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The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVII | Issue 16

March 5, 2015

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Protesting professor faces charges Community demands officer reinstatement A Bethan Johnson

Contributing Editor

djunct professor of Earth Science and Geography Cindy Gorn currently faces two misdemeanor charges in New York Criminal Court stemming from alleged actions at a Dec. 13 protest on the Brooklyn Bridge. Teaching two courses in her department while released on bail, Gorn’s case has been in court twice, once during the semester, and will return to court in early April as the case against her proceeds. If convicted, Gorn faces

a maximum of one year in jail for each of her Class A misdemeanor charges. According to multiple sources within the Administration, the College’s leadership has so far been unaware of the charges against the professor. As Dean of the Faculty Jonathan Chenette expressed, professors are permitted to continue teaching while facing such charges as long as the case does not impinge upon their professorial duties or negatively affect their ability to fulfill them. The charges against Gorn have

been linked to her alleged participation in a series of events that include assaults on two New York City police lieutenants during the Millions March NYC protest. The protest, which was attended by approximately 30,000 people, was organized around the issue of police brutality towards Black and brown people, specifically the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. The Millions March NYC website wrote, “Every 28 hours, a black person in the United States is See PROFESSOR on page 3

Rhys Johnson

O

News Editor

n Thursday, Feb. 26, students led by the newly-formed Student Organizing Team (SOT) of the Student/ Labor Dialogue (SLD) held a short demonstration during a Student Affairs Committee dinner held in MidC of the All College Dining Center. The dinner, attended by members of the Board of Trustees, administrators, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Executive Board and other community members, was organized for those who had taken part in the National Coalition Building Institute training, which was intended to promote dialogue and inclusion sur-

rounding diversity on campus. Thirty minutes into the dinner, over 30 students, holding signs saying “Reinstate Kemar” and “Kemar spoke, now listen,” walked onto the balconies of UpC surrounding MidC in silent protest while one of the students at the dinner, Bailey Miller ’17, spoke about Williams’ situation. The demonstration was held in protest of what many community members have called the unjust, and possibly racially motivated, termination of Safety and Security officer Kemar Williams last Thursday. Upon hearing of Williams’ termination and speaking to Williams directly, memSee OFFICER on page 4

Men’s Squash ends season in triumph Amreen Bhasin and Zach Rippe

T courtesy of Jacqueline Goossens

Adjunct Professor of Earth Science Cindy Gorn faces charges for allegedly obstructing governmental administration and resisting arrest during a protest in December. Although hearings in the case have occurred, the College claims no knowledge of the charges.

Reporter and Sports Editor

he weekend of Feb 20-22, the Vassar College men’s squash team capped off their season by winning a National Title during the Collegiate Squash Association Team Championships. To prepare for the Championships, head coach Jane Parker used a number of unique situational strategies, many of which allowed the group to retain its intense, yet comfortable demeanor. “We played a number of conditioned games to develop strategies and handicap matches to gain confidence in dealing with a range of match scenarios, [e.g.] making a comeback, maintaining a lead and

successfully game finishing. Additionally, we had discussions about getting ourselves in the zone and sharing our own experiences of this, at most times with humor!” explained coach Parker. The Brewers entered the weekend as the top seed of the H Division. They went undefeated in their pool after picking up 8-1 wins against Ithaca College and the University of Notre Dame. While these matches were somewhat one-sided, they proved beneficial to the Brewers nonetheless. Junior Tim Boycott added some insight into how these matches helped further prepare the Brewers for the championship, “The See SQUASH on page 18

Grads enter Kondabolu comedically confronts racism nonprofits A in town Connor McIlwain Reporter

Megan Forster

W

Guest Reporter

Inside this issue

8

Squirm’s silent market of personal FEATURES pleasure

14 ARTS

courtesy of The New York Times

ith spring break and the class of 2015’s graduation approaching quickly, the job search is on for the soonto-be alumnae. Many will find opportunities near home and in New York City, but some will likely choose to put down roots in the Hudson River Valley. In recent years, many graduates have chosen to stay in or around Poughkeepsie. Two generations of these trailblazers were willing to speak about their experiences as permanent resident of upstate New York, and how they decided to stay here after Vassar. Natalie Ward ’14 is a recent graduate who takes pride in her activist root at Vassar, which led her to her current position as Orange County Organizer for Community Voices Heard, based in Newburgh, N.Y.. Before settling in Newburgh as a Vassar grad, though, Ward had a “transformative experience” when she reconnected with her mother in Togo, West See POSTGRADS on page 7

fter Jessica Williams’ sold out performance in the Chapel, it seems fitting that Vassar would bring Hari Kondabolu to campus. Like Williams, Kondabolu is known for mixing the serious and the satirical. The New York Times recently named him “one of the most exciting political comics in standup today,” and he surely delivers high doses of both politics and comedy in every routine. Raised in Queens, N.Y., Kondabolu attended Wesleyan University but graduated from Bowdoin College. Just three years after graduating from Bowdoin, Kondabolu was set to perform at HBO’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colo.. A regular in Seattle comedy clubs, Kondabolu was rapidly gaining mainstream popularity. He has since appeared on the “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Conan” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” In 2014, he released his debut standup album titled “Waiting for 2042” and became NYU’s “Artist in Residence” for the year. Kondabolu is a frequent guest on public radio shows including “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” among others He has solidified his presence in the See KONDABOLU on page 15

Kondabolu, who comes from a liberal arts background similar to VC, explores racism and sexism in his comedy. He began exploring comedy in college and has grown to be nationally acclaimed political comedian.

The Bardavon hosts VC’s premier dancers

19

Drakeley scores herself a spot in the SPORTS over-1000 club.


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