The Miscellany News
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Volume CLII | Issue 8
November 7, 2019
Halloween crimes School district history recounted shock THs, campus Tiana Headley
Assistant News Editor
Mack Liederman Editor-in-Chief
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idnight, Halloween, Thursday, Oct. 31. After a long day of classes, show rehearsals and the accumulated sleep depravity that typically accompanies just-another-week at Vassar, Zamir Birnbach ’20 had settled into his Town
House for bed. “I didn’t hear anything, but my sixth sense kicked in, and my eyes opened,” Birnbach said of his sudden awakening at 2:30 a.m. A young man wearing a black hoodie and black jeans loitered in Birnbach’s dark bedroom, standing by See BURGLARY on page 3
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athrooms out-of-service for months. A sole safe water fountain in the high school. Toilets clogged with sanitary napkins. Teachers over-assertive of authority in the classroom. Mismanaged funds. On the flip side, a cash-strapped school district with teachers and administrators doing the best with
what they have in a high-poverty city. These are the combined opinions of Poughkeepsie High School (PHS) senior, Kiara, and PHS grad and current Dutchess Community College student Jacqueline Jones of the Poughkeepsie City School District. “The environments of the schools are toxic,” Kiara divulged. “Many staff members make it clear they don’t want to be there.”
Newly appointed Superintendent of Schools Dr. Eric Rosser also recognizes that this is a struggling district. But he also believes that untapped potential abounds. “As with all urban school districts, the Poughkeepsie City School District struggles with meeting the evolving academic, social, emotional and wellness needs of its students,” Dr. Ross, who took the reins See SCHOOLS on page 4
Lebanon’s youth take to the streets Rayan El Amine Reporter
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Photo courtesy of Clara Pitt, edited by Juliette Pope/The Miscellany News
The THs, near the edge of campus, experienced a series of crimes in the 24-hour span around Halloween, including multiple break-ins and an armed burglary.
choed by nearly two million people, this chant, a quite literal “fuck your mom” to Lebanese Parliament member Gebran Bassil, captures the very core of a united revolution. See, most revolutions are not carried by the sound of parliamentary insults. Most revolutions are not as frequently documented for their fun as they are for their impact. Most revolutions do not call for the total ousting of all members of government. But the Lebanese revolution is no ordinary revolution. Before the seas of Lebanese flags
and deafening chants swept across my small Mediterranean country, there was a tax. A tax on texting. Presented by Minister of Telecommunications Mohamed Choucair, the tax would impose a 20 percent increase on the data prices of all calls through the widely used texting application WhatsApp. While the ridiculous greed associated with taxing free applications should and would be enough to put people on the streets, the WhatsApp tax would have a catastrophic impact on the Lebanese proletariat. Composed of mostly young Lebanese laborers and Syrian immigrants, members of the working class in Lebanon struggle to
afford basic data bills necessary to make use of a cell phone. Basic data is made unaffordable as a consequence of a technology sector monopolized by two major cell phone companies. This then makes WhatsApp, a free application, an essential tool in the day-to-day developments of these people. To put it simply, no more WhatsApp means no more calls home for the young Syrian fathers who leave their children back in Damascus. It was a greedy move by a politician known more for his chocolate company, Patchi, than his contributions to government. Choucair’s WhatsApp tax was See LEBANON on page 8
Womxn groups take back the Mug NCAA honors Vassar grad Monica Feeley Delila Ames Reporter
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On Nov. 1, the Mug was aglow with candles and adorned with watercolor art as women and GNC individuals performed poems and songs to foster solidarity.
Knitwits weave community, stress relief, FEATURES creativity in fluffy projects
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Life after camo: Vassar Veterans share stories of VETERANS’ VOICES service, civilian life
Alessandra Fable, Jackie Molloy Guest Reporters
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hree-time All-Liberty League. 2018 All-Region. LL Defensive Player of the Year. Vassar field hockey’s first ever All-American. During her Vassar career, former field hockey player Monica Feeley ’19 established an unforgettable legacy on the field. Even after graduation, Vassar’s defensive star continues to add to her ever-impressive trophy case. On Oct. 20, Feeley was honored as a Top 9 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. The NCAA Woman of the Year ceremony rewards excellence in academics, athletics, community service and leadership for graduating female student-athletes across all three divisions of competition. Initially, 585 student-athletes submitted applications for the award. From there, the pool was narrowed down to 151 hopefuls. Next, the selection committee picked 10 student-athletes from each division in the NCAA, who became the Top 30 finalists. On Sept. 10, Feeley was announced as one of these finalists. Then, on Oct. 20, she was
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revealed as a Top 9 finalist—Vassar’s second-ever student-athlete to receive that recognition. “I was honestly so shocked [that] I don’t even think I have the words to express how I felt. I didn’t think I had a shot at Top 30, let alone Top 9, so it was quite a surprise,” said Feeley See FEELEY on page 15
Courtesy of Timothy Nwachukwu/NCAA Photos
Inside this issue
witches. “We have been talking a lot about empowerment, and specifically the idea of witches being associated with the night, and, more generally, the idea of women and other marginalized genders reclaiming the nighttime, which was super in line with the Take Back the Night mission,” said Julianna DeAngelis ’20 of Idlewild. Both the timing and venue of the event was intentional: October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, as well as RelationSee TBTN on page 5
Yvette Hu/The Miscellany News
[CW: This article mentions sexual and domestic violence.] own a spiral staircase and into a dimmed, (electronic) candle-lit room, dozens of people gathered on Friday, Nov. 1 to enjoy an evening meant for listening. Vibrant watercolor pieces depicting genitalia and baby heads adorned the walls. Hot apple cider, brownies and pumpkin bread were served in the back. The event was a collaboration between Vassar theater group Idlewild (a cohort comprised of women/femmes/GNC individuals who have aligning goals of anti-violence activism), the Women’s Center and the Sexual Assault Violence Prevention Office (SAVP). The three groups aimed to create a space inside the Mug for survivors and supporters alike to share their art across mediums. Dubbed “Take Back the Night,” everything about this evening was purposeful, from the date to the location. Take Back the Night (TBTN) is an international movement to end sexual, relationship and domestic violence. It began in the 1970s when mainstream media started
to discuss sexual violence more openly. Darci Siegel ’20, a Women’s Center intern, passionately elaborated: “It is a movement for people to come together and share experiences, find community and work for a safer world for everyone.” This is TBTN’s fourth consecutive year at Vassar. It began as a way to demonstrate solidarity with survivors and create communal spaces for those impacted by violence. The idea for this event was based on Idlewild’s upcoming show, themed around
Field hockey stand-out and community activist Monica Feeley ’19 (above) trekked to Indianapolis on Oct. 20 to accept her award as a Top 9 finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year.
Look on the bright side! Your OPINIONS existence is meaningless!