The Miscellany News, Volume CXLVII, Issue 11 (Jan. 23, 2014)

The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVII | Issue 11

January 23, 2014

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Office of the President Vassar accepts new Posse students opposes Israel boycott O Elizabeth Dean Guest RepoRteR

Eloy Bleifuss Prados FeAtuRes editoR

D

uring Winter Break on the second day of the New Year, the College released a statement announcing its opposition to an academic boycott of Israeli educational institutions.

This decision comes weeks into an intense debate in academia that has drawn fault lines through colleges and universities across the country.

Posted online on the Office of the President’s website and signed by President Catharine Hill and Dean of the Faculty Jonathan Chenette, the statement reads, “We are opposed to boycotts of scholars and academic institutions anywhere in the world, and we strongly reject the call for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions.”

Last December, the American Studies Association (ASA), an organization of academics, ignited the conflict when its members voted in favor of a resolution to boycott Israeli universities. The ASA wrote in an emailed statement, “[The boycott] represents a principle of solidarity with scholars and students deprived of their academic freedom and an aspiration to enlarge that freedom for

all, including Palestinians.”

The boycott would prohibit formal collaboration between Israeli Universities and the ASA. Scholars holding administrative positions at Israeli universities such as dean or president would not be invited to ASA conferences or lectures.

The boycott, however, is not a mandate for zero contact. Individual ASA members are still free to engage with Israeli universities, if they so choose. The association also clarified that “The resolution does not apply to individual Israeli scholars engaged in ordinary forms of academic exchange, including conference presentations, public lectures at campuses, or collaboration on research and publication.”

The ASA’s actions, despite being a rather small coalition, sent waves across the academic world, and Vassar College found itself needing to articulate where it stood on the boycott to the rest of the world.

As Chenette wrote in an emailed statement, “After the members of the American Studies Association voted in December to endorse a resolution calling for a boycott of Israeli academic institutions, the President’s See ISRAEL on page 7

Guest RepoRteR

F

rom its inception in 2009, ComedyNormative has held a special place in Vassar’s comedy scene. In addition to being the only co-ed stand-up troupe, its lack of auditions speaks to its loose, open atmosphere.

The Vassar Student Association (VSA) recently certified the troupe after five years of unofficial

meetings huddled in the cramped Davision basement.

“Its mission has been to provide an open environment for student comedians looking to workshop and perform stand-up comedy, wrote President Jean-Luc Bouchard ’14 in an emailed statement.

ComedyNormative meetings maintain an inclusive, easy-going vibe. All attendees are free to offer criticism and workshop jokes. “We

B

enjamin Lotto was recently selected to be the new Dean of Studies and will be officially starting in July 2014. Lotto is a professor in the Mathematics Department and acted as the Dean of Freshmen for the Class of 2016. The Dean of Studies is responsible for overlooking a number of different areas of college life and operations, including “fellowships and pre-health advising, international programs, career development and the Learning, Teaching and Research Center” (deanof-

pride ourselves on our open atmosphere, because we like to think that the best comedy possible comes not from an early selective process of auditions, but from continuous workshopping and a multitude of opinions,” Bouchard wrote.

Bouchard has been involved with ComedyNormative since his first semester at Vassar.

“I never performed stand-up See COMEDY on page 16

courtesy of Matt Cabrera

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NEWS

NY minimum wage increase phased in for student workers

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studies.vassar.edu). The dean works with students concerning a variety of issues including academic difficulties, leaves of absence, and personal issues.

Vassar’s Dean of Studies for the past five years has been Professor of English Joanne Long and the current Acting Dean is professor of English and Africana Studies, Eve Dunbar.

The search for the new dean started in the beginning of the school year with the help of a search committee and members of the administration.

Dunbar wrote in an emailed statement, “The Dean of Studies search

Shelia Hu

Guest RepoRteR

After five years of being an uncertified Vassar organization, the audition-free comedy troupe, ComedyNormative, has established its identity as a stand-up group. Pictured above President Bouchard ’14 plays the keyboard.

Inside this issue

The Class of 2018 will include the second group of students from the Vassar Posse program, which invites veterans to partake in the college experience.

Lotto selected as Dean of Studies

VSA certifies ComedyNormative Matthew McCardwell

courtesy of Vassar College Media Relations

Campus divided over concerns of stifled academic freedom amid recurring Israel-Palestine conflicts

n Friday, Jan. 17, the College announced on their Facebook page the acceptance of 10 veterans to Vassar’s Class of 2018 through the Posse program. This will be Vassar’s second Posse class, with the Class of 2017 featuring 11 veterans through the same program.

On its website, the Posse Foundation website explains its purpose and goals. The website reads, “The Veterans Posse initiative identifies and supports veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces who are interested in pursuing bachelor’s degrees at top colleges and universities across the country.”

It continues, “By creating cohorts of veterans, preparing them for See POSSE on page 4

VARC to host talk with vegan bloggers FEATURES and podcasters.

was conducted by a committee consisting of the following people: Barbara Olsen, Associate Professor of Greek and Roman Studies; Michael Pisani, Professor of Music; Elliott Schreiber, Associate Professor of German Studies; Christopher Smart, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Danny Dones, VSA VP for Student Life; Raph Korine, Noyes House President/ BHP Co-Chair; Shruti Manian, VSA VP for Academics.”

She continued, “The members of the search committee worked throughout the fall semester and See LOTTO on page 3

Men’s basketball holds winning record Tina Caso

spoRts editoR

A

fter enjoying a strong winning streak to start off the season and a shortened winter break, the men’s basketball team was back in action on December 30. Over break, the team lengthened its winning streak to nine games, only losing two matches vs. Union College and Hobart College. The men have already won more games so far this year than last year in total.

According to Head Coach Brian Dunne, practicing on an empty campus was beneficial to the team. “I think it is a huge advantage. There are no distractions so all we are focused on is basketball. [I’m] not worried about the players being stressed with academics or running from class to practice,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “[They] can practice in the middle of the day and a lot is accomplished: film, team lifts, team activities, extra workouts. The only downfall is having home games and no students on campus to fill the stands.” Junior co-captain Alex Snyder agreed, but does not necessarily enjoy the lack of winter break: “Its always tough in the beginning to come back to Vassar so quick,” he wrote. “We don’t have much time to be with our families and be home, but being back and having nothing to worry about besides basketball is not too bad either.”

15 ARTS

The team quickly moved back into play at the Trinity College Tournament, held in Hartford CT. In its first match vs. Wentworth Institute of Technology, the team won 60-54 with early points by junior forward Luka Ladan [full disclaimer], sophomore guard Johnny Mrlik and junior guard Curtis Smith. Mrlik had 23 points overall for the Brewers.

“Wentworth was very well-coached and it was our first game in 20 days,” wrote Head Coach Dunne. “We played well enough to win, and defended very well.

It was an ugly game, a lot of fouls, and both teams struggled to execute, but we buckled down the stretch and got the job done. It was great for us to get back on the court and compete after being off for so many days.”

The next day, the team faced the Trinity College hosts, and took the tournament title by only one point.

Mrlik had 16 points, Snyder had 14 and sophomore guard Erikson Wasyl had 11.

Both Mrlik and Snyder were named to the All-Tournament team.

“The two wins at the Trinity Tournament were big for us,” explained Synder. “The first proved that we could win games even when we did not play our best. The second one showed us that we could beat teams that are considered better.”

Coach Dunne was also content with See BASKETBALL on page 19

Professor explores anthropological aspects of music

Page 2

The Miscellany News

January 23, 2014

Editor-in-Chief Chris Gonzalez

Senior Editors

Meaghan Hughes Marie Solis

Contributing Editors Ruth Bolster Adam Buchsbaum Jessica Tarantine

News Noble Ingram Features Eloy Bleifuss Prados Aja Saalfeld Opinions Joshua Sherman Humor & Satire Lily Doyle Sports Christopher Brown Tina Caso Photography Spencer Davis Design Palak Patel Social Media Alessandra Seiter Copy Ashley Pecorelli

Crossword Editor Jack Mullan Assistant Sports Luka Laden Assistant Photo Jacob Heydorn Gorski Jiajing Sun Assistant Social Media Youngeun “Ellis” Kim Victoria Bachurska

The Miscellany News holds its weekly Paper Critique on Sundays at 9 p.m. in the Rose Parlor.

Any member of the Vassar community is welcome to attend.

Reporters Columnists Bloggers Photographers Copy Editors Videographers Cartoonists Graphic Designers

Reporters Emma Daniels Charlacia Dent Emily Hoffman Anna Iovine Maggie Jeffers Samantha Kohl Jonathan Safir Columnists Natasha Bertrand Delaney Fischer Zach Rippe Max Rook Lily Sloss Eli J. Vargas I Design Bethany Terry Kelly Yu Online Rachel Dorn Copy Alex Bue Elizabeth Dean Sophie Kosmacher Christian Lewis Tori Madway Macall McQueen Marya Pasciuto Camilla Pfeiffer Emma Roellke Rebecca Weir

LETTERS POLICY The Miscellany News is Vassar College’s weekly open forum for discussion of campus, local and national issues, and welcomes letters and opinions submissions from all readers.

Letters to the Editor should not exceed 450 words, and they usually respond to a particular item or debate from the previous week’s issue. Opinions articles are longer pieces, up to 800 words, and take the form of a longer column. No letter or opinions article may be printed anonymously. If you are interested in contributing, e-mail misc@vassar.edu.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

January 23, 2014

NEWS

Page 3

Logistical challenges limit success of Spring Orientation Noble Ingram neWs editoR

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Josh Sherman/The Miscellany News

n Monday, Jan. 20 and Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Vassar College First Year Program hosted an event called “Spring Orientation: Unpacking Vassar.” The event was created for first-year students but was carried out by Residential Life and house teams. According the college’s website, the themes of the program included privilege, identity and belonging.

Assistant Director of Residential Life and First Year Programs, Diane Eshelman, spoke to the demand the school had for a new program like this. In an e-mailed statement, he wrote, “Unpacking Vassar, which is taking place of Act as Activism, was born out of the need to continue conversations that begin, for firstyear students, during New Student Orientation in August.”

She continued, “Looking at the feedback from Orientation from the past couple of years, students enjoyed programs that discussed issues of social justice, such as “I Am Vassar” (a program presented by Campus Life). Taking all of this feedback, the First Year Spring Orientation planning committee (which consisted of myself, Ed Pittman, Judy Jarvis, Luz Burgos-Lopez from Campus Life, Kiese Laymon, Associate Professor of English, Luis Inoa from Residential Life, and Julia Tavares ’15) created five goals for Spring Orientation.”

Those five goals included offering a space for students to reflect on their first semester at Vassar, offering a space to continue the discussion about privilege at Vassar, and allowing students to interact with other members of the Vassar community including faculty and administration.

The program included several talks and performances by members of the Vassar administration and outside speakers including J. Mase, a trans/queer poet/educator based in Brooklyn and working with community members on the needs of LGBTQ youth and adults and Jay Smooth, the founder of New York City’s longest-running hip hop radio program, WBAI’s

As part of the new spring orientation programming, J. Mase, a trans/queer poet/educator, and Jay Smooth, founder of a New York City-based hip hop radio program, spoke on identity-related issues.

Underground Railroad. These two speakers presented on their experience issues relating to race, gender, and other identifiers.

The Spring Orientation program was met with mixed success. Though some felt the program was successful in bringing together the Vassar first-year community and cultivating a more socially conscious environment, others disagreed. Associate Dean of the College Ed Pittman said, “We were successful in putting together a program and agenda that fostered conversations around social justice, community and identity. We also brought together firstyear and returning students for the conversations we believe are important for building the inclusive campus environments we desire.”

Others felt the program was disorganized and unsuccessful. Student Fellow Maddie Shafer ’16, who helped with the execution of the

program, thought many of the activities didn’t serve the purposes for which they were intended. Spring Orientation wasn’t mandatory and many prevented it from achieving its goals.

Schafer said, “Student fellows weren’t supplied with schedules for their day of training until less than a week beforehand and then didn’t receive any real training. We talked briefly about how to facilitate a discussion based on the ‘Power Flower,’ an activity which came with written instructions. They were only given the schedule for what their fellowees were doing during ‘training’—so after some of the events had already happened and less than 24 hours before they were supposed to be leading activities.”

She continued, “No one showed up for any of the house-specific activities. You can’t ask people about a program that they didn’t par-

ticipate in. Also, I know some freshmen and house team members found it frustrating that they had been pressured into coming back to campus early and then given nothing of worth to do,” she said.

Pittman picked up on these challenges. He said, “Though numbers and attendance are not the final determinants for program success, we obviously want more first year students to participate in Spring Orientation. On a campus such as Vassar we did expect more students to participate and will explore more effective ways to make this happen next year, including the possibility of ‘requiring’ first year students to participate.”

Despite the organizational challenges of Spring Orientation, the program still worked towards a goal that many in the administration thought was beneficial. Eshelman spoke to the ways in which the orientation was an attempt to deal with some of the social justice issues that the College encountered last semester.

Eshelman compared this program to other college’s offerings, stating, “Many other institutions have some type of orientation type of event in the beginning of the spring semester, but I am not sure that they specifically focus on conversation around social justice. In developing the program, we tried to create something unique to Vassar’s culture and commitments to being inclusive while acknowledging that we all have to work harder to build community.

Ultimately, though the program sought to address real problems and concerns at Vassar, there was a strong sense that these concerns could have been better addressed in other ways. One student fellow, Sarah Gittins ’16, found the goals commendable on the part of the administration but that the program itself could have been much more effective.

“I don’t know how successful Spring Orientation was for the freshmen that participated.

From a Student Fellow’s perspective, whose freshmen did not show up to the activities, I do not think Spring Orientation was successful,” she concluded.

Lotto committed to upholding Vassar’s primary values LOTTO continued from page 1

Carlos Alamo-Pastrana, of which she chose the former.

Ben Lotto also commented on why he decided to apply for the position and in what ways he believes he can do a good job. He said, “The Dean of Studies and the offices that report to it play a vital role in fostering Vassar students’ academic opportunity and achievement by supporting the success of students and faculty in their learning and teaching at Vassar. I firmly believe in the values of liberal arts education and have a deep commitment to Vassar’s core values.”

He continued, “Having recently completed a term as Dean of Freshmen in the office of the Dean of Studies, I am passionate about the work of this office in supporting the core mission of the college for all Vassar students. I believe that my strongest assets are my experience and my knowledge of the institution. During my

21 years at Vassar, I have had the opportunity and privilege to work with nearly every faculty member and administrator. As I frequently tell students with whom I work, although I may not be able to answer a question or solve your problem, I know the person at Vassar who can.”

As the Dean of Freshmen, Lotto used various platforms to communicate with students. He ran the Vassar Freshman Experience Blog that updated incoming freshmen on housing, choosing classes, orientation, events around school, and other information throughout the year.

In addition, Lotto has a twitter account (VCFreshmenDean) where he frequently tweets about campus activities and passes along messages from organizations and departments.

On whether the previous role of being Dean of Freshmen prepared him in any way for the new position, he said, “Absolutely. As Dean of Freshmen, I worked side by side with the Dean

courtesy of Benjamin Lotto

consulted with President Hill and Dean Roellke to make their final recommendation for appointment.”

Noyes House President Raph Korine spoke to the experience of selecting a new dean. In an e-mailed statement, he wrote, “The process of choosing the new Dean of Studies had several stages. At the very beginning, myself alongside Shruti Manian [’15] (VP for Academics), Genesis Hernandez (former VP for Student Life) and four members of faculty met with Cappy and Chris Roellke to figure out a timeline for the process as well as to gather what Cappy and Chris Roellke were looking for in terms of a new Dean of Studies. The committee then met with several members of the Dean of Studies office, as well as outgoing Dean of Studies Joanne Long to understand what the role entailed, so that we were well prepared for the upcoming interviewing stage.”

He continued, “We then sent out an e-mail allowing members of faculty to either self-nominate or nominate another member of faculty who they thought may be viable.”

Students on campus were also encouraged to nominate members of faculty. Once the nominations period closed, all nominees were sent an e-mail notifying them of their nomination.

Three of the nominees accepted: Benjamin Lotto, Carlos Alamo-Pastrana and Diane Harriford.

The next stage of the search involved a one-hour interview with each candidate, with a consistent set of 10 questions dealing with various aspects of the role of Dean of Studies.

The interviews were followed by several days of deliberation, as well as two meetings with President Hill.

The deliberation itself lasted for about a week, as there was no clear front-running candidate based off of the interviews.

According to Korine, all three candidates had considerable strengths and weaknesses, all of which varied dramatically. A strength in one candidate was a weakness in another and so on. Ultimately, President Hill had to choose between appointing either Benjamin Lotto or

Former Dean of Freshmen Ben Lotto will assume the role of Dean of Studies in July of 2014.

Joanne Long, an English professor, previously held the administrative position for the last five �years.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

of Studies for four years. We spoke nearly every day. I served on many — perhaps most — of the committees on which the Dean of Studies serves. I attended every Dean of Studies staff meeting and would, at times, preside over them. One of the best features of the office is the level of collaboration among the staff, and I would regularly consult and be consulted by the Dean of Studies and the other class advisors on difficult situations that would arise.”

He continued, “Also, as Dean of Freshmen, I participated in a number of trainings, including QPR (suicide prevention) and Title IX Investigator Training (for students who are victims of gender-based discrimination, including sexual assault or harassment), providing me with tools for handling some of the most upsetting and sensitive situations that students present to the Dean of Studies office. I also developed a superb working relationship with all of the offices in the Dean of the College Division that provide support for students.”

Speaking to whether or not students should expect any kinds of changes to policies of programs the Dean of Studies oversees in the future, Lotto commented that, “Since I’m not assuming the position until July, I think it’s too early to lay out specific agenda items for the office in the coming years.”

He went further, expressing a desire to stay connected to the community. He said, “However, I know that I want to continue the efforts of the office to make sure that it is accessible and equitable to all Vassar students, and that the functioning of the office is as transparent as possible. I do hope to spend some time during the spring talking with students, faculty, and administrators about their perceptions of the office and what improvements might be made.”

Korine expressed enthusiasm for the selection of Lotto as the new Dean of Studies. He said, “Ben Lotto had many strengths in terms of the role of dean of studies. He clearly had a lot of experience with the office, being an outgoing Dean of Freshmen, displayed strengths in time management, organization and leadership and seemed very motivated about the position.”

NEWS

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Outside the Bubble Chicago Archdiocese releases records of Sexual Abuse

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Archdiocese of Chicago released more than 6,000 documents detailing the sexual misconduct cases of 30 Roman Catholic priests. Francis Cardinal George, the archbishop of Chicago, announced this decision in a letter last week. He also explained that none of the incidents had occurred since 1996 and that all legal cases have been settled (USA Today, “Sex Abuse Files on 30 Chicago Priests Going Public”, 1.21.14).

Even so, many of the victims of these incidents have pushed for the publication of these files as a way of reckoning with their experiences and chronicling the history of the Roman Catholic Church’s presence in Chicago.

“There can’t be safety in the future unless practices that were so dangerous in the past are fully known,” said Jeff Anderson, a lawyer representing many of the victims. “It really is a painful and sorrowful...but from that, there is hope that it will not be repeated” (The New York Times, “Chicago Archdiocese Releases Records of Abuse Complaints, 1.21.14).

The documents are predicted to put the spotlight on Cardinal Francis E. George, the archbishop of Chicago, who was president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops from 2007 to 2010, when many dioceses were dealing with the abuse allegations (The New York Times, “Chicago Archdiocese Releases Records Abuse Complaints”, 1.21.14).

Many of these first victims find the release and publication of this information highly beneficial to their own healing processes. Peter Isely, Midwest director for the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said it is important for all Chicago-area Catholics to read the until-now “hidden” documents (Boston Globe, “Chicago Clergy Sex Abuse Data Set for Release”, 1.16.14).

“It’s physical, material evidence and truth,” he said. “I can’t tell you how important this is to victims of trauma...It’s something that can’t be denied and wished away” (Boston Globe, “Chicago Clergy Sex Abuse Data Set for Release”, 1.16.14).

Samba-Panza first woman elected Interim President of Central African Republic

After several bloody conflicts between Christian militias and Muslim rebels that temporarily disrupted the state of the Central African Republic, a new interim president, Catherine Samba-Panza has been elected. The former mayor of the capital city of Bangui, Samba-Panza is the first woman to ever hold the position in the nation’s history. She will probably serve along with a parliament assembled from rebel sympathizers, politicians, artists and others for about a year (The New York Times, “Woman Chosen to Lead Central African Republic Out of Mayhem”, 1.20.2014).

In her victory speech, Samba-Panza urged Christian militias and Muslim fighters in the ex-Seleka rebel movement to end the bloodshed.

“I call on my children, especially the anti-Balaka, to put down their arms and stop all the fighting. The same goes for the ex-Seleka—they should not have fear. I don’t want to hear any more talk of murders and killings,” she said, the Associated Press reports (BBC, “Central African Republic MPs Elect Catherine Samba-Panza”, 1.20.2014).

Many now hope that the election of a new interim president with no links to either camp will help calm the nation of 4.6 million people that has a Christian majority and a Muslim minority.

A spokesman for a major group of anti-Balaka fighters, which had earlier protested against the vote, said they were happy with Samba-Panza’s election (The Huffington Post, “Catherine Samba-Panza, Bangui Mayor, Elected Interim President Of Central African Republic”, 1.20.2014).

Inside the chamber of the assembly, female spectators broke into joyful shouts and cheers.

The consensus in the chamber and on the street was that men had led the country into violence, and that the hope was for a woman to lead it out.

“Everything we have been through has been the fault of men,” said Marie-Louise Yakemba, who heads a civil-society organization that brings together people of different faiths, and who cheered loudly when the speaker announced Samba-Panza’s victory. “We think that with a woman, there is at least a ray of hope,” she said (The New York Times, “Woman Chosen to Lead Central African Republic Out of Mayhem”, 1.20.2014).

—Noble Ingram, News Editor

January 23, 2014

Minimum wage increase takes effect at VC Anna Iovine Reporter

N

ew York’s minimum wage increased at the end of 2013 from the federal minimum of $7.25 to $8 an hour. It is one of 13 states to raise the minimum wage at the start of 2014. A total of 21 states now have minimum wages above $7.25 an hour (USA Today, “13 states raising pay for minimum-wage workers,” 12.30.13).

Vassar students working for minimum wage either saw the increase at the beginning of the year or will see the increase as they return to their campus jobs after winter break.

Assistant Director of Financial Aid and Student Employment Brianne Balzer explained in an emailed statement, “Any student that was making less than $8/hour last semester has had their hourly wage increased to $8/hour for payroll periods after December 31st, 2013.”

“The change will have a small impact on students,” said Director of Financial Aid and Student Employment Jessica Bernier in an emailed statement. “However, some students will see a small raise as anyone who had a job that paid them under $8 per hour will now get paid at the new minimum wage. For some, this may be a bi-weekly raise of $12-15, assuming they were earning $7.25 per hour and are working 8-10 hours per week.”

“Students receiving this wage increase will be earning slightly more during the spring; but keep in mind all students are only eligible to earn their financial aid work study allotment based on the financial aid award and/or class year,” said Balzer. “The wage increase was already factored into the work study allotments per class year when we did the financial aid awards for 2013/14 last spring and summer,” she continued.

Matthew Gabriele ’16 worried about this, saying. ”One concern I had was reaching the student contribution earlier because of the

increase—so making less money overall— but I’m glad to hear that the financial aid office thought about that. I know some of my friends were worried about that too, especially those who work the maximum amount of hours every week.”

Berneir continued, “Mainly, the changes involved doing a mass update in JobX to update the wages and also in our Banner system as well as updating our forms, manuals, JobX website and handbooks,” she explained.

The New York minimum wage will continue to rise over the next few years. This increase is one of three that will occur according to the state budget approved by the New York Legislature and Governor Andrew Cuomo. By the end of 2014, most workers will receive $8.75 an hour and then $9 by the end of 2015 (New York Post, “NY increasing minimum wage to $8 an hour in 2014,” 12.27.13).

Tipped workers, however, might not benefit from the increase. The minimum for these employees is $5 an hour. The maximum tip credit—credit against the employee’s minimum wage—could be raised to $3 an hour, then $3.75, and finally $4 in a span of three years (New York Post).

“The increase is nice for someone that has other means of support,” said Gabriele, who works at the music library in Skinner Hall.

“I’m grateful that my job on campus is not my only source of income. But for people who live off of minimum wage, they’re still going to struggle,” he conjectured. “I think the extra seventy-five cents is going to help people who didn’t need the increase in the first place more than those who did.”

Gabriele went further, noting the cost of living in New York. “Living in New York is also a factor. It is more expensive to live here than more rural states, and that should definitely be taken into consideration,” he said.

Regional Programs Intern at Alumni Affairs and Development Cady Cirbes ’16

agreed with Gabriele, stating, “I didn’t have any objections to being paid $7.25 an hour because I don’t really depend on it.”

Cirbes continued, “For Vassar students like me, it’s just a bigger supplement income than before. But for other Vassar students—and obviously people outside Vassar—who depend on minimum wage, I don’t know how much seventy-five cents more will help. ” According to non-profit organization Hunger Action Network, the rise will not help; they say eight dollars an hour is a “sub-poverty wage” (New York Post).

Hunger Action’s Executive Director Mark Dunlea said, “Historically, the minimum wage was for a single worker with two dependents at the poverty level.” Activists for the working poor are encouraging the New York government to instead raise minimum wage to anywhere from $10 to $15 an hour, and include tipped workers as well (New York Post).

Bernier noted, “The major change that was made is that we [the Financial Aid and Student Employment Offices] increased the work study allotment in the financial aid package for students to ensure that they could continue to work 8-10 hours per week for the entire academic year without reaching their work study allotment before the end of the year.”

“We know that students rely on these funds to cover their expenses and we didn’t want anyone to stop working because they had reached their limit,” she continued.

“I don’t think legislatures really had students in mind when deciding to increase minimum wage,” said Cirbes. “Or they might have thought of high school students working for minimum rather than college students.”

She said, “While I’m glad action is finally being taken, I think the government should focus on people with families who have to survive on minimum. The increase is just a perk for me, but it’s vital for others.”

Vassar more prepared for arriving veterans POSSE continued from page 1

the college experience and supporting them through graduation, the Veterans Posse initiative will greatly increase veterans’ success in college and ultimately in the workforce. The Posse Foundation announced its Veterans initiative in 2012 and began the program in partnership with Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York.”

According to the Vassar Facebook page, the incoming freshmen are Patrick DeYoung, Sidney Johnson, Keith Kohlmann, Nicole Leadenham, Vincent Lenart, Huy Nguyen, Tanya Painter, Antoine Robinson, Jonathan Snyder, and Teresa Stout. These veterans will bring experience from the United States Army, Army National Guard, Marines and Navy to the Vassar campus.

Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Vassar David M. Borus is also the Posse liaison for the College. He explained the selection process for the small Posse group. In an emailed statement he wrote, “Potential Veterans Posse members are identified by the Posse Foundation through a multi-step process which involves several meetings and interviews with the candidates.”

According to Borus, starting with a large pool of nominees, they winnow it down to 20 to 25 finalists who are invited to come to New York to meet with a team of Vassar representatives.

Borus continued, “After that extended group meeting, the members of the next Posse are chosen by the Vassar representatives and the Posse staff. Of course, the finalists must all fill out the Common Application and supply test scores and transcripts like any other applicants, and this information is part of the decision making process.”

Borus reiterated the group-based nature of the Posse Veterans program, in which a cohort of non-traditional new students enter a new environment together in order to provide support and like-minded peers. He explained, “The goal of this process is to produce a group of ten students who will enter Vassar together...I am certain that there will be a great deal of contact, both formal and informal, between

the members of the first Veterans Posse and the newest Posse students during the coming year.”

He continued, “Part of the model of the Posse Foundation is to build such relationships so that continuing students can support and assist new students, and I am sure that Vassar will work to provide such opportunities for interaction between the groups during the year.”

Borus reflected on the past semester he spent working with the Posse members of the Class of 2017. He said, “By working with the members of the first Veterans Posse, I think those of us at Vassar have learned a lot this year that will make the transition to college life somewhat smoother for subsequent groups. For example, we have gained a great deal of useful knowledge about working with the Veterans Administration and other governmental agencies that impact the lives of all students that are vets.”

He further stated, “We also have a clearer idea of what sorts of information the Posse members will need in advance of their arrival on campus.”

Anuradha Datta ’17 from Calcutta, India is a member of Vassar Posse I. Her military experience includes being a Motor Transportation Specialist in the US Army, leading convoy escort teams during OEF/OIF. She reflected on her experience at Vassar last semester in an emailed statement, writing, “Vassar has been amazing...I arrived on campus the first day feeling so uncomfortable and out of place, but having my Posse with me made the transition much easier.”

She continued to describe the difficulties she first encountered, “The hardest part was the academia. It is very challenging and I have learned a lot in just the first semester. The inclusive culture of Vassar is a shock at first, everyone is so nice and accommodating; it is very different from the military or the civilian workforce. I look forward to getting to know more students and professors, and working on projects that make a difference in this community. Events like Theater of War have been great; talking about our past experiences

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

and creating a dialogue has helped us feel at home.”

She also affirmed the value of the Posse program in terms of becoming friends with other members of her group: “We [in Vassar Posse 1] have grown to be a close, tight knit group; going through this transition has brought us all closer together. We are very excited to have the next class join us, it’s great to be able to walk around campus and see familiar faces and know that I am not alone in this journey.”

Datta and her peers also spoke to the challenges and opportunities connected to being part of the first Posse group at Vassar. Datta said, “Being the first to do anything is always a challenge; we did not know what to expect when we arrived at Vassar. I had a lot of reservations.” She said she wondered, “Am I doing the right thing? Is this really where I belong?

How do the other students feel about veterans coming to campus? Will we be accepted, especially with such a huge age difference, by our peers?”

Datta continued, “We did not know what to expect, nor did we have all the answers when we decided to travel down this path. But so far, it has been a very rewarding experience. We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to contemplate women’s rights, to discuss international politics, to dance to our hearts’ content in the studio. As veterans, we have seen and experienced a lot of things that our fellow students have yet to experience, but for those few fleeting moments when we are sitting in a classroom together, we are just students going through the freshman experience.”

Vassar administration has high hopes for the new groups of Posse students coming to Vassar in fall of 2014. Many hope for the continued success of the program and look to the first Posse group as highly promising.

Datta said she would advise the next class to “Jump in with both feet! Take that ballet class you always wanted to, ask those burning questions to your professors, join that club, go to the late night meetings, scream with your peers before finals, and enjoy every moment of it.”

January 23, 2014

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Modfest evolves in harmony with expanding art forms Aja Saalfeld

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and I think the end product is fantastic.”

Commissioning pieces is one way that Vassar supports composers and therefore contemporary music.

“Any performance—if decently done—benefits composers! There are a lot of alums out there composing and performing, and conducting,” wrote Wilson.

Commissioned pieces directly benefit composers in more ways than just exposing the world to their music. Commissioning a piece costs a significant amount of money, and so composers benefit directly and monetarily for their services.

But Modfest is not just about music as art.

As a campus-wide and interdepartmental affair, Modfest includes diverse artistic forms, from the visual to dance to translation as art.

Since art is always evolving, Modfest is an op-

courtesy of Apicella and Bunton Architects

ver a decade ago, Modfest Founder and Director Dee Wilson retired, but retirement was not an excuse to stop supporting art. Along with her husband, Professor of Music Richard Wilson, she started a small festival of 20th century music that started what has become an annual fixture in Vassar’s art scene—Modfest.

According to its website, “Modfest is a series of free performances and programs in dance, drama, visual art, film, literature, poetry and music taking place Jan. 23 to Feb. 7,” but Wilson emphasizes that it is far more than what a website can articulate—Modfest is about networking, expanding musical horizons and bringing cutting edge contemporary music to Vassar.

Wilson described some of her experiences with contemporary music that did not feel modern, and how they have shaped her and, therefore, Modfest.

She wrote, “As a student at Vassar in the late sixties, I attended a concert in Skinner Hall of the music of Roger Sessions. Even though I had played violin in county orchestra since young, I’d never heard contemporary music that had any edge. The most modern pieces we’d done didn’t sound modern. I was enthralled, intellectually and emotionally.”

When some of the composers commissioned to write for the festival include both Pulitzer Prize winners and Vassar alumnae/i, pioneering new pieces are a given, and this exposure is something that Wilson said is just one of the many important aspects to the festival.

She wrote in an e-mailed statement, “We try to balance having the VC alum composers and inviting other composers, such as Steve Reich, David Del Tredici, Mario Davidovsky, all Pulitzer Prize winners. All three write innovative music in what is very distinctly their own style—each person’s being completely different from the others.’”

She went on: “It is important for the students to encounter alum role models, as well as some of the most influential composers of our time.”

One ensemble that has had a networking opportunity is the Mahagonny Ensemble, which will premiere two new pieces from Vassar alumnae/i at Modfest.

The Mahagonny Ensemble is, according to Mahagonny Choir Director and Music Department Publicist Julia Boscov-Ellen ’15, primarily about the celebration of contemporary music.

“Since the purpose of the Mahagonny Ensemble (and choir) is to celebrate modern music, Modfest is always a really exciting venue for us.

This year, both the choir and the ensemble are performing brand new commissions by Vassar grads,” wrote Boscov-Ellen in an emailed statement.

She went on to describe working on the piece the choir will premiere. She said, “The choir is performing a piece by Diana Hill ’07 called ‘Plane Boy’ that’s been a lot of fun to work on

The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center is the site of the exhibition Malick Sidibé: Chemises, a Modfest event showcasing a series of portraits and photographs taken in ’60s Mali, which will display until April.

portunity for emerging artists to have their work exposed to larger audiences. In an attempt to bring in artists from the greater Hudson Valley, the Palmer Gallery will display “Teen Visions ’14” which is, according to the Modfest website, a body of visual work from young artists in the Hudson Valley, including paintings, sculpture and photography.

Other opportunities for diversified art come in the form of projects from foreign language departments, and reaching out to the many departments is essential to the success of Modfest.

“One of the most complicated events is the Translation as an Art program. Lioba Ungurianu in the German department—with whom I had two classes in the last years—offered to put that one together and has it far better organized than I ever managed by this point,” wrote Wilson.

After over ten years of Wilson contacting various departments to include their talents in Modfest, it has almost become routine, and professors coming up with their own ideas are not unusual.

“The involvement has generally come about by my knocking on doors. By now the departments are used to this, so have things ready and in mind. What I really like is when they have thought ahead in their planning about what would work for the festival or they call out of the blue with an event,” wrote Wilson.

Student assistance is also essential to the success of Modfest. Boscov-Ellen, in addition to her part performing during the festival, also works to publicize the event.

She wrote, “As the Music Department’s student publicist, I want to get the word out about Modfest and encourage as many people as possible to come. I’m also directing one ensemble and singing in another, but that’s just in one of the concerts.”

Modfest has certainly evolved, changing from a small music festival to a far grander annual affair featuring an increasingly diverse set of artists, and it is only likely that it will continue to change to suit the ever-in-flux state of contemporary art, and especially music, in all its forms.

CIS attempts to keep abreast with student Wi-Fi needs Bethany Terry stAFF desiGneR

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t’s 2014—the internet is ubiquitous, and this is especially noticeable on college campuses.

At Vassar, students rely on internet for everything from e-mailing their professors at the last minute to streaming the latest episode of New Girl.

Students might not have noticed yet, but over winter break, Computer and Information Services (CIS) finished the installation of new internet access points in apartments and residence halls.

With an increasing number of devices accessing Wi-Fi on campus, Vassar has made clear strides toward keeping up with the ever-increasing demand for greater wireless speed and capability.

With wireless connection capabilities all over campus, students can work at a greater variety of places, including outdoors or in some of the more far-reaching parts of campus.

Because of these changes to internet connectivity, students are no longer are forced to be tethered to an ethernet jack to conduct research or access any of the other resources they need.

A long way from the days of Vassar’s beginnings, the Internet has shaped and changed the way students work and stay entertained under the stress of college life.

Internet first became available to Vassar students beginning in 1995 and was predictably slow. As part of the New York State Education and Research Network (NYSERNET), Vassar had access to supercomputer centers and other campuses’ computers.

By 1994, students were bringing their own personal computers and Vassar had begun creating its own presence on the Internet, establishing its own homepage. Hoping to spread information between the college community as well as to outsiders, academic departments began creating their own pages and servers (“Vassar gets Webbed,” 11.18.94).

By 2004, wireless internet became limitedly available in the library and then expanded

the same year through the Class of 2004’s senior gift to extend the wireless throughout the building.

While wireless internet now has a reputation for being reasonably secure, at the time, this was a source of some controversy, as some of the class believed that choosing this technology was risky.

“Wireless internet will be a big help to students in the short term, but in 30 years is it really that plausible that it will still be the popular way to use the internet?” wrote The Miscellany News editorial staff (“Class gift disappoints, lacks support,” 4.23.04).

Although some had reservations, Vassar continued to expand their wireless service. In 2006, work began to expand wireless to the entire campus.

Today, members of the Vassar community have access to high-speed internet on a secure connection based on their role in the community.

Director of Networks and Systems Networks and Systems Emily Harris wrote in an e-mailed statement, “Having two connections (technically referred to as SSIDs), one for students and one for employees, allows CIS to better secure the systems these networks access and optimize the overall network capacity.”

Additional SSIDs are available for guests and other large groups when needed, giving everyone on campus safe access to the information they seek, which is much different from when internet first arrived on campus.

However, although the possibilities that the internet provides have increased, students continue to seek better access. Demand for higher speeds and more campus coverage has increased as students bring more wireless devices to campus.

Students today not only have laptops, but phones, iPods, tablets and a wide variety of other forms of wireless technology, and with this technology comes more demand for high speed and easily accessed wireless. One way that CIS has addressed the demand for internet is by directing more bandwidth to academ-

ic and administrative purposes during the day and then to the dorms during the night.

Wrote Harris, “Connection speeds to the Internet vary based on location, constituent and type of data stream. CIS uses specialized hardware to manage these algorithms, mostly based on originating IP address.”

She noted that after typical school hours, students have access to 99% of the available bandwidth. Speeds themselves have improved drastically with a six time increase from 2009’s 100 Mb/s to today’s 600Mb/s. CIS reevaluates the network usage at least once a year and tries to increase the bandwidth when they see the need and have the budget.

Besides increasing bandwidth to improve student accessibility, CIS is working to replace wireless access points with more efficient ones.

Harris noted that, “In addition, we have put resources towards enhancing the wireless network to accommodate the growing number of wireless devices on campus. To that end, CIS began upgrading wireless technologies in 2010, focusing on high-usage areas such as ACDC, College Center and the Library.”

These new access points will allow for more individual devices to connect to the SSIDs and will create higher connection speeds per device. The department hopes to next replace access points in academic buildings this summer.

While these new additions should increase speed, many students may still find this inadequate. From the library basement to certain areas far from the center of campus, students have occasionally found limited or no connection.

As for where he has found the most difficulty connecting to connect to the internet, John Whelan ’17 noted that one place that causes trouble for him is Skinner Hall.

For Drury McAlarney ’16, on the other hand, the dorms have been the biggest problem, especially certain places in Lathrop. Although they both noticed these cold spots, they said that they believe the technology at Vassar is up to date.

Said McAlarney, “To be honest, I really don’t

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

have problems with the internet at school. Or, at least, I have much worse internet back at home.”

Wireless connectivity in the residence halls can sometimes be challenging due to the large number of wireless devices that are in use by students.

By its very nature, wireless is prone to interference. On the student end, CIS suggested that reducing electromagnetic interference as much as possible may increase connection quality.

This means disconnecting any Wi-Fi game consoles, controllers or printers. While disconnecting might be difficult for some students, removing interference is one of the prime ways that CIS suggests for improving connectivity and speed.

With the many wireless devices students possess, interference can add up easily and limit connectivity. Other potential fixes for connection problems are to make sure the internet client is set up properly..

“If students still have trouble connecting, we encourage them to visit or call the CIS Help Desk for additional assistance,” wrote Harris.

Wrote Harris, “Chief Information Officer Michael Cato has an ongoing dialogue with Vice President for Operations Alison Ehrlich ’15 and the VSA to identify other opportunities to enhance the Vassar experience for our students through technology.”

Some of the ways CIS hopes to improve wireless access in the near future include installing new wireless access points student living areas, with academic buildings to follow.

“Over the winter break, we completed the replacement of all wireless access points in the residence halls and apartments with new devices capable of handling more individual devices and higher speed connections per device. We are looking to begin replacements in the academic buildings during the summer of 2014,” wrote Harris.

As time passes and new information is available, the college will inevitably need to improve its technology, and it is only with time that this will become clear.

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Winter Break students adapt to campus life sans classes Julia Cunningham Guest RepoRteR

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out the stress of academics.”

Christopher Cerutti ’17, a member of the varsity swim team, has been back on campus since Jan. 3.

Cerutti normally lives in Lathrop, and he said that “Vassar without all the students is very different. It’s especially weird not living in my own room and having a different roommate.”

Cerutti was one of the few swimmers who was not actually paired with another swimmer during his stay at Vassar over the break.

Cerutti said about the emptiness of campus at this time, “At times it was very lonely, but thankfully I had my team with me to keep me company.”

Ami Ono ’14 is an international exchange student from Japan. She stayed over Winter Break because of the inconvenience of traveling.

“I didn’t want to waste my time taking airplanes to go back to my country. I would rather

Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

y the end of finals, many students were more than ready to go home. With the campus completely blanketed in snow, there was some uncertainty that everyone could safely get home if they were traveling by train or plane, and not all students had the opportunity of returning home.

Some others had their breaks cut short due to on-campus obligations.

Vassar’s winter break this academic year lasted from the end of finals until the twenty-second of January.

Over Winter Break, almost 120 international students or student-athletes stayed on-campus.

Apartment residents who returned had the option to stay in their apartments. Since ACDC was closed, students either had to stock their fridges and brush up on their cooking skills or order in. Except for a few essential offices, many of the buildings on campus were closed.

Sports teams, such as men’s and women’s basketball, swimming, fencing and volleyball, came back early in order to stay in shape for the end of or beginning of season. Other students were unable to go home for a variety of reasons. Whoever stayed moved into either Noyes or student apartments for intersession housing.

Hannah Senftleber ’14, a captain for the women’s basketball team, has been on campus since Dec. 26, as she said, “The day after Christmas.

After that, the next morning we flew out to Las Vegas for a basketball tournament and came back on New Years day.”

Senftleber and her team weren’t affected by the storms.

“We were lucky enough to miss the big winter storm and our travel plans by like a day.

Thankfully we were able to return back to Vassar without any delays,” she said.

Senftleber said her team did well in Vegas.

She wrote, “We played very good competition against a nationally ranked team, Amherst, who was ranked number three.”

Once they were back on campus, Senftleber admitted, “Vassar is very remote with so many

students gone,” but, this being her fourth time attending intersession training, she said, “But winter break is always about bonding with my teammates so I usually don’t notice the diminished amount of students.”

While one would think that being on campus without having to attend classes or do homework leaves plenty of free time, Senftleber said that is not so.

“It’s not that easy to become lonely on campus especially when I am being kept so busy with basketball. If I am not at practice, at the gym, or eating, there is very minimal free time so it is difficult to not find something to do.”

Intersession training isn’t entirely about the strenuous training: it is also about the love of the sport. Senftleber said, “Being here on campus with my teammates makes it very difficult to become lonely. I love being here and playing basketball. It is the one part of the season where you can solely focus on basketball with-

Over Winter Break, those students who remained at Vassar were not only confronted with blustery weather, but also a virtually deserted campus. Most non-essential offices were closed during this time.

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Annual student gift donates proceeds to internship fund Andrés Orr

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he Thompson Memorial Library’s 24-hour hour space conjures up a certain image of overworked students and coffee, but there is no denying that it fills a need left by a library that closes far too early for some students’ academic tastes.

“Popular” is perhaps not the best word to describe this space, but at 2 a.m. during study week, students can still find a place to finish their last paper or cram for their most important exam.

While not all student gifts have been as tangible as the 24-hour space, all aim to work towards fulfilling Vassar’s goals as an institution. This year it will not be a late night room for studying, but instead the student gift will provide funding for the Internship Grant Fund (IGF), which is a fund built to assist students who wish to take a summer internship with little to no pay.

The IGF, like the 24-hour space, is also a result of the annual student gift. Director of the Career Development Office Stacy Bingham wrote in an e-mailed statement, “The [IGF] began as a result of student giving in 2007, with the Class of 2008’s sophomore class gift.”

Keeping the gift alive is not the only reason the committee and the students chose the Internship Grant Fund. As the co-chairs, seniors Michael Renner, Jessica Tarantine (Full disclosure: Tarantine sits on the editorial board of The Miscellany News) and Brian Evans wrote, “[The student committee] works to ensure that the gift is not only in line with Vassar’s values as an institution, but also in line with what the student body feels passionate about.” This year, it was helping students pay for food and housing over the summer.

Historically, the senior class has raised money through small donations, collecting pocket change from students every few days. This year, however, will be different. “Instead of aiming for an extremely high participation rate, we are in-

stead instituting a no coins policy,” wrote Renner.

By instituting this policy, the committee hopes to place an emphasis on meaningful gifts. “We really want students to pause for a few moments and think about what they want to give back to their school,” the co-chairs explained.

Without resorting to picking up pocket change in envelopes like classes in the past have done, the senior class this year will have to utilize other collection methods. Post-Baccalaureate Fellow for the Annual Fund Michelle Fairinella explained in an e-mail that the students will raise funds through a variety of ways. “[Options include] tabling in the College Center, collecting gifts doorto-door in the dorms, and sending out emails and appeal letters from the committee asking students to support the gift,” Fairinella wrote.

While it is the seniors leading the effort in raising money and heading the gift committee, many others are involved in the process. “The student gift is truly a school-wide effort,” she wrote. Fairinella said, “Elyse [Brocks] and I, who both work in the office of alum affairs, are the two liaisons between the committee and the office, as well as our administration. Their work is to help generate students gift ideas based on what our administration decides are the greatest needs to the school, then the student body votes on it.”

This year, the committee as well as faculty have high hopes for the student gift. The gift may not be the largest donation the school received.

However, Renner had a positive spin. He said, “[It has reached a] level of student involvement unmatched by other gifts,” Renner wrote.

Because the student gift is a school-wide effort, it is up to students to make it a success. “Even students who receive no financial aid still receive a sizable subsidy from Vassar because the school spends more per student on average than the cost of tuition, room and board combined,” the co-chairs of this year’s student gift committee remind us.

stay here and do something that I have wanted to do, like cooking and sewing,” Ono said. She did get to see her parents, however. “On Dec. 31 I traveled in Pennsylvania with my parents.”

“Plus, I wanted to practice swimming during the break,” she added.

Ono said that Vassar with the majority of students gone is very different.

“It’s very quiet at night. This is so nice because I can sleep well!”

But even with so many people gone, Ono said she did not get lonely.

“Many people from swim team are staying in Noyes during the break. I practice swimming and sometimes eat with them, seeing each other day and night. I have never been so social during the winter break in my life, which was fun.”

Ono said that she made the most of her time.

She said, “I enjoyed going to the grocery store. Food is so cheap in the US! I got so excited and bought too much. I also enjoyed cooking, too.”

It was Marcos Vargas’s ’15 second time on campus during winter break.

“I stayed in a friend’s room in Noyes. It was a single so I had a room to myself,” wrote Marcos in an emailed statement. He added,“Break was very boring. I played a lot of video games and read a couple book series with my free time.”

Vargas told how he was also able to explore some of the dining available in downtown Poughkeepsie.

He shared, writing in an emailed statement, “Mole Mole is fine for some taste of Latin� dishes, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it authentic.”

He went on, “The couple of restaurants that I tried on Main were all much closer to the style of food that I’m used to from back home.”

Winter Break at Vassar is far from a unified experience for students. Athletes, student workers and those who simply cannot leave campus for one reason or another all have different ways to manage their time on-campus between semesters. From cooking to training to simply existing, a stay at Vassar for a break ultimately depends on the student.

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January 23, 2014

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Work-study employees gain food-service skills at ACDC Shannon Liao Guest RepoRteR

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Recipe

Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

ne of the essential spots to visit on a tour of Vassar is the All Campus Dining Center (ACDC), nicknamed the “Deece,” that doubles up as an event rendezvous point as well as the buffet-style cafeteria where students may venture daily for meals. The fare crosses cuisines from various countries in the world, and if that’s not enough variety, students can also stir-fry rice and vegetables with Cajun spices or toast their own grilled pepper jack cheese sandwiches.

On holiday occasions, students are in for a special dinner of chicken, gravy on turkey and even cranberry sauce. And once in a while macaroni and cheese and soft, chewy chocolate chip cookies show up on the menu at the same time.

Most Vassar students have been to ACDC, but only a few have been behind the scenes as student workers. What do these workers do?

How much of a role do they play in making cafeteria food?

“Student workers in the Deece are a very important part of making special events a success, such as the monthly birthday cake, monthly local food dinner, specialty tastings and other events,” said Director of Operations Laura Leone. “They might also help out in the bakery, with catering or in the office.”

Students have been working at ACDC since student employment began, according to Leone.

Leone mentioned the close bond that student workers develop with other cafeteria staff: “Over the years, [alumnae/i] student workers often touch base with Campus Dining employees when they return to campus during reunions.”

“There isn’t much of a mystery back there in the belly of the Deece,” says Marya Pasciuto ’16, who works on the catering wait-staff of the Campus Dining employees. “Overall, everyone I’ve worked with has been friendly and I get along particularly well with a few of them. We talk about the school, our families, pretty basic stuff like that. There’s a fair amount of joking around during shifts, and in my experience the atmosphere among the workers has been more

pleasant than my kitchen job back at home.”

Sarah King ’16 worked as a barista at the UPC Cafe, just two flights of stairs above ACDC, and this year she is on the catering wait-staff for ACDC. Coming into the job, she expected more opportunities for cooking and food preparation, but, she said, “[It is] mostly it is set up, serving, busing tables, and closing down events.”

“I think the Deece and my role with it is pretty misunderstood. My friends half-jokingly ask me all the time to go in there and make changes with the food: cook the chicken longer, serve more macaroni and cheese [...]” said Pascuito.

Compared to her work at the UPC, King said that her former job was a lot more fun because she got to make a variety of drinks and design her own for holidays. Yet, the hours were more brutal than a job at ACDC. King said she is inquiring with Campus Dining about permission to become more involved with hands-on cooking.

Pasciuto compared her job as an ACDC caterer to her previous experience working in a nursing home kitchen and as a caterer at a gold clubhouse during high school.

“For the most part, my Vassar job is the best of both worlds—I get to choose my hours like a caterer, but I make a set hourly wage,” said Pasciuto.

Hours for ACDC workers and caterers can vary from week to week. Tim Behan ’15 also worked as a caterer at ACDC and spoke about his experience with setting his hours.

“The amount of hours I worked varied a lot from week to week,” wrote Behan in an emailed statement. “There was a big bulletin board full of jobs to sign up for. My boss would post an email when new jobs were on the board and you would sign your name on a piece of paper on the board. It worked on a first-come, firstserved basis so I usually worked less than 8 hours a week.

During an average four-hour shift at ACDC, Pasciuto said she is placed wherever extra staff are needed, or at special station, such as birthday cake or ice cream. She gets a 15-minute break for dinner.

In contrast, a four-hour catering shift involves loading up food and drinks into a van,

Students can find employment at the All Campus Dining Center prepping meals, assisting catering, and completing all of the general behind-the-scene work that puts food on plates. setting up for an hour, watching over the event until it ends, handing out food or staying behind the scenes depending on the event’s style and cleaning up.

Behan concurred about the physical labor required for the position.

“When catering events on campus, we would have to load up a lot of food in heavy warming containers into a van, then unload it, then reload all the leftovers and the equipment back into the van, and finally unload it one more time back at the deece. It was definitely a workout!” wrote Behan.

He went on to say that despite the heavy lifting required, the work was rewarding overall.

“I learned a lot about how a kitchen run and the amount of planning that goes into seemingly simple events,” he wrote. “I don’t plan to continue in this field, but it was definitely was a worthwhile experience to have had.”

To the critiques that people make of the ACDC—bland food, quality left to be desired— Pasciuto said, “I’m sure we’ve all heard people

complaining about the food, and most of us have done it ourselves. Having received plenty of undercooked chicken in my time at Vassar, I’m certainly no exception, but I try to remember and remind people how hard it is to consistently serve thousands of meals every day, and that there are real people putting in hard work so that we can have our chicken [parmesan] and portobello sandwiches.”

ACDC staff are often unacknowledged and even ignored through the dinnertime and lunchtime rushes.

“When I first started working in the stations at the Deece, I was astonished at how few people so much as looked at the people serving their food. People in my fellow group, friends from my classes...practically no one even noticed that I was there,” said Pascuito.

She continued, “Since then, I’ve made sure to make eye contact with everyone who gives me my food, and to thank them. It’s a really small thing to do that makes such a difference for the staff.”

Hill and Chenette align College with academic majority ISRAEL continued from page 1

Office received numerous inquiries about Vassar’s response.”

The American Association of Professors, the Association of American Universities and the President of the American Council on Education had already come out against the ASA’s boycott, saying it would stifle debate and the free exchange of ideas.

Pennsylvania State University at Harriburg, Brandeis University, Indiana University, Kenyon College and other institutions terminated their membership and pulled funds from the ASA (New York Times, “Backlash Against Israel Boycott Throws Academic Association on Defensive,” 1.5.2014).

Last month, Wesleyan University President Michael Roth penned an Op-Ed decrying the ASA and its decision (Los Angeles Times, “Boycott of Israeli Universities: A repugnant attack on academic freedom,” 12.19.13).

In it Roth writes, “Under the guise of phony progressivism, the [ASA] has initiated an irresponsible attack on academic freedom. Others in academia should reject this call for an academic boycott.”

A few weeks later, Vassar denounced academic boycotts, both in general and specifically in the case of Israel.

“Vassar’s commitment to academic freedom not only leads us to reject a call for a boycott, it helps ensure that our faculty and students may pursue their academic interests wherever they may lead, engage in unconstrained discussions, and express their views freely,” the statement said.

One student organization on campus took note of the President’s letter. Vassar’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) responded in an emailed statement, “The college’s condemnation of the boycott endorses universities that conduct research for the military and operate out of illegal West

Bank settlements, helping to perpetuate an oppressive system in which Palestinians are discriminated against, silenced and subjected to internationally recognized abuses of human rights and international law.”

They went on, adding, “SJP rejects this institutionalized whitewashing of an apartheid regime through the rhetoric of ‘academic freedom.’ We instead recognize the Vassar community’s diversity of values and opinions and refuse to be made complicit in a policy that debases the academic freedom, human rights and social justice of Palestinians.”

To SJP’s claims, Chenette responded that “Individuals may and will hold varying views about the political issues under debate here.”

He maintained that the reasons for the statement, however, had more to do with matters of free speech and inquiry than anything else.

“For the college, the fundamental question here is whether academic boycotts are consistent with core principles such as academic freedom,” wrote Chenette.

The definition of academic freedom, which Chenette said he and President Hill consulted, is that of the College’s Governance, which says, “All teachers in the service of the college are entitled to complete liberty of research of instruction and of utterance upon matters of opinion.”

Associate Professor of History and current director of the Jewish Studies program Joshua Schreier is the instructor for a course at Vassar called “The Roots of the Palestine-Israel Conflict”.

Schreier explained that his stance on whether or not to boycott Israeli academic institutions has changed over time.

He wrote in an emailed statement, “Originally, I was instinctively against it. Recently, I have heard far more reasoned, substantiated and detailed arguments in favor of the boycott.”

Schreier continued, writing, “Most of the

arguments I have read or heard AGAINST the boycott appear to misunderstand it. These problematic arguments are being advanced by some of my best friends and smartest colleagues. So suffice it to say that my opinion is evolving, but I am currently leaning in favor of it.”

He explained what he perceived as the nuances of the ASA’s resolution that other academics often overlook. The boycott, Schreier pointed out, does not preclude visits of Israeli scholars to the U.S. or of American scholars to Israel.

“As the ASA statement made quite clear, the boycott is aimed at formal institutional collaboration, not individual scholars or their research. This contrasts with what some college deans and presidents have implied in their condemnations of the boycott,” wrote Schreier.

ASA’s actions are part of broader Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement against Israel, which borrows from a similar campaign launched against South Africa during Apartheid. Boycotts against South African products, as well as universities, brought international attention to the policy of Apartheid and to the plight of black South Africans.

Asked whether he was convinced by the comparison between Apartheid and Israel’s the treatment of Palestinians, Schreier wrote, “There are potentially two different questions here. The tacit one is whether the boycott will work, as it did in South Africa. I tend to avoid predicting the future, but I don’t think it is crazy to think it may help bring some pressure against the occupation.”

He proceeded, writing, “The second, explicit question is whether Apartheid South Africa and contemporary Israel are comparable. Before anything, let me say clearly that I would never say the two countries are the same. This being said, it is hard to deny that both counties maintain (or maintained) hierarchies based on

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

race or, in Israel, what is often called “nationality.”

While other universities, including neighboring Bard College, have rescinded their ASA membership because of the boycott, Chenette said that Vassar will not be following suit.

“We have also heard calls that the college should drop its membership in the American Studies Association, but we reject those calls equally firmly as inconsistent with academic freedom,” wrote Chenette. “Our faculty, departments and programs are entitled to determine which academic affiliations best serve their important work as teachers and scholars.”

Still, this will likely not be the end of the matter. The ASA might soon find an ally with another, more powerful academic organization: the Modern Language Association.

Meeting in Chicago earlier this month, the MLA’s Delegate Assembly did not vote on a boycott, but did narrowly pass a preliminary resolution censuring Israel for denying the entry of American academics into the West Bank and Gaza.

Meanwhile, a possible complication for Vassar’s decision not to withdraw its ASA membership is two New York State legislators, Dem. Jeffrey Klein of the Bronx and Dem. Dov Hikind of Brooklyn. Klein and Hikind are planning on introducing a bill to the New York assembly that would give public but also private universities, like Vassar, 30 days to pull support from the ASA or any other organization that is calling for an academic boycott on Israel. Failing to comply would strip colleges of state aid and bonding privileges.

Sen. Klein and Asm. Hikind said in a statement, “We cannot encourage our colleges and universities to engage in this type of discrimination against Israel. New Yorkers expect us to reject discrimination in every form, and cutting off the state spigot is the best way of doing that.”

FEATURES

Page 8

January 23, 2014

Vegan podcasters to advocate conscious eating habits Erik Halberg

Guest RepoRteR

S

courtesy of Our Hen House

eeking to promote awareness and healthy lifestyle choices, the Vassar Animal Rights Coalition (VARC) will be hosting a talk in the upcoming weeks featuring two prominent members of the animal rights movement. The speakers at the talk, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan, are the co-founders and heads of the website and nonprofit organization Our Hen House. As for why she and Singer have become so heavily involved in animal advocacy, Mariann had this to say: “Animal rights is an issue that calls to us deeply. One reason is the extent of the suffering. Over 10 billion land animals die for food each year just in the US. That’s 286 per second, around the clock. Each of them live in unimaginable suffering and die an early and excruciating death. The second reason is that so much of this suffering is completely unnecessary and easily addressable.”

Through Our Hen House, Singer and Sullivan’s primary goal is to help others get involved in animal rights advocacy and to help them to find opportunities to help and catalyze change in their own communities.

Sullivan wrote in an emailed statement, “This is not a situation that will be changed by organizations or governments. We each have to do it ourselves, and then get others to see the benefits. And everyone doing this needs community, and ideas, and support. We try to provide that.”

The talk is intended to help students think of ways they can make more environmentally and personally healthy choices regarding their diets. Sullivan offered several tips for students who are not vegan and may not be able to attend the talk: “You don’t have to be vegan (yet!) to start getting animals off your plate. Don’t think about your whole life, if that’s too hard.

Just think about getting the animals off your plate at your next meal!” She pointed out that there are a huge variety of ways that allow stu-

Jasmin Singer (left) and Mariann Sullivan (right) are the cofounders of the animal advocacy org, Our Hen House. On Feb. 7, they will speak to vegan eating choices at an event sponsored by VARC. dents to choose food other than meat without becoming a vegetarian or a vegan.

According to the its mission statement online, “[VARC] seeks to encourage awareness in the Vassar community about the impacts of consumer choices and behaviors on the lives of animals, namely in relation to food, clothing, and animal testing.” They help raise awareness on animal rights issues in many ways, such as the students who table during Meatless Monday events, but they also seek to hold events and talks such as this. ACDC offers events such as Meatless Monday, a project begun by VARC in 2011, which encourages students to go the whole day meat-free every week. The Meatless Monday campaign has received pledges from over a quarter of Vassar’s student body, accord-

ing to VARC’s website. The ACDC also does its best to provide a selection of vegan foods at every meal for students who have committed to those lifestyles.

Alessandra Seiter ’16, a co-president of VARC, commented, writing, “Committed, as they say, to ‘indefatigable positivity’ in their activism, Jasmin and Mariann have given many upbeat, fun, and interactive presentations around the country, promoting veganism and an end to animal exploitation” (Full Disclosure: Alessandra Seiter serves as the Social Media Editor for The Miscellany News).

She then added: “We feel that the inspiring tone that permeates Jasmin and Mariann’s advocacy—in their writings, podcast, and live workshops—is perfectly suited to Vassar’s stu-

dent body.” By bringing two such individuals to Vassar’s campus, VARC hopes to continue their mission of raising awareness towards animal rights issues and helping students become more animal-friendly in their lifestyle choices.

The talk, which is called “Think Vegan: Ten Tips to Get You Started,” is intended specifically for students who have just started or are considering becoming vegan or vegetarian. “I do think that, given the admirable level of social consciousness and yearning to contribute to a better tomorrow on Vassar’s campus, there is a large portion of the student body considering going vegan, vegetarian, or reducing their consumption of animal foods. VARC seeks to aid in this transition as much as possible, both by bringing speakers such as Jasmin and Mariann, and through our campaigns (Meatless Monday, the Veggie Buddy System)” wrote Seiter.

The efforts of VARC have not gone unnoticed to Singer and Sullivan, who said that they are looking forward to coming to give the talk.

“We have heard of some of the great programs going on at Vassar and especially of Alessandra’s wonderful work. We want to learn more about what’s going on here. It seems like Vassar is really moving into the forefront on this issue,” wrote Sullivan.

VARC hopes to keep Vassar up to date with animal advocacy through events such as this talk and Meatless Mondays. Among the members, there is a lot of passion for the issues that they are facing and are poised to overcome.

Sullivan posed the question: “If people would just stop supporting the animal exploitation industries with their dollars, all of this suffering would end. We don’t have to wring our hands and wonder what to do. The answer is right in front of each of us. And it would not only not help animals, it would make people’s lives immeasurably healthier and happier. With such enormous suffering and such an easy fix available, how can anyone not attend to this issue once they know about it?”

Brisket: a perfect encapsulation of the American dream Juliet Simon

Guest RepoRteR

I

courtesy of Hollenbeck Farms

n celebration of Coca-Cola’s 125th anniversary, the company released a cookbook containing a series of recipes featuring the popular beverage. The book includes recipes for nearly everything imaginable, including pork dishes, appetizers and several cakes.

I decided to attempt a simple recipe that featured not only cola soda, but another ingredient which is easy to find in most college students’ kitchens: ketchup.

This recipe attracted me mostly because it seemed like something that would taste terrible and I was curious to discover why it was a popular recipe despite its strange ingredients.

So, I set out to make it using an improved recipe from America’s Test Kitchen. The main difference between this recipe and the original is that the original calls for onion soup powder which has been replaced by real onions, onion powder, garlic powder, brown sugar, and dried thyme in order to improve the flavor and avoid some of the unnatural ingredients in the soup powder; after all, there are already enough unnatural ingredients for one meal between the ketchup and cola.

Next, I will provide a few tips for navigating this recipe. Firstly, although it calls for a 3.5lb brisket, (which is rather large) it is important to note that a smaller brisket may be used. Even if it is smaller, it is not necessary to reduce the other ingredients proportionately, since the brisket should still be covered in the pan and the excess liquid will simply mean that there is more sauce available to put over the meat when served. I used a 2.5lb brisket and didn’t alter the amounts of any of the other ingredients. Secondly, even though the recipe is simple, don’t get lazy. Follow all of the directions. For instance, don’t neglect to pat the brisket dry with paper towels. This step is important because if you do not pat it entirely dry, the brisket will not brown correctly.

Also, poking holes in the brisket is essential so that the salt can get inside of the meat and so that it will be flavored properly. The parchment paper between the brisket and the aluminum foil while it is in the pan is also nec-

essary because the acidic juices in the pan can react with aluminum foil, so if you don’t want to sprout any extra limbs, separating the two is necessary.

Finally, be sure to allow the brisket to rest for the complete 30 minutes after cooking it so that it will be at its most tender. While the meat is in the oven, it gets tight, but if you let it sit after it comes out of the oven, it will loosen up and absorb the juices from the sauce.

At first, the prospect of a ketchup and soda brisket sounded less than appealing, especially since I am not particularly fond of either ingredient on its own, but the novelty factor of the recipe won me over and I was pleasantly surprised with the results.

A bit about making your own ketchup: If the idea of using multiple unhealthy ingredients for a brisket is unappealing, you can whip up your own ketchup. Since I have not yet tried to create my own ketchup, I cannot vouch for the quality of homemade ketchup; however, I have seem multiple recipes, most of them fairly simple.

One of the recipes I found, which has the shortest preparation time and most natural ingredients, calls for tomato paste, maple syrup or agave, mustard, apple cider vinegar, salt and water. Of course the benefit of making your ketchup is that you may simply cut out, replace or reduce any ingredients which you would like to avoid.

I found the brisket to be quite tasty and extremely tender. In addition, it was easy to make, even for a less-experienced cook. Another benefit of the recipe is that it doesn’t take too much time to prepare the brisket.

However, this is not the most nutritional meal seeing as the recipe contains soda and ketchup, neither of which are healthy – one of the main ingredients of ketchup is the infamous corn-syrup. However, if one eats reasonably small portions, this dish is probably healthier than whatever other plans you had for your soda and ketchup.

This recipe serves six, so it’s the perfect thing to serve to a few friends. Give it a try and wow your dinner guests with a delicious meal made from the most unexpected ingredients.

Ingredients

The Recipe

1 3 1/2 lb beef brisket, flat cut, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick Salt and pepper 4 teaspoons vegetable oil 1 pound onions, halved and sliced 1/2 inch thick 2 cups cola (coke or otherwise) 1 1/2 cups ketchup 4 teaspoons onion powder 2 teaspoons packed dark brown sugar 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon dried thyme

1. Using fork, poke holes all over brisket. Rub entire surface with 1 tablespoon salt.

Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 or up to 24 hours (I left mine overnight).

2. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place brisket fat side down in skillet; weigh down brisket with heavy Dutch oven or cast-iron skillet and cook until well browned. Remove Dutch oven, flip brisket, and replace Dutch oven on top of brisket; cook on second side until well browned, about 4 minutes longer. Transfer brisket to plate.

3. Heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer onions to 13 by 9 inch baking dish and spread into even layer.

4. Combine cola, ketchup, onion powder, sugar, garlic powder, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in bowl. Place brisket fat side up on top of onions and pour cola mixture over brisket. Place parchment paper over brisket and cover dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until tender and fork easily slips in and out of meat, 3 1/2 to 4 hours (my 2.5lb brisket cooked for 3.5 hours). Let brisket rest in liquid, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

5. Skim any fat from top of sauce with large spoon. Slice brisket against grain into 1/4 inchthick slices and return to baking dish. Serve brisket with sauce.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

January 23, 2014

OPINIONS

Page 9

THE MISCELLANY NEWS STAFF EDITORIAL

Campus must reframe conceptions, realization of diversity

O

n Jan. 16, 2013, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama welcomed over 140 college presidents at the White House for an event designed to spur discussion and action by creating educational opportunities for students of low-income backgrounds. President Obama stated, “We want to restore the essential promise of opportunity and upward mobility that’s at the heart of America...To that end, young people, low-income students in particular, must have access to a college education.”

President Catharine Bond Hill attended the event, and President Obama gave a special nod to Vassar College for the Transitions program.

This White House education initiative works to offer all students an equal chance at getting into and successfully attending prestigious colleges or universities like Vassar.

Obama’s call to these institutions is one that many colleges have already taken steps to address themselves, using “diversity” as a buzzword to advertise their college to prospective students.

Closer to home, though the Transitions program and other groups, both administrative and student-led, have helped improve the quality of life of many students of lower socioeconomic backgrounds and varying racial and ethnic identities, we at The Miscellany News believe the presidential praise should not distract us from the numerous critical improvements the College must make to be a more welcoming institution.

While The Miscellany News acknowledges and embraces the need for institutions of

higher education to admit a more socioeconomically diverse student body, it is important to remember that diversity should not be treated as the end goal to the admissions process.

While many institutions claim to want a “more diverse” student body, the final result of these attempts is often harmful to the students from the marginalized groups which colleges try to attract to “diversify” their campus. Indeed, such actions often result in tokenization and inequalities on college campuses.

When institutions recruit students of color, queer and non-gender conforming students, and students from low-income households, it can result in those students attending a school for the sake of the majority. That is, their presence is for the benefit of students of privilege who can thus receive an education alongside students of “diverse” backgrounds and identities. These students often feel pressured to speak about their experiences as though they are the spokespeople for everyone of their same social class or racial and gender identity.

Further, there are numerous long-term repercussions in regards to financial diversity that the College has either unknowingly or willfully failed to address. For instance, personal financial situations often require many students to work on campus over the summers in order to afford their contribution fee to the College, especially if they feel that they would not be able to find a job at home. This leaves these students potentially unable to seek out unpaid internships in their desired

career paths, in effect harming their chances of successful admission into graduate schools or the workforce. Since it is often not financially feasible for low-income students to accept unpaid internships, the next best option is to remain on campus taking on often undesired jobs for minimal pay.

Additionally, providing students on financial aid with the ability to serve in positions of student government has been a problem at Vassar for some time. Currently the necessary hours required to work a campus job prove almost impossible to manage when also juggling the additional student government hours. As such, they can’t represent their interests adequately and are hindered from having a political voice on campus.

We at The Miscellany News would propose some changes to Vassar recruitment process.

Many underrepresented areas at high schools in the United States do not receive the same amount of information from colleges, and therefore are immediately put at a disadvantage. While we understand that it is natural and in some instances helpful to rely on high schools that continually produce high-achieving students, it is critical to seek the majority of students from outside these schools In the interest of both regional and socioeconomic diversity, Vassar must make every attempt to reach out to students whose high schools do not normally receive visits or information for the Admissions staff. Programs such as Questbridge are designed to do so and it is very important to continue to support and utilize them. When it comes to Native-American high schoolers, however, the

College could make a greater effort to reach out to these students, who are often neglected during the recruitment process. Even by looking at the typical geographic origins of Vassar students, one can see that there is work to be done.

Though we commend institutions of higher education for offering opportunities to historically disadvantaged students, The Miscellany News encourages admissions officers, administration and students to reflect on how their conception of diversity and their attempts to achieve it might be flawed.

Diversity is not a show. It cannot be measured by how many students of color appear on a Vassar College brochure, nor can it be quantified by the percentage of students who are on financial aid. When university administrators speak of their constant search for certain kinds of students, diversity begins to seem like a quota rather than a tangible and visible concept. While there are certainly ways to reach out to students who might not normally receive information from elite colleges and universities, a truly diverse school can only be functional when its search for variety doesn’t feel forced or fake, and when it serves the interests of these students previously ignored or excluded from these colleges. Diversity should be the natural byproduct of opening doors for students and giving them the opportunities to succeed once admitted to institutions that have been traditionally limited to white, wealthy students.

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

Biopen tech might change Christie scandals merely the way we heal our bones same old politics at work Delaney Fischer Columnist

H

ave you ever heard of WobbleWorks?

WobbleWorks is a technology company founded in 2010 that raised more than $30,000 in funding via Kickstarter to create advanced technology for the public. Their first product, the 3Doodler, is expected to start shipping this March. The 3Doodler is a pen that allows one to draw 3D objects by quickly melting and re-solidifying the plastic “ink” tube. WobbleWorks declares on their website that this is “the world’s first 3D printing pen,” but the 3Doodler isn’t the only 3D printing device we should be excited about.

Recently, a group of scientists at the University of Wollongong in Australia have created the “BioPen”, a tool that may revolutionize bone repair and joint injuries. The tool projects “stem cell” ink; stem cells are known for being able to help create new bones, muscles, or nerves (Popular Science “A Pen that 3-D Prints Bone Right Onto Patients,” 12.12.13).

Currently, surgeons are able to directly inject stem cells onto sites of damage. While this process has been effective in repairing injury, it has been suggested that the BioPen would be more efficient and successful than current injection methods, as surgeons have more control over exactly where the stem cells are deposited, which ultimately shortens recovery times for patients.

The BioPen is currently being tested in ongoing clinical trials at the St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, in which researchers are working on improving the stem cell ink. The ink, which is enclosed in a gel-like material, is currently a mixture containing mainly stem cells but also environmental materials such as seaweed extract. The ink is to be layered onto the site of damage, and each layer is cured with an ultraviolet light.

Health professionals seem optimistic about this new development and Professor Peter Choong, the Director of Orthopedics at St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, and the Sir Hugh Devine, Professor of Surgery at University of Melbourne, explain that this tool has the potential to be useful, saying that “this type of treatment may be suitable for repairing acutely

damaged bone and cartilage, for example from sporting or motor vehicle injuries.”

So, is the BioPen going to take over the medical world? I believe so. Maybe not right away, but within the next five years, I expect the BioPen to be on the market, and we will eventually see the top orthopedic surgeons taking full advantage of the precision that the BioPen offers. The major factor that makes me believe the BioPen will thrive its ability to reduce recovery time for patients.

Reducing the time athletes are off the field or workers must spend at home would significantly boost patients’ attitudes towards recovery and allow them to get back to doing what they want to do. The precision of the technology is also expected to make more successful repairs and help prevent re-injury by the patient.

However, one must consider the negatives of the BioPen. Interestingly, though, through the many articles I’ve read about the BioPen, none of them had a single bad thing to say about this new technology. Nonetheless, I suspect that the BioPen and the stem cell ink will be rather expensive, and many insurance plans may not be willing to cover the high costs right away.

Also, the BioPen is currently undergoing tests in Australia, not the United States.

Even if the BioPen passes trials in Australia and goes live on the market, I believe that the United States would then run their own clinical trials before allowing the pen in United States health professionals’ hands. It often can take years for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve medical practices that are already widely used elsewhere in the world, such as Europe and Australia. As a result, it will likely take even longer for this innovative product to make its way across the Pacific.

Even with these speed bumps on the road to success, the BioPen is a huge advancement for the orthopedic field. I believe that, even with the negatives, the BioPen will be in top orthopedic doctors offices all over not just Australia, but the United States and beyond. Maybe it won’t happen anytime soon, but this pen seems like an opportunity too good to pass up.

—Delaney Fischer ‘15 is a neuroscience major.

Lily Elbaum

I

Columnist

f you’ve glanced at a television screen in the past ten days or so, you’ve probably heard about Chris Christie. The Republican Governor of New Jersey—at least for now—was elected back in 2009 and then reelected in late 2013. He was also considered as a candidate in the 2012 presidential election, but declined to run. He was part of both Bush Administrations, and his reelection in 2013 was a landslide victory over his opponent, Barbara Buono.

However, recently Christie’s neat, successful world seems to be crumbling around him.

On January 8, emails surfaced that suggested people on Christie’s payroll had caused lane closures on the George Washington Bridge that backed up traffic for hours. Although Christie initially denied all of the allegations and claimed ignorance, he was required to take responsibility once it was found out his staff were the ones orchestrating it.

In a statement he released a day after the scandal broke, not once did he offer an apology to anyone who was affected, or to those who voted, or to anyone at all, really. He said it was badly done all around, but he didn’t exactly take responsibility. Christie did finally apologize, in his own way, but not until some time later.

Now, even more scandals involving Christie are appearing. One of which is the ongoing allegations of Christie using Hurricane Sandy aid to garner political support; another accuses him of using his political power to bully other politicians. It appears that Christie is just another in a long line of corrupt New Jersey politicians. It’s practically commonplace, and it is no wonder that people have lost faith in government and American politics.

It would be nice if the United States held true to the ideals of democracy, but sadly that isn’t the case. In the Global Democratic Ranking of 2013, the United States didn’t even make the top ten of the list—it came in 15th of those countries which claim to be democracies (a total of 15 of the 196 recognized countries).

It’s not a terrible rank, but not exactly a stellar rank either from a country that claims to be one of, if not the first modern democracy. So

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

at what point does a government need to be overhauled, or at the very least reconsidered?

Perhaps the answer lies in America’s obsession with our constitution. Unlike most countries, which have either tried several constitutions or don’t have one at all, the United States has stuck with its original. Even 26 Amendments later, we’ve only made minor changes to the way we operate our government through our constitution. The current constitution was written for a country which was just being formed, one which had not yet established its place in the world. How can such a document be suited for governing a country that has changed so much in the 250 years since its inception? Not to say that all of the ideas are outdated, but perhaps some reformatting wouldn’t be amiss.

But, returning to the issue of Christie, what is to be done? It is highly doubtful that these scandals will shorten his term in office, which has only just begun. Corruption such as his is hardly uncommon, and since there isn’t enough proof to tie Christie directly to the crime, it seems for now that he is likely to remain in office. If enough scandals come up, he might be pressured to resign, though I doubt it. Far more likely is that the media will be in a frenzy for a while, as it was immediately after the bridge scandal broke. Then the fervor will die down and Christie will continue as governor and everyone will collectively shrug, sigh, and get on with their lives.

So the nation waits for the conclusion of this scandal and the beginning of the next. It’s not a question of if, but only of when and where.

Perhaps the next crooked politician will have the decency to apologize straight away. In any case, a little contriteness wouldn’t go awry.

Honesty seems a bit too much to ask in the current state of things, sadly.

Maybe one day all of our hopes won’t prove to be unfounded and we’ll get an honest, hardworking government by the people and for the people. For now, though, we’ll all be watching with bated breath to see what scandal with whom breaks next.

—Lily Elbaum ’16 is a prospective independent major.

OPINIONS

Page 10

January 23, 2014

Hassan article contradicts States counter E.U. efforts own claims of oppression to curb capital punishment Robert Ronan

Guest Columnist

Trigger Warning: This piece is response to an opinion piece that contains potentially triggering language about sexual assault, ableism, and racism, some of which is quoted within.

Dear Julian Hassan and MICA, Let me try and help you understand why what you wrote is at worst hate speech (a bias incident), and at best unintelligent, ignorant and hypocritical. First, let’s define a bias incident so we’re all on the same page. According to the College rules and regulations, “A bias incident is characterized as a behavior or act—verbal, written, or physical——which is personally directed against or targets an individual or group based on perceived or actual characteristics such as race, color, religious belief, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national or ethnic origin, disability, veteran status, or age” (Vassar College Regulations for 13/14, article VII, subsection B). So, for instance, an opinion piece which claims that ableism is a “non-issue” can easily be interpreted as implying that discrimination against disabled people either isn’t happening or doesn’t matter. Wikipedia defines ableism as “a form of discrimination or social prejudice against people with disabilities.” Arguably, both of those implications therefore constitute a social prejudice against disabled people.

That you dare imply that false rape charges were used to kick Peter Yu out of Vassar because he’s a Republican is a clear indication of how empty-hearted and ignorant you are to the suffering of survivors of sexual assault.

The real reason you feel marginalized is because we do hear you. I’m sick and tired of trying to have an intelligent discussion with people who cannot hold one. People are tired of hearing your classist and racist ideas. We understand your views; they’re just too far removed from reality to even engage. Ayn Rand is hardly taken seriously by anyone in the philosophical community so far as I know.

At best, Rand’s views are blatantly hypocritical given that she was on both Social Security and Medicare in her later life. Evidently she couldn’t pull herself up by her bootstraps. It’s also worth mentioning that you’re essentially asking the school and the VSA for redress.

What happened to individual agency?

You seem to be under the impression that you are a strict adherent of facts. I find this pretty weird since the ideas Epstein espouses (and that you in turn clearly endorse) are completely counterfactual. His beliefs that climate change is a hoax (an opinion that is about as respected in the scientific community as Holocaust denial is in the historian community) and that the burning of fossil fuels is good for the environment (because, to paraphrase, “the countries that burn the most fossil fuels have the cleanest environments”) are so foolish it probably suffices itself to provide a single counter example.

Apparently, Epstein has forgotten that China, one of the world’s leaders in energy consumption, is also famous for its high pollution levels. In case you were not aware, correlation is not causation. Climate change denial has been so shredded in recent years I don’t even know where to begin.

As you said, “If you subvert facts, you do not achieve your values; you become a fake.

How can anyone expect an effective dialogue from this?” You also write, “students shrug because they object to values and demands without evidence.” Yet you claim “there is no culture of oppression at Vassar.” You speak about why ‘the students’ feel the way you do; but given that you “bristle when [you] see a poster asking in scare-quotes, ‘Is Your Halloween Costume Racist?’” I think you might be on your own.

Although I do love reading your opinion pieces (this is not sarcastic), I think you should stop blaming the “system” for failure to be taken seriously by everyone who is not in MICA, and perhaps look within. Good luck.

—Robert Ronan ’15 is a math major.

Natasha Bertrand Columnist

M

any looked on as Dennis McGuire lay writhing on the execution table, gasping for breath in his final moments of life as his body struggled to reject the poison that had been injected into his veins only minutes before. It had been decided long ago that death by lethal injection was somehow more humane than death by firing squad. It has become clear, however, that the quick and bloodless procedure serves only to humanize the executioner.

Death row inmates have become little more than lab rats, as states facing a shortage of the drugs traditionally used for executions begin experimenting with their own untested drug cocktails. The force propelling this shortage, however, may be more surprising than the states’ reaction to it.

The European Union has long maintained a moral opposition to the death penalty, with a stated mission to abolish the practice worldwide. This mission has, for years, been thwarted by European pharmaceutical companies who have traditionally been the main suppliers of the drugs used for lethal injections in the United States. That changed in 2011, when the European Commission severely restricted exports of the anesthetics used for executions in the U.S. Because many U.S. citizens rely on these drugs for pain relief or even to stay alive, the U.S. has had to comply with Europe’s demands lest the export of these drugs to the U.S. be stopped entirely. Illinois-based company Hospira was the only American manufacturer of sodium thiopental, and it halted production of the drug in 2009 after receiving backlash for the drug’s use in lethal injections (Guardian “Europe Moves to Block Trade in Medical Drugs Used for Executions”, 12.20.11).

In its quest to abolish the death penalty, Europe has not stopped with restricting exports.

Since 2009, the E.U. has donated over 3.5 million euros to American non-profits working to eradicate capital punishment. However, the E.U. has recognized that the U.S. is not morally evolved enough to completely abolish the death penalty.

For this reason, the E.U. hopes that by limiting exports of the drugs used in executions, the death penalty will have to be phased for simply practical reasons.

Sadly, where there is a will, there is a way.

While some states have decided to officially abolish executions or stay them indefinitely, others intent on keeping the death penalty are taking matters into their own hands. States such as Ohio and Texas have begun using untested combinations of various available drugs for executions, without any knowledge of the extent to which such cocktails cause inmates undue suffering in the minutes before they die—a suffering technically prohibited under the 8th Amendment as Cruel and Unusual Punishment.

For all of Europe’s efforts to discourage the U.S. from executing its inmates, these efforts make the mistake of assuming that capital punishment will end without lethal injection. It believes there is no way states would revert back to electric chairs, hangings and firing squads— except that Utah last executed an inmate by firing squad just four years ago, and a new Missouri bill would add firing squad as a death penalty option (Washington Times “States scramble to find alternatives as lethal injection drugs run out”, 10.31.13).

The European restriction on exports of the drugs used in lethal injections was a bold move, and the E.U. should certainly be applauded. It would be a mistake, however, to suggest that states advocating capital punishment have suddenly become too progressive to kill their inmates using other methods. Lethal injection is no less barbaric or primitive a practice than the firing squad or the electric chair—it is simply less violent, less dramatic, and therefore more palatable to the American citizenry. Standing ever higher on our moral high ground, championing human dignity and dismissing public executions and stonings as the primitive practices of lesser cultures, we are only becoming further removed from our own hypocrisy.

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

Campus Climate demands see progress one year later Ramy Abbady

Guest Columnist

Disclosure: I am a member of the VSA Council; however, these opinions presented here represent mine alone, and not the opinion of the entire Council.

At the last VSA meeting of the fall semester, we went around as a Council and listed some of the goals we wanted to accomplish this semester. For me, an important goal was to have more conversations about a social consciousness requirement. During winter break, I did some research about how conversations surrounding a social consciousness requirement first began, and I took a second look at the Campus Climate demands from last spring.

For those that don’t know, Campus Climate is a group that consisted of students from various identity-based ALANA and LBGTQ-affiliated organizations as well as from activist groups, originally assembled in reaction to instances of racist and sexist hate speech that occurred last fall. Campus Climate is the group that proposed what to do next after our act of campus solidarity in reaction to the Westboro Baptist Church’s protest at Vassar (The Miscellany News, “’Campus Climate’ presents six demands to empower marginalized communities,” 4/3/13). At the rally on the day of the protest, Campus Climate listed six demands to Vassar Administration about what to do next.

Nearly a year later, it’s important to measure what progress has been made. I believe this will be an important method for determining VSA action this semester. Attempts have been made to address many of the demands, but progress continues to feel slow. I was not involved in the process, so my knowledge comes from what news has been made public so far.

The first demand was a restructuring of the Campus Life and Diversity Office. This included the creation of a Class Issues Center and a

Disability Cultural Center. Additionally, Campus Climate called for all Campus Life Centers to be managed by full directors in the Campus Life Office. Obviously, we don’t yet have either of the new centers proposed; however, it is my understanding that the Student’s Class Issues Alliance has been working on attaining one of these Centers. Earlier in the year, in the Student Life Committee, we also discussed the creation of this Center. There were talks of putting this new Center within the ALANA Center. However, there were concerns over splitting the ALANA Center’s already tight budget with another Campus Life Center. Still, half of this demand has come to fruition. As of this semester, all Campus Life administrators are full directors, and not simply assistant directors. This can be seen on the Campus Life and Diversity webpage and is a very welcome change.

The second demand was for a social consciousness course requirement, as well as greater social consciousness programming during First Year Orientation and in the First Year Program. The social consciousness course requirement has been repeatedly shut down by administrators, but students are not giving up. Orientation included social consciousness events, including “Who is Vassar?” as well as an event by the previous Vice President for Student Life, Genesis Hernandez, that included poetry performed by students about their experiences as members of marginalized communities. Additionally, Spring Orientation occurred for the first time this year, with a focus on privilege, identity, and belongingness.

I would say that half of this demand has had a lot of work put into it. There is still plenty of work to do on social consciousness programming during Orientation and the First Year Program, but at least there has been a significant start. As for the half regarding a social consciousness course requirement, there is still a lot of work to do.

The third demand was related to the VSA Council. It called for Executive Board positions to have a stipend for students on financial aid as the position is incredibly time-consuming, as well as a review of VSA structure to determine its effectiveness in representing students from marginalized groups. A proposal for Executive Board positions to receive work study stipends passed the VSA Council, but was killed by the Student Employment Office over the summer.

The status of this project seems to be in limbo, as the Student Life Committee has not really discussed it this year even though it was a Student Life project when it began.

As for structure, the VSA is working on reviewing itself. The VSA Review Committee was chartered last spring, and did some preliminary work this past fall toward understanding what aspects of VSA representation could use improvement. It has become a joint effort between the VSA Operations and Student Life Committees and will be expanding this semester. The Committee will possibly have an external auditor come to give us a very important outside perspective as well.

The fourth demand was to have more open conversations with Admissions, such as with town hall meetings, as well as a closer look at race and gender in advertising materials. To my knowledge, there has not been a town hall.

However, the Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid has discussed this. My class representative informed me that these discussions noted it is actually Vassar’s Communications office that handles advertising materials.

The fifth demand was for an expansion of the Counseling Service on campus by hiring one more counselor or psychiatrist. At the VSA Council meeting on November 24, Director of Counseling Wendy Freedman stated that they are trying to add a post-doctoral position by next school year, and that budgetary constraints are preventing them from hiring an

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

additional counselor.

The sixth and final demand was that all buildings on campus should have gender-neutral bathrooms. This has been a project that the Student Life Committee worked on this year.

As a member of this committee I have seen a surprising number of obstacles in this project. We first determined the number of gender neutral bathrooms in academic buildings.

Many buildings actually have them already, but they are in hard-to-find locations, among other issues. But there is progress: Buildings and Grounds has agreed to purchase new signs for the bathrooms that will be more appropriate and faculty have also agreed to change some single-gender bathrooms as long as they still have access to other single-gender bathrooms in the same building.

This is a mixed bag. At this point, it seems that work has been done on most of the demands, but progress has been slow. The sixth demand seems to be the one that has had the most progress, as it appears gender-neutral bathrooms will be implemented this semester.

All of the others are in progress, partially completed, or have been stalled along the way.

While we do have many projects that we began last semester that we need to continue, it’s important that we work on these projects in whatever ways we can. That being said, any students interested in these should approach their representatives to get involved. Most work takes place within VSA Committees, which all students are welcome to attend.

I don’t think we’re in terrible shape, considering the challenges faced and limited resources of the VSA. Progress has been slow and steady, but when you’re dealing with the feelings and ideas of students, staff, faculty, and administrators, patience is necessary.

—Ramy Abbady ’16 is a physics major. He is President of Raymond House.

January 23, 2014

OPINIONS

Chronicle for discourse, whether left or right Zack Struver

O

Guest Columnist

n Dec. 5, 2013, Julian Hassan ’14, the leader of Vassar’s Conservative Libertarian Union (CLU; formerly, and still officially—according to the VSA—the Moderate Independent Conservative Alliance, or MICA), accused The Vassar Chronicle, its former Editor-in-Chief Will Serio ’13, and myself of attempting to suppress conservative voices at Vassar (The Miscellany News “Conservative ideas continually stifled on Vassar’s campus, deserve to be heard,” 12.05.13 ). According to Hassan, Will and I approached him in our capacities as Editor-in-Chief and Senior Editor of The Chronicle to pressure him to keep Alex Epstein, President and Founder of the Center for Industrial Progress (a for-profit objectivist/libertarian think tank) from coming to speak at Vassar on industrialization, fossil fuels, and divestment.

I will not deny that we spoke with Julian, nor will I deny that I was concerned about how Epstein would affect The Chronicle’s reputation on campus, as The Chronicle was still affiliated with MICA at the time. However, Will and I came to Julian first and foremost as members of MICA concerned about how Epstein would not only affect MICA’s reputation, but also how he would galvanize the divestment movement to take further action. The Chronicle never entered into our discussion about Epstein, nor did we ever use The Chronicle to voice our concerns about him.

Moreover, although the MICA Executive Board granted The Chronicle independent leadership almost three years ago, and The Chronicle had been in talks with the VSA for more than a year (long before MICA had plans to bring Epstein to Vassar) about becoming an official organization at the end of the Spring 2013 semester, Hassan asserted that allegations against Serio in the National Review Online “just seemed to speed up The [sic] VSA’s decision to authorize it [The Chronicle] as an official VSA organization.” He asks Vassar students of The Chronicle: “Do you deserve the company they keep?”

Though I am deeply offended by Julian’s attack on my character, especially the allegation

that I lack “values,” I’m willing to forgive him this affront to my person. However, as the Editor-in-Chief of The Chronicle, I refuse to allow attacks on an organization that fosters open discussion on prominent political and social issues and seeks to present views outside of what we perceive as the prevailing political norms at Vassar. To answer Julian’s question: You deserve The Chronicle’s company, not the company of the self-proclaimed defender of campus conservatives who alienates moderate conservatives as he dismisses “ableism” (scarequotes his) and harmful cultural stereotypes as “non-issues.” To dismiss real oppression as fake has never been a feature of conservative thought, and I hope that Julian can reevaluate his views. I imagine that there are many thoughtful, considerate conservatives on campus that want to engage in open and civil political discussions. I ask those students to consider The Chronicle a space where they can present their views alongside writers from across the political and philosophical spectrum.

The Chronicle serves an important role at Vassar as a non-partisan space for general political discussion. Julian asked readers to reassess the claims made by Kelly Shortridge ‘12 when members of MICA refounded The Chronicle in 2010 (The Miscellany News “Chronicle to further marginalize conservatives” 12.02.10).

Shortridge argued that a conservative publication run by a campus conservative group (MICA) would harm the conservative position on campus because it would enable MICA to “preach to the choir” and further self-segregate conservative voices from campus discourse.

She argued, rather, that The Miscellany News provided a better outlet for conservative voices because it had no ideological posture.

So, as an independent non-partisan group, The Chronicle meet Shortridge’s litmus test for an acceptable outlet for conservative thought.

Indeed, in the past year our journal has published articles from a diversity of perspectives, including conservative articles, such as Spencer Virtue’s series on gun control.

Frankly, I wish we published more conservative voices. Yet, that’s a bit hard to do when the ostensible leader and defender of campus

conservatives has rejected Hassan’s attempts to mend relations.

In a recent staff editorial, The Chronicle Editorial Board urged Vassar students to recognize that “though most Vassar students consider themselves liberal, many adopt different theoretical frameworks for analyzing and solving social problems” (“Rhetoric on Campus Affects Solidarity,” 10.01.13).

As a Randian, Hassan seems to be one of those students, and I welcomed his voice in The Chronicle. I approached Julian in the Retreat, apologized for attempting to pressure him, and asked him to write for The Chronicle. A week after rebuking my attempt at civility—and two weeks before publishing his article in the Miscellany News—Julian emailed me and said that he would “change his evaluation of The Chronicle” if we capitulated to certain demands. He asked that I surrender the front page to promoting an open-letter composed by a for-profit think tank (none other than the Center for Industrial Progress) on fossil fuel divestment and that I interview Alex Epstein. I informed him that our editorial policies would preclude such options, and asked him to write an article instead. Finally, I told Julian that I wanted to mend things: “I really hope that we can productively contribute to campus discourse and try to mend some of the tensions between our two orgs. Ideally, I think the political orgs on campus would engage in productive dialogue with each other, and I think The Chronicle offers a great space to do that.”

I do not want people to construe this editorial as hostile towards Julian Hassan, nor towards CLU. I am not opposed to a conservative organization at Vassar. In fact, I think that many liberal Vassar students would benefit from listening to and considering the ramifications of challenges from across the aisle. I wrote this article in the hopes of making it clear that The Chronicle has no political agenda. I hope that Julian can recognize that I am not his enemy, and that he and I can work together to promote a diversity of thought at Vassar.

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

Make a sustainable lifestyle achievable with more meat-free, plant-based meals Alan Darer

C

Guest Columnist

limate change is personal. Looking back at news headlines from 2013, whether reading about Hurricane Sandy or communities displaced by rising oceans, we see that the lives of individuals in front-line communities are affected by our daily decisions. What is the take away? Our actions have consequences.

It’s important to hold institutions accountable for environmentally harmful behavior, in the way that the Divestment and Tap That campaigns seek to do here at Vassar. However, more and more climate scientists are realizing that if we want to help curb climate change, we can’t wait for institutions or Congress. Climate change is personal not only in its effects, but its responsibility. We can take action ourselves, starting with something as simple as our New Year’s resolution.

Contrary to what we are led to believe by current environmentalism dialogue, the most significant contributor to climate change is not how long we shower, what car we drive, or even if we drive at all: It’s what we put on our dinner plates.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, animal agriculture is responsible for nearly one-fifth of human-induced greenhouse gas emissions. They cite raising animals for food as “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global” (Food and Agriculture Organization, “Livestock’s Long Shadow,” 11.29.2006).

So, if you’re looking for a meaningful and attainable New Year’s resolution, you should eat less meat. If you’re already doing that, consider doing the same with eggs and dairy.

Considering that it takes about ten pounds

of corn, soy, or grain to produce one pound of meat, it’s no surprise that worldwide, more land is used to raise and feed farmed animals than for any other purpose. Add to that the amount of water it takes to grow ten pounds of grain. Imagine sitting down to a meal with ten plates of food in front of you, then throwing away the first nine plates and eating only the tenth plate. We would never do this. However, when we eat animal products, this is essentially the choice we’re making. Think of how many people could be fed with this wasted food.

Rajendra Pachauri, chair of the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the leading expert body on the issue, says: “In terms of immediacy of action and the feasibility of bringing about reductions in a short period of time, it clearly is the most attractive opportunity. ... Give up meat for one day [a week] initially, and decrease it from there...” (The Guardian, UN says eat less meat to curb global warming, 09.06.2008).

Choosing meat-free meals is a vote for a sustainable future as well as a vote against one of the most abusive institutions that still exists: factory farms. No longer being raised on small “Old MacDonald’s” family farms, today’s farmed animals are confined in tiny cages, mutilated without painkillers, denied proper veterinary care and brutally slaughtered. Their short lives are [filled] with misery and deprivation.

And their lives aren’t just short in comparison to a human’s life. At a mere fraction of their natural lifespan, chickens are sent for slaughter at just 42 days old. Their lives are so unnatural that at the time of their death, many chickens have grown so large that their legs can barely support their own body weight.

Nothing about life in factory farms is natural.

Millions of animals each year don’t even make

it to the slaughterhouse: They die after suffering from rough handling or living in cramped conditions with thousands of other animals where disease runs rampant.

Having spent time with farmed animals, I’ve learned that the only difference between animals we call “pets” and those considered “food” is our treatment of them. Farmed animals are intelligent and sensitive individuals who can suffer from pain and experience joy and happiness, just like the cats and dogs many of us know and love.

If meat producers confined, mutilated, or slaughtered a single cat or dog the way they treat billions of farmed animals, they could be arrested and jailed on grounds of animal cruelty.

It’s clear that Vassar students are already reducing their meat consumption, even if it’s only one day a week. The popular Meatless Monday campaign on campus reports that an impressive 25% of the student body participates, in addition to the many vegetarians and vegans already on campus. If you haven’t already, consider taking the pledge and discover the many delicious vegan options at the ACDC and the Retreat.

Since the US eats more meat per capita than almost every other nation on Earth, it’s time to do something about it. By eating less meat and enjoying more plant-based meals we are helping to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Every time we sit down to eat we can choose compassion over cruelty by putting our values into practice. This is one attainable New Year’s resolution that will make a difference for the planet, and countless animals. What better time to start?

—Alan Darer ’14 is a biochemistry major. He is Treasurer of VARC.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Page 11

Word

on the street

How did you survive the polar vortex?

“With Yiddish.”

—Adah Hetko, PostBaccalaureate

“I read a lot of Town and Country.”

—Colin Edwards ’16

“I was in Texas.”

—Kat Tween ’16

“The grease froze my pizza which I then ate.”

—Lucas Steinberg ’16

“A new robe from Target that I got on sale.”

—Rob Leinheiser ’16

“Over ear headphones.”

—David Wallach ’17

Lily Doyle, Humor & Satire Editor Spencer Davis, Photo Editor

OPINIONS

Page 12

January 23, 2014

Google Glass evolving into a brand, fashion statement Joshua Sherman Opinions Editor

T

his February will mark one year since the Google Explorer program began, which has since offered hundreds of technophiles, journalists, sports players and regular people the opportunity to bring Google Glass into their lives. I still hate Google Glass, and I’ve never been shy to admit it; the technology is overpriced, the concept is all hype, and it’s far less usable than other smart accessories. Still, as we approach the one year anniversary of this product’s consumer launch, and the soon-tobe-announced consumer version of this gadget, I will admit that as much as I dislike Google Glass, it has done for Google all that they wanted it to do and more.

First, let me just briefly remind people why Google Glass, as cool and interesting as it may look on the cover of Wired and from photos you may catch on Instagram or Twitter, it’s far from the kind of smart accessory you want. For starters, it’s just not useful for average users. At best it will help you with reading text messages or making calls, but the entire video and photo aspect of it that Google has shown off falls flat when you’re just an average person. When you want to take a photo or video of something, you normally will take out your camera or your phone and then take the photo or video.

Google Glass argues it’s more convenient to use its lesser quality, but instantly available internal camera, but you can only take photos and videos from your point of view, which is only the minority of moments you usually take photos. In reality, its photo and video mode is made for adventurers who want to go do exciting things and record themselves while doing it “Go Pro” style.

Unless you are an adventurer, Glass just isn’t right for you—as a result, you’ll still need to use

“Welcome Back!”

ACROSS 1 Pour 5 Go over 11 Matey’s word of approval 14 “The Thin Man” pooch 15 Paris−based peace grp.

16 Stephen of “V for Vendetta” 17 *Gardening vehicle 19 Dorm police, for short (except at Vassar) 20 Neighboring land to 21−down 21 Light bulb unit 22 He’s played a gladiator, a boxer, and an economist 26 Ministry of Social Development: Abbr.

27 ___ ex machina 28 Two of the three gifts of the Magi 30 Crunch targets 31 Dye−yielding plant 32 Five Pillars faith 36 Nonstick cookware brand 40 Origin 41 Old TV channel that hosted “Smallville” and “One Tree Hill”...

your phone or video and photos.

What this leaves the $1500 smartwear with is basically two remaining features: companion applications and augmented reality. Companion applications for phone and messaging are certainly useful, but no different than what a $250 smartwatch can offer. Augmented reality is also interesting, but not useful in every scenario and also limited by Glass only having a single projector on the side of the display. To make matters worse, Glass depends more on voice commands than anything, which is still a completely awkward way to use a device in public. All in all, Glass is offering not much for its $1500 price tag beyond what a much cheaper

“Unless you are an adventurer, Glass just isn’t right for you...” smartwatch or other smart accessory can offer.

And yet, despite all these flaws, it’s this much-hyped style that has made Google Glass so appealing, not whether it is a viable smart accessory for average people. Google has done exactly what it wanted to do: make itself a household name in style, just like Apple is with the iPhone. I have to give credit where credit is due: even if nobody can really use Google Glass, everyone will still want it because of what Google has done to make Glass into a brand recognized by millions. It isn’t just about making a gadget, but making a very visible one.

For starters, most other journalists and folks in the Glass Explorers program absolutely love Google Glass. They love all the ways they’ve

1 Uncooked 2 Pokémon protagonist 3 Back to

ways we’ve never before had to worry about before. However, whether it is for good or for bad, Google has loved every moment its Glass has garnered attention. Any news about Glass

“Glass isn’t just a unique tech gadget anymore; it’s a fashion statement...” is, quite frankly, good news, and it only continues to build the hype as preparations are made for consumer availability this year.

I must admit though that I’ve never yet had the chance to use Glass, so maybe there’s a small chance I’m completely wrong. Maybe Glass really is all that it’s cracked up to be.

There’s a small chance that if I ever try Glass, I may fall in love like many journalists have. Still, it’s important to look back and see where this iconic product has gone in just 11 months, and where it’s going in the next year.

There’s no doubt in my mind that Glass is going to be one of the most popular brands in Google’s arsenal, offering it the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of style and innovation much like Apple has been perceived for the last decade. Most of all though, I think it’s worth pointing out that whether you end up liking or hating Glass, Google has won out. I’m sure by the next I/O conference in May we’ll see what Google has to offer average people in the form of Glass, and I’m sure that everyone will want it just as there is a hype year after year for iPhones, iPads, and other iconic gadgets.

—Joshua Sherman ’16 is an English major.

The Miscellany Crossword

and a hint to the answers of the starred clues 42 Business Assn. of Newfoundland: Abbr.

43 Sage or thyme 44 Usher’s domain 45 2012 Ben Affleck thriller 46 Row 48 Gets the soap out 50 Happy ___ 52 Veterans of the street, for short 55 “Seven Samurai” director Kurosawa 56 Hideout 57 Marshall Mathers, familiarly 59 NY Knicks’ stomping ground 60 *Vacation from which Vassar has just returned 65 Japanese drama 66 Blotter entries 67 Mate or matum prefix 68 Toronto’s prov.

69 Turn (to) 70 Tandoor− baked bread DOWN

hacked or modified the smartwear for their own use, and basically shown how cool it is to use Glass, whether it be to make a new app, to give a first-person view of a skydive, or to broadcast a surgery to the world. Anyone who owns Glass becomes instantly cool, and Google has found a way to project that style and “coolness” just as Apple does when it promotes its products. Glass isn’t just a unique tech gadget anymore; it’s a fashion statement, it’s a brand, and it’s a lifestyle. The covers of many popular technology magazines only further prove this, showing stylish models and journalists with not glasses, but Glass on their faces.

Even the moments of friction Google has experienced while rolling out Glass have only helped the company show off its product and demonstrate the strength of the Glass brand, even in the face of some stiff criticism. For one, many eyebrows were raised when word got out that a pornographic film was made using Google Glass, and that an app called “Sex With Glass” was announced to allow partners with Glass to spice up their sex lives using their iconic smartwear.

There have been a number of other incidents involving people using Glass and the chaos that has then unfolded, such as a woman who was ticketed for wearing Glass while driving, only to have the case later dismissed, or when a man was detained by the Department of Homeland Security for wearing Glass while in an AMC movie theater (CNN, “Ticket for driving with Google Glass dismissed” 01.17.14).

There are also countless instances of bars, restaurants and even casinos banning Glass out of concern of its ability to record video. These are only a few of the many ways that Glass has polarized audiences, causing many to love it for its innovation and style, and many more to fear it for its introduction of technology in

by Jack Mullan, Crossword Editor Brooklyn?

4 Dundee denial 5 Massages 6 Equip with weapons, old−style 7 Fashion’s Wang and Tennis’ Zvonareva 8 Looks embarrassed 9 Environmental sci.

10 “Unbelievable!”

11 Concert pianist Claudio 12 *Irish poet who wrote “In dreams begin responsibility” 13 Direction after Near, Middle or Far 18 Property claim 21 *Contested territory adjacent to 20− across 22 2004 Oscar− winner for Best Picture 23 2003 Oscar− winner Zellweger 24 Basket material 25 *Untamed male swine 27 Dean of Students Brown 29 The late great Shankar’s instrument 30 “...For ___ waves of grain,” 33 Japanese comic book series 34 “___

Misérables” 35 Cobbler’s tool 37 Persian tongue 38 One of the five stages of grief 39 2010 Nobelist Mario Vargas 47 Baseball

division 49 Metric of verse 50 *Office supplies shop 51 Black billiard ball 52 Bygone Dodge models 53 U.S. Cuban detention

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

complex, in brief 54 Draco Malfoy’s look 56 K−P interval 57 Home of County Clare 58 Once, once 60 West Central Railway: Abbr.

61 Do a 5K, say 62 She, in São Paulo 63 One day ___ time 64 Family

January 23, 2014

HUMOR & SATIRE

Page 13

Breaking News

From the desk of Lily Doyle, Humor & Satire Editor

2014 Olympics moved to VC, students asked to leave windows open so ice dancers have practice space (in your bedroom)

Winter Break is way, way, The Miscellany News Guide way, way, way, way too long to: Successful (?) Networking Eliot Marcus

Guest Columnist

W

inter break has come and gone and now I’m a second-semester senior. This could not be more terrifying. I’ll probably be showing up to most classes unshaven and reeking of cheap whiskey (just kidding, professors who have me in class this semester!).

Instead of intramural soccer, I will spend my days playing bridge. Weekends will no longer feature such wild ideas as “partying” or “hanging out with friends,” as I will instead be searching for the Fountain of Youth.

I spent my entire winter break failing to get a job and consuming ungodly amounts of hummus. I was the last one to go back to school out of my high school friends, and I knew I was spiraling out of control when my own mother started to take pity on me by asking me if I wanted to hang out with her. I really wanted to.

In order to stay sane, I kept a journal of what I considered to be the highlights of my break. I have transcribed it below.

December 21st: All my housemates are gone and I’m alone in my TH. Showering is legitimately terrifying and I smell like old Chinese food. I lock the doors and get in bed, where I just wait for the Headless Horseman to kick in my door, brandish his axe, realize I’m an English major familiar with the work of Washington Irving, and alert me that he not only spares English majors, but employs them with full benefits and a yearly performance bonus.

December 22nd: I drive home with a friend of mine. During the four-hour drive we hear “Team” by Lorde at least seven times. I pretend to hate it. I don’t hate it. I also tripped and fell in a Dunkin Donuts right next to one of those “caution: wet floors” signs. Shake my head disapprovingly at the cosmos.

December 24th: Christmas Eve. We have some family friends over for dinner. In reference to a Lego nativity scene that we have, this adorable five-year-old girl asks me if I will help her build “The Jesus Christ mansion thing.” Note to self: Teach Sophia the difference between a mansion and a manger. Actually, maybe I should just let her do her thing.

December 27th: Get an internship…writing for a music blog; it is unpaid, of course. My family proceeds to remind me about two hundred and fifty-six times that I’m off the payroll the second I graduate. Hey mom, what if I don’t want to become a corporate sell-out like

you? What if I don’t want to let The Man keep me down? Bloggers are hot right now, mom!

(Breaking down, tears flowing) Bloggers are so hot!

December 28th: See Inside Llewyn Davis with my entire family. Have an existential crisis during the movie. You win again, Cohen brothers.

December 31st: Oh, New Year’s Eve, you devil, you. Personal mantra: low expectations, low expectations, no puking. The bar I’m at holds 300 people and has five urinals, leading to the men’s room looking like a scene from the Trojan War, except instead of cool armor and chiseled physiques, we all have beer bellies and eyes acting independently. Hear a girl tell a guy he is cute, but in a hobbit way. This would seem cruel, but given the braided foot hair bursting from his shoes and the shirt he was wearing that said “Kiss me, I’m Frodo,” I think it might have been what he was going for.

January 1st: New Year’s Day. Spend two hours cleaning red wine stains out of the railing that leads up to my front door. Too afraid to ask questions.

January 2nd: I get a twitter account.

January 3rd and 4th: Self-loathing. Hummus. Self-loathing.

January 5th: Sneaky-pumped I have a twitter. Spend all day thinking of cool tweets then get too self-conscious to pull the trigger.

January 7th: Spend six hours playing a video game from the year 2005 with two of my buddies. Discuss how much cooler we’ve gotten since high school.

January 11th: Go to see Her with my family. Best movie I’ve seen in a long time. Throw my smart phone out of a moving vehicle on the way home. Remember I don’t even have Siri.

Fail to rationalize my behavior.

January 12th: See Amy Adams’ inner sideboob, I mean, American Hustle, with the fam.

Still have not stopped calling my microwave a science oven. Spend the rest of the day resisting the urge to read Buzzfeed articles about how quirky and awesome Jennifer Lawrence is.

Okay, I read one. Sue me.

January 13th: Still painfully unemployed.

E-mailed a couple alums who were happy to talk to me and tell me how hard it is to get a job. Tell my parents I’m making progress.

January 14th: Wrote this article a week early because the chances of anything exciting happening to me over the rest of break are thinner than Gumby with a raging cocaine addiction.

Lily Sloss Columnist

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here are a series of steps you must take to be successful after Vassar.

First, check the box: YES, you will be attending the Vassar networking career reception in NYC. Forget that you live in Maryland, a.k.a the deepest South, because this will be worth it. The $27 Greyhound bus ticket and inevitable tears do not matter because this reception is leading to a JOB. Second, find your closest (only) home friend to help you make business cards. Ignore what a laughable endeavor this is because you have no job, office, or location. Contemplate including: “eager to please” as the headline. Think better of it: write “student.”

Third, scour your wardrobe for “business casual.” Google “business casual” when you cannot discern whether an American Apparel bodysuit is appropriate. Model possible outfits for your main confidante (your mother).

Pretend to contemplate comment, “that blazer looks sloppy.” Return to your closet to look at other options (play Candy Crush).

Finally, the day has come. You are in NYC. The blazer is appropriately crumpled from the four-hour bus ride. You look “laid back cool.”

You feel confident in your ability to “network.”

Check over your business cards. Be reassured that despite your complete lack of experience, the extraordinary font and elegant spacing will lead to a screenwriting assistant position on House of Cards.

Arrive at reception. Remain passive, even though the event is at “The Princeton Club” and last you checked, you didn’t go to Princeton. Loftily approach coat check. Hand over your housemate’s North Face and a patchwork sleepover tote bag from elementary school.

Request that you have the bag back so you can change shoes. Awkwardly remove your mismatched socks in the presence of several business men who pretend not to notice the smell.

Enter the reception, crowded with other students who are similarly jobless (and thus, useless) and “mingle.” Since there are no alumnae to impress with your “charisma” yet, tell jokes to the wait-staff. Ignore the sinking feeling that you should have attended the Columbia University reception across the hall because at least they have an open bar.

When you notice people mingling around a table with carnival tickets, don’t go. They are drink tickets and ten dollars a piece. Even

if you want to tell the smug woman behind the counter that a Natty Light keg would have been cheaper. Hold back. Every moment here is priceless. Kevin Spacey could be (is not) around every corner. Your mother had said, “Maybe Meryl Streep will be there.” And maybe she will be (is not).

Instead of staring at the men by the “Financial Industry” table and wondering why they don’t look like the Mad Men of your dreams, prepare your conversational questions. Things like, “So, do you like your job?” might be met with enthusiasm, or, if you are standing at the Film/ Entertainment table, met with the response “uh, haha,” followed by a look-away. Remember that you will be surrounded by the socially inept and thus you must carry the conversations. An apt question would be: “Will you hire me?” (The apt response will be, inevitably, “No. Will you hire me?” leading to a deeply uncomfortable silence and a walk away maneuver).

Aha! An industry person approaches. Well, “approaches” is too strong; ”stands shifty-eyed and edges towards the door.” Take this as your moment to shine. Shoot your hand at them overly forcefully, demonstrating your “career woman” persona. “Howdy,” you’ll say (You’ll say this, idiotically, because you have no idea how to network and this is your personal hell).

After enduring the longest 45-second interaction of your life, you’ll smile and clutch your business cards close to your heart. You will quickly realize that every alumnae and current Vassar student is at a “networking” event because they need to be. No one attends an event like this to hand out jobs, as you previously imagined. Everyone is just as much a bum as you. You watch your dreams plummet to the floor, but you accept your fate gregariously. You are a Vassar woman. You are wearing a smart (crumpled) blazer.

As you glide elegantly to the door, texting your boyfriend frantically to come retrieve you because you are a child incapable of navigating a city, you will be stopped by someone you recognize. You will blurt out plans of moving to Los Angeles, the one choice you feel positive about in your imminent post-grad future. The very sweet alumnae will grimace in response.

“L.A. sucks the life out of you.” You will quickly exit the reception and cry in the lobby until Manny from coat check demands that you stop since you are upsetting the business men.

You are set! (See if the Sloss internship is still available).

Cow bones taste really good if you cover them in sugar and don’t have a strong moral compass

by Lily Doyle, Humor & Satire Editor 10 a.m.: I wake up, filled with both vim and vigor and also an irrepressible desire to eat my body weight in gummy worms, an urge that I have been feeling increasingly often and it’s starting to disturb me. There’s nothing in gelatin that’s bad, right? It’s not like I’m eating, I don’t know, the bones of cows, or something?

helps you beat the storm? Not waiting until the day before classes start when the weather forecast looks like something out of a particularly unpleasant bible verse about the end of the world.

10:12 a.m.: I recover from my crisis, and go downstairs to guzzle some more cow bones.

12:30 p.m.: We stop at a Dunkin Donuts. I order some hashbrowns (read: 24 hashbrowns) which, normally a side, I have decided to turn into a full fledged meal. This brings the total of what I have eaten today to a pack of gummy worms and 24 hashbrowns. If anyone is concerned about my diet, I would like to tell you not to worry—I supplement all the “unhealthy food” and “disgustingly sugary candy” (whatever, Mom) with an unreasonable amount of peanut butter. Once, I ate a piece of broccoli and the next day I had a headache, so I think that makes it pretty clear that all vegetables make me violently ill and eating them should be avoided at all costs. Don’t you worry about me.

12 p.m.: My friends and I leave for Vassar, pretty sure that we will “beat the storm.” You know what ELSE

4 p.m.: We arrive at Vassar, which gives me this nice warm feeling of being home and ready for my last

10:10 a.m.: A quick Google reveals that I am, in fact, eating the bones of cows. I’m like the giant at the top of the beanstalk, except instead of crushing humans, I just bolster the annual income of the Haribo company.

10:11 a.m.: I do a quick calculation and realize that I have eaten over 1,000 cow bones in my life. I have an existential crisis.

semester. I step out of the car and immediately all warmth is gone, because it is colder than Prince Joffrey’s heart outside. Winter has ARRIVED, friends.

4:05 p.m.: I realize that the bedbugs that have plagued me since October of last semester are still chilling in my room. Or, more to the point, not chilling. If they had really chilled, they would be frozen and dead. I have never wanted something to die so badly in my life. I have literally constructed the world’s tiniest voodoo insect dolls and have been burning them in effigy once a week, every week.

4:15 p.m.: My housemates and I decide that the only possible choice is to put my bed outside and try to freeze them. My bed is Russia, and the bedbugs are the invading German soldiers. YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, BED BUGS. YOU TRY AND STAY IN THERE, SUCKERS. 4:30 p.m.: It comes to my attention that I no longer

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

have a bed. So. Kind of seems like the bed bugs just won.

5:00 p.m.: I debate sleeping in the laundry room and hoping that the machines running will keep me warm all night.

5:30 p.m.: I try to sleep standing up. Just to see if I can. I can’t. Which is weird because I can sleep literally almost anywhere at any time.

6:00 p.m.: I start doing my class readings a week ahead of time in the hope that they have their usual Pavlovian effect. Instead, they just make me hungry.

Too hungry to sleep. Just hungry enough, in fact, to eat like 10 more cow bones.

9:30 p.m.: I decide that all of these things are unreasonable options and just push the two couches in our living room together. I wish I had thought of this 5 hours ago.

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January 23, 2014

Greenway sought after for daring choreographic choices Isabella DeLeo Guest RepoReR

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ator, she has such a genuine, virginal eye. Old things can become new again and things can be conceived I never thought possible,” he wrote in an emailed statement.

He asked her because of her willingness to take creative risks. “She is not afraid to take chances and is definitely one of those people who find beauty in the oddest places. She is also so awesome to work with and just be around. We occasionally spend time in the studio just improving together and rolling around on the floor like crazies. She really brings out this uninhibited quality in myself not just as a dancer but as a person. I love her and value her for that.“ Greenway is currently co-directing the show “RENT” and will dance in the musical “2023” on campus.

Last year she took a dance class titled “Exploring Movement,” which tackled questions

courtesy of Kelsey Greenway

elsey Greenway ’16 found the inspiration for her Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre’s (VRDT) Final Showings performance through patty-cake. They played while wearing oven mitts, so Greenway told her dancers to toss the mitts between themselves, creating what she calls a “beautiful undulation of bodies traveling down the stage.”

Greenway said that when putting together “Haha yea,” she wanted to experiment with the male form’s capabilities. “I wanted to investigate the discomfort of reality and question movement clichés using antithetical aesthetics and subtleties of physicality,” she wrote in an emailed statement.

In the end, Greenway deemed the mitts used in the beginning stages of “Haha yea” as so essential to the piece’s creation she hung them up on stage in homage.

When Greenway is not choreographing for VRDT, she is also involved with and choreographing shows for FlyPeople and Future Waitstaff of America. She acted in “Legally Blonde the Musical” and in “The Vagina Monologues” at Vassar.

She wrote in an emailed statement, “Being a part of [the Monologues] was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The women in that show are some of the most beautiful and well spoken individuals I have ever met. It is still hard for me to put words to it, but I have never shared such a safe and accepting space like that one.”

This year, Greenway co-choreographed “Drowsy Chaperone” and worked on Senior Projects for Charlie Biers ’14 in the Political Science department and Mike Graceffa ’14 in the Drama department.

When incorporating dance into his Political Science thesis, Biers sought to include different aspects of knowledge and humanity that are usually undervalued by society. He chose to work with Greenway based on her previous work as a dancer and choreographer.

“She did a piece on women in political spac-

es which spoke to issues of validity and respect within male dominated spaces and finally an improv piece at the end where I asked dancers to dance simply for their own enjoyment thinking about what it meant for them to be human and compassionate,” Biers wrote in an emailed statement.

He continued, “Kelsey has the ability to not only give you dedication when she works with you but also help you grow as a result. Being in dance groups with her as well as having her in my senior project as helped me to heal and mature which is an incredible gift to have. Creative energy just seeps from her whether it is acting, dancing, singing, or just creating in any given space.”

Graceffa asked Greenway for assistance developing and choreographing his senior project. “I have a vision and I knew she was the one to help me make this vision a reality. As a cre-

Pictured above, Kelsey Greenway ’16 takes the stage at a VRDT show. She hopes to use her cognitive science major as an idealogical framework to inform her dancing and choreography.

regarding identity, gender expression and the mind.

“Some days [in the class] we would be exploring the difference between stereotypical female and male gestures, and other days we would stare at our faces in the mirror for seemingly endless periods of time until we cried.”

“The mind has this dangerous habit of messing around with stuff it cannot or will not comprehend. It’s convoluted, as if it’s always trying to prevent itself from knowing itself,” wrote Greenway.

But she finds that when she is dancing, she is at ease in that perpetual state of uncertainty. Dancing allows her to examine and discard life’s complexities, ultimately giving her peace of mind.

Greenway also discussed how thankful she is to go to a college that is supportive of the arts and filled with talented artists.

“There is really every opportunity for students to get involved and everyone is so supportive of each other’s art forms, which I love.”

She would like, however, to see more collaboration among organizations and with artistic communities outside of the Vassar bubble, such as in New York City which is renown for its concentration of art. She would also like to see a dance major or minor established within the college.

Greenway is a cognitive science major, choosing to narrow her focus to its applications to dance and the embodied arts. She hopes to study abroad with the Dance Jerusalem program, which is jointly sponsored by Rothberg International School and the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, next year.

Beyond Vassar, Greenway wants to audition for dance companies. “I hope to further explore the concepts of embodiment theory, spatial relations and proprioception as applied to dance,” she wrote.

“The dance world is rapidly changing and I would love to be a part of promoting and advancing the change. And basically I just want to keep creating, choreographing, collaborating and traveling.”

Exhibit offers local teens chance to showcase works of art Samantha Kohl RepoRteR

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or its twelfth consecutive year, “Teen Visions” will be on display at the Palmer Gallery as a part of Modfest, Vassar’s annual celebration of the arts. The 2014 show will be on display starting Thursday, Jan. 23 and will run through Thursday, Feb. 13. The opening reception will take place in the Palmer Gallery on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.

The gallery boasts a long résumé of exhibits by renowned artists and photographers.

Just this year, the gallery has hosted Leonard Freed’s famed photographs of the 1963 March on Washington, fine art medical photos of the world-famous Mütter Museum Collection in Philadelphia, and water-colors by Hudson Valley artist Lily Prince.

But what sets the 2014 “Teen Visions” apart is that the 100-plus pieces in the exhibit were created by budding artists who have had few opportunities to show their work.

“The majority of the work in this year’s [“Teen Visions”] show is incredibly strong,” affirmed Todd Poteet, the director of the Art Institute of Mill Street Loft, an organization that seeks to bridge communities in the Hudson Valley through the arts. “I would dare say anyone would guess the artist is eleven years old.”

“Teen Visions” will exhibit the work of artists whose ages range from 11 to 19.

These young artists, who plan to pursue art as a career, all participated in the Art Intensive program at Mill Street Loft. This after-school program seeks to build artists’ portfolios while simultaneously bridging communities within the Hudson Valley. Participants in the Summer Art Intensive program come from a total of five states as well as over 35 high schools in the Hudson region. Those who take part in the program are high school-aged and seek to draw scholarships for college from the artwork completed over the summer. The pre-college program boasts a mere average of 100 percent of participants receiving merit-based scholarships for college, with the average Art Institute

student receiving $67,000 in scholarship funds.

Participants of Mill Street Loft’s Art Institute have gone on to a plethora of colleges and universities, including Cornell University, New York University and Maryland Institute College of Art. “Our students have gone anywhere and everywhere,” says Poteet. And, each year, two to four students are able to receive full scholarships due to excellence in their work created at Mill Street Loft. Beyond its Summer Art Intensive Program, Mill Street Loft offers yearly programming and classes in the arts for people of all ages, from children to adults.

Matthew Velardo, a high school senior in Poughkeepsie and one of the artists whose work will be featured in “Teen Visions,” has been a part of the Mill Street Loft for three years. “I first took a portfolio development class where we did basic drawing and painting,” he said.

Velardo continued, “After that I took a few more classes, and as I’ve been getting older, I’ve been getting more into it. I’m primarily a sculptor, and just this year they’ve re-instituted their sculpture classes. That was very enjoyable. The biggest thing I’ve done now is the Senior Project class with 8 students where each student is required to put in 30 hours a week into their work during a 12 week period.”

Students who take part in the Senior Project class complete all of their artwork at home and then bring it in to Mill Street for weekly critiquing.

All of the work on display in the Palmer Gallery was created during the Mill Street Loft Art Institute’s Summer Art Immersion Program.

To enter the program, applicants must schedule meetings to be interviewed by Poteet, who directs the summer program. Although the application process includes an interview, the program is highly inclusive and all who apply are accepted.

“We take every student who has an interest.

Our philosophy is that if a student really wants to learn, we can teach them. So if they are inex-

perienced or well developed, we work to bring them to mastery,” wrote Poteet in an emailed statement.

During the program, young artists reside at Vassar over the summer where they can fully submerge themselves into their work. Participants use Vassar’s studio spaces and facilities as well as make frequent visits to the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center where students are exposed to works from famous artists and gain inspiration.

“All the work in the show is done within the weeks of the Summer Intensive Program,” Velardo noted. “I was in the advanced drawing and painting program. Basically the way it works is that we have one big project [that the teacher assigns] and then smaller assignments throughout the program, where I am able to incorporate other hobbies that I have—I did a history piece—and express ourselves as artists.”

Students are not only expected to showcase a variety of skill through their assignments but also create a large volume of work.“We created over 2,000 [pieces of artwork]while at Vassar, and then the teachers and counseling staff [of the Art Institute] chose 100 pieces to feature in “Teen Visions” ’14,” explained Poteet.

At the end of the summer, a panel of judges made up of Mill Street teachers and counselors decide upon 100 pieces to display in the annual “Teen Visions” show, which is Mill Street’s contribution to Modfest. The pieces chosen include works of traditional as well as digital photography, mixed media, drawings, paintings, and sculpture. This year, the 2,000-plus pieces of art were judged based on artistic statement, personal voice, visual acuity and individual accomplishment.

What the judges most looked for, however, was work that utilized a variety of technique as opposed to those that showcased only one particular skill. The selection process is lengthy as well as extremely competitive. “The students were doing back-flips to find out that their pieces were selected out of thousands [of piec-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

es],” said Poteet.

The “Teen Visions” annual exhibit is always a distinction for those who took part in Mill Street Loft’s Art Institute. ”We do this to affirm for them [participants in Mill Street’s Summer Art Institute] that what these kids are doing has value. It reaffirms for them that they have chosen the right career,” said Poteet. Beyond the points made by Poteet, the young artists look forward to the show each year as a way to showcase their work important members of their communities and even the larger Hudson Valley community.

While the “Teen Visions” showcase has been occurring annually for over a decade, this is the first year that the exhibition will expand to include the work artists beyond the Summer Art Institute. In addition to the high school aged participants of the Mill Street Loft Art Institute, the works of the Mill Street Loft’s Junior Art Institute participants will also be on display during Modfest. The works were created by those who took part in the Junior Art Institute, which includes kids ages 11 to 14. Their art will be on display in the Faculty Commons, separate from participants of the regular Art Institute.

The scope of Mill Street Loft’s involvement in Modfest this year expands even beyond the Junior Art Institute’s show.

In addition to “Teen Visions,” Mill Street Loft will also feature works created by Mill Street Loft’s LitClub, Mill Street’s programming for girls who go to Poughkeepsie Middle School, as a part of Modfest. The girls will perform works of dance, play music, and recite poetry, which they worked on with local poets brought in by Mill Street. The LitClub’s presentation will be on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 6:30 p.m. in the Villard Room.

The students themselves will be able to see the hard work of their classmates at the exhibition. “I will be at the show, and I so look forward to seeing everyone’s work!” Velardo said.

“Our students have done some truly fabulous work. You’ll be impressed,” Poteet remarked.

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January 23, 2014

Page 15

Justin Patch introduces fresh perspective to music studies Emma Daniels RepoRteR

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courtesy of Vassar College

ustin Patch’s father did not want a TV in his home. “Instead, growing up, I always had the radio on, something to listen to, and as a result music has always been around me,” Patch said.

Now, he is a Post Doctoral Fellow of Music.

He began playing instruments at a young age.

Starting with the piano, then toying with the trumpet but dropping it due to the difficulties of playing with braces, he ultimately picked up his dad’s guitar. “I fell in love with it,” he said, “And when I decided between studying religion or music in college, I chose music.”

Patch now plays electric and classical guitar and electric and upright bass. He has played at prominent music festival South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, as well as other venues in New England, Texas, Minneapolis and California.

Patch studies American music and its relationship with violence. In 2008 he wrote his master’s thesis on anti-war music in Austin, Texas and worked with an anti-war group’s protests. At Vassar, Patch teaches classes on both American and world music, with an emphasis on the social ecosystem in which performance, industry and audience are constituted. For example, he has taught area classes on Asia and Latin America, as well as a class on the history of rock. And this fall, he pioneered a class called “Soundscapes: the Anthropology of Music.” The class focuses on how humans hear and perceive sound. Patch said, “The class was interactive about recreating sound and visual stimulus to see how sound works.”

“Soundscapes” was chock-full of innovative assignments requiring students to work hands-on experimenting with sound. For example, students recorded some of their everyday experiences and cobbled together three to five minutes of sound that illustrated their day-to-day life. Students also created mash-ups of popular music and analyzed each others’ work, using a public relations video from the Vassar YouTube site as a template and remade

its sound to reflect how they individually feel about Vassar.

To execute this class, Patch utilized the Listening Classroom, a space adjacent to the George Sherman Dickinson Music Library in Skinner Hall. Its good acoustics, high-definition sound and projector, and various sound manipulation tools, such as plug-and-play keyboards, enabled Patch to teach students to experiment in a flexible and thorough way.

Patch said, “In a nutshell, I teach stuff that is a little off the beaten path, funkier and more contemporary than most classes in the school of Music. My classes have the deepest focus on contemporary culture.”

Accordingly, Patch’s research interests are in music anthropology. He specializes in music and the experience of US politics from the grassroots to the presidential campaign, and his writings concern the interplay of institution, sound and emotions in the political process. His work has been published in notable journals such as The European Legacy, International Political Anthropology and Americana.

Samuel Deffenbaugh ’14, who took “Anthropology of Music,” “Advanced Topics in World Music” and “History of Rock” with Patch, appreciated the integration of Anthropology into each of Patch’s classes.

“Prof. Patch’s background in Anthropology has influenced every class I’ve taken with him so far. While ‘political campaigns’ did not specifically factor into all of his classes, his experience with how musical scholarship is gathered and how music is presented in other cultures is certainly a central issue which he addresses. In particular, the class on Anthropology of Music was an amazing insight into not only music in other cultures, but also how other people hear and interpret sound,” wrote Deffenbaugh in an emailed statement.

Patch wrote his master’s thesis for the University of Texas at Austin on anti-war music just as the 2008 Democratic primary was getting fired up.

“I found myself reading the news compul-

Justin Patch, a music professor with a background in anthropology, employs innovative techniques in his classes. He is particularly interested in certain pedagogical aspects of the way people interpret sound. sively,” he said, adding, “I wanted to chase the Democratic primary, and found myself working for the Texas Democratic party. I ultimately wrote my dissertation on the sound of American politics.”

He is currently working on a monograph based on his dissertation. “It is about what American campaigns sound like, and the importance of sound and the feeling of mass participation in the democratic process,” Patch noted.

“It is about how rhetoric works to get people actively involved in the pre-election process, and how sound plays into that framework, motivating people to contribute in small ways—by volunteering to solicit donations, posting on Facebook, spreading the word to friends and neighbors, etc.”

Patch’s monograph is tentatively titled Dis-

One cinephile’s award season predictions Vixy Youngblood Guest RepoRteR

Best Picture

This awards season, an interesting pair of films, 12 Years A Slave and American Hustle, are in a fight to the finish. There is a natural clash between the heavy subject matter and mercilessly honest storytelling found in 12 Years and the light-hearted tone that buoys Hustle. The Golden Globe results reflected this contrast exactly by awarding both films in their respective categories, drama and comedy. These films’ success at the awards is most compelling because they were the most underwhelming films of the season.

12 Years A Slave is little more than a collection of abuse methods and tragic anecdotes weakly orbiting a protagonist, with little to offer in the way of cinematic excellence or character complexity. If it wins, it will be for its grandeur, the significance of its subject matter and its impressive performances (a nice bonus).

American Hustle is a well-executed piece in most respects, with a cast of characters that have been written with nuance and acted with elegance. It tells a story that stops at entertaining and whose pace drags now and then.

The troubling factor is not the weakness in these films themselves, but how they pale in comparison to the wealth of quality films that came out in 2013.

Her should win for its outstanding combination of novelty and accessibility, but does not have a chance against the more Oscar-typical choices.

McConaughey lost 45 pounds to play AIDS patient Ron Woodruff in Dallas Buyers Club.

Who doesn’t love that? I know I’m a sucker for it. The category saw two instances of this, with Christian Bale going to the other extreme and putting on quite a gut for American Hustle. Bale, though, has had his day in the sun with his win for The Fighter in 2011, in which he incidentally also played a role that called for serious weight loss. Chiwetel Ejiofor gave a remarkable performance, but 12 Years A Slave did not offer a complex or challenging enough character to truly showcase his talent. Leonardo DiCaprio would be my second choice, but McConaughey is the clear standout—in Dallas Buyers Club he does not just play his character, he becomes him, and that is what a great performance is.

Best Actress

This will almost certainly be Cate Blanchett’s year to take home the Oscar for a leading role, which will join the mantelpiece next to her award for a supporting role in 2005’s The Aviator. I am, as I think much of the country is, jaded by Meryl Streep’s talent as she continues to fulfill her yearly quota; she will have to make movies for another hundred years if she wants to win a third time.

Amy Adams’ damsel-in-distress doesn’t stand a chance against Blanchett’s two-hour nervous breakdown, which provides the token mental instability performance of the nominee. Can’t offer anything on Judi Dench or Sandra Bullock, who I didn’t get to see in Philomena and Gravity, respectively.

and fully inhabited the character he played.

His track record this awards season bodes well, naturally, with the two most important wins—at the Golden Globes and the SAGs. Michael Fassbender was certainly up to the task in 12 Years A Slave as an abusive slave master, but like Ejiofor was undermined by the quality of the script, which was fueled mostly by archetypes—atrocious white slave owner (Fassbender), resilient slave looking to escape (Ejiofor), sympathetic white savior (Brad Pitt).

Jonah Hill broke the Oscar wall in 2012 with Moneyball, so his nomination is not a surprise, and is well-deserved. Though it will be difficult for Bradley Cooper to top his performance in Silver Linings Playbook last year, his nomination for American Hustle is on point.

But Leto has no real competitor, and if he loses, that will be a true upset.

Best Supporting Actress

It would be quite an achievement for Jennifer Lawrence to bring home the gold two years in a row, but it also seems quite possible that audiences, even the Academy, are still high on her talent. The truth is, she deserves the win (for the record, I did not see June Squibb’s performance in Nebraska), but if the Academy is unwilling to grant her a consecutive victory, Lupita Nyong’o’s performance in 12 Years A Slave will be the one to beat Lawrence. This is all in the context of the nomination pool, but if Oprah Winfrey’s performance in The Butler was in the fray, I’d reconsider.

Best Director

Best Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Matthew McConaughey is the rightful shoe-in for this category, considering his track record (winning the Golden Globe and the Screen Actors Guild Award). Moreover, the Academy loves when celebrities with a B-movie filmography challenge expectations by not only taking on a serious role, but proving commitment to the art by making a significant body adjustment.

Gender bending is another thing the Academy loves, which is why Dallas Buyers Club was an automatic powerhouse with the combination of McConaughey and Jared Leto, who plays Woodruff ’s transvestite business partner. But the merit of Leto’s performance does not end with the simple fact that he wore make up and a dress. He, like McConaughey, was utterly devoted to the world of the film,

It’s always hard to avoid assuming that the winners for Best Picture and Best Director will be synonymous (despite Ben Affleck’s nomination snub for Argo last year), so Steve McQueen or David O. Russell are competing shoe-ins. Alfonso Cuaron, has been treated kindly by the awards, winning the Golden Globe and several critics association awards for Gravity, and is predicted to win the Directors Guild Award.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

cordant Magic: Audition, Affect and the Presidential Campaign. Patch is currently in the beginning stages of writing an article for the journal American Music about music and political campaigns. In the article, Patch compares will.i.am’s song “Yes We Can” to Bob Marley’s song “War.” The article will focus on how musicians take other people’s words, such as the “Yes We Can” mantra that Barack Obama used in his 2008 campaign and translate them into song.

In the classroom, Patch’s enthusiasm for his studies stimulates his students’ intellectual curiosity. “Prof. Patch’s class was interesting in that I didn’t realize how much I was enjoying it until it was almost over. It was so consistently engaging and thought-provoking that it seemed to infect the way I was approaching my other classes,” wrote Deffenbaugh.

Hudson Valley

Arts

Betsy Jacaruso Studio

Through Jan 31.

43 East Market Suite 2 Rhinebeck, N.Y. Winter Solstice 2013 Holiday Show Hours: Thurs., 12 p.m.-5 p.m. , Fri-Sat. 12-6 p.m., Sun. 11 -4 p.m.

FDR Presidential Library

Through June 30 4079 Route 9, Hyde Park, N.Y. “See America ... Then and Now” features both historic and modern poster art from America’s past and present.

Mill Street Loft

Throughout the year 45 Pershing Avenue, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Gallery 45 displays both a wide variety of art exhibitions and plays host to workshops and events throughout the year Hours: Mon-Fri. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

Adirondack Museum

97 Broadway, Kingston, N.Y. “Great Wilderness, Great Expectations” features work from the museum’s permanent collections displaying the Adirondack landscape, including rare prints by Seneca Ray Stoddard.

Hours: Daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., open late-May to mid-Oct.

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Page 16

January 23, 2014

Troupe allows Wolf provokes disgust, envy in audience audition-free membership Max Rook Columnist

The Wolf on Wall Street Martin Scorsese Paramount Pictures

COMEDY continued from page 1

comedy prior to coming to Vassar, but have always loved watching, reading, and writing comedy and so I knew I wanted to try it out in college.

Stand-up comedy appeals to me over sketch and improv because it is solely centered around one singular comic,” noted Bouchard.

Additionally, ComedyNormative is the only comedy group on campus that performs solely stand-up comedy. “While some Indecent Exposure members perform excellent stand-up comedy at their shows, they also perform sketch comedy as well. ComedyNormative is a co-ed group dedicated to just stand-up comedy,” Bouchard explained.

Every week, the group meets in the basement of Davison where individuals present jokes and material they are working on. The rest of the group will then provide their feedback.

“Basically the rule of ComedyNormative is, if you have five minutes of material, you can perform at the show,” said ComedyNormative member Harris Gordon ’15.

“One of the most common notes given out is get to the punch line quicker, which is when we spend too much time setting up the joke instead of getting to the joke.”

Once the show draws near, the members of ComedyNormative refine their sets. The day before the show, all group members will present their full sets to receive final feedback from the rest of the group.

The VSA granted ComedyNormative its Preliminary Org. Status in the spring of 2013. By December, the group qualified for full organization status.

In an emailed statement, Vice President Noah Rocklin ’14 wrote, “I was part of the group that drafted our constitution, which was an interesting look into what we really stood for as a group, but a little disappointing because we were told in no uncertain terms that we couldn’t put any jokes in it.”

Gordon was initially drawn to ComedyNormative because of the supportive community.

“Anyone can show up, bring material and it gets critiqued and workshopped in one of the safest non-judgmental environments I’ve ever been in. The vibe that ComedyNormative provides makes it so much easier to find my comedic voice,” wrote Gordon.

Bouchard chose stand-up because, unlike other forms of comedy, it is utterly up to the solo performer to captivate the audience. “It sounds selfish and egocentric, and in a way it is, but there’s something amazing about being solely responsible for your own material, your own performance, for having complete control and presence over the stage and your audience. It’s the closest thing a civilian can have to feeling like a political leader, captivating an audience by yourself for a few minutes.”

Comedians draw their material from some simple component parts. Frank James ’16 wrote, “I mostly draw my routine from personal experiences, situations I find myself in, or things I’m interested in. I actually have a several-page long Word document of ideas that come to me when I’m walking around, watching Netflix, in the shower, etc.”

Lindsay Lucido ’16 discussed her pre-performance routine. “I pick my favorite jokes, or jokes that flow well together. We then bring the lists to meetings, and we go through them, and give each other feedback. I also tell some of my jokes to family and friends so I can get the opinion of a non-comedian, since most people in the audience don’t do stand-up.”

While the jokes may come from similar places, each member participates for different reasons. James wrote, “I do stand up because of the thrill—it’s terrifying standing alone in front of a room full of people who expect you to entertain them, but so rewarding when you succeed.”

Rocklin wrote, “Knowing that you made a bunch of people laugh is a great feeling. I joined ComedyNormative for that opportunity, and because I knew that even though only one of us is on stage at a time, workshopping our jokes and helping each other rehearse means we’re all in this together.”

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he Wolf of Wall Street is a film that makes a boisterous first impression. It’s a threehour cavalcade of booze, drugs, sex, more drugs, even more sex, and then some more drugs thrown in for good measure. The movie, which continues director Martin Scorsese’s long line of films focusing on very bad people, is based on the life of Jordan Belfort, a man who managed to run the most corrupt firm on Wall Street in the ‘90s before the government finally busted him.

The film does risk glorifying the utterly materialistic, debauched life it depicts. However, to see the film as a celebration of men like Belfort is to misread it. Scorsese and screenwriter Terence Winter fill the borders of their story with smaller moments and details that showcase the human cost of their outrageous actions. This culminates in the film’s remarkable final shot, which indicts its viewer by forcing them to reconsider how they have been watching the story.

Scorsese makes some of those points through repetition. This is, after all, a threehour movie, and while the film’s scenes of revelry are shocking and exciting at first, by the story’s end the audience is repulsed by Belfort’s actions. That might sound like a negative, and it’s likely that viewers with little patience for long movies will think so, but Scorsese uses that length effectively.

I should probably mention that this is also an outrageously funny movie, and much of that humor comes from Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance as Belfort. DiCaprio is not someone usually thought of as a comedian­­—you have to go back to 2002’s Catch Me If You Can for his last film that could feasibly be called a comedy­—but he shows an entirely new side of himself here. His Belfort is a bundle of manic energy, and he is always just charming enough that you don’t become totally disgusted with his antics. It’s a flashy performance, but a surpris-

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ingly delicate one. If DiCaprio were too overthe-top, the film would collapse into a tedious series of supposedly outrageous moments.

One of the film’s many climaxes comes in a scene where Belfort accidentally takes a few too many extra-strength quaaludes, a hallucinogenic drug, and finds himself unable to speak clearly just when the government is making a crucial move against him.

It’s a comic masterpiece of a scene—a sequence that verges on slapstick—but it also shows just how damaging Belfort’s choices have been both to himself and to those around him. DiCaprio has had a remarkable run of performances lately, between his villainous turn in Django Unchained and his measured take on an iconic character in The Great Gatsby, but Wolf of Wall Street might possibly be his best work yet.

“To see the film as a celebration of men like Belfort is to misread it.”

Belfort appears in almost every scene of the movie, but Scorsese makes sure the supporting cast is able to match DiCaprio’s energy. Matthew McConaughey pops up early on for a few scenes, playing a more experienced broker who teaches Belfort the ropes, and he sets the tone for the film’s crass sense of humor and rampant selfishness. McConaughey teaches Belfort that selfishness is the true name of the game.

Jonah Hill—who just picked up an Oscar nomination for his work in the film, meaning we somehow live in a world where he is twotime Oscar nominee Jonah Hill—plays Belfort’s sidekick, an overtly comic character who doesn’t have much of a dramatic arc.

Hill is good, certainly, but I find the Oscar nomination perplexing, as he doesn’t have all that much to do in the movie other than wear gigantic fake teeth and take a lot of drugs. Newcomer Margot Robbie made a much larger impression as Belfort’s second wife, Naomi, a role

that could have been utterly forgettable. Robbie imbues Naomi with a steely strength that helps her to stand out from the endless line of sexual partners Belfort and his associates have throughout the film.

Naomi, like most of the women in the film, functions as a male sex object. Most of the women in the film exist entirely for the men of Belfort’s firm. One scene, in which Belfort classifies the different prices of prostitutes he hires, is particularly loathsome, although it also suggests a disconnect between the way Belfort thinks of these women and the way the film sees them.

Belfort may take glee in his callous treatment of the women, but the viewer is perturbed by his lackadaisical attitude. Still, there is a lot of female nudity in the film, and while there is also more male nudity than is usually present in today’s movies, the camera focuses on the women’s bodies far more often that it does on the men’s.

Despite that, there are some intriguing moments, such as Belfort’s encounters with the female brokers at his firm and his relationship with his first wife, ensure the film presents a more measured depiction of women than an outright negative one. Depiction is not endorsement.Wolf of Wall Street is not a movie interested in placing moral judgments front and center, and critics have been quick to place blame on the screenplay. I would argue that those judgments are present in the film, if you’re willing to look a little deeper than the madness presented in the foreground. An FBI investigator played by Kyle Chandler who enters the story in its second half is particularly important to that aspect of the film. The Wolf of Wall Street is just as concerned with our envy and vicarious desire to be like Belfort as our disgust. The final shot of the film concludes a rather biting scene. Belfort, finally released from incarceration, is now a successful motivational speaker who teaches consumers how to sell and, ideally, be rich like him. Are we any better than Belfort?

This is the fifth film Scorsese and DiCaprio have made together, but it is the first that truly steps out from the shadow of Scorsese’s titanic career. Hopefully, they’ll continue this collaboration and keep making such confident and self-assured movies together.

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Shift There is a place where the mountains are steep on both sides and The proverbial wind blows cold through the proverbial soul and The light is tight like new ice, you know this place could kill you.

Beyond this place, riding on with woman of metal, you will find yourself.

There, is a space without position; its movement so massive you cannot see The depths of the depths filling themselves with ever more distance and The things you left behind all loving you together and being forgotten.

But no matter, beyond this place, riding on with woman of metal, you will find yourself again.

I wrote this after emerging from a period of chaos in my personal life. Once the bliss of having moved on from that time became less novel, I came to realize that confusion can be as crucial to personal growth as experiences of belonging and ease. I am excited by the work of poets, such as Carmen Giminez Smith, who acknowledge and embrace the many contradictions of contemporary life. In Smith’s work, the complexities of the path to self-realization are as beautiful and worthy of artistic attention as more conventionally lauded themes such as the beauty of natural landscape. I find myself wrestling with the idea of the Self often; how much of personal identity is consistent or predetermined and how much is in flux? In the moment of contentedness in which this poem was written I felt confident in my conception of self as a unique vessel shuttling through time—now I am not so sure.

—Emma King ’15

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ARTS

January 23, 2014

Page 17

Girls fails to depict true female complexity Lily Sloss Columnist

Girls Lena Dunham HBO

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rotagonists do not have to be likable. As proven by characters like Miles in Sideways or Mavis in Young Adult, protagonists can be distinctly unpleasant.

However, in order to have a successful story, the audience must be invested in the main character. You need to empathize their situation and preferably desire the character’s success even as you dislike them. During the premiere two episodes of Season Three of HBO’s Girls, I did not give two shits about the hateful lead characters.

HBO premiered the first and second episodes of Girls on YouTube, so I have the privilege of reviewing both. In the first episode, “Females Only” (Jan. 12, HBO), Hannah (Lena Dunham) is finally in a good place. Using medication to alleviate her OCD, she is on schedule writing her e-book, and is dating Adam, a loving boyfriend in times of need.

She also has a steady job at Ray’s coffee house.

Marnie (Allison Williams), conversely, is stuck. Having been dropped by boyfriend Charlie and unable to move on, Marnie wallows. At one point her mother, played by Rita Wilson, tells her (in so many words) to get off her ass and get over it. Marnie complains she and Charlie were supposed to be together forever. Her mother laughs uproariously in response.

Jessa (Jemima Kirke) is in rehab, mocking the other patients and the process. She explains to a supervisor that she is only attending because her Grandma promised to buy her Ugg boots if she completed the program. She asserts that a fellow patient, Laura, played by Danielle Brooks of Orange Is the New Black, is a lesbian, despite Laura’s vehement denials.

When Jessa is caught going down on Laura, she is kicked out of rehab.

Lastly, Shoshanna (Zosia Mamet) has broken up with Ray and is entertaining a “work hard, play hard” mentality while attending college. She studies all week and sleeps with

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different men all weekend, a strategy she deems “smart.”

In terms of plot, there is little to summarize. In the first episode, Adam’s crazy ex-girlfriend screams at Hannah while she is at work. Hannah has her friends over for dinner.

Despite his initial disgust with Marnie, Adam talks her down from the proverbial ledge. Jessa causes trouble at rehab and gets kicked out.

Shoshana is there.

In the second episode, “Truth or Dare,” Hannah, Shoshanna and Adam road trip to retrieve Jessa from rehab. Shoshanna refuses to eat and later gets sexiled. Marnie feels left out. Adam explains that girls in rehab do not know what is best for them. Hannah comments “road trips are boring” despite the fact that she hopes it will give her inspiration for her own writing. The episode culminates in Hannah discovering Jessa did not need to be picked up because the rehab director offered to take her to the airport. Jessa quickly dispels Hannah’s consequent anger by complimenting her new haircut. Problems solved.

That is literally the entirety of two episodes.

As a female writer looking to work in the film industry after graduation, I have followed Lena Dunham’s success with more enthusiasm than most. As co-producer, writer, director and lead protagonist in Girls, Dunham is in a rare position of female authority in the film industry. I have been (largely) a huge fan. I am not alone. Over half a million viewers tuned in for the season finale of this past season. Is it going to keep up?

At this point, I am mad. Dunham is wasting a golden opportunity. She has the capability of presenting females from a female perspective.

As a woman writer she is expected to accurately depict the feelings, abilities and struggles of women. White women. Privileged white women in their twenties in New York City. An extremely limited perspective of the female experience, but an opportunity to give an honest portrayal of females, nonetheless.

So why are these women, Hannah, Marnie, Jessa and Shoshanna so unbelievably irritating? Is it because white privileged women in their twenties are the worst? Perhaps.

The female characters on Girls are hateful.

They do not care for each other, except when it suits them. They are endlessly selfish. They

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express little if any desire to discuss issues external to the “self.”

Girls could take place anywhere because the show is self-referential in its entirety.

Never mind politics or class or rights—these women are concerned about turkey bacon.

If this is a criticism of privilege, fine.

Speaking from a place of relative privilege, surrounded by many people of a similar background, I agree that there is too frequently a tendency towards the inane. The abundance of conversations revolving around sexual relationships, what the opposite or same sex “thinks” of you, what you are wearing, what you’d like to wear, how your hair is, how annoying this boy in class is, etc. is absolutely idiotic. However, these same women of privilege are more than stereotypes and idle conversations. These people care, are generous, loving, intelligent.

Women can and do create, educate, debate, affirm, uphold and tear down. Women in their twenties are deeper and more complex than Lena Dunham paints them to be. Women who care about one another, who are generous, and loving, and intelligent. Girls does not expound this portrait.

While abroad, I was sitting with three fellow (male) filmmakers. When I mentioned that I loved the show Girls, one of the three grimaced.

“Seriously?” He voiced an opinion, rich with sarcasm, that anyone who wanted to watch four wealthy girls talk incessantly about their emotions as they experienced them was as stupid as the characters on it.

While not a particularly tactful friend, he had a point. Why does a show like this have such a vast audience? Is it possible that viewers will continue to watch when all Girls depicts is caricatures of real women?

By denouncing her audience, Dunham is only hurting herself. If we are to take the show not as a criticism, however, but merely a representation of a subset of Manhattan, a close look at the witty repertoire which occurs between the population’s privileged women, well, fuck her. At HBO, the possibilities to create rich, complex characters is vast, and Dunham has produced a Sex and the City remake of vapid, immature women. This disgusts me.

If you desire enriched content, Dunham, give me a call.

Excuse me,

What does Leonardo DiCaprio need to do to win an Oscar?

“I will personally give every person who reads this $100 if he does not win an Oscar.”

—Micky Adams ’17

“Have abs like Zander Mrlik ’13.”

—Lauren Wiebe ’16

“...(shrugs)” —Andrew Murphy ’15

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“Reach 85 years old and have them give him a lifetime achievement award.”

—Meropi Popastergiou ’15

This painting came from the studio art class I took while I was studying abroad in Paris. Twice a week I made the trek up to the one-room Académie de Port-Royal, right next to the Père-Lachaise cemetery. Most of the people in my “atelier” were middle aged and had been attending Port-Royal for years.

We would do one painting per week, choosing to focus on either a still life or a nude model. One of the most interesting things about painting the model was that each one was a person, not a mannequin, with a life story and a family and other things to do afterwards. As anyone who has ever taken a studio art class at Vassar knows, drawing or painting a live model can be awkward at first; but then becomes a matter of fact. In this class, however, since there was such a friendly vibe in the studio, you really got to know the model. He or she would make jokes, interact with the artists, and comment on the paintings that most resembled them.

This woman was 32, had a young son named Carl, and one of her other jobs was at a bookstore in the neighborhood. I thought it was great that she felt comfortable opening up about her life to a group of people while in such a vulnerable situation.

“Be a wolf.”

—Laura Webber ’15

“Wear longsleeved shirt and roll up the sleeves as if it were a short-sleeved shirt.”

—Adam Gray ’16

—Emma Gregoline ’15

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January 23, 2014

Polar vortex makes appearance at Florida Invitational Jonathan Safir RepoRteR

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courtesy of Vassar College Athletics

hile many students enjoy a month-long winter break, many of Vassar College’s athletes do not. Men and women’s swimming and diving was one of the teams whose break was shortened by a few weeks. Both teams have met and exceeded expectations so far this season. Records notwithstanding, there have been many positive signs for both programs.

“I think that our record does not quite reveal how much we have actually accomplished this season,” McKenzie Quinn ’14 of the women’s team noted. “We have grown so much individually and as a team since my freshman year and I think it shows more in the pool than it does in our number of wins and losses.” Zoe Fullerton ’15 added, “The season has gone very well compared to expectations. Our men’s team especially has been having an outstanding season and are enjoying the benefits of having a much larger team than last year.

We have some great freshman talent and are also glad to have some of juniors back from a semester abroad and ready to contribute.”

As for the “outstanding season” for the men, Walter Gabriel ’17 said, “We have beaten some really good teams and been competitive with others whose team size almost doubles ours. Despite the .500 record, I think we have swam some great races and improved a great deal since September, which is always good. I believe we are satisfied with how the season has gone thus far.”

The aforementioned shortened winter break can be a deterrent to some teams, but neither the men nor women’s teams have allowed it to affect them. In fact, they have used it as an opportunity to build team chemistry and become closer as a group. Fullerton included, “This time is generally great for team bonding and although a few people may have been disgruntled to have such an early start, overall morale has been great.”

Quinn agreed, writing, “It is a great time for

Despite inclement weather, the Vassar Swimming and Diving teams made it to the Florida Invitiational. Though they did not win, both teams hope to perform better at their next large competition. us to be together as a team without the other stresses that come from being student-athletes.” For Gabriel, being a freshman meant this was the first time he got to experience the intersession lifestyle. “Coming back to Vassar while everyone I know is still enjoying their break is certainly tough.

However, the adversity has helped the team grow closer as a unit. I would even go as far as calling this team my second family. Because of this bond, I believe that we are able to push each other to our limits in the hopes of swimming our fastest times ever when states roll around in February.”

This cohesiveness can only be strengthened while being surrounded by a desolate campus with only a few other teams. That, coupled with a trip to Florida, can bolster morale and allow a team to flourish down the stretch

when it needs to be at its peak. The Florida trip was shortened by a couple days due to the Polar Vortex causing flight cancellations.

Of the Florida tournament, Gabriel wrote, “It was tough: rainy, windy, and 50 degrees while also swimming at an outdoor pool can be very difficult. The competition was just as brutal as the elements, with much of the competition coming from the Division One level.”

“Despite this, we managed to put together some good races and numerous highlights, including five Vassar Brewers placing in their competitions.” Quinn said of the trip, “This year was our first time swimming in the International Swimming Hall of Fame pool in Fort Lauderdale. Despite the rain and cold weather, the swim meet was a lot of fun. There were a number of Division One and NESCAC teams competing, which could be a bit daunting for

us. Our team persevered and Vassar definitely took advantage of the opportunity to race and to support each other, even in the freezing rain.”

Looking ahead, the stretch run looms for the men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. And that is unequivocally the most important time of the year for swimmers. As a result, in preparation, practices have been very tough. As Gabriel explains, “Swimming is a strange sport. Unlike other sports where you take it game by game looking forward to preparing for a specific opponent, all that matters in swimming is the big meet at the end of the year. Knowing that, a portion of training this time of year can get really tough in order to build up stamina and muscle mass in order to taper for the championship.”

On the issue of practices, Fullerton added in a emailed statement, “Practices have definitely been tough, we generally have quick turnovers and are in the water for around four hours a day during this time of year. It is definitely great training and better to be doing it now than during school, being back on campus really allows us to focus on swimming and make sure we are going into the final stretch of our season in tip-top shape.”

Quinn agrees: “This is the most intense part of our season. Our training schedules and practices have definitely been challenging but everything we do now only serves to make us better athletes and better teammates. Even though our bodies ache and we practically just swim, eat, sleep and repeat, it is still an exciting time. The work we put in now pays off through our taper and preparation for States.”

Both teams seem fully prepared to make strong pushes towards the end of the season as the year moves into its second month. The hard work the teams have put in over break should be on full display come time for States.

Quinn said, “I think that our swimming for the next few weeks leading up to States in the end of February will undoubtedly exceed anyone’s expectations, even our own.”

Patriots unable to pull off win despite Brady, Belichick Luka Ladan Columnist

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hen the New England Patriots landed in Denver for their American Football Conference (AFC) Championship bout on Sunday, they knew that the task at hand was daunting. They understood the odds and the nature of the beast that stood up against them. The Denver Broncos were equipped with all kinds of playmakers on both sides of the ball, not to mention one of the most dominant quarterbacks in the history of the game – coming off the best regular season in the history of regular seasons.

The stakes were high, the pressure mounted, and the Patriots ultimately fell short to a team that was just plain better. This was by no means an underachievement. The AFC title game featured a clear favorite (with an offensive arsenal for the ages) and a clear underdog (a motley assembly of journeymen that scraped and ground its way all season to an impressive record), both overcoming major injuries and disappointing performances along the way.

“The stakes were high, the pressure mounted, and the Patriots ultimately fell short to a team that was just plain better.”

In the end, the bona fide favorite put together a dominating display, making the underdog look as underwhelming as ever. I didn’t expect anything different today.

This cast of gritty Patriots was tasked with playing in a hostile environment and with significantly less talent. Tom Brady saw one or two playmakers line up alongside him, flanked

by a band of also-rans. The defense ran into a legendary quarterback with one talented pass-catcher after another and an effective running game to boot. Any other outcome would’ve been an upset for the ages, since this team really shouldn’t have been in this position at all.

Given the talent on the roster and the injuries suffered along the way, Tom Brady should’ve been on a sandy beach somewhere days ago, reminiscing about yet another lost season and looking far away at a rosy sunset, with disappointment in his mind and regret clouding his judgment. Bill Belichick should’ve been laboring away in the film room weeks ago, calling up old friends for a serviceable receiver or two while planning ahead for future matchups and simultaneously surveying the draft boards. And yet, they weren’t. Brady and Belichick – two aging warriors that should never be separated, only revered and feared – were slugging it out on the gridiron at Mile High, playing deep into January once more and coming up just short.

For that reason, this football season was a success for the New England Patriots and their loyal fans, myself included. It was a week-in-and-week-out display of mental fortitude amidst adversity, giving new meanings to perseverance and toughness. Grit and grind. Scrape and scratch. Fight and keep on fighting. These Patriots just kept churning out close wins, week after week – even when they weren’t supposed to, just like how they weren’t supposed to be playing in Denver on a surprisingly warm Sunday at the tail end of January.

Aaron Hernandez met the full force of the law earlier in the year of 2013. Alfonzo Dennard found himself weighed down by the legal and the physical, and struggled to deal with both.

Vince Wilfork stumbled and never got back up, with a torn Achilles tendon to blame. Rob Gronkowski’s knee was struck by meat, turf, and football pads, and the anterior cruciate came away mangled. Jerod Mayo hit a brick wall, as did Brandon Spikes and Aqib Talib and Shane Vereen, among others. Some recovered

in time, while others couldn’t quite stand back up.

Yet, through it all, the team kept on fighting and fighting and fighting. Julian Edelman carried the slack with his crafty cuts and timely catches, en route to a career-best statistical output. LeGarrette Blount experienced a resurgence of sorts, combining power running and a renewed focus to ignite an uninspired rushing attack. Leaders on the defensive front, from Devin McCourty and Chandler Jones to Rob Ninkovich and Dont’a Hightower, stepped up to provide some semblance of stability.

“It was a week-inweek-out display of mental fortitude amidst adversity, giving new meanings to perserverance and toughness.”

In the face of season-ending injuries and legal issues of all kinds, the head coach kept on plugging away with the roster, filling gaping holes with unspectacular acquisitions and even uncovering some diamonds in the rough. Met with underperforming receivers and a plethora of dropped balls, the quarterback kept on dropping back, zipping it through the seams, and orchestrating the unlikeliest of comebacks – from one city to the next, on one Sunday and then the other and another. Those two just kept on doing their jobs, as they would tell you in their weekly press conferences, and everyone else just followed suit.

The leaders led the way, as was expected of them.

One irritable head coach and his quarterback consistently find a way to overcome one obstacle here and one there with a steady dose

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of routine and an unwavering belief in the system that produces results year after year. This year was no different in that regard, given the winning record, another division title, and numerous performances that deserve rewinding.

The consistency of the approach translated into touchdowns, interceptions, sacks, tackles for loss, and all sorts of winning drives in high-pressure situations.

The Patriots should be proud of their accomplishments given the adverse circumstances set in front of them, no matter the disappointing result in Denver this past Sunday.

In the end, you win some and you lose some, and this group of players ended up winning much more than expected. And that should be commended. That sort of achievement against all odds, sparked by the steady greatness of two legendary football minds, should be appreciated.

The final outcome was disappointing, but almost inevitable. This one doesn’t eat at me like some defeats have in the past. I took this team – my team, to be clear – for what it was, a motley crew of random pieces that performed better than expected and kept plugging away, as one collective unit – as one final assembly of scrappy, nasty, and gritty football players tough to the bone.

I am proud of these New England Patriots, who are still led by two of the best and brightest. Brady and Belichick. Belichick and Brady.

They just refuse to fade into the sunset, to the despair of football fans in Buffalo and Miami and Indianapolis. One more season to remember, and may there still be more to come. They proved, once again, that a football can overcome and achieve – and I’m glad that I could watch this team come together and persevere through the toughest of times, Sunday after Sunday.

May they be healthier on that next Sunday afternoon down the long road of summer and autumn, and just as scrappy and nasty and gritty.

I will be watching, as I did this past Sunday and every one prior. They certainly deserved it.

January 23, 2014

SPORTS

Expect the unexpected in Olympic trials Zach Rippe Columnist

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his year, the Winter Olympic Games will be held in Sochi, Russia from February 7 to 23. Already, the events leading up to this year’s games seems to exemplify a certain mantra: expect the unexpected. Whether it’s participating athletes, countries or the implications of Russia and Vladimir Putin hosting these games, there are bound to be several unique storylines that will define them for more casual followers over the next month.

To start things off, Shaun White, one of the most popular and successful professional snowboarders in the United States, took a nasty spill during his qualifier last week. White hadn’t gone down like that in quite a long time and was expected to be a shoo-in for the Games. Yet this crash made things interesting for White as he finished last out of 13 qualifiers in that round. Not so shockingly, however, White did so well in the half-pipe trials that he was able to qualify on his first run. Shaun does have two gold medals in the half-pipe and is looking to become the first American to win three golds in the same Winter Olympic event this year. Knowing White’s skill and reputation, his competition should be one of the more “sure things” at these Games.

One of the more heartwarming stories within the United States realm this year involves two twin sisters competing in the biathlon.

Lanny and Tracy Barnes have been training together for the past fifteen years. While on a hike a few weeks ago, Tracy told her sister that she was giving her spot in the games to her. Lanny had gotten sick and missed three of the four qualifying races, yet she still only finished one spot behind Tracy. Knowing her sister’s talent and work ethic, Tracy reasoned that Lanny deserved to go more than she did and graciously gave up her spot. In 2010, Lanny had had the fastest American time in the biathlon since 1994, yet felt as if she could have done better. Perhaps this gift was Lanny’s

golden ticket to glory?

In 2014, Jamaica has a bobsled team. They have qualified for the Winter Games for the first time since 2002. Jamaica’s bobsled team first qualified in 1988 where their underdog appearance inspired the film Cool Runnings, yet this year, their appearance is not quite guaranteed. The team did qualify for the twoman competition, yet they do not have nearly enough funding to make the journey. The team needs around $80,000 which it does not have at the moment, yet all hope is not lost as 46 year-old sled driver Winston Watts is determined to get the team to Russia. Watts believed the team will get the support it needs to compete. And sure enough, in just about two days time, an online fundraising site entitled Crowdtilt managed to raise over $25,000 for the team. Hopefully with further support Jamaica can make a famed appearance.

“Hopefully with further support Jamaica can make a famed appearance.”

Amid all of the personal stories surrounding this year’s Winter Games (of which this article barely scraped the surface), perhaps the more looming and overarching stories deal with the location of the games themselves. In the past, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his not-so-subtle opinion of gays, creating an anti-gay law, outlawing what it believes is “propaganda” of what it calls “non-traditional sexual relations” around minors, as Putin himself believed it would “keep the children safe.”

Naturally, this has stirred mass controversy beginning with its announcement and implementation. Now that athletes from across the world will be temporarily migrating to Russia,

their concern for the President’s views as well as the laws themselves have been immensely heightened. Putin did say that no guests would have any problems and he “couldn’t care less” about the sexual orientation of Olympic guests and participants, yet this general blanket statement is not nearly satisfying enough for a man who has run and delegated his country according to such a code. Several world leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and French President Francois Hollande have refused to attend the games. Yet this controversy is not all that has Olympic athletes and fans throughout the world worried about the Sochi games.

This past Sunday, a video emerged featuring two men who were believed to be suicide bombers from the bombings in Volgograd, Russia last month spoke of the games. According to an article by Laura Smith-Spark and Catherine E. Schoicet, the men stated “We’ve prepared a present for you and all tourists who’ll come over. If you will hold the Olympics, you’ll get a present from us for the Muslim blood that’s been spilled.”

The men go on to say they have a list of people who are prepared to help them take part in these actions; effectively enough for an attack every day. The Russian government, however, seems confident that they have every possible security measure in place. Despite some controversial opinions from several American politicians, it seems as if the Russians are confident in their security.

Unfortunately the only thing most people can do here is sit and wait. Whether viewers are more caught up in the journey of the Jamaican bobsled team and Lanny Barnes or the controversy and potential danger surrounding Sochi (two stories on opposite ends of the intensity spectrum), this year’s games will certainly make a lasting impression. Let us all just hope they end up having much more to do with the former stories and little to nothing to do with the latter.

Basketball continues successes over break BASKETBALL continued from page 1

the outcome after playing a New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) team such as Trinity. “The win against Trinity was a signature win for our program. We are currently 2-0 against NESCAC teams, and the program had zero wins in program history against NESCACs. Trinity was a lot bigger than us and again we defended at a high level and really did a good job of dictating the pace of the game,” he wrote. “It was just a great game and had the feel of an NCAA Tournament game. [There was] a lot of back and forth, and to win the game at the free throw line with .4 seconds left was just a sweet feeling. There is nothing better than going to someone’s tournament and beating the host school in the championship game.”

On Tuesday, January 7th, the team went on to play its last non-league game vs. St. Joseph’s College – Brooklyn, winning 69-60. While Vassar’s defense was integral to this win, shooters

Mrlik, Wasyl, Snyder, junior Andrew Adkins and freshman Otis Osman had a total of 26-of55 field goals and 9-for-21 three-pointers. The team’s success brought the total winning streak to nine wins in a row. After a losing record last year, Head Coach Dunne is impressed. “I knew going in we had a group that was capable of having a special season — this is all of the players. They have bought in and stayed locked in, and have played with urgency and intensity all season,” he wrote. “Last year is in the past and we rarely bring it up, but we use that frustration to fuel our success we have had this year.”

The team’s success mostly stems from an on-field dynamic between the offensive and defensive sides. “We play a pack line style defense and make it difficult for our opponents to drive the basketball,” explained Dunne. “We have superior helpside defense which puts us in great position to rebound. We are currently 1st or 2nd in a majority of defensive catego-

Jacob Gorski/The Miscellany News

Men’s Basketball player and senior Evan Carberry takes the ball to the hoop to score a crucial point for the Brewers against Bard College. Vassar won the games with 66 points compared to Bard’s 59.

ries in the league and that is a testament to our players’ willingness to get in a defensive stance and defend.” As for the offensive end, “We run a Princeton-style on misses and a 2 guard style on makes. We have bright players so I want to challenge them,” he wrote. “Our offense is predicated on making reads on how the defense is playing us. We have a counter to everything the defense could throw at us. It is difficult to guard and allows us to dictate the pace of games and grind teams out in the half court.”

Unfortunately, this dynamic wasn’t enough in the team’s second loss of the season vs. Union College. The winning streak ended when Union brought the score to 79-74, led by Dutchman Terell Winney. In the team’s next match, Hobart College defeated the Brewers only 63-61.

Sophomore Johnny Mrlik has also been integral to the team dynamic. A sophomore forward on the team, Mrlik has started in all 13 games thus far. Mrlik was named Liberty League Offensive Performer of the Week on January 6 earlier this winter season, and was also named the Most Valuable Player at the Trinity College Tournament earlier this month.

After these two league losses, the men were able to bounce back vs. Rochester Institute of Technology, making it the first time in five years that the team has brought its wins to double digits. According to Snyder and Dunne, the two league losses had propelled the team forward. “[It] was a great learning experience for us. We hadn’t lost since November 15th. We all need to be more in the moment and be mentally tough,” wrote Dunne. “Every league game is important and we have to have that mentality.”

Snyder also commented, “I just expect us to play our hardest every night and leave everything out on the court. I do believe we have the talent to be a top four team in the Liberty League and eventually play for the Liberty League title.” As for the rest of the season, Snyder is confident. “I have no issue saying that we are going to be just fine,” he wrote. “It would have been extremely difficult to not lose a second game this season, and seeing the way we were outplayed by Union is only going to inspire us to work harder.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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Replay changes role of umpires Eli J. Vargas I Columnist

W

hile many professional sporting leagues have successfully been using video replay to their advantage for years, the MLB has strangely seemed to be immune to the allure of the boon which is video replay. But this past week, the sport of baseball has shown that its thought process and beliefs are not as archaic as what may have previously been thought. The MLB unanimously approving new additions to instant replay during games has found a fair compromise between allowing the emotional human element of umpires calling plays and the ability to overturn mistakes made by the human element for the sake of a fair outcome. The suspense that results from the judgment of one person who can affect the outcome of an entire game is an exciting concept that adds character to the sport in question, and baseball is no different. The yell of umpires calling strikes and balls and the hand movements through calls of safe and out are as much a part of the game as the players participating in the sport. So when the concept of providing managers and others the opportunity to review crucial calls is proposed, some baseball fans may be split between progress and maintaining the sacred art of the game.

Those arguing over the matter will be pleased by the choice made by MLB and the Players Union in regards to instant replay.

The process of video replay is similar to that which is employed by the NFL, in which each manager receives a certain amount of challenges, which they can regain if the play is overturned. After the seventh inning, replay is automatic for certain things such as ground rule double, fan interference, etc. This decision will not unnecessarily complicate the sport of baseball, and it also respects certain aspects of the game by not reviewing footing on double plays. So gamesmanship will still be a part of the sport and players will still require the ability to get away with appearing to touch second base during a double play. In terms of unnecessary aspects of baseball, such as the tempers of players and managers erupting in the face of an umpire, video replay will not impede upon the development of such outside attractions. So baseball fans should rejoice because dirt will still be kicked at the feet of umpires and umpires will still be able to point vaguely but forcefully in the direction of the bleachers when they eject participants. And if video replay does minimize the number of ejections by umpires, then you can always buy a seat behind home plate and attempt to get yourself ejected by the umpire to fill that void in your heart created by lack of ejections. Or you can simply rejoice at the apparent levels of peace provided by fair calling of baseball games.

Umpires can be polarizing figures. In any given game you can go from loving them to hating them and, in some cases, your favorite team’s season can hinge on a call ending in their favor. In a perfect world umpires would be a non-factor—or at least aspire to be such.

A sporting spectacle’s outcome should be purely affected by the actions of the players on the field, and officials should be virtually nonexistent to players and fans. Umpiring has been a spectacle in baseball for the entirety of its history, and baseball without umpires just does not seem natural. Luckily this choice by the MLB doesn’t remove the flashy aspect of umpiring which fans love, and players definitely do not. A player’s skills, physical prowess and a bit of luck are all that matters now when it comes to the outcome of plays, which is the way that it should be. And as a result not only should players and fans be rejoicing for the decision to approve expanded video replay, but umpires should as well.

Horrible umpiring can result in death threats and broken dreams. Now umpires no longer have to worry about affecting the outcomes of games as much. Instead they can focus more on their dramatic delivery of calls because videos can have the final say.

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January 23, 2014

Spring sports look to defend previous season’s victories Chris Brown spoRts editoR

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courtesy of Vassar College Athletics

s Vassar College enters its second semester of the 2013-2014 year, Vassar athletics boasts a new crop of sports in the upcoming spring season. This period at Vassar College, which tends to start around early March, is filled with a diverse group of sports and players. The upcoming season looks to be filled with action and tough matches, with each sport having its own goals.

While Vassar men’s and women’s basketball are well into their current season, many teams that have not yet started their matches still came back early from the recent winter break in order to begin pre-season training. One such team is Vassar men’s volleyball. Senior outside hitter Joseph Pyne explained the team’s schedule over its time spent practicing during break.

“We had three practices a day, plus lifting, and were the guinea pigs for a variety of new athletic concussion tests and information sessions along with the other sports teams, who were here practicing at the same time,” Pyne wrote in an emailed statement. “Pre-season is always about the repetitions, meaning that we want to get in the gym as much as possible and practice as efficiently and intensely as possible without completely fatiguing our team before the season opener. We work on specific skills, like blocking, serve receive defense, transition defense and our offense, but are ultimately practicing against ourselves until the season officially starts.”

Last season, the team went 10-13 in total matches, with seven wins and four losses in conference play. Although the program lost many senior players from last season to graduation, Pyne is confident that the team will be able to play just as well, if not better, this upcoming period. “This year, everyone is on the same page concerning team goals, and the fact that we all get along off the court is an added bonus and can only help when we are working to fight through adversity,” Pyne expressed.

“This season is about the team, about playing

a sport we love and enjoying the experience of being a collegiate athlete. I’m looking forward to the friendships I’m going to have from playing with such a good group of guys, and can only hope they want to have as much fun as I do.”

Coming off of a record-breaking season, the women’s lacrosse team will be starting their pre-season on February 3, and conference matches begin in March. Headed by Coach Judy Finerghty, who was named Liberty League Coach of the Year for the third time last season, the team tied a program record with 12 victories and six Liberty League wins for the first time in school history. Co-captain and senior Phoebe Tzannes wants to build on the momentum that the program gained from last season.

“I’m looking forward to seeing what our team is capable of this year,” explained Tzannes.

“Last season was an incredible success, and I think we’re starting at a higher level this year and thus looking to accomplish more. Whether that’s by beating our all time win record, going to playoffs again, or winning the league, it’ll be nice to know we did everything we could to be the best that we can be.”

Tzannes explained that a lot of the team’s success in previous seasons has come from team chemistry and the players and coaches working in perfect harmony. “I’d love to see us hold onto that same work ethic and drive to succeed so we can continue to build off of last seasons success, while still having the same chemistry that allowed us to be so successful last year,” Tzannes wrote in an emailed statement. “In terms of improvement, I think we need to be more confident in our abilities and enter into games not thinking that we might somehow pull of a win but that we can and will.”

Vassar College men’s tennis is one of the few teams that has games during the fall and spring seasons. Although the team has only two matches during October, they swiftly defeated both Bard College and Yeshiva University 8-1, giving them a winning record of 2-0 going

Men’s volleyball is one of several spring sports hoping to build on the success of the 2012 season, in which they went 10-13 in total matches. Over winter break the team prepared for upcoming matches. into their main part of the season. Matches will start again for the men’s team on February 8, when they will face Clark University on Vassar’s campus.

Men’s tennis is the only team that enters a season this year as Liberty League defending champions. Many recall last year’s memorable win for the team, marking the end to a record breaking season. This season, a large number of new members have been added to the roster, and while a lot of experience has left with the passing of the year, sophomore co-captain Christian Phelps believes that the team can defend their title. “We’re really excited,” Phelps wrote in an emailed statement. “As a young team, we’re really planning to focus on team cohesiveness and fitness. We know that with hard work, we can be the fittest guys against any opponent we might face. We can control

that. Having the edge physically in a long, tight match can make all the difference in big moments.”

According to Phelps, there are certain qualities to any successful team. “In order to succeed, everyone has to feel like they’re working and playing for their teammates, and we did that perfectly last year,” Phelps explained. “Our hard work on the practice court and competitive energy on the court was definitely in the honor of our teammates, and we plan on carrying that forward with us this season.”

Looking forward, many spring season teams will be attempting to defend titles, records, and one Liberty League Championship. As the winter match period draws to a conclusion, the spring sports teams will be attending pre-season practices and looking ahead to their upcoming season.

Women’s basketball asserts dominance in recent matches Amreen Bhasin

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RepoRteR

last non-conference game before they opened Liberty League play against Skidmore.

The Brewers’ first conference game came against Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. The Brewers managed to bring their record to 8-2, 1-0 in the Liberty League after pulling out a 58-50 win against the Thoroughbreds. Senftleber scored 22 points for the Brewers, making nine of her 15 shots as well as taking nine rebounds. Matsuoka finished with 13 points and five assists. Drakely had seven points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Serafini had nine caroms.

The team went on to defeat Union College 64-56 in a hard fought win against the Liberty League foes. The Brewers only held a lead for 5:23 of the game but managed to finish strong.

The Brewers had four players give out double figures. Matsuoka was once again excellent, with 15 points, making 6 of her 11 shots,

Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News

he Vassar College women’s basketball team started off their winter break season on a high note. The Brewers had one of their biggest wins in program history when they defeated No. 3 Montclair State University on December 11th in a thrilling 63-58 game. Senior forward Hannah Senftleber, in particular, had one of the best games of her career. She was named to the D3hoops.com Scoutware National Team of the Week, named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Upstate Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, and Liberty League Performer of the Week. After this performance, the Brewers entered into the break ranked No. 20 in the nation according to the USA Today Coaches’ poll and No. 23 in the D3hoops.com poll.

The team first traveled nearly 2200 miles to participate in the Vegas Hoopla Tournament in Las Vegas. The women had their first game of the year against the formidable Amherst Lord Jeffs. Amherst had lost just two regular season games over the past two years. The Brewers played a hard fought loss to the Lord Jeffs, falling 66-53 in the end. Senior Cyndi Matsuoka led all scoring that evening. She finished the evening with 18 points overall, going 7-of-15 from the floor. Senftleber had 14 points, making five of her ten shots from the floor. Sophomore Caitlin Drakely also had a great game with 11 points and five rebounds.

Women’s basketball next faced Gwynedd Mercy University. Matsuoka had a season best 28 points but the Brewers were unable to find the win and lost 82-74 in the end. The Gwynedd Mercy University Griffins had a strong game but despite that Matsuoka ended up 10-of-21 from the floor, had six rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. This placed her just one assist behind Vassar’s all-time assist leader Erin Harper ’04. Senftleber added 15 points, nine rebounds, and hit all nine of her free throws.

Drakeley had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Guard Michelle Foreman had seven points, and Sophomore Rose Serafini had six points, four boards, and nine blocks.

The Brewers returned home ready to add a few wins to their record. The next faced Hartwick College. The Brewers had an exciting game against the Hawks, particularly in the 2nd half. The teams exchanged leads eight times along with six ties. The Hawks managed to tie the game 65-65 with just eight seconds left in the contest. The Brewers took a timeout and once play resumed, Matsuoka drove and dished the ball to Junior guard Allyson Pemberton ’15 with just .8 seconds remaining in regulation. The Brewers won the contest 67-65 and brought their record to an impressive 7-2.

Matsuoka had 16 points, making six of her 10 attempted field goals. She also had 10 assists.

Senftleber had 11 points and eight rebounds and Pemberton had 10 points. Drakely had eight points and eight boards, Junior Nyah Berg ’15 had nine points, and Serafini had six boards, four caroms, and a block. This was the Brewers’

Sophomore women’s basketball player Rose Serafina goes for a rebound in the middle of a match against Bard College on Jan. 21 last week. The Brewers won the match with 79 points with Bard at 61.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

including 3-of-7 from deep. She found herself just 31 away from surpassing Brittany Parks’ all time scoring record of 1,582. Matsuoka ended up being fouled out for the first time in her career. Drakely had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and went 5-of-16 from the floor. Janowski had a career-best 10 points. Pemberton had 10 points and three steals. Berg had eight points. Senftleber had 15 rebounds and nine points.

The program next went on to begin a five game home stand with a Liberty League contest against the William Smith College Herons.

The Brewers finished the game 9-3 overall, 2-1 in the Liberty League after the 73-63 loss to the Herons. Senftleber had a game-high 19 points after she made all 11 of her free throw attempts.

Matsuoka had 13 points and 5 assists. Drakely had 11 points.

The Brewers’ next game was a home game against RIT which saw records being broken by not one but two seniors. First, Senftleber reached the milestone of 1000 points as she scored the first 2 points of the game to reach her 1000th. With just 9:32 left in the game, Matsuoka ended up surpassing her former teammate Brittany Parks as Vassar College’s all time high scorer. After scoring 25 points, Matsuoka broke the previous record of 1582 points and now has 1589. Senftleber now has 1006 and after a stellar performance of eight points, she now is shooting 93.8 (60-64) from the line this season. Matsuoka other than her 25 points was 9-of-12 from the floor and making all six of her three pointers. Drakeley had 16 points and 5 rebounds. Senftleber had 9 rebounds added to her eight points. Pemberton had eight points, seven rebounds, and two steals. Foreman had six points and five caroms. Serafini had 10 boards for the Brewers.

The Brewers’ final game before classes resumed was on Tuesday January 21 in a 79-61 win against Bard. Matsuoka scored 22 total points with four assists and three steals. Drakely had 16 points also with four assists. The Brewers will next play at home in the AFC against Clarkson University on Friday January 24th at 6 PM.