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The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVII | Issue 21

April 30, 2015

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Abbady elected VSA President Philosophy dept. event sparks controversy Eilís Donohue Guest Reporter

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n April 22, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) released the results of its elections for the 201516 academic year, which will usher in a new Executive Board with both experienced members and those entirely new to VSA Council. The winning candidates, now under the leadership of newly-elected VSA President Ramy Abbady ’16, ran on platforms of considerable structural changes to the way Vassar’s representative body operates.

Along with Abbady, next year’s Executive Board will feature Christopher Brown ’16 as VP for Student Life; Ruby Pierce ’16 as VP for Operations; Logan Hill ’16 as VP for Academics; Kevin Pham ’18 as VP for Activities and Josh Tempro ’16 as VP for Finance. Several of the winning candidates agreed that it can often be difficult to present themselves to the public during the campaigning period, and that posters and outreach on social media are not necessarily effective in convincing voters. Hill remarked, “I simply put my ideas out there in my

candidate statement and the Exec debate and hoped for the best.” Abbady, however, felt that the best way to make himself known to voters was to visit dorms and to walk around the quad talking to individuals. He wished other candidates would try the same tactic, since it allowed him to familiarize himself with students and gauge how their ideas related to his own. Both incumbent and newly elected Executive Board members are eager to work with their fellow house and See VSA on page 4

Marie Solis

Contributing Editor

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n April 20, two students posted a Facebook event announcing that Peter Singer, a philosopher best known for his views on utilitarianism and altruism, would be Skyping into Vassar for a discussion on his TED Talk, “The Why and How of Effective Altruism,” the following week. Just minutes after the announcement, Willow Carter ’15 posted on the page with a quote from Singer, reading, “When the death of a disabled infant will lead to the birth of another infant with better prospects of a happy life, the total amount of happiness will be greater

if the disabled infant is killed.” “Ok cool,” she wrote. “Glad to see we’re bringing a eugenicist.” Her post sparked a flurry of 38 comments, weighing the merits of bringing someone to campus, albeit only virtually, whose views devalue the lives of disabled people. Some pointed out that the College wasn’t paying Singer—only selling his books, the profits of which would go to charity in accordance with his beliefs. But discussions on Facebook can only be so fruitful. In hopes to open up a broader discussion about ableism in academia, Feminist Alliance and ACCESS See SINGER on page 7

Alum sparks debate on global terrorism Shelia Hu

O Sam Pianello/The Miscellany News

Under the leadership of President Ramy Abbady ’16, the new Vassar Student Association Executive Board has pledged to bring significant change to students’ representative body on campus through efforts to be more receptive and transparent.

Guest Reporter

n April 24, Vassar alumnus Marc Thiessen ’89 gave a lecture to a packed room, entitled, “America’s Failed Response to Radical Islam,” hosted by the Vassar Conservative Libertarian Union (VCLU). Thiessen was set to discuss the Obama administration’s record on counterterrorism efforts and radical Islam in the Middle East. The event inspired serious debates amongst the student body about both the decision to invite the alum as well as the content of the lecture itself. The VSA did not provide additional funds for the event.

After graduating from Vassar, Thiessen earned significant notoriety as a conservative author, columnist and political commentator. He previously served as chief speechwriter to former President George W. Bush and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. He has also a been frequent columnist to The Washington Post, and is author to the 2010 bestselling book “Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama is Inviting the Next Attack.” In 2011, Thiessen was ranked 97th on the Daily Telegraph’s “100 Most Influential Conservatives in America” list (The Washington Post, See THIESSEN on page 3

MVP course offers Loeb brings Buddhist art to fore annual SAVP training W Yifan Wang Reporter

Amreen Bhasin Reporter

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Inside this issue

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Unions negotiate grievances with FEATURES campus dining

14 ARTS

hat could attract a crowd large enough to fill the spacious lecture hall of Taylor 102? One such event was “Many Faces, Many Names: The Bodhisattva of Compassion,” a special symposium on Buddhist art that took place last Thursday. Moderated by Professor of Art Karen Lucic, the symposium featured three speakers including Professor of Art History at University of Kansas, Sherry Fowler, Associate Professor of Religion, Michael Walsh and Assistant Professor of Art, Karen Hwang-Gold. The symposium was held as the opening ceremony of the most recent exhibition at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, “Embodying Compassion in Buddhist Art: Image, Pilgrimage, Practice.” Open from April 23 to June 28, the show is the first transcultural exhibition in America solely devoted to the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who emerged in India two thousand years ago and subsequently became a venerated deity throughout Asia. The exhibition presents more than 30 examples of Indian, Nepalese, Tibetan, Chinese and Japanese art from prominent institutions such as the Metropolitan See LOEB on page 17

White Walls of the Palmer are exposed to student photos

Sam Pianello/The Miscellany News

pril was Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and the 2015 campaign was built around the slogan “It’s time to act.” While SAAM’s campaign emphasizes something different each year, two of its goals remain constant. The first is the provision of resources for every individual in a community. As this year’s focus has been on creating informed communities on college campuses that work to prevent sexual violence, many resources tied explicitly to the 2015 campaign engage campuses in discussions of healthy sexuality and consent. The second goal is that sexual assault affects us all but is preventable. Combating violence requires communities working together to recognize and solve problems and create safer environments. SAAM’s campaigns provide resources for these communities and highlight individuals’ abilities to help prevent violence. Here at Vassar College, some members of the community, primarily student-athletes, participated in a program with parallel aims to SAAM’s, called Mentors in Violence Prevention

(MVP). Both basketball teams participated earlier this year and in April, another group of students did as well. Assistant Director of Residential Life, Leadership and Professional Development as well as House Advisor for Cushing and Noyes, Anders van Minter along with SAVP coordinator Charlotte Strauss Swanson facilitated the training. The training sessions were broken up over 3 days for a total of 14 hours over one weekend. One of the students involved was men’s volleyball captain and senior Colin White-Dzuro. White-Dzuro’s reasons for choosing to participate in the program echoed SAAM’s call to action. “I think talk is cheap, and while it’s important to recognize that certain social inequalities exist, the best way to actually fight them is to take tangible action. MVP seemed like a great opportunity to fight some of these inequalities head-on.” According to the mission statement on the MVP website (mvpnational. org), the program looks to give individuals the tools to combat sexism and sexual violence in their own spheres of influence. “MVP provides the leadSee MVP on page 18

Professor of Art, Karen Lucic culminates five years of research in the new Loeb exhibit. “Embodying Compassion in Buddhist Art: Image, Pilgrimage, Practice”

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Two brothers throw, run and catch their SPORTS way to success


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