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The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVII | Issue 20

April 23, 2015

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Language Holocaust survivor speaks for Yom Ha’Shoa exchange O kicks off Meaghan Hughes

Contributing Editor

Julia Cunningham

Assistant Features Editor

“I

courtesy of Ian Snyder

think the uniqueness of the [Student Language Exchange] SLE program is that it’s a low-key and casual environment that is supposed to pique a person’s interest in the language and give them a glimpse into the culture of the place,” Saisha Srivastava ‘18, a SLE fellow who teaches Hindi, wrote in an emailed statement about the newest org at Vassar. SLE is the Student Language Exchange that was started last year at Brown University by a student. SLE strives to teach languages at another level. Rather than simply offering another hour-and-ahalf lecture to students’ schedules, SLE creates a learning experience by adding cultural significance to everything taught. “Students who teach their own languages also bring in the culture they come from,” Elene Metreveli ’17, Vassar SLE’s Campus Coordinator, said. Fellowship Coordinator Molly James ‘17, added, “And also, we’re lucky that we have the self-instructional language program, which has Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Hindi, Portuguese, Yiddish and one other.” Irish and Korean are also included in Vassar SILP. “And those aren’t traditional classroom learning, and that’s the closest thing that we would have to what this program is trying to do.” This semester, Vassar SLE is offering Brazilian Portuguese taught by Kira Dell ’15 and Hindi taught by Srivastava. See SLE on page 7

n Thursday, April 16, Holocaust survivor Jean Malkischer spoke about her own experiences as part of Vassar’s recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Malkischer’s talk was one of several events organized for Yom Ha’Shoa, the Jewish holiday to commemorate those affected by the Holocaust. Born in Austria in 1930, Malkischer and her family attempted to flee when the country was annexed by Germany in 1938, but were turned away at the Swiss border. In 1942 they were sent to Theresienstadt, a concentration camp, before being sent to Auschwitz in Poland. Malkischer reunited with her parents and sister after the war, and in 1951 they emigrated to the United States. Malkischer explained that she was lucky to have survived the Holocaust, and even luckier to have found her family alive as well. “Very few people survived,” she said. “And I don’t know [why] we See MALKISCHER on page 4

Holocaust survivor Jean Malkischer spoke at Vassar’s annual recognition of Holocaust Remembrance Day, recounting to community members how her experiences in German concentration camps inspired her to advocate for peace and tolerance.

Internet, a new frontier for research funding Eloy Bleifuss Prados Reporter

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ssistant Professor of Biology David Esteban’s new project is two experiments in one. His scientific goal is to study the role of viruses in the soil, but he is also hoping to accomplish this research with money from a new method of funding heretofore untested in all of Vassar’s history. In order to secure funds for his research, Esteban has looked to crowd-

funding, a strategy that uses an Internet platform to raise large sums of money through small individual donations from hundreds or thousands of users. As of the night of publication, the project has raised $770 on its way to the $4500 goal, with 32 days remaining. If he and his research team don’t make that benchmark, they won’t get any funding. Underlying the turn to crowdfunding is the decline of the traditional

source for scientific research. Faculty research at Vassar often relies on government agencies like the National Institute for Health or the National Science Foundation (NSF). Years of congressional budget cuts, however, have made these grants more and more competitive. According to www. nature.com, federal spending on research and development declined by 16.3 percent from 2010 to 2013 alone. Facing a more difficult grant pro-

cess, Esteban started searching more or less wherever he could find money to support his research. “I had heard about this site called Experiment.com and I thought ‘oh I might as well try that and see if that could supplement or be a bridge between grants,’” he said. Completing a smaller, shorter-term project on virology would put Esteban in a better position—both in See CROWDFUNDING on page 6

Visiting monks assemble mandala Golf welcomes new cast of characters Emma Rosenthal Arts Editor

If you walked through the Villard room this past week, you may have noticed three monks, deep in concentration, methodically working on a complex sand mandala. The deep vibration of their tools resonated throughout the large room, bringing a sense of

peace into the space. This week in the Villard Room, three Tibetan Buddhist monks will be creating a sand mandala, and will hold a dissolution ceremony on Sunday, April 26. For those who haven’t had experience with the origin or meaning of this practice, Associate Professor of Religion Michael Walsh offered a definition of the ancient and

intricate art. He wrote in an emailed statement, “The term ‘mandala’ is a Sanskrit word that means literally ‘circle.’ It’s a concept used in many parts of Asia but is most closely associated with esoteric Buddhism, and in the case of the sand mandala, Tibetan Buddhism. TypicalSee MANDALA on page 16

Emily Lavieri-Scull/The Miscellany News

Dr. Hun Lye, Lama Somar and Khenpo Choepheo are three lamas who are creating a sand mandala in the Villard Room throughout the week. Once they finish the mandala, they will sweep up the sand and pour it into Sunset Lake, as per tradition.

Inside this issue

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Students open up about struggles FEATURES with Metcalf

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Hillary vying for spot on 2015 Main HUMOR House team

Amreen Bhasin

T

Reporter

his season has been one of change, growth and overcoming hardship for the Vassar College women’s golf team. The team has had to contend with a coaching change and an almost completely new roster this year. The current team features just two returning members from last year, junior co-captains Angela Mentel and Aimee Dubois. Along with Mentel and Dubois, the team features returning senior Caitlin Bell, who was on JYA last year, two new freshmen and sophomore newcomer Emily Prince. But despite all these changes and difficulties, the team has managed to come out and continues to be competitive against some of the Northeast’s best teams with many Brewers vying for individual titles. This past weekend, the Brewers traveled to Amherst College to compete for the Jack Leaman Invitational. The event was changed from the usual two-day competition to a shortened one-day event. They still managed to come out for a strong showing on Saturday. Vassar

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College was one of 10 teams and despite this being their second tournament of the spring and carrying a relatively inexperienced roster, the women came away with a seventh-place finish with some very strong scores. Bell posted a season best 83, tying for 14th place overall. Dubois was just a stroke behind at 84. Freshman Kristin Diep also posted an 84, lowering her scoring average to 85, second-best on the team. Fellow freshman Annie Hsu scored an 86, tying for 29th place overall. Prince fired an 88, continuing her strong play as of late and Mentel rounded out the Brewers’ scoring with an 89 for 39th place. Mentel was proud of the way her team handled the shortening of the event and enjoyed the challenging course despite not coming away with the score she wanted. “[Our] team goals were to give our best during the one day event, after it got shortened. Our strategy had to shift a little because of the one day event. My individual goal was to enjoy the course and play my best. This [is] my favorite course that we play, and it proved challenging for me this past Saturday, but I hope that I can make the necessary adjustments for Liberty Leagues.” See GOLF on page 19

Pusha-T, SZA, Bend promise diverse musical medley


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