Tattler

October 2018 • Est d. 1892 • Vol. 126 #2 • Published Monthly • www.ihstattler.com Ithaca High School, 1401 North Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850 • FREE

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

IHS WILL COUNT PE IN GPA Page 03

IHS FOOTBALL TEAM ENDS LOSING STREAK Page 13

Editorial

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Put Down Your Phone—You Can Do It

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s students entered classes on the first day of school, the normal pattern of ice-breakers, name-games, and explanations of course guidelines was accompanied by a stronger than usual emphasis on rules for the use of cell phones—or, more accurately, rules limiting their use. Current cell phone protocol for IHS outlines cell phones as being “prohibited from use in classrooms and any other area of academic instruction,” unless a teacher has specifically said otherwise. For some students, these rules represent a loss of freedom, freedom to to use a device that can feel like an extension of one’s own body. The adverse effects of cell phone use, however, are a serious issue affecting high school students, with the power to impact sleep, ability to focus, and general mental health.

Regardless of whether or not school cell phone rules are actually effective in reducing phone addiction, IHS students should independently take steps to limit their own cell phone dependence.

Cell phone overuse is a problem acknowledged by most teens—in a Spring 2018 Pew Research Survey of 743 teens, 54 percent said they spend too much time on their phone. Research on the subject supports this view, with numerous negative effects of compulsive cell phone use having been identified. 52 percent of the respondents to the Pew survey also reported taking steps to reduce their cell phone use, indicating that many teens are already looking for solutions to these problems. The school has tried to take reducing student cell phone use into its own hands, a well-intended effort, but in the end students themselves have the most power to reduce cell phone dependence.

For high school students, sleep, or a lack 2

thereof, is an important issue. In an email survey

by The Tattler of 383 IHS students, 55 percent of those students reported getting an average of seven or fewer hours of sleep per night. In a study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, participants who used their smartphones more often than average experienced less sleep and worse quality of sleep.

Those who used their phones closer to bedtime were found to be especially likely to suffer from poor quality of sleep. Sadly, 72 percent of respondents to our survey who owned smartphones said that they usually used them in bed or immediately before going to bed. Maintaining some degree of distance between oneself and one’s phone, especially before going to sleep, is a clear path towards improved sleep and general wellness for IHS students. Having a phone at the bedside may feel like a necessity for high school students—56 percent of respondents to our survey who owned smartphones kept them within reaching distance from their bed at night—but the impact of phones on sleep makes it worth reconsidering the merits of having them on hand at all times.

Smartphone overuse also has the power to add to anxiety and stress among high schoolers. Research from California State University at Dominguez Hills demonstrates that for people dependent on their phones, not being able to look at messages can create anxiety for which checking the phone provides instantaneous relief. Checking the phone reinforces a feedback loop, solidifying dependence on it. At IHS, this sense of anxiety when a phone is not being accessed could be problematic for the student body’s mental health and ability to concentrate.

This unfortunate truth makes it important that students find ways to reduce their own need to constantly have their phones at the fingertips to check.

Finding effective ways to curb dependency on cell phones is an urgent issue, given the psychological consequences as well as the existing desire of most teens to reduce phone use. Some apps exist for this purpose, either keeping track of how many times you unlock your phone as a metric from which to set goals or even going so far as to reward points for reduced phone use.

Some of the more useful solutions, however, are even simpler. Removing push notifications for as many apps as possible reduces opportunities to check the screen, which can end the psychological stranglehold. Even better, turning one’s phone off entirely when concentration is needed allows the maintenance of a distance between a phone and its user. Setting clear boundaries for using the phone before going to bed can improve sleep quality and length. More than any school phone rules, a personal commitment to reducing phone dependency has the power to improve the daily life of IHS students.

Recognizing damaging effects of cell phone overuse and taking action to curb those effects is a clear path to greater wellness for high schoolers. Actually taking action on this will be an exercise on each individual’s power of self-control.

School rules may try to limit student cell phone use, but to students whose cell phones are adversely affecting your well being, truly changing your relationship with your cell phone is within the hands of one person: you.

News

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Vaynu Kadiyali ’19 editor@ihstattler.com

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By VAYNU KADIYALI

P

E teachers at IHS started off the year by announcing a major change—that PE would now count towards student GPAs. This news caught students by surprise, and many were unhappy with the change. While students were initially frustrated with the sudden and unexplained change in policy, annoyance gave way to confusion when in mid-September, students heard contrary information about the new policy from the guidance department. However, after the first ICSD Board of Education (BoE) meeting on September 25, the confusion appears to have subsided as IHS Principal Jason Trumble addressed student concerns and confirmed that PE will be included in the calculation of GPA. Mr. Trumble began by mentioning a 2-year plan that was implemented at IHS near the end of the 2016-17 school year. This plan, which was meant to facilitate the addition of fine and performing arts classes into GPA through the prioritization of music theory in classes and the addition of assessments, also provided a plan for PE classes to be included in the calculation of GPA the next year. “Your PE teachers were correct in saying that we’re close to [adding PE to GPA]” said Mr. Trumble at the meeting. “Students work hard in PE classes just like in any other, and so it will be counted appropriately.” Although it was unclear from his initial remarks that PE would be counted at the start of this year in GPA, after a follow-up question was asked, Mr. Trumble confirmed that the change will be implemented this year.

This 2-year plan was created after the IHS Student Council petitioned and worked with school administration to add fine arts classes to GPA. Students were ini-

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COVER IMAGE BY JOSEPH YOON The Tattler is the monthly student-run newspaper of Ithaca High School. All currently-enrolled students at Ithaca High School are welcome to submit writing and photographs. As an open forum, The Tattler invites opinion submissions and letters to the editor from all community members. Email submissions to editor@ihstattler.com or mail letters to: The Tattler 1401 North Cayuga Street Ithaca, NY 14850 Send submissions by October 4 to be included in the November issue. The Tattler reserves the right to edit all submissions. All articles, columns, and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of editorial staff.

To read The Tattler online, visit our website at www.ihstattler.com.

tially unaware of the addition of PE in this plan, but rumors began to circulate in September of 2017 that PE would be added to GPA that year. However, at the time, the PE department commented that it wasn’t ready for PE classes to count towards GPA, and the department spent the next year fine-tuning its approach for teaching PE in an increasingly structured and academic way.

Confusion over this policy spread through social media, as students who emailed members of the guidance office about the policy received replies indicating that PE would in fact not be included in the calculation of GPA. These email responses were shared on social media platforms like Instagram, and students confronted PE teachers about this discrepancy. No definitive answer was given until the BoE meeting, and Mr. Trumble’s response was a final verdict from the highest level of school administration.

Up to now, PE had simply been a pass/fail course, and students had been expected to show up in appropriate attire and participate to earn full credit. The addition of PE towards the calculation of GPA has come with some minor changes to the PE curriculum. PE teachers now expect students to watch videos that contribute to their understanding of the topics covered in class, and there are going to be more frequent and indepth assessments of students’ understanding of the rules of sports and personal fitness goals. Additionally, the length of units has been increased, and students will now be expected to spend 8 class days in the swimming unit instead of the previous 6.

Despite these changes, class expectations seem to not have changed much this year. Classes are very much structured the same, and the emphasis on personal health seems to be the same as in previous years.

Graduation requirements for PE are also the same, with students needing to pass 8 half-semester units of the course, although the exact grades that students receive now matter more than before.

While it was initially unclear whether or not PE would be in GPA, it is now certain that at some point this year, the plan will roll over. It’s expected that there will be some bumps in the road, as there were last year when the necessary registrar changes had not been made at the start of the school year to add fine arts classes to GPA. That said, high school administrators have a year of experience under their belts to aid in a smooth transition, and for students, it is now time to start being more regular and attentive in PE classes.

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News

Local Elections Move Forward After Primaries

Andrew Cuomo and Cynthia Nixon faced off in the NYS Democratic gubernatorial primary

By JULIAN PERRY

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n Thursday September 13, New York held primaries for its upcoming state elections, the last primaries in any state for the 2018 election cycle. New York is the only state that holds its federal and state primary elections on different dates, and this means that congressional primaries took place last June. State primaries, however, included competitive elections from the governor’s race at the top of the ticket all the way down to the race for Tompkins County sheriff.

At the top of the ticket, incumbent governor Andrew Cuomo defeated actress Cynthia Nixon in the Democratic primary 65 percent to 35 percent in his quest for a third term. Nixon, who tried to challenge Cuomo from the left, made multiple appearances in Ithaca, including stops late in the campaign at the Ithaca Farmers Market and The Space at Greenstar. A closer race turned out to be the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor, where incumbent Kathy Hochul squeaked by a challenge from New York City Councilman Jumaane Williams, who captured 47 percent of the vote. Williams, like Nixon, made a visit to Ithaca in early September, where he spoke at SouthSide Community Center. Despite their losses statewide, both Nixon and Williams carried Tompkins County. The Democratic ticket of Cuomo and Hochul will face Republican nominee Marc Molinaro and his running mate Julie Killian, who were uncontested in their primaries.

In addition to the races for Governor and Lieutenant Governor, the Democratic Primary for the office of New York State Attorney General was a competitive three-way field, where no incumbent was running. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman had been on track to seek reelection until last May, when the New Yorker exposed his history of sexual 4

IMAGE FROM THE WASHINGTON POST

abuse. Schneiderman resigned later that month, and the appointed replacement, Barbara Underwood, chose not to seek reelection. The three leading candidates in the Democratic primary for the office were New York City Public Advocate Letitia “Tish” James, law professor Zephyr Teachout, and Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney. James won the three-way primary, and if she defeats Republican nominee Keith Wofford, she will become the first African-American woman to hold statewide office in New York.

More local to Ithaca, New York’s 58th Senate District, currently represented by Republican Tom O’Mara, may be one of the state’s closer elections for a seat in the upper chamber of the state legislature. In 2016, O’Mara won just under 55 percent of the vote in the district, which includes the City of Ithaca. The race for the Democratic nomination to oppose him came down to Schuyler County Legislator Michael Lausell and Ulysses waitress Amanda Kirchgessner. Kirchgessner ultimately defeated Lausell, winning 62 percent of the vote.

Within Tompkins County, the election for the office of Sheriff also became competitive with the entry of retired undersheriff Derek Osborne into the race earlier this year. Osborne challenged incumbent Sheriff Ken Lansing in the Democratic primary, where he ran on a platform of reforming current practices in the office of Sheriff. Osborne beat Lansing 61 percent to 38 percent. Lansing, however, will remain on the ballot in the general election as nominee for the Independence Party. Lansing and Osborne will be joined on the general election ballot by journalist Josh Brokaw, who is running as an independent.

The general elections for all of these races will take place on November 6.

The deadline for voter registration is Friday, October 12.

News

Drastic Changes Coming to AP World History

By VAYNU KADIYALI

I

n July, the College Board shocked high school educators and administrators around the country when it announced sweeping changes to its Advanced Placement World History (APWH) course beginning in the 2019 school year. The new version of the course was initially set to be shortened to cover events and trends in world history from 1450 to the present, but after a massive backlash by parents, students, and teachers regarding the Eurocentricity of such a course, the College Board partly backtracked on this plan.

As it stands, the APWH course will be broken into two components. APWH: Modern, a course with content beginning in the year 1200, will study pre-colonization civilizations in Asia, Africa, and the Americas, as well as world history events in the modern age. The College Board also committed to exploring the development of another course, APWH: Ancient, which would continue to cover the same timeframe as the current APWH offering. However, the introduction of the Ancient course is dependent on confirmation by colleges that they will award credit for the course, an unlikely situation considering that college world history classes are taught in more depth than the AP through the spreading of content over many courses.

The current APWH course, offered to freshmen at IHS and taken annually by over 250,000 students around the world, covers over 10,000 years of world history. This history begins with the start of civilizations, and continues to the present, focusing on trends and interactions rather than on specific events and people in history. The main criticisms about the course have been that it moves too quickly and covers history with too little depth. Scores on the AP exam reflect the fast-paced nature of the course—in

2018, 43.8 percent of test takers did not receive passing grades (3 percent or higher on a scale of 5). Only 8.7 percent of students received a score of 5 on the test, by far the lowest of all of the College Board’s AP history and social science offerings.

That said, teachers at IHS feel that instead of changing the course, the College Board would do better to clarify their expectations for the current test and provide support to APWH teachers in planning curricula. “When I first started teaching APWH, it was a large amount of information in a short amount of time. Considering that their idea for the course is that anything in history could be mentioned on the exam, they haven’t done a great job of helping us.” says Bradley Benjamin, the APWH teacher at IHS. He added that, “breaking it up and offering just one course or the other is not going to give students a full view of history.”

Many also feel that although the Modern offering was expanded to cover world civilizations like the Mongol Empire and the Mali Empire, the course will still focus too heavily on the history of Europe. “I think they’re destroying what APWH was meant to do, which was to create a less Eurocentric version of history.” says Matthew Prokosch, a teacher of AP European History and Global II at IHS. “With the exception of [the years] 1200-1400, the Modern course will still be in the context of what Europeans were doing.” In addition to removing all mention of the start of human civilizations, the Modern course will also eliminate coverage of classical societies from 600 BCE to 900 CE, which includes the development of modern religions, the Islamic Caliphates, and several other topics that play a role in understanding developments in modern history.

As the result of New York State’s strictly defined structure of social studies curricula, stu-

dents at IHS will likely have to choose between taking the Modern course or the Ancient course, if its development continues. “From a financial perspective, this makes no sense at all,” notes Mr. Prokosch. “Many districts, including ours, may have to choose between one course or the other depending on district policies and state requirements, and the College Board is effectively having two of their courses compete against one another.” The State Education Department’s outline for high school social studies curricula states clearly that students must have an understanding of the first civilizations and of classical societies, neither of which would be covered under the Modern course, and this will play a big role not only in IHS’s decision, but also in the choices of districts across the state.

A final offering that the College Board has provided is the Pre-AP World History course, an offering that allows teachers to teach courses that align at least partly with the course requirements of the actual AP. The intent is to allow students to fine-tune their skills without the pressure of an AP course, and while it would be costly to implement, it is an option for schools that are unable to offer the Modern course if the Ancient course’s development stalls.

The College Board is yet to announce whether colleges have approved of the APWH: Ancient course, and as a result, the IHS Social Studies Department has not made a decision regarding this change. The current APWH offering will be replaced in the 2019 school year, and a decision regarding the Ancient course is expected to come soon. Regarding this choice, Mr. Benjamin adds, “My job is to teach and engage students, and whatever the district decides to do, I’ll try to do my best.”

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Opinion

The Writer of the “Inside Resistance” Op-Ed is Not a Hero

By CHLOE MOORE

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n September 5, a high-level Trump administration official published an anonymous op-ed in the New York Times. They claim to be a part of a “secret resistance” inside the Trump White House made up of officials who have “vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.” The writer describes Trump as “amoral,” “anti-democratic,” and a danger to the country. They call out partisanship that borders on tribalism and call for unity among Americans. However, they also expressly condone parts of the administration’s policies, including “historic tax reform,” which many criticized as having adversarial effects on the middle and working class.

Many people have speculated as to who the writer is. However, that is not the most important part of this story. The important part is that non-elected officials have decided that they are somehow qualified to decide what is just in terms of policy and behavior. The official writes that there are “adults in the room,” and that they and others are actively pushing back against the president’s worst policies—and yet they allowed hundreds of children to separated from their families at the border, and given Trump’s general demeanor and quagmire of offensive and inflammatory daily statements, the idea that people are somehow “reining him in” seems ludicrous.

What is most troublesome is that people who were not elected by the American people, who do not serve any constituents and do not have a strict constitutional obligation to the governed, have decided that they are fit to maintain justice. This is not to say that the basic idea behind their

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work and the publishing of this op-ed is not brave—their jobs are certainly in jeopardy—but to suggest that they are actively seeking to uphold justice is disingenuous. Whoever these officials are, they were appointed

by Trump or his close affiliates, and they are complicit in so much of his policy and behavior that they are part of a machine, even if they claim to be better. To truly denounce his policies would be to step down and come forward as the “members of the secret resistance.” Hiding behind an anonymous byline and doing the bare minimum in terms of resisting a President who consistently attacks the press and the people, and is under investigation for alleged crimes regarding ties to adversarial foreign powers (not to mention numerous credible accusations of sexual assault), is not bravery. It is not “comforting” to the American people who are consistently harmed

by Trump’s policies.

Condoning 90 percent of this administration’s policy and claiming to resist the worst is not proof of a moral compass. If the writer and their colleagues found family separation, referring to Nazi sympathizers as “very fine people,” pulling out of the Iran deal and Paris Climate Accords, and fraternizing with dictators such as Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim JongUn of North Korea to be permissible, then the question remains: what was so bad that even Trump’s allies acted against him? What plans were so terrible that even those closest to him had to ensure they never saw the light of day? This “resistance” is not, as the author claims, the “work of a steady state” trying to avoid precipitating “a constitutional crisis.” Instead, it is a broken system upheld by complicit members of an administration that consistently undermines our democratic norms, traditions, and institutions.

Opinion

5G Holds Great Potential

(But Let’s Not Get Too Far Ahead of Ourselves)

IMAGE FROM UNSPLASH

By RYAN CUNNINGHAM

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new-age technological race has begun, one that can change the international balance of power, drastically alter economies, and perhaps even further mankind’s technological capabilities. The push for fifth-generation cellular (5G) and the meticulous planning required for its implementation has many waiting to see which nation and cellular provider will pull ahead and set up the cutting-edge 5G first. With this comes a new competition—one between global powers like the US, China, South Korea, and Japan—a frenzied rush to deliver this potentially groundbreaking technological improvement. Expected to launch by 2020, one of 5G’s main advantages over 4G is its significant improvement in speed. But however promising 5G may seem, one must not overlook its stipulations and side-effects.

So why are all of these nations and service providers scrambling to set up a comprehensive 5G network? While 5G has the potential to be from ten to twenty times faster than the current 4G, allowing people to download entire movies in what could be a matter of seconds, experts and government officials predict that 5G may also set off a wave of innovation in tech, spurring the economy, leading to large profits, and

opening potential for new businesses to establish themselves in the field. Often referenced are the effects that 4G had on the proliferation and success of particular smartphone applications.

Popular apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and text messaging apps like WhatsApp all were made more practical by 4G technology, which allowed for pictures and other visual media to be rapidly downloaded and viewed using cellular data.

If 4G allowed the app industry to flourish, who knows what the future of the lightning-fast 5G technology will hold? Some predict a significant improvement in the reaction time and quality of self-driving cars, owing to the speed increase and reduction of latency that 5G will yield. Others believe that 5G will lead to more capable robots that could perform complex tasks like surgery.

Though powerful, 5G technology does have a number of caveats. Firstly, cellular providers may take a number of years to implement 5G. Also, even when 5G is added, it will be inaccessible to data users unless a new, 5G-compatible smartphone is purchased. Worse yet, the technology will require the installation of many more cellular towers, which could ruin the appearance of neighborhoods and clutter streets. One of the reasons why 5G will require many more cellular towers is its extremely short wavelength. 5G’s

frequency, which will likely range from 30 to 300 gigahertz (or a wavelength between 1 and 10 millimeters), will allow it to avoid potential interference from other radio waves. The downside of a change in operating frequency is not that they will suffer disruption from other wireless signals, but rather—ironically enough—that their range may be negatively affected by natural sources, such as rain and fog, in addition to other physical obstructions, because of their unique wavelength. In order to accommodate these shortfalls, quite a few cellular towers and antennas will be required. According to CBS News, a whopping 300,000 entirely new cellular towers must be constructed to provide adequate 5G coverage nationwide.

While the effects of 5G are yet unknown, many are hopeful of its potential and benefits.

While 5G is certainly an exciting concept, we shouldn’t disregard its numerous downsides and its requirements. By looking through rose-colored glasses, we may overlook major caveats and cave in to large cellular companies and their constant pressure. Thus, it is important to stay level-headed and carefully consider what 5G could lead to if we don’t want to regret overhyping it in the future.

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Opinion

Trump’s Mistake with Palestine

Palestinians in Khan Younis, in the Gaza Strip, wait to cross into Egypt

By KARUNA PRASAD

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n August 24, the Trump administration cut $200 million in funding to Palestine, reigniting debate about how the US’s more recent, visible support of Israel may destabilize efforts at peace in the region. The Trump administration clearly seemed to make their decision based on bias and pro-Israel intentions. This move is unjustifiable in the face of the humanitarian crisis that might unfold with the sudden withdrawal of support, and the reliance the Palestinian economy has on foreign aid.

More significantly, the President’s recent actions appear to be unraveling years of diplomacy that the world has collectively invested into bettering the Israeli-Palestinian relations.

While the US played the role of peacemaker in this relationship under earlier presidents, its clear support in December of a pro-Israel agenda under Trump became obvious when he announced that the American Embassy in Israel would move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. This move symbolically recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel—a major negotiation sticking point in the peace discussions for decades as a result of the religious and historical significance of Jerusalem to both Israel and Palestine. This step alarmed western allies such as Germany and Britain, and created a great deal of anger in the Arab world. Earlier this year, Trump also expressed anti-Palestine sentiment, tweeting that hundreds of millions of dollars of US aid going towards Palestine were shown no “appreciation” or “respect.” He even went as far to question why Palestine should receive “massive future 8

payments.”

Trump later went on to cut funding of Palestinian refugee protection by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine (UNRWA) in January. His messaging and actions may have given Israelis hope for stronger ties with the US, but they have proven detrimental for Palestinians, whose wellbeing is strongly reliant on foreign aid. The decision of withdrawing an additional $200 million last month may have been the nail in the coffin of the US playing peacemaker in the region, at least under the current administration. This last stand was a part of the new administration’s “America First” policy, a campaign promise made by Trump to put domestic projects before international aid.

The adverse effects of this decision are not just the diplomatic goodwill and worldwide perception that the US loses; the humanitarian cost appears huge, as Palestine needs help more than ever. Palestine has one of the highest poverty rates in the world at 25 percent, with 56 percent of the youth in abject poverty. Palestinian non-governmental aid organizations have said this new cut in funding will result in slashes to food subsidies, medical treatment, youth programs, and other basic services for residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which will make the already dire standard of living many times worse.

To put the cost of $200 million in perspective, it may be estimated at only 0.35 percent of the total amount of foreign aid budgeted by the US for foreign nations this year. So, the ethics of the President marketing the $200 million saved as a massive victory to his voter base remains

IMAGE FROM THE WASHINGTON POST

questionable. While this amount may be very small in comparison to other foreign aid initiatives, it has the potential to solidly affect the Palestinian economy.

Palestine is now faced with shrinking opportunities toward recovery if other countries join the US in refusing to help. These are the very conditions that in the course of history have led to dictatorships and annexations, along with other violations of international law. Making one’s own nation “great again” at the cost of ignoring poverty and instability in critical areas of the world has not historically helped a world power.

Instead, in the long run, America’s leveraging power in affecting treaties and influencing international law, as well as the continued success of democracy in the world, is severely compromised.

Effectively, in cutting this foreign aid to Palestine, Trump is thumbing his nose to the world, saying that Palestine isn’t America’s problem anymore. But as with several of his other decisions, he blatantly ignores lessons that history has offered. A lesson that was revealed even as recently as the Syria crisis, America’s decision to not intervene resulted in ISIS gaining a stronger foothold in the region. If our current President is considering costs to the American people alone, he needs to recalculate the math and reconsider what remains the more wasteful option: appeasing his base in the very short term in economically meaningless ways, and creating long term situations that could very well escalate to become the next big war, one that the US may not be able to avoid.

Opinion

Elite Discrimination

By IRENA ROSENBURG

F

or decades upon decades, race has been the basis for inequality and prejudice in the United States. Most recently, it has found a place in the elite universities of America, as a means of “leveling out the playing field.”

In 2014, a non-profit membership group named Students for Fair Admissions (SFA) filed a lawsuit against Harvard University. The plaintiffs claimed that Harvard’s affirmative action admissions process discriminated against deserving Asian-American applicants. In this way, Harvard allegedly limited the number of admitted Asian-American students, holding them to a higher standard than members of other races. The plaintiffs’ motion further summarizes that, “An Asian-American applicant with a 25% chance of admission would have a 35% chance if they were white, 75% if they were Hispanic, and 95% if they were African-American”. How is this fair? How can one not admit race is a major factor in Harvard’s admissions decisions?

Does adjusting the rules to allow fewer of a certain people, especially Asians, to thrive and exercise their civil rights sound familiar? It should. During the 19th century, the Chinese Exclusion Act was enacted to deny immigration and naturalization based on race. During WWII in the 20th century, Japanese-American citizens were sent to internment camps. Now, during the 21st century, affirmative action sets out to discriminate against Asian-Americans applying to college. Not only has America been through these types of litigations before, but America is stubborn enough to keep repeating the same prejudicial judgements against Asians as before.

There are several factors to this case, one being the history of affirmative action. Affirmative action in the admissions process is intended to favor those who face disadvantages or inequalities in areas other than education. Between 2011 and 2016, the Obama administration actively encouraged the use of race in the admissions process as a means for promoting more diversity.

In turn, an “individualized, holistic review” was pushed, as well as considerations for “race-neu-

tral” alternatives, the loophole being only if the alternatives were “workable.” Given Harvard’s whopping $37 billion endowment, it would seem that they could work a race-neutral alternative into their admissions process, but I guess they are more concerned about their reputation than the hidden quotas they are placing on their applicants’ races. Recently, the Trump administration reversed the Obama-era guidelines, thus causing Harvard’s apparent racial preferences to be met with more scrutiny than they would have before.

Harvard still claims that its affirmative action process is for the sake of “diversity.” But how can an institution strive for diversity by manipulating subjective criteria in order to maintain the same student-body composition regardless of the ever-shifting pool of qualified applicants?

Even more infuriating is its simple explanation as to why Asian-American applicants have the lowest admissions rate, while maintaining the highest academic achievement. In its application process, Harvard assigns each applicant four component scores, the components being the Academic, Extracurricular, Athletic, and Personal Ratings. The Overall Rating is Harvard’s overall assessment of the applicant, and thus the deciding factor of admission. Moreover, Harvard claims that the reason why some Asian-American applicants are largely denied admission is that their “Personal Rating” score is much lower than students of other races. This means Harvard assigns and labels most Asian-American applicants as less “likable,” “helpful,” “courageous,” and “kind.”

These character qualities are all arbitrarily identified with a so-called “positive personality,” which is being assessed when addressing one’s Personal Rating. This is outrageous not only for its generalizations, but also its racist connotations, as not all Asians are alike, contrary to the basic stereotype.

Stereotypically, Asians are “geniuses” or “math wizards.” They are the relentless, hard-working race that attains achievements left and right. From any college admissions database, Asian-Americans score higher academically than any other race. According to Peter S. Arcidiacono, the Duke University Professor of

Economics who was hired by SFA to review and analyze the data produced by Harvard, if the Harvard’s admissions process was based solely on the academic index, admitted Asian-Americans would make up over 43% of the student population. There is no explanation behind this trend other than, simply, Asian culture. It is their culture that makes them so academically qualified. It is their culture that pushes them to want to be the very best. It is their culture that denies them from admissions into the country’s most prestigious institutions.

Overall, it has been proven that Asian-Americans are objectively much more qualified. However, the odds are in the subjective factors, which must be changed if Harvard wants to equalize its admissions process at all. The perfectionism and determination that is so heavily ingrained in Asian culture, and the minds of most Asian-American students, will not go away, and the elite universities who are receiving these Asian-American applicants need to understand this.

For me, though I identify myself as “Southeast Asian”, I like to put more emphasis on the “Southeast” part. Cambodia is a much poorer and less developed place than, say, China, Korea, or Japan. In this way, colleges and universities do not see many Cambodian, Laotian, Thai, or Burmese applicants as much as they see Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. This known fact, fortunately, works in my favor and plays on affirmative action’s dedication to “diversity.” Nonetheless, my Chinese and Korean friends, I am sorry to say, will have a much more difficult time when being assessed by admissions, if nothing drastic happens before January 2019.

Though affirmative action is not all bad, as it definitely benefits those of certain socioeconomic backgrounds, it most definitely needs to be changed in regards to its implementation in the college admissions process. Although much easier said than done, one race cannot be put over another. People should not feel uneasy about checking the respective “race” box on the application, for everyone should feel proud of who they are.

9

Opinion

IMAGE FROM UNSPLASH

English Curriculum Should Balance Classics with Contemporary

By ADOWYN ERNESTE

S

hakespeare, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Orwell: all names that we know well. As we hold the ancient paperbacks in our hands, some of us smile in excitement, some groan with annoyance, and others stare blankly at the pages with confusion. We write essays on the interior themes and motifs, analyze the characters, and examine lifestyles that may be wildly different from our own. But many of these classic novels can seem outdated, making it difficult to understand the dialect, let alone relate to it.

Shakespeare in particular can be a grueling task to make sense of without stopping every three lines to clarify. It’s true that Romeo and Juliet is an essential of modern literature and is doubtlessly the foundation of centuries of love stories. But for teens who are more concerned with their social lives than reading, Shakespeare’s Old English is more likely to confuse than to build a love for reading that will remain with them for the rest of their lives.

Even so, it’s important to remember that classics are inestimably valuable. Many of these books have stood the test of time and will always be beloved. They express themes and ideas that play at the most vital instincts and morals of the human nature. At their hearts, these books will always remain meaningful, and their inspirational lessons help us to understand human nature and become better people because of it. For this reason classic literature 10

should not be removed from the English curriculum. Many of them are cherished reads that everyone should experience at some point during their lifetime.

However, let’s face it: even for the book-lovers among us, many of us find ourselves feeling blasé when faced with the classics. But imagine if your English teacher assigned a book whose characters faced similar problems as you and the people around you. Especially for those who don’t consider reading to be a favorite task, reading contemporary literature could help students to actually connect to a book, or even find themselves impacted by content relevant to their daily lives, rather than it feeling like just another assignment. Books like They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys, Divergent by Veronica Roth, and books by John Green could prove to be more interesting while also creating discussion topics relevant to modern events. In the end, passing along a love of reading is one of the most important objectives of any English teacher. Imagine how much easier that would be if the students were excited to read, rather than slumping over the pages.

Clearly, there has to be a compromise, one that balances the benefits of the old with those of the new. In fact, this artistic dilemma has always been with us; the books that are regarded as modern staples today were once new and often seemingly unsuccessful. Vincent Van Gogh liked to paint because it made him happy, but

he only sold a single painting during his lifetime.

Edgar Allan Poe tried his hand with poetry and short stories, but remained financially insecure until his death. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his first musical compositions before he was ten years old, but he was buried in a mass, unmarked grave. Today, these people are idolized, and we look to them for guidance and inspiration, even generations later. Their works are considered features of every museum, library, or concert hall. But during their lifetimes, these brilliant artists went largely unappreciated and their talents ignored. Their would-be audiences were too focused on the books and music and artwork from the last generation. The same is true today; if we only pay attention to the books that were written twenty, thirty, forty, or even a hundred years ago, who will be left to listen to the great works of tomorrow?

Of course, it is important to never forsake the novels that have been around for generations. But also don’t forget that there are always more books on the horizon; new opinions, new ideas, new voices. Growing up with a mother who is a children’s and young adult librarian, I learned to appreciate the value of books, both old and new. My mother recently said, “We are in the midst of the golden age of young adult literature, which engulfs all of the current day issues, concerns, and social and political experiences that young adults are facing in today’s world. These books are extremely intense and some are difficult to read, but all of them leave an imprint.”

Opinion

Hall Monitor

By JUSTIN HEITZMAN

What is your favorite and least favorite thing about IHS?

Favorite: “The teachers.”

Least Favorite: “How big the school is.”

— Alfredo Gonzalez ‘22

Favorite: “Free periods.”

Least Favorite: “How the doors are always locked.”

— Meghana Gavirneni ‘19

Favorite: “Band.”

Least Favorite: “The bathrooms.”

— Kieran Galloway ‘19

Favorite: “The food. In elementary school, half the food was cold. I remember dropping a hot dog and it bouncing into the trash! I’m glad they put the work in for the lunches here.”

Least Favorite: “The structure of the school. All of the different buildings make it hard to get around.”

— Jolie Babatunde ‘22

Favorite: “I like math club, because I do math.”

Least Favorite: “I don’t like gym class, because I don’t do gym.”

— Jerry Qian ‘21

Favorite: “The tech classes.”

Least Favorite: “Homework.”

— Emma Hagen ‘20

11

Features

From the Archives:

Excerpts from the Tattler Issues of Yesteryear

By AURORA WULFF

There is a small handful of people at IHS who know about a very small, very pink room at the very end of the E-wing. Although small and unassuming, this room is the deepest one can go into the chronicles of IHS. In that room, there are four average-looking filing cabinets that contain annals of IHS Tattler history, dating back 125 years. Here follows a selection.

Read more online at https://tattlerarchive.wordpress.com/ Note: The current Tattler does not necessarily endorse the opinions published in historical Tattlers.

1

October 9, 1942

What’s Your Opinion?

Question: How long do you think the war will last and why?

(This is a question which has not been brought about too seriously by some while others are very much concerned and have definite reasons for their beliefs. Let’s see what these people have to say.)

Esther Fincher: I won’t give any estimate because I honestly don’t know. But I do know that if everyone buys War Bonds and Stamps our side can’t lose.

Lois Haigh: I can’t say when the war will end, but I believe a victorious peace would be reached a lot sooner if we Americans would stop being so complacent and sure of ourselves and realized that it is possible for the United States to lose a war if she doesn’t get all the help and coop-

2 Berlin to Ithaca

eration she needs from the home front!

Naomi Krum: I’m not a prophet, but in my opinion, it will last many more years because of the vast number of fronts where battles are being fought and because this is a “global war.”

Evelyn Fuller: I hope not more than a year or two, but I am afraid it will be longer unless the people forget their complacency and remember we are not winning yet.

Bob Merritt: It’ll take five years: two years to put the Japs on the defensive and three years to completely conquer them. You may quote me on this.

Paul Kiely: If Russia doesn’t fall—three years; if Russia does fall—ten years.

October 14, 1943

The most widely traveled student in Ithaca High is Michael Nothmann, freshman from room 340, who came to Ithaca from Berlin by way of Genoa, Naples, the Suez Canal, India, Singapore, the Philippine Islands, Hong Kong, and Kunming. After four years in Kunming, China the Nothmanns flew back to Bombay, took a train to Calcutta, then went by ship to San Francisco by way of Australia and New Zealand, and came on to Ithaca last month.

Michael’s story is not only interesting, but it is also a challenge to all American students to know him and to understand his desire to be one of us.

The Nothmann family fled from Nazi Germany in 1939 and in time reached Kunming where they lived next door to General Chennault 12

of the famous Flying Tigers. There Michael had first hand experience watching the Tigers operate from their base near Burma Road. During several bombing raids, he went to a nearby hill to watch the American Aviators shoot down the Japanese bombers and Zeros. The Tigers evidently convinced the Japs of the unhealthy atmosphere of the skies over the Flying Tigers because they finally left and didn’t come back again.

In spite of the excitement of life in Kunming, Michael continued his studies and began to learn English from the Flying Tigers. He must have caught their belief that nothing is too difficult or too dangerous to try because when he enrolled at IHS, he wanted to brave the dangers of six subjects and was very disappointed that he could only take five.

Features

13

The Best Board

By Anna Westwig and Catherine Charnoky Whatever style of teaching one uses, there is one item that every teacher needs at their disposal: a board. With the recent boon in technology and the push at IHS for more modern teaching tools, there are a lot more options. There’s the traditional blackboard, with its chalk and signature squeal; the whiteboard, with its pungent marker fumes yet simple versatility; the infamous Smartboard with its sensor difficulties but technological benefits; and the Eno board, which combines the best of both worlds even though it has its own prevalent malfunctions. Each has its own charms and disadvantages, but which board is truly the ‘Best Board?’ Our survey of 26 teachers says that there is not one superior board but two. The classic whiteboard and the Eno

board are tied as the best board, each with 36 percent of the vote.

Teachers who picked the Eno board say that its versatility is its greatest asset, and that they have a choice of whether to use it as a technology-based board or an analog board. Those who chose the whiteboard, above all else, express a disappointment with the new technology and prefer to stick with something reliable that doesn’t have the messiness of chalk required for a blackboard. But perhaps, the best board is dependent on its function. After all, a math teacher draws radically different stuff on the board than a history teacher. So, we broke down teachers’ responses by department.

White Board 36%

Overall Best Board:

Blackboard 8%

Eno Board 36% Smart Board 20%

Others We received a negligible amount of responses from the language and the math departments. But of the two respondents in the language departement, there was an even split between a blackboard and the Eno board.

And the singular response from the math department reported that the Eno board was their favorite board.

14

White Board 25%

Science Teachers Among the science departement, the overwhelming majority (75 percent) of teachers said that the Eno board was their board of choice. The remaining 25 percent was delegated to the trusty whiteboard.

This may be due to the prevalence of Eno boards in science classrooms and, as a result, teachers, who have them may be more inclined to pick them as their favorite board.

Eno Board 75%

English Teachers English teachers were also torn between two boards: the whiteboard and the Smartboard. Each board had 40 percent of the vote. Surprisingly, the blackboard didn't even make an appearance in the English department. One’s perception of an English teacher tends to be of an old librarian-esque figure scrawling on a chalkboard, but IHS English teachers seem to have embraced the new technology, partly due to the convenience for their students. One teacher who picked the smartboard wrote that it was “nice to have important notes and activities saved for easy access for students.”

Eno Board 20% Smart Board 40%

Social Studies Teachers The social studies teachers went old-school in their decisions. 50 percent of the teachers reported that the whiteboard was the best board. In second place was the smart board with 30 percent, and in a tie for third were the Eno board and the blackboard with 10 percent each. One Social Studies teacher supported their decision by saying “generic whiteboards are useful when I need to recreate the beautiful beards in my course.” Still, others preferred the smart board because they were able to directly save what was written on the board to their computer.

White Board 40%

Blackboard 10%

Eno Board 10%

White Board 50%

Smart Board 30% 15

Features

Student Photo Gallery Link to full colored gallery: https://goo.gl/HfGdj7

Raia Gutman

Dylan Myler

Jeremy Sauer

Jeremy Sauer

16

Features

Dylan Myler

Blythe Hodgson

Raia Gutman

Dylan Myler

Jeremy Sauer

Jeremy Sauer 17

Features

New Teacher Feature: Ms. Deverin

Parker Solar Probe

By MEERA BAI SINGH

A

t the end of every school year, the IHS community bids goodbye to a number of staff members and welcomes new ones. This year, the IHS community was lucky enough to welcome Margaux Deverin. Ms. Deverin is a new English teacher at IHS, who is currently teaching English 12 AP Literature, English 10 Core/Regents, and English 10 Honors. Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Ms. Deverin and learn more about her.

Meera Bai Singh: Before you came to IHS, where did you work?

Ms. Deverin: Right out of undergrad, I worked at Solvay High School in Syracuse for three years teaching 10th and 11th grade English, and directing drama productions. Then I made a change on a whim and moved to New York City to teach 7th grade writing in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. I found out that charter schools, as well as middle schoolers, were not my strong suit.

MS: Did you always want to be a teacher?

MD: Sort of! I’ve had phenomenal teachers most of my life and I wanted to emulate their style. When I went to Syracuse University for my undergrad, I actually started totally undecided. I thought I would be a music performance major because I was heavily involved in choir, orchestra, plays, and musicals in high school. I actually prepared some classical singing auditions for college, but changed my mind when I thought of teaching brass instruments as a music teacher (I am NOT a fan of brass instruments.

Strings all the way. I play violin).

MS: Did you have any other motivations for becoming an English teacher?

MD: I’ve always been a good writer and an even better empath. I love to listen, to problem solve, and to help others, so I realized I could do both by teaching English. So many kids in high school need an adult to tell them it’s going to be ok. I wanted to be that adult if need be.

MS: Why do you think students should care more about English classes?

MD: I’m sensing there’s an implication that students don’t care about English class! [Laughs] Anyway, English class if done correctly teaches us how to be better humans. By emulating the positive traits of a character or learning from their mistakes—by learning just how many perspectives there are out there and how no two experiences are identical—by learning that writing is not a chore, but something that amplifies your personal agency—these things make us better. Additionally, literature, like drama and art, is inherently unsafe and messy. Literature is the thing that both jumbles and puts a mirror up to the society it was conceived in, and when it has longevity, it continues to put a mirror up to subsequent societies, and that is literature put to good use. I love that about English class.

MS: Lastly, if you could create a class to teach at IHS, what would it be?

MD: Improv! I do improv with the Syracuse Improv Collective in my spare time and I’d love to teach it to young people.

18

Parker Space Probe being prepared for launch

IMAGE FROM NASA

By HAYK SHAKHZADYAN

O

n August 12, 2018, the Parker Solar Probe launched into space with the mission to gather critical data on the activity of the sun. It will go closer to the sun than any other spacecraft before—more than seven times closer in fact—in order to study the sun’s corona. The Parker Solar Probe mission is concerned with two major questions. Firstly, how is the corona, the outer aura surrounding the sun, hotter than the outermost layer of the sun, the photosphere? Secondly, how does solar wind accelerate? By answering these questions, we can with greater accuracy determine and forecast space weather and the effects it may have on earth. In order to answer these questions, the Parker Solar Probe is outfitted with several instruments capable of studying magnetic fields, solar winds, and plasma. A thick carbon-composite shield will allow the probe to be able to withstand a whopping 2500 degrees Fahrenheit or 1377 degrees Celsius. It will continue to make 24 orbits around the sun and fly by Venus seven times on its seven-year-long journey.

Arts

An Interview With Ned Carlson

By CHLOE MOORE

N

ed Carlson is a senior at IHS, and has been exploring the field of “land art” (think Andy Goldsworthy) for many years. His art takes the form of natural, impermanent sculptures, and each “installation” has corresponding photography, that is “an exploration of shape, color, and light.” Carlson’s works include both two- and three-dimensional pieces. All are “manipulations of patterns within natural forms.” Due to the nature of his work, all of the pieces eventually fall apart and return to their natural state; he describes his pieces as “site-specific, dynamic, and often fleetingly ephemeral.”

Recently, however, Carlson has been exploring slightly more permanent installations, using piles of shale that he finds to create towers, arches, and hollow domes. He has created smaller domes around Buttermilk Falls, as well as a larger one measuring close to twelve feet with a one-foot hole at the top near Lick Brook Gorge.

Carlson’s other sculptural work includes arches, which he completes using a “scaffolding” technique. He builds a semicircle from the ground up, using other rocks for balance and steadying it with smaller rock wedges. Carlson says that he never uses outside resources in learning how to build architectural sculptures such as these arches, preferring instead to figure it out himself. This is indicative of his general approach: “try not to take what you learn in school too seriously. Explore what you like without outside influence. Find your voice and, by doing so, gain your technical skills.”

Apart from shale, rock towers have been a common theme in Carlson’s work. He looks for the right location and rocks, and says that the location is what determines the effectiveness of a piece; the rocks need to have both contrast and continuity with their surroundings so as not to look forced. Occasionally he plans his pieces, but these plans are never particularly concrete, as he prefers to follow an idea where it leads, and his recent process has been much more spontaneous. These pieces can take the form of tapering rock towers on the beach and carefully poised balancing acts in rivers.

When Carlson isn’t working with larger rock pieces, he focuses on smaller, ornate patterns made of whatever he finds, including leaves, seed pods, and even the delicate wings of Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. Sometimes Carlson collects leaves and carefully arranges them in circular gradients of green, yellow, orange, and red, spanning nearly a foot. Sometimes he weaves slender seed pods through large maple leaves, creating the illusion of a smaller leaf resting on top.

Carlson currently finds time to work on weekends and on vacations, although he also makes time during the week- “it’s about priorities,” he says, “and [his art] is often more fun and important.” Carlson’s work was on display at Collegetown Bagels throughout the summer. His website is www.earth-isart.com. He plans to study art or architecture along with environmental science in college.

Ned Carlson ‘19 recently had his artwork featured at CTB’s Aurora Street location

IMAGE FROM BOSTON HERALD

19

Arts

20gayteen Playlist

By RAIA GUTMAN

W

hether you spent your 20gayteen campaigning for your rights, wearing face paint and glitter to pride parades, or safely in the closet, you deserve to celebrate it with some good queer music.

All the following music artists are openly LGBTQ+ and have written songs that reflect their struggles, triumphs, and experiences as human beings and as queer people. Many of these singers have released new music this year, and the rest always deserve praise for their iconic songs and pride. These eleven songs may have an LGBTQ+ theme, but they are for everyone and anyone!

“Make Me Feel”: Janelle Monáe (explicit) “It’s like I’m powerful with a little bit of tender” 20gayteen is the year Monae came out as pansexual. How does that make you feel?

“Strawberries and Cigarettes”: Troye Sivan “Long nights, daydreams/Sugar and smoke rings, I’ve been a fool” Troye Sivan’s addition to the Love, Simon soundtrack will make you think of ferris wheels, iced coffee, and first loves.

“Curious”: Hayley Kiyoko “Been looking through the texts and all the photos/But don’t you worry I can handle it” Nicknamed “Lesbian Jesus” by her fans, Hayley Kiyoko is a former Disney channel star and current gay icon. This song is just one of her many queer anthems.

“Girls/Girls/Boys”: Panic! At the Disco “But girls love girls and boys/And love is not a choice” A song that makes you want to dance around your bedroom waving a pride flag like you’re Brendon Urie.

“girls”: girl in red “No, this is not a phase/Or a coming of age/This will never change” Think back to your pride month and 20gayteen as a whole to the sound of girl in red singing about girls.

“Honey”: Kehlani (explicit) “Cause I’m a beautiful wreck/A colorful mess, but I’m funny” Sweet, light, and impossible to listen to without smiling.

20

“She Keeps Me Warm”: Mary Lambert “She says that people stare ‘cause we look so good together” A sapphic essential, this song feels like cuddling in warm sweaters.

“I’m Not the Only One”: Sam Smith “Your heart is unobtainable/Even though you don’t share mine” Bless Sam Smith’s soulful voice and gender non-binary identity.

“Only a Girl”: Gia “I’ve never felt this way before/He never called me beautiful” A vocally impressive celebration of girls who like girls, “Only a Girl” doubled as Gia’s debut song and coming out as a lesbian.

“Diamond”: Jake Zyrus “Keep on tellin’ me it gets better/It’s hard to see when all I get is bad weather, no” Since appearing on the television show Glee, the Filipino singer has come out as a transgender man and released songs in both English and Filipino.

“If I Had You”: Adam Lambert “There’s a thin line between the dark side and the light side baby tonight” Also a Glee alumnus, Adam Lambert has released more than ten albums and is currently touring with the rock band Queen.

Honorable mention: “Kiss the Boy”: Keiynan Lonsdale “‘Cause love is a game we deserve to play out loud” The loveable star of 2018 drama Love, Simon came out as bisexual while filming the movie, which is a blessing to our year of 20gayteen.

Arts

How Sorry to Bother You Succeeds Where BlacKkKlansman Fails

By ISAIAH GUTMAN

W

hen most moviegoers enter their local theater, they aren’t expecting a politically charged message on the screen.

Still, most contemporary films contain at least a cursory reference to the politics of our time, and many touch upon complex issues in an attempt to offer an opinion, analysis, or solution.

This summer, there were two releases that were rare in that they both were well-made, well-received films, and they were obviously politically charged. Where BlacKkKlansman and Sorry to Bother You differ is in their level of publicity, but more importantly, in their political messages themselves.

The plots of BlacKkKlansman and Sorry to Bother You are both rather complex, but exist for different reasons. BlacKkKlansman is the story of a cop, Ron Stallworth (played by John David Washington), who is inspired to infiltrate the Colorado Springs branch of the Ku Klux Klan after attending a Kwame Ture speech undercover. Stallworth, a black man, cannot attend meetings in person, and sends his colleague Flip Zimmermann (Adam Driver) to fraternize with the Klan. All the while, Stallworth dates black radical Patrice (Laura Harrier), to whom he lies about being an officer. In the end, Stallworth and Zimmermann are able to stop the KKK from killing anyone, but the Klan is shown as still active with a cross-burning in the end, as well as clips from 2017’s Charlottesville Unite the Right protests and fights. There is much attention paid to the hateful rhetoric of the Klan members, the veneer of respectability put on by Klan leader David Duke (Topher Grace), and some more racist elements of the Colorado Springs Police Department. Near the end of the film, Patrice aids Zimmermann, Stallworth, and other colleagues in arresting an officer who earlier abused her and Ture. She and Stallworth are united by the KKK’s hate after Stallworth claims he can be simultaneously committed to the liberation of his people and be a cop. In the beginning of the film, as well as in advertisements, a major point is made of touting the film as based on a true story.

Sorry to Bother You is simply the story of a down-on-his-luck Oaklander who gets a big break. Cassius (LaKeith Stanfield), a former high

school football star, is hired by a telemarketing company where he quickly makes his way up in the ranks after learning how to use his “white voice” from a co-worker (Danny Glover). Meanwhile, his friends Sal (Jermaine Fowler) and Squeeze (Steven Yeun), as well as his girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson) try to organize a union for the workers at the telemarketing company. Drama ensues when Cassius is promoted, crosses the picket line of the union’s strike, and starts working for the largest corporate presence in the film—WorryFree. WorryFree is a company that runs large-scale facilities which provide housing and meals to people who sign a life-long contract to work for them. WorryFree then provides this labor to other companies. The film is truly unpredictable and spoiling it here wouldn’t do it justice, but suffice it to say that by the end of the film, Cassius returns to the side of the union, and the film’s anti-police, anti-capitalist ideology is made clear.

The divide in ideology and message in these films is perhaps best illustrated by a comparison of their directors. BlacKkKlansman director Spike Lee has directed numerous successful films, starting in 1986 with She’s Gotta Have It. As a prominent black filmmaker, Lee has an important voice in American culture, which he has used to discuss issues affecting his community. In recent years, Lee has directed a number of commercials for large corporations, as well as running an ad campaign for the NYPD. In BlacKkKlansman, Lee tries to address issues of race relations in America, showing the minutiae of interactions between Stallworth and his white colleagues, as well as fictionalized versions of both white and black power organizations.

At the other end we have Boots Riley, director of Sorry to Bother You. Whereas Lee has been directing films for most of his adult life, Riley debuted as a director this year after a long career in hip-hop. As lead vocalist of The Coup, Riley has publicized his radical views for more than 25 years. He brings a wildly different perspective into his film. Riley has organized various political efforts, and has been involved in movements such as Occupy Oakland. Riley calls himself a communist, and is not shy about it. In the contrast of the directors and their lives, we can find what divides these seemingly similar films.

While BlacKkKlansman is undeniably wellmade, it lacks something. The film offers a look at a lot of problems prevalent in both 1970s society and today, but fails to even hint at any coherent solution beyond something along the lines of the police and black people working together. The reminder that the US still struggles with racism is much appreciated, but hearing it come from a man who has done work with corporations unconcerned with black people and supported institutions that directly participate in the oppression of black people is simply not enough. As if it were not enough to shy away from solutions entirely, Lee also takes extreme liberties with the facts to create a more palatable picture of his hero. As explained by Riley in an essay posted to Twitter, BlacKkKlansman claims to be based on a true story, but omits many parts of Ron Stallworth’s story, such as his involvement in infiltrating radical leftist organizations, and fabricates others, such as his colleague being Jewish, his involvement with the KKK leading to a thwarted bombing plot, and the arrest of his racist colleague. To be clear, there is not much of a problem with taking liberties with the “based on a true story” label. Where there is a problem is when Lee uses fabricated plot points to endear the audience to his cop hero, and to assure the audience that most officers are good, well-meaning men who do not cover up racism. This feelgood storytelling covers up unfortunate truths about the nature of the police’s role in our society. The ending, complete with footage that brought me close to tears, does not do much beyond reminding the audience of the existence of fascism, and does not include or even imply any sort of call-to-action. The film is beautiful, but its message fails when held to any sort of actionable standard.

As a stark contrast to the feebleness of BlacKkKlansman, Sorry to Bother You is unafraid with its ideology. Riley fully acknowledges all of the parts of society that he feels are corrupt, damaging, or oppressive, possibly to a fault. Still, all of these are handled with care, and none are as straightforward as they may appear. For one, the “white voice” gimmick is not at all a one-dimensional criticism of racism in America that the trailer makes it out to be. Instead, it involves CONTINUED ON PAGE 22

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Arts/Sports

“HOW SORRY TO BOTHER YOU SUCCEEDS WHERE BLACKKKLANSMAN FAILS” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

class, race, and the effects of contemporary society on the need for fakeness and lying. Neither political side is spared, such as when he portrays and criticizes the hypocrisy and fake “wokeness” of the left, exemplified by Detroit, who profits from the guilt of rich white people by invoking Africa. At the heart of the film is an attack on capitalism and all the disorder, disunity, and distress it creates. The film also offers a much more inspiring, provoking ending, with Cassius and his allies taking matters into their own hands, rather than waiting for the powers-that-be to concede

or aid them. I do not claim to be an unbiased observer, but I came out of the theater after seeing Sorry to Bother You energized, with a clear vision of what Riley wanted me, and everyone else who saw the film, to do.

By offering a clear-headed, albeit maybe too obvious, view of the negatives of capitalist society, Sorry to Bother You distinguishes itself from the average film, and especially from BlacKkKlansman. Spike Lee is a talented, accomplished director, but his latest effort shows precisely why fresh voices like Boots Riley are needed—voic-

es that are in tune with the real-world problems of black communities and disadvantaged white communities, rather than with the community of rich men and women who prosthelytize about the horrors of racism from their fortresses of wealth. The very act of making a film isn’t going to change the world, but if more creators are emboldened by Riley and in turn embolden a generation of organizers and activists, the world just might change anyway.

October Event Calender Sunday 30

Monday 1 G Soccer vs.

Vestal

Tuesday 2 B Soccer vs.

Elmira

Wednesday 3 B Gold vs.

Vestal

Thursday 4 G Vollyball vs.

Vestal

Friday 5 G Soccer vs.

Owego Apalachin

Saturday 6 B Football @ Elmira

Ithaca Art Trail Gallery Night 7

8 9 Indigenous Peo- G Volleyball vs. ples’ Day Binghamton

10

11 G Swimming/ Diving

12

13 Cross Country Playoff Trumansburg Art Fair

14

15

16 G Volleyball vs.

Horseheads

17

18 G Tennis @ Binghamton

19 B Football vs.

Union-Endicott

20 Insectapalooza @ Cornell Cornell Chorus Twilight Concert

21 FOUND Flea Market

22 Cornell Jazz

23 G Volleyball vs.

Owego Apalachin

24 IHS Performing Arts Collage Concert

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26 B Football Playoff

27 Wizarding Weekend

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Sports

IHS Football Team Ends Losing Streak

By VAYNU KADIYALI

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or the first time in nearly two years, on August 31, the IHS Boys Varsity Football team won a game. The 51-8 rout came on the road against Oswego in the team’s first game of the season which is the first game under its new head coach. While the win signalled the end of an ugly chapter in IHS Football history, it also felt like the beginning of an era of increased competitiveness and hope for the Lil’ Red. “I was absolutely stoked,” said team captain Louis Webster ‘19 about the win. “We were grinding in the weight room all offseason, and I felt like we deserved and earned it.” The win was the first since a 21-14 road victory on October 7, 2016, after which the team’s promising 2016 campaign was derailed by three straight losses to end the season. The straits were even more dire in the 2017 season, with the Lil’ Red losing all ten of their regular season games and failing to make the playoffs.

In the win, Ithaca managed to more than double Oswego’s total yards, and three players, Angel Rivera-Barrett ‘19, Simon Barley ‘20, and Spencer Whitmore ‘21, managed to run for over 100 yards. The Ithaca defense also managed to keep Oswego scoreless for the first three quarters, with Oswego only managing to score near the end of the game. In that fourth quarter, however, Ithaca scored an incredible 56-yard touchdown, a highlight of the game.

These were taken at the homecoming football game on Friday, September 21

At the end of the 2017 season, it was clear that the Lil’ Red needed a change to enter the 2018 season on a positive note. The team parted ways with head coach Kelly Gordon, hiring Clarence Welch III, a former IHS football star, to turn the program around. The Lil’ Red’s goal going into the offseason was not only to earn wins in the 2018 season, but to turn around the culture surrounding the team. “This season, I don’t think we have much more talent or size than before,” said Webster about the differences between the 2017 and 2018 teams. “We just have a lot more drive, and a lot more focus. We’re really motivated, and we’ve managed to come together to play as a team.”

Although the team lost its next game against rival Vestal, looking forward, the Lil’ Red hopes to build upon the early success and win more games. “Going forward, I think many of the teams that we play are beatable.” said Webster. “We may be outsized and outmatched, but I think that we can pull out some more wins. But more importantly, our goal is to get this program to a point where it can be even more successful next year.”

Looking towards the future, the IHS Boys Football team will still be an underdog in most of their matchups. However, having finally broken their streak of bad luck and disproving naysayers along the way, they look forward with optimism and determination. “I’m hoping that we can make a run at a postseason appearance,” says Webster. “It would mean a lot to us, and it would be huge for the program.”

IMAGES BY SAM SCOTT

23

The Serena Williams Controversy

By KATIE LIN, ROHIT LAL

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he 2018 US Open will be remembered for years to come. In the men’s singles tournament, many breathtaking five set games took place that came down to the wire, and many upsets occurred, such as Philipp Kohlschreiber’s win over the 4-seed Alexander Zverev, John Millman beating Roger Federer, and Juan Martin Del Potro beating Rafael Nadal, the current best player in the world, to make it to the finals, where he would go on to lose against Novak Djokovic. Even with all of this action on the men’s side, there is no question that the women’s side of the tournament was much more dramatic and controversial. Along with the numerous exciting games which displayed an incredible showcase of skill and talent, the finals between Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams were a spectacle that had an effect not only on the US Open, but the entirety of tennis itself.

Enter Serena Williams, the American who is arguably the best female tennis player in the world. After turning professional in 1995, Williams has fought her whole career to break records, including claiming 23 Grand Slam singles and 14 doubles titles. She has always gone above expectations, like winning the 1999 US Open

when everyone thought her sister would instead.

However, because of the recent US Open, Williams has been the center of controversy in her match with Naomi Osaka. It all began with the rule that states coaches are not allowed to coach at any Grand Slam Event like the US Open, and when chair umpire Carlos Ramos noticed Williams’ coach gesturing to her from the sidelines, he gave her a code violation. This drew Williams’ ire, and she argued with Ramos throughout the whole match. However, as she was not levelheaded, the score was unsteady, and eventually went in favor of Osaka. Infuriated, Williams smashed her racket, which earned her a second code violation from Ramos, and as her temper took over, she continued to berate Ramos and call him a “thief,” demanding an apology for the prior violations. This caused Ramos to give her a third violation for verbal abuse and obscenity. Williams received a total penalty of forfeiting a game and a $17,000 fee for her violations. What seemed like mere tennis drama turned into the biggest story of the sports world when Williams speculated that Ramos was being sexist in giving her the penalty, and later when a racist cartoon was published about the incident.

Williams’ speculation that Ramos was being sexist has caused many to take a second look at

the history of men’s penalties for intense verbal usage, as many argue that men historically have received lesser sentences. For instance, when Andre Agassi once got a warning for verbal obscenity and went on to get penalized, he followed his original obscenity with another slur, to which the umpire didn’t react. Another example is Novak Djokovic’s long lasting feuds with the chair umpire, and he has at times audibly berated chair umpires for what he believes to be bad calls. Despite Djokovic often being the center of controversy, he has never been penalized. Lastly, Roger Federer exclaimed “that’s a bullshit argument” this year and received no penalty at all.

An important argument in this controversy is that male players often say things much worse than what Williams said, and almost always receive lesser penalties. Billie Jean King, a female tennis legend who was instrumental in the growth of women’s tennis, believes this side of the argument. After the US Open incident, King posted on social media, “When a woman is emotional, she’s ‘hysterical’ and she’s penalized for it. When a man does the same, he’s ‘outspoken’ & there are no repercussions.” King continued to comment that there are double standards in tennis, and argues the rules are warped for women, suggesting that it’s time for a long-overdue

IMAGE FROM THE WASHINGTON POST

IMAGE FROM BOSTON HERALD

Mark Knight’s cartoon, which he posted to his Twitter feed, was widely criticized as racist and offensive 24

Serena Williams just after slamming her racket into the ground resulting in the racket violation

Sports

IMAGE FROM SPORTING NEWS

change in the rule book. In an interview, Williams also commented, “I’ve seen other men call other umpires several things. I’m here fighting for women’s rights and for women’s equality and for all kinds of stuff.” King suggested that Ramos is more lenient to the male players, and commented that she admires Williams for using her fame to bring attention to the cause of equality.

The other side of the argument is that Williams deserved the penalties, because she was out of line in demanding an apology, and in threatening Ramos’ job and criticizing his career. An interview with Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, could show why Williams deserved the original penalty. Mouratoglou confessed in an interview after the game, “I am honest, I was coaching. Ramos fined Williams a large sum of money for mainly her verbal usage.” Another person who agrees Williams was out of line is Martina Navratilova, an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion.

She believes that people are focusing too much on the sexism, and are overlooking the possibility that Williams made things worse. “We cannot measure ourselves by what we think we should also be able to get away with,” she said, adding, “There have been many times when I was playing that I wanted to break my racket into a thousand pieces. Then I thought about the kids watching.

And I grudgingly held on to that racket. Had I behaved like that on a tennis court, I would have

expected to get everything that happened to Serena,” Navratilova told New York Times reporter Juliet Macur in a separate story. “It should’ve ended... with the point warning, but Serena just couldn’t let it go.”

When it seemed like the US Open controversy was beginning to wind down, the Herald Sun published a cartoon of Williams by Australian artist Mark Knight. This particular cartoon shows Williams jumping on her racket, while Osaka and Ramos are in the back, with Ramos asking Osaka, “Can’t you just let her win?”. Knight has been accused of portraying black women in offensive ways before, especially in ways that resemble historical offenses to African-Americans. This particular cartoon was clearly a caricature, and Knight chose to significantly inflate Williams’ lips and facial features, which are often features used in the Jim Crow Era to depict African Americans.

Upon seeing the cartoon, cartoonist Darrin Bell commented, “. . . Caricature always exaggerates features that stand out. But that doesn’t mean ‘features that stand out when compared to white people’. . . And if you’re not purposely trying to tap into those 100-year-old stereotypes, then as a professional, you’re supposed to be aware of [your] impulse and put it in check.” There are decisions that cartoonists have to make, and sometimes they have to follow their instincts and draw

what stands out to them. However, he argues that what Knight decided to draw was extremely reckless. Instead of offensively exaggerating her features, why couldn’t Knight have instead showcased her determination, or athletic ability?

Furthermore, Osaka is portrayed as a slender, blonde, white woman, even though Osaka comes from Japanese and Haitian backgrounds, whereas Williams was portrayed as overweight. Knight had the opportunity to draw a much better cartoon, but instead drew an offensive depiction that downgraded Williams from a strong, athletic woman to a whiny caricature that emphasized racial stereotypes.

The 2018 US Open started a debate on a major point of controversy: whether there are double standards in tennis, and if men get lesser penalties for using vulgar language. The US Open aftermath also included a racist cartoon that has caused many people to evaluate continuing prejudices surrounding the sport of tennis.

Although this controversy may be a blemish in Williams’ career, she is a fierce, renowned tennis player who faced an insurmountable amount of scrutiny and has bared through the aftermath.

Osaka, too, is a determined player who defeated a tennis legend, and both will come back strong soon in their careers.

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Literary

The Ocean Lives but One Life

By Anna Westwig On the chalky cliffs and midnight shores of the wild wind-whipped sea, her waves cresting like horses galloping through the plains, I weep a tributary to her rage for a thousand lives she takes yet a thousand lives she cannot live weaving fishermen’s nets of gossamer silk and pearls, catching all but what she craves so she storms grey lightning, wails hurricanes, and howls typhoons but a life is a life and even she, immortal and ageless, cannot step outside the cage of mere existence

Surrealio

Fading Beauty

By Karimah Jones As the water dances to the night, The sun begins to close its eyes I take a final glimpse at the light As the moon begins to rise The pink, The yellow, Blended inks So mellow I’m chasing the blended colors, Pondering about my never ending wonders And as the color starts to fade, The night beckons me it’s way They start to blend to a dark tone, And out comes the little white speckles All while I’m taking a slow first stride, The beauty chooses to hide And so I take my leave, hoping we’ll meet again the next day And as it tugs at my sleeve, I pray for the memory to stay But the day has ended, My memories lasted, And not a minute of it all Was wasted.

By Ethan Carlson

“The slash and burn technique.”

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“Phfff! You call that staying healthy?”

Literary

By Dylan Myler

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Back Page

The Coolness Spectrum The Signs as Halloween Costumes That Surely No One Else Will Be

Cool Halloween

Apple Fest

Leaves Changing Color

By SOPHIE WRAY

Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 22):

A bookshelf with every encyclopedia volume except for “O.”

Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21): A lamp. With a dead fly inside.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21): Mr. Potato Head with only one eye and lopsided lips.

Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19): A singular piece of spaghetti.

Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18):

A slice of pizza with ham and pineapple, with people looking both disgusted and delighted. You may need to bring your friends to help you.

Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20):

One of those really big tuna fish that you see in documentaries about the sea.

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19):

The kitchen sink. With food scraps stuck in the drain.

Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20):

Just the legs of a horse costume.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20):

A fork with the prongs bent every which way.

Cancer (June 21 - Jul 22):

A full body mirror covering yourself completely but with a hole for your face so that when people look into the mirror all they see is you and you can tell them how pretty they look.

Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22):

A clock set at the time of your birth.

Sweater Weather

First month of school is over

Fluctuating weather

Not being able to sit outside ‘cause it’s too cold

People giving out healthy “treats” on Halloween

Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22):

A tote bag full of groceries with carrots and baguettes sticking out of the top. And a print of Obama’s face on the bag.

The Supreme Court ordeal

Uncool