The Miscellany News, Volume CXLVII, Issue 2 (Sept. 19, 2013)

The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVII | Issue 2

September 19, 2013

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

VHP to host Haitian Outside programming integral boys’ choir for charity to Arabic language students Margaret Yap rEportEr

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re you searching for something fun to bring your parents to as an appetizer for Freshman Families Weekend? Are you ready to listen to some fantastic music? Look no further—this Friday the 20 at 7p.m. will see a concert featuring Les Petits

Chanteurs (or “The Little Singers”), an all-male SATB choir of thirty students from the Holy Trinity Music School, located in Port-au-Prince, the only music school in Haiti.

The concert will take place on the second floor of the All Campus Dining Center (ACDC), with room for See VHP on page 16

courtesy of Veterens’ Children

Les Petits Chanteurs, which translates to “The Little Singers,” will perform at Vassar on Sept. 20, the first day of Freshmen Families Weekend, to raise money for their school.

Eloy Bleifuss-Prados

assistant FEaturEs Editor

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hether it is for a semester or whole year, Vassar students who study abroad can discover the challenges and rewards of immersion into a foreign-language. Those who travel to the Middle East to study Arabic encounter a particular set of opportunities and challenges.

Ever since the events of the Arab Spring in 2011, the political landscape of the region has changed

in fast and major ways. Unrest in certain countries can affect a study abroad program and force some Vassar students studying Arabic to make some difficult decisions.

Director of International Programming and Assistant Dean of Studies Susan Correll insisted that it was a priority of hers that students have the opportunity for language and cultural immersion.

“As a Study Abroad Office we are totally committed to having our stu-

dents learn Arabic both on campus and in an appropriate JYA setting,” said Correll.

Students at Vassar can obtain an Arabic Language and Culture sequence correlate, but not a major.

The school has no college program in the Middle East or Northern Africa, and students will typically apply for an outside program. SIT Study Abroad, offers programs in Jordan, Tunisia and Morocco, and the OfSee ARABIC on page 6

Educational C-SPAN bus program visits VC, highlights ‘First Ladies’ Noble Ingram nEWs Editor

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n Friday, September 13, the C-SPAN bus visited Vassar College. A traveling, interactive, informative bus program, the C-SPAN bus parked on Main Drive with the hope of opening up dialogue with community members and educating them about both historical topics and the functions and resources C-SPAN has to offer in general.

Founded in 1979 as a nonprofit American cable television network, C-SPAN has grown into a full-functioning history and news source that has been committed to fostering a more politically mindful public. The bus featured impressive technological resources like smart boards and touch screens that showcased C-SPAN’s relevance today.

This was repeated by member of political organization, Democracy

Matters, Sophie Gonsalves-Brown ’16. As she said, “I was surprised at how technologically advanced the bus was. It was very interactive, and there were a variety of televisions and touch screens providing both information and quizzes.”

Every year, the bus takes on a new theme that focuses on different historical figures or moments.

This year’s theme is “The First See C-SPAN on page 4

Serenading changes keep with Promising start for theme of VC traditions in flux VC Cross Country Aja Saalfeld

FEaturEs Editor

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very year, the freshmen sing for the seniors, and in repayment for all their hard work, get splattered with water–and in the past, food—by their fellow classmates. And then we call this water-based bloodbath “Serenading,” a nearly century-old tradition that has become a central part of orientation activities for incoming

students.

Serenading has always been a tradition in flux—what Serenading was in 1933 is, obviously, not what Serenading is now. But even within the past few years, Serenading has seen even more changes in an effort to make the event more inclusive.

Terrace Apartments President Estello-Cisdre Raganit ’14 described some of the changes that occurred

during this year’s Serenading, and reflected the theme of inclusivity that the Senior Class Council attempted to foster.

“This year, Senior Class Council made a few changes that we hoped would make a lasting impact on how students view Serenading,” wrote Raganit in an emailed statement. “First, because we saw that very few seniors See SERENADING on page 7

courtesy of Vassar College Athletics

Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

“Serenading,” the annual competition in which the freshmen serenade the seniors underwent significant changes once again.

This year the event included members from all classes, a chant response from the seniors and a pizza party on Ballentine.

Inside this issue

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FEATURES

Library’s print and digital collections continue to grow

15 ARTS

Loeb to feature travelling exhibitition of Japanese Art

In the midst of a successful fall season, freshmen have played an important role in shaping the dynamics of both men’s and women’s cross country teams. time of 19:42 was the best 6k time Amreen Bhasin a Brewer has had in over 10 years. rEportEr Mazzuca narrowly missed the win, finishing just five seconds behind he Vassar College Men and the first-place finisher. The Liberty Women’s Cross Country teams League recognized Mazzuca for his have started out their years strong. efforts by naming him the Liberty The women placed second out of League Men’s Cross Country Rooknine teams in the Ron Stonitsch Inie of the Week. vitational last weekend, while the The women’s second place men placed second out of eleven. team’s performance was also bolA top performer for the Brewer stered by a strong freshman presmen was freshman Alfredo Mazence. Freshman Kate Snider from zuca from New Paltz, NY. Mazzuca was one of four Vassar women to ran the 6k course in 19:42. He finfinish the race in under 20 minished as the runner-up overall and came in first for the Brewers — his See Cross Country on page 19

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18 SPORTS

A-Rod’s downfall has implicartions around baseball

Page 2

The Miscellany News

September 19, 2013

Don’t just read the paper...

Create it!

Editor-in-Chief Bethan Johnson

Senior Editors Chris Gonzalez Steven Williams

Contributing Editors Ruth Bolster Adam Buchsbaum Jessica Tarantine

We are looking for creative, talented people interested in reporting, photography, graphic designing, copy-editing, videography, and blogging.

JYA Solis discovers the beauty of siesta As part of the Vassar-Wesleyan Madrid program, I’ve spent the last two weeks in Galicia’s capital, Santiago de Compostela. Galicia is one of Spain’s seventeen states, something I embarrassingly didn’t know until I arrived. However, after living here since August 18, touring a ton of cathedrals (some multiple times), frequenting way too many bars, and eating way too many tapas—I’m basically an expert.

Just kidding. However, I have fallen into the rhythm of everyday living here, and all of us on the study-abroad program have settled into somewhat of a routine (albeit one that’s only sustainable because we’re 20-year-olds studying abroad). On that note, instead of writing a laundry list of all of the sights I’ve seen during my time in Santiago, or just writing about my favorite adventures so far—which would be almost as long of a list—I thought I’d relate what a typical day in Spain is like. Aside from the weird toilets (every single one has a different way to flush it, I swear), figuring out how to order correctly in restaurants, and learning not to cringe when I think about how many American dollars I’m spending because of the shitty exchange rate, one of the things that took the most getting used to was definitely the daily horario, or schedule.

I’m completely aware that I’m somewhat of an anomaly in that I grew up eating dinner around 4:30 p.m. every day, and I’ve never been a napper. Though these two things are often antithetical to college life generally, they are in even more opposition to the Spanish lifestyle.

When we arrived in Santiago, exhausted and jetlagged, our program director Ana said that she wasn’t going to let us sleep—she had a full day planned. “Tonight you will sleep like babies and wake up like Spaniards,” she said. I put my faith in her, but after being awake for upwards of 30 hours, the eight hours of sleep we got that night didn’t do much for me.

But then I discovered the beauty of the siesta.

Enjoying some tinto de verano with Jeremy [Brick] ‘15. TinRead the rest of Marie’s Madrid adventures and other students’ blogs to de verano is kind of like a fizzy Sangria without the fruit– basically red wine and Sprite. Refreshing, and totally legal. at miscellanynews.com

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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 Reporters Natasha Bertrand Emma Daniels Emily Hoffman Anna Iovine Maggie Jeffers Lily Sloss Margaret Yap Columnists Zach Rippe Max Rook Eli J. Vargas I Design Bethany Terry Online Rachel Dorn Copy Alex Blue Elizabeth Dean Christian Lewis Maxélle Neufville Tori Madway Macall McQueen Ashley Pecorelli Marya Pasciuto Camilla Pfeiffer Emma Roellke Rebecca Weir APOLOGY The Miscellany News regrets that there were two typos in the quotations in the article ‘Veteran freshman acclimate to civilian, academic life at Vassar.’ The first sentence, which lacked the word ‘life,’ should read “I could either stay in Texas and coast, or start my life over.’ The second was an additional ‘I,’ in a statement that should have read ‘If anyone asks how old I am they know about the Posse program.’

The corrected quotations can be found on the electronic version of the article. We regret that we published these errors and we will work to improve in the coming editions.

September 19, 2013

NEWS

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Hill, Steinberg and McCleary anchor Fall Convocation Anna Iovine rEportEr

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courtesy of Nana T. Baffour-Awah

his year’s Fall Convocation took place last Wednesday, September 11, in the Chapel. Every fall and spring Convocation features speeches from the president of the college and the president of the Vassar Student Association (VSA) as well as a talk given from a distinguished speaker, usually a member of Vassar’s faculty.

For this year’s Convocation, Professor of Mathematics, John McCleary addressed the Vassar community. President Catharine Hill opened the event and President of the VSA Deb Steinberg ’14, briefly addressed the community as well.

In her opening comments, President Hill touched on Vassar’s “limitless potential” and challenges going into the 2013/14 school year.

She reflected on her sabbatical and time at Oxford University where she performed research on the economics of higher education.

Hill then discussed how this research relates to Vassar, especially as it is relevant to this year’s Posse program and the military veterans in the current class of 2017.

Steinberg took the podium, giving the Vassar community advice she gave the class of 2017 during their orientation at the end of August.

“In the weeks since,” she said, “I realized that this advice doesn’t just apply to freshmen; it applies to all of us, regardless of how long we have been here.” These pieces of wisdom came from Steinberg’s own experiences at Vassar.

This wisdom championed things such as never plagiarizing, being respectful of others even if you disagree with them, and trying new and different things.

Steinberg addressed some of the things she had heard as a senior. She said, “In writing it, I was thinking about how everyone keeps telling us ‘this year goes by so fast’ and ‘you’re almost done!’ and then asking us about our futures. I understand where these comments come from, but we still have a full year here.”

“There is so much we can do in a year. Maybe we are almost done, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate every minute of this year.

So I wanted to remind people that,” she added.

One staple of Convocation traditions is the senior class donning their academic robes.

Steinberg recalled not feeling excited for this.

Seniors, freshmen and professors alike gathered last wednesday in the Chapel for Fall Convocation. Above, students are pictured ringing the bell on Main building, a yearly tradition for seniors.

She said, “Personally, I was not looking forward to Convocation. I love the tradition, but I felt like by putting on our caps and gowns we were admitting that we were leaving soon, and it felt like the school was trying to rush us out of here, regardless of how irrational that sounds.”

Once Convocation began, however, Steinberg appreciated the tradition. “But once I saw all of my friends and classmates all dressed up and marching in, I think it started to make more sense.”

She continued, “As seniors, we have many privileges, but we also have a lot of responsibility. Just in being here the longest, we’ve become the natural leaders for the underclassmen, and we need to take that seriously, and do our best to leave this place better than we found it. So I guess I hope other people took that away too.”

After Steinberg concluded, Professor John McCleary made the Convocation Address. The title of the speech was actually an image of two squares with smaller squares and triangles making up the interior, with a written subtitle, “Stepping on the Bus.” McCleary discussed the unusual name say-

ing, “The title is a boondoggle in order to have a visual image that I could use during my talk to present a proof. Once you know that one can title oneself with a symbol—think Prince— then it is small step to a title of a talk that is a picture.”

He continued, “The subtitle ‘stepping on the bus’ is a reference to Poincaré’s account of a lightning inspiration that was recounted in the talk and is often cited as an example in psychological studies of creativity.”

McCleary discussed his time as an undergraduate and then progressed forward chronologically to his first teaching position after earning his doctorate. He described an epiphany he had about solving a problem he had been working on for months. McCleary explained, “I had found my light switch, I could see the room clearly, and it was exhilarating.”

He went on to note, “Of course, such experiences are not restricted to mathematicians, but they can occur in any sort of creative process.

Most of us, at one time or another, are seeking that inspired moment, that flash of insight, that lifts us up to some new understanding of our

humanity.”

McCleary finished his speech by advising the audience to find what makes them passionate, so that they too could experience such moments of inspiration.

McCleary hoped his zeal for mathematics would shine during his speech. He said, “to do that I had the audience prove a theorem with me, and I did a magic trick, based on algebra, to leave them thinking. If members of the audience were with me on these things, they did a little math that day.”

He said of the audience, “It seemed that, in spite of the heat, folks were very interested and listened carefully. A lot of people told me that they had gotten the 99 in the magic trick. That took attention. I felt a connection as I spoke, and I thought it went well.”

McCleary also worked to explain the significance of the Convocation day in the larger school year. He told students, “Convocation marks the beginning of the academic year in a ceremonial manner, the first days for freshmen, the beginning of the last year for seniors.”

The professor continued, “I talked about how to prepare for inspiration, and what it is like to experience it. Something for the freshmen, something for the seniors.”

Fall Convocation also marks the time during which seniors are allowed to ring the bell atop Main Building. Throughout the week, the bell could be heard tolling across campus, giving seniors an important opportunity to connect with Vassar in another meaningful way before their last year begins to unwind. This practice is often praised by seniors as a way to see the college in a new light and to leave their mark before departing. At Spring Convocation, juniors are allowed to ring the bell in a process that is meant to prepare them for the final time at Vassar in the following year.

Early in her speech, President Hill, too, addressed the seniors: “You have 256 days to go.

Use them wisely.”

Steinberg echoed this sense of urgency and desire to leave a lasting mark. She told the class of 2014, “The caps and gowns and the marching signifies that we belong here, that we have come a long way to get here, and that it is now our responsibility to take what we’ve learned and make the most out of this year, and do something great.”

Conference offers various sustainable energy solutions Maggie Jeffers guEst rEportEr

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conference entitled, “The Local and Regional Options for Energy and Climate Resiliency conference” was held at Vassar on Friday, September 13. The event took place in the Villard Room and lasted from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., incorporating a variety of speeches, panels and workshops into its agenda.

The day began with an hour of registration and opportunities for networking. This was followed by a fifteen minute welcome led by Representative of CCE Statewide Energy and Climate Team and Cornell Community and Regional Development Institute (CaRDI) Rod Howe, Director of the Vassar Environmental Studies Program Pinar Batur, and the Dutchess County Commissioner of Planning and Development Kealy Salmon. Keynote speaker of the day, Norm Scott, then gave a talk titled “Renewable Energy as a Key ‘Toward’ Revitalizing and Transforming New York Communities for Sustainability.”

Next in the lineup was a plenary panel on state policy initiatives. Speaker Lindsay Robbins of New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s Cleaner Greener Communities talked about her program, which focuses on regional problems and solutions in New York and strives to create both sustainable and affordable living situations for residents.

Fellow speakers Mark Lowery, Climate Policy Analyst for the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and Paul Beyer, State Director of Smart Growth Planning for the New York Department of State, also emphasized the importance of action on a regional level. Beyer advocated strongly for the Smart Growth Program, which aims to develop vibrant and energy-efficient communities through smart planning. He made several key points, includ-

ing one concerning the placement of buildings and how this affects a community’s energy output. “An increase in the space between building equals an increase in BMT,” he argued, then went on to claim that regions needed to “fight sprawl” as well as find modes of transportation that provide an alternative to the less energy-efficient automobile.

The panel concluded with a portion for questions, during which Robbins took the microphone again and adamantly stated that these organizations needed to make participation [in environmentally friendly programs] the social norm.The day continued after a fifteen-minute break with two rounds of concurrent workshops and a second panel on multi-jurisdictional/regional initiatives.

The Villard Room was filled with tables set up fro each energy organization in attendance.

Different spaces were designated for dialogue with the tabling organizations, observing presentations, food, and networking with others who attended the event. A variety of informative and instructive handouts were available at each exhibition for attendees; topics ranged from “Reducing the Impact of Severe Flooding” to “Agricultural Markets Outlook.” The enthusiasm that each organization expressed in each of their displays was also evident in the room’s atmosphere; the audience actively participated during speeches and panels, and during breaks there was a constant buzz of conversation. While the Villard Room was never entirely filled, turnout from the Vassar Community surprised and impressed those who organized the event.

When one attendee, whose project entailed planning and consulting with municipalities and government agencies with the focus on sustainable energy, was asked about her experiences presenting to the community, she re-

sponded enthusiastically, “I think the highlight is that this is happening. I studied this a long time ago in school, and it’s great to see the interdisciplinary work, and the effort.”

“I think it’s good to have environmental conferences focusing on specific things,” said Anna Iovine ‘16. (disclaimer: Iovine serves as a staff reporter for The Miscellany News. She continued, “I think there needs to be more attention paid to the environment on Vassar’s campus.”

Zywia Wojnar, the Interim Program Leader for the Environment and Energy program with the Cooperative Extension Dutchess County, was heavily involved in the planning of the event, which began six months prior to the date. She worked as part of the planning committee, as a member of the state-wide energy and climate program work team, together with Cornell University and other Cornell Cooperative Extension staff.

Wojnar worked on such projects as educating municipal officials about water quality, watershed characteristics, and flood resiliency, providing a variety of GIS educational tools (in conjunction with other projects as well as stand-alone teaching of the subject), educating homeowners about energy efficiency, providing learning opportunities for youth in the County through hands-on programs in the classroom and in the field; and educating teachers about bioenergy so they can convey that knowledge to their students and encourage interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

According to Wojnar, the main goal of the conference was to bring together stakeholders who were concerned about climate change and how the use of energy in our communities might make a difference in the negative effects of climate change.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

She continued, “We also wanted local decision makers, educators, planners, and municipal consultants to share and learn from each other on what could be done to make our communities more resilient, as this relates to climate change (reduce the adverse effects from) and energy needs (reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation and use or switch to renewable sources of energy, where feasible, or both).”

Wojnar went on to speak to the importance of collaboration and idea-sharing in the fight against climate change and for conservation.

She continued, “We want to hear what others are doing through case studies, and learn from those experiences; understand what initiatives and incentives exist from regional and state leaders, as well as technical experts; and motivate each other to take action and develop partnerships in the community or region to reduce energy use, and develop plans for climate adaptation.”

When asked whether she believed the event was a success, she replied, “Judging by the comments people provided during and after the conference, I think yes. We had a good turnout from various sectors and from diverse communities; people were engaged and stayed to the end of the conference; great questions were asked during the plenary and breakout panels, as well as after each session and during breaks; and connections were made (we provided opportunities for networking).”

Even with the success of this conference, the environmentalists’ struggle persists, and the organizations that took part expressed a need to continue to work toward a cleaner, greener future for the state of New York. Information about the organizations that participated in the event can be found online at www.nyserda. ny.gov and smartgrowth.org.

NEWS

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Outside the Bubble Shooting in Washington Navy Yard At around 8:20 a.m. Monday morning, Aaron Alexis opened fire inside the Washington Navy Yard, killing at least 12 and leaving 14 injured. The event created widespread panic until officials identified and promptly shot the 34-year-old gunman. Alexis allegedly used an AR-15 assault rifle and a handgun. Investigators are still unsure of the motive.

At the time of the event Alexis was working as a computer contractor but had formerly been a full-time Navy reservist between 2007 through early 2011. The New York Times writes that he was discharged after exhibiting a ‘pattern of misbehavior’ but no further detail was given. It is believed that Alexis possessed an access card to the Navy Yard for the work he was dong as a contractor.

“It was three gunshots straight in a row—pop, pop, pop,” witness Patricia Ward recalls, “three seconds later, it was pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, so it was like about a total of seven gunshots, and we just started running.”

Another witness recounted that the gunman shot from an overlook hallway on the fourth floor, aiming at the cafeteria below (CBS News, “Aaron Alexis’ motive in Navy Yard shooting still unclear”, 9.17.13.).

Recent reports indicate that this was not Alexis’s first run-in with the law. According to CBS News, Alexis had two prior arrests, both of which involved firearms although no one was injured. The first arrest occurred in Seattle, in which Alexis shot the tires of someone’s car during “an anger-fueled ‘blackout’” as stated by the Seattle Police Department. His father told the cops that his son suffered from anger issues associated with PTSD following rescue efforts during the 9/11 attacks. Sources reported to NBC News that Alexis had been treated for multiple psychological issues including anger, paranoia, and sleep deprivation.

The Navy Yard is home to around 18000 workers, with around 3000 working within the headquarters where the shooting took place. Initially police assumed two men were part of the attack. There was no evidence, however to support this. According to the Washington post, one employee at the Navy Yard was found in a locker after having hidden for little less then 11 hours (Washington Post, “Authorities identify seven of the 12 people killed in Navy Yard shooting”, 9.17.13.).

This event marks the District’s largest death toll since the 1982 in which a passenger flight crashed into the Potomac River, killing 78.

—Debbie Altman, Guest Reporter

Boland illuminates Chinese urbanization Emily Hoffman guEst rEportEr

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n Monday September 16, University of Toronto Professor of Geography Alana Boland came to Vassar to give a lecture entitled “Both Spectacular and Mundane: The Greening of Urban China.” This event was co-sponsored by the Departments of Earth Science, Geography, Urban Studies, Environmental Studies, International Studies and Asian Studies.

Professor Boland’s talk covered the on-going research concerning urban sustainability in contemporary China. She discussed the ways in which interests in environmental interventions intersect with economic and political structures of a country. She specifically examined some of the ways that the city has been an object of green governance, a site for green interventions and a stage for green performance in China. Boland pointed out that several groups were involved in these developments including different government agencies, commercial investors, social organizations, community groups and an international group of architects and designers.

Boland focused on specific projects that were planned in China including Dongtan, the plan for a new eco-city on the island of Chongming in Shanghai. By 2010 the city was expected to be one-third the size of Manhattan, with a total population of 500,000. Waste from agriculture such as rice patties would be used to power homes and transportation would be fueled by hydrogen and electricity. Unfortunately, no construction has taken place yet.

Boland displayed photographs of this utopian looking island and pointed out that eco-city architecture has attracted a lot of media attention. Professor Boland addressed the governmental institutions in China involved in sustainable development,

including the ministry of environmental protection (MEP).

Professor of Geography Yu Zhou has known Boland for a long time as a geographer who studies urban sustainability and invited her to come speak. Professor Zhou is teaching a course on Environmental China (GEOG 238) which explores China’s traditional contemporary practices in the environment and pays particular attention to the intersections between environment, politics, economics and social changes so this lecture fit into her curriculum well.

Zhou spoke about the importance of the topic and said “China’s population and its rapid development means that it will have a tremendous impact on the global environment. Now, a majority of the Chinese population lives in urban areas and in the next twenty years, about 70% of the population will live in cities. The urban built environment embodies and consumes about 40% of energy in China. Taking all of these factors into consideration, urban sustainability or lack thereof plays a significant role in shaping the future of the world. As Americans, we can also learn from both China’s mistakes and accomplishments in its environmental practices.”

Director of the Urban Studies Department Professor Brian Godfrey is teaching a class called Cities of the Global South and he stated that he found the lecture very insightful as well. Godfrey said, “while China is notable for the magnitude of its contemporary changes, the Global South (i.e: the countries of Africa, Latin America, Middle East and Asia) is generally known for its rapid urbanization, which far exceeds that of Europe and North America.”

He continued, “In fact, many countries of Africa and elsewhere in the developing world are urbanizing even faster than China in relative terms. This is all to say that while

China’s urbanization is important in its own right, the comparative perspective with other countries of the Global South points to fascinating similarities and differences.

Many students who attended the lecture were involved in Urban Studies, Asian Studies or Geography classes. One student who attended, Evan Kamber 15’ was interested in learning about urban sustainability in the largest country in the world. Kamber wrote in an emailed statement, “due to the broad understanding that urban areas are more sustainable than rural, I thought it would be interesting to learn how China is creating livable and sustainable cityscapes to help accommodate the growing dense populations. I thought Professor Boland made an interesting point about how innovative environmental architects and developers are able to propose these projects in China due to the availability of cheap labor and lenient governmental policies.”

Kamber continued, “It was also interesting when she compared and contrasted the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with China’s MEP revealing that the EPA hires roughly 17,000 employees while the MEP employees 500-1,000 employees for a country of 1.3 billion people.”

Furthermore, he said that “the plan to create cities from a cradle-to-cradle approach and closed circle, using the waste created in the city to create life necessities, was especially interesting in the proposed eco-city Dongtan. It is important to look at China as an example for the rest of the world. Designing cities to provide for people’s basic needs is the only way to ensure that the quality of life does not diminish in the future as we face the imminent danger of climate change, exponentially growing human population and fear of running out of resources.”

Event emphasizes value of C-SPAN C-SPAN continued from page 1 Ladies”. Both the bus and C-SPAN in general are highlighting the lives and political influences that these women have had on the US. According to C-SPAN, the bus is visiting colleges and other institutions that are in some way relevant to one of the first ladies. Given Vassar’s connection and close proximity to the Eleanor Roosevelt Historical Site, it was a clear choice for the “First Ladies” program.

According to the C-SPAN bus’s website, the “First Ladies” project is a new feature in the program that is being produced across several media. As the website reads, “This project is the first of its kind -- a comprehensive biography series on all of the First Ladies produced for television.” Those who missed the C-SPAN bus at Vassar can access the same information on C-SPAN’s website.

A representative for the C-SPAN bus who preferred to go unnamed echoed the excitement felt about this “First Ladies” project and spoke to the in-depth process through which the organization created the project. He said, “The program we are doing is unique because it focuses on the goals and influences on American culture and politics that each first lady has had. They are all given equal attention. There has not in the past been an in-depth series done on the first ladies. We’ve talked to authors, historians, and every historical source we could in order to put this together.”

Though the emphasis of the C-SPAN bus was on the specific “First Ladies” project, the bus also aimed to educate the Vassar community about the resources that C-SPAN offers as a comprehensive news source. As the same C-SPAN bus representative said, “C-SPAN provides live, gavel-to-gavel coverage of the US House of Representatives. It offers a wide variety of public affairs programming, including congressional hearings, international coverage, and C-SPAN interviews.”

The C-SPAN staff argued for the kind of nonpartisan coverage of news that is sometimes difficult to find today. While many

news sources betray obvious biases, C-SPAN makes the claim that they offer unbiased long-form news that leaves people to form their own opinions based on the facts. As the same unnamed representative argued, ““We are a totally non-partisan news source.

We don’t edit and we don’t comment.”

Gonsalves-Brown echoed this sentiment, championing C-SPAN as an effective tool in politics. Speaking in relation to her organization, she said, “Democracy Matters was founded as an organization with a goal of working towards getting money out of politics and reforming elections to be about the interests of the people, not of corporations. Transparency, especially with regard to campaign finance, is a big part of this.

C-SPAN has succeeded in bringing some transparency to the realm of formal Legislative action.”

Speaking in regards to transparency, the C-SPAN bus claimed that there is a growing

desire today for people to have news, unfiltered. It separated itself from other news sources by stating that they satisfy that desire. One C-SPAN bus representative spoke of the value of being able to turn on the TV and immediately be transported into Congress, to see deliberations firsthand, and to be able to form one’s own ideas for oneself.

Re-emphasizing the value of C-SPAN as a news source, Gonsalves-Brown continued. “C-SPAN is such a valuable resource for civic-minded people because it provides transparency about the inner workings of Congress.”

She continued, “For those with interest in American history or politics, it can be an uniquely unbiased source of information about the day-to-day workings of the government, as the live-stream of coverage it provides leaves no room for the editorializing and conscious framing of facts that define mainstream news.”

Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

UN meets over Syrian weapons removal The UN Security Council met this Tuesday in New York to begin talks concerning the removal of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal.

Since news of the attacks, the Obama administration fought for support for an airstrike despite heated national debate and Russian opposition to U.S. involvement. Pentagon press secretary George Little assures citizens that US attacks are still a possibility, “The credible threat of military force has been key to driving diplomatic progress, and it’s important that the Assad regime lives up to its obligations under the framework agreement” (NY Times, “U.S. and Russia Reach deal to Destroy Syria’s Chemical Arms”, 9.14.13).

The “Framework” agreement requires that the Syrian government provide a list of their chemical arsenal, including the types, amounts, and locations of weapons. In November, inspections will check the arsenal sites to see if the equipment used to make the weapons has been destroyed.

Critics of the deal are skeptical that Assad will cooperate, making it virtually ineffective, however, Secretary of State John Kerry expressed the hope that, “if fully implemented, this framework can provide greater protection and security to the world.” Others are worried over the safety of international inspectors since the rebel fighters have already confirmed they will not cease-fire while disarmament takes place.

Talks between the 5 permanent UN Council members did not achieve much due to disagreements over what action should be taken if Assad refuses to comply. The United States and France are pushing to permit military action. Russia won’t support any resolution that authorizes such force (CNN, “Syria: There’s a Chemical Weapons Agreement. Now What?” 9.16.13).

Syrian rebel forces expressed frustration at US inaction. In a televised speech on Tuesday, Syrian opposition chief Ahmad Jarba, expressed support for Chapter VII and disappointment with the international community for “keeping silent on the crimes of the regime” (Al Jazeera, “Syrian Opposition Leader Urges Use of Force”, 9.17.13). Many in his coalition fear that without immediate action attacks “odious crimes” are likely to continue.

September 19, 2013

Students explore the C-SPAN bus, parked outside of Main. The program highlighted America’s First Ladies, as well as informed Vassar students about C-SPAN as a valuable news outlet.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

September 19, 2013

FEATURES

Page 5

Library acquires collection of eMaterials, traditional books Bethany Terry staFF dEsignEr

W

courtesy of Vassar College

hile it may be the amazing stained-glass window that grab most visitors’ attentions, the décor isn’t the only impressive aspect of our Thompson Memorial library. When looking around at the shelves, the books are what really should catch a person’s eye.

Having cataloged their one millionth book last semester, the library stacks are filled with books and the library is always adding more.

But as much as students like to indulge our fantasies that the campus truly is magical, the books don’t get there by themselves. The library continues to look for their next great addition through their collection management program, which strives to keep the library current in this world where technology is changing every day.

The librarians at Vassar take book acquisition seriously and point out in their Collection Development Policy that “The importance of collection-building as a foundation for education was recognized by Matthew Vassar in his acquisition and gift of books to the College at its founding” (5.14.10).

In order to meet their foundational principles, the library shelves accrue new books in three main ways: automatic purchasing, requests and personal selection.

Throughout the year, the library continually makes purchases through Yankee Book Peddler, a service that ensures that the library is up to date on major university press publications.

A team of librarians and faculty also keep an eye out, using this service to search for works that might fit particularly well with students’ and professors’ current interests.

Collection Development Librarian Debra Bucher is the woman who oversees this daunting task.

“If we know that it matches a research interest of, say, a student doing a thesis or a faculty member doing research, we also add it to the collection. We try to think ‘is this title going to

Vassar’s historic Thompson Memorial Library houses over 1,000,000 volumes; the collection keeps growing through the efforts of a team of dedicated library workers in the Acquisitions Department. be used immediately,’ ‘might it be used in the future,’ sort of ‘what’s the lasting value of this title?’” she explained.

On their third main method of purchasing, through requests, Bucher described a different process. Bucher said, “We also have a book request form on our website and anybody, faculty, student, staff member can request a book.

Almost always those requests are honored.”

While print materials are the clearest evidence of the acquisition process, one of the newer issues that the library has had to face is the ever-growing presence of and demand for digital material. For the library this is an issue that is still being worked out.

On the question of whether or not the library should be transitioning their collection to digital forms, Bucher said she believed more

time for debate is needed.

She said, “That’s a bit trickier, because I think a lot of people in libraries aren’t totally convinced that eBooks are a good format to sort of keep, to build a collection with.”

While eMaterials are easier for students to access books right from their dorm rooms, not owning a physical copy can pose certain complications for the libraries because of digital rights issues.

The library must determine questions like: how often can a title be borrowed, whether it can be printed, how long the patron has access to it, how long the library has access to it, and whether or not it can be lent to other institutions. These are just a few of the thorny legal questions the library would have to figure out.

Bucher said, however, that the library is ex-

perimenting with these materials and cites a new eBook aspect to the ConnectNY, an online site where Vassar students can borrow books from the collections of other colleges and universities in New York State.

According to Bucher, now students will be able to find and access ebooks here at Vassar as well.

Bucher also described one of the library’s newest resources: five new Kindle Paperwhites available for lending . An experiment of sorts, the titles stored on the Kindles are new releases to appeal for leisure reading.

Said Bucher, “The kindle project is really just a way that we can sort of get people’s ideas about how they like to read books: do they prefer the kindle, do they prefer the hard copy book?”

The heart of the library’s services is connecting students and faculty with the information they need to continue exploring their field of interest.

Bucher estimated that Vassar amassed about 10,000 new titles last year. According to a fiveyear planning model from 2009, the library’s total projected annual budget was $2.65 million.

These materials come in throughout the year.

Yasi Hassanzadeh ’16, a student worker at the library, said that since starting work, she has already shelved new volumes.

She believes that this process helps keep the library current and useful. “I do feel that the library is well stocked for my needs. I’ve found useful books every time I’ve needed them for research,” said Hassanzadeh.

But as the stacks get filled and more emphasis is placed on the digital medium, there is always the question of whether print books die out.

Bucher believed not. She said, “I think most people are staying with the print and I think rightly so, because I just don’t think the eBook format is ready for primetime yet. We really haven’t cut back on our print acquisitions of books at all so far.”

Swift Hall keeps historic façade after new renovations Eloy Bleifuss-Prados

assistant FEaturEs Editor

K

courtesy of the Vassar College History Department

nowledge of the past is a heavy thing.

When Swift Hall, burdened with the weight of professors’ history books, began to sink slowly into the earth, the College agreed it was time to renovate.

The story of Swift Hall’s recently completed renovation, which closed the building down from June 2012 until August 2013, is a little longer than that.

Swift was built in 1900 to be Vassar’s infirmary, and its foundation was designed to support a health center housing relatively lightweight equipment. Forty years later it became home to the History Department and began housing, along with classrooms and offices, lots of heavy books.

Project Manager for the Vassar Office of Buildings and Grounds Jeff Horst said, since the History Department moved in, this unanticipated weight caused the building to settle approximately three inches over the next 60 years.

Horst was responsible for the over-yearlong refurbishment of the over-one-hundred-year old structure.

He said “[The job was] A complete renovation of the building, while retaining its historical character.” The outside was meant to look like the original facade of Swift Hall, but the inside would be redone from the foundation to the roof.

Before the renovation, Swift’s layout was still that of the old infirmary.

This created several problems for construction. Most distressing of all was the lack of office space. According to Horst, the faculty needed 17 offices. There were only 14 in Swift.

Three professors’ offices had to be outside Swift and away from the rest of the department.

History Professor and Chair of the Department Nancy Bisaha said this was what finally put Swift on the slate for renovation.

“The faculty grew in the past few years and we weren’t able to accommodate everyone here, which we thought was a problem. One of the things we value in this department is colle-

giality,” said Bisaha.

Horst also described how back in the days of the infirmary, there was a main staircase and two smaller staircases specifically for the sick.

These two flanking staircases got sealed off when they were no longer necessary, but they still filled up physical space and messed with the floor plan.

Swift’s third story was not a long and continuous hallway for offices, but a series of curved corridors. Bisaha and Horst both described third floors as so confusing that it resembled the layout of a “rabbit’s warren.”

Bisaha and the rest of the History Department has welcomed the new Swift Hall. Bisaha said “I think we’re all happy to be back. We’re glad it was improved but not so changed that it is unrecognizable.” She added, “We’re happy that it still feels like old Swift in a lot of ways.”

The crew took pains to preserve as much of the original exterior as they could. They were able to keep the original glass windows, but they made them more resistant to weather. And for what had to be touched-up or redone, Horst said, they did their best to replicate the original colors. Not just the colors of the building before it was renovated, but the colors of the building when it was first built over a hundred years ago. They sent samples from the site to a company in the city for color analysis.

The mortar between the bricks, which degrades after 50-60 years, was replaced using the same light color as the original. This wasn’t all that had to be redone on the exterior.

“A lot of bricks were replaced where the face of the brick had spalled off. You can never match old brick so we match it as closely as we can,” said Horst.

Listing one last addition to the facade, Horst mentioned the wheelchair ramp at the front of the building. “[When] you look at the front of Swift there’s a rather discrete, accessible ramp allowing everyone universal access to come through the same doors. I think that was for me critically important.”

The interior was, as Horst put it, completely gutted. Walls were torn down and new ones erected to fit the additional offices. Ex-

Swift Hall, home of the History Department, has been re-opened after a year of construction. Swift now includes a student lounge, a larger faculty lounge. more office space and technological advancements. tra beams were installed to support a heavier building. Swift was also given new furniture, new plumbing, power, fire suppression and, for the first time, centralized furniture and cooling. Each office, said Horst, could be privately climate controlled.

Horst told the story of how when the architects had to, complying with fire regulation, install a second means of access to the third floor, they found an innovative solution. The architects decided to reopen one of the sealedoff side staircases, saving them time and space.

Work continued inside through the winter months, the contractors warmed by portable heat systems.

Bringing all the faculty members’ offices under one roof, though, meant giving up something else: two of Swift’s classrooms. Sacrificing two-decade-old classrooms for the new offices was not an easy task for Bisaha and her department. The consensus, she said, was that

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

the trade-off was necessary.

“We all felt that it was important to have everyone here, but we sorely miss the extra classrooms,” explained Bisaha.

The two classrooms left in Swift are new and have all the amenities that come with being new: standardized desks and chairs, a camera for projecting pictures of documents of the screen, and of course air-conditioning.

Said Bisaha. “[The new classrooms] have the same basic character as the old classrooms so its nice. It doesn’t seem like you’re teaching a completely radically new space. It is updated, cleaner and neater.”

Bisaha was thankful for the air-conditioning last week when the weather got so warm, but she noted a bit of nostalgia for the old desks and chairs.

She noted, “Most of it [was] mismatched.

Us historians kind of liked our mismatched old furniture.”

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September 19, 2013

Camp Nor’Wester unique, rewarding summer experience Lily Doyle

humor & satirE Editor

I

learn effective teaching methods, to work with tide charts and navigation techniques, and, to practice safety techniques in all of the boats.

Unfortunately—or luckily, depending on who you are—for us, safety techniques basically consist of capsizing each craft, while you’re in it. We flip the kayaks, the Pico sail boats and both styles of canoes, throwing ourselves into the water along with them. We get around 200 campers per session, and do two sessions in a summer. Throughout the summer, we practice these wet exits about six times apiece, with the other staff members building fires on the beach and waiting with warm, dry towels.

There are two things, for me, that makes camp something that I cannot keep away from.

One of these is the trips. Nor’Wester offers trips for campers ages 13–16: 5 day trips for the 14 to 16 year olds, and four day trips for the 13 year olds. For the older campers, they have the option to hike through the Cascade Mountains, to attempt to summit mount baker or to do one

Lillian Doyle/The Miscellany News

spent a large portion of my junior year trying to decide what the best way to spend my summer would be—to go the traditional route and apply for an internship in a large city, or to spend a second summer working at Camp Nor’Wester. Camp Nor’Wester is located in the San Juan Islands, in Washington State, and they call themselves a “unique outdoor living experience” for a reason. Nor’Wester is located on a tiny island—an island that doesn’t have roads, gets its water from a large well that collects rain water over the year, and has minimal access to electricity. While working at a summer camp is barely more profitable than an unpaid internship, it’s an experience that is both incredibly educational as well as being, quite simply, fun.

Spending the summer in a space that is almost completely “unplugged”, without access to cell phones or the internet, provides me a space to breathe and reflect. By the end of my first semester of junior year, I could almost physically feel the weight of various expectations—expectations to get an internship, to graduate on time and with a good GPA, to have job prospects lined up after graduation, not to mention have an idea of what I want to do with my life. I applied to camp with the knowledge that it would be a break from these expectations, a time without grades or e-mail notifications of the CDO’s available job listings—despite the cliché, I saw it as a time that I could legitimately make a difference.

Over the spring semester, I was hired to be Director of the Waterfront Department, a position that was a fairly significant step up in responsibilities from simply being a member of the staff—a job that is already difficult.

Being on the Waterfront at Camp Nor’Wester is different from any other “Water Activities” department at a regular summer camp. Children who come to Nor’Wester are between the ages of nine and 16, and the Waterfront is the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific Ocean, at least in this portion of the San Juan Islands, maintains a temperature of about 45 degrees year round, getting slightly warmer on nice days in the summer—your average pool is around 86

degrees. Being a member of the waterfront staff means teaching kids how to sail, how to kayak, and how to canoe.

The camp maintains a close relationship with families who are part of the Kwakwaka’wakw, a Northwest Coast tribal group, largely through association with Bill Holmes, a Professor Emeritus of Art History at the University of Washington, as well as an artist in the Northwest Coast art style. Because of this relationship, the camp is lucky enough to be able to teach canoeing not only in the traditional aluminum canoes, but also in fiberglass cast Hunt-22 canoes. These canoes, as their names suggest, are made by the Hunt family, a prominent Kwakwaka’wakw family. The canoes are 22 feet, are traditionally used for hunting, and as Waterfront staff, we are privileged enough to use them for trips and daily camp activities.

The nine members of the Waterfront staff arrive on Johns Island on June 6, almost a full week before the rest of the staff. We work together to

Campers sleep on the shore of the Pacific Ocean at Camp Nor’Wester, where they have the chance to kayak, engage in outdoor activities and participate in leadership and character building.

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of the three waterfront trips. We offer and lead trips on the Hunt Canoes, the kayaks, and also a trip on the Tern, a Viking style gaffe-rigged sail boat, which is capable of being both rowed as well as sailed. Over the last two years, I have participated in or led a total of three of these trips, which have traveled to the outer San Juan Islands, Patos, Sucia, and Matia. These trips allow staff to develop close relationships with campers, and I value this above everything.

It’s amazing to watch the campers develop in so many different aspects over a five day period—they grow not only physically, but socially, mentally and as leaders. They clearly become more responsible and more confident in their own abilities.

It is not only this fantastic opportunity that makes camp so special—it is also the parts of the day that should be mundane. For me, the second part of camp that will always keep me coming back is meal times. Everyone sits together, family style, with two staff members and six campers per table, with the occasional variation. One camper is in charge of setting and clearing the table, another is responsible for “bletching”, or scraping everybody’s plate clean into a bucket, which is then put into the compost or fed to the pigs that are raised on the island every summer. Another camper sorts silverware, and this cycle rotates throughout the month they are at camp - even for the youngest of the campers. After meals we sing. Singing becomes a communal, bonding activity, a part of the day that even the least enthusiastic, most homesick campers look forward to, and end up relying on.

I don’t know if I can truly communicate the impact that Camp Nor’Wester has had on my life. While at camp, we often talk about our lives during the rest of the year as “in the real world”.

Now that I am in the real world, writing my papers and doing my readings, back to the pressures that come with being a senior here at Vassar, I could not be happier that I spent my summer doing what I did. To me, Camp Nor’Wester is the real world - it is adventurous, is it community, and it is love. It is everything that my world here has the potential to be.

Tensions in Middle East affect VC students abroad ARABIC continued from page 1

fice of International Programming at Vassar says that students in recent years have also gone to Oman, Israel and Palestine.

Correll keeps track of the State Department’s Travel Warnings and will get in touch with a student if there is a development. Currently students who wish to apply to a program or university in a country with a Travel Warning are required to sign and have a parent sign a waiver. In the case of Thomas Poole ‘14, who went to Tunisia for his Fall semester in 2012 was only two weeks into his stay when the American Embassy in Tunis was attacked the by protesters incensed by a video denigrating the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The American State Department issued a traveling warning, and students in the program were evacuated to the south of France. Later that month they were told they would not be returning to Tunisia or their host families. Poole was upset for being made to leave his host family so abruptly, but also for having a once-in-alifetime opportunity cut short. “I will never again be able to have that type of integrated educational, political, and home-stay experience,” said Poole, who added that never thought a personal attack on him was tangible threat. Ruth Campbell ’14 spent a semester last year in Amman, Jordan. She described the types of reactions she would get when she told people where she was going. “[My] simply studying in the middle east does not mean that my experience was particularly dangerous—I’ve encountered a lot of stereotypes about this and how “brave” I must be (as a woman too! most people say) to study abroad in such a volatile region,” she wrote in an emailed statement.

Campbell did tell the story, however, how

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

in November of last year, some Jordanians took to the streets of Amman in protest the government’s raising of gas prices. Campbell’s program was put on evacuation alert and the students were instructed to stay at home with their host families. After a few days the protests subsided, and Campbell’s semester continued as planned. Even considering the evacuation threat issued by the program, Campbell never felt like she was in any personal danger. She added “I felt safe and exceedingly well cared for throughout my stay.”

Karlin Gatton ‘15, who has a correlate in Arabic Language and Culture, is slated to spend next semester in Jordan. It was always important for her to study Arabic abroad. “I think that Arabic is like a language that is very intrinsically tied to the culture, so I think that like I guess I always thought that being there and being given an opportunity to learn about the culture would help my language get better. And hopefully it would be a really interesting experience,” said Gatton.

Following her parents’ advice though Gatton decided recently to also apply to study in Morocco. This was, as she explained, a precaution in event that the conflict in Syria, which shares a border with Jordan, spills over into a greater region.

Her preference and plans for right now, however, are still firmly set on going to Jordan in January for the Spring Semester.

Correll took care to note that Arabic is the fifth most spoken language in the world.

She said “I think that when you want language fluency you really have to go to a country where you’re speaking it everyday, where you’re reading it everyday, anywhere you’re listening to it everyday.”

September 19, 2013

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Serenading changes promote atmosphere of inclusivity SERENADING continued from page 1

Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

took advantage of the pizza party (which was usually held the night before in the residential houses) as an opportunity to meet first years, we wanted to incorporate this aspect with the actual Serenading event.

According to Vassar Student Association President Deborah Steinberg ’14, while Serenading used to be a more community building event in past years, efforts have been made to make Serenading even more inclusive. Some of the changes include having seniors chant back at the freshmen when they finished performing, and incorporating Brewer Cup points.

“It is so much better than in years past. Much less alcohol, fewer condiments being thrown, the lyrics of the songs were more appropriate,” wrote Steinberg in an emailed statement. “In the future, there should be more of an effort on the seniors’ part to bond with the freshmen and show more appreciation for the effort that they and the house teams put in.”

She also described bond between houses and their seniors as an important part of Serenading this year, all the while focusing on the theme of community.

Steinberg said, “The event encouraged us to do more than just throw water balloons—it was about building a community.”

She continued, “Beyond anything else, it definitely creates a bond between the current house and the seniors who used to live there, because they’re always cheering the loudest for the dorm with whom they identify the most.”

Raganit had complicated feelings about the tradition. While he said that his past experiences with Serenading were enjoyable, he also understood why some people would have concerns related to it.

“Serenading is a weird tradition; and after participating in the event as a first year, a Student Fellow, a House President, and then as a senior, I am still unsure about the event’s fostering a relationship between the first years and seniors, let alone to campus as a whole,” he wrote in an emailed statement.

This year’s Serenading featured events meant to facilitate community amongst seniors and freshmen.

VSA preseident Deb Steinberg was happy with many changes, but acknowledged room for improvement .

Raganit noted the discomfort of others. He wrote, “I, personally, have had generally positive experiences with Serenading, but I think that hearing from my classmates and peers about how Serenading continues to be a negative and isolating experience that does little to foster a sense of community and pride both within and between the four classes time and time again makes me consider the validity of an event that is, in essence, re-branded hazing.”

Senior Class President Connor Martini ‘14 also commented about the potential culture of hazing that occurred with past Serenadings.

“These changes were made to try and eliminate the aspects of Serenading that have, in the past, encouraged the seniors to look down on the freshmen and made the freshmen uncomfortable interacting with the seniors,” Martini wrote in an emailed statement.

He continued, Historically, Serenading has sent a message to the freshmen that, almost immediately after their arrival on campus, there is a social pecking order in which they come last.

This year, we wanted to make certain changes that would help alleviate this problem of class superiority while remaining true to the traditions we have come to know.”

Though there have been issues with Serenading in the past, both Steinberg and Raganit emphasized the chance for bonding that the event offers. According to Steinberg, this year’s Serenading was particularly good for the senior class. She wrote, “They [the seniors] definitely noticed a change in the tone from when we were freshmen. It definitely unites the senior class though—this was the first time I had seen this many of us in one space since freshman year.”

But that does not mean that Serenading is done changing and improving; Raganit took time to compare Serenading to its roots in a tradition called Step-Singing, and critique the complacency of seniors regarding the tradition.

“I think that students, myself included, blindly accept what Serenading has become and forget that it started as a tradition called “Step-Singing” where all classes would participate and students would sing original songs given to them by previous classes on the steps of Strong to seniors situated on the steps of Rocky,” wrote Raganit.

Steinberg also commented on the change from the older tradition, and how it had become less inclusive in recent years.“I think it used to be much more of a community-building event than it is now. I’d like to see it go back in that direction though,” she said.

But there is hope for a better future of Serenading, and the changes made this year reflect the desire for better community building. Raganit had some specific ideas for improving Serenading as an event that can strive to bring the entirety of the Vassar community together.

“For Serenading to truly become an event that fosters a fruitful relationship between the classes, I think Vassar must see a cultural shift that stems from us students,” he said. “Rather than blindly accepting this “tradition” as such, we should ask ourselves that if our goal is to form bonds between and within the classes, is Serenading succeeding?”

Serenading, from its roots as Step-Singing to its current reality as a watery festival with many different aspects, is a tradition that is unlikely to ever lose its place as an important part of Vassar culture, but that does not mean that it has to be a stagnant entity. With a clear push for improved inclusivity, Serenading continues to evolve in new ways, and has the potential to either continue to improve, or it could go back to some of the less impressive days of the past.

Ultimately, it comes down to the work of the students if this culture of change and community building is going to become a reality.

Mulled cider a warm treat on cool, crisp autumn nights Aja Saalfeld

FEaturEs Editor

A

courtesy of Fodlushblog.org

utumn is my favorite season, hands down, bar none. There is nothing about fall that doesn’t make me happy—changing trees, pumpkin, cider, all of these things are integral to my autumn experience.

Hot cider, however, is my personal favorite out of all things crisp and September-y. I have tried many cider recipes over the course of my life, striving to get the best apple cider possible.

I won’t lie—it’s been a difficult quest. The best cider I’ve ever had was at an art opening when I first moved to Southern Illinois in fourth grade, and I did not find a recipe that has even come close until I was 17. I should not be surprised by how difficult my cider journey has been, though. Good cider is a rare treat that is more than worth the struggles one goes through to obtain it.

Cider is an old drink, and what defines cider varies from country-to-country. In the States, cider is a seasonally produced, unfiltered drink made from apples, whereas in other countries, it usually refers to a fermented, alcoholic beverage. In the U.S., this is referred to as hard cider, to differentiate between the versions.

While I’ve had my fair share of hard cider in my life, plain old mulled cider will always come before any other sort of drink, alcoholic or otherwise. Hot cider brings me right back to being 10 again, and every autumn I try to get as much of my liquid nostalgia as even remotely possible.

Consuming as much cider as possible has the potential to mean that I occasionally have to sacrifice quality, but I do my best to find alternatives to mediocre cider. Over the years, I have gotten pretty good at finding many different ways to consume my unfiltered, yearly indulgence.

This means that I will consume apple cider in virtually any form I can get my hands on— apple cider donuts, cake, lattes—I am hardly picky about what it is provided it tastes like apple cider, is delicious, and warm.

The easiest way to get cider is simply to buy it at the store, but, then again, that takes all the fun out of it. Cider is traditionally handmade, with apples that are pressed by hand. An apple press is one of the most important parts of homemade cider production, but there are ways to g get around it.

Unfortunately, I do not own an apple press, which is one of the saddest parts of my life, so I make my cider with unfiltered store bought cider, because my life is miserable. However, if an apple press is on hand, it should be used for the recipe if at all possible.

The first time I tried to make my own mulled cider, I spilled juice down my shirt, burned my hands, tore my cheesecloth bag and generally mucked everything up. To be fair, I was fifteen, hardly the most experienced apple cider chef in the world and terribly uncoordinated. Clearly, not much has changed.

Regardless, I’ve fortunately gotten much better at making mulled cider—I luckily haven’t given myself second degree burns from nearly boiling cider anytime recently—but I still don’t have the apple press or the coordination that I so desperately desire, and so, sadly, my mulled cider will continue to be sub-par, at least by my unnecessarily high standards.

The recipe I’ve found that consistently makes the best cider I’ve made, but not the best cider I’ve had, comes from The Pioneer Woman Cooks blog. The thing that makes it stand out is the addition of maple syrup, and, please, use proper maple syrup. No sugary, corn syrupy gunk is going to produce good cider.

In addition to maple syrup, this particular iteration of mulled cider uses fresh orange and lemon peel, and whole cloves plus some optional rum. For me, I am not particularly interested in adding the rum; I love fermented cider, and I love non-alcoholic cider, but adding rum to unfermented cider does not sit right with me.

Regardless, all of the ingredients make for an amazing cider that, while it still does not come close to being the best cider I’ve ever had, it’s definitely pretty darn fantastic in its own right.

Ingredients:

The Recipe

Six cups apple cider 1/4 cup maple syrup 2 cinnamon sticks 6 whole cloves 6 whole allspice berries 1 orange peel, shredded 1 lemon peel, shredded Pour the apple cider and maple syrup into a large stainless steel saucepan.

Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice berries, orange peel and lemon peel in the center of a washed square of cheesecloth; fold up the sides of the cheesecloth to enclose the bundle, then tie it up with a length of kitchen string. Drop the spice bundle into the cider mixture.

Place the saucepan over moderate heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cider is very hot but not boiling.

Remove the cider from the heat. Discard the spice bundle. Ladle the cider into big cups or mugs, adding a fresh cinnamon stick to each serving if desired.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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September 19, 2013

Lack of Convocation address humanizes faculty printers E impact SoCos Aja Saalfeld

Features Editor

Ruth Bolster

Contributing Editor

F

or most students, having a functioning printer within reach is something that people often take for granted, but for residents of the South Commons Apartments, printing becomes a privilege with lack of reliable access a printer.

“I have received many complaints about the lack of VPrint access from SoCo residents,” wrote South Commons Manager Brian Starkman ’14 in an emailed statement.

“Receiving closes at 4:30 pm on a weekday and is closed all weekend, severely limiting the number of hours that students have access to a printer. The closest building that students have 24/7 access to is Main, which is a good 15 minute walk away.”

“The SoCos are far away from everything,” said South Commons President Rebecca Bauer ’14, when summarizing many of the complaints she had received. “It is a further walk than if people in the Terrace Apartments (TAs) had to go to Main. It is a lot different for us to go to Main. Our closest building that our House Advisor suggested was Skinner, but that is still closed at night as well, so that is not particularly helpful.”

Preparations for the new Bridge Building, which include the partial closure of the Academic Quad, have also impeded South Commons residents from venturing onto Main campus after hours.

“Darkness, bad weather, and new detours from ongoing construction makes this trek particularly inconvenient,” wrote Starkman. “A few of my friends have been frustrated by the situation and have been repeatedly asking me for updates. They have even considered sending mass emails.”

The problem, however, rests in the fact that the South Commons does not have adequate space for a printer in its only communal area— the laundry room. This is unlike the Town Houses (THs) and Terrace Apartments, which house their printers in one of their multiple respective laundry rooms.

When asked to comment on the possibility of moving the printer to a common space, Bauer said, “I don’t think that the laundry room is the best place for our printer, because there is literally not space for it. We have built-in counters and a sink.”

John Collier, Director of User Services at Vassar’s Computing and Informational Services (CIS), also notes that the small size of the South Common’s laundry room can trap and concentrate humidity when the washers and driers are in use, thus making the space too humid for a printer to function properly.

According to Collier, Shipping and Receiving is one of the only logical spaces to house the printer. “We installed a copier in Receiving for SoCo residents, but as you know, for security reasons, we restricted access to only when staff was present,” wrote Collier in an emailed statement.

These security reasons include concern over package theft, as well as concern over students’ rights to privacy.

Despite this, Bauer nevertheless hopes to increase student access to the South Commons’ existing printer. She said, “I think that the solution that we should be striving for is getting 24-7 access—or closer to that—to the printer in Receiving, which, if they lock up the back where the packages are, I do not foresee it being a major issue.”

Bauer also noted that Alison Ehrlich ’15, Vassar Student Association (VSA) Vice President of Operations, had been forwarded a number of the South Commons residents’ complaints, and was thus aware of the issue.

Starkman has also been working within his respective sphere to find a more accessible space for the printer. “The ROC is aware of the issue and I have been working with them on a solution.

I believe the solution lies with CIS since they are in control of college printers and card access to buildings,” said Starkman in an emailed statement.

“We always strive to balance safety/security with convenience/functionality, so let’s open up a new dialog,” wrote Collier.

very year Vassar begins and ends, at least symbolically, with the long-standing tradition of Convocation. In autumn, it marks the freshmen’s formal introduction to Vassar and, in spring, the promotion of students to their next year.

What we call Convocation at Vassar is steeped in tradition — bell ringing, class pictures and the procession of the Daisy Chain and African Violets in spring all come to mind — but perhaps the part of Convocation most rooted in students’ psyches is the speakers. Most students will, at some point in their Vassar career, go to Convocation, sit in the probably sweltering chapel, and listen to the many speeches associated with this ceremony.

Traditionally, both the President of the College and the Vassar Student Association (VSA) President speak at Fall Convocation, as well as a faculty member. This last one is perhaps one of the more varied and diverse parts of the ceremony. Twice a year, students have the opportunity to hear from faculty personally discussing some of the things that are most important to them and their scholarship, an opportunity many students do not get in the classroom.

Professor of Mathematics John McClearly, who spoke at this past Convocation, emphasized the role Convocation plays in allowing people to learn more about the faculty member giving the address.

“We don’t have many events on campus that are meant for the entire community.

Convocation is one of them, so I think it is very important,” wrote McCleary in an emailed statement. He continued, “The address is part of knowing something more about the faculty, and hearing how a faculty member understands his or her position as a scholar, a teacher, and as a member of Vas-

sar’s community. We don’t get many chances for such insight.”

Professor of Biology John Long, who spoke at the Fall 2012 Convocation, also spoke about the importance of Convocation in bringing faculty and students together, as well as putting professors in a new light and showing students that, despite all their expectations, professors are still people.

“For students, I think it’s an introduction to the idea that these professor characters in the Hogwarts movie they are living have back stories. They get to learn about the prequel that they never got to see,” wrote Long in an emailed statement. “I hope that humanizes us, adds dimensions, turns us into flawed, strugglingly, motivated, frustrated, eager, and messy people. They get to travel back with us, for a moment, in the Pensieve, and see us enact the story that has produced the person in the robe on the podium.”

In addition to giving faculty a chanceto show a different side of themselves, the Convocation address is a chance for speakers to work on their speech writing skills and creativity in presentation. McCleary said he appreciated the diversity of viewpoints and presentation in past Convocation speakers.

He said, “There is always creativity in the addresses. There was the famous banjo-accompanied address of Tom McHugh. I did a proof, because an address by a mathematician always contains a proof.”

McCleary also emphasized the opportunity for professors to learn more about each other and their shared scholarly experiences.

He said, “I usually attend the convocations each year to hear how my colleagues arrived at Vassar, how they arrived at their disciplines, how they made intellectual detours, defeats, new fields, and successes.

Lucy Johnson finding Alaska, Bob DeMaria turning to Samuel Johnson, Bob Brigham’s connections with Vietnam — all these stories

are fascinating.”

Faculty members are not the only ones who have an opportunity to speak at Convocation. Traditionally, the VSA President gets to speak at Convocation, and this year it was Deborah Steinberg ’14.

Steinberg used a new take on Robert Fulgham’s poem, “Everything I Really Need to Know, I learned in Kindergarten,” to make her points to the audience, and particularly to the seniors.

“Convocation is the symbolic opening of the school year, it’s where we set the tone for the entire community, but there’s definitely an emphasis placed on the seniors because they’re in the front and in their caps and gowns, so my remarks were a bit more tailored to them,” wrote Steinberg in an emailed statement.

And it was—most of Steinberg’s speech focused on topics that could be nostalgia inducing for the seniors, but also had advice for the freshmen as well. Such tips as “Go to study breaks. If nothing else, for the free food,” and “Always go to office hours,” are relatively universal tips that can apply to much of the Vassar community.

And since, ultimately, Convocation is about coming together as a school, it makes sense that Steinberg would try to address all members of the Vassar community.. Every year, the College has this tradition, and every year there are graduating seniors and matriculating freshmen, VSA Presidents and Convocation speakers. It is one of the constants in the world of all-nighters and term papers, of campus dining meals and test anxiety.

As Long put it, “I think any gathering of that many people, to mark the opening and closings of events in our lives, is a pretty rare thing. Convocation is our excuse to say, collectively, ‘Welcome!’ and ‘Don’t forget to make the most of the short, magical time that you have here.’”

Burnam Fellowship aids students abroad Palak Patel

Design Editor

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he Office of Fellowships here at Vassar offers a variety of unique and helpful fellowships for the members of the Vassar community. Many students on campus are unaware of the options available to them through the different fellowships funds and opportunities that are provided to students of all ages and majors.

One of the most generous fellowships available is the Burnam Summer Fellowship for sophomores and juniors.

The Burnam Summer Fellows Program was established to assistant students in 1998

by Marcia Garbus Burnam ’49 and her daughter, Beth Burnam ’77.

The program ultimately seeks to provide some lucky students with money to help them gain work experience with a non-profit or other community-based agency either in the United States or abroad. The Burnam Program wants to help enable students to appreciate difference and help broaden their perspective of the world.

Students who are accepted into the Burnam Summer Fellows Program are encouraged to choose a non-profit agency that will expose them to unique people, experiences and situations they would not otherwise be open to.

Many use the money provided to work with organizations that focus specifically on strengthening intergroup relations, eradicating bigotry and racism, bolstering urban communities and confronting complex and diverse issues that exist in worldwide communities.

The Burnam Summer Fellowship Program is unique in that it provides students with the opportunity to work in real world scenarios and learn about the process of making a difference.

Hannah Schenk ’14 was one of the seven recipients of the 2013 Burnam Summer Fellowship. She used the fellowship to explore social justice solutions in Boston, Mass., through the non-profit organization Class Action. She also worked with Alternatives for Communi-

ty and Environment in Roxbury and volunteered with VSA Massachusetts.

“I sought to learn about the many different non-profits fighting for social justice in Boston, and to learn about their methodology,” stated Schenk. “I was also eager to get to know Boston’s various neighborhoods.” Each of the different organizations Schenk worked for was located in a different part of Boston and specialized in a different field of social justice.

Abby Nathanson ’14 went for a more international approach to her fellowship.

“I spent the summer in a small city in Gujarat, India, volunteering for an inter-cultural exchange and English teaching program called Learning Enterprises,” stated Nathanson.

Nathanson continued, “This was their pilot year in India, so my project was to assess community and school responses to the program and make recommendations for the following year’s program.”

Nathanson was also able to participate in the program, so she taught English every day at a primary school in a small village close to her city.

The overall experience in India was very enriching for Nathanson.

“I learned a lot of different things,” said Nathanson .

She continued,“I learned how to navigate (some parts of) Indian bureaucracy, I learned about the government education system, and I experienced a culture that was totally new to me.”

The cross-cultural communication skills she learned while in Gujarat are invaluable to Nathanson’s future plans of doing research and working abroad. She said that she would also be interested in leading similar high school and college exchange programs in the future.

Emily Norman ’14 also used her fellowship money to go abroad and work in Ghana for two months.

“I worked with an organization based in Kpando, Ghana called UNiTED, which stands for Unifying Neighbors Through Education

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

and Development,” stated Norman.

While in Ghana, Norman worked on three main projects: “I did wound care in the mornings where I biked around the village and cleaned the wounds of elderly community members who would not otherwise receive medical attention,” said Norman.

Norman further explained, “I also worked on a maternal health education program where I helped teach women about danger signs during childbirth and the postnatal phase. Lastly, I worked in a children’s home for HIV/AIDS orphans where I helped tutor the kids in English and helped with their homework.”

Norman credits the Burnam Fellowship with her chance to be able to do meaningful work over the summer.

Another part of the Fellowship Program is that students are encouraged to take the knowledge and experience they learned over the summer and pass it on to the members of the Vassar community.

“I have gained practical skills in outreach, development, and communication that I know will be extremely useful to me,” stated Schenk.

Schenk further explained, “I have already used what I learned this summer to bring a Class Action workshop to Vassar on September 28, which will give the campus a chance to engage in continued dialogues about classism.”

Schenk said that she hopes to provide some new information concerning classism to the students on campus as well as working to foster an environment of more awareness concerning issues of classism.

Current sophomores and juniors can apply to the Burnam Summer Fellowship Program by going to the Office of Fellowships in Main Building or checking out their website, which has the application and all the information concerning the fellowship available.

Up to seven applicants will be chosen to receive the fellowship and to pursue either their own non-profit agenda or work in conjunction with a program for the summer.

September 19, 2013

OPINIONS

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THE MISCELLANY NEWS STAFF EDITORIAL

VSA must address unclear preliminary org process now

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ast year, the VSA voted to approve a resolution that decisively changed the process for organization-creation at Vassar. Beforehand, it fell solely to the discretion of the Vice President for Activities and the VSA Council to reclassify student organizations into VSA-certified organizations. Among many other privileges, VSA-certified organizations can receive a budget and apply for spaces.

Starting this year, the VSA has begun a Preliminary Organization process, which allows preliminary organizations to apply for limited accessibility to funds and resources.

While we at The Miscellany News applaud the VSA’s revamped organization approval process, we believe this new system would benefit from increased transparency in how startup and collaborative funds are allocated to these budding organizations.

We commend the VSA for successfully implementing the preliminary organization process so far. This implementation is an important, bold step in creating a more clear, regulated process for student organizations to seek and receive VSA-certification, especially compared to the old, inefficient system.

But, despite the good intentions behind this

new process, the current process—its policies, procedures and goals—remain murky.

For example, the only documentation that currently explains preliminary organization procedures is outlined in the VSA bylaws. Any number of scenarios and circumstances that an organization will face are omitted from the bylaws, making the procedure all the more difficult to navigate. If a student organization wishes to apply for preliminary organization status, it is unclear when they should contact the Activities Committee. Should the organization apply for preliminary status in its infancy or after operating without VSA assistance for some time?

How organizations should follow this process and how the VSA will determine which preliminary organizations deserve certification status also need explanation. We appreciate that the VSA has designated liaisons to guide organizations through the process, but the Activities Committee hasn’t stated specifically what, beyond three semesters of activity as a preliminary organization, qualifies a group for VSA-certification and if all organizations must follow exactly the same guidelines. Furthermore, if there are additional policies or goals,

the Activities Committee should communicate this to students and organizations clearly.

The VSA must make clear the various policies and procedures needed to acquire more funding. Funding is difficult for numerous groups on campus, but preliminary student organizations are especially limited. They can only apply for up to $200 per semester. This cap does not consider the many start-up funds that an organization may demand. Furthermore, if a student organization requires more funds than the $200 allotment, the process for obtaining extra funding is difficult.

The VSA should allow preliminary organizations to procure startup funds on a case-by-case basis through the Capital and Discretionary funds with the Finance Committee’s consent.

Already, the Finance Committee’s goal is to determine whether organizations ought to receive funding beyond their allotted budgets. They should apply the same discretion with preliminary organizations, who may offer convincing reasons for extra funds.

Discussions within the VSA about the preliminary organization process included fundraising and intra-club collaboration as tools for organizations to boost their budget. But the

VSA has offered little documentation, clarification or support. While resources like the Collaboration Fund and Discretionary Fund may help alongside fundraising, preliminary organizations cannot access vCard machines, for example. On a campus where many students carry vCards but not cash, this limits how much funds the organization may raise.

The VSA should continue to support and promote new organizations through the preliminary process. But it should also seek methods for clarifying its policies and explaining the procedures to preliminary organizations and organizations hoping to apply for preliminary status. We understand that the newness of this procedure makes it difficult to predict and preempt the many potential scenarios, but we encourage the VSA to create and disseminate clearer documentation for the whole process.

The preliminary organization process should operate as a support network for budding organizations seeking future VSA certification and the chance to further contribute to the Vassar community.

—The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of at least 2/3 of the Editorial Board.

The Miscellany News does not expressly endorse the opinions of the columnists in this section.

Abuse of minority groups Social gains within India seen in U.S. and abroad need greater reflection Meaghan Hughes guEst Columnist

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ince arriving in Paris, I have become somewhat of an expert at noting the differences between American and French culture. But what started with simple things, like a panicked frenzy to find peanut butter, has developed into the unfortunate realization that the two Western nations are not so different when it comes to complicated matters of ethnic minority groups.

It began in my French sociology class on the topic of immigration. The professor mentioned that the first sociological book written about the issues of immigrants in France was written in 1988, which he laughingly accredited to the very French idea of droit de l’homme that tends to overlook differences among citizens in the name of liberty.

I don’t know if it was the particularly strong coffee I drank that made me perk up, or if it was the eerie resonance with the good old “American melting pot” idea. Either way, I soon understood that there exist many similarities in how France and America have dealt with and continue to treat two unique minority groups: the Roma in France and Native peoples in the U.S. Though the two groups are of course different in their histories and in the issues they face today, the abuse they face from their home country is nearly parallel.

The Roma are thought of as beggars and thieves, and there are constant attempts to expel them from the country. Technically they maintain a European citizenship but are not legally citizens of France, and this has been interpreted by the French extreme right as an excuse to forcibly remove them ‘from the temporary communities they create.’ Beyond France there are many countries, such as Greece and Hungary, who have taken extreme measures to quite literally exterminate the Roma population.

America has historically maintained a similar policy with indigenous peoples. Their fight for sovereignty has often been used as an excuse to refuse them the right to sufficient health care and education. Like the Roma, who are pushed away to a country that is not their own, Native peoples have been forced onto reservations.

Both the Roma and Native peoples are discriminated against on a constant basis. A French student described to me the reaction of Parisians in the métro when two young Roma children entered the car. She noted how

everyone seemed to tense up and clutch their bags. The conductor even announced that there were Roma in the métro and everyone should keep an eye on their belongings. One might argue that the discrimination of Native peoples is more subtle, but that is not the case.

Stereotypes about indigenous people, such as a propensity for alcoholism and violence, still influence American thought and can constantly be found in films. It’s trendy to wear headdresses, and teams still exist with racist mascots such as the Washington Redskins. The fact that many Americans find nothing wrong with such blatant appropriation is dangerous for Natives. It’s a form of normalized violence that manifests itself in such epidemics as the incredibly high rate of Native women who are raped, most often by non-Native men.

Conservative leaders in France and America make a point of putting blame on the Roma and American Indians for their supposed laziness and failure to contribute to the good of the society. The Roma have been called “insolent and dangerous”, and members of the Right seek to remove them from the country on the basis of lowering the nation’s crime rate. Indigenous peoples in America tend to be lumped into the group of those who are on welfare and are consequently subjected to belittlement by right-wing politicians.

This is not to suggest, however, that all hope is lost for these two great nations. In fact I have found many positive and remarkable aspects to French culture and politics. For instance, universal healthcare, for example, is not a topic up for debate: it is a human right.

Common courtesy and respect are expected in all social interactions, for example there is no phrase for eye contact because it is unthinkable to not look at the person to whom you are speaking. Both the United States and France have the opportunity to live up to their declared fervor for equality and liberty pour tous. This requires a close and critical look at their policies for minority groups, such as the Roma and Native peoples, who have a traumatic history of abuse and deportation and who continue to be forced into a modern, Western social structure. Forced forgetting and negligent racism must not play a part in the government of two countries who claim to be, and who can be, examples of functional democracies.

—Meaghan Hughes ’15 is a psychology major and is currently studying abroad in France.

Natasha Bertrand guEst Columnist

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n Friday, September 13, Mukesh Singh, Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, and Pawan Guptawere were sentenced to death by hanging for the murder and gang rape of a 23-yearold medical student in New Delhi last December. In an unprecedented verdict reserved only for the “rarest of rare” cases, an Indian court sentenced to death the men accused of repeatedly raping the young woman aboard a moving bus—penetrating her with an iron rod until only 5% of her intestines remained inside of her body—in a moment that, for many, would symbolize a monumental shift in Indian attitudes toward sexual violence and discrimination against women. Outside the courtroom there were cheers and tears of joy as spectators celebrated what they believed to be the beginning of the end to an embedded rape culture that has gone ignored for far too long. As one woman remarked in a piece written by the Seattle Times “This is the beginning of freedom for Indian women today.” (“Four men in Indian gang rape sentenced to death” 09.13.13) Instinctively, I could not help but agree. I welcomed this verdict with a smile and an innate sense of joy for the Indian women who now felt liberated and empowered by the decision to send these men to the gallows. Finally, progress. But is it? As I found myself silently applauding the decision of Judge Yogesh Khanna to condemn these men to death, a voice in the back of my mind reminded me that I had filed the death penalty into the ‘impermissible’ category of my moral conscience long ago. So what about this case had caused me to so readily shift my view of the death penalty from a barbaric, reactionary ritual to an encouraging symbol of progress?

Was it the fact that the verdict had been reached in India? Maybe—according to a 2011 poll conducted by the International Men and Gender Equality Survey, one in four Indian men have admitted to committing some form of sexual violence in their lives, yet up until the December attack, which sparked outrage and triggered waves of protest across India, local politicians and judges continued to blame the sexual violence on the immodest behavior of women or boys eating too much junk food.

Within the context of India’s long tradition of victim-blaming and discrimination, to make an example of these men by holding them accountable for their violence—albeit in such an extreme way—may indeed constitute a giant

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

leap for the Indian judicial system; but has it been a leap forward, or merely a leap into the air aimed at giving the international community a fleeting glimpse of India’s ability to rise above this tradition?

Wary of the verdict’s intentions, Indian sociologist Sanjay Srivastava wrote in an op-ed for the Indian broadsheet Daily News and Analysis, “In the modern period, we have become so deeply nationalistic that we have lost the ability for self-evaluation, substituting instead a brand of self-congratulation for self-criticism. We are argumentative about everything except our own selves.” (“‘Family honour’ and ‘values’ give immunity to the predator at home” 09.13.13) Perhaps real progress, then, comes only when a nation is willing to meaningfully engage with the skeletons in its closet, rather than lethally inject, hang, or shoot them into obscurity. It may comes when a people are able to ask themselves the difficult questions, rather than respond to a world that does not always ask the right ones. In the months following the attack, India did just that. Progress took the form of conversation and self-reflection; as Indian novelist Nilanjana Roy declared, “it is the first time in decades that we are exploring these fault lines—of caste, class and gender— in such a mainstream fashion.” (“Viewpoints: Has Delhi rape case changed India?” 09.10.13) But this progress may have halted the moment the court pronounced ‘death to all.’ Is it possible that the verdict—in its attempt to stick a band-aid over the gaping open wound that is India’s institutionalized misogyny—has only distracted from the deeper issues at stake? The sensationalism surrounding the case certainly speaks to that idea, as it has clearly encouraged a perception of the verdict as the climax of a conversation that has barely even begun.

If the arc of the moral universe is as long as Martin Luther King, Jr. told us it would be, six months of protest and a death sentence— while important landmarks in India’s journey toward gender equality—will not be enough to undo discrimination that has been reinforced over centuries. Meaningful progress cannot be imposed; it moves at its own pace, and rarely comes at the expense of careful deliberation and introspection. For the arc may bend towards justice, but if it is forced, it will inevitably break.

—Natasha Bertrand ’14 is a political science & philosophy double major.

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September 19, 2013

Ellen’s life sheds light on horrors of dairy industry Rockwell Schwartz Guest Columnist

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side from the species we typically see as companions (e.g. dogs and cats), most of us haven’t had the opportunity to really get to know individuals of other species. I have spent the past two summers as an educational intern at animal sanctuaries and I will be continually sharing the stories of these non-human animals I have met during my time at the animal sanctuary..

With so many individual animals in animal-based industries producing many of the goods people enjoy, it is hard to understand these animals as more than an anonymous mass. Hopefully here I can help put a face to just some of them, introducing them to you as I have known them.

American consumers have increasingly demanded milk from goats. Goat milk, goat cheese, goat yogurt, goat ice cream. It’s even snuck into toiletries. The Vassar Food Co-op, a generally wonderful effort to support local farms, even offers a community supported agriculture (CSA) share comprised entirely of cheese made from goats’ milk. Yet, as goat dairies expand and modernize to keep up with increased demand, industry and consumers generally ignore the realities of the lives of individual goats.

I met Ellen in June at Animal Place, the sanctuary at which I interned this past summer. Ellen immediately caught my eye because of the intensity of her gaze. Black with white stripes and tiny ears, she had large, yellow eyes that seemed to take in everything in her surroundings. Some people were slightly unnerved by her gaze, but I found her mix of curiosity and fear intriguing.

Ellen had been a “dairy goat” before finding refuge at Animal Place. Female-bodied, fertile, of a breed bred for dairy, her fate was sealed at birth. Yet, like any other female-bodied mam-

mal, Ellen wouldn’t simply wake up one morning and magically produce milk. She would need to be repeatedly impregnated and subsequently give birth.

Once a year she would either be paired with a male-bodied goat specifically “hired” to impregnate her or she would endure the more recently adopted contemporary practice of artificial insemination, already standard operating practice at cow dairies. Each year, Ellen would experience five months of pregnancy, with her kids slowly growing inside her—heads and hooves and hearts—the maternal instincts nature intended taking hold.

But nature would be denied. Ellen would never get to bathe her young, to experience their suckling, to watch them grow. They would be taken from her immediately after birth. Mother and kid would bleat for each other. But there would be no nurturing intimacy.

Instead, Ellen would endure the foreign touch of human hands or machines pumping milk from her. This is because the economic reality defies nature—if her young drank the milk she produced for them, there would be less milk for humans to sell for profit. The economic reality is harsh: Ellen’s babies would either be immediately killed or sold at auction for later slaughter.

Ellen became sick. After five years of the constant cycle of impregnation, separation from her babies, and milking, she had lost her endurance. It was cheaper to sell her and get a healthy, younger replacement than to attempt to restore her health. The people who kept Ellen felt no sense of attachment to her, so Ellen’s fate was sealed yet again.

She was transported in an unfamiliar vehicle. She likely experienced the sounds, smells, shoves, and fear of the auction process. Ultimately, Ellen will be purchased by a backyard slaughterhouse.

When people think about the “locavore

movement” and its “humane” slaughter, this experience would likely be what they refer to.

What is more local than giving the people who will buy the meat the choice of which individuals they want slaughtered?

What is a quicker, more humane killing method than a bullet to the head? Who Ellen was—her history, her feelings, all she had endured, her will to live—would be totally ignored. She was simply a product “ready to be harvested.” Someone would buy and eat her body, never knowing anything about the life she had lived..

“The people who kept Ellen felt no sense of attachement to her, so Ellen’s fate was sealed yet again.”

In a twist of fate, seconds away from being shot, Animal Control stepped in. How or why is a mystery to me. But, in another irony, because she was so emaciated, neither the slaughterhouse nor Animal Control knew she was pregnant.

Ellen was brought to sanctuary at Animal Place. There, for the first time, she found companionship in another sick goat, Star, with her own dark story. Ellen gave birth to twin kids, Noah and Cornelius. For the first time, she had the chance to actually know her babies as nature intended.

Ellen was a protective and devoted mother.

Understandably afraid of humans, she would go near them only if her social sons did. Still weak and sick, she would let her sons nurse

and nurse, staring down at her children with her large, poignant, watchful eyes.

It would be nice if Ellen’s story could end here. But the truth is Ellen was still sick, and too sick for medicine to be effective. A year after her liberation—a year of parenting, a year of companionship—she slowly stopped eating.

She had Johne’s Disease, an infection found in large numbers of ruminants (animals like goats and cows) and within about 22 percent of U.S. dairies according to a report published in 1996 by the United States Department of Agriculture.

Healthy goats—ones given a good amount of care—can live well into their late teens. Ellen was sadly euthanized when she was just six years old.

I have known other people who also have endured great suffering in their lives. There’s an intangible but unmistakable quality to them.

Getting to know individuals of other species, I have come to see they are no different. If one pays attention, one can recognize their sorrow.

It hovers in the air around them. It envelops them.

Sometimes one can see a lifelessness in their eyes as if a part of them has been stolen. Sometimes one can feel from them just an overwhelming grief. Ellen is not the first former breeder—or “dairy girl”—I have known, and because of human demand for their milk, she will not be the last. It’s important that people understand that many dairy products, whether they are from goats or cows or any other species, are produced at the expense of individuals like Ellen.

As individuals, we can choose to put an end to this suffering. We have the ability to make that choice.

—Rockwell Schwartz ’15 is a science, technology, and society major. She is Secretary of the Vassar Animal Rights Coalition.

Vassar-West Point Initiative to discuss history of civil rights Bethan Johnson Editor-In-Chief

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s every former AP US History student knows—me and the emotional scars of 20 hours of straight studying included—the summer months are riddled with important dates. As the weather heats up, apparently so did American history, as we yet again celebrated the signing of Declaration of Independence, the declarations of both war and peace in the First World War, the signing of the G.I. Bill, even the anniversary of man’s first steps on the Moon. While these are all burned in our memories, two key dates may have fallen by the wayside: July 26, 1948 and August 28, 1963.

The former is the date of President Truman’s Executive Order 9981 that desegregated the Armed Forces, an event that many historians consider the first major victory in the civil rights struggle that would rock the nation in the coming decades. The latter was the famous March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have A Dream” speech.

While both of these events may seem far removed from us, their 65th and 50th anniversaries are important reminders of our nation’s difficult road to a “more perfect union” and our understanding of race in America. On Sept.

26 and 27 the Vassar-West Point Initiative will commemorate these two important milestones and engage in critical, in-depth conversations about the progress and future of racial equality in civilian society as well as within the U.S. military.

West Point cadets have been coming to Vassar for the past two years now, attending classes and spending the night in student housing.

The activities for next week’s visit will be more involved though. Don’t worry, the cadets will still roam campus in uniform, it’s just the why and where that will be enhanced this trip. Instead of simply having cadets visiting campus, attending classes and rooming with Vassar students for two days, Professor Höhn and Lt. Col. Molin, together with student leaders Jackie Parziale ’14, Caleb Northrop ’14 and myself have prepared an all-day event engaging the campus on issues of civil rights and race relations.

For the first time as well, Vassar students will host cadets from a wide variety of majors and student organizations that are engaged in critical thinking around race in civilian and military life. Cadets majoring in History and a group from a seminar entitled “Social Inequality, Race, Class and Identity” will be paired with Vassar students. Also part of the pairing system are cadet representatives from the esteemed organizations of The National Society of Black Engineers and the African American Arts Forum. In the past, the majority of participating cadets were from the History and English Departments, so I am enthusiastic and excited to see a greater variety of interests represented in the upcoming exchange with West Point and believe that new voices will contribute to a more astute and far-reaching discussion of racial equality in America.

The central focus of both days and a major source of inspiration for the Initiative, are photographs of the March on Washington by award-winning photographer Leonard Freed.

Freed is an internationally acclaimed artist, born and raised in New York, who had made the Hudson Valley his home. His images of the March on Washington give viewers a sense of the sights of the day from the perspective of the protesters in the crowd, not the civil rights leaders on the stage. Prior to coming to Vassar’s Palmer Gallery in the College Center, “This The Day” had been shown at the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library, and had been reviewed by the New York Times , the Washington Post, Slate and Magnum. The Palmer Gallery will open the exhibit with a reception on Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. Leonard Freed’s widow, Brigitte Freed, who also protested at the March, will be there to greet students, cadets and members of the community.

In order to provide a context for the exhibition and give students greater insight into the larger historical significance of the desegregation of the military and the March on Washington, there will also be a short lecture by Paul Farber of Haverford College at 5 p.m. in the Villard Room. Farber co-curated the exhibition with Brigitte Freed, and his brief lecture, “In Leonard Freed’s Footsteps: Photography and

Cultural Memory from the Berlin Wall to the March on Washington,” will discuss the artistic implications of socially conscious photojournalism.

Following his introductory remarks, a panel with four local veterans of the March on Washington will share their memories of the event.

Vassar students should come to this panel discussion because they will be granted a unique opportunity to meet and discuss the Civil Rights Movement with veterans of the March.

Mae Parker Harris, a Poughkeepsie resident, will be discussing her motivations for joining the March and her thoughts on the larger implications of that day.

Poughkeepsie-based Spoken Word Poet Bettina Gold Wilkerson will also perform an original work about the history and future of civil rights to engage the minds of the audience.

Aside from my own personal excitement at the idea of listening to spoken word and its artistic connection to the exhibit, I am hopeful that this engagement with the Poughkeepsie community will inspire more people from the local community to attend and contribute to these events. These varied events have been supported and helped by Vassar’s Office of the President, the American Studies, Africana Studies, and History Departments, as well as financing from the Mellon Foundation.

While it may appear that these events all focus on celebrating past achievements, the critical second component will come through discussions and in-class participation on September 27. In preparation, cadets and Vassar students will read scholarship by seminar leaders, Colonel Ty Seidule from West Point (“Black Power cadets at West Points in the 1970s”) and VC Professor Maria Höhn (“Black Power GIs and racism in the military, 1970s”). Discussions will focus on progress that has been made in the military and the many challenges that remain, but students will also explore the institutional and structural differences in the military and civilian life when it comes to implementing equality.

Professor Paul Farber will speak about the imagery of the GI in photography and in the struggle for civil rights, and Major Andrew For-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

ney will report on the military academy’s study trip to civil rights sites in the South that he led last year.

As is the goal of the Vassar-West Point Initiative, the group will analyze those ways in which they, as the future leaders of both civilian and military communities, can push for inclusivity and equality in America.

Although the event can never mirror the truly awesome size and scope of The March on Washington, the student leaders of the West Point-Vassar Initiative see the coming week’s events as a unique opportunity to expand our student base. For the first time, more than 30 cadets and five officers will be visiting Vassar’s campus. If you are interested in joining the initiative or if you would like to host a cadet, please contact Caleb Northrop ’14 or Jacqueline Parziale ’14.

As one of the Initiative’s newer members, having joined in the aftermath of protests by the Westboro Baptist Church at both of our campuses, I believe that the Vassar-West Point Initiative informs me in ways that no academic class or student organization on Vassar’s campus alone could ever accomplish. By talking to the cadets about their experiences, their plans and their goals for America I feel that I’ve gained a perspective that few civilians are able to get on their own.

As a person who values knowledge and demands that all people be respected, participating in these events have only enhanced my understanding of America, how race relations in America have progressed in the last decades but are still far from solved and how I can play a role in improving the issues of race in all areas of American society.

Even students who chose not to host a cadet or participate in the exchange with West Point can participate in these events and reap the benefits of both institutions. All of these events are open to the public and the Initiative encourages all students to attend, and even so much as engaging a cadet in the Retreat may teach both of you more than you may expect.

—Bethan Johnson ’15 is an English and history major.

September 19, 2013

OPINIONS

Potential academic requirement is flawed Zack Struver

guEst Columnist

L

ast year, nameless persons in the Vassar community engaged in vile acts of hatred engendered in racist, sexist, classist, ableist, homophobic, imperialist, cissexist, colonialist, ageist, denominationalist, anthropocentrist, ethnocentrist, orientalist, capitalist, communist, socialist, deconstructionist and sensationalist attitudes—or so argued Vassar’s self-proclaimed (sl)ac(k)tivsts. This group of concerned students did what “activists” always do at elite, rich, white, privileged liberal arts colleges – they held a few meetings, talked for a little while, and called it a day.

The Vassar Student Association (VSA), Vassar’s student government, mistaking this as pressure from the student body to “do something,” proposed that an academic requirement mandating coursework in “social awareness” will solve most of Vassar’s social ills. This additional course requirement would not only fail to solve problems of social injustice at Vassar and the real world, it would also exacerbate the avenues through which Vassar students could fail to communicate with one another rationally and civilly.

Before we continue with this misguided academic requirement, note that I do not consider all Vassar activists to be “slacktivists.” I respect many of the activists on campus: individuals who devote much of their academic focus and personal life to the advancement of causes that cause tangible, positive change in the world.

I do not respect those individuals who suggest that singing “Kumbaya” and emphasizing that we’re all a “family” at Vassar will solve years of institutional attitudes that cause oppression and the poor treatment of others.

Moreover, I do not take any “-isms” lightly, but I believe that many Vassar students do. Too often, people throw around powerful words with

deep intellectual, social and cultural meanings to make casual insults in petty debates. This academic requirement will give people free reign to use those words, under the guise that they have a full and informed education of their meaning.

This requirement would introduce various conflicting, sometimes contradictory or outright hostile, theoretical frameworks (by theoretical I refer to critical theory, an overarching methodology for applying philosophical, economic, etc. ideas to social problems) to the Vassar campus.

The VSA recommends “exposure to one or more major theoretical frameworks for social analysis, examples of which include feminism, Marxism, critical race theory, and queer theory.” It is hoped that introduction to one of those intellectual schools will provide the “vocabulary, and shared understanding required to challenge inequality.”

While those four listed methods of critique may often produce interesting intellectual conclusions and interact with one another using a shard vocabulary and outlook on society (an assumption that I would also contest), they are not the only critical frameworks that may be adopted, nor will the frameworks that professors choose to teach always be so complementary to one another.

Last year’s VSA Academics Committee, which supposedly had some social scientists on it, made a major assumption when they claimed that the myriad approaches to social critique all share a common vocabulary or even agree on the definitions of terms that they do share. Even theorists in the same intellectual “school” or “movement” vehemently disagree with one another when it comes to defining certain terms.

Here’s a simple example, a word we all use, a concept that Vassar students love to critique:

power. The problem is that there exists no theoretical definition of power as “X”. I may define knowledge as power and you may define violence as power, and that would be so because we have no empirical method to determine that power is “X.” The problem of defining terms may seem purely academic. Yet, the words that we use and the way that we discuss theoretical constructs becomes especially pertinent when the goal is to fight real-world oppression. If we can’t even agree upon a definition for the term “power,” how are we supposed to fight oppressive power structures?

The VSA makes a flawed presumption when they assume that teaching courses in critical theory will produce a “shared understanding” of social issues. The lack of “shared understanding” makes theory important in academic debates. It forces scholars to reevaluate their assumptions and perceptions of reality.

To produce a “shared understanding” of social problems would require the forced indoctrination into a specific subset of theoretical discourse. This, in turn, would produce a dogmatic system that would re-entrench the oppression of those outside of the dominant frame of reference. Stale ideas would dominate the Vassar campus, and discourse would be silenced in the name of theoretical principles as outmoded as the doctrines of Rome.

The alternative, and my recommendation, is that we let people learn as they will, and encourage Vassar students to get involved in community programs that do not require an understanding of critical theoretical constructs.

Holding a soup ladle or working with the local public defender’s office does not require an understanding of Foucault, Derrida, or Butler.

Anna Blum

D

ear Admissions Officer: here is a version of myself created by me just for you . It isn’t quite accurate, but I think you’ll enjoy it.

Sincerely, me—only a slightly elevated model—tweaked, polished, refined, superior.

A friend of mine asked me to review the essay that she submitted to The Common Application after she had applied to a very ‘prestigious’ (whatever that word means) university’s Early Decision program. The piece was flooded with exaggerations, scattered with little white lies that added up to create a mostly-fictional story rather than an accurate depiction of self.

I had to laugh. I asked, “Why?”, but she couldn’t see the harm in it. Why attempt to sell yourself when you can sell someone else—someone smarter, better, somehow more worthy—and get the same reward?

She was admitted.

And so was I. I’m here, after all, and I couldn’t be happier. But I have to ask, would I be in the same position had I told my full story—sharing parts of myself that are less attractive but certainly crucial to the person I believe that I am?

No matter how candid I felt I was in my application, I still left out a substantial portion of my (arguably) most critical characteristics.

Because many of the ways I would choose to describe myself—overly emotional, insecure, apologetic to an obnoxious extent, a ceaseless procrastinator—are not particularly appealing.

Vassar’s Class of 2017 was able to admit a small 24% of its applicants.

For every one person granted admission, about three others were denied. It would be impossible for me not to question whether or not I’ve launched myself into this small percentile through a veiled self-portrayal . They give us 500 words or less, and we have to choose them wisely.

The College Process. The term itself is entirely off-putting . Rather than being an adventure, an exploration of self, applying for college has become systematic altogether. There’s an unspoken yet understood procedure, outlined with specific rules, regulations and strategies.

If you’re in on it, great. If you’re not, better luck next time.

Thousands of pages have been written and

thousands of dollars have been spent, all so a couple thousand members of our generation can feel the pride associated with their cap, gown, and security in quickly acquiring a high-paying job.

But what does this say about us, that the best practices for going through the admissions process include often neglecting what we feel are distinctive parts of our identities and personalities? That those of us lucky enough to learn the protocol for college applications are, in essence, learning how to properly sell our shiny outer layer, while repressing our more (supposedly) disagreeable features?

“Why attempt to sell yourself when you can sell someone else—someone smarter, better, somehow more worthy— and get the same reward?

I’m not saying this is true to everyone’s experiences. I say all of this from an extraordinarily privileged position. I grew up in New York City, where the term ‘prep’ carries a more serious and significant meaning among my peers than nearly any other concept.

I went to a high school that had not one but four college counselors, so that each student received the attention they wanted and the advice that they felt they needed. And this is all on top of the fact that I was lucky enough to avoid the difficult process of applying for financial aid.

There’s a paradox at play, and it isn’t unlike the current state of obesity in America . It’s easy—too easy--to sit and poke fun at those who carry extra weight when you yourself have gourmet, organic food fed to you from a silver spoon .

Blame it on laziness, blame it on an inability to put down the cookies, blame it on anything

Word

on the street

What fall TV show are you most looking forward to coming back?

“Once Upon a Time” —Logan Serp ‘17

“Bones” —Matt Ford ‘17

—Zack Struver ’15 is a history major. He is Editor-in-Chief of the Vassar Chronicle .

Admissions process forces re-invention guEst Columnist

Page 11

except the reality that most of these overweight individuals just don’t have access to healthier options.

There are deep and disturbing parallels to the college process here. If you aren’t raised in an environment that grants you admission into the inner workings of the admissions process, you’re at an undeserved but still existing disadvantage. It simply isn’t enough to be hardworking and studious. There are codes and tricks of the trade that a select few of us have the opportunity to learn at the grand old make-or-break age of 17.

Coming from an environment in which people spend their four years in high school preparing to spend four years at the best undergraduate institution imaginable, it’s simultaneously fascinating and depressing for me to think about how many of us are trained to put our best foot forward, to memorize big words, mathematical equations and that graceful, subtle college-interview smile. And in doing this, we reduce ourselves to superscores, to tricks we’ve learned from Fiske guides, from experts, from overly-involved parents. When we’re selling ourselves, we’re really selling ourselves short .

Why does this happen? Why do we assume a phony persona before we even have ourselves fully figured out? Why is it that from junior year in high school onward (and for some, even earlier than that), our world is defined by a series of letters: SAT, ACT, AP, IB, A+, B-, etc.?

So we can make it here. To this moment. So we can sleep in these twin beds, walk through the collegiate quad, breathe in the fall air, pass the frivolous Ultimate Frisbee games. But also to learn, to keep learning, and to never stop learning.

In those key moments, when we receive our acceptance letters or our diplomas, when we toss our caps into the air with unfiltered and unbelievable ecstasy, we become the people from our Common App essays. We are the best versions of ourselves, no matter how honest they were in the moments when we clicked ‘submit’ and prayed for the best.

—Anna Blum ’17 is a student at Vassar College

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

“The Mindy Project” —Katilau M. ‘14

“Homeland” —Emily Blustein ‘14

“Parks and Recreation” —Ben Blair ‘16

“Grey’s Anatomy” —Catherine AlvaradoMullins’16

Lily Doyle Humor & Satire Editor Cassady Bergevin, Photo Editor

OPINIONS

Page 12

September 19, 2013

Political games between Russia and U.S. stir fears Sara Lobo

Guest Columnist

R

ussia and the United States are engaged in a high-stakes, bitter political cat-andmouse game, and nobody is watching with amusement . Each country is positioning who has more political sway over the other, very similar to the days of the Cold War. Now, Putin is offering the possibility of cooperation with Syria. He also published an op-ed piece in the New York Times (“A plea for caution from Russia” 09.11.13) which intended, among other things, to promote better diplomatic relations while arguing against military intervention.

Even in light of the recent possibility of cooperation, however, I maintain that we must be wary of the suddenly friendly Mr. Putin.

Russia is increasingly asserting itself as the foil to the United States, similar to the relations delineating the Cold War. Putin’s government is supporting everything that the United States doesn’t: impeding efforts to subdue the Assad regime, banning US adoptions of Russian children, granting asylum to Edward Snowden, denying freedom of expression, and passing incredibly harsh and discriminatory laws against the LGBTQ community.

Putin wants to seem immune to pressure by the United States government in order to prove Russia as a force to be reckoned with.

This is perhaps part of the reason why Edward Snowden is still enjoying asylum, despite Putin’s clear distaste for the entire situation. Putin has made it clear he doesn’t want Snowden to stay, saying “As soon as there is an opportunity for him to move elsewhere, I hope he will do that.” (USA Today “Putin says the U.S., by revoking Snowden’s passport, has kept him stuck in Moscow.” 07.16.13) Returning Snowden would make Putin and the Russian government seem malleable to the needs of the United States, which is not something Putin will readily accept.

It’s also possible that the persecutions of LGBTQ individuals, the denial of freedom of expression, freedom of political opinion and other oppressive laws all distract from Russia’s economic failings and give the image of a very powerful political sphere. Despite recent economic successes due to new natural gas and oil endeavors, long-term economic growth will be impeded because of a very inefficient legal framework and rampant corruption. Private sector growth is also discouraged because of numerous overbearing restrictions and regulations. A growing focus on these weaknesses would certainly make Russia look frail, and Putin is good at diverting our eyes from these flaws.

Much of what Putin expresses follows his goal of promoting a decline of America’s power alongside the return of Russia as a world power. He wants to seem tough and invincible, and he’s certainly not afraid of President Obama, given Obama’s rather meek foreign policy stance.

Russia is a longtime ally of the Assad regime, and any efforts until recently to condemn the use of chemical weapons have been far from realized. Now, Russia might pressure the Assad regime to hand over their weapons. Why so friendly, all of a sudden?

While experts disagree over whether or not this is a tactic for Russia and Syria to buy time, Putin’s regime blocked all efforts to punish the Assad regime, using its great veto power as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. With the help of China, Russia has blocked three draft resolutions condemning the Assad government. The act of friendliness seems fishy.

The cat-and-mouse game between the two countries was further intensified after Putin’s article was published in the New York Times.

At first glance, the article actually seems convincing, with Putin presenting himself as the

“Famous Riters”

“Putin wants to seem immune to pressure by United States government in order to prove Russia as a force to be reckoned with. ” The article is actually littered with problems. First, he chose to criticize American exceptionalism on September 11, which is distasteful to say the least. He also talks about the importance of not interfering in the affairs of other nations without UN consent. This seems like a very reasonable argument, until we think about Russia’s permanent spot on the Security Council. Naturally, he wants all foreign affairs to pass through the United Nations so he can monitor decisions, and block any resolutions he doesn’t like.

Additionally, Putin asserts that the rebels are deploying chemical weapons and not Assad’s regime, which experts have proven otherwise.

And in his conclusion, he says that God created everyone as equals. This rhetoric is notably American, and is also immensely hypocritical due to the incredibly oppressive laws against LGBTQ individuals that include punishment

The Miscellany Crossword

by Jack Mullan, Crossword Editor

ACROSS

35 Lisa P. Jackson’s former

66 Olympic swimmer

1 Mexican peninsula

org.

Michael

5 “Love Don’t Cost a

37 Delivery doc inits.

69 Far−away loving,

Thing” star

39 In order (to)

coloquially

8 Composer Gustav

41 Verb ending?

70 Knicks’ hotshot

14 “___ shocked as you

42 Be in pain

Anthony, for short

are!”

43 *”Tom Sawyer” creator

71 Triple−platinum 1982

15 About 877,000 hrs.

has an identical sibling?

album with the #1 hit

16 Keys of music

45 Narrow inlet

“Africa”

17 Wuss

46 The Almighty

72 John McCain’s title:

18 $200 Monopoly proper-

47 Peek−___

Abbr.

ties: Abbr.

48 Wayne LaPierre’s lobby

73 Response to a charge

19 Bathroom problem

49 Prime meridian std.

74 Pub fixture

20 Tommie of the Miracle

50 Brazil’s ex−prez ___

75 Before, to a bard

Mets

Inácio Lula da Silva

76 Snow vehicle

21 Donald Trump, e.g.

52 Handbag monogram

22 Alias

53 Kill ___ killed

23 *”Dorian Gray” creator

55 Serfs of old

has an untamed side?

57 *”Herzog” creator has

27 Rye malady

gone under?

31 Flashlight need, for short

61 Relative of atmo−

32 Coffee server

63 “Where ___ sign?”

34 Sophomore or Junior

64 Option for heads

DOWN 1 Japan’s largest lake 2 Friend in 1−across 3 *”Notes of a Native Son” essayist is losing his locks?

4 Facet 5 Lands’ End competitor 6 Enemy of la Révolution française 7 Walk−___ (non−recruited athletes) 8 Doll’s cry 9 Indistinguishable 10 Swank in Hollywood 11 TV screen choice 12 “Old MacDonald had a farm, ___ . . . “ 13 Uncooked 21 Petulant one 24 Smell 25 A deadly sin 26 Inundate 28 *”1984” creator is

Answers to last week’s puzzle

voice of moderation and rational thought.

Many people were disappointed by Obama’s unsatisfying speech on September 10, where he gave his case for a targeted military strike in Syria. Putin’s article, which condemned military intervention, sounded more compelling in comparison. After thinking about what I read, however, I almost laughed—Putin is a very good propagandist; he got me.

depressed 29 Local beer merchants 30 “My ___” (dinner host’s offer) 33 The Green City in the Sun 35 American animal emblem

36 Devout 38 “Icky!”

40 Animal trap 44 Caffeine source 51 Fanatic 54 Hoverers over sports stadiums 56 Old photo’s tone

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

for “gay propaganda.”

The point of the speech was clearly to make Russia sound like a strong nation with the best interests of the global community at heart. It was nothing more than an attempt to one-up Obama’s address, further reducing foreign policy between the two countries into a spectacle.

Both Russia and America say they are trying to work together, yet are tied up in an incredibly tense political rivalry. America and Russia need to put aside this notion that they are opposing countries, with opposite goals, and find a way to cooperate. Relations between America and Russia have been tense for decades, and it’s far too idealistic to hope that all tension can be ever resolved. However, this game between the two countries, each trying to one-up the other and posit respective superiority , should not be overshadowing serious foreign policy issues that need resolution. There is much to be done on Putin’s end for this to be made possible. This is not the time for Putin to concern himself with becoming a symbol of greatness that rivals America. Obama hasn’t been perfect either. He skipped his trip to Russia due to frustration about the Snowden affair, which led to further agitations. On both sides, the competitiveness and bitterness, name-calling and accusations all under the façade of a promise to work together is immature. Particularly with the current crisis in Syria, it’s essential that the peace talks in the coming week are constructive and yield positive outcomes in the eyes of both countries. Both countries certainly want to contribute to a solution, but need to find common ground and work together. While I would like to be optimistic and say that Putin’s sudden friendliness marks his decision to put the fighting behind him, I’m far too wary.

—Sara Lobo ’16 is a prospective political science major. She is Secretary of the Amnesty International chapter of Vassar College.

Add one of the circled letters to the answers of the starred clues to complete the names of these famed novelists.

58 Milk dispenser 59 TV producer Michael 60 ___ Coyote 62 Invitation request, for short 65 Like some online viewing 66 School fund−raising

grp.

67 Christmas or Thanksgiving: Abbr.

68 Season after printemps 69 Popular JYA destination in London

HUMOR & SATIRE

September 19, 2013

Page 13

OPINIONS

Breaking News From the desk of Lily Doyle, Humor & Satire Editor Meeting without pizza anounced­ —shock audible throughout campus, students mobilize to protest Fall TV shows reveal new, Excavation of senior’s dorm totally real plot lines in titles room causes identity crisis Chris Gonzalez Senior Editor

T

he new fall season is upon us television-watchers, and I don’t know about the rest of y’all but I’m personally lactating with anticipation. For the Netflix and Hulu subscribers, the illegal downloaders and streamers, and yes, those of us who actually sit down in front of a television set like they did in the caveman days, this is the most wonderful time of the year. Not only are our favorite shows finally back—meaning our lives once again have purpose, thank God—but a whole new selection of TV shows that maybe-kinda-possibly-could-be a replacement for your soon-to-be-ending favorite show is here.* After looking at the list of upcoming shows from TV Guide, I’ve compiled my own list of what I think these shows are about after only reading their titles. You’re welcome, America.

Almost Human—Fox

Get your tissues ready for this one. Fox Network is teaming up with Norwegian variety show duo Ylvis to produce a weekly docudrama that explores the untapped mysteries of the animal world. Each 30-minute episode features Ylvis as they attempt to communicate with any and all animals. Some highlights of the season include an Argentine tango session with grizzly bears and a bike ride with ostriches. Be sure to tune in if you wish to finally learn the answer to the age old question, “What does the fox say?”

Back in the Game—ABC

A spin-off of the High School Musical series, this musical-comedy takes a huge time leap— about as many years as it takes for one to reach their mid-life crisis—and transports us to the world of failed Broadway and basketball star Troy Bolton. Bolton, now a divorcee and the basketball coach of a group of ragamuffin b-ball players from his old high school, attempts to rekindle the fire of his former glory. There will be music. There will be dancing. But above all, there is absolutely no way this show is making it past episode three.

Betrayal—ABC

Keeping in line with the ABC Network’s other one-word titled shows (Scandal, Revenge, etc.), this heart-thumping, lightening-paced drama will leave you on the edge of your seat in a sweaty mess begging for more. Set in the middle of the American Revolution, we find our protagonist Benedict Arnold stirring up the pot, as one does. Spoiler Alert: He commits a severe act of

treason. Plot Twist: He’s half Benedict Arnold, half robot. Historical fiction has never wept so hard.

Cold Justice—TNT

Bring out your parka for this one, kiddies! This dramedy follows the lives of two Alaskan detectives who won’t let a little frostbite get in the way of their crime-fighting and badassery. The story begins when the captain of a crab fishing boat is thrown overboard by one of his men, setting off a chain of related murders and disappearances in the greater Alaska area. Special guest stars may include Cuba Gooding, Jr., who would possibly reprise his role from that one movie that most likely ended his career—Snow Dogs.

Masters of Sex—Showtime

Two virginal teens, played by actors nearing the end of their twenties, decide it’s time to have sex. And lots of it! The hour-long romcomdram follows the sexual journey most wholesome, typical relationships go through—joining the milehigh club and starting an adult film company at college, to name a few. From awkward hand-holding and nose-bumping during makeout sessions, watch these two overcome it all to become Masters of Sex. Mom—CBS

Are you a new mother? Are you tired of your baby already? Have no fear, Mom is here! This show provides your child with a pseudo-mom, one who will look after your little one and teach it everything from the ABCs to how to tell time, while you take time out of your day to “sleep.”

The titular mother is played by none other than America’s grandmother Betty White. Your child is safe in her virtual hands.

The Originals—CW

“It was cool until everyone knew about it” is this tagline of this racy, political drama. The Originals offers a glimpse into a post-apocalyptic world where hipsters are the only surviving species left on the planet after they could not, in spite of popular belief, be killed with fire. As the new presidential elections heat up, will this population be able to overcome their own cool, originality in order to vote for a candidate, any candidate, who everyone has heard of? Tensions are real in this one. *As if anything could replace the void of your favorite show ending...or stop the tears.

Lily Doyle

Humor & Satire Editor

I

only kind of remember my first day at Vassar, partially because it was basically eons ago but also because I was pretty hopped up on allergy meds that my parents made me take that morning after I got stung in the mouth by a bee and started to look like Angelina Jolie.

I mean, my lips did. The rest of me is pretty blonde and un-waif like. Anyways, one of the main things I remember from my first day is setting all of my stuff down on the floor of my new room and realizing that I am simply not a neat enough person to share a space with someone.

Unless, of course, that someone really enjoys having all of their possessions covered by my laundry and paper handouts that I’m never going to read but feel that they are important for me to keep in case I ever have to make 1,000 paper hats. I have in no way “grown” or “matured” over the years, but I have literally grown older, allowing me to aggressively maintain my lifestyle of messiness* by not having a roommate over the next three years. (*Messiness being extremely unrelated to the short Spanish soccer player). The following is my archaeological excavation of the layers of my room.

The Top Layer, or “A case study in materialism”: Upon entering my room (cave?), you can’t help but be immediately struck by the presence of every item of clothing I have ever owned just straight chilling on the floor.

There are sweat pants and onesies and leggings and shirts and dresses and hangers that I have literally never used except for on the day I unpacked, which is the same day I make the promise to myself that THIS year will be different, THIS year I will keep my stuff hung up instead of storing all of my clothes on the ground! This promise is immediately broken on the first weekend when I have what could only be considered a rage blackout because why do all of the mirrors from Target make me look fat!? Clothes are thrown about willy-nilly, and I refuse to pick them up until I am procrastinating writing my weekly Moodle post.

I realize that this makes me sound incredibly shallow, but hey, I shan’t defend myself. I’m a simple human, made mostly of being funny and being bad at math and hating mirrors from Target. And cheese. Which brings me to the next layer.

The Secondary Layer, or “Why we should install child safety locks on the kitchen cabinets so that I don’t get into them at 2 am on a

Saturday night”: By the time you have waded through all of my clothes and made it to what seems like a safe haven, the bed/desk area, you’re probably fiending for a small snack.

Luckily for you, this is where I store all of the snacks that I take up to my room after a night of drinking. Of course, it goes without saying that this is my first year experiencing the side effects of alcohol, because it has been illegal for me to imbibe up to this point and I would OBVIOUSLY never blatantly disregard the laws of our country in such a fashion. Anyways, I have a tendency to go all “sneaaakkyyy Mom” around 2 in the morning on weekend nights, which involves me grabbing an entire brick of cheddar cheese from the fridge, and running in what I feel is a subtle way up to my room where I can consume most of that cheese brick in complete privacy. Thank goodness it’s scientifically impossible to gain weight after your freshman year.

The Third Layer, or “Those things that you only find when you are packing up to leave for the summer that you never knew you had but probably would have been useful at some point”: Every year while I am packing I am convinced that my friends are trolling me by hiding random objects around my room and then pretending not to know where that lifesized Buddha figurine came from. There are a few places I never look during the school year: under my bed, at my bank account, or in my bottom desk drawer. There is a reason I pointedly avoid these places: I never find anything good there. Under my bed, I have found socks that are decidedly NOT mine (unless my feet grew from the weirdly small size of Women’s 6 to Men’s 13), a cowboy hat, and the planner that I bought my freshman year that I for some reason keep even though all it does is stare at me judgmentally from across the room unless I hide it under my bed. I just want to watch Shark Girl and Lava Boy on Netflix in peace for once, okay?! My bank account doesn’t need to be discussed because it is constantly filled with only one thing, and that is my tears. My bottom desk drawer consists mostly of readings from February of 2011 about things like the hegemony that I tried to make myself care about but couldn’t because like I said, Shark Girl and Lava Boy is on Netflix and I don’t understand what more you want from me!

In closing, I’d like to remind everyone that college is a chance for you to be whoever you want to be, even if that person is a cheese hoarder with an origami hat obsession.

Exploring the post hook-up dynamic

by Lily Sloss, Columnist

H

aving spent a rich three years and exceptionally busy two weeks at Vassar, I think it’s safe to say I’ve experienced the breadth of the “hookup culture”* at our beloved school.

I understand the ins and outs of hooking up at Vassar, the “what to do if his/her roommate is home?” questions, etc. However, I have realized that one question has never been satsifyingly resolved. How are you supposed to behave the next time you see a “hook-up?”

Last night, my opening line to a previous hook up was, “Were you lost today?” I had seen him running in circles around the TAs. Instead of assisting him at the time, I used the incident as an alluring opening line, because there is no guy who does not like to have his embarrassing moments pointed out by a pre-

vious sexual conquest.

As I would like to avoid having another smoky, fidgety, basement conversation that includes the question, “Are you back together with your ex-girlfriend?” I have enlisted the help of a select few friends and colleagues to compile the following list of tips and tricks. I can only hope you find them as helpful as I do. #1: “Correct them and pretend they hooked up with [your] twin.” So says a dear pal who is, coincidentally, a twin. For someone without a twin, this might be a tricky move to pull. However, if it works, maybe the person in question will want to hook up with you a second time!

What a magical idea that is. #2: “Thank them for the gift of new life in [your] womb.” Ah, my inventive friend, who

may or may not be a compulsive liar. If you posit the new pregnancy to the hookup partner as a positive experience, this might be just the thing to shift your relationship from “friends with benefits” to life partners. I saw it work once on Jerry Springer. #3: “Put your nail polish in the fridge to make it go on better.” Antonio. While this is an extremely useful tip, I cannot promise it will make the next time you see a hookup any more pleasant or fun. However, from personal experience, I can promise that refrigerating your nail polish does make it lie more smoothly on the nail bed. No one dislikes a smooth top coat, that’s for damn sure. #4: “Just act friendly, maybe not too much sarcasm.” Interesting advice, friend who

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

knows me too well. When your voice is as illustrative as mine, and you know as many good jokes/aggressively sarcastic comments as I do, it can sometimes be difficult to come off as “casual.” This tip, easily, will be the most difficult to employ. I’ll practice on my housemates. “Do I sound cool or sarcastic?”

In retrospect, maybe the issue at hand is not my inability to have meaningful interactions with people I’ve hooked up with, maybe it is just that the people I hook up with are idiots.

I’ll think on it. *As discussed in length at any House Team training you have ever attended, this word is one of the MOST subjective—so read it as you will. Pump the judgement brakes, bro.

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September 19, 2013

Goodwin inspired by physicality of Impressionist style Zoe Kurtz

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mma Goodwin ’14, an anthropology major and art correlate, ponders the questions: What is art? What does art mean? These are two big questions that many artists face as they feel pressure to produce meaningful work in a society that often discounts art as a luxury and not a sustainable aspect of work culture.

“Sometimes I want my art to say something, but it’s more of a feeling I want to express,” said Goodwin.

Goodwin began her art career in Drawing 1 as a freshman. She took some time away from art as a sophomore, and then returned to Painting 1 as a junior. “I was interested in color, and

I really love the physicality of the paint,” said Goodwin. Painting, for Goodwin, is a very physical experience, both in the painting process’s bodily demands and the paint’s tangible characteristics. “Paint can be toothpaste, it can be cream cheese; it can be anything you want.

It just feels so gooey and nice,” she said.

Goodwin begins each painting with an image of her piece in her mind. This image is not the picture that will eventually emerge; it is a combination of the picture and the specific feeling she wants her painting to express. She lightly traces an image on the canvas, and then she begins to paint, correcting the ideas that do not seem to fit from her original idea. Painting becomes most physically demanding for

Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

Emma Goodwin ’14 combines her formal experiences in art with her background in anthropology to produce work that explores the human condition. She was also inspired by a recent trip to Ireland.

Hudson Valley

Arts

Mark Gruber Gallery Through October 19 17 New Paltz Plaza, New Paltz, NY View works from the Hudson River School in the exhibit: “The New Hudson River School: Painting in the 19th Century.”

Mon, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Tues-Fri 10:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Scott Dutton Architecture Gallery Through October 6 15 Canfield St., Kingston, NY Artist Angela Rose Voulgarelis’ exhibition “Connecting the Dots” includes painting and mixed media.

Hours: by appt.

Artists Collective of Hyde Park Through October 13 4338 Albany Post Rd., Hyde Park, NY 12538 Exhibit celebrates the group’s 1st year as an artists’ cooperative.

Goodwin responded: “I think what I’m most interested in these days is the materiality of the paint, when you look at the painting and you can see the paint as a physical aspect and you can think of what the painting says. I am also trying to not be too finicky with detail.” She is aiming to find the balance between too general and too detail-oriented.

This move toward being less detail-oriented parallels the goals of Impressionist artists, who in turn challenged audiences to see beyond the more academic, precision-focused paintings.

The idea of the audience is a notion some other art forms like writing can consider throughout the creative process; however, visual art’s audience is not necessarily as pondered.

An audience can appreciate art through the image, the colors, the style, and a number of other factors. Sometimes, the art prompts no intense emotional response from the audience, but even then an audience’s indifference is a response and therefore, the indifference can make that piece part of their personal experience. “When I paint, I paint mostly for myself.

Sometimes, I worry about the audience and how they will perceive the piece, but the audience is not on the forefront of my mind,” said Goodwin.

This balance between the general and the detailed and the idea of living for you are both important aspects for Goodwin as she approaches adult life.

As a senior preparing for the real world soon, she is trying to find a bond between her two loves: painting and anthropology.

She recently took a class, the Anthropology of Art, which she found struck that balance.

However, learning how to find the balance in the real world is a new challenge. Art can be a very difficult career to break into, but because art, as Emma explained, is what she is most enjoying at Vassar right now, she is hopeful she will find some way to continue painting.

Gómez confronts masculinity in verse Charlacia Dent rEportEr

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ordsmiths, the student poetry and spoken word organization, will kick off the year with a showcase featuring poet and speaker, Carlos Andres Gómez, as well as a range of other poets and performers.

Gómez is the author of Man Up, a memoir which details his self-defining experiences growing up and his interactions with many influential people. Also an actor, Gómez appeared in the sixth season of HBO’s Russell Simmon’s Presents Def Poetry and TV One’s Verses and Flow.

“If I’m going to write with high stakes, I need to talk about the most important people in my life.” said Gómez.

As the title of his memoir implies, masculinity and its constructions come into play throughout the majority of Gómez’s work, and audiences can expect his performance to delve into these topics.

When Gómez was 17, renowned poet and author Martin Espada performed at his high school. This was a defining moment for Gómez and one that resurfaces in his poetry and life as a performer.

According to Gómez, the moment represented a huge watershed that finally allowed him to fall intuitively into creative expression after having lived the majority of his life as an athlete held to uncompromising notions of masculinity.

“For me, growing up there were a lot of periods where it felt like the fact that I was creative and sensitive put me at risk. It was one of those times in my life where I wanted to be anyone but myself. It’s this troubling question of who we inherently are and the pressure of who we’re expected to be. Poetry allowed for this fluidity of identity and remembrance of my creativity and sensitivity,” Gómez explained.

Through his work, Gómez hopes to raise people’s spirits. “I’m always seeking to illuminate these very powerful moments that go overlooked. I’m most captivated by those things. I definitely want to leave people feeling uplifted, inspired and moved. I want everyone to leave feeling that they are enough,” Gómez shared.

The showcase will also feature several student poets who, similar to Gómez, use poetry as a means to challenge societal problems and an outlet for self-expression.

Environmental studies major Laura Smith ’14 and English major Emma Redden ’14 are two young women who will grace the stage with their words this weekend. Smith and Redden both competed at CUPSIE last year—the annual college union poetry slam invitational in New York City—and will share material from the competition at the showcase. The girls were two of five Vassar students to compete in the competition.

“It was new for me to be in a space where my poetry was being judged. All of the poets who participated were astoundingly smart, diverse, interesting and introspective,” Redden remarked.

Like Gómez, Smith uses poetry as a tool to create discourse around instances in her life that go unnoticed.

“I write about everything from my everyday experiences to environmental problems,”

Smith shared.

Redden’s poetry is inspired along very similar lines. “Poetry is an outlet and an art form for me. It’s a way to process the human experience—the good and bad parts about life. It’s a way to take small things and turn them into something larger, larger than me, with the potential to affect people. I write about heartbreak and broken hearts. I write about different injustices I see and I try my best to write about things that can easily be perceived as mundane,” Redden explained.

The Wordsmiths hope the showcase will be an event where listeners are inspired to act on those things they find important and learn that one can give voice to ideas and identity through poetry; it should be a time of deep reflection and illumination on those little everyday instances we forget or ignore.

“I want to create a dance with a room full of strangers that I just met. I want our fire to be relighted,” Gómez said. The event will take place on Saturday, September 21 from 7:30 p.m.9:30 p.m. in Main Building’s Rose Parlor.

courtesy of leaksquadlive

The Center for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck Performances Sept 13-29 661 Route 308, Rhinebeck, NY The Rhinebeck Theater Society presents “Camelot.”

Curtain times: Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun. 3 p.m.

Goodwin when she is either stretching to paint a part of the canvas or crouching down to low parts of it, causing her a sore back and maybe sleepless nights. “There is always a point in the middle when everything is so bad, but hopefully, if you’re lucky, everything pulls together,” she stated.

Her favorite piece is an untitled work based on her experience in Ireland over the past spring break that she had hung in her bedroom.

In Ireland, she found inspiration in the thick, oily seaweed and the secretive nature of mussels. She wondered how mussels look when they are open, and this question, along with the texture of the seaweed, inspired her painting.

What Goodwin sees in the world around her is her biggest inspiration. Growing up in the Bahamas, Goodwin’s uncle was a watercolor artist who painted typical ocean scenes. Even though she found some inspiration in the fact that her uncle was an artist, the typical ocean view did not inspire her.

So, when Goodwin came to Vassar, she realized that art does not always have to depict ideal images. “Art doesn’t have to be pretty or perfect; art can be broken. Art is something that challenges versus reaffirms pretty, cliché things,” she said. She then combined this idea with the visual world around her to develop her own artistic style.

Combining her inspirations and her preexisting affinity for paint’s tactile quality, Goodwin found a connection with the Impressionist style. Impressionism as a movement challenged the artistic way during its formation: it pushed both the painting style and the color boundaries. It challenged its audience to see beyond the more academic paintings. Goodwin explained, “It’s hard to have a style that’s Impressionist without being too Impressionist. But, I love the physical quality of the paint that comes with Impressionism.”

When asked to describe her artistic style,

Carlos Andres Gómez, a poet, writer and actor, focuses on masculinity and sensitivity in his work. He will be visiting Vassar on September 21 and hopes the event will have strong audience engagement.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

September 19, 2013

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Laymon’s work focuses on concepts of community Emma Daniels rEportEr

“I

Cassady Bergevin/The Miscellany News

’m a walking regret, a truth-teller, a liar, a survivor, a frowning ellipsis, a witness, a dreamer, a teacher, a student, a joker, a writer whose eyes stay red, and I’m a child of this nation,” Kiese Laymon writes in his acclaimed essay How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America: A Remembrance.

Laymon’s honest and eloquent denotation of his identity is typical of the black southern writer’s body of work. And at Vassar, Laymon fulfills many of his self-described roles, including that of teacher; he is an Associate Professor of English and co-director of the Africana studies department.

“One of the weirdest things about me – with the exception of the one year I got kicked out of college – is that I’ve never not been on a college campus,” he said.

Laymon was born when his mother was attending Jackson State University, and was constantly on campus throughout his childhood; his mother completed her graduate degree there, and then began working at the school.

Laymon explained, “What you all call ‘real life,’ I don’t know it, if real life is life outside a college campus.”

He got a small glimpse of the world outside of academia this past year. While on sabbatical, Laymon wrote and traveled extensively.

He published 14 essays, on outlets that include Gawker, where he is a contributing editor, ESPN.com, Esquire.com and Mythium. In June, he released his first novel—Long Division —and in August, he came out with a collection of essays, How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, both to critical acclaim.

“What I like about [my two recent publications] is the writing is really different in both of them. In Long Division, I’m writing through two 14-year-old narrators – one of them in 1985 and one of them now, and in How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, the dominant narrative voice is me,” Laymon said.

Associate Professor of English and co-director of the Africana Studies Department Kiese Laymon has recently published a collection of essays titled How to Kill Yourself and Others in America this past August.

In both works, Laymon’s description of himself as a writer whose eyes stay red is apt – he is not afraid to address and dissect racial politics in recent history: Hurricane Katrina, the shooting of Trayvon Martin, and, his own narrative of being a black man in America.

“Both of my books are interested in the same thing,” Laymon emphasized, “they are really interested in history and what communal love can do to make us better tomorrow.”

Despite this motivation, Laymon’s initial editor asked him to tone down his work, fearing the explicitness of his writing. He refused to compromise, abandoning a big time publisher in favor of a small press, Agate.

His choice to take the independent route paid off; critics applauded Laymon for his subject matter and novel prose.

Kelli Christiansen, of the Chicago Book Review, said, “Laymon’s voice is unique. At times touching, at times poignant, Laymon more than once strikes a beautiful chord in the midst of what often feels gritty and intentionally provocative” (6.11.2013).

Laymon feels that, though his work is in many ways distinct from others, any creative person should remember that there is a lot of unseen art out there.

“All artists should be a little bit reluctant to say they are doing something new because there is so much art that hasn’t been seen by everybody, but of the art I’ve read, some of what I’m doing is kind of new, and it’s something new in that it attracted other artists, and young people,” Laymon commented.

He continued, “The coolest thing that hap-

pened when I was on leave was that a lot of artists who inspired me reached out to me. Jasmine Ward, who won the National Book of the Year Award for Salvage the Bones, wrote to me: ‘I’m staggered, I can’t believe you wrote this’ and some of my favorite rappers told me ‘Dude, this is what we’ve been wanting from literature for a long time.’”

Laymon emphasized that the purpose of his work is ultimately to make these sorts of connections, to help make the world a more just place.

“I’m just really committed to this idea of art communities,” he said. “In How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America, the dominant voice is me, but you also get letters from my friends, you get letters from other people… And Long Division is, in a roundabout way, about art communities, too. I’m trying to look out and inward in how community can help us make a better tomorrow.”

He also noted that Vassar, for him, is such a community, and that he has found a lot of support through the College’s faculty. “My writing those books and the way they were written was made possible by the colleagues I have here [at Vassar] – Michael Joyce, Amitava Kumar, Hua Hsu, Eve Dunbar, Carlos Alamo, Hiram Perez.

My books came out of a community – they all do work that is connected to my own, and their work helped my books emerge.”

And he noted that his students play an equally important role. “I don’t know if students understand how much they motivate, inspire and really fortify us as professors,” he said.

“You learn so much from them – from seeing them work through intellectual, emotional ideas. This is why the relationship between student and teacher needs to be a lot more reciprocal. Students need to understand that we need them to do work so they can become educated, but also so they can come help fuel us in the classroom.”

Laymon concluded, “You gotta be curious, man, you gotta be curious.”

Woodblock prints of Japanese tale travel to Art Gallery Martha Lino

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A

courtesy of the Francis Lehman Loeb Museum of Art

n inspiration for contemporary manga, video games and animated films, the “Tale of Genji”—a classic work of Japanese literature—will be the focus of the “Genji’s World in Japanese Woodblock Prints” exhibition at The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center. The exhibit, which opens this Friday, September 20 and runs through December 15, will feature 57 Japanese woodblock prints from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The exhibition will open with the lecture: “Envisioning The Tale of Genji: Media, Gender, and Cultural Production” by Columbia University professor of Japanese literature and culture Hario Shirane on Friday, September 20 at 5:30pm. The exhibition is part of a traveling show across the United States—the first of its kind outside of Japan. Most of the works at the exhibit are from the private and extensive collection of Paulette and Jack Lantz, who collect Asian antiquities in their home in Pasadena, California.

The “Tale of Genji” was written by Murasaki Shikibu, who was a Japanese novelist and aristocrat during the eleventh century. Written a thousand years ago, the lengthy tale is composed of 54 chapters. The tale details the love and adventures of Hikaru Genji “Shining Genji,” who is the emperor’s son, but is relegated to the status of a commoner for political reasons.

Some of the major themes of the tale include: love, lust, friendship and family bonds.

Most of the prints in the exhibition are called rustic Genji, which is a parody of the Genji tale. Instead of the tale being set in the medieval, aristocratic courts, the rustic Genji tale is set in the pleasure quarters of Japan. In this rustic or countryside portrayal, Genji is placed in different Japanese print subject areas, often times prints that deal with flowers and birds. The rustic Genji whole life is an imitation of the earlier Genji. He has adventures dealing with love and is in pursuit of treasures that were stolen away from his family.

Art center Curator Patricia Phagan believes that the Rustic Genji is an important part of

The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center’s exhibition, which opens on the 20th, features wood-block prints that depict the Japanese tale of Genji It will be preceded with a lecture by Columbia University Professor of Japanese Literature and Culture Hario Shirane The exhibit will be open through December 15..

Japanese culture and should receive the recognition it deserves. “The rustic Genji parody in the nineteenth century was a huge best seller and it really made the tale of Genji much more accessible to a broad audience. From the 1890s on, the tale of Genji, the earlier one, keeps getting more fame whereas the rustic Genji much less so, and it’s only from this exhibition that the rustic Genji has sort of come back into its own and been recognized,” she said.

In preparation for the exhibition at Vassar, Phagan categorized the prints into themes. The themes include: theater, travel to famous sites, flowers, birds, the seasons, divers, sex, games and two introductory sections. “When I looked at all of the images, I really had to divide them into themes to make intellectual sense of the images that I have not seen before, so I had to put all of the images on the table and make these themes” she recalled.

Through the process of categorizing the im-

ages, Phagan was overwhelmed by the beautiful prints, especially the different colors, patterns and contrasts. The prints’ portrayal of fashion during the mid-nineteenth century has impressed Ms. Phagan the most. “I want people to be able to come into the exhibition and just be overwhelmed by the colors and fashions that are in the show and in the prints. The fashions that people will see were the fashion of mid-nineteenth century Japan: beautiful kimonos and beautiful sachets. These were all things that realty appealed, market-wise, to different audiences in the nineteenth century.”

She continued, “Today, people will have a great window into the culture in the contemporary nineteenth-century Japan, and see why folks were so drawn to the phenomenon of the prints,” she stated.

Assistant Professor of Art History in the Art Department Karen Hwang also knew about the exhibition very early on. In anticipation of the

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

upcoming exhibit, Hwang is currently teaching “Word and Image: Pictorial Narratives of East Asia,” a seminar that discusses the Tale of Genji and other Asian art.

“This set of prints demonstrates the fluid and dynamic relationship between word and image. The prints represent a visual field in which multiple traditions converge: the organic life of the original 11th-century Tale of Genji

by Lady Murasaki, picture scrolls that the novel spurred and in turn shaped multiple digests including the 19th century literary parody Inaka Genji, which gave rise to the prints we get to view at Vassar,” Hwang stated.

“They do different things to different social groups, but it seems to me that they arouse a love of love in many young minds of contemporary society. The love extends to other human beings, the drama that loving and desiring involve, and to all the colors of nature and ‘the moments’ lived,” Hwang stated.

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September 19, 2013

Funds from Refn crafts neon hell in Only God Forgives concert to help “OGF is not for the rebuild school faint of hear, and that Taylor Thewes

Guest Columnist

Only God Forgives Nicolas Winding Refn Film District

VHP continued from page 1 about three hundred people. The boys, led by their director Jean-Bernard Desinat, will be singing a selection of music, possibly including Haitian folk songs, spiritual songs, and religious music.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students aged five to eighteen, and free for children younger than five. All proceeds from the concert will go toward this project.

The Vassar Haiti Project—which was founded in 2001 by Assistant Dean for Campus Life and Director of International Services Andrew Meade and his wife Lila—started planning the event in June.

VHP will be tabling in the College Center prior to the performance, and tickets will also be available at the door.

Les Petits Chanteurs will be accompanied by a chamber ensemble from the Holy Trinity Music School and will follow performances by the Vassar College Choir and the Vassar College Women’s Chorus. “The two Vassar choirs are performing as a kind of special performance as a way of a reciprocal exchange,” said Vice President of Outreach at Haiti Project Inc. Sahara Pradhan ’15.

The choirs are excited to use their talents to help raise money for a good cause, and the added event gives them more opportunities to perform their repertoire. According to an emailed statement from Pilar Jefferson ’15, “Since its early on in the semester we’ll be singing pieces that we’re currently working on for our full concert in November, as well as Os Justi by Breckner, in combination with VCC, which is the song we sung at convocation.”

Event organizers also believe that the joint concert will be beneficial in more ways than one.

VHP Medical Initiative Director Sarah Oliver ’15 explained in an emailed statement, “This choir is a unique opportunity to see a group of boys unite together for a cause they feel passionate about, rebuilding their school. This event is about bringing together all kinds of people and demonstrating that a love of music and quest for knowledge bridges any gaps in identity.”

Les Petits Chanteurs accepts students based on auditions and is comprised of young men as well as boys as young as seven. It was founded in 1960 and accepts singers of any economic standing. The group has completed several tours of the United States since their initial visit in 1984 and the music program at the Holy Trinity Music School has gained international notice after a performance at Tanglewood with L’Orchestre Philharmonique Sainte-Trinité.

The choir is touring the Northeast Coast this autumn to raise funds for the reconstruction of the Holy Trinity Music School, which was destroyed in an earthquake in January 2010.

Pradhan expressed her enthusiasm for the choir’s arrival. She said, “I’m really excited to see the boys and meet the choir because then suddenly everything [the Vassar Haiti Project has] been working for will become much more real. That’s what I’m most looking forward to—there’s going to be a great energy.”

She continued, “I think it’s a great learning experience on so many different levels. Part of it is helping the village of Chermaitre, which we work very closely with, and part of it is supporting artists. We buy art and we sell that artwork to make a profit which goes back to the village of Chermaitre, so it’s a cyclical process. The other part is teaching students the meaning of global citizenship. It’s meaningful in many ways.”

VHP organized a concert for Les Petits Chanteurs in the Chapel in 2010, which the group considers a great success. Despite the excitement the 2010 concert engendered in the student body, VHP recognizes that time has dulled people’s need to act. “2010 was the earthquake,” said Pradhan. “A lot of promises were made, and then our lives moved on. But the struggle is still very real for the people there who are rebuilding their entire lives. So I think [the concert is] also a moment where we can reflect, come to our bearings, and recognize that the struggle is still real and very much going on.”

Fundraising and Development Co-President Cindy Fung ’14 agreed, writing in an emailed statement, “I see the concert as a continuation and affirmation of our efforts—it is the result of our successful partnership in 2010. We are excited to have the opportunity to connect two places and two communities in this one event.”

T

hough the booing Cannes audience was not pleased that director Nicolas Winding Refn did not give them the desired, unofficial Drive sequel, it was expected that Only God Forgives would be next up in Refn’s eclectic repertoire of films. Watching OGF one can see that the film has been branded on every part of its body to assure the audience that this is Refn’s film. Drive is Ryan Gosling’s vehicle that Refn was fortunate enough to direct. It has the cool, slick essence that Gosling always seems to exude. OGF completely comes from Refn’s mind—his dark, twisted mind. As he said in an interview with Moviefone, “If Drive was good cocaine, [OGF] would be like great, old-school acid,” (7.16.2013).

Set in the hyper-stylized underworld of Bangkok, the film tells the story of Julian (Gosling), a Muay Thai boxing club owner who uses his business as a front for his drug ring with his brother. When his brother decides to murder an underage prostitute, a vengeful cop named Chang, played by the stone faced Vithaya Pansringarm, seeks gruesome retribution against the family. Enter quite possibly the most horrific mother in movie history since Psycho, played by a foulmouthed Kristin Scott Thomas. With an obedient “Yes, mother,” Julian answers her plea to retaliate against Chang, shedding blood in a sword-wielding, punch-throwing feud.

OGF is not for the faint of heart, and that is exactly what makes this brainchild of a film such a masterpiece. Refn’s lack of a filter allows him to stick his middle finger up to the audience and keep it there loud and proud for a full hour and a half. Whatever popped into his mind seemed to make it into the overwhelming world created in this film. Bangkok became a vessel for the auteur to stylize in

whatever way he pleased. Pinks and purples shine from every light, rivaling Joel Schumacher’s Val-Kilmer-led Batman for most excessive use of purple and pink neon lights to grace a film, and that’s a good thing. Throw in some deep burgundy-reds anytime there were no neons, and Refn creates his own hyper-stylized version of Hell.

The world created by Refn is already something that lets the audience know that this film is going to be more fantasy than gritty, real-life thriller, but doesn’t pour it all out there right away. Matching the viscosity of honey, the pace makes sure that anyone in the film who may have a heart condition does not move too quickly (that is until someone gets his chest sliced open by a samurai sword, but more on that later). Refn exceeds in his direction in this way. Most audiences prefer more Michael Bay and less Andy Warhol by way of Empire. Able to maintain this pace, his direction stays meticulous throughout.

His direction lends itself to being fantastical just as much as the subjects do. The camera seems to hover above each scene instead of being trapped to the ground. It floats in a way that it makes many feel as if this is a dream.

We finally meet our characters and that is when the dream becomes a nightmare. There is not one character that will be liked for the sake of being a good person. Bangkok is hell in this metaphor-packed film, and all of the characters are there for a reason. Vithaya Pansringarm’s cop, Chang, or “Angel of Death” as he is known on the crime ridden streets, is the ballad singing devil with a deadly sword slice. As Chang goes to extreme measures to bring crime off the streets, he intermixes karaoke bar trips where he sings to an ever-decreasing squad of cops that only adds to this man’s overbearing eldritch persona.

One of the most important scenes for this character (and the whole film) comes when Chang needs to deliver a punishment to a man with his kid in his presence. The kid sits lifelessly in a chair, his feet too small to reach the floor. He does not blink as he stares back at an equally unblinking Chang. The camera bounces between each of them as it moves slowly into their faces. As the deep bass of

the music pounds away, the audience watches Chang seek bloody revenge upon the man.

is exactly what makes this brainchild of a film such a masterpiece.”

Gosling and Thomas round out the other main actors, and they have their own ordeal going on, separate from Chang. Granted they are in the midst of warfare with the cop, there is a unique problem between the two of them.

Refn hammers home the Oedipal theme with Julian and his mother as the audience learns about the many activities that reference the Greek myth. Julian killed his father, the mother makes it aware that Julian’s phallic instrument is smaller than his brothers, and a man even subtly gets his eyes stabbed with pins.

While the references are blatant, it is the absurdness in how they are presented that keeps the film from being weighed down.

Some people may be appalled that Gosling’s mama’s boy only gets a handful of lines or that everyone’s favorite heartthrob gets verbally assaulted by his own mother. That is what makes this film so rich. Two actors take on completely different roles and nail them. After the dinner scene in which Julian takes his girlfriend to meet his mother, sweetol’ Kristin Scott Thomas delivers a horrific nickname that will make anyone think twice about bringing home a significant other.

This film will not leave you feeling good. It is a glimpse into Hell and the people who occupy it. However, mixing the high and low of the beauty and grace in the direction with the horror and sickness of the characters creates a mash-up that cannot go unwatched. Refn delivers on making some pure, movie acid, and Only God Forgives takes the audience on one wild trip.

Sisterland unearths themes of twinhood Emma Daniels Columnist

Sisterland Curtis Sittenfeld Random House

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t the outset of Sisterland, Curtis Sittenfeld’s newest novel, twin sisters Violet and Kate have an argument over lunch, a typical sibling squabble. Vi—a single, queer psychic—criticizes Kate for a life defined by motherhood: “Children are nothing but a problem people create and then congratulate themselves on solving,” she spurts.

This premise is intriguing on its own—a book about two identical twin sisters who choose different life paths.

A triplet myself, I know all too well the appeal of the idea of multiple selves. For answering questions about being a triplet, I’ve gotten everything from a smile from my small town’s usually stoic DMV worker to an airline ticket upgrade.

One of the most common questions I get is about telepathy: “Can you tell when the other is in pain?”

I usually answer no—when I was in a car accident, my sister did not sense that anything was wrong.

In the world of Sisterland, though, a twin with magical abilities is not such an unearthly concept. Both sisters have “senses,” psychic abilities to perceive future events and other people’s inner secrets. Vi chooses to make a profession of these senses, whereas Kate deliberately chooses to abandon them.

Sisterland was released in late June and is Sittenfeld’s fourth novel. Her previous novels include Prep, the story of a young woman navigating an elite high school, and American

Wife, a saga loosely based on the life of Laura Bush.

Sittenfeld is renowned for her relatable female narrators. Although most readers will not claim to have ESP, Kate is an appealing narrator for a great deal of the book’s target audience. She is a mother and wife, and Sittenfeld aptly portrays middle-class domestic life in the present day, filled with tedium, joy and sometimes heartbreak.

The book begins with depictions of two earthquakes in St. Louis: one in 1811, and the other in 2009. It then follows Kate as she waits for a third earthquake —one her sister has sensed is forthcoming.

“Sittenfeld aptly portrays middle-class domestic life in the present day, filled with tedium, joy and sometimes heartbreak.”

The book is not only about the present day, though. What makes Sittenfeld’s work interesting is the non-linear narrative: It constantly flips from Kate’s present to her past, using flashbacks that lead to fuller understandings of the characters and their lives.

Although the plot moves forward based on a prediction of a future earthquake, the reader is privy to a smattering of metaphorical earthquakes in Kate’s life that have already passed: a small child becoming sick, a middle schooler being bullied, a mother deciding one day and thereafter never to get out of bed

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

and make dinner. These are moments that shake Kate to the core, and shape her life.

These earthquakes are what make the novel thought-provoking. It’s a page-turner— the Associated Press called it the “Perfect Summer Read” (6.24.13) and The Guardian claimed it to be the “Best Book for a Long Flight” (8.5.13)—but its direct prose does not equate to a simple premise. Sittenfeld’s style of writing helps the reader fully understand and think about issues the book addresses— sexuality, domesticity, generational divides, and the not-so-simple relationships people have with one another.

Also by narrowing in on twin sisters with identical upbringings and genetics, but inherently different adult lives, Sittenfeld delineates what humans can control about their lives, and what they can’t. Furthermore, she writes in such a way that makes this idea of the arbitrariness of existence interesting to readers of all different backgrounds—like my peers majoring in philosophy, but also members of my mom’s wine-and-cheese book club.

At the end of the novel, the reader is left with a deep knowledge of Kate, Violet, and their families and friends—their secrets, their mistakes, and ultimately, the bonds between them that cannot be shaken, spread out over a landscape of the past, the present and the future.

At the outset of Sisterland, I was skeptical of its otherworldly premise. But in many of Kate’s stories I found parallels between her life and mine, between her life and friends’ lives. Although the ending was surprising and a bit melodramatic, Sisterland is ultimately a novel full of empathy—for both its characters and, in turn, its reader.

—An edition of this review was originally published in Pawling Public Radio on Aug. 24, 2013.

ARTS

September 19, 2013

Page 17

Broadchurch a clever murder mystery Max Rook Columnist

Broadchurch Chris Chibnail Kudos Film and Television

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eople love to talk about how we live in a “Golden Age of Television.” With the rise of the cable drama in the last decade, and the ever-increasing range of channels offering scripted programming, we have seen the artistic ambitions of television dramas skyrocket.

The problem with this argument is that it smooths over the rough edges of the current TV landscape. Yes, we have had some truly incredible shows, from The Sopranos at the beginning of this era to more recent shows like Breaking Bad and Mad Men, but not every show is of that caliber.

And while these great shows have had a tremendous impact on the medium, their numerous imitators quickly become ubiquitous. It seems the main lesson these imitators have taken is that TV dramas should be about violence.

There is nothing inherently wrong with violence as a subject, but the sheer mass of these dark dramas has led to an association in audiences’ minds between violence and “quality television.” As new networks like AMC and FX have entered the field, they have chosen shows that fit into that mold, because those are the types of dramas that are successful today, that win awards and draw critical praise.

The few hour-long shows that don’t feature weekly doses of crime and murder are dismissively termed “dramedies,” as if their comparatively lighter tones make them somehow less important.

Shows like NBC’s Parenthood, Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, and ABC Family’s sadly-canceled Bunheads all deserve consideration alongside the best of what is on the air today, but their focus on lighter subjects practically disqualifies them from

Campus Canvas

the discussion.

All of which is to say that Broadchurch, a new show airing on BBC America, is yet another show about violence, but it presents an avenue for growth in a genre that has come dangerously close to stagnation.

Broadchurch is less interested in the spectacle of the violence than in the corrosive social impact of that violence in a community. It tells the story of the murder of a young child in a quiet British sea-side town. The town is understandably devastated by the act, and experienced detective Alec Hardy (David Tennant) is called in to work with local officer Ellie Miller (Olivia Colman) to solve the case.

Tennant is the biggest name in the series, known for his work on Doctor Who, and while his performance as the Doctor was all manic energy and irrepressible excitement, here he plays a man so damaged by his work that he has difficulty with simple social interactions. He represents the cynical side of the investigation, the side which says that any person could be a suspect, even the murdered boy’s family, while Detective Miller is the optimistic side, a person so involved in the community that she has difficulty believing any of her neighbors are capable of such a horrendous action.

On a macro-level, Broadchurch is structured like a standard “whodunit” mystery.

In the first episode we’re introduced to a large cast of townspeople, and by the eighth and final episode, one of those people has been revealed to be the killer. When you drill down to the individual beats of the story, however, the show’s strengths become apparent.

While most shows today create elaborate mythologies to be revealed in their climactic episodes, Broadchurch ignores that type of mechanical plotting in favor of an emotional drive. There are clues to the identity of the killer, certainly, and perhaps some viewers are able to solve the mystery before the ending.

I didn’t figure it out, and most of my theories about the ending were focused more on hoping that each successive suspect was

not guilty. The show does an excellent job of creating lived-in, complex relationships between the townspeople and the victim’s family, and as each character is made to look suspicious, from the local priest to the boy’s scout troop leader, I found myself dreading the reveal of their guilt, simply because it would be so devastating if it were true. Like Detective Miller, I didn’t want to believe these people could be capable of murder, but, over the course of the series, I became increasingly willing to do so.

That structure, in which suspects are primarily handled sequentially, though sometimes the show refocuses on a suspect who had previously been thought cleared of suspicions, could be extremely frustrating to watch. Instead, the show offers minor revelations, secrets these characters hide that are stirred up by the investigation.

The show’s setting at first appears to be an idyllic town, but the information revealed over the course of the season injures the health of a community already wounded by tragedy. It helps, of course, that the cast is uniformly terrific, from the two leads to the supporting casts, which makes every character sympathetic. Even the eventual reveal of the killer’s identity is heartbreaking: not just for the tragedy itself, but also because of the circumstances which led that character to such an action.

As you can probably imagine, Broadchurch is a fairly heavy show. While the primary focus of the show is the investigation, a good chunk of every episode is devoted to the ways in which the central family deals with grief.

I initially tried to watch the show weekly as it was airing on BBC America, but I quickly caved and blasted through the rest of the season (all of which is currently available on Amazon and iTunes, and which will likely pop up on Netflix within the next six months).

Don’t let that bleakness turn you off from the series, however. This is a rewarding show, one that proves that there is room for the dark TV drama to grow without turning into a parody of itself.

A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists

Excuse me, Who would you like to come lecture at Vassar?

“Erykah Badu” —Jordan Ross ‘16

“Psychologist Dan McAdams” —Rachel Zweig ‘14

“Mia McKenzie, founder of the literary blog Black Girl Dangerous” —Jeremy Garza ‘14

submit to misc@vassar.edu

“Meryl Streep” —Emma Roellke‘16

“Poet Shihan Van Clief” —Leo Torres ‘15

“Albert Einstein” About a month ago I visited San Francisco for the first time and took this photograph. I was at the de Young Museum at a photography exhibit featuring Rose Mandel, a photographer from the Bay Area.

While navigating the exhibit, I saw a few people try to take a photo in the exhibition room, but the same tired museum guard reprimanded them all.

Although I recognize how irritating it must be for a museum guard to repetitiously plead museum visitors not to take photographs, I found myself in the position of seeing a composition that I liked: a man in a wheelchair who was looking at the same photograph for an incredibly long period of time.

I stepped into an enclave that was part

of the curatorial design that hid me from the lurking guard, and took this photograph; the echo of the shutter was not inconspicuous.

When I developed the film from my trip to San Francisco I was pleased with the result.

—Jonah Bleckner ‘15

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

—Evan Einstein ‘14

Jack Owen, Arts Editor Cassady Bergevin, Photo Editor

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Page 18

A-Rod’s fall shakes MLB standards Zach Rippe Columnist

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new survey conducted by ESPN has revealed that, according to fans, Alex Rodriguez is the face of Major League Baseball. Perhaps five years ago, that statement would have made much more sense. However, today it’s just kind of sad. Once upon a time, A-Rod seemed to be everything that was good about the game.

He was a pure, young kid playing for the Seattle Mariners who hit homer after homer. He was part of a trio of superior young shortstops that seemed destined to take over the game. Then came the money and the excessive fame. Rodriguez was on top; the most coveted man in baseball. It was only fitting that in 2004 he signed with the New York Yankees. The quickest player to both 500 and 600 home runs, A-Rod was supposed to be the man to vanquish the evil Barry Bonds’ new record of 762 homers. Then, things began to go very, very wrong.

One can take almost any aspect of Rodriguez’s life over recent years and find some aspect of embarrassment and/or corruption. The downward slope began (albeit slowly taking all things into consideration) with criticism of A-Rod’s postseason production. The man who effortlessly swung the bat during the regular season was simply not clutch. Then there were Rodriguez’s interesting encounters with illustrious women. In 2007, Rodriguez was seen with a stripper. In 2008, he separated from his wife of six years. Then, there were rumors about an affair with Madonna. After divorcing his wife, rumors surfaced about Rodriguez and multiple prostitutes and strippers having affairs while on the road. But enough about private life. Rodriguez’s career was still flourishing.

After winning the MVP award in 2007 with 54 home runs and 156 RBI’s, A-Rod had a few “down” years where he hit merely 30 dingers.

But in 2009, everything changed.

The late 1990s and early 2000s are now seen almost universally as the modern dark era of Major League Baseball, for these years played host to the steroid era. Performance-enhancing drugs had seemingly tarnished the game’s integrity and reputation, producing jaw-dropping number. It’s sad to say that many of America’s national pastime’s most sacred records have been demolished by cheaters. While Babe Ruth “did it on hot dogs and beer,” Barry did it with a syringe and a grin. Everything and everyone playing in the majors at that time could very well be unfair. But Alex Rodriguez was not part of that discussion. Sure there was skepticism, but most believed that the great shortstop was their clean idol. A man who achieved greatness the old fashioned way. A-Rod told us so himself.

He looked Katie Couric in the eye in 2007 and said “no.” I mean, he had to be telling the truth.

No one has ever denied using steroids, right?

In 2009, Rodriguez finally dropped the bomb that seemed destined to come out eventually.

From 2001-2003, Alex Rodriguez used steroids while playing with the Texas Rangers due to “an enormous amount of pressure” to perform.

Suddenly, Alex was just another one of the guys.

After 2010, injuries arose and A-Rod hasn’t had a healthy season since. But of course, things just kept getting worse.

So what does all of this mean for the game?

Shouldn’t the steroid era be over by now? Surely, there are still players out there using some sorts of banned substances. Can any players be 100% trusted by fans as pure role models and positive contributors to the history of the game? Perhaps the fans feel this way and their skepticism has evolved to the point of distrust and disgust. After all, the man they picked to represent this fine sport has become synonymous with adultery, deceit and cheating. In a day and age where the current home run king is happy to get his most recent stint under house arrest over with, is there still hope left for the sport? Alex Rodriguez will never hit 800 home runs, and if he cannot pull a miracle and somehow rid himself of this suspension, he will be hard pressed to reach 700. Some say it is better to burn out than fade away. A-Rod seems to be doing both at the same time.

September 19, 2013

Athletes add to the Vassar community through unique campus perspectives Luka Ladan

Assistant Sports Editor

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assar College stands for a lot of things, and it means different things to different people. But, when I think about this prestigious institution, the buzz word “diversity” probably comes to mind first. Vassar’s doors are open to all kinds of students—regardless of race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background and so forth—and we’re drawn together by the combination of elite academic standards and a very unique campus life here at Vassar.

It’s a pretty cool concept: people of entirely different backgrounds are drawn to a small liberal arts college in upstate New York because they share strikingly similar goals.

The great thing about “diversity” is that it manifests itself in very different – and very unexpected—manners. It takes different forms, and we experience “diversity” firsthand every single day. As we sit in Rockefeller Hall, as we head over to the Retreat. It’s all around us, and we’re lucky to experience so much difference in such close quarters here on campus.

But we also shouldn’t define “diversity” too narrowly, either. Believe it or not, Vassar’s varsity athletes contribute to that culture, adding their own little tinge of difference to the institution’s utopian canvas of “diversity.”

There’s no doubt that they’re different than a lot of non-athletes on campus, and partly because they have to be different. Varsity athletes wear team colors and muscle shirts— not quite the same as the hipster garb popular around campus—as they busy themselves with lifting schedules and team meetings, all in an attempt to weigh academics and athletics. The routines are different, as are the concerns.

On one hand, college life is just busier for varsity athletes. The day isn’t over when the

last class comes to an end; you might have a team lift or a captain’s practice or a one-onone meeting with your coach (or all of the above). The calendar’s usually packed with obligations, and it can be overwhelming at times. On top of that, the typical concerns that accompany varsity sports only add to the “grind.” Why are practices so hard? Why do we have to wake up early for morning conditioning three times a week? Why am I not playing more? Why, why, why. Your mind is overloaded with questions about all sorts of things.

And then there’s the whole academic-athletic balance thing. You have to worry about that essay due Wednesday evening, in addition to that practice Wednesday afternoon.

You’re nervous about the challenging problem set coming up, as well as the conference game coming even sooner. The burden is doubled.

What’s my GPA looking like? Can we beat them? Surely, varsity athletes and non-athletes are concerned about some of the same things – grades, internships, job experience, and so on. Everyone wants to be prepared for the “real world” when the time comes. But then there’s also a clear divergence, when athletics comes into the picture. Nothing drains you—mentally and physically—quite like focusing on schoolwork and athletics with equal intensity.

You almost need a two-track mind, with one piece concerned about academics and the other involved with athletics. In the morning, you’re on one track. In the evening, you jump to the other and flip your thought process.

The trick is to minimize the overlap; there’s nothing worse than thinking about schoolwork while lifting weights with your team, or vice versa.

(Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining about juggling the two tracks. I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m just trying to

explain the process of playing sports when confronted with a challenging academic environment.)

Non-athletes just don’t share the same concerns. And they definitely don’t have the same hectic schedules. The priorities are different. But that’s what makes Vassar’s version of “diversity” so unique, as well as interesting.

Different people have different ways of thinking — dissimilar tracks, if you will — and that dissimilarity makes Vassar one-of-a-kind compared to other academic institutions.

That’s probably the most defining characteristic of Vassar-esque “diversity” – all of the difference makes this place different than the others, setting it apart from more homogenous institutions.

A hub of all sorts of races and religions, preferences and backgrounds—collegiate athletics being one of them.

We shouldn’t underestimate the value of that convergence. This campus would look completely differently without all of the varsity athletics in the picture, and not in a good way.

There would be too much homogeneity in feel, too little variance in style and preference and routine. Vassar’s varsity athletes — with their tip-top time management skills and ability to switch tracks in a heartbeat — bring something refreshing to the table, which would be lacking otherwise. There are differences in schedules and dress, yes. But one style of dress isn’t better than another. Above all, there’s a difference in vibe and spirit – without this difference, a certain void would be tangible.

Maybe, this comes down to the two tracks.

There would be a sort of emptiness with one track and not the other. But, one thing is certain: Vassar’s image of “diversity” is very unique, and the school’s varsity athletes only add to that image. They bolster it.

NY Jets personnel changes exemplify the promise of a new NFL season Eli J. Vargas I

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Columnist

ith the summer waning, football season is just beginning. And with it comes new aspirations, a clean slate and, for some, new careers. The successes and, more importantly, the failures of last season are in the past and now mean nothing. Teams have employed new players over the offseason, and completely overhauled their rosters which leaves no guarantees that as an organization, you are doomed to repeat last season. The New York Jets are one of those teams that are grateful to put a losing 6-10 record behind them, and focus on improving during the season ahead.

For the Jets, a major concern coming into this season is whether or not their incumbent quarterback, Mark “The Sanchize” Sanchez, would regain his old form of two seasons ago, when he lead the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championships, or if he would continue his downward spiral of subpar performances. In the thick of these concerns, The Sanchize’s season of redemption came to an unfortunate and untimely end in the third game of preseason. Late in the game, The Sanchize was dropping back and was tackled onto his right throwing shoulder, which resulted in a torn labrum and a scheduled surgery. Although he was recently placed on the Injured Reserve list, The Sanchize’s season is effectively over.

Now, in Week three of the NFL season, it may be unfortunate for The Sanchize to have his season come to an end, when he is facing many questions about his performance and free agency next offseason, but it may turn out to be fortunate for the franchise and rookie quarterback, Geno Smith.

Geno Smith, who was drafted in the second round of this year’s draft by the New York Jets out of West Virginia University, was most likely not in line to receive the starting nod from Jets management, while Mark Sanchez

was not performing horribly. Geno Smith would have been sure to become frustrated once reporters continued to harass him with questions concerning the quarterback competition well into the season. And The Sanchize would have been sure to become distracted while the media continued to report incessantly on the quarterback situation.

The New York Jets’ 2013/2014 season would sure to have been defined by the interesting and exasperating dynamic of a young, talented and unproven quarterback standing on the sidelines, while a quarterback with diminishing success in a contract year would continue to receive a place as the starting quarterback.

It would have seemed that after releasing former New York Jets backup quarterback and household name, Tim Tebow, to avoid such a dilemma, that the Jets wouldn’t be in the same frustrating and distracting place.

“The New York Jets are one of those teams that are grateful to put a losing 6-10 record behind them. ” But all of this, fortunately, has been avoided by the The Sanchize’s uncertain place as the starting quarterback for this season coming to an end. The Jets’ management no longer has to deal with the spectacle created by the media covering the Jets’ quarterback competition. No longer will fans continue to grumble their annoyances about the Jets’ management continuing to start the obviously inept Mark Sanchez. Now, Geno Smith has the opportunity to show that he is more than just a young

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

quarterback with NFL potential, but a viable option as an NFL quarterback and the new face of the franchise. And now the Jets organization will be able to focus collectively on what should be focused on: the active season ahead, instead of the depth chart. Although I am not a fan of the Jets because I am from the West Coast, I shared many football fans’ grievances with Jets’ Head Coach Rex Ryan and his decisions to allow quarterback competitions and questions to plague the entire season and distract away from the goals at hand.

I honestly have no idea how after two disappointing and ugly seasons, Ryan continued to hold the faith of the Jets front office. Not only does the blame for the past two disappointing season fall on Head Coach Rex Ryan, but team management, for allowing him to continue distracting the organization by way of questionable quarterback choices. I can almost guarantee it that Rex Ryan would have made the same mistake, as he did last year, by not giving Geno Smith the starting nod this year and essentially ending the quarterbacking questions once for all.

So all and all more than anything, Mark Sanchez’s possible season-ending injury may have saved the Jets from having a terrible season, Geno Smith from wasting away a year on the bench, and the fans from enduring another quarterbacking farce. So, maybe this year, the Jets’ organization can experience the same level of excitement that other organizations, such as the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers, experience by possessing young dual threat quarterbacks who put up big numbers. What Jets fans need most of all right now is excitement, because the last two years have been devoid of such things. And who knows? Maybe Geno Smith may garner such successes to gain a cool nickname, like “The Sanchize.” Am I hearing Geno “The Jet” Smith?

SPORTS

September 19, 2013

Page 19

VC athletes produce mixed Freshmen add competative results during early matches spirit to XC team dynamic Tina Caso and Luka Ladan

Sports Editor and Assistant Sports Editor

es. Vassar takes on Maritime College at Gordon Field on September 22.

Women’s Basketball Women’s Soccer

Senior co-captain Cydni Matsuoka recently had her basketball jersey retired to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday, September 13. The Hall of Fame, which is in Knoxville, TN, now contains Matsuoka’s No. 10 jersey alongside only 100 jerseys of the previous season’s All-American list.

Women’s Golf

Vassar kicked off its season on September 14, as the squad competed in day one of the New York University Invitational. The Brewers finished in the middle of the pack, with senior Paloma Jimenez and sophomore Aimee Dubois both posting scores of 86. Sophomore Angela Mentel shot a score of 87 over the par-72 course, while freshman Diana Howland recorded a 102 in her collegiate round. On day two (September 15), the squad wrapped up the tournament with an eighth place finish. Dubois, the team’s leading scorer for the weekend, posted a score of 83 and Jimenez carded an 89. The Brewers travel to South Hadley, MA on September 21 for the Mount Holyoke College Invitational.

Men’s Soccer

The men faced off against State University of New York Oneonta on September 14, playing to a 1-1 double overtime tie. Justin Mitchell assisted Rob Manukyan, who scored the Brewers’ only goal four minutes before the end of the second half. Ryan Grimme also came up with a key save early in the first overtime. Sophomore Nick Hess was named the Liberty League’s Defensive Player of the Week for his performanc-

On September 14, the women faced New York University at Gordon Field. The final score was 3-2, with the Bobcats taking the lead.

Sophomore Kamaria Coley scored the first goal for the Brewers, assisted by sophomore Lucy Brainerd. Senior Sheeva Seyfi had the second goal, scored from 18 yards out. On Sunday, September 15, the Brewers won a game vs. State University of New York Plattsburgh 1-0. Junior Chloe Wheeler scored the lone goal, making it her fifth of the season. Wheeler has scored two game-winning goals so far this season, and nine game-winners overall for her career, breaking the school record.

Women’s Tennis

On September 15, the Women’s Tennis team competed in the Lindsay Morehouse Invitation at Williams College in Williamstown, MA. Freshmen Connie Yoo went undefeated in singles, besting players from Skidmore College.

Yoo was named Rookie of the Week on September 16 for her performance. Freshmen Shayna Becker and Emily Hallewell teamed up to win two doubles over the weekend.

Women’s Volleyball

Women’s Volleyball lost to Stevenson University in three games on Saturday and beat Hamilton College in three sets. Freshman Gabby Miller had 23 digs vs. Stevenson, while sophomore libero Chloe Hallum had 22. Senior setter Rose Carman had 25 assists in the match vs. Hamilton.

CROSS COUNTRY continued from page 1 utes. She became the first freshman to cross the finish line first for Vassar in a race in over five years. She posted the fastest Brewer time at the Invitational since Laura Coogan in 2006, and the Liberty League also recognized Snider’s strong performance by naming her the Liberty League Women’s Cross Country Rookie of the Week along with Mazzuca.

On Saturday, September 14, the teams traveled to Mawah, NJ to take part in the Ramapo College Roadrunner Invitational. The men’s team placed fourth with just three points separating them from second place; the team finished with 71 points, just three behind New York University and The College of New Jersey, who both tied for second. Rowan University took first place with 44 points. For the fifth time in his career at Vassar, sophomore Jonah Williams from Saratoga Springs, NY was the top finisher for the Brewers; Williams placed fourth overall with a time of 27:01 for the 8k run. Mazzuca had another strong race finishing eighth overall with a time of 27:20.

Other finishers for the Brewers included junior Eliot Gerson from Kensington, MD who placed ninth, just after Mazzuca, with a time of 27:20 as well. Juniors Colin Hepburn and Brian Deer placed 24th and 26th respectively.

Sophomore Andres Orr finished 32nd overall and junior Captain Sean Majer placed 36th.

Overall, the team raced nine other institutions with 129 finishers during the afternoon.

In an emailed statement, Deer wrote about his performance, “I think I did pretty well for my first 8k, I felt strong for a lot of it and consciously made decisions to get moving more than I feel I usually do.” And with regard to the team, he added, “The team felt like we had a pretty good performance, although I know we were bummed about close losses to a few

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teams that we know we need to keep an eye on. Once we get our packs tight and feel 8k’s out again, I think we will be ready to rock.

Our freshman are great this year. Only two of them raced this weekend, Fredo and Logan, and it was their first 8k I believe, but I think that they were pretty happy with how it went.

I heard Fredo had a sweet kick to catch up at the end.”

The women’s team also competed at the Invitational. Senior captain Aubree Piepmeier from Franklin, MA returned for her first race since the NCAA championships last fall. Piepmeier helped lead her team to a first place finish last Saturday, as she finished third overall with a time of 24:08 on the 6k course.

Snider — who also had another strong run that finished her fifth overall with a 24:10 — and Piepmeier helped edge out The College of New Jersey by one point. Sophomore Jonah Williams expressed his confidence about the weekend: “Overall I think the team did very well this weekend. Everybody was assertive and stayed focused during the race which was good,” he said. “We also were competitive with some strong teams which was great to see. There’s still a lot of room for improvement but we’re definitely headed in the right direction.”

Other strong performances came from Snider’s classmates. Fellow freshmen Lucy Balcezak from New Haven, CT placed 11th and Jemma Howlett from Bloomfield Hills, MI placed 12th. Junior Cassidy Carpenter placed 16th out of 194 runners to round out the team score for Vassar. Also finishing for the Brewers was sophomore Ava Farrell who placed 17th and junior Nicole Woodworth placed 23rd.

Both teams travel to Troy, NY on September 20th to compete in the RPI Invitational.

SPORTS

Page 20

September 19, 2013

Sophomore Zarrella a leader through actions, attitude Chris Brown sports Editor

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Cassady Bergevin/The Miscellany News

assar women’s field hockey has surged early this season, having a 3-1 winning record for the first four games this year. Midfielder Bianca Zarrella has proven herself to be an invaluable member of the team. Fittingly wearing the number 1 on her jersey, Zarrella is currently the number one points holder on the team, with an overall total of two goals, two assists, and six points. Although only a sophomore, Zarrella has helped lead her team to crucial victories this season.

Zarrella’s interest in field hockey began in a very unconventional way. “I really wasn’t interested in it at all,” explained Zarrella. “I started in seventh grade because it was the only sport that my middle school offered other than basketball, and I was too short for that. So I played field hockey because I wanted to be sporty.” It was this serendipity that sparked a deep love for the game within Zarrella. She was recruited to the Vassar team near the middle of her senior year in high school. “Cara Dunn, our coach last year, reached out to me and told me to consider doing an overnight at Vassar,” she said. “I wasn’t really considering Vassar, most of my prospective schools were around Boston, and Vassar was three hours away from home.

But I came to the overnight and just loved it.”

Zarrella quickly made her presence known on the team at Vassar, being one of the top players her freshman year. During her first year as a Brewer athlete, Zarrella claimed to have learned a lot about the team dynamic and what it’s like to work so closely with a group of people. “I had been on teams before, but I had never had to live with my teammates,” she expressed. “I think you get a lot closer because you live so close to them. You can meet up and have dinner with them. So I really like playing field hockey in college because you can get that much closer to your teammates. It just makes the bond stronger.”

Bianca’s teammates share similar sentiments towards her as a player and a friend. Sophomore teammate Haley Merritt expressed her admiration for Bianca’s demeanor on and off the field. “I think that one of the best things about Bianca as a teammate is that she is always one of the best players on the field no matter who we’re playing, but you would never know it by her demeanor and how she treats her other teammates,” Merritt expressed. “She always is super modest. B is always willing to help everybody and she never acts like it’s a big deal when she dribbles through ten people and slams it into the goal.”

In addition to being a full time student and athlete here on the Vassar campus, Zarrella also balances holding the position of Jewett House treasurer into her schedule. As treasurer, Zarrella attends weekly house team meetings as well as organizes and keeps track of all the finances and spending done by the house.

“I just take it one day at a time,” Bianca explained in response to balancing her schedule.

“Some days are more hectic than others, and some days are calm, so I use those days to catch up. on the busier days, I just try and make it to everything, but not stretch myself too thin.”

When it is time to focus on the field, Zarrella has a specific routine to get herself mentally prepared for the match to come. “Always before games, I braid my hair, and that usually takes about twenty minutes,” described Zarrella. “It really gets me in the zone.” Zarrella, as well as the other players on the team, have a “secret sister” that they give encouraging notes to in private or secrecy, further promoting team unity. “I write inspirational quotes on a piece of paper for my secret sister and make it really fancy. That always pumps me up.”

During a game, Zarrella uses her calm demeanor to keep herself focused on every movement on the field. “I tell myself to calm down, take a deep breath,” Zarrella explained. “I always get really excited because I love playing

Sophomore midfielder Bianca Zarrella has had a breakout season so far, scoring two goals and having two assists. Zarrella, who has played since middle school leads the team in points with six total. field hockey, but I can get too excited and just be so freaked out that I mess up. So I just have to remember to keep calm.”

As a player and a person, Bianca Zarrella holds the respect of her teammates and coaching staff. Senior co captain Anna Schroeder described her feelings about Zarrella. “Bianca is an excellent representative for Vassar field hockey through her work ethic and drive toward excellence. She not only works hard to improve each day, but also to push us to give our best. I can always trust her with the ball and we work so well together in the midfield.

Through her play she strives to make her teammates look good. Bianca’s attitude shows through off of the field as well through her dedication to her friends and classes.”

As a sophomore, Zarrella has taken on a

role as a leader to her new teammates. Freshman Emma Bracken explained how she follows Zarrella’s example. “I definitely look up to Bianca as both a player and a person,” Bracken explained. “She undoubtedly leads by example and her SICK stick skills are beyond enviable.

She lets her playing do the talking, which I think is the sign of a true player and competitor. As a first year, everything is new and a little scary, but Bianca’s composure on the field is definitely something to aspire to and admire. She’s always playing hard and giving her all, which consequently pushes me to do the same.”

New Head Coach Michael Warari succinctly expressed his thoughts on his talented midfielder. “Talented, aggressive, has a lot of potential, and an even better team player. She makes us better on and off the field.”

Chagnon an intermediary between athletics, public Tina Caso

sports Editor

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fter being hired this summer as the new Athletic Communications Director, Northern Virginia native Jamie Chagnon has become a driving force behind Vassar Athletics, taking charge of the student-athlete’s image to observers. Constantly working behind the lens, in the press box during games and via the Athletics website, Chagnon seeks to input more information than ever and pay particular attention to the student-athlete as an individual.

Chagnon, who majored in Sports Management at Lynchburg College, has always been a dedicated athlete and sports fanatic. “Sports have always been important in my family — my parents were always big sports fans,” Chagnon recalled. “It was a real bonding thing for [my grandfather and I]. We would read the newspaper and look at the box scores so it was always in my blood.”

Chagnon has also played baseball, golf, foot-

ball and hockey. “Recreationally I play anything,” he said. “Playing has gotten me to the point where I understand sports.”

Chagnon’s understanding of the game also comes from his work off the field. His interest in sports management began in high school, where he announced women’s basketball games and cultivated his work with public address. The interest carried over into Lynchburg. “Once I got to college, my student mentor knew the Sports Information Director at Lynchburg…I started P.A. announcing for Lynchburg and I wanted one more responsibility and it kind of just grew from there.” After Lynchburg, he stayed on board as an assistant.

For two years during his time as an assistant, he took a brief hiatus to take an internship in Las Vegas. “When I was in Las Vegas, it was kind of on a whim. It was an experience that I wanted to have,” he said. “A lot of people are hesitant about getting crazy and going somewhere different, and that’s not how I am. I feel

Cassady Bergevin/The Miscellany News

New Athletics Communication Director Jamie Chagnon, hired this past summer seeks to highlight athletic achievement in addition to inputting more information to the Vassar Athletics website.

like you need to have the life experience to mold you.”

Chagnon worked as a Sports Information intern at the Division I University of Nevada-Las Vegas. “I saw that side of it, the Division I side, and I think it prepared me in terms of seeing what that was like, and seeing that people actually put DI athletes on a pedestal. But they’re just 18-21 year-old kids…while athletics are a big part of their life, they’re still students just like anyone else.”

Chagnon also worked as a DataCast Stringer for the MLB before taking on Sports Information as a full-time job. “If you’re watching Major League Baseball game, there are livestats… but it’s very intricate. It’s got where the pitch is, how fast the ball comes in and the degree of break on a curveball, and it shows where the ball is hit,” he explained. “You get to sit in the press box of Major League Baseball games, pretty much every night, and be around beat writers and people that are important in baseball. I’m a huge Orioles fan, so being able to work at Camden Yards and see people every day that I grew up watching play baseball — it was a great experience for me. It’s cool to say that I’ve done it.”

Chagnon took on his first Sports Information Director position at Randolph College. “[Randolph] was 13 teams, a small school, so it really helped me transition to being a head SID and implementing a lot of what I wanted to do, my vision. “ While at Randolph, Chagnon was named 2012 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) Sports Information Director of the Year. In 2011 he was the Conference’s Secretary, and in 2013, he was the Sports Information Director President. Chagnon, however, is not overly concerned with these titles.

“The awards...it’s nice to have,” he said. “It’s nice to say that you got them, but I think the interactions and the experience I had with my colleagues when I was there and with the student-athletes — and obviously the awards my student-athletes got — were more important for me.”

The student body at Randolph provided Chagnon with a new viewpoint. “When I was at Lynchburg, it was all Athletics. People don’t

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

think like that at Randolph. Athletics are important, but it’s also academically driven,” he said. After working in this atmosphere, Vassar seemed like an ideal place for Chagnon.

Despite this, Chagnon wasn’t looking for a job when he came across Vassar. “I played baseball with [Varsity Baseball Head Coach Jon Martin] in college, so I saw the opening,” he said. “I gave him a call…and he was pretty much saying that this place was awesome. The students are at the next level, the student-athletes are great — they make you think — the student worker group is top notch, the area is fantastic,” Chagnon explained. “Things worked out that I got an on-campus interview and came up here and really enjoyed it. I think that when I was here…it was just right. It felt like a great fit to me.”

Sports Information Assistant Chris Boswell noted how well Chagnon has fit in with Vassar Athletics so far. “The department has taken to Jamie with a lot of enthusiasm. They are excited with all of the new ideas he brings with him and they know that the direction he wants to go in is going to raise the bar at Vassar College,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “In the short while since I’ve known Jamie, I can already call him more than a boss. His skills in video, social media, design, writing, public address announcing and overall management of our office are above the rest.”

Chagnon echoed Boswell’s sentiments on office dynamic. “I have a very good relationship with Chris, and I think the work that he does is fantastic,” he said. “He’s in tune with the students, with our athletes. He’s really what you want in an assistant.”

This year, Chagnon’s duties at Vassar include the input of website content, game statistics, online stories, videos, photographs, posters and promotions. “Our job is to promote the student-athlete, especially on the smaller level.

We don’t have media doing that for us. I don’t have ESPN calling to talk to a basketball player all the time…it’s our job to promote our student-athletes to the community,” he said. “Every student has a story to tell. There are stories that people might not know about, so it’s our job to get them out there.”