhere and in nature.” Marsh observes the sabbats, or holidays, of the Wheel of the Year, which consists of the four solstices, equinoxes and the midpoints between them. Paganism is a nebulous term for
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a diverse set of beliefs. “The pagans are really all about individual experiences,” Marsh said, pointing out that there are many different subsets of paganism, the most well known being Wicca, a 20th-century religion that draws from witchcraft and ancient pagan beliefs. Most pagans are interested in preChristian or native religions, with an emphasis on the importance of the
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natural world. Some beliefs include polytheism, the belief in multiple gods, and animism, the belief that non-human entities have spirits. While the individualistic nature of paganism is welcome for those avoiding organized religion, it can also make coming together as a group more difficult. “There hasn’t ever really been any kind of group gathering on campus, at
least in my time here. I suspect partly because ‘pagan’ is really a broad umbrella term for lots of different spiritual traditions, and it can often be misunderstood,” Stephen Kocher, Penn’s associate chaplain, said. Lauren Brunsdale, a College freshman, was the only student who contacted Marsh about Penn Wheel. SEE PAGANISM PAGE 7
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