Misc 02.13.20

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The Miscellany News miscellanynews.org

Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866 Volume 153 | Issue 3

February 13, 2020

NY court structure up for debate

Posse admissions decline

Tiana Headley

Olivia Watson News Editor

News Editor

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victim of domestic violence in Upstate New York fights for sole custody of her kids, a divorce from her abusive husband and his conviction. After becoming the sole breadwinner for her children and taking on a full-time job alongside her domestic duties, she has to appear in three courts: Family Court, State Supreme Court and Criminal Court. Hers is one among thousands of experiences where the complex court system disadvantages the state’s most vulnerable people, the impetus for calls for state-wide judicial reform. Though it may seem like the separation of the state’s judicial system between 11 courts may provide specialization and ease of process, proponents of a more consolidated judiciary See Courts on page 4

Inside this issue

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A rally gathered outside the Dutchess County Courthouse to support Nicole Addimando, found guilty of second degree murder. Her sentence was not reduced despite evidence of domestic abuse. Courtesy of Angus Bernet.

Addimando sentenced nineteen to life Aena Khan

News Editor

[CW: This article discusses imprisonment, domestic violence, sexual violence, murder and emotional abuse.] n Feb. 11, Dutchess County Judge Edward T. McLoughlin sentenced Nicole Addimando to 19 years to life in prison for criminal possession of a weap-

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“Sex Education” season 2 broadens its scope, examining sex as violence.

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OPINIONS

Letter to the Editor: Former fire comissioner considers impact of Arthur May project on local taxpayers.

14 SPORTS

The politicization of sports: Will KC Chiefs yeet White House invitation?

when he found Addimando’s car paused before a green light on Taft Avenue. After he blew his air horn, she exited the car, her two children asleep in the backseat, and approached him about a fight she had with her partner (Poughkeepsie Journal, “Nicole Addimando defense aims to preclude statements to police,” 11.13.2018). See Addimando on page 3

Essayist James Wood explores pathos of prose Meghan Hayfield

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on and the murder of Christopher Grover, her live-in partner with whom she had two children. The decision came after a 12-person jury unanimously rejected her assertion of self-defense on April 12, 2019. At approximately 2:16 a.m., on Sept. 28, 2017, Poughkeepsie police officer Richard Sisilli was en route to an unrelated incident

t was terrifying,” said Posse veteran Francisco Andrade ’22 [Disclaimer: Andrade is the Humor Editor for the Miscellany News] of leaving the military after six years. After considering several post-military plans, Andrade received a full scholarship to Vassar via Posse, a highly selective program that pays for any college tuition that the GI bill does not cover. This allows the chosen veterans to attend the four Posse veteran partner colleges and universities on a full ride. The selection process is rigorous. Lasting nearly one year, the application entails several rounds of interviews and evaluations in group settings. According to Director of the Posse Veterans Program Marcus See Posse on page 4

n Tuesday, Feb. 4, celebrated literary critic and novelist James Wood spoke to a sparse crowd, all equipped with notebooks, in Sanders Auditorium. Wood is a staff writer at The New Yorker and previously worked as a book critic for The Guardian. Wood read from his latest book, “How Fiction Works,” a compilation of pieces from his last 20

years in the literary field. Much of the book consists of reviews, but three are personal essays about the art of drumming, the act of cleaning out a family member’s unwanted library, and of the act of becoming our parents. The piece Wood read was one of the personal essays, entitled “Becoming Them,” about the narrowing of life, and the ways in which we mourn the loss of

our parents by adopting their idiosyncrasies for ourselves. Wood said the essay was partially inspired by Lydia Davis’s short story “How Shall I Mourn Them?,” a comprehensive list of the physical and personal characteristics of the people she loves. While Wood is known most for his critical work, this essay explored how personal experiences can furnish reviews and essays with individual insight—a step past

basic academic pieces or formal criticism. “Becoming Them” details sleepy Sunday afternoons in northern England, where, after church, there was “nowhere to go and nothing to do.” Wood recalls his father sitting in an armchair listening to Beethoven, while his brother passed the solitude listening to Robert Plant. Or of falling asleep passively, See James Wood on page 5

Local nonprofit prepares shelter dogs for service Gabby Ho

Guest Reporter

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ervice dogs often cost anywhere between $10,000 and $60,000 to train and register. For many, service dogs are a medical necessity, but these costs can prohibit access. However, in Dutchess County and the surrounding area, Animal Farm Foundation’s Service Dog Program works against these financial barriers, training dogs and giving them to people with disabilities for free. According to its website, Animal Farm Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to bringing dogs and people together to end discrimination for all individuals (Animal Farm Foundation, “Service Dogs”). They have numerous programs and grants to help people, alongside their service dogs, overcome issues pertaining to classism, breed bans, racism, ableism and other forms of prej-

udice. All of this work is accomplished through fundraising, generous benefactors and donations. After going through an application process, handlers are brought to their location and are matched with a furry companion. If the person and the dog click, they tailor each dog’s training to the specific needs of their handlers, including psychological health, mobility and hearing. Psychiatric dogs can be trained to block—a technique in which the dog stands in front of or behind their handler to provide support and maintain a perimeter between the handler and other humans—and detect incoming anxiety and panic attacks before they happen. This enables their handlers to remove themselves from a stressful situation and get necessary help, as well as perform other techniques to help maintain their handler’s mental

health. Hearing dogs assist their handlers by indicating when and where they hear important sounds like fire alarms, oven timers and doorbells. Mobility dogs help their handlers with tasks like retrieving objects, providing bracing and counter-balance, guiding wheelchairs and opening fridge doors. In an effort to reduce bias and show that, “all dogs are individuals” and should not be judged by their breed, Animal Farm only trains shelter dogs that have been labelled as “pit bulls.” It’s important to note that “pit bull” is not even an actual breed, but instead an umbrella term with ambiguous qualities (stocky, shorthaired, muscular, etc.), which results in skewed statistics (Animal Legal & Historical Center, “Dias v. City and County of Denver,” 05.27.2009). The American Veterinarian See Dogs on page 9

Association has also conducted numerous studies showing that breed is an unreliable way to predict behavior (American

Above is Mallard, a service dog in training waiting to be matched with a handler. Courtesy of Acadia Generelli.


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