The Miscellany News
Volume CXLVII | Issue 4
October 3, 2013
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
VSA acts on Senior Warner runs for office Conference problems of W joins female exclusion minorities Eloy Bleifuss Prados
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Cassady Bergevin/The Miscellany News
ast Thursday, Sept. 26, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) formed the Vassar Student Association Review Committee (VSARC). The committee, primarily composed of elected students but open to any interested students, was charged with organizing a comprehensive review process through which it hopes to achieve better understanding of issues regarding fairness and representation of the VSA. Ben Morse ’14, Terrace Apartment (TA) Treasurer, was a leading voice in the newly formed VSARC and spoke to the ways in which the committee hoped to operate. “This committee is reviewing the way that the VSA is structured… and seeing how the different branches interact with each other and who they’re trying to represent,” Morse explained. “For example, if you’re sitting on the Committee for Inclusion and Excellence, are you able to represent your constituents as well as you could, or are we missing something?” Morse continued, grounding the idea of the committee in specific terms. “We know that people who sit on Joint Committees don’t have email lists, so it’s hard for them to reach out and talk to their constituents. Maybe that’s not the best way for them to be set up,” he said. President of Raymond House and VSA Council Member Ramy Abbady ’16 echoed See VSARC on page 4
hat does it take to pop the Vassar bubble? How about running for elected office? Seth Warner ’14 is campaigning to be Legislator for Dutchess County’s Sixth District, which includes parts of Vassar. Democratic nominee Warner is up against three-term incumbent Republican Angela Flesland in the Nov. 5 elections. Warner, a political science major, described his decision to
for County Legislator typically sees a low turnout of under 2,000. Warner’s opponent Angela Flesland won her seat in 2007 by only a little over 70 votes. “Given the low turnout, it’s a toss-up. And I like those odds,” said Adam Eichen ‘15, a campaign organizer for Warner. Alexis Grems ’14, another campaign organizer, said the their goal is to get 200 students registered and to the polls on election day to vote for Warner. See WARNER on page 8
seek office as one of giving back to the community that had supported him during his education. Said Warner, “I realized Poughkeepsie had invested in me, and if I were going to be honest I ought to invest something back into Poughkeepsie. I ought to do something to do the best I could and running for office makes sense.” The race will be close, and Warner believes he he has a shot at winning. A local election like the one
Maxelle Neufville ’14, Kristopher Yim ’14, Mai Bresnahan ’14 and Chloe Tonsall ’14 discuss local issues with candidate for Sixth District of Dutchess County Legislator Seth Warner ’14. The election will be in November.
Nikki Lohr
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ast Friday, Sept. 27, six students left the Vassar and journeyed to Worchester, Mass. where they attended a Women of Color Conference. The three-day event, titled “Sisterhood: Who Am I? Who Are We Together?” was comprised of workshops with topics ranging from stereotypes of black women in reality T.V. to the experience of attending predominantly white colleges. The weekend boasted several lectures by speakers like Rev. Sarai Rivera, the only councilwoman of color in Worcester and Lisa Wong, the first Asian-American mayor of Fitchburg, Mass. The conference took place at the College of the Holy Cross and was sponsored by CHAS Consortium on High Achievement and Success). CHAS promotes success among college students of color through programs and events like the Women of Color Conference. Begun in 2000, CHAS is now has a presence in 26 liberal arts schools across the country. Partner schools include Pomona College on the West Coast, Oberlin College in Ohio, and, of course, Vassar College right here in Poughkeepsie. The CHAS “Black and Latino Males Conference” will be held this year at Vassar from November 15 to 17. But last weekend’s event was CHAS’s first conference See WOC on page 7
Men’s soccer takes aim even higher Famed British chorus to serenade Skinner T Jonathan Safir Guest RepoRteR
he Vassar College men’s Soccer team has set the bar high in past years, and the program has not had a losing season since 2006. Notably, and more recently, the Brewers are coming off of consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances via the automatic bid in 2011 and an at-large bid in 2012. When a team is 9-4-3 in Liberty League play for the past two years—which includes a conference tournament title and a regular season title—expectations will be high.
Returning Second-Team All-Liberty League performer and senior captain Evan Seltzer admitted to internalizing this expectation. He expects, “[this year’s team] out-perform last years.” Seltzer also believes his team will “advance further in the NCAA’s despite losing some key seniors to graduation.” Senior captain and goalkeeper Ryan Grimme expressed similar sentiments about what he expects out of this season. He said in an emailed statement, “I have the highest expectations of all four of my years here at Vassar.”
The team have not gone unscathed during non-conference play. However, captains Grimme, Seltzer and senior Juliano Pereira all believe that early struggles will help in the long run. Pereira admitted that “[The team] would like our record to be a bit better at this point in the season given the competitiveness of qualification for the NCAA tournament. That being said, our team is fully prepared and excited for Liberty League play. We feel that given the strength of our league, we have an opportunity See SOCCER on page 18
courtesy of Stile Antico
Alec Feretti/The Miscellany News
Junior Zack Nasipak of men’s Soccer in action against Skidmore College this past Saturday on September 28. Nasipak, a defender on the team, is in his third year. Men’s soccer seeks to live up to high expectations this season, standing at 5-3-2
Inside this issue
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The best option for filling open OPINIONS Davison seat
15 ARTS
Krawiec never content with own vocal prowess
Renowned British vocal ensemble Stile Antico will perform “Treasures of the Renaissance” in Skinner Hall of Music at 3 p.m. as part of their U.S. tour. their six-concert tour in the United Margaret Yap States this month. It will feature RepoRteR Stile Antico’s 12 singers, with one replacement to its usual bass line. ailing from Britain, the GramThe term “stile antico” literally my nominated, highly acmeans “old style,” referring to the claimed vocal ensemble Stile Antiseventeenth-century approach of co will take the Skinner Music Hall Renaissance church composition. stage on Sunday October 6. Indeed, the group focuses on works The singers will perform a conthat are even in rhythm and strictly cert titled “Treasures of the Renaissance” at 3 p.m. as a part of See CHORUS on page 16
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19 SPORTS
Start of NBA season can’t come soon enough
The Miscellany News
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October 3, 2013
Robinson, a freshman again in Scotland Brooke Robinson
FAR And AWAY BloGGeR
I spent some of my last days in America preparing for Vassar’s freshman orientation as well as getting ready for my own “Fresher’s Week”in Edinburgh. That’s right—after days upon days of conflict coaching,leadership training, and house team bonding, I was off to become the very person that I was training to help. If that sounds confusing, imagine actually living through it. This twilight zone of a week began with me sobbing continuously to my Vassar friends, practically begging them to lock me in the basement of Blodgett so that maybe I could just stay at the school I love so dearly. Don’t get me wrong: I am thrilled to be abroad, but leaving Vassar after house team training was like leaving a middle school slumber party—I simply didn’t want to go. After pulling myself together, packing two
suitcases until dangerously full, and boarding a plane to the UK alongside my mother, I was ready to start my adventure. My transition between Jewett and Hermit’s Croft (it sounds so Scottish, doesn’t it?) was spent in a comfortable hotel room in the center of Edinburgh, playing tourist with my mom. In between buying school supplies, we toured castles, ate pub food, and listened to ghost tours in “haunted” cemeteries. Finally, my mom returned to real life, and my real life in Scotland began. The first day without my mom (I’m an adult, I promise) was scary at first. It was Freshers’ Week at University of Edinburgh, and the questions swimming through my head included, “What do people do here? Are my social skills going to work in Scotland? Will they think I’m a loser from some unknown location in the States, or will they think I’m a really cool American?”
I started off well by going to the grocery store and looking completely lost. I wandered the aisles, wondering why everything seemed smaller in size—the milk cartons, the bags of flour, even the apples were all miniature. Even though I didn’t quite know how to instantly become a natural UK grocery shopper, my trip ended pretty well, despite the fact that I could not—and still can’t—find tofu anywhere. In fact, I had to explain to the store employees what tofu is, and they led me to the cheese section, which didn’t quite have what I was looking for. They wished me luck in finding my tofu, deemed me a “unique lady,” and off I went, groceries in hand. Read the rest of Brooke’s transition to student life and grocery shopping in Edinburgh, as well as account from other students studying abroad, in our Far and Away blogs at miscellanynews.com
Editor-in-Chief Bethan Johnson
Senior Editors Chris Gonzalez Steven Williams
Contributing Editors Ruth Bolster Adam Buchsbaum Jessica Tarantine
News Noble Ingram Features Aja Saalfeld Opinions Angela Della Croce Joshua Sherman Humor & Satire Lily Doyle Arts Jack Owen Sports Christopher Brown Tina Caso Photography Cassady Bergevin Spencer Davis Design Palak Patel Online Alessandra Seiter Crossword Editor Assistant Features Assistant Sports Assistant Photo
Jack Mullan Eloy Bleifuss Prados Luka Laden Jacob Heydorn Gorski Jiajing Sun Assistant Online Youngeun “Ellis” Kim Victoria Bachurska Business Manager David Rosenkranz photo credit: Brooke Robinson
Brooke Robinson ’15 captures a view from her new home in Scotland, where she is studying abroad. After a week of house team training for a position she will fill upon her return, Robinson realized that, abroad, she was the same new student she had prepared to help.
Like an article? Have a comment? Want to contribute? Email us at misc@ vassar.edu We would love to hear from you! MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Reporters Natasha Bertrand Emma Daniels Emily Hoffman Anna Iovine Maggie Jeffers Margaret Yap Columnists Zach Rippe Max Rook Lily Sloss Eli J. Vargas I Design Bethany Terry Online Rachel Dorn Copy Alex Bue Elizabeth Dean Sophie Kosmacher Christian Lewis Maxélle Neufville Tori Madway Macall McQueen Ashley Pecorelli Marya Pasciuto Camilla Pfeiffer Emma Roellke Rebecca Weir LETTERS POLICY The Miscellany News is Vassar College’s weekly open forum for discussion of campus, local and national issues, and welcomes letters and opinions submissions from all readers. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 450 words, and they usually respond to a particular item or debate from the previous week’s issue. Opinions articles are longer pieces, up to 800 words, and take the form of a longer column. No letter or opinions article may be printed anonymously. If you are interested in contributing, e-mail misc@vassar.edu.
The Miscellany News does not expressly endorse any of the opinions of the columnists featured within the pages of the paper, except for the staff editorial.
October 3, 2013
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Feminist-Vegetarian author disects the masculinity of meat Emily Hoffman RepoRteR
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expand our horizons and branch out into areas that are not typical within our scope of interest.” Furthermore, he asserted that “Women’s rights issues are obviously at the forefront of the mainstream political discourse, with this nation (hopefully) on the verge of electing its first female president. While Adams did not discuss topical political issues such as freedom of choice and equal pay, the theme of her presentation still pertained to the spirit of gender equality.” One student who attended, Ava Sadeghi ’15 said that the lecture interested her. “I was surprised by a lot of the advertisements and found
them offensive, but I also think they gave a lot of insight into why people think the way that they do about meat and especially about body image in the United States. I also was surprised by some of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) advertisements because I think a lot of people respect and acknowledge them as a legitimate organization, but Adams revealed that a lot of the advertisements they have used in the past were derogatory toward women. I thought the lecture was all around informative and useful and I think it shed light on important concepts that are already being discussed in the Vassar community,” she said.
Cassady Bergevin/The Miscellany News
n Sunday, Sept. 29, Carol J. Adams, author of acclaimed book The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory, came to Vassar. On her visit, she delivered a talk titled, the “Sexual Politics of Meat Slide Show.” Her presentation dealt with the ways that images of women and animals in contemporary popular culture connect to oppressive attitudes toward both groups. The Vassar Animal Rights Coalition (VARC), Vassar College Democrats, and the Vassar Geography and Earth Science Departments sponsored the presentation. The slide show emphasized how meat is valued in American culture as masculine and the ways in which assumptions about meat eating reinforce a gender binary. Adams addressed the issue of unhealthy meat consumption in the United States and focused on the marketing tactics and stereotypes surrounding meat that reinforce these eating habits. The author asserted that there is a widely accepted notion in the United States that Americans need meat, and that men in particular need meat. Adams showed various advertisements for meat, including several Burger King television ads that show people of ethnic minorities trying a burger for the very first time. The presenter also showed images highlighting the ways in which women were used in meat advertisements through objectification, consumption, and fragmentation, or the process of isolating specific body parts without clarification as to the larger body. According to Alessandra Seiter ’16, co-president of VARC, “VARC was interested in sponsoring Carol Adams because she is a pioneer in the feminist and animal rights movements, and knows about the intersections between
both movements better than anyone of whom we know.” (Full disclosure: Alessandra Seiter is Online Editor at the Miscellany News.) Members of VARC met Adams at a conference last year where she expressed her interest in visiting Vassar for a talk. Seiter said, “VARC decided that it would very beneficial to get Adams to speak this year after the Spring/Summer issue of the Vassar Alumna/e Quarterly came out, which expressed much sexist, speciesist, and anti-vegetarian messaging.” She continued, “We hoped that Adams would bring an effective counter to the magazine, which we found quite problematic. Adams actually messaged me on Facebook after the Quarterly incident and suggested that it might be time for her to come to Vassar and I followed up with her.” Seiter applauded the presentation. “Adams’ presentation addressed the intersectionalities between veganism and feminism—how our meat-eating culture perpetuates patriarchy. I personally loved when Carol addressed the myths behind ‘humane’ meat and dairy in her presentation. For example, she compared photos of a caged egg-laying facility and a cagefree egg laying facility—both looked largely the same, with chickens crammed shoulder to shoulder in a dark warehouse with little to no access to the outdoors,” she said. She continued,“I think it’s important that the Vassar community, which is so wonderfully concerned with a multiplicity of important social movements, come to realize veganism and animal rights as another legitimate issue.” According to Vassar Democrats president Evan Seltzer ’14, “Vassar Democrats always loves to work with other student organizations, so we realized this would be a great way to kick off our active year. We also felt like Adams presented an opportunity for the Dems to
Speaker Carol J. Abrams visited Vassar, discussing the ways in which the meat industry utlizes sexist imagery, and linking the animal rights and vegan movements with the femenist movement.
Local marchers reflect on 50 years of race relations Anna Iovine and Shelia Hu RepoRteR And Guest RepoRteR
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his past Thursday, Sept. 26, Vassar played host to a panel of speakers and a poet in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. This event was organized in tandem with the photo exhibit “This is the Day: Leonard Freed’s Photographs of the 1963 March on Washington” currently showing at the James W. Palmer Gallery. The exhibition kicked off in the Villard Room with an opening event. The program began with a lecture on photographer Leonard Freed by Haverford College professor Paul Farber, followed by a panel of Poughkeepsie residents who participated in the March. The program concluded with a spoken word performance by Poughkeepsie poet Bettina Gold Wilkerson. Members of the Vassar and United States Military Academy at West Point communities, as well as the Poughkeepsie community as a whole, attended. Although a month late—the March took place on Aug. 28, 1963—Vassar celebrated the stories of participants of one of the
largest political rallies for civil rights in American history. Professor of History on the Marion Musser Lloyd ’32 and Chair of History and International Studies Maria Höhn orchestrated the event. She said of its inception, “I am a friend of Brigitte Freed’s—the widow of the photographer—and when she told me a few years back that she was putting together an exhibition of photographs of the March on Washington, I was intrigued.” She added, “This was such a momentous event in our country’s history, and I appreciated her willingness to go through her husband’s huge photo archive to curate this exhibition. Of course, I right away asked her whether we could bring the pictures to Vassar as well. She was delighted to do so.” Scholar of American and Urban Studies and Visiting Assistant Professor of Writing and Fellow in the Writing Program at Haverford College, Paul Farber, started the event with a lecture on Leonard Freed. Farber, a co-curator of the photo exhibit, discussed the importance of “cultural memory” through photography. Through the process of photographing the
Cassady Bergevin/The Miscellany News
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, Vassar College hosted a photo exhibit and a panel comprised of Poughkeepsie locals who participated in the march decades ago.
March, Freed was partaking in “engaged observation,” as he was not only documenting as a reporter—but as a fellow participant of the historic event. Höhn said of Freed’s photography, “My own interest in Freed’s work grew mostly due to my research on black GIs stationed in Germany. He took some amazing photos, and his images really spoke to me.” She continued, “I was particularly taken with one of the images Freed took in 1961 at the Berlin Wall; Paul Farber talked at length about that.” The photography in the exhibition showed a collective gathering of a community who had the same beliefs and hope for the country. In the photographs, Farber talked about how he saw no faces, individual identities or characteristics; only a sea of people. He discussed how the March was a political rally that called people from all over the country for a united stand for change. Freed’s photography, according to Farber, allows viewers to see that activists Marched as a collective party on that historic day 50 years ago. The program then shifted to a panel featuring three people who were at the March on Washington. Associate Dean of the Faculty and Professor of English and Africana Studies, Eve Dunbar, served as the moderator for the panel. Höhn commented on Dunbar’s participation, “Professor Dunbar and I have taught together in American Studies, so the two of us explored how having the exhibition at Vassar could be combined with a panel of veterans of the March.” “Personally, I was tremendously moved by [panelist] Leon Watkins. There was such a gauzy depiction of the March in so much of the media this summer. It was good to be reminded by Leon that people were actually afraid to get on those buses, that it was dangerous for them to board buses and go to DC,” Höhn recalled of the panelists. She continued, “I thought the panel was amazing, it wasn’t just celebratory, but had awkward moments and silences.” Dunbar agreed, “I wish the panelists that I was asked to moderate had been a bit more conversational—with me, the audience, and one another—but I think their discordant messages actually illustrate how difficult racial history is
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
to overcome and discuss for many people.” She continued, reflecting on the responses she thought would come from those who attended the event or the photography show. “I hope the audience had the opportunity to visit the Palmer and see one man’s amazing photographs of a key moment in American history. Moreover, their responses, which ranged from oblivious joy to long-lasting trauma and anger, were very telling about what 50 years can and cannot do to American hearts and minds,” she noted. The event ended on a more artistic note with a spoken word poem by Bettina Gold Wilkerson. According to Höhn, “My husband is really good friends with Bettina Gold Wilkerson; it was his idea to invite ‘Gold’ and I am really glad that we did.” She went on, “I thought she was amazing, and really moved the audience.” Numerous Vassar students were in attendance to this event. Audience member Dalia Grinan ’17 said, “I was interested in going to the talk because I wanted to learn more about the photographer and why he took photos of the March. I was also really interested in hearing what the panel had to say about their experiences at the March.” “I think the talk was very interesting, what I got out of it was a better sense of what it was like to be there and I definitely want to look for Leonard Freed’s book Black in White America,” Grinan added. Alejandro McGhee ’16 said of his experience, “I went to the lecture because I care deeply about civil rights history. I thought it was a great event that highlighted the nuances of civil rights struggle.” According to Höhn, “I was hoping that the lecture, panel and opening at the Palmer would be empowering to young people today, to help them understand how ‘people power’ or ‘grassroots democracy’ was such a vital part of moving our country forward.” “And while the event was meant to celebrate the marchers, and the March, it was also a time to reflect on how far we still have to go as a country,” Höhn remarked. The photo exhibit “This is the Day: Leonard Freed’s Photographs of the 1963 March on Washington” is at the James W. Palmer Gallery in Main Building until Oct. 12.
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Outside the Bubble
Indonesia a model for interfaith dialogue Maggie Jeffers
Justice Department sues North Carolina
Attorney Eric General Holder announced on Monday September 30 that the Justice Department will sue to bar several provisions of North Carolina’s new voting regulations law. The law, passed by Republican Governor Pat McCrory in North Carolina this past August, includes provisions which require a government-issued ID, shorten early voting by one week, cease day-of voter registration, prevent pre-registration of underage voters who will be 18 before an election, and ease access to absentee ballots (Washington Post, “North Carolina governor signs extensive Voter ID law,” 8.12.13). The law was passed after the Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down part of the 1956 Voting Rights Act. The Act required states whose voting laws were historically discriminatory to minority groups get federal permission before changing their election policies. (Associated Press, “NC Republicans Vow to Fight US DOJ Over Voter Laws,” 9.30.13). Critics of the law contend that it will obstruct young, low-income, or minority voters. According to the Associated Press, 70 percent of African-American people who voted last year in North Carolina did so during the early voting period. Also according to the AP report, low-income and minority voters are also less likely to possess a driver’s license. Gov. McCrory asserts that the law reflects national trends in states’ voting laws, and that some provisions, like shortening early voting, will save money. One aspect of the law, requiring ID, was described by Gov. McCrory as reasonable. (Reuters, “Obama administration sues to block North Carolina voter law,” 9.30.13). According to the Reuters report, the Department of Justice’s challenge will be issued in a federal court in North Carolina and will appeal to Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits discriminatory voting policies. As the controversy continues, Gov. McCrory emphasizes that the laws standardize North Carolina’s procedures. According to the Washington Post, the majority of states have some voting law requiring photo ID. Meanwhile, Attorney General Holder posits that members of minority groups will suffer restrictions of their freedoms due to parts of the law, including its unusually strict ID requirement and of curtailment of voting. —Bitsy Dean, Guest Reporter
October 3, 2013
Guest Reporter
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n Thursday, September 23, Dr. Bernard Adeney-Risakotta gave a lecture entitled “Interfaith Dialogue in the World’s Largest Islamic Country: Religion, Society, and Politics in Indonesia” in Rockefeller Hall. The talk was supplemented by informative visuals and bullet points via a Power Point presentation, and dealt with many issues of religion and inter-religious dialogue in Indonesia today. The lecture portion was followed by a questions section during which members of the audience were invited to voice any concerns they had. Dr. Adeney-Risakotta is the director of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), which is an international Ph.D. program in inter-religious studies. He has been a leading scholar in interfaith studies in Indonesia for more than 20 years, and his wife, Farsijana Adeney-Risakotta, who provided some of her own insight during the questions portion of the event, is an anthropologist and theologian in inter-religious education. Adeney-Risakotta began the lecture with a personal anecdote drawn from his many years of experience in the sphere of religious studies. His story pertained heavily to the issue of global religious diversity. He explained that sometime after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, he had been asked to be a part of a panel that consisted of Muslim speakers and had correctly assumed that he was supposed to represent the American point of view. After he gave his talk at the event, he listened to the remaining young Muslim speakers give their own fiery talks, all of which contained very anti-West ideas and rhetoric. He then told the Vassar crowd that as this was happening, he felt heat rising in him, because, according to him, what was happening to these young people wasn’t fair and was influencing their views in a destructive way. He continued, “I felt rising in me a sense of the great unfairness of the portrayal that was going on.” He relayed that at this point, stood and faced the crowd. Adeney-Risakotta proceeded to announce to the crowd, “You know, America is a whole lot worse than you think it is. But it’s also a whole lot better.” He then went on to argue that it was not
just to compare the most biased and hateful voices of one civilization with the ideals of another, and to ask the Muslims in the room if they would want Palestine speaking on behalf of them. According to his telling of the story, at this point he addressed the audience once again. “I’m an American. I’m a Christian. Am I your enemy?” he charged. After a long silence, an old Muslim man responded to him, answering that Adeney-Riskotta was not their enemy but that the enemies of Islam were their enemies. With that tale concluded, Adeney-Risakotta launched into his lecture that focused specifically on interfaith interactions and interdependence in modern Indonesia. First, he covered the history of religious diversity in Indonesia, explaining that the country had a “far better record than Europe for religious tolerance,” and detailing the arrival of people of each religion to the county. He explained that the people of Indonesia are free to follow indigenous religions or major religions, but that due to lack of legal definitions, there is no special protection for indigenous religions by the government. Additionally, according to Adeney-Riskotta, there are laws in place against defaming religions that you do not belong to; thus, Adeney-Risakotta suggests that in Indonesia people display a degree of individual acceptance. She explained, “[People] feel free to believe whatever [one] wants to, but shouldn’t propagate it.” The next slide dealt with three paradigmatic events, which dealt with the tragedy of 1965-66, the transition period after the fall of Indonesian President Suharto, which lasted from 1998 to 2004, and the Bali bombings of September 11, 2001. Adeney-Risakotta revealed that after the latter occurred, people were approaching him on the streets of Indonesia because of what his physical appearance and expressed identity and repeatedly apologizing to him and expressing remorse. He then remarked that eventually, once the War on Terror began, these attitudes seemed to change. Dr. Adeney-Risakotta seemed very hopeful for the future, however, and used Indonesia as a model of successful, peaceful coexistence and empathy between people of different religious groups. The people, he said, under-
stand that issues of religion are far from black and white, and that there are as many clashes within certain religious groups as there are between different ones. He pointed to certain hopeful signs in Indonesia, including the growth of health, education, and prosperity, as well as the end of exclusive executive control Muslim political parties had over Indonesian politics. It is important to note that many successful political figures themselves who are Muslim do not align themselves with political parties that support the institution of Islamic law in Indonesian politics. Co-president of the student organization the Vassar Islamic Society Farah Aziz ’16 advertised the event to her club members and ended up attending it herself. Of the event, Aziz explained in an emailed statement, “While I didn’t find the idea of an interfaith society in Indonesia a new concept because I’ve grown up hearing about Indonesia’s diversity and pluralism, I think a lot of people in the audience found it very enlightening.” When asked is if she shared in Adeney-Risakotta’s optimism concerning Indonesia and its imagined future for the world, she responded, “I think that generally, people have this misconception that religion has no room in the modern world.” She continued, emphasizing the ways in which religion can positively influence the lives of Indonesians and people around the world, more generally. “In today’s context, people still use religion and spirituality as vehicles for seeking a purpose in life through a broad range of interpretations that have branched from the more traditional practices of the past,” she said. Aziz went further, praising Indonesia’s ability to create spaces where different religious groups can find common ground and peace. “With that in mind, I think people are more open-minded to openly talking and learning about other beliefs through these inclusive ideas that shape Indonesia today. So yes, I’ve always been optimistic about a more-Indonesia based world model and I think this lecture just confirmed what I’ve always believed in,” she stated. For information on the topics discussed in this lecture, or for a space to discuss questions and differences of faith and spirituality, contact the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.
Government shuts down temporarily
For the first time since 1995 the federal government has shut down. Congress failed to come to an agreement concerning a budget resolution that would fund Obama’s health-care initiative. The closure means that federal workers will be furloughed Tuesday and over a million other workers will be asked to work with no pay at all. National parks, monuments, and museums will all be closed. Additionally, Congressional hearings are all postponed, including one scheduled that concerns last month’s shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. President Obama did manage to approve a bill prior to the shutdown that enables active-duty troops to continue to receive pay (NY Times, “Government Shuts Down in Budget Impasse”, 9.30.13.). During the final hours before the deadline, House Republicans passed a proposal that sought to delay the passing of the “individual mandate” which requires all Americans to obtain health insurance. The Democratic-led Senate promptly rejected this. On Tuesday, Obama addressed the situation saying, “At midnight last night, for the first time in 17 years, Republicans in Congress chose to shut down the federal government.” He additionally noted, “I’ll work with anybody who’s got a serious idea to make the Affordable Care Act work better,” he said. “But as long as I am president I will not give in to reckless demands by some in the Republican Party to deny affordable health insurance to millions of hardworking Americans.” (Washington Post, “FULL TRANSCRIPT: President Obama’s Oct. 1 remarks on the government shutdown and Obamacare”, 10.01.13.). Congress is continuing to work on a resolution, but the Washington Post reports that the shutdown is predicted to last at least a week. (Washington Post, “Shutdown begins: Stalemate forces first U.S. Government closure in 17 years”, 10.01.13). The last shutdown to occur lasted 27 days. —Debbie Altman, Guest Reporter
VSARC to evaluate student representation VSARCcontinued from page 1
the ultimate goals of VSARC offered by others. In an emailed statement, Abbady wrote, “VSARC has some pretty broad goals, but ultimately I think we’re trying to figure out exactly what it is that’s wrong with the VSA. It’s not exactly a mystery that a lot of students harbor negative feelings about the VSA, and the goal of our committee is to get to the bottom of these feelings.” In 2008, the college conducted a comprehensive year-long program that aimed to improve student life at Vassar. The program was called “What would it take for you to thrive at Vassar?” and it examined aspects of college life across campus including residential life and campus dining. One result of the program was the Transitions Orientation Program. Since then, as Morse noted, there has been a lack of oversight especially as it relates to the VSA. As Morse mentioned, “There hasn’t been too much of an attempt to gather a holistic view of the VSA and the way that the VSA is structured and the way that the structure helps or hinders.” The idea for VSARC was proposed at the end of last year, although the actual formation of the group just started this past week. As Abbady made clear, the institution of VSARC has been an ongoing process that began before the current school year. “It’s my understanding that during Operations Committee last year, some students worked on the charter for this committee as a result of talks regarding restructuring. I wasn’t present at the time, so I’m not entirely sure of the details. But we passed the charter at our first VSA Council meeting at the end of last year, so now here we are,” he said.
While VSARC did not come out of specific concerns aired by students, many on the VSA Council report hearing of concerns that the VSA might not always represent its constituents in the best or fairest ways. Morse didn’t offer any reports as impetus to the formation of the committee, but stated that he felt putting together VSARC was the right thing to do. Abbady agreed, although he did offer some reasoning for greater review of the VSA. “Last year, I was a Freshmen Rep, and we discussed this in Class Council. We discussed the fact that the same types of students seem to always run for student government here,” said Abbady. He continued, “Particularly, VSA positions seem to, in general, be filled by a lot of white students, leaving students of color feeling unrepresented. Of course, I’m only speaking from my personal observations and discussions I’ve had with people, and I’m not trying to represent all [people of color] here.” VP for Operations Ali Ehrlich ’15 echoed this idea, saying, “I think there definitely are issues of fairness and representation in the VSA currently. It is better that council is more diverse this year than last, but that in no way indicates that we don’t still have a problem.” Elrich continued, “There are many students who don’t feel engaged, represented, or comfortable with the VSA. Merely the fact that students feel this way indicates the magnitude of the problem.” Morse also made a distinction in the committee’s goals clear. As he said, VSARC was not created to be a solution to the concerns that it reveals. It means only to bring those concerns to light and have them be discussed
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by a wider range of people. As he noted, “Wanting to solve a certain issue is great, but I see this committee as a little bit larger than that. It’s trying to expose all of the issues that we currently have.” He also explained, “The goal of this committee isn’t to fix all of the issues, because that’s a huge task.” According to members of the committee, the goal of VSARC would be to present the information they collect to the VSA and the administration. As Morse stated, “Hopefully by the end of this we’ll be able to present our findings to the VSA as a whole and recommend specific areas of concern that need to be developed further.” Ehrlich continued with this idea, saying, “Ideally, from this committee we would get data that identifies a number of concerns that many students experience. From these concerns we would identify short-term and longterm goals and actions for improvements that can be made to the VSA.” Abbady, too, weighed in on his vision for the future of VSARC. “Hopefully by the end of this we’ll be able to present our findings to the VSA as a whole and recommend specific areas of concern that need to be developed further,” he said. Morse’s biggest message to students is a call to get involved if they feel strongly about the VSA and its representation of the student body. As he said, “We had our initial interest meeting on Thursday and the first thing we realized was we need more perspectives. We’re actively trying to get more people to come into the committee.” The committee meets Thursdays at 9 p.m. in the Rose Parlor and is open to all.
October 3, 2013
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Class Action combats issues of classism Aja Saalfeld
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lass can be a difficult issue to navigate, and one that is often compounded at highly selective colleges with a history of wealthy students. Vassar is one such institution, but it has made efforts to start talking about socioeconomic class. This past Saturday, Sept. 28, the Students’ Class Issue Alliance (SCIA) hosted the Class Action’s Exploring Class on Campus workshop in the College Center Multi-Purpose Room. Class Action, founded in 2004, is a small national non-profit dedicated to ending classism. According to its mission statement, “Class Action inspires action to end classism. We raise awareness, facilitate cross-class dialogue, support cross-class alliances, and work with others to promote economic justice.” In collaborating with Class Action to host this workshop, Vassar College was a participant in Class Action’s educational program, which works with high schools and colleges to help address issues related to classism in their institutions. Over 20 students and faculty attended the workshop, which was only available to students who had registered in advance. As for the registration process, even though the available spots were capped,SCIA president Rocky Schwarz ’15 explained insisted that it was made available to as many students as possible.
She wrote in an emailed statement, “I’m happy with the registration process for the workshop and that all those who registered were offered a spot. Hopefully we will be able to bring more workshops to Vassar in the future, increasing participation and reaching more students, faculty, and administration.” Many students attended as representatives for a variety oforganizations, including the Feminist Alliance, the Vassar Student Association and Poder Latino. After going over the agenda as well as some ground rules—“be respectful,” “assume good intent”—the attendees participated in an ice-breaker event called Common Ground, in which they formed a circle and speakers called out various identities and living situations. If someone identified with that experience, they would enter the circle. The possibilities included being the child of a single parent, having access to a trust fund and being on financial aid, and many others. SCIA member Hannah Schenk ’14 was particularly fond of this activity. She wrote in an emailed statement, “I found Common Ground to be a beautiful and effective way for us to establish trust within the group and to start taking the risks required to constructively explore our personal experiences with class among peers.” After Common Ground, participants lined themselves up along a spectrum of different
classes before breaking off into small caucus groups to discuss the benefits, disadvantages and general experiences of being within their specific class. The workshop wrapped up with a physical example of the disproportionate distribution of wealth within the United States, with one volunteer being given 70 percent of available sitting space, and the remaining nine the other 30 percent. Ultimately, after a workshop that the organizers described as successful, members of SCIA are hopeful that this Class Action workshop will provide the push needed to make class issues more visible on campus. Schwarz wrote, “SCIA consistently hosts discussion dinners centered around class issues and this presently functions as the main shared forum for class-specific dialogue on campus. Hopefully the workshop served as the impetus for continued dialogue and action. SCIA plans to collaborate with other organizations and identity groups throughout the school year to explore class in an intersectional context.” Schenk was also satisfied with the outcome of the event. She said, “Just talking and creating space to talk about class is a huge step towards reducing classism. We all have something to contribute to conversations about class, we just need the space to have these conversations. These conversations can then generate concrete action steps towards fighting inequality.”
Symposium honors scientific collaboration Bethany Terry stAFF desiGneR
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courtesy of Vassar College
n an annual symposium showcasing original research conducted by some of the Vassar student body, the spirit of scientific collaboration was celebrated this past Wednesday in the Villard room. This four-hour program was the culmination of the Undergraduate Summer Research (URSI) program. Working on topics ranging from senior citizens to rocks to E. coli, over 60 Vassar students and 30 faculty presented their findings last week. In opening remarks, Steve Rock, Acting Dean of the Faculty, explained this process. “URSI is an extraordinary program” he said. “The students who participate learn to formulate a research question, review the relevant scientific literature, develop hypotheses, design experiments, gather and analyze data, and present their findings. The kinds of skills that they develop and practice will make them effective leaders and citizens no matter what future path they may choose.” The theme of the afternoon seemed to be the virtue of collaboration. Associate Professor of Computer Science Marc Smith remarked, “Science is a social, and a collaborative, exercise, and URSI wouldn’t be possible without many dimensions of collaboration. One dimension of collaboration is among people at different stages of their scientific career.” Scientific careers in their early stages were highly represented through presentation of student research both orally and visually. As for the first method, five students presented their work to the crowd during the main program. One student, Anuoluwapo Sopeyin ’15, discussed the efficiency levels she obtained in purifying PldB, a lysophospholipase found in E. coli. She hopes that, along with her mentor Teresa Garrett, Associate Professor of Chemistry, she can use this process that she has developed to further study lysophospholipase. Of her time spent this summer, Sopeyin found the process incredibly valuable. “Working on a long project is different than regular class labs in that although you have to work for long hours straight, you get to really own the research. It’s a continuous process of trial-error that leaves you anticipating results” she said. She admits that she was a bit nervous to present in front of so many people, but she found that it wasn’t as bad as she thought that it was going to be. “At first, the thought of presenting to such a varied audience—professors and students— was a bit nerve-racking. I wanted to convey everything I learned in the best way, so that everyone understood” she said. Ramy Abbady ’16, another student who spoke about his work, alongside fellow student
The annual URSI symposium provides an opportunity for students to present their scientific research, which they conducted with a professor over the summer. and celebrates collaboration across disciplines. Brian Deer ’15, studied Planaria using light diffraction patterns this summer. Discussing his work, he described yet another aspect to the collaboration process: the professor/student mentorship. “I think getting the chance to do work collaboratively with an expert was incredibly rewarding. It was mind-blowing to be able to learn so much from Professor Magne,” said Abbady of his advisor Assistant Professor of Physics Jenny Magnes. This relationship allowed him to gain a better idea of how research works. “The scientific process is actually quite challenging, because most of the setbacks come unexpectedly and you have to react quickly to them,” said Abbady. As an example he explained that at one point in the summer the worms became sick and the team was unable to collect data. Following the student presentations was a keynote address from Professor Christos Papadimitriou, C. Lester Hogan Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of California at Berkeley. Speaking of his own work, he discussed evolution and how he can describe different processes using computational methods. Starting off very general, describing some of the leaders in the genetics and evolution field, and then relating that to his own work, he provided an example to the students in attendance on how one might present their own findings to a general audience. While the main focus of the symposium
was on the students and their work, the program also took time to honor the late Winifred Asprey ’38, an alumna and former professor. Asprey, founder of Vassar Computer Science department and responsible for the acquisition of Vassar’s first computer in 1967, wanted to impact Vassar students even after she was gone. Through an endowment made possible by Asprey, programs through the Center for Collaborative Approaches to Science, such as Science at Vassar Farm, Diving into Research, and, of course, URSI, will continue to be funded for years to come. In honor of her support, the Center for Collaborative Approaches to Science was rededicated on Wednesday, the Winifred Asprey Center for Collaborative Approaches to Science. Of this Smith said, “Collaboration also exists across disciplines, and CCAS has encouraged, enabled, and extended Vassar’s commitment to this type of collaboration since we received a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant back in 2008. What the HHMI grant helped us start, the bequest from Winifred Asprey will help us continue in perpetuity.” The symposium ended with a poster session for the public and a dinner for those involved in URSI. Over 50 posters that were created by the involved students were displayed and many of students were present to discuss their findings. In this way they worked to keep the spirit of collaboration alive, taking what they learned and sharing it within a community of scientists, researchers, professors and students.
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Fall event bonds queer students Kelly Yu
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tudents, professors and administrators alike slowly filtered into the room. Bubbly, light music accompanied the laughter and small talk that floated through the air. Friends caught up while strangers became acquainted. On September 25, the LGBTQ Center held its 7th Annual Fall Reception at 5:00 p.m. in the Kenyon Club Room for members of the LGBTQ community and allies to meet, mingle, or catch up after months away from campus. The reception is one of the Center’s largest events of the year. Students of all class years, as well as numerous staff members, made their way to Kenyon dressed-up in semi-casual attire and ready to enjoy food catered by Twisted Soul. Director for the Campus Life LGBTQ Center and Women’s Center at Vassar College Judy Jarvis ’07 helped publicize the event through posters and word of mouth. It did not, however, take much to persuade active members to attend. According to Jarvis, “I know it’s an event that many returning students look forward to each fall, so it’s an easy sell.” Jarvis noted the importance of holding LGBTQ receptions and events throughout the year on campus. “LGBTQ people are not necessarily a visible group—we don’t all dress the same, participate in the same activities, take the same classes,” she said. “It’s really important to have informal opportunities for folks to see how large and diverse the LGBTQ and ally community is.” Vassar’s LGBTQ Center, located on the second floor of Main Building, was built to serve as an open and safe space for the Queer community on campus. According to the Center’s website, the Center’s mission is one that “enhances the campus life experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer students and their allies by providing social, cultural and academic programming; fostering strong leaders; highlighting Vassar’s unique history; and engaging the entire campus in discussions of social justice and inclusion.” Elizabeth Ruiz ’14, who has attended the LGBTQ Autumn reception every year she’s been on campus, enjoys taking a break from her studies to see other members of the Vassar community outside a classroom environment. “It’s an intimate setting for a diverse group,” said Ruiz. Treasurer of the student organization Queer Coalition of Vassar College (QCVC), Christopher Sundberg ’16, explained that the event, though publicized with note for being somewhat casual was, in fact, very informal. “It is a more casual way to get people together,” Sundberg said. “It is great to get out of my room and get free food.” Others, see the Autumn Reception as an opportunity to foster affinity and begin critical friendships on campus. “It is one of the few spaces at Vassar where we can mix and mingle,” explained Yanée Ferrari ’15. “It is usually hard to break social boundaries, but the Reception is a lot more fluid and fostering of the spirit of community.” Imani Wong ’14 was on call for Vassar’s Emergency Medical Service but still found time to attend the event. According to Wong, the Autumn Reception, can help break certain generalizations about LGBTQ people and their behaviors. “It’s nice to have a bunch of queer people not doing queer things,” Wong said. She also noted, “People often forget that we’re normal people.” However, this is not the last of the events LGBTQ Center will host in the coming months. Besides the weekly LGBTQ community and allies dinners on Mondays from 6-7 p.m., in the LGBTQ Center, members and allies can expect a presentation held by the Vassar LGBTQ Oral History Project team, CommuniTea and other programing throughout the year.
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October 3, 2013
Committee recommits to improving dining experiences Kelsey Quinn
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hether it’s warranted or not, it’s almost a right of passage for Vassar students to complain about the All Campus Dining Center (ACDC). Climbing the steps to the Students’ Building, one may find oneself mentally sighing and thinking, “Pizza again, I suppose?” The Food Committee is a group designed to address those ACDC woes, yet many do not take advantage of this resource. In the past, the group has done little to let campus know of their existence, and that is what they’re endeavoring to change now. This group of about 13 students works to improve the dining experience at Vassar. They meet weekly, joined by Senior Director of Campus Dining Maureen King, and Director of Operations of Campus Dining Laura Leone.
Meetaing with higher-ups in campus dining gives the group a direct way to communicate the concerns of Vassar students to those who have the authority to make changes. Under the leadership this year of sophomore Sarah King ’16, the Food Committee has revamped its focus. As chair, King said that, “My goals are very different from what past food committee goals have been...I think mine are a little more broad scope.” With a lot of changes having already taken place, the committee’s plans this year are proving to be different from years’ past even though they are still just getting started. The group hopes that their new strategies will bring about noticeable positive change. In order to accomplish these goals, the committee this year is newly broken into subcom
courtesy of Vassar College Admissions
The Food Committee, a group of 13 students, aims to improve the All Campus Dining Center. It is broken into subcommittees which focus on individual topics such as local foods and dietary restrictions.
mittees, with each assigned to a specific area. With this strategy, the intention is that more will get done with each student working on a specific issue. One primary goal of the committee is to increase the influence of local foods in Vassar dining. That means making the student body more aware of that presence. This year has witnessed an increase in signs next to food in the Deece that advertise them as locally grown. Right now, for example, there is an abundance of apples in the dining hall because they’re in season for local farmers. One of the subcommittees is devoted to focusing on these issues. Another subcommittee is focused on those with dietary restrictions such as vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free students. This year they are attempting to strike a balance and keep those both with and without these dietary restrictions satisfied with food selection. The third subcommittee is dedicated to what is essentially public relations, getting the word out about the committee as well as connecting students more to the ACDC staff. This is a new concept that the committee hopes will get more students to give feedback about their dining experiences at Vassar . The group has a lot planned this year in order to do this, including study breaks, tabling, meet and greets and a variety of other events. King admitted that after serving one year on the Food Committee, “I think the only problem I saw last year was that not that many people knew food committee existed. And it’s really important if we’re supposed to be a voice for the campus that people know that we’re around. And so that’s why that’s one of my more major goals is to make sure that people know that we exist.” Aside from these goals, the committee also expresses specific concerns from Vassar students. One of the primary ways this is done is through face-to-face interaction. The Food Committee members are specifically selected so that there is at least one representative of
each house as well as at least one representative of each class. This makes the committee members more accessible to students. However, this year the committee has also unveiled a new way for students to give their feedback. Anyone who wants to comment on the food at Vassar can now visit vassarfoodfeedback.wordpress.com to do so. The website has so far proven to be a constructive space for compliments, suggestions, or complaints about Vassar food. One issue that the food committee deals with is food or ingredient scarcity. In these cases, the Food Committee serve as the facilitators. They hear the complaints and take it to the Deece employees, who were able to fix it quickly, before any significant problems can arise. The Food Committee deals with situations like this all the time. Their whole purpose is to make dining better for Vassar students, and they have the connections to campus dining that can make it happen. And the campus dining management is eager to help. According to King, “The managers themselves take everything and implement it. They listen, and they are very willing to work with the campus for what they want because that’s why they’re here.” Freshman member Molly James ’17 is excited about her new position on the committee and hopeful for the possibilities ahead. She explained the nature of the committee. “It’s mostly just like a dialogue between the people who make our food and the people who are consuming it. It can be used in a lot of different ways to help the Vassar community,” she said. If the group is successful in their endeavors this year, all Vassar students will be hearing more from the Food Committee. Then, hopefully, for every student fretting over the green beans being undercooked, or lamenting the fact that tater tots are a tragic scarcity, he or she will know that there is a place in which his or her voice can be heard.
French bread requires time, patience for delicious results Aja Saalfeld
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Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News
have been baking bread since I was a very small child, and the smell of yeast brings me back to that childhood as surely as stuffed toys and dial-up internet. French bread, the first bread I ever learned to bake is also my go-to choice when baking. I always have the ingredients for French bread on hand, and not simply because French bread only has about four ingredients. As a child, I hated bread that was too sweet—and by too sweet, I mean any bread that contained any amount of sugar in it— and, so, French bread, with its usual lack of sugar was the obvious first choice in bread making. French bread has always been my favorite yeast bread. Not rye, not multigrain, not fancy onion bubble loaves that are far too impractical to actually make, but my trusty French bread recipe. And I’ve been using the same recipe for years. This is the recipe I used to teach my slightly kitchen-ignorant friend how to make bread, and the recipe I used to mess around with in the kitchen as a kid. And, perhaps most important, it is the recipe I still use to this day. After all this time, I can list the ingredients off the top of my head—six cups flour, one and a bit cups of warm water, two packets of yeast and kosher salt. That’s it. But knowing the easy ingredients to this bread does not mean that it is simple. Or, rather, it is simple, but also susceptible to minute changes in technique that can cause a wide variation in the end result. Sometimes I can manage to force all six cups into the dough, and other days I have to settle for a bit over five. Sometimes it bakes up beautifully, and sometimes it is inexplicably hard. These variations, as well as the necessitation of precise technique, is what has always made the art of bread baking such a special
experience for me. Other than its nostalgia-inducing qualities, bread is something that takes a significant amount of time to master, and while I have been baking it for years, I still have come nowhere close to mastering it. That is inconsequential to the joy of bread baking—the fun comes not in making and eating the perfect bread, though that is certainly a goal as well. The fun comes in the lengthy process by which one creates a loaf of yeasty, crusty carbohydrate-rich, bready goodness that most people, I would think, seem to love. Waiting is an inevitability in any sort of baking, but yeast bread often gets a bad reputation because of the lengthy times that are an unavoidable part of making bread. Bread baking is not for the impatient. Even after rising, the dough might still need more time to rise, and it will certainly need at least some time in the oven. I suppose two options are available to those getting through long rise times: You can either find something else to do, or just suck it up and deal with the waiting period. I usually take the second option. Waiting is meditative, and, at least for me, is just one of the many benefits of baking yeast breads. I love sitting in the kitchen, listening to jazz and simply waiting. Other times I do, I must admit, take the first option. Sometimes I need to make use of all the time I have to make another dish, or have an impromptu jazz or trashy pop music dance party. But I prefer to wait. Waiting is a good skill to have, and I like to think that my bordering on the absurd fondness for making bread has taught me patience. At the very least, it has made me patient about my bread making skills. I know that I am no master baker—well, not yet anyway. But with enough late nights and warm afternoons spent in a kitchen, with flour down my shirt and dough under my fingernails, one day I will be.
The Recipe Ingredients
6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 2 packets of active dry yeast 1 2/3 cups warm water (105-115°F) Olive oil 1) Combine flour and salt. 2)Dissolve yeast into 1/3 cup water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. 3)Using a food processor, combine yeast mixture and remaining 1 1/3 cups warm water into flour mixture, until dough pulls away from the sides. 4)Cover and let dough rise about 1 hour. Deflate dough before using.
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5)Divide dough in two. Mold 1 half into a 10- by 8-inch rectangle and fold in the edges to the middle. Place seam side down and form into a 15-inch-long irregular-shaped loaf. Coat loaf in oil and place seam side down. Repeat. 6) Put in oven, with large roasting pan with 1 inch of water beneath it. Preheat oven to 450°F. 7)Make 3 slashes down length of the loaves. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove pan of water. Remove bread from pan and turn upside down on upper rack, then bake until golden and crusty. About 5 mintues. 8)Cool on rack before enjoying.
FEATURES
October 3, 2013
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Queer Ladies Social provides space for friendship, support Juliette Simon & Shannon Liao Guest RepoRteRs
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Alec Ferretti/The Miscellany News
From the Town Houses to the Terrace Apartments, parties and nighly gatherings feed into the social lives of many Vassar students. To that end. some of these events come about to serve a specific purpose within the College community. Last Friday evening, for example, on September 27, many female-identified students—who mingled over Azealia Banks’ “212” and enjoyed pita chips with a hummus dip—attended the first Queer Ladies Social event of the semester. Brightly lit and lively with chatter, the QLS happens about two or three times a semester as a space for queer women to gather. LGBTQ Center Intern Willow Carter ’15 commented on the reasons behind holding these events. “It’s awkward to meet people at the Mug or at a party. It’s a way for people to meet people with less pressure. It’s easy to hang back if you don’t want to get involved,” said Carter of the social gathering. The Queer Ladies Socials are unstructured and conversation-based, according to Women’s Center intern and women’s studies major Erin Boss ’16. Boss stated, “It’s drop in as you wish.” Over the course of the night, a mix of freshmen and upperclassmen show up to the twohour long event to chat, snack and hangout with one another. “It’s not a party really. It’s a fun place to meet people,” described Boss. These Queer Ladies Social events also aim to provide a space for female students who may be questioning or looking to explore their sexual orientations. “We want it to be an inviting space, so that people who are still exploring their identities will feel comfortable. It’s a supportive space to find people who have already gone through the same process,” stated Carter.
According to Carter and Boss, some attendees of the Queer Ladies Social hope to find the occasional short-term romantic interes, while others seek out solidarity and friendship. Boss said, “What I look for is friendship in a community of other women who like women, sometimes or all the time, or whatever. Other people could be looking for anything from friendship to maybe going on a casual date or a hook-up. Just depends.” Carter agreed with Boss, adding that sometimes friendships do grow out of the interactions between these women. “Definitely I’ve seen people who’ve met each other and continued to hang out at other parties outside of the social as well,” revealed Carter. With its origins in secret queer women parties, the Queer Ladies Social has come a long way—so long, that almost no one, from the director to juniors and sophomores, remembers exactly how it originated. They do know, however, that over three years ago, the social sprung from students’ need for a space for queer women. “There had been a feeling that the queer female community at Vassar was more underground,” said Carter, comparing the group to other LGBTQ groups. “In mixed queer spaces, men do tend to dominate conversations which can make them seem more prominent.” “We’re just kind of hidden,” Boss added. Director for the Campus Life LGBTQ Center and Women’s Center at Vassar College Judy Jarvis ’07 discussed the presence of men within the LGBTQ community, highlighting why a space for women is important. She said, “Straight and gay men are very visible on this campus. They’re easy to find, and that’s great. The unintended consequence of the visibility of male-identified people is that there are not many opportunities for particularly queer-identified women to gather in large numbers and feel like they matter, that they are
The Queer Ladies Social allows for queer women to interact with each other in a safe space, and serves as an enjoyable alternative to other party scenes. Above, attendees enjoy snacks like pita chips and hummus. seen, and that they are heard.” Boss explained that the disparity between the visibility of males and females within the LBGTQ movement is likely due to male privilege within society as a whole. She stated, “[Privilege] allows men to be more vocal and more present in spaces. Boss further stated that she notices similar occurences within media. “The portrayal of queer women [on television] is largely for male consumption. Lesbians, bisexual women, pansexual women, are really sexualized for male pleasure, or they’re not there at all,” She added that events like Queer Ladies Socials should not be seen as a the only solution in terms of providing the necessary spaces for marginalized groups at Vassar.
“A lot of groups are marginalized within the LGBTQ movement, particularly gender-nonconforming groups, so genderqueer individuals and trans* individuals, as well as people of color and those with disabilities.” Boss cited an event held this previous semester called “Color Me Queer,” a brunch intended for queer students and faculty of color, as an example of the types of spaces from which the campus could benefit. Jarvis and the LGBTQ Center interns encourage students to adovcate for specific LGBTQ spaces which they feel are currently lacking on campus. Carter concluded, “We do our best to meet the needs of the community, but we’re always open to feedback.”
Conference discusses the overlap of race and gender WOC continued from page 1
for women of color. ALANA (African-American/Black, Latino, Asian-American/Asian, Native Americans) Student Cultural Center director, and one of the committee members who organized the conference, Luz Burgos-López stressed the importance of creating a conference specifically for women of color. “Talking about feminism is often based on a white lens,” said Burgos-López. “The conference provided an opportunity to talk about that intersection of identities. You can’t separate the two.” Megan Howell ’17, who attended the conference, found the conference enlightening. “It was so eye-opening realizing my struggles as a person of color were shared by many other women,” said Howell. “For instance, black students at institutions like Vassar constantly have to prove themselves worthy—and all because some have this pre-conceived notion that all blacks are somehow less competent.” Another student attendee Anuradha Datta ’16, one of Vassar’s Veteran Posse Scholars, was impressed by the pure scope and breadth of the programming. “We even had workshops on romance and sex as it relates to being a colored woman on a majority white campus (we are not exactly seen as attractive, therefore negatively affecting our self esteem over time),” wrote Datta in an emailed statement. Workshops also touched on the topics that were both societal and personal. Datta continued, noting “Another workshop talked about the fetishizing of ‘exotic’ women in the media, i.e. Basketball Wives, Love and Hip Hop, etc. Lectures on confidence, navigating academia, and identity were also available.” Burgos-López said those kinds of conversations were the ones the conference intended to nurture. “It was a place where the students didn’t have to reaffirm that
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racism, prejudices and micro-aggressions still happen everyday. People think we’re past that, but we aren’t,” said Burgos-López. Howell also said she was surprised by how willingly students shared their experiences. Fernanda Martinez ’14 too was moved by the safe conversation space the conference offered. She met students there with whom she shared a unique affinity. “The best part was connecting with women of color from other institutions similar to Vassar,” said Martinez. “I came away with a lot of really great friends.” Burgos-López explained that fostering these connections and open conversations were two of the main goals committee members had for the conference. Burgos-López felt this particularly came to life in the first workshop given by Rashaunda Tyson, a 2004 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross. Students were given a chance to discuss their experiences with prejudice. “It was extremely powerful,” observed Burgos-Lopez. “There were some tears by the end.” Other speeches were less emotionally charged, but still prompted deep reflection. Datta was particularly interested in a speech given by Rev. Sarai Rivera. “One thing that surprised me was the statement that Latina were comprised of ‘the blood of the oppressor and the blood of the oppressed,’ according to councilwoman Rivera,” wrote Datta. “It really made me think about their struggle, as I have a daughter who is of Puerto Rican and Dominican descent.” But for all the discussions of struggles and hardships, Datta and her fellow students came away encouraged. On a parting thought, Datta added, “We are the future face of leadership in this country,” Datta wrote. “This weekend was an inspirational reminder of just that.”
FEATURES
Page 8
October 3, 2013
Student group explores geo-political Palestinian issues Nicole Javorsky
Best FoundeR eVeR
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courtesy of Wikipedia
ast fall, Jeremy Garza ’14 spent his junior semester abroad in the Netherlands, collecting oral histories of queer individuals from the Middle East. The stories he heard inspired Garza to advocate for the rights and recognition of the Palestinian people when he returned to Vassar the following semester. According to Garza, American media sources fail to inform the public about both sides of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. In an attempt to remedy this, Michael Prentice-Glasgow ’15 and Yasmine Hallab ’15 founded Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) last year. Naomi Dann ‘14 explained what SJP hopes to accomplish on campus. Dann explained, “In the short term, the main goal is to begin conversations and dialogues on campus around the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the Palestinian struggle for human rights. In the long term, I believe the intention is to divest the college from corporations who profit from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.” With both Prentice-Glasgow and Hallab are studying abroad in Palestine this semester, Nicole Massad now serves as interim SJP president. Massad believes that the topic of Israel and Palestine is seldom mentioned at Vassar. She said, “Vassar prides itself on having a very socially conscious student body, so it was a shock for me to find that this issue is rarely talked about on campus.” This is an aspect of college discussion that SJP is trying to change. Massad and Garza lead the group in discussing specific aspects of the situation and inviting all students, wherever they stand on the issue, to participate. Members are encouraged to listen, ask questions and challenge all the preconceptions they carried with them. SJP has plans to invite guest speakers to meetings and host film screenings.
Reacting to a lack of fair coverage of Palestine by media, Michael Prentice-Glasgow ’14 and Yasmine Hallab ’14 formed Students for Justice in Palestine. SJP discusses issues like miltarization, shown above. Massad said, “Students for Justice in Palestine is breaking the stigma of questioning the Israeli regime and our own government’s funding of its war crimes, while enunciating clearly that anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism.” Open, honest conversation is going to be key in SJP’s work in the year. Dann said, “We will be facilitating spaces for dialogue on these issues, and working to raise awareness and engagement around these issues.” This year the International Study Travel course will include a trip to Israel during spring break. The course, however, will study the region from the perspective of water resources and largely exclude information surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Garza argues that the conflict over water in
Candidate to connect VC with Dutchess community WARNER continued from page 1
They hope this will be enough to swing the vote and win the District Seat. Warner’s campaign acknowledges that producing that level of turnout among Vassar students would not be easy. “It’s going to be really tough, but we do have a chance,” said Grems. Political redistricting, or gerrymandering, has split Vassar’s campus and its predominantly liberal vote into three separate county districts. The parts of Vassar included in Warner’s district are Noyes House, Cushing House, the Terrace Apartments and the South Commons. Only students living in those houses would be able to vote for Sixth District legislator in November. And although most students are registered to vote, not all are registered locally. Eichen described how sometimes, while canvasing, students will tell him they would rather stay registered in their home state and vote there. Eichen tells them this: “You can re-register when the presidential election comes, but until then what are you doing registered in Ohio because you’re not voting in your local election? You should register here. Make an impact here.” Grems explained that their campaign is also trying to introduce students to Warner and his message through different campus organizations. Warner has reached out to the Vassar Democrats, the Vassar Prison Initiative, the Vassar Christian Fellowship, and the Vassar Greens. Warner became interested in politics when he was in high school. Originally from Southbury, Conn., Warner said that when he got to Vassar he soon became close to the community. “I kind of got to know Poughkeepsie by getting to know its future, teaching at the high school there,“ said Warner, who in his freshmen volunteered tutoring math to Poughkeepsie students preparing for their SATs. Today, Warner lives off campus and is a member of the First Congregational Church.
He said he has stayed in Poughkeepsie every summer since arriving, often working for political campaigns and advocacy. “After that it felt like Poughkeepsie was more home than not,” said Warner. With his experience living in Poughkeepsie and working with the Democratic Party in local races, Warner felt it was time for him to take the next step, and in the past March he decided to enter the race to become the next Sixth District Dutchess County Legislator. “Looking at all of my skills looking at all the opportunities that were before me, running for office made sense because that would be a way that I could serve,” said Warner. Warner gained the nominations of three different political parties: Democratic, Working Families, and the Green party. The campaign’s biggest issue in Warner’s eyes is the proposed expansion of the county jail. The project would expand he county jail’s inmate capacity, preparing it for the projected point in twenty years when it will reach its maximum capacity. The construction is estimated to cost between $150-200 million dollars. His opponent, Ms. Flesland supports the expansion. Warner does not. “A good society is one that seeks to incarcerate fewer people. And ultimately, in my opinion, it would be saving tax payers a lot of money it would be doing the right thing morally if we focused more on reform and less on incarceration,” said Warner. He believes that opposition to the expansion could be what pulls him ahead in the race As for his young age, Warner said it hasn’t been an issue. Dutchess County’s Sixth District has seen young competitors before. The incumbent Ms. Flesland became legislator of the 6 District when she was only 21, the same age Warner is now He said, “I think voter’s like the idea of having candidate with a future in front of them because that means if they elect that candidate they are endorsing a Poughkeepsie with its future in front of it.”
the region is too important to ignore. Domestically, Palestinians use 70 liters of water daily whereas Israelis use 290 liters per day. Failure to share water resources equally can be traced to continuing tensions in the region, according to Garza. Massad knows firsthand how the water crisis relates to conflict in the region because her parents are immigrants from Lebanon. “Lebanon has been home to almost a million Palestinian refugees since 1948 that live in camps that barely have running water,” she said. Massad also regards the funding for the International Studies trip more as a means of supporting the Israel Ministry of Tourism than of fairly depicting the treatment and living con-
ditions of the Palestinians. SJP has promised to hold a campus-wide meeting to discuss the implications of the course trip. For many members of SJP, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a deeply personal issue. Massad, for example, believes that the Palestinian-Israeli conflict shaped the lives of her family and homeland long before her parents were born. “Having heard horror stories from my parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents since I was born, I was outraged and disturbed by the 2006 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, which included countless attacks on civilians,” said Massad. This incident was a call to action for Massad. “That is when I knew I could not continue to live with myself, in a country whose government funds Israel’s slaughter and attempted eradication of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, unless I spoke out against it,” said Massad. She added, “[I] could not accept that I was living comfortably in the States while the rest of my family relived their worst nightmare under missile attack and ground invasion.” Naomi Dann is a Peace and Justice Studies major and joined SJP to deepen her understanding of both sides of the conflict. Dann said, “I have studied the conflict for a long time, and though I feel that I can never fully understand everything, I feel that my complicity as an American, as a Jew and as a person concerned with issues of peace, justice and human rights compel me to take an active role in trying to grapple with these issues.” With their varying backgrounds and goals for SJP, the members aspire to make an impact through initiating a campus-wide conversation about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Garza suggests that we cannot stop talking about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict until conditions improve for all parties. He explained, “When it comes to issues of oppression, the liberation of one cannot happen until the liberation of all.”
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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
October 3, 2013
OPINIONS
Page 9
THE MISCELLANY NEWS STAFF EDITORIAL
Special election, not appointment, best option for Davison
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ast Sunday, Sept. 29, representatives from the Davison House Team came to a Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council meeting to give their recommendation for how the newly vacant position of Davison House President should be filled. They previously met with members of the VSA and the Office of Residential Life decided that the best course of action would be to ask the VSA to suspend a bylaw requiring a Special Appointment or Election and allow the current Vice President to assume the position. The VSA ultimately turned down this proposal and instead opted to hold a Special Appointment. While we at The Miscellany News understand the difficulty of the situation and accept the decision made by the VSA, we nevertheless think that the fairest and most representative method in this case is to hold a Special Election among the Davison constituency. Furthermore, we call for a standard, clear procedure which dictates that the VSA hold Special Elections in all future situations in which a House President resigns. When evaluating whether to fill a position by Special Appointment or Special Election, the VSA must consider whether it is putting its voice above those who will be directly represented by the new appointee. When Davison representatives asked the VSA to allow their Vice President to assume the position of President, they were speaking on behalf of the House Team. With the exception of a few positions such as Treasurer, Secretary and Vice President, the Davison House Team is not elected by Davison residents, but rather is appointed by Residential Life. However, as residents who interact
with other residents regularly, they have direct connection to the students who will be represented by the new president. In this sense, it is their opinion, rather than the opinion of Council, that more accurately represents of the opinion of Davison House as a whole. The problem with Special Appointments, especially those that appoint council members like Davison House President, lies in the fact that it risks of silencing the voice of constituents who will be directly represented by the appointee. Using Davison as an example, when deciding to hold a Special Appointment, the VSA declares the position as “open” and establishes a week during which any eligible candidate can submit an application. The Operations Committee then evaluates the candidates and gives their recommendation to the larger VSA Council. The problem is that it is quite possible that no one in the Operations Committee lives in Davison nor knows any of the House’s concerns. Furthermore, while it is true that there is a Davison representative (the acting President) on Council, he would be only one voice that could easily be out-voted, once Operations’ recommendation came to the Council floor. This ultimately underscores that through Special Appointment, the choice of the Davison President is almost completely out of the hands of the body of students that he or she will represent. Although interested Davison students could theoretically approach members of the Operations Committee and voice their opinions, thus influencing the vote, the fact remains that these interested students are not voting members of
Council, and any influence they have can only be put into motion at the discretion of voting members. This is critical, especially since at least one Operations Committee member has expressed public bias toward one candidate. The House President is the only elected position that directly represents the entire House to Council. Not only that, but the House President is one of the few elected members of House Team. By simply appointing a new President, the power of the residents of the house is completely removed. Undoubtedly, a Special Election is the only way to accurately represent the interests of the house, both on VSA Council and on House Team. Therefore, we believe that the new Davison House President should be elected by the people that he or she will represent. It is true that all House Teams undergo special training before freshmen arrive. It is because of this special training that members of the VSA Council expressed concern that a elected President who did not go through this training would be unprepared to take on the duties required of him or her. However, it is important to note that one of the House President’s primary duties is to act as a liaison between House Team and the VSA. House Teams training is not geared toward this, but rather focuses on bonding the team and building skills that better equip them to promote the well-being of all House residents; the House President should be able to act as a person with whom residents can confide. However, this should not come at the expense of denying students a direct liaison to Council. At the last Council Meeting, one of the main
concerns expressed by Davison House Team was that they were pressed for time: Davison’s first House event was fast approaching and House Team expressed its desire for a permanent President before it took place. While the VSA decided not to take the quickest option (which would have allowed the current Acting President to assume the position immediately), they did praise the Special Appointment as the faster alternative to a Special Election. While we understand the need for haste, it must be recognized that a Special Election would have only taken three days longer than an Appointment. We are aware that the VSA was concerned about the precedent that they would be setting with this decision. Because the “governmental” positions of House Teams generally follow a normal election procedure, it is easy to make the assumption that the Vice President would take over the responsibilities of President, and a new Vice President would either be appointed or elected by special election; this confusion must be dispelled by clear bylaws. We at The Miscellany News believe that, whenever possible, all positions that sit on VSA council that can be filled by election, should be filled by election. The main concern of the VSA should be to fairly and accurately represent the student body. In terms of Davison’s vacant Presidency, a Special Election would have allowed Davison residents to have their voices heard, rather than solely that of the individuals who sit on Council. —The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of at least 2/3 of the Editorial Board.
Recent progress in suicide Higher efficiency comes detection requires scrutiny with focus on single task Delaney Fisher
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Guest Columnist
recent study, conducted in August, 2013 by a group of researchers involved with Indianapolis VA medical Center and the Indiana University School of Medicine, explored the notion of how a blood biomarker could potentially help detect if the patient is suicidal. Currently, a self-report is the most common way to detect is someone is suicidal. Many people with depression or suicidal thoughts are not willing to speak out, which makes it difficult for many to get the help they need. The goal of this study was to find a way to track and predict states of heightened risk of suicidal. The results from this study are ‘strong,’ but I will say that their study should be taken lightly. While the results are very telling, they are also very limited. The subjects in this study were all men who have been previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the majority of these men were Caucasian. In this study, bipolar men had a clinical interview regarding their mental health and a base-line blood test with three follow-up blood tests in 3 to 6 month intervals. During each of their follow-up blood tests, they were also given a psychiatric rating. In some of the subjects, the level of activity of their SAT1 gene was altered throughout the testing periods. The researchers believed that the spike in activity of this specific gene might be related to a suicidal state or the subject having suicidal thoughts. Nine men showed severe alterations in SAT1 activity, at first exhibiting no signs of suicide and later demonstrating multiple suicidal tendencies. SAT1, found on the X chromosome, is a rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolic pathway of polyamine metabolism and is involved with the regulation of the intracellular concentration of polyamines and their transport in and out of cells. While polyamines are not fully understood, lack or inhibition of these organic compounds have been found to be related to cell death and sometimes dysfunction of cell growth. SAT1 has also been found to create an enzyme that facilitates spermidine, a component of cell membranes which may promote hair growth or
be related to alterations in skin tissue. There is still a lot of about SAT1 that is unclear in the scientific field. After this finding, the researchers decided to visit a coroner’s office and obtain blood samples to test. The blood from nine different men who had killed themselves had severely high SAT1 levels. These results may suggest that the SAT1 enzyme is involved in suicide more generally than just their subjects because, as far as the researchers are aware of, the men from the coroner’s office had not been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Next, the researchers observed bipolar men who were looking to be hospitalized for suicidal behavior. They found that men who had higher SAT1 levels were more likely to be admitted than those with lower levels. Overall, it is suggested that a higher activity level of SAT1 in bipolar men means they are most likely suicidal. This group of researchers is known for providing that first proof-of-principle for the use of blood gene expression biomarkers to predict mood-related symptoms related to brain activity. But as you can see, this study is very new and very limiting. The findings for SAT1 did not involve women at all, and it primary targeted men of one race. It also only primarily targeted those with bipolar disorder. Many other questions may include: how can you make someone take a blood test? And is it expensive to run all these samples? Will there eventually be standards where one must be tested every three months to be evaluated? Can these high activity levels be signaling something else? These limited results may not tell scientists and the public much, but they are creating a path for future studies to investigate how gene activity levels may be able to help us predict who is at risk for suicide, or even those in a depressive state. The main point of this study is to show that progress is being made in the psychiatric field and researchers are trying to find biomarkers to help those who are suicidal and are not necessarily able to help themselves. —Delaney Fisher ’15 is a neuroscience major.
Laura Song
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Guest Columnist
es, it’s that time of the year folks! It’s… midterms week! ‘What? Already?’ is the commonly experienced reaction everyone has; it seems like school just started, but all of a sudden all those packets of readings, problem sets, exams and lengthy papers decide to launch a massive attack on you. The all too familiar circumstance occurs where you think, “I WILL GET THROUGH THIS. I WILL SURVIVE.”, but your mind starts wandering, and you end up going to bed much later than you expected, or even not at all. The stress level suddenly spikes up and you feel it radiate throughout campus. Half of the students start looking like zombies from their lack of sleep and nutrition. Last semester, I remember a student asking me if I got punched in the face, because the bags under my eyes were so severe. Even when you’re procrastinating, you can’t help but think about the daunting amount of work you have to complete and thus start stressing even more. This brings me to my next point: either stop procrastinating or only focus on the activity you are doing to procrastinate. According to psychologists Matthew A. Killingsworth and Daniel T. Gilbert at Harvard (“A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind,” 05.18.2010), researchers found that a wandering mind is linked to unhappiness. In order to test the relationship between happiness and focus, researchers created an iPhone application, TrackYourHappiness, which asks people about their thoughts, activities and mental state at different times of the day to get a picture of how their moods and mind fluctuate throughout the day. Data were collected from participants between the ages 18 to 88. Out of the 2,250 participants, “People are less happy when they’re mind-wandering no matter what they’re doing. For example, people don’t really like commuting to work very much; it’s one of their least enjoyable activities. Yet people are substantially happier when they’re focused only on their commute than
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
when their mind is wandering off to something else. This pattern holds for every single activity we measured,” Killngsworth reported. I guess we should adopt some Confucianist principles and really focus solely on that one thing we’re doing at that moment. If we’re writing our essays or studying for our exams, we should really only focus on a single activity instead of thinking about what could’ve been or would’ve been with that jerk or thinking about what dinner is going to be. If you’re out partying, stop stressing about your homework and other obligations; just focus all of your attention on having a good time when you’re out. But this is certainly easier said than done. So, how can we improve on solely focusing our attention to the activity we’re doing at the present moment? Meditation is one solution. It may look easy, but it’s actually very difficult. Last year, I had a lot on my mind and so tried out a meditation session in the quiet room at the library. I had read the basics about meditation in my Neoconfucianism and Buddhism class and thought I would be able to handle it. Halfway through, my legs began to fall asleep and started cramping up. I felt so restless and couldn’t help but start thinking, “Oh geez, what am I going to write about for that political science paper?” By the end of the half hour, my legs felt half beaten and my mind was definitely not where it was supposed to be. Clearly, I have a long way to go. Even as I’m writing this article, my mind is slowly starting to wander off, and eventually I go on Facebook. But while on Facebook I am thinking that I should really get back to work, and it starts to become a cycle. We should learn to break out of this cycle and focus only on that paper or whatever it is that you’re doing. Whether it is meditation or some alternative way of focusing, learning to hone in on one task is really quite important. It would be a lot more efficient and you’d probably get that paper done faster. Maybe then, midterms won’t be as stressful. —Laura Song ’16 is a prospective political science and media studies double major.
OPINIONS
Page 10
Letters to the Editor I first heard Seth Warner share his ideas at a Vassar Democrats meeting, and voting for him is voting for Vassar to be a part of the surrounding community. I always hear that Vassar is it’s own little bubble and local residents don’t particularly care for Vassar students. Seth wants to change that and show the people of Poughkeepsie that Vassar and its students are thoughtful and caring individuals that can better this community. It only takes a few seconds of talking with Seth to see that he is genuinely passionate and dedicated to helping people. For example, Seth wants to work towards providing greater funding for social services for domestic violence victims. Even most will only consider Dutchess County their home for four short years, building a positive relationship between local residents and Vassar is a legacy that you can be part of with a vote for Seth Warner for County Legislature. He is a great representative of Vassar and the values that we endorse. —Alyssa Chai ’14 Vassar students should make sure they don’t sit out the 2013 elections. Dutchess County has many offices up for election this year and Vassar can help decide who will fill these offices. Currently, the Dutchess County Legislature is proposing a $184 million jail expansion, which would add to our system of over-incarceration. In past years, legislature put money toward a new toxic waste site, while slashing funds from programs that support domestic violence survivors and at-risk youth. As residents of Poughkeepsie, Vassar students have a vital interest in preventing these things from occurring. We live here; it is our responsibility to make sure that our government is listening to us. Vassar students can make a real difference by registering and voting this November. You can register to vote through the Dutchess County Board of Elections or at turbovote.org —Jordan Burns ’16
October 3, 2013
Jail expansion chance to re-evaluate justice Aidan Kahn
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Guest Columnist
epublicans in the Dutchess County Legislature are fighting for a $184 million expansion to the county jail. Currently, an average of nearly 200 inmates are housed in other counties on a given day, a practice that is inefficient and costly for taxpayers. The proposed new facility, however, would vastly over-compensate, providing 200 more beds than current demand would require. Furthermore, this investment would come at the expense of programs that help address crime in the community and generally treat social problems at the source, rather than accommodating the symptom, as this proposal would do. Seth Warner, ’14, is running this fall for a seat in the Dutchess County Legislature. He claims that this massive investment in a new jail is a moral and fiscal nightmare. The construction of jails will only facilitate the growth of incarcerated individuals. Warner contends that an emphasis on jails today over alternatives will make us more and more dependent on incarceration in the future and will push the justice system’s focus towards punitive measures to an even greater degree, instead of in the direction of reform programs. Moreover, the inmates being sent to other counties are usually the most benign, non-violent offenders, since other counties wouldn’t accept them otherwise. These individuals are typically those for whom alternatives to incarceration programs are meant, but the county does not currently have a system in place that adequately identifies those individuals early in the process. Furthermore, it is important to note that in any case, county jails only house individuals who are awaiting trial or who have been sentenced for misdemeanors. Seth Warner predicts that with the construction of this jail and the subsequent emphasis on locking people up we will witness a 50% rise in incarceration. If all that money is spent on a jail, how likely is one to divert the negligible remaining funds towards programs
to ensure we minimally use the newly-built $184 million facility? Plus, interest rates to pay off this costly and harmful expenditure could be up to $12 million a year, which is more than the county pays right now to house inmates elsewhere. For a county with a money problem and already-high (and rising) taxes, how can Republican legislators justify such a fiscally irresponsible and regressive proposition? According to a summary report of the “Issues and Concerns on Proposed Dutchess County Jail Construction” written by the Dutchess Democratic Women’s Caucus (DDWC), “the proposed jail would be the largest capital project ever undertaken by the county.” The DDWC supports “improvements in the overall efficiency of the criminal justice system in the county” including the increased use of Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) programs to reduce the need for jail beds. The Validation Study of the Dutchess County Criminal Justice System Needs Assessment, conducted by architecture and planning firm Ricci Greene Associates, describes a desire for a “campus-style” facility, replete with many social services, which, in addition to being a creepy concept, is a problematic one. Such a label suggests that legislators see no problem with long sentences for misdemeanors or lengthy waits for trial. Although the study is less critical to the idea of a new facility, even it challenges the legislature’s “population forecasts,” projections of the future demand for jail beds, considering in particular the overall aging population of the county. Both Greene and the DWCC claim that the average length of stay could be significantly reduced by improving the efficiency of the local justice system, especially by speeding up arraignments and more often using the types of assessments that separate-out those who qualify for alternative treatment. In general, the county should focus on reducing the average daily population (ADP), not accommodating it as if it were wholly inevitable. Furthermore, the DWCC cites that “the op-
eration costs of a new jail are not quantified” and “overall it is unclear funds will be available for additional programs.” $184 million is just the figure that will supposedly cover the cost of construction. We don’t know the precise cost of maintaining the facility in the future. Seth Warner and the DWCC have the right idea in their support for funding programs in the community which focus on mental health, substance abuse, education, crime prevention and treatment for former inmates such as those to aid in re-integration, employment and generally to reduce the rate of recidivism. Other potential alternative investments include the establishment of a centralized arraignment court and the creation of 24hour mental health crisis centers. The county should increase the use of interim probation sentences where appropriate and Accelerated Release and Re-Entry Programs. A substance abuse relapse crisis center already exists but is much too small. Another simple fix would be to provide aid for bail, minimizing unnecessary disruption to the community. 20% of all Dutchess County Jail inmates are people who simply could not afford to pay bail less than $2000 and are left to sit in jail, often for minor offenses. Women, who in the context of incarceration apparently have “specialized needs” and who make up a sixth of inmates in the county jail, would be better served by community or halfway housing. The studies I’ve cited also recommend the construction of a separate 12-bed facility for women that would allow the county jail to be all male, saving space and providing more appropriate housing for female inmates. It is important to maintain a balance between retribution, reform and recovery in justice and if the focus becomes punitive and shortsighted, rather than pragmatic and longterm, we risk moving backwards, destroying lives and shattering communities. —Aidan Kahn ’14 is a political science major.
Vassar, Poughkeepsie in Escaping “Vassar Bubble” need of better connection can bring personal triumph Evan Seltzer
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Guest Columnist
hether it was during your first visit to Vassar as a prospective student or during your Freshman year, you have surely been told at some point that “Vassar is a member of the Poughkeepsie Community.” Likewise, you have probably learned that this statement is not as true as it needs to be. Determining the root cause of this disconnect between Vassar and Poughkeepsie is no easy feat, with some attributing the blame to our institution while others to the city. Regardless of the reason it is indisputable that both Vassar and the city would benefit from a stronger relationship. Some Vassar students arrive at the college with an optimistic hope of playing a positive role in the community, but become disillusioned when they hear negative stereotypes about Poughkeepsie. Superficial perceptions about it’s poverty and dearth of resources have been propagated on campus, but they only serve to shift the blame away from us. It’s easy to come to a polished campus like Vassar and then wonder what Poughkeepsie is doing wrong, but we must take responsibility for the space we share. We need to learn how to foment better ties with the people around us. Yet how do we form that connection? Local restaurants handing out flyers in the college center? Probably not. The Administration sending out emails about all the cool sites to visit in the city of Poughkeepsie? Don’t think so. Only when we announce our intentions to become immersed in our city will we be regarded as a part of the community. Only when we declare that we are here to invest in the success of Poughkeepsie will the city then be genuinely interested in our commitment. A Toxic Ash Waste Facility is set to be constructed in Poughkeepsie for the first time in the city’s history. Poughkeepsie’s Burn Plant Facility is about to expand its operations, a
construction which has contributed to our city’s “F” rating by Air Quality. A multi-million dollar jail is going to be built in Poughkeepsie, despite our city’s troubling incarceration rate. Influencing these issues, ones that will determine the very nature of the city itself, is how we announce ourselves to the city. Yet what sway can we, mere college students, actually have on such consequential issues? Did you know that there is a Vassar College student running for a County Legislature position? County Legislatures have the most impact the course of this city and the experience of Vassar students in Poughkeepsie. Unsexy as it may be, local elections often have far more impact on us than Presidential elections. County Legislators are the ones who vote to build, or nix, Toxic Waste Facilities. County Legislators are the ones who vote on the expansion of jails. Seth Warner and Jim Doxsey, the former a Vassar student and the latter a small-business owner, are two fellow community members running for office who ardently defend our environment and those who need a voice in government. The Vassar Democrats will soon be going around to dorms registering students to vote in Dutchess County. If you are a student at Vassar College, and by extension residents of the city of Poughkeepsie, then you can register to vote here. Care about protecting the environment from the devastation of a toxic waste plant? Or how about helping to establish a more equitable justice system, and supporting at-risk youth in the community? Or even helping the small business owners who run our favorite off-campus restaurants? Then don’t neglect the local elections that make a difference in this community. Elect the people who echo your sentiments, and in the process make Vassar a greater part of the Poughkeepsie community. —Evan Seltzer ’14 is a political science major.
Lily Elbaum
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Guest Columnist
aving spent an entire day off campus this weekend, I realized that I just don’t get off campus enough. It’s so easy to become wrapped up in Vassar life and forget that the real world exists. And I think that’s true of a lot of Vassar students. The “Vassar Bubble” is a very real thing. For those lucky enough to do field work, there is a chance to see the Hudson Valley, which is really something everyone should do. Leaf season, anyone? On my day off campus, I went on a hike with the Outing Club. It’s a beautiful time of year, and I thought that it would be great to enjoy nature. The day yielded a clear blue sky; the sun was shining and the birds were singing. It was an hour and a half drive up to the Catskills where we were hiking. It was a nice little drive and I could see from the trees that it was going to be a great view from the top of the mountain. The hike was to the summit of Panther Mountain. It’s a 6.7-mile hike, which is moderately difficult, rocky and takes four and a half hours to complete. It wouldn’t be too bad; I’ve done longer hikes. I was still feeling under the weather from a rather bad cold, but I wanted to get some fresh air, darnit! Some sniffles weren’t going to keep me inside for another weekend. I was feeling good until we got to the first hill. They said rocky. I had been picturing gravel or something similar. What they meant was giant boulders and rock slides. I was panting after not very long. I felt quite pathetic. After what felt like forever of clambering up steep ascents, we finally reached a flatter section and the first sign. It said that we had 2.55 miles before the summit. In other words, we had only gone .8 miles. I might have overestimated myself, but I was determined not to quit. I kept going. And going. And going. Would it never end? We finally reach the first lookout, and I realized why it was worth it. The Catskills are spread out below us, stretching into the dis-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
tance until they merged with the sky in a bluegray haze. The trees had started to change color, and the reds and oranges were interspersed with dark green. We stood there and took pictures for a few minutes before setting off again. We were only half-way there, but I was more determined than ever to finish. When we reached the summit after an hour and forty-five minutes, I thought it was one of the happiest moments of my life. The trees were shorter, and it felt as though we were enclosed in our own world. It was quiet; there weren’t even birds chirping, nor were there hikers. We got back to a rocky ledge a little before the summit to eat lunch. It was absolutely still and all there was to hear was the wind blowing through the trees and our own voices. We finally got up to leave and start the long descent back to the car more than 3000 feet below us. Going down was easier and harder. It worked different muscles, which was nice, but it meant that I was now sore all over. Lovely. But we finally reached the car, moving much faster on the way down than on the way up, though we hiked quickly on the way up as well. We reached the road having finished the hike in only three and a half hours. We drove back to campus, stopping briefly in New Paltz for dinner, and got back to campus around six. Despite the soreness and the aching muscles and the sickness, I’m still incredibly glad to have gone. There are things that you just can’t experience or appreciate unless you really get away from the civilized world and out into a nature environment. If nothing else, I am so glad I was able to get away from all of the academic stress that permeates Vassar life for a while. So get out there, go see something new, go find a place to be alone with your thoughts and escape reality for a while. Get outside the Vassar bubble. —Lily Elbaum ’16 is a prospective independent major.
October 3, 2013
OPINIONS
Philosophy of equality for ‘earthlings’ Sarah Rodeo
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Guest Columnist
et’s face it. Usually in our everyday lives, our primary concern is for our own well-being. To some extent, self-centeredness and self-absorption are natural human instincts that are essential for survival. But too often, we see that self-absorption tears at the fabric of all aspects of life. Unfortunately, human selfishness is causing a greater magnitude of misery than most people realize. This is the generally ignored, worldwide suffering caused by the meat industry. Ironically, the drive for self-preservation unites every being with blood flowing through their veins. Desperation for survival makes perfect scientific sense, because it ensures the longevity of creatures as individuals and as a species. On a psychological level, with this drive for security comes an innate desire for happiness that every creature pursues in a different way. The philosophy of “earthlings” suggests that all creatures are essentially the same because of the basic needs and desires that we all possess. These include the urge to mate, the will to live and the desperation to avoid pain. Following this logic, is it not reasonable to declare that every creature deserves the same right to life? The world’s general consensus is that genocide is terrible and wrong, but there is still a continuous mass killing that is universally unacknowledged. It is the slaughter of the billions of living creatures worldwide that are essentially born to die. Speciesism, the idea that humans are inherently superior to every other animal, directly opposes the “earthling” philosophy, which evokes the fundamental equality of all living creatures. An element of speciesism even lurks in the existence of the word “genocide,” which refers to the deliberate and systematic elimination of
a racial, political or cultural group, rather than the existence of a word that defines and decries the systematic destruction of all sentient beings. Why do we as a race still condone the sickeningly-methodical destruction of animals that are not fundamentally any different from us? Does a group of living beings not deserve the right to life or happiness because a self-pronouncedly “higher” creature denounced this right? It is true that almost all animals have a natural instinct to eat other animals. However, humans have exceptional cerebral capabilities that allow us to understand that we can obtain all of the nutrients that we need to survive from non-sentient plants and that endow us with the responsibility to do so. The idea that our natural drive for survival and happiness comes before every other creature’s natural drive for survival and happiness does not reflect our intrinsic intelligence. This absence of logic and critical thought is not only selfish, but unethical because it is injurious. We, as a society, are plagued by a cultural prejudice that does not recognize the basic rights of all sentient, cognitive creatures. This commonly-accepted belief is the blocking force that will hinder any movement towards a higher level of human understanding. The moral superiority that is necessary for human advancement can be achieved only through the brutal reasoning in this question that I pose to you: are our taste buds important enough for billions of animals to “live” miserable existences in factory farms and then suffer excruciating deaths in slaughterhouses? Apathy is one of the greatest dangers to society, because it serves as an obstacle to any progression or improvement. Indifference has no place in a world plagued by such tragedy. We must address the harm that our speciesist attitudes have caused. We must admit to the
large-scale environmental, moral and health repercussions of our actions. It is imperative that we examine the true, moral integrity of what we eat and challenge the institutions that have perpetuated our unethical culinary practices. Our gustatory preferences have impacted our world in graver ways than we have realized, and now is the time to change. If we don’t, not only will more and more animals suffer every day, but the environmental effects of factory farming will only worsen. In 2006, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization reported that animal agriculture is responsible for 18% of all human-produced greenhouse gas emissions. The raising and slaughtering of such a great number of livestock is straining Mother Earth, and without a planet on which to live, everything else about human society is absolutely arbitrary. We must take care of it and all its inhabitants; if not for ourselves, then for our children and grandchildren and all other future generations. If we as a race are to advance spiritually, morally, and intellectually, we have no choice but to care for the pain of the animals that inhabit the same world that we do. We must face the fact that the ginormous industry of animal food products reflects the arguably greatest enactment of human self-concern. If we are more empathetic to the terrible pain of the living creatures around us, we will transform into more compassionate beings ourselves. We must release these billions of animals from the chains with which we have bound them. But we must do it together. By respecting all forms of life, we will learn to treasure the world around us. Only then we will be able to change it for the better.
Page 11
Word
on the street
Who would you want to meet in Poughkeepsie?
“Snooki.” —Jane Cardona ’15
“The mermaids in the Hudson River.” —Divya Pathak ’15
—Sarah Rodeo ’17 is a student at Vassar College.
From birth to death: injustices in poultry Rocky Schwartz Guest Columnist
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hen I call Errol’s name, he looks across the yard at me and comes over as fast as his little feet will take him. When he reaches me, he pauses for a moment, finding the best way to climb onto my lap. Despite the summer heat, our bodies are never close enough to satisfy Errol’s cuddliness. We hold eye contact as I scratch his back and smooth his little head. Slowly, his eyes close and I sit there with him napping, trying—and often failing—to remain perched on my thigh. We do this almost every day, month after month. The United States slaughters 9 billion “broiler” chickens each year. That number is probably a little hard to comprehend, so to put it in slightly more tangible terms: approximately 287 chickens are killed each second. Every second. All year. Worldwide, we raise the number of these chickens killed to 50 billion annually. Maybe these numbers come with little surprise. For instance, friends casually share a bucket of “wings”; every bird only has two. In Boston Market or the grocery store, whole chicken bodies slow-roast on a skewer. Due to chickens’ small size, the average American eats between 28 and 50 each year, whereas they only eat about an eighth of a cow. As chickens are birds, not mammals, assumptions are made about their intelligence, their lack of personality, and, consequently, the value of their lives. We have selectively bred chickens in two different breeding lines: those bred and drugged for size for the meat industry and those bred to lay many more eggs than they naturally would for the egg industry. With respect to the former, those in the industry call the chickens killed for meat “broiler” chickens. One agriculture site explains that “these birds were called ‘broilers’ since they produced young, tender meat which did not require the same long-roasting that had been required previously.” (UK Agriculture, “Broiler chickens in the UK - an introduction,” 2013) What that means is that unlike their ancestors, these chickens have been selectively bred so that their breasts and thighs will have overgrown muscle tissue (meat) and they’ll reach full adult size when they are just 42 days old. When these birds are slaughtered, they are still chicks, just chicks
who look like adults. When they are rescued by sanctuaries before they are 42 days old, they are still peeping like chicks, which is why sanctuaries prefer to call them “peepers,” instead of “broilers.” The website countinganimals.com posted a recent article, “A child raised to weigh 500 pounds by age 10?” (09.10.13) that explored the selective breeding and drugging of farmed chickens. They tell us that in the 1920s, it took 16 weeks for a chicken to reach 2.5 pounds. Whereas, in 2013, it takes 6 weeks for a chicken to reach nearly 7 pounds. The University of Arkansas estimates that if humans grew at the same rate, an average newborn would reach 660 pounds two months after birth. Although there are some discrepancies in the estimates of how fast a human would need to grow, one fact is perfectly clear: these birds are growing at an incredibly unnatural rate. To further contextualize this, an undomesticated chicken can live into their late teens or early 20s. A “peeper” chicken can live to be at least ten. I know a “peeper” hen—rescued by a sanctuary but from a farm population hormonally altered and selective bred—who was rescued following Hurricane Katrina, over eight years ago. 42 days is but a fraction of their potential lifespans. Yet, even those six weeks are miserable. These birds are so unnaturally large that they experience physical impairments that are both painful and frustrating. They cannot support their own weight; often, they cannot walk or even stand. Some will die of dehydration or starvation on farms because they cannot move to their food and water. Chickens have a strong desire to perch, yet their large size makes this natural behavior impossible. Regardless, the farms lack perches. That is why Errol so struggled to perch on my leg. Many will spend their six weeks living trapped in a dark shed with their own excretions. These sheds are the “farms” mass-produced chicken “meat” comes from. The wood-shavings the chickens live on are often not changed through several flocks and excretory ammonia fumes fill the sheds, leading to ammonia burn, which blinds them. They often have sores or get infections from this farm environment. All of this leads to higher rates of food-borne illnesses. Nearly
half of store-bought chicken is contaminated with feces and two-thirds harbor salmonella and/or campylobacter. This contamination undoubtedly affects human health and consumer safety, while speaking to the agonies individual birds endure. The slaughter of chickens is as equally horrific as their lives. They are often transported long distances without air conditioning or heating. In the slaughterhouse, there is no legal requirement that they be unconscious when their throats are slit. Blood slowly drains from their throats. Many, flapping in fear, miss the blade. Following the throat slitting, they head to the defeathering tanks. United States Department of Agriculture records show that each year, millions of chickens are still fully conscious by the time they reach these tanks, where they are then drowned in boiling water. These chickens face horrors that are hard to fully visualize or understand. Yet, some say this is not worth time or energy to think about or try to change. Some say that chickens are dumb, bred into robots, that they aren’t even conscious of their plight. Science and I both say otherwise. Recent research reveals that chickens are “smarter than toddlers,” showing many of the capabilities of human four-yearolds. Over the summer, The Telegraph reported “Hens are capable of mathematical reasoning and logic, including numeracy, self-control and even basic structural engineering, following research.” This likely comes as little surprise to anyone who has spent time getting to intimately know a chicken outside of a commodifying context. Yet even many farmers will tell you how the bird has their own distinct personality and friendships. Errol is a charismatic snuggler; his brethren are bullies, tricksters, charmers, and sweet-hearts. They are all different and they are all individuals. Each wing and thigh and breast came from someone. We value the bodies of chickens, but never bother to know their beings. These someones did not deserve their breeding or living conditions. They did not deserve their early slaughter. That someone, like my little buddy Errol, wanted to live. —Rocky Schwartz ’15 is a science, technology, and society major.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
“Zayn Malik.” —Tillan M(alik) ’14
“Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie circa 1999.” —Gianna De Filippis ’16
“I have a friend at Marist.” —Matt Heiden ’16
“Andrew Bush.” —Gabe Back-Gaal ’14
Lily Doyle Humor & Satire Editor Spencer Davis, Photo Editor
OPINIONS
Page 12
October 3, 2013
Divestment: a necessary political statement for Vassar Martin Man
Guest Columnist
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s a new school year starts, it may be beneficial to reiterate the motivations, ideals and goals of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign here at Vassar College for the incoming students and as a reminder of why we continue this endeavor for the second year. What is the Divestment Campaign advocating? We are asking the school administration to stop investing our endowment in the fossil fuel industry. We ask this because we believe it is wrong for the school to be financially supporting corporations that make their profits from extracting fossil fuels; the burning of such material causes immense and proven damage to the environment, not to mention the extraction methods themselves. We furthermore see it as hypocritical that the school funds such environmentally-damaging corporations given that we say we are striving for sustainable practices and lower human environmental impact. The rarefied arguments over investments and endowments can easily obscure what the fundamental situation is. Essentially, the administration has used money donated to Vassar by alumni and other sources to fund companies that extract and burn fossil fuel. And the profits of polluting the environment come back to us as “returns on investments,” which are touted by the administration as vital to the college’s finances. How can we morally accept that our college is partially sustained and financed by profits made from activities that exacerbate global climate change? The argument most often raised against divestment is that it will negatively impact the college’s financial base, given that stocks in fossil fuel companies are reliable and profitable. However, colleges have divested before—from South Africa, from Darfur—without severe financial consequences.
Furthermore, as Macrae Marran, too, pointed out in his article, “While a complete divestment from fossil fuels might dent our endowment’s short-term income, assuming the capital was invested competently, there is no reason to think that it would have a long-term effect upon the college’s operations.” (The Miscellany News “Impacting environment goes beyond merely divesting from fossil fuels” 9.26.2013) The fossil fuel industry is not the only reliable and profitable investment open to the college. Indeed, in the coming years, profits from fossil fuels may wane as demand shifts away from dirty energy and world governments set caps on how many reserves can be burned. Other objections have been raised against divestment, some of which were reiterated by Marran. One is that Vassar owns such small percentages of the corporations that it would do no economic harm to them even if we divested completely. Furthermore, even if all colleges and universities in the USA divested from the fossil fuel industry, the impact would be negligible. However, the aim of divestment is not to financially hamper the corporations; it is a political public statement. Countrywide divestment by educational institutions and other organizations—whole cities such as Seattle have divested—would send a strong political message that would discredit the corporations and stand as a powerful indictment of their environmentally destructive practices. It would force the country to address the issue of the fossil fuel industry more seriously, hopefully leading to stronger regulations and spurring legislation for sustainable energy. Another counter-argument formed the basis of the lecture given last year by Board of Trustees member Christianna A. Wood ’81. It goes that Vassar College should be using the power it has as shareholders in fossil fuel corporations to vote for measures that make the com-
pany more sustainable. This argument neglects the fact that Vassar has as weak a voice in a corporation as the economic impact it would make if we divested. Though those who charge we will be giving up our “power” to change a corporation from the inside often pair their argument with how negligible divestment’s economic impact would be, they seem to rarely make the connection that with few shares of a corporation come few votes in its decisions. The fact is that we have basically no voice and no ability to push through any radical reformation that would uproot the entire basis of a fossil fuel corporation—that is, stop it from extracting coal, oil, gas, etc. It is surely more realistic to divest and reinvest in existing renewable energy companies than trying to engineer a U-turn, transforming a gas company into a wind turbine manufacturer. After all, we do not want to have “slightly better” coal mining companies where we’ve miraculously voted in a few minor reforms. We want there to be no coal mining or burning at all.
“However, the aim of divestment is not to financially hamper the corporations. It is a political public statement.” At Vassar we speak often about “systemic changes.” Does divestment not target the system that fuels environmental destruction? It would certainly make an impact if the world
stopped buying fossil fuel energy and completely switched to renewable. But analysis has long established that corporations shape public opinion and consumer practices to their profit, not the other way around. Moreover, there is no possible way people could all make the switch right now. There aren’t enough renewable energy generators, nor is there sufficient infrastructure to get that power to everyone; not in the USA, nor in the rest of the world. Through slow government action and fossil fuel industry obstruction, among other reasons, this country is technically incapable of making such a switch, even if all consumers wanted. And if consumers can’t make a switch, how will they exercise their supposed powers to affect the market? The political statement divestment would send is precisely one of the ways we can make that choice available to all by undermining the industry, pressuring government legislation, and, yes, changing public opinion. The public is not unanimously in support of renewable energy, and seeing institutions divest will contribute to changing it. Perhaps then everyone will want renewable energy instead of the cheapest option. Divestment may be a symbolic gesture, but as the modern era— our era of images—has taught us, symbols can be immensely powerful. Finally, divestment is not in any way exclusive of other efforts to create a sustainable future. We can divest and use fewer resources. We can divest and drive fewer cars. We can divest and compost our waste. We can divest and recycle. We can divest and install solar panels. We can divest and become a carbon neutral campus. We can divest and buy our power from renewable sources. But we can and must divest. —Martin Man ’16 is a student at Vassar College.
The Miscellany Crossword by Jack Mullan, Crossword Editor
ACROSS 1 Swiss peak 4 What “it” plays 7 Solution 11 “Va−va-va−___!” 13 Wonderment 14 Train track part 15 Offshore 16 Mjollnir’s wielder 17 Execs 18 Puts a price on freedom 20 Catch a few Z’s 21 Small coin 22 “Gimme a moment!” 26 Site of Hearst Castle 29 Alt−rock genre 30 TiVo forerunners 31 Italian hothead? 32 Gluttony is one 33 Dave Eggers novel surrounding a Sudanese
refugee 37 Channel home to “True Blood” 38 Robert of “The Sopranos” 39 Overactors 40 Batman & Robin, e.g. 41 It fies near to the ground 44 Name of a certain Brazilian’s yacht? 46 “It must be something ____...” 47 Actor Beatty 48 Classic Brubeck piece in quintuple time 52 Low point 55 Trick 56 Hawaiian strings 57 Author Easton Ellis, author of “American Psycho”
Answers to last week’s puzzle
58 WSW’s opposite 59 German denial 60 Tough problem to face? 61 Suffix with slogan 62 See 28−down
wrath of Peleus’ son...” 35 D.C. bigwig 36 “Enjoy yourself!” 37 Top−notch TVs 42 It’s placed on the bottom
43 Leaves−collector 45 Come together 48 Fix a flat? 49 Furniture chain 50 Way to a man’s heart? 51 Feudal laborer
DOWN 1 Actress Gardner and others 2 Score 3 in a 4−3 game, say 3 Shakespeare, e.g. 4 “Omoo” setting 5 Military no−show 6 Berlin’s land: Abbr. 7 Parisian pancake 8 Mideast inits. 9 Tear 10 Ernie on a green 12 It may run in the rain 16 What people may bring back from the beach 17 Letter revealer, on TV 19 “Meet the Parents” actor 20 Nary a soul 23 “Open ____” 24 Gives off 25 Negative aspect 26 What an 8−year old may dread 27 British yard? 28 With 62−across, C2H6 30 Vehicle featured in “Little Miss Sunshine” 34 Work that begins “Sing, goddess, the
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
52 “Where amazing happens” org. 53 Rainbow 54 Cellar 55 Ruby or Sandra
HUMOR & SATIRE
October 3, 2013
Page 13
OPINIONS
Breaking News From the desk of Lily Doyle, Humor & Satire Editor Breaking Bad finale causes entirety of Washington D.C. to curl up under their desks sobbing and “shut down” Lessons from my future self: Post-Grad opportunities for past Chris knows nothing even the most un-hireable Chris Gonzalez Senior Editor
I
f I were given the opportunity to reach back in time and strangle a younger, more naive version of myself, 19-year-old me would be gasping for air quicker than it took Twitter to explode over the government shutting down. Fact. “Hey, freshman Chris,” I’ll yell while standing on top of a chair because I’m pretty sure my height has been the same since ninth grade and I need to be at a higher level to assert my maturity and dominance,“maybe if you weren’t so busy taking all of those naps you love so much, you wouldn’t have had to pull so many all-nighters. You ever think about that? How are you so tired when I’m pretty sure ninety percent of the time you’re only awake long enough to shower and consume food? You think you deserve a break? Ha! You’re too basic for a break!” Then my freshman self would curl up into a ball and probably take a nap, because he wouldn’t have the time to deal with a scolding or insults that weren’t really around in 2011. You see, as I sit here typing away on my keyboard, reevaluating every life choice I’ve ever made. I started at the time I was about eight-years-old, when—completely unaware of my uncle standing about five feet away from me—I thought it was a good idea to whip it out on my front porch and piss, quite literally, into the wind, and ended just last weekend when I watched my best friend projectile vomit into a towel before wiping himself off. He then started round two of drinking. I have realized that I am an idiot (surprisingly, neither of these examples are actually relevant to my epiphany... or this article). Around this time two years ago I was nearing the midpoint of my freshmen year. Six weeks gone. Just like that. Actually, I’m not even sure if those six weeks happened or if I ever technically matriculated—I was too busy day-napping and pulling unnecessary all-nighters to be aware of my surroundings. Regardless, it was at the point where everyone started feeling a little bit antsy, when our stomachs stopped growling and started yelping for a taste of something actually decent instead of
merely Deece-ent (Hahaha I’m totally the only person to ever think of this phrase), and when, above all, midterms had us longing for sleep (and the emotional support of our parents...or at least their liquor cabinets). I remember feeling like I needed a break, deserved one, after all the hard work I had put in those first six weeks sleeping myself into a coma. “Wow, college is hard, guys, whodathunk? Guess I might as well close my eyes and wait for all this work to finish itself,” was pretty much my thought process every day around 4 p.m. And whenever I opened a book. And when I left class. And whenever I entered my room, pretty much. It was so easy back then. But now as I sit here staring into the darkness of my room, wondering when I’ll next enjoy the luxury of seeing the inside of my eyelids for more than thirty minutes at a time (and if I’ll ever bother to turn on the lights), I’m left with enough anger to curb stomp the stupid out of my former self. I’ve basically determined that the universe is punishing me for excessive sleeping these last two years. According to my theory which I’ve researched on the Google search engine within my mind, you’re only allotted so many naps in your lifetime and once you’re out...well, looks like no more siestas for you. Because 19-year-old me couldn’t keep his eyelids open long enough to even finish a chapter, I’m paying the price. And I am indignant. I guess it just amazes me at how I actually believed I didn’t have enough time to get anything done back then when all I had was time. I certainly took chunks of it out of my day to complain about the amount of pages I had yet to read or write (Pro-tip: actually doing your work gets it done faster than only talking about it. Fun fact: I didn’t have that realization until about an hour before I sat down to write this. Extra fun fact: writing a humor article to avoid doing work basically sums up my life.) Anyway, from the way I acted, you would have thought that God had taken all of the clocks on earth and tossed them into outer space, leaving nothing but the positioning of the sun and the moon as indicators of time. But even if that were the case, I’m pretty sure I would have been too busy napping to know the difference.
Lily Sloss reporter
Y
ou may think (based on my two previous Humor and Satire articles) that I am delving too deeply into the fearful depths of “sexual promiscuity” and “alcoholism.” Classic mix up, friends. You are thinking of someone else. Maybe that kid from fellow group year who you only see off campus. Dear friends, not to worry. Seriously, R-E-LA-X, dudes. It’s Senior Year (Yes, when I celebrate Senior Year, I imagine that the campus celebrates with me). That means you have absolutely nothing to worry about. We all have several more months before habits turn into “problems.” Any fears you have, put them to rest. Worst case scenario: you leave Vassar and you’re still glugging gin and tonics while awkwardly avoiding hookups. Is that a problem? No. Because you’ll be too busy at your high-paying executive position. You’ll be too busy for alcoholism, and you definitely won’t have time for sex. Take my future, for example. Post-college, my week will be spent designing wacky hats for Dolce & Gabbana, conducting hard-hitting interviews on 60 Minutes, and doing yogalates with Cappy. So, not to worry, my little kumquats. Speaking of post-graduate work, I know some people are a “little” stressed. Seniors (and Victorian Studies majors alike) are concerned they might not be able to get a job after graduation. Guys, not to worry. I have helpfully compiled a list of three positions that you are basically guaranteed. Forget the online fairs, forget the desperate emails to that distant cousin who had an internship at Buzzfeed, and stop “applying” yourself in class. It’s senior year, so chill your shit, paste this article to your wall and meet me at Babycakes at 5 for happy hour. #1: Go work for The New York Times. They have too many jobs available. You don’t need a resume, application, anything. Just go to the website, find an article, and leave a comment with your name, useless major field and your correlate. They love a good “minor” over at NYT, especially when it is unrecognizable because NO ONE USES THE TERM COR-
RELATE. Essentially, all they are looking for is the Vassar degree. When researching the position, I discovered that the good people over at The New York Times are actively searching for someone they can set up in a classy-ass apartment on the upper East side, fund to go to bars and Broadway shows, who is willing to sample the recipes for the Food & Dining section. #2: If you are more “science”-minded, just BE a doctor. I’m taking a Sociology class about Health, Medicine, and Public Policy—and what I’ve learned is that all you need is a lot of time and the internet. You don’t need a “degree” or “practice.” Find the website WebMD, and get cracking! Hole up on the quad and practice diagnosing conditions. You will be golden. From personal experience (Lucy of Peanuts fame can back me up), if you set up a stand and ask for money- people will take your advice. If you can wrangle a stethoscope or some kind of white coat, you are even more primed for a debt-free, highly successful future medical practice. #3: What if you don’t enjoy New York City, posing for pictures, wearing white coats, or reading WebMd? Ever heard of Henry Sloss? He’s my dad. He retired from teaching Humanities a couple of years ago and now he’s offering an internship. You can weed tomatoes in his garden, laugh at his jokes and watch Game of Thrones with my Mom for a couple years. Get your foot in the door of the Sloss family. It’s not something to shake your head at. More experienced people than yourselves would kill to get this kind of an exclusive position. It’s only because of my connection to Henry Sloss (familial) that I’ve even heard about the job. Also, he needs an accompanist to sing “Blurred Lines” with him since my mom won’t do it. Because it is a rape song. Anyways. This position won’t be up on LinkedIn anytime soon, that’s for damn sure. You’re welcome, Vassar public. There you have it. Take off your beanies, kick your Keds off, and drink the mason jar’s unidentifiable contents—you’ve earned it. A career in NYC, as a qualified practitioner, or an internship with the greatest family alive is right around the corner. If you’re lucky, maybe Papa Sloss will make you one of his famous pasta dishes for your first day—the one with the bacon? So f***ing good.
Lack of yogurt in UpC considered by many a sign of the apocalypse by Lily Doyle, Humor & Satire Editor
H
i, attention everyone, please stop your bickering over cultural appropriation and heteronormativity, Vassar is (maybe) shutting down. No, seriously. This is urgent. I have all the details and facts, and you should read this because I will get them to you promptly and efficiently, as is demonstrated by the next four almost-entirely-related-tothe-subject-at-hand paragraphs. I was recently having a bad day. This day reached a culminated when I went to UpC and they were out of yogurt for smoothies, a travesty that can be equated to most large scale natural disasters or possibly the moment when you find a stranger’s hair in your food. This has happened like 40% of the times I have been to UpC in my college career. They never have any yogurt. I’m convinced there is a troll who sleeps under the smoothie counter, covered in Nilda’s, spooning massive amounts of yogurt into its mouth. Anyways, this was a really, really, really bad time for them to be lactose free, you know? While I mourned my lack of a yogurt-ful
smoothie, I read the news, because I have convinced myself that doing so is an acceptable form of procrastination by virtue of the fact it is vaguely related to my major. For the record, everything on Buzzfeed, Twitter, and Netflix counts as “news.” Luckily, I have an extraordinarily well-informed Twitter feed, where the completely reliable news source, The Onion, mentioned the government shut-down. The shut-down seemed, suddenly, directly related to my life. I was concerned about the government in a way that I haven’t been concerned about anyone since I watched my mother perform a lip sync of Pink’s “Get The Party Started”. For those of you who didn’t immediately develop a burning desire at 1:00 a.m. to learn all you could about the shut-down, here is a quick summary: Government workers who are considered “non-essential” (oooooooooh, burn) will be going home without pay. Like the people who collect garbage in DC, whom I’m PRETTY SURE the government is going to want back
almost immediately, but that’s just me. Maybe the House of Representatives has always wanted to go dumpster diving but never found one big enough. People who the government thinks are “essential” will continue working, also without pay. It kind of sucks to be essential. There are other “important” things too, like National Parks closing or something about “Obamacare.” Over it. I’d like to return your attention to my main point, which is the lack of yogurt in my smoothie, and my immediate jump to the conclusion that Vassar is shutting down, much like our big, dysfunctional brother in Washington. Let me make this clear for you. UpC doesn’t have yogurt when I am sad. Therefore, Vassar has ceased to function. GUYS, THIS IS BREAKING NEWS. IT’S URGENT, DIDN’T I TELL YOU THAT EARLIER? Try to stay focused, please. Try to stop being concerned about trivial things like midterms or your emotional health because UpC didn’t have enough yogurt last night and so it’s probable Vassar is closing.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
I’m not really sure what the consequences of a full Vassar shut-down are. All non-essential personnel will have to leave, so that probably includes whoever dry cleans all of Cappy’s scarves, the desk workers at the AFC, and also the Quidditch team. Sorry guys. At least you get to go hang out in your dorm room until the school starts functioning again. The Barefoot Monkeys and Squash teams are going to have to keep at their daily grind, without pay, until the school gets back on track. As for classes, those will just stop. At least, I’m pretty sure. I just haven’t been going, because it seems silly to walk to campus and have people be like “Duh, Lily, Vassar shut down, didn’t you notice the lack of yogurt in UpC?” And then I’ll look silly. Anyways, to sum up my BREAKING NEWS, Vassar is closed; the Kiosk is probably still open; UpC doesn’t have yogurt; Washington DC is covered in trash; the new Modern Family made me cry when I was feeling particularly vulnerable. You’re welcome.
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October 3, 2013
Recent grad to return for VC performance, kick off tour Samantha Kohl
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courtesy of MAra Connor
ust a few months after graduating in May, musician Mara Connor ’13, who performed countless times during her time at Vassar, will be returning to campus to grace the stage of the Mug as the first stop of her East Coast tour. Connor will be coming back to her alma mater to perform along with friend and fellow musician Katie Von Schleicher at 8 p.m. on Thursday, October 3. For Connor, deciding to pursue music was a natural decision. “My parents are both in the arts and they’ve always told me to do what I love,” said Connor. Songwriting has been a part of her life since she was a toddler; Connor first started writing songs at the age of three or four and never seemed to stop. “They just kind of came out of me all at once: lyrics, melody, and all,” Connor explained. The decision to pursue music professionally became clear to Connor the summer after her senior year of high school, when she joined an indie rock band in Los Angeles. “I joined my first indie rock band in Los Angeles the summer after high school and fell in love with performing,” she said.”I think the collaborative aspect of music-making that summer really inspired me, along with all the crazy fun we had playing shows around L.A. at venues, parties, in friends’ backyards and at each other’s houses late into the night. Around the time I left for Vassar songs started pouring out of me and I realized that was what I wanted to do.” While at Vassar, Connor continued to perform music in a collaborative style. “During my time at Vassar I performed a lot on campus and was able to develop my sound in a nurturing, pressure-free environment,” she said. Connor’s first performance at Vassar was during her freshman year. Her band, Shark Wrangler, performed a mix of covers of bands like the Pixies, The Arcade Fire and the Yeah
Yeah Yeahs, as well as some of Connor’s original pieces. “We’d rehearse in the grimy Joss basement in between classes and play shows on the weekends. It was a lot fun,” explained Connor. Aside from Shark Attack, Connor was in another band, an all-female ensemble called The Jems. The Jems, however, disbanded after a short while. “We played one show on Joss Beach dressed in black and wearing sunglasses and that was that,” said Connor. She also took part in After Hours, Vassar’s former singer-songwriter showcase. “I found Vassar to be an incredible resource for me as a musician,” said Connor. Her guitar teacher and faculty sponsor at Vassar, Adjunct Instructor in Music Terry Champlin, has been a helpful force behind Connor’s music career, even after her graduation. “He supported me as I was developing my songwriting skills and urged me to think about making music my career, so I did,” revealed Connor. Champlin asked Connor to partake in a field work project in which she recorded one of her songs at a studio in Woodstock—where some of her personal musical heroes, such as The Band and James Taylor, recorded their songs as well. “I also love the flexibility of Vassar’s curriculum and the programs it offers for travel,” said Connor. She did a semester in Dublin, where Connor had a gig performing solo shows twice a week at a popular pub. Upon returning, Connor next took a semester at Wesleyan University through the Twelve College Exchange Program where she studied a variety of musical forms, ranging from jazz vocals to gospel choir. During her semester at Wesleyan, Connor started an electronic and indie band with a few Wesleyan students. Connor first started playing at a professional level before graduating in 2013. At the CMJ Music Festival in New York, Los Angeles and Dub-
Alumna Mara Connor ’13 will return to campus on Thursday to perform in the Mug at 8 p.m. Connor is an Indie-rock singer and songwriter based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her visit is the first stop on her tour. lin, she was able to open for Christopher Owens, the songwriter and front man of indie band “Girls,” in front of an audience of over 500. But Connor continued to perform at Vassar up until the day she graduated; her last show took place in the Aula just a few hours before Connor walked at commencement. Since graduating, Connor, a Los Angeles native, has moved to New York City and is working for the Brooklyn-based record label Ba Da Bing Records as the Director of Music Licensing. Ba Da Bing also released Connor’s first single, “Love is Simple”, on their summer compilation. Connor offered words of advice to any Vassar student considering a future career in music upon graduating. “To anyone who feels the same way I do
about music, I say just go for it. A few things I’ve learned recently: Follow your instincts and don’t second-guess yourself. Practice, record and perform as much as you can and don’t be afraid to seek advice from people you respect,” she said. “Write first and think later. Take your time but also be proactive. Meet as many musicians and music lovers as you can and collaborate with artists you admire, even if you might come from different stylistic backgrounds. I’ve also learned a lot from just sitting down and listening to my favorite records and researching how other artists began their careers,” Connor added. “Music isn’t an easy career,” noted Connor, “but then again neither are most…if you love it, why not give it a try?”
D’Ambra embraces hands-on approach to ancient art Zoe Kurtz
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teaching at a college would be more interesting,” she said. She thinks that teaching at a liberal arts college offers more variety of tasks rather than maintaining projects or collections. She chose to teach at Vassar specifically because of the College’s Art department’s renowned introductory course, Art History 105106. Also, Vassar’s art collection in the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, proximity to New York City, student body and colleagues—both inside and outside of her own department—appealed to D’Ambra. She sees the College’s access to New York City as a special advantage, allowing classes to visit its prestigious museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. Typically, professors are involved in many research projects outside of their classes. Pro-
Cassady Bergevin/The Miscellany News
rofessor of Art Eve D’Ambra is busy this semester, immersed in cultures of the past— ancient Greece and Rome. She teaches seven lectures in the Art History 105-106 course, Greek and Roman Studies 210: Art, Myth, and Society in the Ancient Aegean, and Ancient Roman Art 211. She does not only teach ancient Greek and Roman studies. Last semester, she taught a class titled Greek and Roman Studies 215: Art and Archaeology of ancient Egypt. This was a new class for Professor D’Ambra, which she found very interesting because she had never really taught a class like it before. She acknowledged that many people have developed a strong interest in ancient Egypt because of Egypt’s current political situation, a topic that has been covered in the news heavily as of late. “Egypt is in the news today with the Arab Spring. Mubarak was considered a Pharaoh before,” she said. The last three years, Professor D’Ambra has also been working with the Faculty Appointments and Salary committee. However, she is no longer working on the committee and is instead teaching more classes. Even when she was working with the Faculty Appointments and Salary committee, Professor D’Ambra continued to teach her section of Art History 105. Her lectures encompass art from the ancient Near East, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and ancient Rome. She also teaches two conferences sections per week. Art History is her favorite class to teach. Every year she has taught her seven lecture sequence. “Since it’s a large, formal lecture, some will go off to be Art History majors, some won’t, and some just want to take it before they leave Vassar. There are ways in which one repeats the material, but it’s not quite the same each year,” she said. For example, art from the ancient Near East is a fairly new topic. In the past, lecturers of the course have done other topics, such as cave drawing. Also, since Art History is a larger lecture,
she has to walk a fine line between delving into her passions, and keeping the material simple enough for students who are not as knowledgeable of the art world. Still, she strives to teach material that is interesting for all students in the lecture, those who have backgrounds in art history and those who do not. One of D’Ambra’s favorite ways to make her classes more interesting, which unfortunately she cannot do with Art 105 because of the sheer size of the lecture, is using the Loeb’s vast collection of art. She takes her students to observe work both on display and in storage. For instance, when she was teaching her class about Ancient Egypt, she took her students to view the mummy, Shep. “For a scholar in my field, there are two choices: work in a museum or teach. I thought
Professor of Art Eve D’Ambra specializes in ancient Greek and Roman art. She plans to travel to the Norwegian Institute on October 24 to deliver a lecture on Roman imperial female portraiture.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
fessor D’Ambra is no exception. She recently published an article in the October issue of the American Journal of Archaeology. The article is titled “Mode and Model in Flavian Female Portraiture,” and discusses distinctions between imperial and private portraits of women during the Flavian dynasty in Rome. Alongside her article, D’Ambra is traveling to Rome to deliver the L’Orange lecture for 2013. She will also be speaking at the Norwegian Institute on October 24. She tried to make the dates coincide with October break, but unfortunately she was not able to. The title of her talk is “The Elite and Mass Appeal of Roman Imperial Female Portraiture.” Professor D’Ambra is especially interested in portrait sculptures of empresses as well as private citizens. She is intrigued by how the sculptures vary from the top of the social elite (empresses) to the lower end of the social scale (the private citizens). Mariah Vitali ’14, a student in Art 105 this semester, spoke to D’Ambra’s abilities as a lecturer. “Professor D’Ambra brings an immense amount of passion to each lecture. She thoroughly explains not only each monument in its own right, but also illuminates the context and scholarship surrounding it,” Vitali said. “I have seen some works, such as the Nike of Samothrace, in museums. However, even with pieces I see the first time from my seat in Taylor Hall, Professor D’Ambra’s descriptions make me feel as if I’m standing right in front of them,” she added. D’Ambra looks at various physical aspects, particularly the hairstyles. The hairstyles can act as an identifying aspect to inform the observer of the social standing of the figure in the portrait. She also looks at the beauty, the adornment and the moral character of the sculptures, as they reveal a lot about both the female sculpted and the attitudes of the time. “Art 105 is unlike any class I’ve had at Vassar in my 4 years— I’m enjoying both the course and Professor D’Ambra’s snapshots of antiquity,” Vitali concluded.
October 3, 2013
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Krawiec’s vocal talents help sustain operatic tradition Matthew McCardwell
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[Minter’s] wonderful mentorship and friendship.” Krawiec’s fondness for singing has much to do with the physical and emotional exaltation she experiences as she sings. “When I sing it is the most exhilarating feeling. There is something special about being able to use your body, and really feel like you’re inhabiting all of your body, to produce a glorious sound,” said Krawiec. “Being a soprano I especially love singing high notes, and furthermore, high pianissimo notes. They feel somehow tethered to your body, but at the same time like they are simply floating out of the top of your head.” In addition to the physical nature of music, Krawiec enjoys the history behind the art form.
Sam Pianello/The Miscellany News
ixteen hours a week: that is how much time music major Regina Krawiec ’15 spends singing at Vassar. This amount of time adds up due to weekly vocal lessons with Lecturer in Music Drew Minter, participation in the Vassar Women’s Chorus, Madrigals, the student-run choir Camerata, and the hours she spends singing in preparation and for fun. “This is probably a gross underestimate, but I usually do not time it,” said Krawiec. “I do know that I try to do an hour a day, every day. Sometimes I will rest on Sundays. I probably should not be practicing this much, but I cannot help it.” This dedication to singing started at an early age for Krawiec, who began her musical career in her church choir. From there she started taking vocal lessons at age ten, through which she focused on show tunes and more popular music. She transitioned to classical music at age 16 when she hired a different vocal instructor. Krawiec sang classical music for year, and then picked it back up when she arrived on Vassar’s campus and auditioned for vocal lessons and choirs. The Vassar vocal journey began with Krawiec having limited musicianship skills. This was a hardship in the beginning. “I think it really held me back when learning my pieces, and especially in choir,” said Krawiec. “I remember last year at the beginning of Musicianship Skills 2 I felt so discouraged...I doubted whether or not I should even be a music major,” said Krawiec. But the soprano stayed resilient. “I practiced a lot, and I received help and encouragement from my professors, especially Christine Howlett who let me sing in both the Vassar College Choir and Women’s Chorus when I expressed a desire to sing in both choirs to help my sight-reading,” said Krawiec. “She did not have to do that, but she did and it really
paid off.” Last summer Krawiec had the experience of studying abroad in Italy, and when she returned she was able to sustain a pianissimo high D. “You almost question where the sound is coming from at the point. It is amazing,” she said. In addition to studying abroad, Krawiec has been working with a vocal instructor, Drew Minter, and vocal coach, David Alpher, since her freshman year. A vocal instructor focuses on developing a singer’s mechanical technique, while a vocal coach aids the singer in learning and performing a song. Krawiec commented, “I honestly would not sound the way I do now, or even realize what I wanted to do with my life, if it was not for
Soprano Regina Krawiec ’15 began singing at age ten in her church choir. She devotes over 16 hours a weekto vocal training, and has made great strides in classical singing since her freshman year.
Salinger fails in attempts to define author Victoria Youngblood Guest Columnist
Salinger David Shields & Shane Salerno Simon & Schuster
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magine a slightly unpleasant man who returns from war with post traumatic stress disorder and wants to stay inside most of the time. You would probably have no problem leaving him alone. But once you establish yourself as a genius worth listening to, you do not get off that easy. As many people know, J.D. Salinger did not relish fame but rather tried to escape it. A deep-digging biography of a decisively enigmatic man sounds thrilling, but how much of that thrill is lost when the biographers appear to be intruding on privacy rather than elucidating mystery? Such is the disappointing case in the much anticipated new publication from David Shields and Shane Salerno Salinger. Upon its release last month, Salinger was greeted with a slew of negative criticisms for its clumsy use of a cut-and-splice format and its simplistic interpretation of the interaction between the work of the writer and the life of the man. Indeed, the authors take the uninspired analytical approach. The apparent driving objective is to dig up real life parallels to characters and events from the Salinger stories and designate them as direct causes or subjects of the fiction. This attitude is inherently flawed in that it does a two-pronged disservice—to Salinger as an artist, by simplifying his creative process, and to Salinger the man, by advancing the notion that his private life might be directly accessible in his fiction. A biography of an artist has an innate inclination to interest itself in the relationship between life and work, but a respectful and intellectually successful biography observes the relationship rather than making a crude science out of it. One hopes to use biographical context to en-
hance appreciation or even understanding of a text—for these authors, it is used as explanation. In a chapter called “The Origin of Esme,” for example, Shields claims that Salinger “reproduced” interactions with young women in his life to construct some of his most important narratives.
“A deep-digging biography of a decisively enigmatic man sounds thrilling...”
However much reality was transposed onto his fiction, to call his process a simple copy seems inherently ignorant, and an assumption of authority over an artist’s creative method that ought not be found in the voice relaying his legacy to the world. Salinger was released alongside a corresponding documentary film of the same name, and the book itself is structured documentary-style. Rather than using the form of narrative prose, these authors sought to capture the essence of Salinger in a compilation of interviews, text borrowed from other publications and a liberal scatter of interjections from the authors. If a biographer is going to make a strong stylistic move like this one, it seems necessary that it should in itself be a conscious tribute to its subject. These authors and their mode of composition do not ostensibly reflect that kind of appreciation. My most sympathetic analysis would be this: Salinger navigates an incoherent string of interviews and biographical events in the same way Holden Caulfield navigates disconnected experiences in New York, or it records a series of perspectives on a common theme as Salinger does in his “Nine Stories.” The authors cannot
really be saved by this defense, however, because a Salinger text comes together as something larger than the sum of its parts, and that something is, in broad terms, a meaning worth understanding. This biography does not culminate in an evoked essence of J.D. Salinger— rather it offers a detached assembly of perceptions that floated around his character rather than sees into it. If we want to get some value out of this book, it might be necessary to embrace its fragmented nature. This means denying it the linear attention we might devote to a story and treating it more like a book of trivia or quotes—something that you might leave on a coffee table or in the bathroom. Like it or not, it is a simple fact that this volume does include unseen material from Salinger’s life, which some of us may be painfully curious about, and anecdotes whose content or narrator might strike our interest. It is just unfortunate that we have to sift through a confusing alternation of presumptuous commentary, unqualified contributions and borrowed material from ambiguous sources, before we get to the good stuff. It is certainly a surprising disappointment that a 600-page investment in the identity of such a beloved literary figure would result in a book that is a poorly edited collection of interesting material at best and a grave misrepresentation at worst. We expect a certain respect for Salinger from those who devote themselves to telling his story, and that respect is not demonstrated by these authors. Where a better biographer might work from a place of compassion or at least sympathy to convey a message from his subject, these biographers seem motivated by a desire to expose what Salinger might have been hiding. Such is one of the main perplexities surrounding this publication. Risking a hypocritical generalization, I submit that Salinger does not seem to like Salinger. Anyone has the right to publish an unflattering story with an important figure as their subject, no matter how popular the person is. But at least call it something other than “Salinger” as if his legacy is yours to manhandle, and at least do it well.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
“There is the beauty of keeping traditions alive. When I went to Italy in the summer I studied with Margaret Lattimore and she said to me that I was part of a grand tradition, that she loved passing down these traditions to the younger generation, and that one day I might pass them down too,” Krawiec said. “I thought that was a really wonderful sentiment. Opera is a grand tradition that connects many different people from all over the world for centuries. To think that I am currently on the path to be included in this tradition, that I am part of the next generation who will carry these traditions and keep it alive, is profound.” Krawiec believes that the ability to sing is a great gift that one has a duty to pursue and maintain. “I believe that people who are able to sing are blessed and lucky. We are given this gift that not everyone receives, it is simply our responsibility to take care of it and cherish it. But also to nurture the gift and help [ourselves] achieve its highest potential. It is also especially gratifying to hear myself now. I have worked very hard to get my instrument to what it is today, and will continue to work for as long as I am able to ensure that it is growing and maturing. When I first got to Vassar I was afraid to sing Fs in the staff, but now I can vocalize to almost an octave above that.” Krawiec’s vocal career is something she has cultivated through dedication and countless hours of practice; however, she believes that her voice would not be where it is today without the instruction and opportunities that Vassar has provided her. “I feel so supported by the music faculty, everyone wants to see all of us succeed. Now I think I am a much better musician than when I came to Vassar,” said Krawiec. “Of course I’m not at the level that I want to be at yet, but it is a work in progress. It is encouraging that I have seen a progression in my skills, and it makes me want to advance even more.”
Hudson Valley
Arts
Bradford Park
Graves
Sculpture
Through Oct. 31 Off route 209, Kerhonkson, N.Y. Sculpture park features over 600 works by Graves. Pieces are mostly in stone, and smaller pieces and bronze works in the gallery. Free admission. By appointment.
Artists Collective of Hyde Park
Through Oct. 13 4338 Albany Post Rd., Hyde Park, N.Y., 12538 “Anniversary Show: A Retrospective” highlights works done by artists celebrating their 1st year as a cooperative. Free entry.
Boscobel House and Gardens
Through Nov. 1601 Route 9D, Garrison, N.Y. “Robert W. Weir and the Poetry of Art” displays works loaned from West Point. Hours: Wed.-Sun., 9:30 a.m.- 5 p.m. 9:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. through Nov.
Bridge Music, Waryas Park
Through the year. Main St., Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Music by Joseph Bertolozzi. Using just sounds from the Mid Hudson Bridge, Bertolozzi’s music can be heard at listening stations at each tower along the pedestrian walkway.Free.
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Chorus to sing diverse musical set
Cancer fundraiser unites campus musicians Jack Owen ARts editoR
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ow in its second year at Vassar, Tunes 4 Tay will bring six student musical groups together, ranging from a capella to ukulele, all to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Tunes 4 Tay is a fundraiser organized by taybandz, a 501 (C) 3 non-profit organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research at various research centers, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, MD among others. The event is on Saturday, October 5 at 8 p.m. in the College Center 223-multipurpose room. Taylor Matthews founded tay-bandz in 2004 after she was diagnosed with bone cancer at age 11 in 2003. The organization started as a small-scale fundraising initiative based in Matthews’ hometown of Scarsdale, N.Y. Matthews created merchandise, organized auctions, fashion shows and held the annual 5-K Relay for Tay. After Matthews passed away in 2008, her family carried on her legacy by continuing tay-bandz. The foundation has grown into a hugely successful fundraising organization with events nationwide. Over the past few years, tay-bandz expanded its fundraising initiatives onto college campuses, networking through Matthews’ friends who were beginning to attend college. Night Owl Emily Nash ‘13 started the event Tunes 4 Tay at the College last spring. Nash is from Scarsdale, N.Y. and is close with the Matthews family. Originally planning to hold a 5-K relay, Nash felt that Vassar students would more likely attend a musical event. Now, Tunes 4 Tay has spread to college campuses across the country, including Fordham University, Johns Hopkins University, North Carolina State University and others. This year, Joanna Kloppenburg ’14, also from Scarsdale, has organized the event. Kloppenburg has been involved with tay-bandz since middle school, and is close family friends with the Matthews. “I wanted to bring a diverse range of different musicians on campus, whether organized
Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News
CHORUS continued from page 1 controlled in their use of dissonance. The mixed program they will use for their concert at Vassar showcases sixteenth-century works from Flanders, Germany, Italy and Spain, as well as the sounds of Tudor and Jacobean England and the polychoral works of Sebastián de Vivanco and Michael Praetorius. The singers will also perform a twenty-first-century piece composed for the group in 2009 by British composer John McCabe. This twelve-part tour-de-force is the only non-Renaissance piece in the repertoire , set to a Medieval text. Other works will split into four, five, six and even twelve parts. “There are no soloists as such,” wrote soprano Rebecca Hickey in an emailed statement, “but the pieces in eight and twelve parts are performed one voice to a part so you will have a chance to hear our individual voices.” Stile Antico is much in demand and performs regularly in Europe and North America. The singers have toured extensively with Sting,and have performed in Australia and the Far East. They have produced several recordings that can be purchased on their website. These chamber musicians perform a variety of music, including works by English Tudor composers, Flemish and Spanish schools and the early Baroque period. They also hold master classes with funds from the National Lottery and workshops for adult choirs, opportunities that encourage the development of listening skills, musical independence and understanding rhythms. Workshops are small, unconducted events that are fitted to meet the needs of their participants. Stile Antico frequently leads courses at Dartington International Summer School and is currently Ensemble In Residence at the University of Buckingham, encouraging students to sing as chamber musicians and respond to their music. The group has plans for future educational work, recordings and international tours. It receives no public funding and relies solely on the support of its friends and generous private donors. There are distinct aspects of Stile Antico, one of them being that the group performs without a conductor. Rather, the members rehearse together as a chamber group, each singer contributing to the pieces stylistically. Hickey revealed that working without a conductor is wonderful, but a challenge in self-discipline. “Our rehearsals could easily turn into a general chat!” she wrote. “We do in fact talk a lot in our rehearsals as we have the luxury of being allowed to explore different interpretations of the music, so we like to discuss our thoughts on interpretation. We feel we have a lot of freedom to express ourselves as musicians.” When explaining why she wanted to join Stile Antico, Hickey wrote, “I…loved the idea of there being no conductor and having the chance to work as a chamber musician.” “We practice in intense bursts!” she continued. “We will often have a weekend of rehearsing so that we can really have a chance to get into the music. So when we start to rehearse a new programme of music we really enter into it and unpick it thoroughly.” Hickey has enjoyed singing in small groups as well as performing Stile Antico’s material. Still, she has difficulty pinpointing what she enjoys the most about being part of the ensemble. “[There] are so many enjoyable things,” she wrote. “First and foremost I suppose is that I love the music of the sixteenth century so I have the joy of singing music I love all the time.” She also enjoys the group’s companionship. “I am really part of a team and there is a real sense of camaraderie between us all which makes working together fulfilling and fun!” Hickey and the ensemble are looking forward to the performance. “There is something very exciting about sharing this music with students. The pieces we have chosen for this programme are all mini masterpieces which we have every confidence you will love as much as we do.”
October 3, 2013
Tunes 4 Tay, a student music showcase now in its second year, raises funds for tay-bandz, a non-profit organization benefiting pediatric cancer research. The event includes six musical acts. or not, just to bring people together for one common cause,” said Kloppeburg. Six groups will perform, including the Night Owls, Vastards, Laura Kay ’14, who sings and plays ukulele, a jazz trio, DJ Max Rollins and a jazz combo from the student jazz ensemble. Kloppenburg and the Night Owls will also be selling merchandise for tay-bandz, such as bracelets, headbands and key chains. “I’m not musically involved in any structured way, but it’s something I’m very passionate about. And I have made a lot of friends who are involved in music, so it’s been very exciting for me to be able to take a lot of the people I know who are dong a lot of amazing work and bring them together to showcase that for such a great cause,” Kloppenburg said. Kloppenburg feels that featuring just six groups will create an intimate atmosphere and allow the musicians to perform a sampling of their work. Tunes 4 Tay will likely continue next year.
“It’s a tradition that the Night Owls really want to continue being involved in, so they’ve been helping me a lot with the event,” Kloppenburg explained. “I think that the torch will be passed on to them as well, and some of them were involved in it last year so they already know how it goes. That’s the dream of tunes for Tay, that it will be a recurring event.” Though the event occurred last spring, Kloppenburg decided to host it in the fall to kick off the year. Kloppenburg spoke to the importance of raising money for pediatric cancer research, as the federal government underfunds it. “There’s very little federal funding for pediatric cancer research, and I think Taylor and her family identified that hole going through the process,” said Kloppenburg. “So this has been a really large part of finding funding for that kind of research,” she added. Donations are required to enter the event. Kloppenburg recommends donating $5.
Gordon-Levitt script looks at vice, morality Lily Sloss Columnist
Don Jon Joseph Gordon-Levitt Relativity Media
D
ue to “no pants Friday,” a history paper on the horizon and the incalculable impact of a solid outline, I am going to review the odd film Don Jon in classic Intro to Screenwriting film analysis format. You’re welcome, public at large. Jon, the “don,” or Joseph Gordon-Levitt at his most Guido-esque, is a Catholic church attending, Italian food eating, gym buff, “pussy”-pounding porn addict who finally meets a girl, Barbara (Scarlett Johansson), who won’t sleep with him. Shocker. She actually makes him wait. It is at this climactic moment in the movie that my best friend leans over and asks: “Should we be taking notes?” What is the Major Dramatic Question? Will Jon find something that lets him “lose himself” the way porn consistently does? On a tangential note, I now feel qualified to say that there is something seriously lacking in the production value of internet porn. Where are the buoyant soundtracks? Heightened tension and consequent conflict? Character development? Witty subtext? Briefly describe the inciting incident, plot point 1, the midpoint, plot point 2, and the climax: Inciting incident: When “don” Jon, a successful player, cannot sleep with Barbara. She’s just too hot to sleep with a guy the first time she makes out with him in a club. That’s for 6’s and 7‘s, and Barbara is a 10. This attracts Jon to such a point that he surmises Barbara is “the one.” Plot Point 1: Barbara bumps and grinds on Jon and convinces him (in an irrational, horny
moment) to meet her friends, introduce her to his family and take a night class. “You’d look so good in a suit, Baby” she coos, as she rubs herself against him. Moral of the story: boys trying to “get it in” can be convinced to do anything. Even attend school! The pair become “boyfriend-girlfriend.” Midpoint: Jon has sex with Barbara, something he has waited for a WHOLE MONTH. The experience is the sexual equivalent of “lame sauce.” Yeah, Barbara’s perfectly endowed and he “loves” her, but sex with Barbara still cannot equal the good pull of a boom-boom video. After he consummates his relationship with Barbara, he leaves the room to watch porn. When she catches him, midpull, Jon is forced to promise that he will never watch porn again. Spoiler: he cannot stop. PSA: this is how addiction works. Plot Point 2: Jon recognizes Barbara’s penchant for control when she forces him to stop Swiffering his house (because “cleaning is for women”). Barbara breaks up with Jon after realizing he never stopped watching porn. He develops a relationship with Esther (Julianne Moore), an older, more experienced woman in his night class. Lily’s plot point 2: the film finally gets interesting when Jon and Esther interact. Previous to this moment, the film serves as a PSA that if you want a heterosexual man, you must manipulate them. Climax: Jon has sex with Esther and realizes that he can “lose himself” in another person instead of porn. A changed man, he stops gelling his hair, is sweet to his sister and hangs out with the friends he has left behind. What is the ultimate message of the film? Pornography has no value, and sex is meaningful because it allows two people to (figuratively and metaphorically) fill the other person. I suppose I should have seen it coming the whole time. The rest of the film depicts the lifeblood of Jon’s character—sex, porn, gym,
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
pasta—as unhealthy and sad. The movie is essentially a morality tale. Does it work? Eh. While Joseph Gordon-Levitt is attractive and boyishly charming (a lá Vassar male population at large), his physical characteristics are not suited for a psuedo-”Guido” persona. He and Scarlett Johansson have the worst Jersey accents ever caught on film. Furthermore, if Johansson was not allowed to snap gum the entire film, half of her personality would be lost. The pacing of the film is awful. We spend a very monotonous two-thirds of the movie watching Jon in the gym, in church with his family, homosocially defying his misogynistic father and being inundated with images of blonde women giving oral. While I do appreciate Don Jon as Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s first large scale screenwriting credit, it cannot be ignored that the narrative moves exceptionally slowly. The relationship with Esther, the older, pot-smoking, widowed and “experienced” woman in Jon’s night class provides the only touching or semi-interesting aspect to the narrative. Through Jon’s interactions with Esther, we realize how flimsy Jon’s whole life is- and what he has been missing by losing himself in porn for all of this time. However, we are not introduced to Esther until at least halfway into the film, and Jon and Esther do not form a relationship until at least half of the way through. In conclusion: does it work? Yes and no. The film is entertaining the way a porn can delight: pretty pictures and quick cinematic “cuts” from one shot to the next, attractive people and repetitive penetration of the same ideas, and an ultimate (if late-breaking) climax. However, to quote the songstress of our generation, Jojo, “it’s just too little, too late.” Just as Jon comes to realize that porn is not wholly satisfying, so too does the audience member leave Don Jon. One might feel physically spent afterwards, but mentally, most will remain underwhelmed.
ARTS
October 3, 2013
Page 17
Poring over the origins of a Netflix hit Emma Daniels RepoRteR
Orange is the New Black Piper Kerman Random House
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fter binge-watching Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, arguably this summer’s most talked about television series, I decided to go to its source: Piper Kerman’s 2011 memoir Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison. Memoirs are one of my favorite genres— perhaps it’s something voyeuristic in me, but I love examining people’s lives. I often find myself absorbed in a memoir—be it about an intellectual at the height of her career suffering the death of her husband, a man telling the story of his life with Asperger’s, a lesbian exploring her complex relationship with her gay father in comic-strips, a former Mennonite returning home or Dave Eggers chronicling his time parenting his orphaned younger brother under the backdrop of the Golden Gate. Despite my extensive knowledge of the genre, Kerman’s premise was particularly intriguing, especially framed as a comparison to the dramatized series. For those of you who spent the summer at a camp in the deep woods, or are one of those cool kids without a Facebook, both the book and the series are focused on a woman spending a year in a prison for transporting drug money, a one-time crime she had committed ten years earlier. I had a lot of questions: Who is the real Piper, the real Crazy Eyes, the real Pornstache? And more importantly, what is a women’s prison actually like? Does the book do justice to the true nature of the institution and all of the people in it, in perhaps a way the show does not? Despite its popularity, many reviewers and bloggers criticized the Netflix series for its non-representative white, upper-middle class main character with a Smith degree
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who self-surrenders; its lack of emphasis on the rampant sexual abuse in prisons; for not focusing on imprisoned mothers, mourning their separation from their children; for misrepresenting prisoners’ living arrangements; and more. The book follows the patterns of many contemporary memoirs. It is no surprise that Kerman cites Dave Eggers in her acknowledgments, and that her husband, Larry, is the founder of Smith magazine, most widely known for revolutionizing microfiction with its six word memoir contest. This same type of conciseness is evident in Kerman’s work. The book consists of a series of short consecutive vignettes, beginning with the story of Kerman’s crime—like in the series, she gets sexually involved with an older woman who works for an international drug trafficking network. In a sometimes overly neat succession, Kerman describes discovering ten years later that she has been convicted of a crime, and ultimately self-surrenders, arriving at the Federal Correction Institute in Danbury, C.T. in 2004. She then discusses her experience there, an unexpected trip on Con-Air, and a stint in Oklahoma. The book ends at her release. Undoubtedly, some of the problematic elements of the series pop up in Kerman’s memoir—it is the tale of a privileged prisoner, who listens to college radio while running around the prison track, complains about the cafeteria’s iceberg lettuce and receives a consistent stream of visitors bearing books. But despite it being a narrative focused on an outlier, Kerman works hard to educate her audience about the realities of prison life. These realities reveal the Netflix series’ exaggerations—although many of the TV show’s plot points are oriented in truth, they are consistently dramatized. For example, in the book although Kerman does criticize the food, she is not prevented from eating; although she does find herself with a contraband screwdriver, it is disposed of quickly; and although there are some lesbians and what she calls “gay for the stay” inmates, the majority of her discussion is not focused on
the prisoners’ sexual escapades. (Incidentally—spoiler alert!—the character of Alex does not appear until the book’s last section.) The focus of Kerman’s memoir is more on the day-to-day life the prisoners lead. Their interactions with each other, throwing parties and making cheesecake in the microwave, are juxtaposed with their interactions with the prison staff, who are sometimes, but rarely, kind. She retells her own dehumanizing experiences with the prison guards—one Disney-villain supervisor in particular—who speaks to the powerlessness of incarcerated women when it comes to protecting themselves from sexual abuse. And following the form of the very invogue genre of literary nonfiction, she intersperses her narrative with small segments of factual information. For example, 80% of the women in prisons are mothers. Kerman illustrates this statistic by painting a picture of the short reunions families have during an annual field day at the Institute, only to be broken apart again after a few short hours. Another striking statistic is that most of the women—most of the mothers, for that matter, in the federal prison system are non-violent drug offenders, like Kerman herself. Unlike Kerman, though, for most of her peers in prison, before they were behind bars, the narcotics trade was one that provided the most opportunity for employment. Kerman acknowledges her own privilege, especially when she poignantly reflects on her interactions with women who suffered from withdrawal behind bars. She implicates herself in the drug trade, acknowledging that her actions ten years before made her, in a way, an accomplice to these women’s addictions. So although Piper Kerman does not represent the “average prisoner,” and her prose can get repetitive, she does come to this and other effective conclusions about the American justice system. And if from her position of privilege she is getting members of the general public—citizens who aren’t implicated in the school to prison pipeline—to read her vignettes, she is doing an important service.
A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists
Excuse me, What does the fox say?
“You’re drunk, go home.” —Elyse Walczyk ’16
“That’s a weird question.” —Lily Shell ’16
“I didn’t sign a release form for this.” —Asia Howard ’16
submit to misc@vassar.edu
“Oh, I saw that video.” —Colin Johnson ’15
“Ring-dingding-de-dingding-ding” —Daniel Cooper ’16
This image is a still from a video I made at an art school in Norfolk, C.T. this past summer. I like videos because they are the easiest way to show people what’s wrong with my imagination. A lot of people think my videos are just funny, and that’s okay, but I also think they can be sad and maybe even spicy. Lately I have been moving away from video and doing stuff like paintings
and performances. I like all three! I am a philosophy major and proud of it! I think I owe a lot of my artistic creativity to ideas I’ve learned about in my philosophy classes. I also learn from watching TV and surfing the internet. I think that art is both the nicest and also the most unnecessary thing that people can make. I think that in an ideal future, the only commodity would
be art because nobody would actually need anything and everyone would like nice things. But it’s probably naïve to think that the future will be so nice. A lot of people in the world are in need and it’s easy to feel powerless to help them. Feeling powerless to change the world with my actions makes me want to try and change it with some art. —William Wheeler ’14
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
“Wa-pa-pa-pa-papa-pow” —Tim Croner ’14
Jack Owen, Arts Editor Cassady Bergevin, Photo Editor
SPORTS
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October 3, 2013
Mentel finishes 20th overall at Middlebury Invitational Amreen Bhasin
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RepoRteR
courtesy of Vassar College Athletics
he Vassar College women’s Golf team kicked off their season on September 14, 2013. Since then, Vassar Sophomore Angela Mentel ’16 has had a stellar start to her season. She has been one of the few Brewers to compete in all three competitions so far this year. One of her best performances came about a week and a half ago at the Mount Holyoke Invitational. She started the par-72 course by shooting a 48 on the first nine holes to finish the final nine with a 36. She finished the next day carding an 88 giving her a final score of 172. She ended up 28 over par and tied for 32nd place overall. Due to conflicts the Brewers only competed three golfers at Mount Holyoke. But this past weekend, the Brewers headed over to Middlebury, Vermont for the Middlebury College Women’s Invitational. The team finished 5th out of 10 teams and Mentel garnered herself the 20th place overall. Mentel has been incredibly impressed with her team’s performance so far for the fall season at Vassar. “Our team has performed well so far this season…[We are] actually very promising. We are a very young team, and if we continue to grow we will certainly have a shot at catching Amherst and Middlebury in the upcoming years…I think our team is going to grow a lot this season…overall I think our team has done the best we can and we are looking ahead to continue our success.” Mentel has also seen herself grow immensely this season compared to last year. Mentel expressed that she is very happy with her overall performance so far. “So far I have competed in all three tournaments of the Season. At NYU, I shot a two day total of 170 and placed 21st out of 60 competitors. At Mount Holyoke, I struggled on the front nine the first day, but shot my lowest career nine holes on the back nine carding a 36 to finish with an 84 for day one. I finished day two with an 88 for a two day total of 172 and a 32 place finish among 86 competitors. This past
weekend at Middlebury, I had my personal best 18 hole score of my Vassar career with an 81 on day one, and finished with a two day total of 171 coming in at 20th place out of 50 competitors. I am really pleased with how well I’ve been playing this season so far, and I’m pleased with my scoring average as of late with an 85.5, and I improved my totals from last years competition.” But golf isn’t all that controls Mentel’s life at Vassar. She’s an active member of the Vassar community at large. “When it comes to school,” she says, “I am definitely a student-athlete. Student coming before athlete. I manage to keep up with my academics by keeping in contact with professors and bringing along homework on tournament weekends. I am also the treasurer for the Vassar Catholic Community, and a member of the Vassar Democrats. I think that it is easy to balance all of these activities because they are organizations that I care about and am genuinely interested in participating in them.” Mentel grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended the Columbus School for Girls for 15 years before coming to Vassar. Mentel explained how golf has been a large part of her life since she was a young girl. “My dad used to take me out to play golf when I was younger, but I didn’t seriously start competing until I was in the sixth grade. I really just started to enjoy it. Being on my high school team is what really pushed me to continue into the collegiate level. I wasn’t ready to completely give up competitive golf quite yet.” This year’s team boasts three new freshman. They’ve graduated three seniors. Yet Mentel has been enjoying her season so far still has high hopes for the remainder of the year. She hopes the small squad has had a chance to bond and enjoy their collegiate golf experience. “Our team changed in the same way many others do: we lost three seniors and two impact players, but we also gained three freshmen who are certainly bringing a lot to the team as well. I know that I’ve certainly enjoyed every minute of practicing and traveling with our intimate squad this year, and I certainly hope that they
Sophomore Angela Mentel of women’s golf is now playing in her second season as a Vassar College athlete. Mentel placed twentienth overall at the Middlebury College Invitational this past weekend. are enjoying it as well.” Mentel also hopes to use this year as a rebuilding year and to help her team gain some experience while still being competitive and especially preparing them for the future and upcoming seasons. “I briefly mentioned...that I am incredibly proud of how our team has done in competition. Like I said before, we are a very young team so it is especially important to get the freshmen out there playing in collegiate tournaments and gaining as much experience as possible in order to grow as a team. Seeing some of these courses and playing in all kinds of conditions will help our team grow for the future. I shot some pretty good rounds the past three tournaments with a few opportunities for improvement, but overall I think our team has done the best we can and we are looking ahead to continue our success.”
Mentel hopes to focus on keeping up her consistency this season. She feels stronger finishing after a bad nine holes to start but hopes to be able to put together two solid sets and keep on improving her short game. Most athletes have small rituals before games or competitions and Mentel is no exception. She always fist bumps every member of her team before competition and tells them to have a blast and play well. She’s also rather superstitious about what sort of balls she uses. “When it comes to golf balls, I always play Titleist ProV1X golf balls, but they have to be number ones, which basically means that they have to say number one on them. Sometimes when [they] do not work I will play number twos. Never threes or fours.” Mentel and the women’s golf team will be back in action next weekend taking part in the Williams Invitational.
Team strives to surpass legacy of former seasons SOCCER continued from page 1 to show how good of a team we are.” He continued, “Our non-conference games have often been decided in overtime, or by one goal, and we know the Liberty League will be no different. We’re more than prepared for what’s ahead.” Sophomore Nick Hess wants to build on the winning ways of last year, especially in conference play. Hess expressed that the
team wants “some national spotlight would be huge for our program.” According to the players, and from their general demeanor, the team feels renewed urgency to follow up previous teams’ success; they have built a culture where no individual team wants to be the one to fail. It is a unique situation, as they are trying to uphold the standards they have set, while also creating an identity and
Alec Feretti/The Miscellany News
Junior midfifelder Justin Mitchell of men’s soccer performed well at the match on September 28 vs. Skidmore College. The Brewers tied the Thoroughbreds after going into a tight overtime matchup.
legacy for this year’s roster. The sentiment among players remains that, no matter what happens this year, what they have accomplished in the past can’t be taken away from them. “We realized (through some of our nonconference losses) that we must not get complacent with what we have achieved in past years and that we are going to have to play to our fullest potential on a weekly basis,” explained Grimme. Many of the men’s soccer players cited the losses of key defensive players from last year’s team, notably All-American Zander Mrlik ’13. Pereira explained, “I knew that the way to compensate for that was to come together and improve as an (entire) unit without him.” However, as Grimme noted, “We are developing with every game we play.” The Brewers should also be aided by Seltzer’s return from a sprained foot injury suffered at the end of August. As Seltzer explained, “it’s been particularly frustrating considering that this is my last season of soccer…I now feel more energetic than ever and look forward to working myself back to peak form.” The team opened conference play on September 28 at home, coming away with a 1-1 tie against Skidmore College. Said Seltzer, “We are just now (entering conference play) realizing our true capabilities as a team…I couldn’t be happier with the team.” Junior Tom Weichert leads the team in goals with 10, and points with 19. Pereira is second in both goals and points, with 6 and 12, respectively. Sophomores Gavin Jennings and Jordan Palmer are tied in the lead in assists with 3. While this is an older team, many younger players actually play prominent roles on the team. The leaders like Grimme know that the onus is on them to show the underclassmen how it’s done and carry out a tradition. He said, “As a team and program we are hoping to continue the tradition and precedent put forth by the teams before us.” Hess stated that, as a sophomore, he has taken pride in becoming more of a leader, setting
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
the tone both mentally and physically. Even though he is only a sophomore, he realizes that he only has a couple more years left playing the game he loves. He explained, “I am noticing my time as a soccer player dwindling down, which means it is more important than ever to get the most out of every practice and every game.” Aside from their record, this year’s Men’s Soccer team is working hard to gain national respect and spotlight. The program has already received some national attention, as Seltzer has been featured in articles by numerous media publications like ESPN regarding his media day hairstyles from the past four years. Still, the team hopes that they receive national attention not only because of hair, but also because of their ability to outperform teams on a consistent basis. Hess expressed his hopes for the men’s team this year. “This is a huge year for the program coming off 2 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and some teams still think we are a fluke,” explained Hess. “This year it would be great to win the Liberty League Championships, especially to send some of the older guys out with some great memories.” According to players, team cohesion in sports is extremely tricky, even more so in soccer, where one breakdown can literally be the difference between a win and a loss. Pereira was acutely aware of this. He explained, “I came into the season with the goal of improving our team cohesion. We graduated some strong characters from our team last year.” This close-knit group prides themselves on their team chemistry, both on and off the pitch. Said Hess, “Our captains and leaders have continued to push us and our chemistry is never an issue; we are definitely one of the closest teams on campus.” Despite the pressure, the men’s soccer players feel optimistic and have lofty expectations. Grimme said, “My personal goal for the season is to go further in the NCAAs than we did last season and take Vassar College Men’s Soccer onto the national soccer stage.”
October 3, 2013
SPORTS
Page 19
NBA season promises quality spectacle Football fun in fantasy T form Luka Ladan
Assistant Sports Editor
he preparations for the grind of a long season coincide with the start of the month, with training camp now underway for NBA teams. The rekindling of team togetherness in October takes the place of the lonely individual workout in the summer heat; the world’s most talented basketball players rewire their thinking, with collective betterment supplanting individual improvement on the list of priorities. The whole is put before the self. With the start of basketball just around the corner, it’s just a great time for basketball fans everywhere. The superstars–in all their athletic brilliance–are finally back in the limelight. LeBron. Durant. Derrick Rose. Without their crossovers and fading jumpers and acrobatic pirouettes in the air, the summer can seem depressingly long. Baseball struggles to fill the void. I miss the stinginess of elite NBA defenses, from Memphis to Miami to Indiana, and the scoring prowess of the league’s best offenses, from Denver to New York to Oklahoma City. I miss the adrenaline rush of the fast break, culminated in a Chris Paul flick and Blake Griffin slam. I miss the raw explosiveness of Russell Westbrook and the shooting binges by Stephen Curry—when the game’s best perform beneath the brightest of lights, showcasing the uniqueness of their talents. The shooting, the dunking, the smoothness of the game. But, one of the best isn’t able to show his mettle just yet. While the Boston Celtics are back in the swing of things at the team’s Waltham, MA practice facility, Rajon Rondo is far from it. Recovering from a knee injury sustained in January, the talented point guard spends a lot of time on the sidelines nowadays, removed from Brad Stevens’ team drills on the court–his focus is (rightly) on strengthening and recovery, not cohesion and group bonding. He isn’t able to run the offense just yet, or do pretty much anything with the team as a whole. At the start of October, Rondo’s primary objective is to regain the jumping, cutting and sprinting that made Rondo one of the best back-court players in the
NBA– so that the start of January can feature him in all his mercurial glory. When he does come back later on in the season, Rondo will encounter a completely different team under the bright lights of TD Garden. Long gone are the veterans of old, who brought gritty toughness and battle-tested knowhow to the court each and every night. Long gone is the head coach who molded the pieces together into an intimidating unit, remembered for its defensive pedigree and the primal screams of “Ubuntu”–the perfect mix of defensive fundamentals and the camaraderie that makes it mean something. Long gone is the air of invincibility, which saturated all of Canal Street when Kevin Garnett’s knees felt spry and Paul Pierce was hitting clutch shot after clutch shot. Long gone is that Celtic mystique, which fueled the Garden faithful and rattled the opposition. In its place stands Brad Stevens, a baby-faced tactician oozing with statistical genius and play-calling acumen. In its place stands Danny Ainge, a “bigger picture” kind of guy ripe with the experience of winning and the excitement of starting over. In its place stands a bunch of NBA toddlers with a lot to prove, and some of the talent needed to do it. Not all, but surely some. This group of Celtics is an experiment in rebuilding and rebranding, a project for the long haul instead of the here and now. In the place of past accomplishment stands anticipation, albeit the cautious sort, of things to come. Kelly Olynyk was a goofy college student just a few months ago, and now stands in the place of Kevin Garnett. Jared Sullinger faced the unforgiving tutelage of that same Kevin Garnett just last season, and now must put those lessons to use all by himself – he must anchor an NBA defense with firm conviction, without the mentor leading the way. Brad Stevens goes from the immature student-athlete to the stern-faced professional, from a nurturing father figure to the face of a professional franchise. In Boston, there are a lot of new faces, and the ones from before find themselves in strikingly different roles.
Such is the state of Rajon Rondo’s team, which he will inherit sometime in December, if not later. He won’t be assisting a well-oiled machine of trusted veterans, but a hodgepodge of young guns and perennial castoffs. This is a different group of guys, which will test the point guard’s patience and spark his temper. The future might bring a whole lot of mistakes, issues, and losses mixed into one long season of struggle and sorrow. It probably will. But, whatever the future may bring, I just miss watching Rajon Rondo play the game of basketball–much like I missed Derrick Rose’s acrobatic finishes, and will still miss Kobe Bryant’s competitive fire. As always, injuries are tough to deal with–they are an unfortunate piece of the puzzle when it comes to professional sports. The NBA just isn’t the same when the game’s brightest stars don’t shine so bright–or aren’t able to shine at all–Rondo being one of them. His ball fakes and his crafty finishing skills, his moodiness and his errant passes, his obsession with triple-doubles and his tendency to step up when it matters most. The potential of witnessing something extraordinary, something amazing, whenever he takes the court. All of it was missing over the past few months, a dull few months indeed. If nothing else, you know that Rajon Rondo will be, authentically and unequivocally, Rajon Rondo. He’ll have fun and he’ll entertain. He’ll boast a little bit when he wins and he’ll pout even more when he loses. He’ll reward teammates with pinpoint passes and he’ll infuriate opposing players, coaches, fans, everyone. And he’ll definitely offer up some quirky answers to reporters’ questions. It’s all just a part of Rajon being Rajon. And the National Basketball Association is much better for it. Basketball wouldn’t be the same without him. So, let’s be grateful that professional basketball is starting up again–that dunks and dimes, shots and steals, will soon take the place of base hits and boredom. And let’s hope that Rajon Rondo will be nothing short of Rajon Rondo, one day very soon.
Cuban athletes continue to face restrictions Eli J. Vargas I Columnist
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he country of Cuba has historically been a hotspot of great baseball talent, producing baseball players such as Jose Canseco and Rafael Palmeiro, who both hit over 450 home-runs. So, the finale of the MLB baseball season has brought amazing news for the sport of baseball and many Cuban baseball players. Players, such as Yasiel Puig, who have defected from Cuba have also left family members and children in Cuba, and this news may allow them to reunite with these lost family members; Cuba has just announced that it will be allowing baseball players to sign with overseas teams as of November 1 and all other athletes as of January 1. No longer will Cuban baseball players have to face the perils and punishments of defection to play baseball abroad. They are free to come and play, which is great for the sport of baseball because so many young and talented players have been marooned in Cuba, and some have never allowed to play baseball again because of their attempted defections. Again, many Cuban baseball players have been punished and banned from ever playing baseball again, just because they had talked to someone who attempted to defect or one of their family members attempted to defect to the MLB. Baseball fans in the United States may rejoice at the news, but that happiness will be overshadowed by the pure ecstasy experienced by players in Cuba at this moment, since former Cuban President Fidel Castro abolished professional sports in Cuba–a decision that has left many professional athletes to live in poverty in one of the poorest countries in the world. This opportunity to earn millions of dollars for professional athletes has the potential to be a wave of relief for many struggling families in Cuba. Notable MLB players that have defected from Cuba and paved the way for many Cubans include Los Angeles Dodgers rookie sensation Yasiel Puig, the Oakland A’s star Yeonis Ces-
pedes, and Cincinnati Reds phenom Aroldis Chapman. The problem is that in Cuba, MLB games are rarely televised, and when they are, they are from thirty to forty years ago. So all of these great players in the major leagues are missed back at home, and no one knows how well they are doing. These ostracized players, who may have been heroes to many in their native Cuba, are sorely missed. An example of this is former Major League Baseball player Luis Gonzalez, who won a world-series with the Arizona Diamondback, and who is of Cuban descent. When he met rookie Yasiel Puig, Puig did not even know who he was, but Luis Gonzales did not know the situation in Cuba, and as a result, took it as an insult. Hopefully these games will be televised, since players are now allowed to go overseas, and Cubans are now free to move wherever they wish.
“No longer will Cuban baseball players have to face the perils and punishments of defection to play baseball abroad.” Although the door may have been opened, the opportunity may not be completely open for professional athletes because there are still some possible obstacles. What will happen if these athletes decide that after being paid millions of dollars, that they don’t want to return? What will happen then? Will the Cuban government decide to rescind the freedoms granted to players once again? The likelihood of this happening is extremely high because why would players making millions abroad have the desire to return to Cuba
for $200 in salary? Another hurdle is that Cuban baseball players may still not be able to play in the Major League Baseball because of the 51 year old embargo law, which is the reason why one cannot legally buy Cuban cigars in the US. So although Cuba has lifted its restrictions, the US government may prevent such players from participating, with the threat of heavy penalties being enforced. Cuban athletes are forced to pay a tax on whatever salary they make abroad, which prevents the MLB from employing such players. Many players may, unfortunately, be forced to face the dangers of defection, should they want to chase the big bucks in the MLB. But fortunately, the US is not the only country that would love to have Cubans play for them. There are reputable professional baseball leagues in Japan, Korea and Mexico that can afford the opportunity to employ a number of talented Cuban professionals. How will teams feel about their players being forced to play in the Cuban leagues from the months of November to April? The possibilities for injuries to players who may possibly be payed millions is a serious matter for other ball clubs. This could pose a problem on contract negotiations, since teams could require insurance on contracts due to the added liability of stress on a potentially year-round season for these Cuban players. This news coming from Cuba is a good thing for sports around the world, and notably baseball because it is such a major sport in Cuba. More importantly it has the opportunity to provide some relief from terrible living conditions for Cuban professionals and their struggling communities. But there are many potential obstacles that still need to be dealt with concerning embargoes and contracts of players. So we’ll just have to wait and see how things work out and hope that things continue to get better.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Clyff Young
Guest Columnist
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n mid-June the NBA and NHL crown their champions and start their off-seasons. Only once every two years are the major winter sports’ seasons followed by the viewership-record-setting phenomena that are the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup. This June and early July, Brazil hosted the Confederations Cup and emerged victorious. The finale, pitting the incumbent Spanish kings of soccer against the world’s second favorite team Brazil, was a dream match-up. It was a fun tournament to watch, yes. But the USA hadn’t qualified, and The Confederations Cup doesn’t have the same gravitas as the Euro Cup, which I enjoy regardless of American sides not being allowed to participate. Enter the biennial summer sports dead-zone: no Olympics, lukewarm international soccer, and baseball before the division and wildcard races start heating up—a barren athletic landscape. During the summer, I lie on my mother’s couch and repeatedly watch SportsCenter until I fall asleep. Not this year. It wasn’t worth watching ESPN mid-June through August. I could only listen to Skip Bayless rehash his hate for LeBron James and Tiger Woods, or his love for Tim Tebow, so many times. So I filled the daily sports-void by barbecuing and the nights by watching movie trilogies—lonely times. Alas, fall is now here, and everything is as I like it. I get to start layering, wearing sweaters, cardigans, and jackets. The NFL has started, and my fantasy football league and I are back together again for our seventh consecutive season. “Reunited and it feels so good. Reunited ‘cause we understood. There’s one perfect fit, and sugar, this is it,” sing Peaches and Herb. I love fantasy football. I love the NFL. A fantasy football league is like a marriage, and is the most committed I have been to a relationship since high school. Every year in late August five of my friends and I commit to holy football matrimony, renewing our vows to the league. Not until the end of the NFL season do we part. On our draft night honeymoon we conceive and give birth to our teams. Upon them we bestow carefully selected names and find suitable avatar photos to represent their good genetic make-up. Everyone who plays fantasy football knows what it is to be the beaming new parent of a team with limitless potential—before players are injured, before the defeats start to mount, before the league title is out of reach. Teams grow up, though. Some end up being terrible. Others stumble and fall out of the gate then make a late push. The league relationship sours. Petty jealousies arise, and by season’s end everyone is ready for a trial separation. We will hook back up next season as we always do, for absence makes the heart grow fonder. Following professional and fantasy football is as close as I’ll ever get to being a practicing adherent of an organized religion. I don’t work on Sundays for they are for football and nothing else. During the season I attend NFL Sunday mass from sunup to sundown, from pregame to post-game coverage; on Monday I’m back for a three-hour, Monday Night Football confessional. My personal football-watching rites rarely vary: put Bears hat on, cellphone on the bed near my left hand, open three windows in Chrome. I stream Redzone on the left half of my laptop screen, put Yahoo! Fantasy Football Stat-tracker on the right, and a Google Hangout behind those two, so I can talk with my fellow fantasy-leaguers. “The quarterback, the coach, and the two goal posts” is what I utter when I genuflect, asking the Football Gods to bless my teams. Fall is here. Although I am completely alone in my room, I am watching my generation’s American pastime with my closest friends. Despite living in different states and countries— one guy regularly stays up all night in China to watch—we are making football, together, over the Internet, and around the world. Gone are the dull days of the sports dead-zone.
SPORTS
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October 3, 2013
Athletes embrace Higgins as new Head Athletic Trainer Tina Caso
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Angelo Roman/The Miscellany News
he Vassar Athletics’ training room has a new look this year. Susan Higgins, recently appointed as the new Head Athletic Trainer, will now handle the overall healthcare of the Brewers. Higgins earned her Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from the University of Northern Colorado, her Masters in Physical Education and Sports Medicine from Minnesota State University at Mankato, and comes from a strong background with 20 years of experience. She has worked as the Head Athletic Trainer and Physical Education Instructor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH for three years and as the Associate Athletic Trainer at the University of San Diego for 13 years. After years of previous work, Higgins chose Vassar College because of its location. “I just love this area,” she said. “My husband recently retired from the Coast Guard, so we knew we were moving here regardless. I looked at this area and Vassar was at the top of my list from the start.” She was already interested in the position a year prior to being appointed, but was forced to withdraw after an ACL tear. However, she still applied to various schools in the area, and managed to get a recommendation from the Athletic Director at Marist College to replace previous Head Athletic Trainer Jeff Carter. Besides the location, Higgins also believes that her experience at the Division III Case Western Reserve University prepared her for Vassar Athletics. “I knew how to deal with Division III athletes and what they’re going through,” she explained. “It just seemed like a good fit right away.” In addition to all of this, Higgins was drawn to other unique qualities that the Athletics department at Vassar offers. One of these qualities is the student-athletes themselves, and the overall approach to training. “Vassar student-athletes definitely take a very proactive approach to their injuries, so they always
Susan “Suzi” Higgins, the newly appointed Head Athletic Trainer, handles student-athlete healthcare. Higgins has been a certified member of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association since 1992 ask me what else they can do,” she explained. “They just want to get better and get back in shape, and they’re not shy about it.” She continued, “From my experiences, there are two types of athletes: there are those who want to come back and play, and then there are those who just aren’t as motivated,” she said. “There are the hard workers and those who might get complacent with the injuries. But Vassar athletes always want to do more, and the motivation is always there.” Although Higgins appreciates the individual student-athletes that make up Vassar Athletics, she also enjoys the dynamic between different teams and coaches as well. “I have never seen such teamwork amongst the student-athletes and the staff, so everyone’s really interconnected here. Everyone works together, and they’re really open about lending support when some-
one might need it,” she observed. “For example, the basketball coaches might help out at soccer games and carry waters for the soccer players, just helping out with the little stuff. Everyone’s supporting one another in those little ways and it makes you feel like you can always ask for help if you need it. At other schools, people are a little bit more isolated and other teams might not get along...here, everybody is supportive and they enjoy working together.” The student trainers also seem to enjoy the dynamic that is created by Higgins in the training room. “[Higgins] has a bunch of new ideas, and is really developing great relationships with all the student-athletes,” said senior Catherine Fiore in an emailed statement. “She always gives each athlete the attention that they need, and is always professional. As my boss, she has lifted the standard to which we
perform and she has made us all feel welcome and comfortable asking questions.” Senior student trainer Hayley Lemoine also commented on Higgins’ dynamic: “[Higgins] pretty much never stops smiling. I think she fits in very well with both the other trainers and the athletic department as a whole. The athletic training team works really well together — they all seem to keep each other updated constantly, and they will personally see every athlete that walks in before sending them to a Marist trainer or student worker,” wrote Lemoine. “Even if they have seen the athlete previously and know their treatment, they will check in with them, every time.” Lemoine also appreciates Higgins’ approachability. “As a student worker, the most helpful thing about Suzi is how approachable she is. I am not nervous or unsure asking her for help, or if she needs anything done. She is very friendly, and will come over to where I’m working just to say hi and check in with me,” she wrote. “When I’m practicing taping, she will come over and offer feedback or check the results. The athletic trainers this year are very enthusiastic and devoted to the athletes, and Suzi is no exception.” As for Higgins’ advice to student-athletes, she places an emphasis on hard work and taking care of one’s body through sleep and nutrition. “There’s never a substitution for hard work. I don’t care who uses it and what supplement it is, whether Michael Jordan used it or not, nothing beats working out — just working hard and getting better every day on your own,” she said. “Your body is a machine and you have to fuel it like a car. If you don’t, then it will break down.” So far, Higgins has enjoyed her time as Head Athletic Trainer. “I’m having a lot of fun here and I love the people. We have a good staff, so people might be more comfortable than they used to be in the past,” she said. “That’s maybe the reason why you see so many people in the training room nowadays. It always helps to be friendly and welcoming, and that’s what we try to do every single day.”
Women’s Rugby pulls off 94-0 rout vs. Binghamton Chris Brown spoRts editoR
Women’s Golf
The Women’s Golf team spent this past weekend at the Middlebury College Women’s Invitational, finishing in fifth place out of a total of eight teams. The team as a whole posted a total of 726 for the two day tournament. Sophomore Aimee Dubois had a highlight round on Sunday, shooting a second round score of 83 on the course. Dubois had a two day total of 169, tying for thirteenth place overall at the tournament. Freshman Emily Prince shot a 94 on Sunday, improving on her previous day’s score by 24 strokes, giving her the highest jump in score over two days for any Brewer this season. The Brewers will be back in action next weekend in Williamstown, MA, as they take part in the Williams College Fall Invitational on October 5-6. Women’s Tennis
Men’s Rugby On Sunday, September 29, the Vassar Men’s Rugby team defeated opponents William Paterson University 39 the latter’s 24. The Brewers rebounded from a previous two conference
Women’s Field Hockey
This past weekend, Vassar Women’s field hockey had two matches on an away trip over the course of two days. Their first match was against the University of Rochester, who is currently ranked 15th in the nation overall. Though Rochester lead the score for most of the game, senior captain Anna Schroeder scored a crucial goal for the Brewers, bringing the score to 1-1. In overtime, Vassar lost in penalty corner shots, losing the game 2-1. The next match was against the Herons from Hobart and William Smith College, ranked number five in the nation for division three schools. Again, the match went into overtime, making this the second time that the nationally ranked Herons were pushed to play in overtime by any team this season. Senior goalkeeper Maggie Brelis made four saves on nine shot attempts vs. William Smith, which brought her to a tie for the number one all-time saves position in the Vassar College history books. The Brewers will continue their five-game road trip Friday afternoon in Oneonta, NY with a non-conference affair with Hartwick College.
ley exploded for her third 20-kill outing of the year, as she finished with exactly 20 successful attacks and seven digs. Junior Clara Cardillo posted her fifth double-digit kill contest of the year with 10 finishes against RIT. The Brewers are back in action next Friday evening at Bard College, taking Skidmore College and Clarkson University in more Liberty League play. Women’s Soccer
The Vassar College women’s soccer team narrowly dropped a 1-0 decision to undefeated Liberty League opponent, Skidmore College Saturday at Wachenheim Field. Skidmore out shot Vassar, 11-8 and seven of the Brewers’ shots occurred in the second half. Skidmore had three corner kicks compared to Vassar’s two. Junior Chloe Wheeler almost tied the game, taking a shot from the far left wing that
Women’s Volleyball
The Women’s Volleyball team played two games this past Saturday against St. Lawrence University and Rochester Institute of Technology, respectively. In the opening match with St. Lawrence University and Vassar,the Saints earned the win with scores of 25-23, 27-25, 25-19 and 25-21. Vassar hit a solid .220 on the match, but allowed the Saints to swing at a .264 percentage throughout the contest. Junior Taylor Mosley had 14 kills on just 28 swings. In the second contest of the afternoon, Vassar battled back to earn a split on the day, knocking off RIT with scores of 25-17, 21-25, 25-22 and 25-19. Mos-
was stopped by the goalkeeper. The Brewers, who are now 0-1 for Liberty league games, will next host William Smith College in Liberty League play on Friday, October 4. Women’s Rugby
The Women’s Rugby at Vassar College had a match against SUNY-Binghamton this past Saturday on September 28. The team pulled out and easy win, beating Binghamton 94-0. Senior Margaret Kwateng lead the team this match with a total of five tries while sophomore Cierra Thomas and sophomore Anna Fritzon both had two. The team improves on their record with this win, bringing their total to two wins compared to one loss. The female Brewers will face off another team this Sunday, October 6th. They will be playing against SUNY-New Paltz at Vassar College Farm.
courtesy of Vassar College Athletics
This past weekend for Women’s Tennis sent two doubles teams to the quarterfinals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Women’s Northeast Regionals on Sunday afternoon. The duo of freshmen Emily Hallewell and Shayna Becker defeated Skidmore College’s Rachel Plevinsky and Alex Smith in the second round, 8-2. The pair of sophomores Winnie Yeates and Lauren Stauffer topped Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Pooja Ganesh and Kelsey Ham with a score of 8-2 as well. Both of the teams lost in the quarterfinals to teams from New York University and Hunter College, respectively. The Brewers will now look towards the New York State Championship to be held at Ithaca College on October 11-13.
game defeats. Junior Ben Chipkin lead the team for the day with a total of two tries. Next week, the team will take on an Alumni Select team during their bye week of the conference.
Women’s Rugby was one of the many teams that had a winning weekend for the Vassar College Brewers. Rugby has just started their season, currently holding a record of two wins and one loss.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE