The Miscellany News | November 17, 2011

The Miscellany News Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

November 17, 2011

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Volume CXLV | Issue 9

Plainclothes officers’ use challenged

Orgs face financial concerns Ruth Bolster

Joey Rearick

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News Editor

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Mia Fermindoza/The Miscellany News

n response to a series of thefts perpetrated on campus this year, Vassar Safety and Security is considering employing plainclothes officers to catch culprits and prevent further larcenies, in addition to their current job: upholding student safety rules regarding drugs and alcohol. The officers, who do not wear the standard Safety and Security uniform, would most likely stand inside the lobbies of residential buildings and the Library and attempt to stop anyone entering without swiping a Vassar identification card. Recently, the presence of these plainclothes officers has been criticized by the Vassar Student Association (VSA).

According to Director of Safety and Security Don Marsala, Vassar has used plainclothes officers for about 15 years on major holiday weekends like Halloween or on nights that include large campus events, like concerts. These officers have often been deployed at the behest of the See SECURITY on page 4

O’Mara Taylor ’12 and Margaret Kwateng ’14 embrace after the women’s rugby team bested Rutgers University last Saturday, advancing to the National Championship tournament. For more, see Page 18.

Students experience Good Samaritan difficulties at polls limits questioned Erik Lorenzsonn Senior Editor

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s soon as Natalie Allen ’12 arrived at Arthur S. May Elementary School to vote in the annual Dutchess County elections on Tuesday, Nov. 15, she sensed something was awry.

“This guy stopped and held the door open for me on my way in, and was looking at all my clothes,” said Allen, who was wearing a Vassar sweatshirt and Vassar athletic shorts. “Already, I had a funny feeling.”

The man, as it turned out, was a Republican Party poll watcher— an individual appointed, often by a political party, to oversee electoral proceedings. He followed Allen into the polls, and asked for her address

as she was checking in; once she told him, he promptly challenged her right to vote.

“This guy said, ‘I challenge this vote!’, and I was just like, ‘Huh?’” said Allen. “I was still signing in [the poll records], and hadn’t even been paying attention. It caught me off guard.”

Allen’s experience reflects a perennial issue of Vassar students encountering voting difficulties, often at the hands of Republican election officials, because of students’ tendency to vote Democratic; this was memorably exemplified by the injunction filed by the Town of Poughkeepsie Republican Party during the 2009 elections.

See VOTING on page 7

Mary Huber

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Features Editor

veryone remembers the Good Samaritan Policy, which exempts students seeking medical assistance for themselves or others from punishment for use of a controlled substance, from Freshman Orientation, and some Vassar students have taken advantage of it over their school career. But the policy is more nuanced than one might imagine, and it occasionally faces challenges from concerned students and administrators.

“There’s always the question of whether we should keep it now, from the administration and students, and whether it’s encouraging students to increase high-risk drinking behaviors,” said EMS Captain Sam Black ’12 of the policy. “It’s a good question, but I think the argument that the Good Samaritan Policy encourages high-risk drinking has flaws.”

“First, the College doesn’t approve or condone underage drinking and writes-up students that break this college regulation.

See POLICY on page 8

Assistant Features Editor

or student organizations, one of the foremost advantages of being certified by the Vassar Student Association (VSA) is an entitlement to a set amount of school funding each year. In many instances this funding becomes one of the primary sources of income for each organization, providing the financial means for these clubs to execute their day-today activities. Yet a number of student organizations are suffering financial troubles or going into debt, raising questions about the proper management of student organizations and the ability of the VSA to support them financially.

Although the Vassarion is intended to be a self-funded publication that pays for its costs with the money garnered through yearbook sales, it does receive a set amount of money from the VSA’s Council Discretionary Fund which provides VSA-certified organizations with up to $5000 additional funding at the discretion of the VSA Council. However, the Vassarion began the academic year with $14,000 of debt.

“We are currently in debt from last year, with a large enough sum that it will be extremely difficult for us to get out of by ourselves. This year we are trying to raise money from yearbook sales, advertisements and from other departments in order to cover our costs. But otherwise, it will be difficult for a yearbook to be put out this year,” noted Vassarion Editor-in-Chief Alia Heintz ’12 in an emailed statement.

The Vassarion’s debt was recently cleared by funds provided by Dean of the College Chris Roellke and the Campus Activities Office. However, from this point forward, the Vassarion is expected to generate a surplus that is used not only to pay for next year’s yearbooks, but also to pay back their loan.

According to VSA By-Laws, any organization that begins the school year in debt will receive the recommended amount of money to cover their operations for the upcoming school year but See FUNDING on page 8

Pre-holiday theatrical marathon A

Eric Schuman/The Miscellany News

Several students who went to vote at Arthur S. May Elementary School on Nov.15 found their vote challenged by Republican poll watchers and election inspectors.

Inside this issue

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NEWS

Cornel West to lecture about inequalities

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FEATURES

Pavel Shchyhelski/The Miscellany News

Emma Daniels Reporter

lthough most dread final exams and papers towards the end of the fall semester, die-hard theatergoers at Vassar look at it more positively. The majority of the fall plays go up during this period, and a large proportion of them hit the stage this coming weekend.

Three student theater productions will take place: Future Waitstaff of America’s (FWA) “She Loves Me,” Philaletheis’s “Yellow Ribbon Oaks” and Woodshed’s “Kitty, Kitty, Kitty.”

Notably, each play will allow for a completely different experience.

The works are diverse in their content as well as their presentation and style. “She Loves Me” is a classic musical, “Yellow Ribbon Oaks”

Walkway over the Hudson offers sandwich feast

Above, members of Philaletheis conduct a meeting. The theater group will perform “Yellow Ribbon Oaks” in the Kenyon Club Room this weekend. is a student-written play and “Kitty Kitty Kitty” is a staged reading that is also, in line with the organization producing it, a non-hierarchal collaborative work.

“She Loves Me” will be per-

15 ARTS

formed in the Susan Stein Shiva Theater on Nov. 17 to 19 at 8 p.m. with a matinee on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m.

The plot of the play, which opened on Broadway in 1963, is centered See THEATER on page 16

VRDT to perform “Final Showings”

Page 2

The Miscellany News

November 17, 2011

Editor in Chief Molly Turpin Senior Editors

Katharine Austin Erik Lorenzsonn Aashim Usgaonkar

Contributing Editors Katie Cornish Carrie Hojnicki Jillian Scharr

News Joey Rearick Dave Rosenkranz Features Danielle Bukowski Mary Huber Opinions Hannah Blume Humor & Satire Alanna Okun Arts Rachael Borné Adam Buchsbaum Sports Corey Cohn Andy Marmer Photography Juliana Halpert Madeline Zappala Online Nathan Tauger Social Media Matt Ortile Managing Qian Xu

This week in 1967, the Vassar Board of Trustees announced their decision to reject the proposed affiliation with Yale University. The Trustees announced concurrently their plans to undergo a multi-million-dollar expansion of the College, including a proposed coordinate men’s college.

This Week in Vassar History 1886, Nov. 25 The Reverend Dr. Elias Magoon died in Philadelphia. A founding trustee of the College and the originator of the Magoon Collection, the extensive group of paintings, prints and art publications which formed the basis of the Vassar art collection, Magoon was 76 years old and until recently had been pastor of Broad Street Baptist Church in Philadelphia.

1889, Nov. 18 The faculty approved the plan for self-government put forth by the Student Association, on a trial basis. When it was readopted and approved in September 1890, and again in 1891, the system became permanent.

1910, Nov. 28 Before chapel services, President of the College James Monroe Taylor announced that Mrs. Russell Sage had given the College $150,000 for the construction of a new residence hall. The new building was named Olivia Josselyn Hall, after the mother of Sage’s father.

1931, Nov. 19 to 22 The College celebrated the opening of the Belle Skinner Hall of Music. Presented to the College by William Skinner in memory of his sister, a member of the Class of 1887, the French Gothic style building was designed by Charles Collens. Belle Skinner had restored the French town of Hattonchatel after World War I, and her memorial hall was modeled af-

By Dean Emeritus Colton Johnson

ter the Hattonchatel chateau.

Music librarian George Sherman Dickinson was largely responsible for the extraordinary completeness of the new building’s design, which included recital halls, offices, practice facilities, a 7,500-volume library and a museum. Reporting the building’s dedication The New York Times called it “one of the finest of [Vassar’s] college buildings and one of the finest and most completely equipped of any college musical buildings.”

1954, Nov. 22 Former psychology instructor Lloyd Barenblatt, who had refused in June to answer certain question before the House Un-American Activities Committee, was one of eight previous witnesses indicted for contempt of Congress. Convicted, he appealed, and his appeal went to the Supreme Court, which, in June 1959, upheld the conviction, five to four.

Justices Black and Douglas and Chief Justice Warren filed a dissent, and Justice Brennan filed a separate, brief dissent.

Although Barenblatt’s Vassar four-year contract had expired at the time of his appearance before the committee, President Blanding strongly supported the former faculty member.

1960, Nov. 20 In the television quiz program “College Bowl” Vassar’s team defeated four-time winner, Vanderbilt University. The following week Vassar lost to Boston University. The

$ 2000 won by the team was donated to the scholarship fund.

1967, Nov. 20 The College announced that, after a year’s study of affiliation with Yale University, Vassar would “remain in its birthplace” and remain “the mistress in our house.” The trustees said that Yale and Vassar, as two institutions, each “engaged in expanding its reach through its own invention, will serve the interests of higher education better than one.” Further, the trustees said that the decision to remain in Poughkeepsie was “influenced by loyalty to a place as spacious and beautiful as ours, by confidence in the future of our region…and by our commitment to the education of women.”

Interviewed by The New York Times, President Alan Simpson said that the decision to abandon affiliation with Yale was reached with difficulty. But, he said the Vassar Trustees endorsed an alternate plan—“Vassar will remain in Poughkeepsie and undergo a multimillion-dollar expansion...including proposals for a coordinate men’s college, graduate institutes, curricular innovations and a residential unit in New York.” Simpson added that the men’s college would be at least minimally operative within five years. In this alternative plan, “Two autonomous institutes, one for the Study of Man and his Environment and another for the Advancement of Teaching will be launched to serve both graduate and undergraduate men and women.” The New York Times, The Miscellany News

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Assistant Features Ruth Bolster Jessica Tarantine Assistant Arts Charlacia Dent Shruti Manian Assistant Sports Kristine Olson Assistant Photo Carlos Hernandez Assistant Copy Jessica Grinnell Crossword Editor Jonathan Garfinkel Columnists Sarah Begley Brittany Hunt Michael Mestitz Tom Renjilian Sam Scarritt-Selman Andy Sussman Reporters Emma Daniels Jesse Hartman Matthew Hauptman Bethan Johnson Bobbie Lucas Burcu Noyan Jack Owen Alicia Salvino Leighton Suen Photographers Alex Schlesinger ADVERTISING POLICY

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NEWS

November 17, 2011

Page 3

West to speak about poverty, inequality VSA launches campus climate R committee Aashim Usgaonkar Senior Editor

Bethan Johnson Reporter

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Courtesy of Mikey Walley

enowned author, critic, activist and Professor of African American Studies at Princeton University Cornel West will lecture on Nov. 30 in the Vassar College Chapel. West’s lecture — entitled “The End(s) of Oligarchy: On Spirituality, Citizenship and the New Democracy” — is cosponsored by the Vassar Association of Class Activists (VACA), the Vassar Student Association, the Dean of the College Division, the Office of the President and a host of academic departments.

According to VACA member John Joyce ’12, West will talk to the gathering “about poverty, economic injustice and inequality, and social change in the contemporary United States.” The event will begin at 8 p.m. with an introduction delivered by Associate Professor of English Kiese Laymon, after which contemporary gospel, soul and R&B group Vassar Has Soul will perform. “[West has] written extensively about economic and racial justice issues in the contemporary United States, and has been as active participant and commentator on the Occupy Wall Street movement,” noted Joyce, referring to the relevance of the speaker with respect to growing claims of economic injustice and the Occupy Wall Street movement spreading across the United States and the world.

After earning doctoral and Master’s degrees from Princeton,

West went on to have a reputable career as a social commentator, authoring 19 books to date. His most prominent published works include the Publishers Weekly bestseller Race Matters, which assesses the economic and political implications of skin color in the United States; the 2004 critically-acclaimed novel Democracy Matters: Winning the Fight Against Imperialism, about the “arrested development of democracy” in the 21st century; and his most recent book Brother West: Living & Loving Out Loud, an autobiographical work tracing West’s journey through academia, divorces and battles with cancer.

West has also produced music albums composed of a mixture of rap and spoken words, including Sketches of My Culture, on the subject of black history in the Unites States and Never Forget: A Journey of Revelations, which features West posing as conductor to several hip-hop, R&B and rap pieces all designed to represent music as a vehicle to effect positive social change.

“We really wanted to event to be a community event,” wrote Joyce with regards to the expected audience to the lecture. “While making space for everybody in the Vassar community who wants to attend, we’ve also been reaching out to [members of the local community],” he said, adding that VACA encourages “all students to invite those who might be interested” in the topics West will

Above, Cornel West speaks out at a recent Occupy Wall Street protest.

The renowned author will give a lecture at Vassar on Nov. 30 in the Chapel. address in his lecture.

While there is no charge to attend the event, tickets are required to enter the venue, which can be collected at the Information Desk in the North Atrium of the College Center. The seating at the event will be on a first come, first served basis.

“West is an extremely dynamic, though-provoking and engag-

ing presenter, and we hope that the event is more than just one evening long,” wrote Joyce, noting that West’s lecture is “an opportunity for students, staff, faculty and community members to reflect on and consider the ways that we can enact social change in our own lives and spaces. “It promises to be an exciting and enlightening event.”

Occupy Wall Street teach-in inspires Bobbie Lucas

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Reporter

ince it began two months ago today, Occupy Wall Street (OWS) has grown from a small encampment in New York City to an international movement dedicated to financial reform. Although it has spread to dozens of major cities throughout the world, it didn’t officially come to Vassar until Sunday, Nov. 13 when the college hosted an Occupy Teachin in Sanders Classroom to educate students, faculty and Poughkeepsie residents about the Occupy movement and how people can get involved in all kinds of social reform.

The teach-in at Vassar was co-sponsored

by Democracy Matters, Rebuild the Dream Vassar, the Grassroots Alliance for Alternative Politics, Vassar Association of Class Activists and the Vassar Political Science, Sociology and International Studies Departments. The program began at noon with an introductory panel. The three panelists had worked with the Occupy Wall Street Movement for the past two months.

They discussed the movement’s daily workings and explained their own involvement in Occupy Wall Street.

Ethan Buckner ’13, an Occupy Wall Street activist, described his experience helping the movement communicate on a national level, and his involvement in revising its organizational structure. “The decision making body, called the General Assembly, is the heart and soul of the movement,” he said. “It is the way for everyone to make decisions on a consensus basis. It is a continual practice of direct democracy.”

The beginning panel ended with an agreement that Occupy Wall Street should not have daily major events because things seem more important if they come less frequently. The audience then separated into the first breakout session. Participants had the option to go to a panel on “Specific Issues and Identities and Relationships to OWS,” where the panel discussed how the issues of class, race, sexuality, gender, etc. were tied to the issues that OWS is advocating for.

The other option was a panel on the “Lo-

cal Issues, Occupy Colleges, and StudentAcademic-Community Coalition Building” where four speakers discussed issues that affect the world and the Poughkeepsie community and then intersected those issues with how they relate to and affect Occupy Wall Street. New York University (NYU) Ph.D student Stuart Schrader ’00 discussed a walk out that occurred at NYU on Oct. 5 to advocate against recent budget cuts against public universities. He explained how thousands of people joined the hundreds of students and how “there were so many people, we took over the streets of Fifth Avenue,” he said. “The experience showed how much broad based support there was in New York City. We need to continue to organize on campus and connect with other universities. The politics of the United States have been irrevocably changed over the past two months. This movement is global.”

Joan Mandel ’66, national head of Democracy Matters, explained that the massive support for Occupy Wall Street stems from an “underground feeling that has been building up from people who have felt for a long time that they had no power and could not do anything,” adding that, to address this perceived problem, “[protesters] need to create some specific legislative goals to demand of the government.”

After a brief lunch where panelists, students, faculty and Poughkeepsie residents continued their previous discussions, the second breakout session began. “Direct Action, Direct Democracy and Democratic Theory” provided a deeper exploration of how the movement is an example of direct democracy. Mandel led the panel and explained, “social movements are most successful when they have legislative change that will change the system, in addition to taking the streets. The main way corporations influence our lives is by controlling the political systems. If we want to take back democracy, we must take back the political system.”

“U.S. History, American Government, and Social Movements” examined histori-

cal trends of social movements and discussed various movements from the past that have influenced and informed Occupy Wall Street. Aidan Kahn ’14 described the panel’s discussion as “demanding reinvigoration of social safety net that includes federal works projects and employing the unemployed and underemployed to repair our broken infrastructure.”

Khan participated in the Oct. 15 march at Times Square where he ended up at the head of a large crowd of protesters. “I think of myself as a progressive, and at times a socialist, but I cannot help but think that this movement should work a little more within the system to evoke change, rather than creating the framework for a structure that cannot exist and cannot effect change until fundamental issues threatening American democracy are solved,” argued Kahn.

“The teach-ins should focus on the simple facts of wealth inequality, systematic ways to fix it and how to best rebuild economic systems, and then use the knowledge that is gleaned to effect the appropriate change. After that, when the movement has power and when some semblance of democracy restored, social progress will begin to flow naturally because socioeconomic inequality is the root of all current inequality. It has been, and remains, the primary tool of oppression.”

The teach-in ended with another panel which encouraged open dialogues between people, reflection about the insights that attendees gleaned and continued intellectual development. As the discussion ended, particpants were invited to join teach-in organizers and move to 72 Market Street, Hulme Park, the place where Occupy Poughkeepsie is being held.

n response to the incidents of vandalism in residential halls, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Council has initiated discussions for a campus-wide campaign to combat the increasingly negative campus climate. VSA President Tanay Tatum ’12 presented the idea of a VSA-sponsored response at this Sunday’s Council meeting as a supplement to the other administrative- and organization-led events. Although only in its nascent state, VSA Council agreed to establish a committee to discuss what immediate course of action the VSA should take.

Administrators and student representatives believe that the recent outbursts of hateful vandalism (which included homophobic, sexist, and racist language) across campus indicate that Vassar’s climate has become more hostile. While the source of the shift remains unknown, the change in the atmosphere is felt campus-wide. “I think that Vassar is the type of place that prides itself for being nonnormative and really pushing those boundaries,” Main House President Jeremy Garza ’14 explained, “and now there is really a push back.”

The student body has been addressing the issue on a smaller scale through the incident report emails students receive from the Dean of the College Chris Roellke, through house-team-led, mandatory meetings to discuss students’ reactions and opinions about the events, and numerous student organized activities, such as teach-ins. Professors are also responding, most noticeably with the plan to video students and professors reading Vassar’s mission statement, which Associate Professor of Psychology Abigail Baird is organizing.

Despite the amount of smaller campaigns and discussions being organized across the campus, VSA members expressed a need for a strong VSA Council stance in the solution to the negative campus climate. “[We are] really trying to formulate the VSA to be a tool for students not only as activism and for things that can affect the greater Vassar community and the Poughkeepsie community,” Garza noted, “but also address things that are happening.

So we really wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t have some kind of response to what’s going on.”

The main conclusion representatives reached was that the VSA should aim to unite the student body through a campus-wide campaign.

The mission, as originally drafted by the students, would be to foster a campus community that is more knowledgeable about the repercussions of the hostility and is more accepting of difference in the student body. At the root of the ideas mentioned in the Council meeting was a need to personally engage each student on the issue, not through general emails, and inclusion beyond simply house meetings. The most popular idea was a face-to-face component to the campaign in order to discuss the facts of the incidents and the students’ emotional responses.

The potential solutions which were suggested included a school-wide pledge, similar to those used

by Vassar Greens last year to reduce bottle water consumption, which would hold students accountable for their treatment of others. Another potential inspiration came from modifying the “Not in My House” Raymond used last year after an incident.

Even in its earliest form, representatives are confident that the campaign will be implemented soon.

“I think it’s going to get out of the ground quickly,” Greer posited, “especially because sooner is much better than later in this type of issue, because students won’t forget about it.”

Regardless of the course of action the VSA takes, students also need to make an effort. “I think that it could be really powerful,” Greer asserted, “if people are open to it.” The VSA will be organizing a group of representatives, and other students, to discuss the best course of action. “The most successful things on this campus,” Tatum explained, “have come from the collaboration of lots of people.”

EDITOR’S NOTE Please see miscellanynews.com for more on speakers and events in last weekend’s sesquicentennial Educating the Global Citizen Conference in addition to extensive online content across all sections.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

NEWS

Page 4

November 17, 2011

Freshman Forum addresses concerns, vets solutions Kerrin Poole Reporter

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Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

n Nov. 10, the Freshman Class Council held its first Freshman Forum. They invited members of the freshman class to discuss a wide range of issues including discriminatory vandalism, alcohol abuse, a new athletic atmosphere and campus Safety and Security. Led

by Class of 2015 President Benedict Nguyen ’15, the Class Council moderated the conversation, listened to each student’s opinions on each of these topics and began to discuss potential solutions.

The forum began with a discussion about the vandalism that has been reported in Davison, Main and Lathrop since the beginning of the year. The Freshman Council explained that the Vassar community must maintain its commitment to tolerance. In particular, attendees felt that conservatives on campus are treated badly. They speculated that anti-conservatism on campus might have contributed the slew of homophobic and sexist remarks.

To achieve some kind of mutual acceptance, it was suggested that there be a means of educating students so that they can come to a better understanding of each other, and come to accept each other’s thoughts, beliefs and manners of living. Furthermore, it was suggested that people, through their own actions, create a friendly environment where people do not want to be hurtful towards one another.

There was talk of a study break where students would be asked to write nice comments on post-it notes and then stick them in another residential house.

Another concern that the forum brought to light is alcohol’s presence on campus. Over the last three months, there have been an unusually high number of EMS calls and hospitalizations which have, many freshman believe, cast a

Members of the Freshman Class Council, pictured left, held a Freshman Forum on Nov. 10 in Rockefeller Hall to discuss a wide range of issues. Students in attendance, pictured right, voiced their concerns on current campus climate, specifically the recent discriminatory vandalism, alcohol abuse and campus Safety and Security. grey and disapproving light on the their class. They think that other students perceive their class as the problem. Although several members of the freshman class have been involved in alcohol-related incidents, according to statistics produced by EMS Captain Sam Black ’12, freshman are not too different from sophomores, juniors and seniors in this respect.

Nevertheless, the forum agreed that there alcohol is a problem on campus. To improve the campus’s overall consumption statistics, and the freshman image in general, members of the freshman class suggested that there be more sober, oncampus activities. They also agreed that Vassar has done a good job in terms of educating students about the dangers of alcohol.

Forum attendees also talked about the growing number of stu-

dent athletes. The freshman jokingly consider their class to be burlier than others, and they believe that Vassar’s identity is being compromised. However, other freshmen disagreed. “People talk about diversity but they pick and choose what they want,” said Nathan Bazan ’15, implying that, if Vassar is concerned with having a variety of students with different beliefs, backgrounds and interests, athletes should be excluded.

Class Council members agreed with Bazan, and added that student athletes are exactly that: students before athletes. They explained that Vassar is a highly academic institution with a reputation as a challenging liberal arts college, and that students come here to study in addition to play sports.

Finally, toward the end of the forum, the Class Council directed

its audience to Vassar Security. Under Vassar College Regulations for 11/12 Part A., Article III, Section 3.3, “Campus Security officers may enter a room if there is a reason to believe that one or more college regulations are being violated within the room.

Examples of such behavior and situations include, but are not limited to, the smell of smoke, yelling and loud noises.” Furthermore, under Part F., Section V.1.04, “Public or private gatherings (eight or more people in residence houses, 15 or more in apartments) at which alcoholic beverages will be consumed are prohibited unless they are properly approved and registered.” One possible sanction for being found guilty of violating these regulations is residence relocation.

Vassar Security also maintains the right to search fridges, closets

and other areas of the room that many students consider private.

All of this is delineated in the Student Handbook and yet, according to a poll taken of the freshmen at the forum, several students were unaware of these rules. The forum concluded that Safety and Security should make more of an effort to clarify its policies so that students can be more aware.

The Freshman Forum only had 13 attendees. However, it did become apparent that the freshman class struggles with many of the same issues that the rest of the campus faces. Class of 2015 Vice President Ally Hamilton ’15 reminded everyone that she can only represent the students who voice their opinions.

She hopes that, although this forum was helpful, more of her constituents will participate in future conversations.

Spike in theft prompts use of plainclothes officers SECURITY continued from page 1 Office of Residential Life to help address situations in which students are drinking dangerously. “We generally use them at Res Life’s suggestion,” said Marsala. “We usually only use them for big events. They go through the dorms, mostly looking for parties, underage drinking and pre-gaming.”

But after reports of thefts began to accumulate in unusually high numbers this year, Marsala and his colleagues began to consider using undercover officers to catch potential thieves, in addition to enforcing safety rules. “We’ve had a rash of thefts—more than I can remember in recent years,” said Marsala. A total of 25 larcenies have taken place this semester, mostly of laptops and wallets. Thirty-three bicycles have also gone missing; according to Marsala, this number is exorbitant compared to the usual total of 15 that go missing in a school year. Many incidents have occurred in the Library, where students have left laptops unattended for short periods and returned to find them missing. One thief was even bold enough to steal a desktop belonging to the school from one of the Library’s computer areas. In other cases, students have had their rooms burglarized after leaving them unlocked for just a few moments. According to Associate Director of Safety and Security Kim Squillace, one student signed off of her computer at 11:47 a.m. and found it had been stolen when she returned to her room at noon.

Marsala thinks those responsible are probably not members of the Vassar community but intruders who use a method termed “piggybacking”: slipping inside buildings by following Vassar students after they swipe their identification cards. He cautioned, “We don’t know for sure; it could be [a member of the Vassar community].” But he stated plainclothes offi-

cers could monitor entrances inconspicuously and apprehend trespassers who piggyback their way into restricted student areas.

“You’re not going to do anything if you see [a uniformed officer] standing right there [by entrances to buildings],” said Marsala. “But maybe if we have plainclothes officers there, they’ll be able to catch people they see piggybacking.”

He and Squillace think local youths could be entering card access buildings illegitimately and stealing items of value. “Kids from the local high school could be coming over after school,” Marsala hypothesized. “They know it’s easy pickings because no one here locks their doors.” This theory was supported by a theft perpetrated in the campus computer store on Friday, Nov. 11, during which three teenagers distracted an employee of the Computer Store and stole three iPods.

Marsala and Squillace think that students should be more proactive in taking steps to secure their property. For instance, they urge students to avoid holding or propping doors open, especially if suspicious individuals are lurking by entrances to slip in behind them. If students observe unfamiliar persons piggybacking, Marsala and Squillace advise calling Security rather than directly confronting potentially dangerous intruders. They also suggest that students lock their rooms whenever they leave.

“Students think of the door to the dorm as the front door of their house,” said Squillace. “But in reality, the door to their rooms is like the front door to their house. You wouldn’t leave the front door of your house unlocked; that wouldn’t make sense.” Safety and Security officers are hoping their discreet presence by building entrances, in addition to increased student awareness, will reduce theft by a significant margin.

But some students have responded strongly

to other implications of the potential presence of plainclothes officers. In a meeting of the VSA Student Life committee on Thursday, Nov. 10, Marsala and Squillace came under fire for suggesting plainclothes officers might be utilized in the dorms on a regular basis. Many of the VSA representatives present expressed concerns that plainclothes officers might work to catch students committing conduct violations like underage drinking and drug use. Other committee members asserted the implementation of a plainclothes force would be mystifying and troubling for students, who value transparency in Security practices.

“Many students we have heard from are upset and confused about practices related to the use of plainclothes officers in the residence houses,” said Class of 2012 President Pam Vogel ’12. “Neither students nor Safety and Security wishes to operate in an atmosphere of rumors and adversarial relationships.”

After the meeting, several VSA representatives joined to form a working group to address unresolved questions regarding Security activity on campus this semester, especially the use of plainclothes officers. The group, composed of Vogel, Jewett House President Clayton Masterman ’13, Lathrop House Prseident Dallas Robinson ’14, Ferry House Representative Grace Ashford ’14, Town Houses President Alejandro Montoya ’12, and Class of 2014 President Michael Moore ’14, will meet during the week and present the result of their efforts (possibly a formal resolution of some kind) at the VSA Council meeting this Sunday, Nov. 20. “We are incredibly concerned with the presence of plainclothed officers in our residential space,” Vogel said, adding, “we hope to find a way to address that concern effectively, in partnership with the administration.”

VSA Vice President for Student Life Charlie

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Dobb ’12 said he invited Marsala and Squillace to a Committee on Student Life meeting to spark productive consideration of Security activity. “It is the point of these committee forums with administrators that they raise more questions than answers, and that’s exactly what last week’s meeting did,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “The working group developed as a subgroup of committee members who felt particularly strongly that they still had questions on the topics discussed, particularly with regard to the issue of plainclothes officers.”

Squillace said plainclothes officers could soon be dedicated largely to the prevention of theft and trespassing. She noted that the officers would be deployed during the afternoon, when many of the thefts have taken place but few students are drinking or using drugs. “[The thefts] are happening during the daytime,” said Squillace. “We’re not out there trying to catch people drinking or smoking pot.”

Still, she and Marsala were struck by the negative reaction of students to the existance of plainclothes officers. “Lately we’ve been thinking maybe we won’t because of the outcry from students,” Marsala said. “We heard them loud and clear.” Ultimately, he and the members of his department will make their decision about implementing plainclothes officers after consulting several high-ranking college officials, such as President of the College Catharine Bond Hill and Dean of the College Chris Roellke.

Marsala recognized that some students might be upset if plainclothes officers are ultimately stationed in the residential houses, but said that his department’s duties lie primarily with preventing crime on campus. “When all is said and done, we’re charged with the security of the College,” he said. “We’re going to have to make some tough choices.”

November 17, 2011

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Page 5

Administration considers change to smoking policies Jessica Tarantine

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Assistant Features Editor

Carlos Hernandez/The Miscellany News

ith 586 completely smoke-free colleges and universities and increasing numbers of schools implementing smoke-free campuses to avoid the health and environmental problems associated with second hand smoke, it is not off the mark to ask: will Vassar be next?

In fact, that question was first asked two years ago, and Vassar’s administration has continued to collect data in order to consider new smoking policies.

“Two years ago the Drug Education Committee made a set of recommendations to [the Committee on College Life (CCL)] regarding smoking on campus, including better enforcement of the 50-foot rule [banning students from smoking within 50 feet of building entrances], possible designation of smoking areas, development of smoking cessation classes and a longterm strategy for making the campus smokefree,” said Dean of the College Chris Roellke.

The Drug Education Committee, which made the recommendation, is a subsidary of the Office of Health Education (OHE) devoted to exploring issues surrounding substance usage.

Roellke said, however, it has not been implemented: “CCL at that time felt as though more research was needed to contemplate any significant policy change—we are conducting that research this year.”

Part of the ongoing research conducted biannually by the College is collecting statistic regarding cigarette usage by students on campus. “[The] newest data is [from the] American College Health Association [ACHA] Survey 2010: When students were asked about their smoking in the last 30 days, two percent said they smoked all of the last 30 days, 17 percent said they used cigarettes in the last 30 days, over 80 percent of students have not smoked in the last 30 days, and about 65 percent never used,” said Director of the OHE Renee Pabst. While exact numbers for students asked at Vassar are not available, nationally 273,803 students at over 300 colleges and universities were surveyed for the 2010 survey.

While research is still ongoing, a smoke-free campus is not currently on the agenda for the CCL. “We do not currently have any policies on the table. However, we have discussed smoking on campus as an issue we will be discussing and analyzing later this year,” explained CCL

In response to the increase in smoke-free campuses across the country, the College’s administration has continued to collect data over the past two years in order to consider adopting new smoking policies. representative Rebecca Bauer ’14.

Roellke said that it was not out of the realm of possibility, as other committees could call for policy reform.

While students at Vassar don’t seem particularly enthused about such a policy change, many other schools have found a benefit to creating a smoke-free environment. According to an article written by the National Association of College and University Business Officers, numerous benefits can be achieved. “In addition to causing direct health hazards, smoking contributes to college costs in other ways, including potential fire damage, cleaning and maintenance costs, and costs associated with absenteeism, health care, and medical insurance,” the article stated refering to the decision of University of North Carolina to become smoke free.

While creating a smoke-free campus would undoubtedly solve some of the issues reguarding smoking violations, many issues can also be addressed through less radical changes in policy.

One major concern regarding smoking cul-

ture on campus is the frequent occurrences of smoking near the entrances of buildings, forcing residents to walk through smoke.

Students did not seem as concerned with the practice. “This happens outside of Joss, and I notice it in front of other dorms as well and many buildings on campus,” said Josselyn House President Michael Kiel ’14. “I don’t think this is a problem, I feel that smoking is a personal choice and policy should not be made to either encourage or discourage it. I oppose college legislation that would ban smoking in any way shape or form.”

The current smoking policy does however forbid smoking outside of the dorms. Section 23 of the college regulations states: “Smoking of any substance is forbidden in all buildings on campus and within 50 feet of all building entrances. Additionally, smoking is forbidden on the College Center Circle and patio.”

Assistant Director of Safety and Security Kim Squillace explained how this translated into procedure for her office. “Our Safety and Security personnel patrol the houses and academic buildings after hours and do address

smoking issues. A Safety and Security report is generated,” Squillance said.

In terms of consequences, according to Squillace, “The Safety and Security Officer will remind community members of the 50-feet regulation if they come upon a situation.”

Pabst explained that these types of violations posed health risks: “Of course, we know that second-hand smoke is more dangerous than first-hand smoke.”

Pabst referenced an article written by Action on Smoking and Health, which stated, “Society recognizes that people have a right not to be involuntarily exposed to known carcinogenic substances, even if only to small amounts and for brief periods. That’s why, for example, extensive and very expensive precautions are taken when asbestos is removed from buildings.

This insures that people outside are not exposed even to minute amounts as they pass.”

In response to these health concerns both outside and inside the dorm, Squillace hypothesized that some small changes could be implemented to minimize the risks. “Perhaps creating an outdoor space such as a gazebo in the quad areas would help reduce the number of students who choose to smoke in their rooms,” Squillace said. An outdoor gazebo area might not only reduce the incidents of smoking in dorms, which has recently become a problem for some dorms like Josselyn but also near the entrances.

Another response on the part of the College was offering low-cost smoking cessation classes to students. But Pabst explained that they have since been cut. “OHE has not offered the smoking cessation class in the last year due to staffing and time restraints on offering the class,” she said. “OHE does offer one-on-one smoking cessation support to students and there have been numerous students who have sought out that support in the last year.”

In an effort to better understand smoking culture and create better policy on campus Roellke said, “We are continuing to collect data on policies at peer institutions and also at local area colleges and universities so we can better understand the landscape in terms of smoking policy.” He remained optimistic that the policy could be improved. “I do think we can do better in terms of smoking policy, particularly in light of what science has told us about the effects of secondhand smoke,” Roellke said.

Vassar alum brings new flavor to tutoring program Danielle Bukowski

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Features Editor

Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

reaking from the routine of writing and studying, Vassar students involved with Vassar After School Tutoring (VAST) spend afternoons helping Poughkeepsie Middle School students with their homework and bonding over jokes and activities. A program under Vassar College Urban Education Initiative (VCUEI), VAST is under new control this year with Francis Meyo ’11 as Outreach Fellow. From 3 to 5 p.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Meyo is in charge of the 50 Vassar students and 67 scholars; he has made several changes to the program since he took over from Karishma Chanda ’09, which have been well-received by mentors and scholars.

Meyo was not involved with VAST while an undergraduate, but has always been interested in matters of social justice: “I’m an international student, and have come to consider Poughkeepsie my home … I was looking for opportunities after graduation this year and learned about the VAST position and thought it was the perfect opportunity to stay here and give back to the community,” said Meyo. “I’ve fallen in love with Poughkeepsie and think there’s still more that I can do here.” He has been working towards more coordination between the middle school, the students and their parents.

Said VAST mentor David Loyo ’14, “Tutoring at VAST is very different from being here in college, where discussions are very professional. With these kids you can have fun: They really inspire you and it’s such a booster afterwards.” It’s Loyo’s second semester as a mentor, and one of the two eighth graders he works with was his mentee last year. “He’s a little bit hyper at times, but he’s really cool. It’s great just talking with him,” Loyo said. Scholars are

typically nominated for the program by the middle school guidance counselors, and there is a waiting list to get in.

The biggest change to the program this year is from tutoring only on Mondays and Wednesdays and activity on Friday to tutoring and activity all three days. Some students weren’t excited for homework that first Friday, but they’ve since warmed to the idea. The activities the middle school scholars choose to engage in vary from games of basketball and soccer to knitting and photo-voice, the last of which is run by Phocus co-Presidents Zan Schmidt ’12 and Claire Casstevens ’12.

“Essentially the name photo-voice refers to developing a narrative and creative voice through photography,” Schmidt wrote in an emailed statement. “In order to do this we teach students photography skills so they can then go out and use the camera as a new lens to interpret their experiences and world around them.” Begun in Spring 2010 as a senior project, photo-voice is being incorporated into VAST again this year. Schmidt wrote, “So far we have had a wonderful and productive experience.”

To field trips have been undertaken so far.

Now that tutoring is every day, Meyo has centered all scholars and mentors in one wing of the building. “The middle school is big, so now my energies are not split and I have more time to interact on a more personal level with the scholars, and learning about any problems early on,” Meyo said.

“I think the scholars are adjusting to Francis’ presence, which means adjusting to new rules, boundaries and small program changes.

In my experience Francis has been an effective listener, communicator and leader,” wrote Nathaniel Hoston ’13, who is a new VAST mentor.

Hoston originally came to VAST to implement

Above, a Vassar After School Tutoring mentor advises her scholars at Poughkeepsie Middle School.

Mentors meet with children three days a week to help them with their studies and run activities. a youth running program in Poughkeepsie, but stayed on as a tutor even after lack of interest stopped the activity. “I found that I was forming close and valuable relationships with my scholars, other Poughkeepsie Middle School students and fellow mentors,” Hoston wrote.

“I’m forced to care because my scholars look up to and depend on me. While tutoring can be emotionally draining and altogether stressful sometimes, volunteering with VAST is still very rewarding.”

Andrés Estela ’13 has been a mentor for VAST since his freshman year, and likes the changes initiated under Meyo. “I think he’s been really good about getting close to mentors,” he said. Like Meyo, Estela got involved with VAST with an interest in social justice. “I think that

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

some of the social justice issues we’re dealing with here in Poughkeepsie and in general with public education is really important to me, and should be important to other people,” Estela commented. He had experience working with urban middle school youth coming into Vassar, and has enjoyed mentoring the same student since his freshman year. “He’s a good kid,” said Estela, “he gets in trouble a lot for his attitude but he’s smart and a really sweet guy.”

The idea of pairing up Vassar students with younger students in Poughkeepsie public education is also the idea behind the newer VCUEI program Exploring College, which Loyo and Estela are involved with. Freshmen from Vassar are paired up with freshmen from Poughkeepsie See VAST on page 7

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November 17, 2011

Quiet Room meditation offers oasis amid Library stress Casey Zukerman

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Guest Reporter

Cassady Bergevin/The Miscellany News

he Frederick Ferris Thompson Memorial Library is not usually associated with relaxation. Students spend many sleepless nights there studying for tests and writing papers. But relaxing is exactly what some Vassar students are doing in the Library’s Quiet Room.

Wrote Director of Religious and Spiritual Life Reverand Samuel Speers in an emailed statement, “A number of years ago the Carolyn Grant Committee planned the renovation of what we now call the ‘Quiet Room’ as a place of retreat in the midst of the Library and larger campus.” While some refer to the space tucked away on the third floor the Meditation Room, “There is no “right way” to be in the space,” Speers wrote. “We hope the Quiet Room provides support for the myriad ways members of the Vassar community learn to pay attention-to others, to the world around us, to ourselves.”

The room is open from 8:30 until midnight, and several organizations utilize the Quiet Room.

The Buddist Sangha uses the Quiet Room for their weekly meditation sessions. The group is open to anyone who practices or is interested in any aspect of Buddhism and meets twice a week in the room, at 8:30 in the morning on Tuesdays, and 8:30 in the evening on Thursdays. Lecturer in Athletics and Physical Education James McCowan, a faculty advisor for the group, said, “It speaks volumes to have that space in the Library itself ... the bastion of often high-stress learning, that really points people towards looking inside.” He also mentioned the group has discussed using a room in the Chapel for meditation, which would let them start earlier for those with 9 o’clock classes. But for

Students meditate in the Thompson Memorial Library Quiet Room, located on the third floor. The room is utilized by several classes and organizations, like the Buddist Sangha, and students at large. now, the Quiet Room continues to provide the group with a place to “really have the opportunity to get in touch with the teachings of the Buddha and Buddhism in a practical way.” “[The Quiet Room] is like a sanctuary in the middle of a very academic place,” said Gabriel Dunsmith ’15, one of the head coordinators of Wholistic, another group that uses the space.

The holistic group works towards gaining physical and mental balance through practices like eating whole foods, working towards sustainability, and doing meditation, tai chi and yoga. “[The group is] something that anyone can go to and participate equally,” said Dunsmith. The group is secular, and meets in the room at 8:30 p.m. every Sunday night and welcome people of all backgrounds and skill levels. Though

Distinct program provides window into Victorian era Jack O’Brien

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Guest Reporter

rom Jack the Ripper to the Great Exhibition, the reign of Queen Victoria offers plenty of culture for a student to study. Vassar students interested in the era have the opportunity to pursue a concentration or correlate in this interdisciplinary field: Vassar is one of the few colleges that offers a degree in Victorian studies.

According to the program’s webpage, its mission is to allow students to “examine the assumptions, ideas, ideals, institutions, society and culture of 19th-century Britain, a complex society undergoing rapid transition at the height of global power.” There are currently two official Victorian studies majors at Vassar: Siobhan Reddy-Best ’13 and Molly Turpin ’12. (Disclosure: Turpin is Editor in Chief of The Miscellany News) The Victorian Studies program coordinators have put together a list of required courses from the English and History Departments, such as British History: James I to the Great War and Victorian Literature: Culture and Anarchy.

Majors are required to take at least three units from the required list. The diversity of courses that Victorian studies majors end up taking allows them to study the Victorian era in many different contexts, including historical, literary and even artistic or philosophical angles.

Last year, in celebration of Vassar’s sesquicentennial, Violet Edelman ’12, who’s pursuing a correlate in Victorian studies, undertook a project that involved writing a history of the Victorian Studies program. “I’ve had a fantastic time as part of the Victorian Studies program,” she said. In a comment about the nature of the program she said, “It provides its students with a way of examining a subject from a variety of perspectives.”

In her comprehensive history of the program, Edelman provided extensive background information about the evolution of the major itself. The program began as an independently designed major, and throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, students continued to pursue the Victorian studies major through the established independent major. “Victorian studies became an official interdepartmental program in 1986,” Edelman writes. In its early stage, the program was primarily lead by Professor of English Beth

Darlington, College Historian and Professor Emeritus of English Elizabeth Daniels ’41 and former Professor of History Anthony Wohl.”

The program includes quirky traditions such as annual Victorian dinners that the majors and faculty partake in together. “This is one of the most exciting things about the program,” Edelman said. “I remember the first time I attended, my freshman year, and I was absolutely thrilled about being in the same room with this group of diverse exciting scholars and interacting with them in a social setting. We have a tradition of dressing up like Victorians for these events, toasting to the Queen and eating trifle, all of which contributes to creating a very important air of authenticity to our gatherings.”

Edelman discussed the annual Victorian dinner both in interview and in her written history of the program. In her piece, she focused on how dining as a program evolved into a tradition. Events within the Victorian Studies program reflect the close-knit nature of the faculty and students involved and truly allow them to engage with one another in an interpersonal, unique way.

According to Edelman’s research on the program, “The interdisciplinary major devised was the only Victorian Studies program in North America leading to an undergraduate degree.”

This adds an additional level of uniqueness to Vassar’s academic program. Matt Dowling ’15 commented, “The Victorian Studies program was one of the reasons I decided to come to Vassar. It is one of the few schools with an actual major that is offered in Victorian studies.

I’ve always been really interested in this period and at Vassar I am allowed to concentrate in it.”

Dowling is currently enrolled in co-Associate Chair and Professor of English Wendy Graham’s Victorian literature class. Graham wrote in an emailed statement, “I enjoy the multidisciplinary character of the program and hope that future Victorian studies majors consider the American context or reception of Victoria’s reign and influence.”

Being one of the very few institutions to offer an undergraduate degree in Victorian studies certainly sets Vassar apart from peer colleges and universities. And in the case of students like Dowling, it’s even a factor in some students’ decision to attend Vassar.

they have used a tower foyer in the Chapel to meditate before, Dunsmith describes the Quiet Room as “a space where we can just be. There’s just this gravity to it that other rooms just don’t have.”

For others, the Quiet Room functions as a classroom. Ani Kunga, a Buddhist Nun from the Tsechen Kunchab Ling Temple of All-Encompassing Great Compassion (Sakya Temple), comes to campus to teach a half-credit life fitness class. Called Meditation for Reducing Stress, the class is sponsored by the Life Fitness Office, the Office of Spiritual Life and the Field Work Office. Classes are offered on Wednesdays at noon, 5:15 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to those who register.

Sitting on a meditation cushion after finish-

ing her 5:15 p.m. section, Kunga explained the nature of her course. “As you go forward in life, it’s great to know mathematics and physics and things, but it’s also great to have a toolkit of techniques to use in life when stuff happens.

We do have to deal with unpleasant people and we do have unhappy memories that come, and we will have to deal with competition,” she said. The course teaches Buddhist meditation to people of any or no religious or spiritual affiliation. “I think it’s very valuable for people to develop their minds, practice their minds and train their minds to face to challenges of life without any difficulty.” She compliments the Quiet Room for being a great place to do this.

With an expansive view of the lawn in front of the Library coupled with the resonating sounds of the Chapel bells, she said the Quiet Room is “naturally a very spiritual room. It has one of the best views on campus, it’s quiet and it’s a wonderful thing to have this kind of learning going on in the Library.”

It’s not only Vassar groups who use the Quiet Room. Many individuals of all spiritual backgrounds go to the Quiet Room on their own. On a regular Wednesday night, at 10:30 p.m., Sarah King ’13 happened to be in the meditation room.

She discovered the room her freshman year, and comes around five times a week for about half an hour. As a practicing Christian, she uses the room to pray, write in her journal and read her Bible. Sitting in front of the four windows that overlook the campus, she talked about what the room means to her. “I think it’s really nice to have place to go that isn’t my room, and that’s open almost all the time. I think it’s great having that sacred space; having a place where I go to for God that’s set apart.”

Life Fitness instructors bring variety of experience Thomas Lawler

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Guest Reporter

his December, the Life Fitness program will once again offer their popular (and free) Stress Buster session during finals. For nearly three weeks, classes taught by the same fitness instructors that teach during the semester will be available to the entire Vassar community. However, students may not know much about the trainers who teach these classes.

The classes allow students to sample the variety of classes offered and learned more about those who teach them. Life Fitness Director Roman Czula said, “It’s the ideal time to try something new and to get turned on by a particular class, whether it’s yoga or Pilates or any of the other classes.”

Czula began the program 20 years ago in 1991 with a budget of only $1000. Czula has built and expanded the program through the suggestions from students, alumnae/i and faculty. The schedule for the fall semester of Life Fitness has 25 different types of classes, including everything from tai chi to belly dancing to self-defense.

The fitness teachers, varying in background and expertise, are just as diverse as the classes offered. Czula said, “When I find an area of fitness or an activity that has shown some interest, I look in the local community for potential teachers.”

Teresa Troy is one of the local teachers that Czula has been able to bring to the Vassar community. She has been a part of the Life Fitness program for eight years teaching zumba and Pilates. “I personally feel that the reason the fitness classes are offered at Vassar is to release stress. Also, the basic key to wellness is movement and exercise,” said Troy. Troy is an advocate for a plant-based, whole-food diet. “I honestly wish we could motivate more people to come to the fitness classes. We need to get the people of America, not just Vassar, moving and eating properly,” said Troy.

A graduate of Vassar College with a degree in psychology, Cassandra Curry is a holistic health counselor and combines traditional therapy, nutritional guidance and yoga. She teaches seven yoga classes a week on the campus. Curry said, “I believe in the

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

philosophy of yoga not only as a form of physical fitness but as a way of tuning into one’s sense of who we are through our bodies and our minds.” Curry’s classes, ranging from beginner to intermediate, are taught using the vinyasa flow, a form of yoga that focuses on alignment and breathing.

For many students though, trying to work fitness classes into their already over-scheduled lives seems impossible. “Unlike with academics, where you might take a class because you need the credit even if you may not be satisfied with the teacher, someone only comes to life fitness classes if they are pleased with the class and in love with the teacher,” remarked Czula. Realizing this, fitness teachers try to engage with their students to promote overall personal wellness.

Troy said, “I have noticed in my students an enormous change in core strength and stamina but also a dramatic change and truly remarkable decrease in stress and fatigue.”

There are 110 hours of life fitness classes taught every week at Vassar, and 40 of those hours are classes offered free of charge. Said Czula, “We have continued to work with a modest budget and grant money to pay for teachers. Unfortunately, we cannot cover all the costs and have to charge a minimal fee.”

Under the current policy, all members of the Vassar community, which includes students, faculty, administrative members and families, have to pay $3 a class for those classes with a charge. Recently, the life fitness class have been extend to people outside of Vassar; however, they have to pay double the price and only have access to the facilities for their particular classes.

“I would ask those not involved in a class,” said Curry, “to leave behind their preconceived notions and try one. They should come and enjoy themselves and understand the possibilities to improve mentally, physically and emotionally.” Czula’s “In the Pink” newsletter is one way for those at Vassar to learn about Life Fitness programs. “I encourage everyone to try the Stress Busters, or to email me at roczula@vassar.edu with questions or concerns. This Life Fitness program is here for the community to use.” The schedule the Stress Buster classes will be announced shortly after Thanksgiving Break.

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November 17, 2011

Page 7

Sandwich-fueled trip across Walkway over the Hudson Sarah Begley

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Columnist

Lola’s

Conveniently located next to the stairs to the Walkway over the Hudson, Lola’s offers a wide array of soups, salads and sandwiches, the most popular of which include the turkey panini, the chicken bruschetta and the BLT with avocado. Seasonal specials include a recent parsnip and apple soup and the autumn chicken salad sandwich with dried cranberries and apricots. Especially good is the ahi tuna pita with slaw and sesame wasabi mayo, which pairs nicely with a side of spicy peanut noodles.

131 Washington Street Around $8 a sandwich Lolascafeandcatering.com

Sarah Begley/The Miscellany News

he Vassar-Student-Associationsponsored event, Meet Me in Poughkeepsie, is this Saturday, Nov. 19, and whether or not you signed up, it’s a great time of year to explore the city. It’s the last of the moderate weather and the trees are still sprouting their autumn foliage.

This can only mean that it’s your last chance to get in a trip to the lovely Walkway over the Hudson before winter is upon us.

What’s more, you’ve been back at Vassar for nearly three months now, which means there’s a pretty good chance you’re in a Bacio’s slump. We know, the garlic knots taste so good at midnight on a Saturday, but it’s time to branch out (we’re looking at you, freshmen.) So find a friend with a car, drive to the river, grab a sandwich at one of these shops, pop a squat on the bridge and enjoy. We promise Bacio’s will still be here when you get back.

Meet Me in Poughkeepsie offers the opportunity to explore the local community, such as the range of bistro delights at Lola’s, Cafe Bocca, Rossi’s Deli and Soul Dog. Cafe Bocca

Rossi’s Deli

Owner Erik Morabito calls Cafe Bocca’s neighborhood “the Little Italy of Poughkeepsie.” The shop is known for its traditional Italian sandwiches, like the mortadella panini with olive spread, provolone and balsamic vinaigrette on a ciabatta. While it’s still in season, try the special turkey and brie panini with cranberry honey mustard, a savory combination of crusty bread, smooth cheese and sweet spread. The store also sells local products like Hudson Valley milk, honey and Long Island’s North Fork chips.

14 Mount Carmel Place Around $8 a sandwich Cafebocca.net

If you go at lunchtime, it will be crowded, but as your neighbor in line may tell you, “it’s worth the wait.” Like Cafe Bocca, Rossi’s specializes in Italian panini on fresh focaccia with either provolone or mozzarella cheese. Toppings at Rossi’s range from pork roast to tomatoes and basil, and vegetarians will especially love a grilled eggplant panini. The bread, which is only sliced fresh upon ordering, really makes the sandwich, and though it comes in two sizes, the smaller version is sufficient for most appetites.

45 South Clover Street $7 for a small sandwich.

Rossideli.com

Gourmet hot dogs and Italian paninis are two of the delicious options awaiting students who patronize local restaurants around Walkway over the Hudson.

Soul Dog

Most of you probably already know and love Soul Dog, but for freshmen who have been deprived by its recent absence from Tasty Tuesdays, it’s certainly worth a visit. Pick your hot dog (beef, chicken, veggie or sausage) plus toppings, many of which are gluten-free. Favorites include Soul Sauce, chili, guacamole,

caramelized onions and spicy peanut sauce. Buy two toppings and the third is free, which makes this the best deal on our list. Also try great sides like quinoa salad or jalapeno hush puppies, which are great to share with friends.

107 Main Street Around $3 a hotdog

Voter challenges reflect perennial issue VAST alters

VOTING continued from page 1 This year, many students like Allen who went to paraticipate in the election found their vote directly challenged, an action that can be taken by a poll watcher, an elections inspector or another voter when registration information is suspect.

“What seems to happen every year is that the Republican-appointed poll watcher challenges everyone who goes to the poll who is a Vassar student,” said Ira Margulies, a member of the Dutchess County Board of Elections.

“This is not something we condone. Most of these students live exactly where they say they live. This has been going on for years, especially at Arthur S. May.” Margulies said that the basis for challenging students’ voting rights has taken on a different cast this year; challenges were issued whenever a student declared their address as 124 Raymond Ave. instead of their dorm and room number. Previously, challenges have been issued due to discrepancies between their Vassar address and their home address: “In the past, they were saying, ‘You don’t live at Vassar, you live in Ohio,” explained Margulies.

But due to the partisan breakdown of the election officials, Vassar students who complied with the procedure associated with challenges were eventually allowed to vote. After being challenged, a voter is obligated to take an oath administered by election inspectors verifying the veracity of their registration information. After further questioning, the four inspectors vote upon whether the challenged individual can use a machine ballot to vote.

Due to a partisan divide in the Board of Elections, two inspectors are always Republican and two are always Democrats, meaning the inevitable result is a split vote. When this happens, state code mandates that the challenged voter be allowed to vote on a machine ballot.

“It’s a foolish enterprise for them to be challenging students,” said Margulies, “because they will be able to vote anyway. But I think it is a form of voter intimidation.”

The voter intimidation seems to have been successful to an extent. Professor of Political Science Sarita Gregory recalls an encounter she witnessed outside of Arthur S. May between residents and a voter leaving the polls.

“A group of students walked up, and they were told that if they couldn’t prove residence that they would be turned away,” said Gregory.

“And they were ready to leave.”

Allen also found a similar sentiment amongst her friends: “I was talking with teammates on the basketball team, and they all said that they would have left as soon as they were challenged.” Even Allen, who saw the procedure of the challenge through and voted, was at one point tempted to leave the polls because of the time cost. “But the political side of me got in a huff and refused to leave ‘til it was sorted out,” said Allen.

Gregory, who was ejected from the polls after attempting to assist students with challenges, sees the voting problems as a troubling form of student disenfranchisement. “It does feel like a preview of what’s to come in 2012,” said Gregory. “It certainly overlaps with what happened in 2009.”

While some had their right to vote challenged, other students encountered problems at the polls of a completely different nature. At least three Town House (TH) residents were redirected from their correct polling place— the Poughkeepsie Town Hall—to an incorrect one—Arthur S. May—on Tuesday morning.

This was not a concerted effort by poll watchers, but rather reflected a mistake sprung from confusion about how student’s addresses were listed in the poll worker’s address books.

“The Town Houses in our street files are listed as ‘TH,’” said Margulies. “[Students are] all listed under dorm names. When students went to the Town Hall, they said they were in Brewer Lane.” TH residents are part of Ward 6, District 3, whose residents vote at the Town Hall; Brewer Lane, however, is listed as part of District 4, whose residents must go to Arthur S. May Elementary School. Therefore, when poll

workers looked up Brewer Lane in their address books, they found that the students had seemingly arrived at the wrong polling place.

The Board of Elections alerted poll workers of the mix-up after being notified by the campaign headquarters of mayoral candidate Dan French (D), who was informed of the issue by campaign worker Liz Ilechko ’12. She had been misdirected to Arthur S. May. “It don’t think that it was malicious,” said Ilechko of the confusing residence listings. “Basically, they mixed up the two different locations. It was really silly.”

Although the intent may have not been malicious, Gregory views the gerrymandering of district lines that separates the THs from the rest of campus, and the resultant confusion, as a means disenfranchisement. “The reason Vassar is split into two is to water down voting power,” said Gregory. “The murkiness becomes a disincentive for students to vote.”

A prevalent explanation for the trend of disenfranchisement represented by both the gerrymandering and the challenges is partisan; Republicans stand to gain by silencing the voices of typically liberal Vassar students: “Students can definitely swing the vote left,” said Allen.

Elsie Raymer ’12, president of the College Democrats of New York and another student challenged at the polls, sees the issue as part of a larger problem. “The consistency with which [students] were challenged is troublesome. It is part of a national trend to disenfranchise student vote.” Raymer cited disenfranchisement caused by voter ID Bills recently passed in Wisconsin and the Carolinas as examples.

Raymer, Gregory and Allen all feel that the solution for the problem is increased voter education; Gregory has already communicated with President of the College Catharine Bond Hill in preparation to discuss ways in which students can learn how to respond to challenges in the future.

“We are not where we live,” concluded Gregory. “We are people. We expect to be welcomed and treated fairly at the polls.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

mentoring schedule VAST continued from page 5 High School in a long-term mentoring program.

“Its focus is really on college readiness,” said Outreach Fellow Jazmin Pichardo, so that in addition to aiding in the application process “our Vassar students serve as mentors and basically role models and confidants to the high schoolers.

It’s a great resource as many of these students have never encountered a person in college, and they don’t know anything about college life.”

Applications to become a VAST mentor for next semester are due at the end of November, although Meyo doesn’t expect a great number of current mentors not to come back. He said that while they always have plenty of Vassar students interested, one of the concerns is time commitment. To act as a mentor and role model for the middle schoolers, VAST wants the mentors to be able to go to tutoring all three days. “On top of that we have field trips, some special events and sometimes Friday bowling nights,” said Meyo. “They recommend that people return, since for the middle schooler it’s important to have a stable continuing relationship with the mentor. If you’re just going to leave after a semester, the scholar knows it’s not the same. That’s why I requested the same student I mentored last year,” said Loyo.

Both Loyo and Estela, although not receiving Vassar degrees in education, plan to use their experiences at VAST in future careers, whether that means education or social justice. “It’s been a really good experience, and has shown me a place where I can help out and have something to offer ... It’s definitely worth a try if you’re interested in kids or any issues in urban education, it’s a great program and a lot of fun.”

Page 8

FEATURES

November 17, 2011

Council considers raising Administrators clarify of Student Activities Fee tenets, benefits of policy FUNDING continued from page 1 will not receive any additional money to cover previously incurred debt. School media outlets such as the Vassarion, The Miscellany News and WVKR are exempt from this stipulation.

According to VSA Vice President for Finance Jason Rubin ’13, the Vassarion’s debt was due in part to past mismanagement and to a discrepancy between the number of yearbooks that was ordered and the number that was ultimately sold.

“A central problem that organizations face every year is that seniors are in charge and then leave the next year. So sometimes they do not keep in mind the best interest of their organization and will sometimes act with less care and caution. Unfortunately, the well-being of organizations gets pushed down to the bottom of a priority list under academics and post-graduation plans, thus leaving an organization with mismanagement,” said Heintz in response to the yearbook’s debt problem.

“This happened to us last year, and while it is unfortunate, we are working very hard to make sure this never happens again.”

Other organizations have not gone into debt, but find the funds they receive aren’t adequate to cover their intended goals. Since joining the Outing Club in 2009, current President Stephen Platz ’13 has described a doubling in the number of trips that his organization coordinates per year. Yet during this time, Platz has also noticed a decrease in the Outing Club’s budget by $500. Currently, the Outing Club operates on an annual budget of $4500, a small sum, according to Platz.

Although the Outing Club did receive an additional $4000 over the past two semesters through the VSA’s Capital Contingency Fund, which allows organizations to purchase capital items that are expected to last no less than three years, Platz notes that even with this one-time increase in funds, the budget continues to limit the activities the club can offer.

Moreover, additional funds would also be useful in providing all trip leaders with professional first-aid training, as well as adequate gear for all club members.

“Funding is a constant issue for the Vassar Outing Club,” began Platz in an emailed statement. “If we did have the funding to improve the club in any one of those areas we would expect significant indirect benefits in terms of recruitment. Many people with outdoor skills who are interested in becoming guides for the Outing Club are dismayed when they see the resources that we have to offer, and lose interest quickly. If we were able to retain more of these individuals, the knowledge base of our club would increase, resulting in more diverse and safer trips,” stated Platz.

“Many people with outdoor skills who are interested in becoming guides for the Outing Club are dismayed when they see the resources that we have to offer, and lose interest quickly. If we were able to retain more of these individuals, the knowledge base of our club would increase, resulting in more diverse and safer trips,” stated Platz.

Treasurer of the Barefoot Monkeys Sam Stites ’12 also expressed his organization’s need for an increase in funding due specifically to a steady rate of growth in the Barefoot Monkey’s membership over the past three years.

“We applied to supplemental funding and asked for almost double our budget so we could compensate for the amount of freshmen we have. We doubled in size with the first fire show, so we needed to double our budget,” stated Stites.

Although Stites stated that until recently the Barefoot Monkey’s VSA budget of approximately $1500 has been adequate, he did note that a previous Grand Monkey had overdrawn from their account.

“She just thought we had more money than we did and made more orders for the club,” said Stites. “The VSA took the situation as if the money she overdrew was taken from the account the year after. So in the next year we just received the budget we got from the year before, minus the amount we overdrew.”

The VSA’s funds for extracurricular organizations are directly derived from the Student Activities Fee that each student is required to pay at the start of each school year. This, according to Rubin, amounts to an overall budget of $700,000 that is distributed to each of the VSA-offiliated clubs according to their demonstrated needs.

“In terms of annual budgeting, we will look at the organization and the programming that they have done in the past year. And based on that, we will determine whether or not they have had sufficient funding to carry out their programming, and decide whether they need more funding or if they have had too much.

We will decide if they need a budget increase for that or see whether they should apply to special purpose funds, or if we have enough to cover that,” stated Rubin.

After the VSA determines that each organization’s needs have been met, 25 percent of the remaining money is allocated to the Supplemental Budgeting Contingency Fund, which is set aside for any additional funding an organization may need, based on VSA approval. After this, anything left is then allotted to the Council Discretionary Fund, which Rubin notes currently contains less money than it did in previous years due in part to an increase budgeting for organizations.

“It gets complicated we have a limited pool of money to give, and not all that goes to organizations. All the money we have is allocated, so if we decide to raise one organization’s budget, we are probably limiting another one’s. The money has to come from somewhere—it is a zero sum process in that regard,” noted Rubin.

“When we do annual budgeting, we cannot intentionally think in terms of ‘We will take this money away from this group to give it to another organization.’ It would be irresponsible for us to do this, and it would give the impression that we value one organization’s needs over another’s,” began Vice President for Activities Michael Thottam ’12.

“We do it based on what needs are present and what needs are not present. We only had one organization last year that said that they had too much money. But at the same time, that means that every other organization asked for either the same amount of funding or an increase for annual budgeting. On the finance end, it is actually financially impossible to have what everyone wants if everyone is asking for more and no one is asking for less.”

This limited pool of money is ultimately further divided by the addition of new organizations.

“Obviously, there is a limit to how many organizations the VSA can support. There is a finite budget. When we certify an organization the budget doesn’t get any bigger—it’s just less money we can give to everyone else.

But at the same time, that is something that we try not to factor into an organization’s certification,” noted Rubin.

One option that would increase the budget would be to increase the Student Activities Fee. Although there are no immediate plans to raise the fee itself, Rubin noted that he was currently looking into the matter in terms of determining the feasibility and advisability of doing so. Such a move would have to be approved by VSA Council, the Student Activities Office and the Vice President for Finance and Administration Betsy Eismeier.

While raising the Student Activities Fee would increase the amount the VSA could give to each organization, it would do nothing for organizations that are currently in debt.

Despite this, an increase in the Student Activities Fee would undoubtedly contribute to an increase in the various VSA organizations’ budgets. However, Rubin noted that such an increase would only be considered after all involved administrative parties have reached a careful decision.

“I think it would be beneficial, but there is a lot of things to consider with that,” noted Rubin. “It involves people paying more money, so obviously it is something that won’t be taken lightly.”

POLICY continued from page 1 Second, the policy only becomes important when students need EMS. People don’t go out planning to need EMS.” Despite these concerns, the College administration seemed firmly in support of the Good Samaritan Policy. Director of Health Education Renee Pabst wrote in an emailed statement, “A Good Samaritan Policy is part of a best practice approach on college campuses for health promotion/protection.”

“We have seen an increase in EMS calls from fellow students and concerned bystanders in the past semester, which demonstrates students’ willingness to make sure others in their community are okay and to step in when needed,” she stated as an example.

“Students realize how important it is to get another student medical assistance if they are in trouble and that the Good Samaritan Policy is there to promote an environment so students make the call.”

Associate Director of Residential Life Richard Horowitz pointed to the Vassar Student Handbook in an emailed statement and explained the official policy thusly: “The Good Samaritan Policy only pertains to the use of alcohol or drugs for the person who needs help and to the use or distribution of alcohol or drugs for the student who calls it in to get another student some medical help,” he explained. “If the underage student is the one who needed the help, the student who called it in would not be found responsible for serving to this underage person according to the Good Samaritan Policy.”

Horowitz clarified, “That’s it—there’s nothing else covered. If Safety and Security notices any other violation of the Vassar College Regulations, they’re responsible for fully and effectively addressing it.”

The exemption notably does not apply to charges beside consumption. “If the student in need of help threw up in the Villard Room, for example, this behavior would be considered a violation of the disruptive conduct regulation.

In such a case, the student needing help would not be found responsible for alcohol consumption but would be found responsible for behaving in a way that substantially interferes with the living, learning or working environment,” stated Horowitz. In that case, the student may be written up and would have to compensate the College for any damages.

However, Black believes pragmatism generally wins out over strict adherence to the rules in emergency situations. “From what I’ve seen in my own experience, is that that rule is en-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

forced more locally. I haven’t heard of Security writing up other people when responding to an EMS call. I think they understand that other people around might have information that that could help us do our job, so to keep everyone around and answering questions, they generally don’t write-up bystanders.”

Arianna Gass ’13, who’s had to call EMS for others as both a friend and a student fellow, said, “I’ve definitely been in situations where [the Good Samaritan Policy] has been relevant, like having to call EMS for people … In one case, I was sober, but the person’s friends weren’t, and they weren’t questioned [by Security]. They did the right thing [by telling me and calling EMS] and they shouldn’t get in trouble for that.”

The College documents every EMS call, but not always for disciplinary purposes.

“There usually is documentation; officers will take down the names and numbers of people there, but I’ve never heard of people having to meet with a House Advisor over an EMS call, as is usually the policy when a student is written up and processed through the student conduct system,” said Black. Horowitz elaborated, “Vassar documents these incidents regardless of Good Samaritan or not … the documentation of the incident is necessary for a variety of reasons, some related to requirements of the federal government.”

The difference between receiving a writeup or not has a lot to do with whether or not an EMS call is made. “If there’s a party with underaged drinking or an unauthorized party they have to break up, then probably people will get written up. But if there’s someone at that party that needs EMS, that doesn’t always play out,” said Black. “It depends on the particular situation, the Security officer. There are a lot of variables at play there.”

He clarified further in an emailed statement, “If there is someone at the party that needs EMS, the student will get the help they need, but the students at the party will not be covered by the Good Samaritan Policy (assuming they had not called EMS to help the student in question).”

Black acknowledged there exists some ambiguity in the policy, but believed it helped students. “It allows for context. Not every EMS call is the same. The response can be adjusted to meet the needs of each individual situation,” he said. “I think students appreciate that the policy can be extended to other people, though it’s not officially written that way.”

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OPINIONS

November 17, 2011

Page 9

Miscellany News Staff Editorial

Policy of plainclothes officers deserves further scrunity, dialogue with students W

ith the recent increase in laptop thefts on campus, the Safety and Security Department is considering a policy involving plainclothes Security officers in residence houses (see “Plainclothes officers’ use challenged” on Page 1). While the Editorial Board of The Miscellany News lauds the concern exhibited by Security, we find that there are a number of questions about this practice for the department to address. The Miscellany also strongly encourages Security to communicate with the student body regarding these issues directly in open discussion and by extending the Safety and Security FAQs. According to Associate Director of Safety and Security Kim Squillace, the plainclothes officers would be put on duty during the afternoon, when past incidents indicate that most of the thefts occur. While we appreciate the level of awareness, we feel that there is a strong need for further clarification of when and how these plainclothes officers will be used. It is imperative that students remain well informed to establish a healthy working relationship with the officers who keep them safe.

One immediate concern is how students will recognize the officers when not in uniform. This policy depends on the officers appearing unassuming. However, we are concerned that students may be alarmed by the presence of apparent strangers in the dorms. To remedy this, it is essential that officers are in some way identifiable to students.

Director of Safety and Security Don Marsala indicated that this would not be the first time plainclothes officers would be deployed in residence houses. He explained that, in the

past, this tactic has been used on major party weekends at the request of the Office of Residential Life. The rationale behind this confuses us. Previously, this practice was not used to address theft and intrusion. In fact, Marsala clarified, “They go through the dorms, mostly looking for parties, underage drinking, and pre-gaming.” During weekends of heavy party activity is it not better for Security officers to be visible for students who need help? We are also concerned that students could recognize plainclothes officers as the very intruders the officers are in part trying to prevent.

Now that this practice is being proposed for daytime use, we are concerned that it might be extended inappropriately. If the majority of thefts take place during the day, there should be no need for this policy to be used at night, when the primary concerns involve alcohol and/or drugs—issues that are normally handled by uniformed officers. We encourage Security to establish and communicate to the Vassar community when specifically the plainclothes officers will be present in the residence houses.

Fundamentally, we are also uncertain as to why plainclothes officers are being considered at all. Marsala pointed out, “You’re not going to do anything if you see [a uniformed officer] standing right there.” If Marsala believes that uniformed officers deter unwelcome visitors, then why station plainclothes officers in the residence halls? Intruders not only need to be hindered but also identified so that their return is prevented. It seems that the use of uniformed officers could address both issues, hopefully eliminating such trespassing so that laptop thefts by outsiders become less of an issue.

Another fear we associate with this pro-

What are the signs that VC is becoming mainstream?

posed practice revolves around how Security officers will identify “piggybackers”—individuals who enter a building without swiping themselves in. Given past accusations of racial profiling (see “Profiling Concerns Emerge,” 11.10.11), we stress the need for Security to identify and confront intruders in an unbiased fashion. We commend the subsequent conversations between Vassar Student Association President Tanay Tatum ’12, Vice President for Student Life Charlie Dobb ’12, Marsala and Squillace in response to the aforementioned occurrences. We hope that, in addition to well-defined policies, increased awareness of these issues will lead to further dialogue towards the goal of preventing future incidents.

Ultimately, the Miscellany encourages both Safety and Security and the student body to work together to maintain a healthy working relationship. As this policy is further discussed, it is crucial that student input be considered. For their part, Marsala and Squillace have already noted the negative reaction expressed by some students and emphasized that they are taking it into account. Furthermore, we emphasize the need for regular communication between Safety and Security and the student body to ensure that the Vassar community is aware of the department’s concerns and any ensuing policy changes. We appreciate the steps Safety and Security has taken to ensure our wellbeing and remind students that safety should be one of their significant priorities as well.

Jada Graves ’14

“Admissions trying to sell the school as a commodity.”

Alexandra Codina ’12

“We have a baseball team.”

—The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of at least two thirds of the 21-member Miscellany News Editorial Board.

Fight against Keystone Pipeline not over Jillian Guenther

I

Guest Columnist

Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

published an opinion piece earlier this semester, alongside a feature on the Vassar students arrested during the Tar Sands sitins. I am writing again.

For weeks after those articles were published, people were asking me about being arrested. I generally shy away from attention, but I was happy that the action had become more visible. Considering that 1253 other people were arrested at the sit-ins within the span of a week, there was disturbingly little press about the protest.

I was asked about the success of the Tar Sands sit-ins. I knew they had served their purpose of making the Keystone XL Pipeline a national issue, when it had previously only concerned the residents of its pathway and a few climate scientists; however, I wasn’t sure if we had swayed Obama’s vote.

I was hopeful, but my heart was distressed when I learned about the questionable relationship the State Department and TransCanada. Despite these concerns, I was inspired again on Nov 6. Before the sun rose that Sunday morning, 25 Vassar students started their trip to Washington D.C. to join Nebraskan farmers, South Dakotan natives, former employees of TransCanada, enviornmentalist Bill McKibben, LGBT activist Lieutenant Dan Choi, actor Mark Ruffalo and 6000 others who had signed up to encircle the White House and ask Obama to reject the Keystone XL Pipeline. We had no idea what a powerful day it would be.There were 12,000 people. We formed more than three solid circles around the White House.

On Nov. 10, we saw that our actions had made a difference.

Though the proposal for the Keystone XL Pipeline—a structure that would run through six states to bring over half a million barrels of tar sands oil to the Gulf of Mexico for refinery and export—was ignored for almost three years, except by local activists, and was expected to be approved without a second thought, the project was delayed for further evaluation. Tar Sands activists all over the country are celebrating. I do see this as a victory, but I am wary. The battle against the Keystone XL Pipeline is not over.

TransCanada claims to have completed the most detailed environmental impact analysis of any pipeline in the United States. Yet the examples of scandal in this evaluation are appalling. Chief among them is that TransCanada was allowed to recommend the firm that would study the environmental impacts of the pipeline.

Unsurprisingly, the State Department hired Cardno Entrix, the first choice of TransCanada. Apparently nobody was concerned that TransCanada is one of Cardno Entrix’s “major clients” according to the firm’s own marketing materials.

There has been premature construction of the pipeline, threats to invoke eminent domain if Nebraskan landowners don’t sell their property, bias within the State Department and “illegal, undisclosed lobbying” in this process. Unfortunately, these details don’t seem to matter to the decision-makers in this proposal; the main reason for the delay in this permit seems to be of concern for the Nebraskan Sand

Hills, so alternative routes are going to be explored.

In an article on the company’s website, TransCanada’s President and CEO Russ Girling said, “If Keystone XL dies, Americans will still wake up the next morning and continue to import 10 million barrels of oil from repressive nations, without the benefit of thousands of jobs and long-term energy security. That would be a tragedy.”

To Girling, I say it would be a tragedy indeed if Americans continue to rely on imported fossil fuels. But Tar sands oil is also dangerous. It would be tragic if we fool ourselves into thinking 20,000 short-term jobs in order to transport over half a million barrels of oil through our heartland is worth the likelihood of a spill and the expedited extraction of bitumen from the Athabasca deposits, using natural gas and four barrels of water for each barrel of oil. It would be tragic

if we got bogged down in the details of the pipeline’s route and forgot that the biggest threat of the Keystone Pipeline System is the carbon emissions that tar sands operations will add to our atmosphere.

Frankly, I am getting frustrated. Corporate interests should not be prioritized over the longterm health of any region. Fossil fuels are going to run out. Tar sands are a contemptible excuse for a temporary fix. The State Department expects this re-evaluation to be completed by March 2013. When that time comes, United States citizens need to hold the president accountable for the health of our nation and the future of our world.

The battle against the Keystone XL Pipeline is not over.

—Jillian Guenther ’13 is co-president of the Vassar Greens. She is an environmental studies and education double major.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

“I feel like the excess amount of hipsters is really mainstream now.”

Dalton Bentley ’12

“Pre-registering is mainstream.

I sit in the classroom and occupy it.”

Alex Cornacchia ’14

“NoViCE.”

Sam Scarritt-Selman and Brittany Hunt ’12

“Increasingly bizarre apparatuses for drinking.”

Ben Wills ’14 —Juliana Halpert, Photography Editor Alanna Okun, Humor & Satire Editor

OPINIONS

Page 10

Republican’s comments on Muslims in the army offensive Noor Mir

U

Guest Columnist

pon my perusal through the world of news blogs today, a Gawker headline jumped out at me: “‘No Muslims in Military,’ Says Moron State Rep.” In its usual satirical approach to dimwitted actors in the political arena, it described Tennessee State Representative Rick Womick’s remarks as “Absolute Dumbest Thing a Republican Has Said About Islam This Year.” In an interview by Think Progress’ Lee Fang at the Preserving Freedom Conference—which strangely enough, took place in Murfreesboro, Tenn., which had earlier served as a center for controversy over the construction of a new mosque—Womick said, “Personally, I don’t trust one Muslim in our military. If they truly are a devout Muslim, and follow the Quran and the Sunnah, then I feel threatened because they’re commanded to kill me.”

In a subsequent report by Mursfreeboro’s Daily News Journal, Womick displayed an equally brilliant and well-thought-out causality, “We are at war with al-Qaeda and the Taliban, who are Muslims.

It’s a Catch-22. They are not allowed to kill their fellow Muslims, we’re at war with Muslims. The only solution I see is that they not be allowed in the military.”

Naturally, my primary reaction to Rick Womick’s poor reading comprehension of Catch-22 and flawed attempt at logic was to chuckle at the United States’ poor choices at the ballots and send the link along to my friends and family, who responded appreciatively. As the moment reached its close, along with its comedy, however, I realized that beyond the superficially “ridiculous” gloss of complete ignorance on the part of this state representative exists an imminent and very real threat: beyond the world of ironic online commentary and Facebook shares, exists a man elected to a position of some degree of power in how this country is run.

Islam has played a role in my life throughout my formative years.

I established some semblance of routine by praying for a year or two when I was nine, I was completely taken aback and awed when I went to Mecca over a decade ago, I like fasting because there is some charm is eating a full meal at sunrise and waiting for the sirens to tell you its time to break it at sundown and, without having a certain fear of an afterlife of misery if I lied to my mother one more time about if I’d had a boy over while she was at work, I’d be in serious trouble in high school. I do not identify as a typical Muslim anymore—I don’t believe in God, for one, or an afterlife or a Doomsday or a last prophet or any prophets at all.

But somewhere amidst my personal lexicon of myths and superstitions and science, the mishmash produces a hesitant but still somewhat stubborn leaning towards my attachment to Islam as a culture, as a history, as a biography, as a social politic that is inscribed in my heart and my mind.

I still read some sunnats when I feel as though I’m in danger, I still pray to something, albeit not Allah, when I feel vulnerable, and I will still inadvertently thank some higher power when I get my first job.

So to you, Mr. Rick Womick, and to those of you that think that I can’t join the military because my passport (it’s blue and American, just like yours!) says I’m Muslim—I can. I won’t pick fights at JFK, I’ll clench my fists but won’t punch you in the face when you give my dad a hard time when he visits, I’ll pretend that you’re elected but can’t read the Constitution. But I have faith that somewhere amidst your complete lack of intelligence and blindingly absurd adherence to a hyper-patriotic and paranoid patriotism, an American-Muslim turned atheistPakistani girl like me will one day get the courage to kick you where it hurts. Amen.

—Noor Mir ’12 political science major.

November 17, 2011

Paterno scandal reveals toxic campus climate Juan Thompson

O

Guest Columnist

n March 1, 2002 at 9:30 p.m. Penn State University graduate assistant Mike McQueary walked into the locker room of the Lasch Football building on Penn State’s campus. He, according to his grand jury testimony, heard “rhythmic slapping sounds. He believed the sounds to be those of sexual activity.”

Eventually, McQueary peeked into the shower and saw a 10-year-old boy “with his hands up against the wall” being raped by a naked, 58-year-old, former Penn State defensive coordinator named Jerry Sandusky. McQueary’s odd behavior after witnessing the rape, and the climate that enabled it, speaks volumes about the problems that accompany the obsession with Division I sports at some of the country’s largest universities.

It is often difficult for many of us to put ourselves into the shoes of others.

But there are no excuses for McQueary’s response after seeing Sandusky rape the young boy. Instead of contacting the police or even attempting to stop the rape, the 28-year-old McQueary ran home and told his father. The next day McQueary and father visited the home of football Head Coach Joe Paterno. Paterno testified that McQueary did not describe exactly what he had seen in the shower; he claimed that McQueary only told him that Sandusky was horsing around in the shower with the victim. Paterno then told his superior, Tim Curley, Penn State’s athletic director. How did the Athletic Department handle what McQueary saw? The retired Sandusky’s

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

keys to the football building were taken away. They did not investigate the incident, and, most important, they did not call the police. So Sandusky was allowed to go on molesting boys. He continued to show up to games with young boys, who were not his children, and he continued to use the university’s facilities up until one week before his arrest last week when he was charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse. The alleged pedophile supposedly molested and/or raped eight young boys, whom we know of, over a 15-years period.

The University’s president Grahan Spanier and Paterno were rightfully fired last week. Curley, along with Gary Schultz—who presides over the campus police—were charged with perjury after lying to the grand jury about what they knew and when they knew it. Paterno’s firing angered the campus and thousands of students embarrassed themselves mightily by rioting in support of Paterno. That’s the sentiment that permeates those big universities where football is treated like a religion and figures like Paterno are actually nicknamed God. Institutions whose purpose should be to educate and the teach appropriate values have transformed into places where winning 12 football games take precedence over morality.

Perhaps Paterno was not told the exact details of the shower rape (though that alone should have been a red flag) but he certainly knew that Sandusky was investigated for abuse in 1998 after being accused of showering with See PATERNO on page 12

OPINIONS

November 17, 2011

VC must learn reflect upon its reaction to Penn State Hannah Ryan

T

Guest Columnist

his column does not concern Joe Paterno the father figure, figurehead, friend or foe of Penn State University. It concerns neither the Penn State Nittany Lions nor the approximate 4000 members of an educated community, only a few years removed from their own childhoods, who rioted in the defense of a man whose silence aided and abetted the serial molestation of children. This column concerns us— our reaction and its unpleasant implications.

When we insist on our own innocence in the face of the Penn State scandal, we limit our understanding of both the proceedings and of human nature. When we respond to the rioting masses with schematic cries of condemnation and disgust, we reinforce the framework that makes these abuses possible. Before we revile the key players in the Penn State case, we must ask ourselves what they did, why they did it and if it could happen here. If we fail in this resolve, that mob implicates me, you and Vassar College.

10 days have passed since the arrest of the accused. The past week and a half has witnessed the media’s nationwide vetting of the scandal in the desperate and largely blind pursuit of blame. Emotion has surged, but, as is the case with media sturm und drang, will not sustain itself. For America’s collective consciousness, these scandals are scandalous until they’re not, until the story’s shelf life expires and the episode becomes as fleeting as spoiled milk. This time will come, inevitably sooner than it should. Those at an emotional and geographic distance from Penn State and Sandusky’s abuse will be left with an interactive perp line-up, a pile of undigested editorials and a bad taste in the mouth that will dissipate as quickly as it materialized.

The past decade teems with the sexual exploitation of the powerless: multiple allegations of sexual harassment leveled at leading Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain; director of the IMF Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s “ambiguous” sexual interaction with an illiterate, immigrant maid in a New York hotel; heinous sexual crimes perpetrated against political prisoners at Abu Ghraib; rife pedophilia carried out behind the closed doors of the Catholic Church. And as the years pass, and these

abominations accumulate, what endures? The unwavering belief that in the shoes of silent bystanders, we would have been the voice of truth and justice.

Psychologically speaking, this opinion is increasingly problematic. As David Brooks points out in his latest op-ed piece addressing this very issue, basic behavioral psychology helps to explain why humans repeatedly err in these instances: the normalcy effect (the belief that because anything outside of the norm will not occur because it has never occurred before) and motivated blindness (cases in which groups of people see only what they want to see) to name but two. These psychological reactions are equally applicable to Joe Paterno and rambunctious state college students hailing from the heartland of the United States as they are to us here at Vassar. Those that disagree are deluding themselves.

Look to Penn State’s Board of Trustees, responsible for firing Paterno and Penn State’s President Graham Spanier, within a week of Sandusky’s arrest.

Ironically, their decisions were motivated, at least in part, by the same instinct that compelled Paterno and Spanier to bite their tongues: preserving (or in the case of the Board, salvaging) the intertwined reputations of their school and athletic program.

When first confronted with the situation at Penn State, President Obama observed, “It’s a good time for us to do some soul searching—every institution, not just Penn State—about what our priorities are, and making sure that we understand that our first priority is protecting our kids.”

Actions taken in the interest of a student body and those taken in the interest of a school’s reputation occasionally intersect, but are not and never will be synonymous. The growing discrepancy between the lived experience of Vassar students and the experience projected on prospective Vassar students must be mediated. In light of President Obama’s suggestion, Vassar must ask itself which it values more. I call on the students and administrators of Vassar College to heed Penn State’s scandal as a warning, a threat of what could ignite at Vassar College if we ignore our potential role in the victimization of the vulnerable.

—Hannah Ryan ’14 is a student at Vassar College.

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Page 11

U.S. defense contracting should not take priority Gabe Dunsmith

E

Guest Columnist

very month, U.S. drone strikes in Afghanistan and Pakistan kill dozens of civilians. These drones are unmanned, flying through the sky like robotic warships, captained from an office in the Pentagon.

Bombs drop from these drones at the click of a button. And it is not the U.S. government that makes these deadly predator drones, but a private defense contractor, General Dynamics.

Every year, armed-services companies spend innumerable amounts of money lobbying Congress for defense contracts. The top-10 companies to whom Congress doles out the most money are all defense contractors. Lockheed Martin, the number-one recipient of government handouts, received more than $16.7 billion from the Federal Government in 2010.

To put that in comparison: The entire 2010 budget for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was $10.5 billion.

It almost seems as if Lockheed, a private corporation, has become an arm of the government (along with several other defense companies, many of whom have received significantly larger sums of money than the EPA).

Simply put, tax dollars from the people of the United States are going into the hands of private corporations.

What do weapons corporations do with all these handouts? One thing they do is to lobby Congress for more defense contracts, using their immense pile of cash to try to gain even more. Effectively, they create a continuous loop of money, taking dollars from Congress and pumping those back into the political system to ensure they maintain the clout they want. From 2009 to 2010, Boeing spent nearly $35 million lobbying Congress.

Before Obama proposed the troop surge in Afghanistan, the defense industry flooded the government with $7 million more in lobbying than the average amount. Why? Because they benefit from the war in Afghanistan.

These militant corporations are also huge contributors to political campaigns.

Boeing alone spent $3 million on campaign contributions between 2009 and 2010. Contributions by defense contractors are sure to ramp up in the wake of Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court decision that ruled corporate political donations are a form of free speech. With their spending unchecked, Lockheed, Boeing, General Dynamics and many others trample over individual rights and threaten to further erode the people’s voice in our government.

Additionally, military corporations put thousands of private “contractors” (a euphemism for mercenaries) on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. These are Americans treated as instruments of their corporate overlords, trained to kill. In 2010, the Defense Department hired 207,600 private contractors, a body nearly 20 percent larger than their uniformed personnel. These individual contractors are a resource: defense companies can dispose of them just like any other weapon.

The marriage between government and military contractors has created the infamous military-industrial complex, a system President Eisenhower first warned against in 1961. It is a world where the wholesale pursuit of war is a top priority of government, funded by the money in industry pockets. Said one government official of the union between contractors and the Pentagon: “We’ve built Rome.”

These corporations profit by killing people. Their gain is made on the stake of human lives, with no consideration given to the morality behind their actions. For these companies, financial success depends on how well they placate their opposition, convince the government that it needs new fleets of fighter jets, and execute the perceived enemies of the state. They hide behind an excuse of patriotism—that sucking up billions of tax dollars to murder civilians in foreign nations is somehow right for the United States.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

They have corrupted the Pentagon from an engine of defense, meant to work for the protection of the American people, into an engine of warmongering, driven by an insatiable appetite for malignancy, beholden to the whims of these war profiteers.

By employing fear tactics, defense contractors convince policymakers of the need for more weaponry. “If you want protection from terrorism, hire us!” they shout. “The world’s greatest superpower can’t be left with a straggling military!” As such, these companies’ business model is one that promotes war as a continuous narrative, a never-ending story, a fact of living in a 21stcentury world, and indeed a necessity to the functioning of modern society. They promote military might as a means of attaining resources or resolving diplomatic disputes.

If the world is starved of war these companies do not turn a profit, and so their solution is to constantly lobby for militarism.

They are removed from the reality of the scenario because deaths become numbers and figures, footnotes in their log of profits, mere side effects of doing business.

While it should be the Pentagon’s job to ensure that no civilians are killed in military operations (a job which it does not do well in the first place), arms companies have no such restrictions. Defense contractors need not pay heed to the death of innocents. They do not care about the ramifications of their bombings. They make weapons to kill.

Ultimately these companies promote a Machiavellian system of warfare, a framework where the end justifies the means, where killing one terrorist is worth a thousand civilian deaths. In any case, their weapons are being used. The companies do not care how.

For months, President Obama has been sitting on an executive order that would force military contractors, among other companies, to disclose all the details of their political contributions. He should sign the order immediately.

But one executive order won’t be enough.

Congress must take immediate action to reign in these defense corporations. It isn’t ethical for companies to profit out of war, and it isn’t right for military corporations to reap more federal dollars than the EPA. Though it is a step in the right direction that the Pentagon is faced with $350 billion in spending cuts due to recent austerity measures, corporations are going to try as hard as they can to hold onto their contracts. “Defense has been cut to the bone,” complained Marion Blakey, chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association, a trade group of defense contractors. For months, the industry has been lobbying against any further cuts to the military.

With a total military budget near $1.6 trillion annually, $350 billion in defense cuts over 10 years hardly scratches the surface.

Congress’s debt supercommittee should trim billions more from the Department of Defense, focusing especially on the stockpile awarded to defense contractors.

There are fundamental problems with our military culture that must be changed.

Drone strikes, which have killed 781 civilians in Pakistan alone, must end—beginning with the cancellation of all drone contracts with General Dynamics. In addition to slashing their contracts, the government should ban defense companies from lobbying and from making political contributions. From Capitol Hill to the Pentagon, officials should work to topple the military-industrial complex and pay heed to the brutality and carnage that war brings.

Then, perhaps, the day will come when innocent civilians stop dying due to our military actions, when the EPA gets more money than Lockheed Martin, when American enterprise does not promote war, and when we realize that bloodshed is not an effective solution to our disputes.

—Gabriel Dunsmith ’15 is a student at Vassar College.

OPINIONS

Page 12

Shift in relationship between students and Security troubling

Paterno, coaches’ actions reprehensible

John Kenney

PATERNO continued from page 10 young boys. He and others—who behaved like amateur human beings, seemingly unaware of the concept of right versus wrong— also knew Sandusky enjoyed the company of young boys because he routinely brought young boys on road games and onto the campus, particularly the showers. Yet they did nothing. They were obsessed with winning games and protecting the reputation of the football program and its characters instead of protecting defenseless children.

Penn State isn’t alone in this repugnant behavior. In 2004, an athlete who had a history of sexual aggression raped a female student at Arizona State University. Instead of this football player being kicked off the team and expelled from the university—for the previous violent behavior—he was forbidden from participating in a summer program.

That fall he raped the victim, who eventually received an $850,000 settlement from the university.

And Wisconsin’s Marquette University is under fire for not reporting four athletes who sexually assaulted women there. These universities allowed brutish and violent miscreants to roam the campuses instead of alerting the police because the offenders were protected members of an athletic cabal.

Sandusky, because of his reverence, was not turned in by adults, but by a courageous victim. Custodians who saw him doing inappropriate things were encouraged not to go to the police and lived in fear of being fired if they leveled such

November 17, 2011

accusations against the sports program. That is the environment that exists on campuses like Penn State, where Division I sports is in the front seat and morality and virtue take the back seat.

We have to ask ourselves what sort of sick twisted society do we live in where students riot not in solidarity with the children victimized by Sandusky but in support of a damn football coach who did not do more to get his pedophile friend off the streets.

Paterno and others may not be legally responsible but their behavior is morally reprehensible.

No sports program, ever, should be more important than the academy or doing what is right. No Saturday game or program revenue should ever be more important than the safety and security of the victims at Penn State or wherever such hideous behavior is present.

We have a certain human responsibility to right a wrong when we see it and to assist the most vulnerable in our society. Paterno and his ilk did not do that because of their slavish devotion to a sporting program. This is what happens when a multi-million-dollar entertainment enterprise is inserted where it does not belong. And yet, if there is one positive to come from this sordid tale—besides Sandusky being off the prowl—is that it has produced a re-examination of the nauseating influence that sporting programs have within some of our country’s higher education institutions.

—Juan Thompson ’13 is a political science major.

I

Guest Columnist

hardly even feel the need to present facts to establish the case that the atmosphere on campus is changing. The relationship between students and Safety and Security feels different. Last year I felt Security was here solely for my protection. When they walked through the hallways doing their nightly rounds, I felt like their presence was more to ensure the safety of my residential house than it was to monitor the behavior of the students. This year, I feel as if Security is only in the houses to bust students.

The controversies this year seem unending. Perhaps most notable of changes is the notorious house relocation policy. Before Halloween, Director of Residential Life Luis Inoa sent out an email indicating that students caught hosting parties in student housing would be subjected to automatic relocation.

This policy, unsurprisingly, caused an uproar among students, prompting the Vassar Student Association to take action.

This past week, there have also been fire drills where Security personnel have been entering student rooms to ensure that students have left the building. Not to mention the allegations of racial profiling in last weeks issue of The Miscellany News. There was also the contentious decision made at the end of last year to ban kegs from campus parties. I could continue, but then I would be moving into the realm of unsubstantiated conjecture and opinion. The points highlighted above are enough to establish the sort of change that is occurring on campus.

This is not meant as some screed against campus Security. I do not intend to argue that students should be allowed to engage in illicit and dangerous behavior without fear of recourse from the College. I do, however, wonder if certain points are taken into consideration if the campus does intend to crack down on student behavior. Most important, I wonder whether the campus takes student safety into consideration when they decide to crack down on the drinking/party culture.

Of course, in an ideal world, students would not be engaging in risky illegal behavior. There is no way around the fact that there are students under the age of 21 that consume alcohol on campus and Residential Life and Security are certainly within their rights to try and come up with solutions that will minimize the worst possible outcomes that could arise from such situations. There are potentially dangerous consequences that can result from drinking, particularly the risky binge drinking that has become a part of college culture nationwide.

Does banning kegs and relocating students to different houses really address the problem, though?

The decision to ban kegs, in particular, seems to promote an environment where students that will drink will be more apt to consume hard liquor. It is not ridiculous to argue that the dangers of students chugging vodka before they go to a TH party are far more notable than the dangers that come from drinking a beer from a keg.

As for the policy in place to relocate students if they are caught par-

tying in their residential home? It seems plausible here that students who choose to continue to engage in such activities will simply work to better hide their actions. I am not arguing that students should be engaging in these activities in the first place, but if such behavior is to occur, is it really so illogical to assume that potentially dangerous behavior will be spotted more quickly in an atmosphere where students are more open.

These are all tricky points to argue. I am certainly not saying that Security and Residential Life do not have a right to promote safe behavior. Students should also make sure they comply with all college regulations. Perhaps the best solution at this point is to establish a better dialogue between students and staff. The vast majority of students that attend this school don’t want a lawless society where anything goes. I know I feel more comfortable knowing there are a group of individuals working to keep me safe.

I fear the path we may be going down, I fear what may result if feelings of antipathy continue to be fostered. At the very least shouldn’t students have more of a say before regulations are put in place?

Shouldn’t they at least be aware of how seriously Security intends to enforce regulations? As residents of the College, are they not entitled to a detailed explanation of policies and procedure?

This is a complicated set of issues to be sure. I just hope the controversy and confusion are cleared up.

—John Kenney ’14 is a student as Vassar College.

Crossword by Jack Mullen ACROSS 1. MondayNight Football airer 5. What”yo mama” is 10. “Let___”; Beatles hit 14. Wiseguy 15. Smalldrum 16. Beer component 17. Continental conference 18. Fill(with) 19. SNL segment 20. *Title for an undemanding lecture class?

23. Clean air org.

24. Break a commandment 25. Meditative chants 26. It maybe found in a 30-down 27. Santa___, Calif.

28. Superhero garb 31. Crazy one 34. Civilian attire 37. Cube inventor Rubik 38. Hot strip?

39. Conquistador’s loot 40. Supplements, or literally, what’s done to the answers to the starred clues 43. Snapshot 44. Beat badly 45. Subterfuge 46. Half of a Disney duo 48. Monopolist’s portion 49. Religious offshoot 50. Largest U.S. union 51. Teacher’s favorite

Answers to last week’s puzzle

52. Cereal grain 53. Directorate General for Translation Abbr.

56. “Shallow” movie character 58. *Period of great vacuum use?

63. Brazilian berry 65. Flightless birds 66. Intl. oil cartel 67. “Gotta run!” in some chat rooms 68. Ecological 69. Memorization routine 70. Those, in Tijuana 71. Capital of Yemen 72. South Dakota, to Pierre DOWN 1. “Blimey!” (Var.) 2. Japanese cuisine 3. Fuss, in a way 4. Feeling the effects of Novocaine 5. Reputation harmer 6. Disables 7. ‘70s Swedish pop group 8. Pronoun with “sommes” 9. Earl ___ tea 10. AOL communications 11. *Venture to wine valley?

12. Radar image 13. Songstress James 21. Ancient Aegean land 22. Mimic 27. ___&T cell retailer 28. Colgate rival 29. Diarist Frank 30. It may contain a 26-across 32. Powerful arms 33. What it may take to answer the question “Does this make me look fat?”

34. NYC gallery

35. River to the Caspian 36. *Unsanitary beach in Cancun?

37. No Child Left Behind dept.

41. Dr. of rap 42. Is an accomplice to 47. Sports video game co.

49. Part of E.S.T.: Abbr.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

50. Qualmishness 52. 2009 Peace Nobelist 53. Station 54. Actress Gerwig 55. “Be silent,” in scores 56. A strong word 57. Takes steps

59. “Making Cities” dept.

60. “Transformers” actor LaBeouf 61. Explosive Indonesian Mount 62. Ripped 64. Alternative pronoun to 8-down

HUMOR & SATIRE

November 17, 2011

Page 13

OPINIONS

Agenda regarding Vegan Witch TH Brittany Hunt

H

Columnist

Piece of Business I: Weekly charm circle will be lead by Helena in the Wimpfheimer playground in order to channel the innocence of youth. I know last week it was a bit of a debacle that we didn’t bring enough candles to fully complete our pentagram. We will be implementing a strict BYOCandle rule from now on.

Piece of Business II: Tabitha has brought it to our attention that someone has been using her mortar and pestle without asking. She’d be happy to share—just let her know. Also someone has been stealing her Midol. This is not the Wiccan way, sisters, and you know it. Please return the pills to Tabitha before we all start our shared monthly bleed next Tuesday, thank you.

Piece of Business III: Meat House has kindly invited us to a Co-op party on Saturday night. We are in charge of providing drinks. I think it would be a perfect opportunity for Belinda to cook up some of that fake frog’s foot brew she’s been working on.

Yum! However, Meat House is apparently making chili. I plan on slipping in some ratsbane to teach them the lesson that MEAT IS MURDER.

Piece of Business V: As we all know there have been several incidences of hate speech on campus this semester. It’s a very serious issue that needs to be addressed. The other day I found graffiti in the Library bathroom that read as follows: “Cappy is a witch.” I know, I know. There are a lot of words that I could use to describe Cappy and her politics, but “witch” would never be one of them. No self-respecting witch would wear pleated front khakis. This is a direct attack against us as a minority group. We need to start a campaign to destigmatize witches—take the poison out of the word. Hilda and I have been working on a poster series to normalize witches on campus. They will feature pictures of each of us with the words “This Witch is my Bitch” to let everyone know that witches can be great friends. We’ll be tabling in the College Center next week.

Piece of Business VI: Finally, our Meet Me in Poughkeepsie got approved! Oh my goddess, am I excited.

We will be leading a group of adventurous students to a quarry in New Paltz to search for healing stones and crystals. Afterwards we’ll have a group chant and enjoy a picnic of quinoa and kale from local farms. THEN WE’RE GOING BOWLING. What fun! Tell all of your friends to sign up.

Deeper than thou, ‘Thom’ reveals all Tom “Thom” Renjilian

D

Self-Described Artiste

o you have eyes, ears, a nose or a mouth? Then you’ve probably experienced the art of Tom “Thom” Renjilian ’12, but unless you have a doctoral degree in art appreciation, you probably didn’t really “get it.” Renjilian creates all forms of art ranging from theater to poetry to kinds of art there aren’t even words for yet. Because of his busy schedule, Tom “Thom” Renjilian agreed to an interview only on the condition that it be conducted entirely in beat poetry.

“Why America must you have Perpetual anal Jazz with Walt Whitman Capitalist anal sunflower sex Brooklyn Frisco fuck,” Renjilian wailed in response to the question, “When did you become interested in art?”

“America!, American, anal sex, drugs,” he elaborated.

After his fifth unnecessary allusion to lewd sexual practices, we informed Renjilian that this format wasn’t working.

“Please still interview me,” he said.

Tom “Thom” Renjilian first became involved in art when his parents sold him to an artists’ commune to be used as a nude model. “I would cry and scream and try to run away,” Renjilian reminisced with a nostalgic twinkle in his pitch-black eyes.

“That’s when everyone noticed my aptitude for performance art.”

Though involved in experimental theatre his whole life, it was at Vassar that “Thom” really began to flourish. “A few years ago Vassar put on one of the first, universally praised, college productions of the hit musical ‘RENT,’” he said. “So I thought why not push the envelope a little further?”

Earlier this year, as his senior project for his independent major—art, sex, ‘society’ and the philosophy of post-structuralist suburban dance—Renjilian put on the world’s first all-kitten production of ‘RENT’ using felines from local animal shelters.

“Some people thought it was ‘weird’ or ‘disturbing’ to see the play performed by sexually transgressive kittens with

Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

ello everyone and welcome to the house meeting of the Vegan Witch Cooperative TH. I am so excited to be living with all of you in this shared space! However, we’ve had some minor issues we should discuss as a coven.

We have a lot of business to go over, so let’s get started.

Piece of Business IV: I was communing with the trees yesterday and they told me that we were a little loud last weekend. If we could kindly keep it down, our neighbors would appreciate it.

“Thom” Renjilian, pictured above, has never set foot in Blodgett Hall. Nevertheless, he likes the way the archway mirrors the dark void that is his soul and also the buttresses.

AIDS,” “Thom” admitted. “Some people don’t understand art.”

According to Renjilian, the performers’ owners especially enjoyed the bestiality scene, which Renjilian says he added in to make the relatively prude play more palatable to today’s more sexually adventurous audiences. “There were screams like I had never heard before. Many audience members even wept,” Renjilian recalled. “It was a prime example of Aristotelian catharsis.”

“Even Cappy loved the play,” Renjilian claimed. “She commended it for ‘further straining the already tenuous relationship between Vassar and the surrounding community.’ Whatever that means.”

“Thom” doesn’t restrict himself to just poetry and performance. He claims to be responsible for most if not all of the art seen around Vassar’s campus.

“You might not have even recognized some of my more abstract pieces,” Renjilian said. “The goldfish in the toilets last year? ART. That unsightly Library construction? A penetrating statement about the academy’s relationship to the pesky working class. The all-consuming sense of pride and self-importance you feel each and every day you exist on this picturesque campus? An elaborate fic-

Weekly Calendar: 11/17-11/23 Thursday, 11/17

tion I’ve personally constructed to lure you unsuspecting into the shattering realization of your own mediocrity, which you’ll inevitably suffer upon graduation.

Every V-Mail phishing attempt? You guessed it—ART.” “Wanna know a secret?” Renjilian leaned in uncomfortably close. “Jean Tagliamonte doesn’t even exist.”

When asked his favorite medium to work in, Renjilian claimed to only work in extrasmall, black, deep v-necks from American Apparel, which he believes “highlight [his] emaciated, starving artist physique.”

Though he constantly creates art, Renjilian says he doesn’t enjoy it. “I’m perpetually in the throes of psychic pain akin to giving birth or passing a kidney stone,” he explained. “Art isn’t about fun.

It’s about making something that forces the world to suffer as much as you suffer.” Renjilian says he developed this philosophy after viewing several sketch comedy shows at Vassar.

While Tom “Thom” Renjilian is deeply devoted to his art, he strives to remain well rounded and says his “breathtaking creations” don’t “fucking define” who he is. “Honestly— family, academics and my intramural roller hockey team come first,” Renjilian concluded.

by Alanna Okun, Humor & Satire Editor

8 p.m. Rhinestone Gorillas Burlesque. Since when did Vassar start using an Internet name generator from 2003 to title all its events? Villard Room.

Saturday, 11/19

We’re living in two different worlds right now; you’re still in high school dealing with petty high school bullshit, and I have to contend with serious issues like whether I should spring for Svedka next weekend and what ‘daggering’ means.” Rose Parlor.

2 p.m. “Yellow Ribbon Oaks.” YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN? Kenyon Club Room.

Tuesday, 11/22

8 p.m. “She Loves Me.” Or, “She Lets Me Put My Tongue in Her Mouth Because She Likes How I Always Pay for Her Bacio’s Since My Guilt-Ridden Divorced Parents Let Me Spend All the VCash I Want.” Shiva.

10 p.m. Middle School Mug Night. Featuring Britney Spears, Ashley Parker Angel and that time you had to ask the lunch monitor to fish your retainer out of the garbage can in the cafeteria. AGAIN. Mug.

3 p.m. Tea. “I’m never speaking to you again! And just so you know, ever since you left for sailing camp at the beginning of last summer, I’ve been sleeping with Ben P. We’re both applying early to Cornell and he’s going to be PREMED.” Rose Parlor.

Friday, 11/18

Sunday, 11/20

1 p.m. Web Workshop: Basics of WordPress. First topic: Nobody Wants to Read Your Political Haikus. 24-Hour Room.

6 p.m. Men’s Basketball vs. Culinary Institute of America. What is even the CIA’s mascot? One of those pigs that can sniff out truffles? A crème brulee torch?

Arugula? AFC.

3 p.m. Tea. “Hey baby, Happy Thanksgiving! It’s so good to see you again. Like I’ve said all those times I kicked my roommate out so you and I could strip-Skype, I’ve really been enjoying my freshman year so far. I feel like I’m totally finding myself, you know? And that’s why I think we need to talk.” Rose Parlor.

3 p.m. Tea. “Excuse me?! What is there to talk about? When you graduated from William Howard Taft High last spring you promised me we’d be together forever!” Rose Parlor.

Monday, 11/21 3 p.m. Tea. “I know, baby, it’s just that I said that before I knew what a strong, individual guy I could be in college.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

10 p.m. Trivia Night. Question #762: Wait, exactly how many people here still know where their retainer actually is? Mug.

Wednesday, 11/23 3 p.m. Tea. “I totally understand why you’re upset, baby.

I hope we can get past this and stay friends. But I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t make fun of my Med-Ren major; that’s kind of dick.” Rose Parlor.

ARTS

Page 14

November 17, 2011

‘Final Showings’ spotlight student, faculty choreography Matthew Hauptman

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Reporter

Madeline Zappala/The Miscellany News

erhaps one of the greatest joys of dancing is the thrill of standing before a rising curtain, anxiously awaiting the adrenaline rush of a live performance. The Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre (VRDT) will share this experience with the college community at 8 p.m. from Nov. 17 to 19 when it performs its “Final Showings.” in the Frances Daly Fergusson Dance Theater.

“I hope it makes [audiences] interested in dance, and I hope it makes them want to come back and see more,” said Katharine Gripp ’13, a cast member and choreographer.

VRDT’s “Final Showings” performance of ballet, jazz and modern dance repertoire will feature a selection from 14 works to be presented in rotation through the three evenings.

Four faculty works, seven student pieces and a work from the classical ballet canon will be featured. More specifically, the program will include two world premieres by internationally renowned choreographers Larry Keigwin and Edwaard Liang, presented as part of Vassar College’s sesquicentennial celebrations. As Director of VRDT John Meehan quipped, “This is very ‘Vassarcentric.’”

The diverse assemblage of pieces in “Final Showings” reflects the varied interests of VRDT’s cast members, who hail from such backgrounds of ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop and musical theater. The seven student choreographers (Gripp, Michael Graceffa ’13, Mickey Mahar ’12, Elly Dembo ’13, Niya Nicholson ’14, Matt Ortile ’14 and Emma King ’15) boast a wide range of training and, accordingly, their pieces aspire to accomplish a wide range of goals.

In choosing dancers for his piece, Ortile looked for people who were performers as well as dancers, largely because his piece relies so heavily on its dramatic elements as well as character development. (Disclosure: Ortile is Social Media Editor for The Miscellany News) The piece itself is loosely based on Ortile’s own experiences as a freshman—the friends he made and the challenges that he and friends faced during their first year.

Graceffa’s experiences at Vassar have also informed his piece, the idea of which came

Dancers rehearse for the Vassar Repertory Dance Theatre upcoming showcase “Final Showings.”

The performances will take place in the Frances Daly Fergusson Dance Theater from Nov. 17 to 19. to him when he recollected a Thursday night from last year, when he was hanging out with his friends at the Mug. In characterizing what he wanted from the dancers he chose, Graceffa explained, “I was looking for this energy, this excitement, but also this individuality.” For Graceffa, the piece is about being in the joyful company of friends, as well as the affection that friends have for each other.

But certainly not every piece relies on personal experience or even conventional narrative. As Mahar explained, “My piece is aggressively about nothing. I wanted to bypass traditional models of creating movement.”

Part of Mahar’s challenge, then, was selecting dancers who would help bring his daring vision to fruition. “I was looking for people who were comfortable in their bodies, people who

were comfortable with their movement,” said Mahar.

Senior Lecturer in Dance and Assistant Director Katherine Wildberger has collaborated with Vassar College Adjunct Artist and VRDT Resident Composer and Accompanist Howard Kilik to create “Drumlin,” a dance based on the poem “A Buck in the Snow” by alumna Edna St. Vincent Millay ’17. Wildberger faced similar challenges guiding student choreographers, as each dancer comes from their own distinct stylistic background: “You have to train them in your style,” observed Wildberger.

“Take Off” is the title of the new work by renowned modern dance choreographer Keigwin, who created this piece here at Vassar during the recent Fall Break. The piece incorporates architectural, modern movements set to the music of

composer Jonathan Melville Pratt. With its nonstop, fast pace choreography, the performance emphasizes youth, energy and flight.

Liang, who danced with New York City Ballet and later performed on Broadway in the musical “Fosse,” has developed his distinct choreographic voice using a vocabulary that fuses traditional ballet and contemporary movement. In his mysterious work, “Whispers in the Dark,” dancers move fluidly across the floor, simultaneously expressing graceful and animalistic gestures. It is a radical reworking of a contemporary ballet last seen in the repertoire of the Bolshoi Ballet, and will make its North American debut here on the Vassar stage.

Chair of Dance and VRDT Resident Choreographer Steve Rooks has created “Social Network(s),” a dramatic piece set to music of the composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Stacey Widelitz and Thomas Newman. The work is organized into three sections, each of which conveys an abstract representation of the social disconnect so common because of social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

The jazz work “Voodoo Rendezvous” was created by Adjunct Instructor of Dance Abby Saxon. Co-choreographed with Martha Ross Tobias ’83, “Voodoo Rendezvous” was first presented by VRDT in 2005-06. Set to the music of Ben Charest, this entertaining piece has returned to the repertoire by popular demand.

It showcases music from the French film Triplets of Belleville and quirky yet highly technical dance movements “Jai Ho,” the hit song from the movie Slumdog Millionaire written by A. R. Rahman, inspired the VRDT company finale, which was choreographed by the dance faculty in collaboration with the dancers of VRDT. The entire 29-member VRDT company will perform this piece, highlighting each class year. The performance brings together the styles of each dance professor with a Bollywood twist.

The differences in training don’t even matter when each dancer is so committed to the craft.

“I think the common thread is this shared love, exuberance, and passion in every piece we do,” said Gripp.

Professor Osborn a soulful, jazzy mainstay in Music Dept Adam Buchsbaum

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Arts Editor

Richard Garbade/The Miscellany News

djunct Artist in Music and Director of Jazz and Wind Ensembles James Osborn must play a mean trumpet. He’s been lead trumpet for a number of acts in his long-spanning career, from playing in humble churches, traditional orchestras and quintets to well-known acts including The Temptations and Tony Bennett.

“I think I backed The Temptations four times,” Osborn recalled, adding, “It’s really thrilling ... they’re things you’ve heard on the radio since you were a kid.”

Osborn continues to play today in his very own band, appropriately named the Jim Osborn Band. The seven-piece group, which includes fellow Adjunct Artist in Music Peter Tomilson, plays Motown tunes and more contemporary works for weddings, fundraisers and parties--anything to get people grooving.

“We play with such energy to get people out there on the dance floor, and when you see them having a great time that gives you a feeling like you’ve never had before in your life,” Osborn said. “As musicians we spend so many hours practicing in a room by ourselves ... when you finally get out there and somebody’s appreciating it, it makes all that hard, lonely work worth it.”

And yet Osborn nearly veered offcourse from the path that took him to Vassar College. He had chosen after high school to pursue a degree in political science and go to law school, hoping to emulate his older brothers. But he found himself sliding back into music.

“In my junior year I had been playing on the side, and then I started playing a lot more.” Osborn said.

“By the time I was a senior I had gotten so into playing I had to decide between applying to law school and music school. So, I ended up going to graduate school in music performance.”

After graduating he returned to the Hudson Valley, his home. He taught privately and kept performing at gigs. He started playing with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, and there met a trombone player, Diane Mathie, who taught trumpet at Vassar. Mathie had to leave the area after her husband’s new job, and recommended Osborn as her replacement. He accepted, and soon Osborn began his Vassar career.

“When I started here in 1982, I had one trumpet student,” he said.

Two years in, Osborn began to direct the Jazz Ensemble. It began simply, after some of Osborn’s trumpet students approached him, asking for a jazz ensemble. He asked the department, the department obliged and he became its director—a role he retains to this day. “I pick the music, I rehearse the group very carefully, correct any mistakes, decide who’s gonna improvise when,” Osborn said. “It’s a very hands-on type of activity.” The 22-piece ensemble performs music ranging from Big Band era stylings to jazz-rock fusion.

In 2006, Osborn began the Jazz Combo. “The jazz combos are smaller groups from five to eight people generally, and they concentrate more on jazz improvisation,” Osborn explained. “You get to improvise on

Adjunct Artist in Music and Director of Jazz and Wind Ensembles James Osborn has played trumpet for such well-known acts as The Temptations and Tony Bennett. He also participates in the Jim Osborn Band, which plays groovy Motown tunes. almost very song.” Osborn tries to remain more distant with the Jazz Combo, keeping a role of advisor and allowing students to run their shows themselves. Osborn once had to run a show, and recalls it as a positive experience. “I learned how to rehearse a group, how to pick music, how to get gigs, how to handle myself on gigs,” Osborn said. “That was really helpful.”

Osborn’s Wind Ensemble began in 2001 as the brainchild of two Vassar students, Mark Wochner ’01 and Peter Holmes ’00. They pushed for its creation their entire four years at

Vassar, and the Music Department finally approved the ensemble—right after they graduated. They worked with Osborn to implement the idea, leading him to naturally assume the role of its director.

“It’s turned into this real neat thing, which is a college and community group,” Osborn said. “We’ve got local music teachers that are playing in the group, some retired music teachers, some IBMers and there’s at least one staff member of Vassar that plays in the group. So it’s really a nice outreach to the community.”

In addition to his Vassar classes,

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Osborn directs a jazz ensemble, pit orchestra and two basic guitar classes at Roosevelt High School and maintains a private trumpet studio on the weekends.

“I’m what they call a workaholic,” Osborn joked. His pace might seem unmanageable and unnecessarily burdened, but Osborn notes he accumulated his roles over time. “It starts out where you get this philosophy as a young player, especially someone with a performance degree, that you will take every job offered,” Osborn said. “It feels like what I’m used to.”

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November 17, 2011

Page 15

SQUIRM sponsors sex-positive burlesque performance Shruti Manian

Assistant Arts Editor

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Courtesy of Rhinestone Gorilla Burlesque

hen Jenny Weinbloom, a young sophomore, transferred from New York University to State University of New York (SUNY) New Paltz, she missed the lively and fascinating burlesque scene of New York City. Weinbloom requested the New Paltz administration to fund a burlesque workshop spearheaded by Jo “Boobs” Weldon from the New York School of Burlesque. Weinbloom, along with 15 other friends, learnt how to make love to a chair and twirl nipple tassels at this workshop. Vassar will have the pleasure of experiencing the fruits of the group’s efforts, as their burlesque group Rhinestone Gorillas will perform this Friday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. in the Villard Room.

The performance is sponsored by SQUIRM, the producer of Vassar’s erotic magazine and a group devoted to creating a sex-positive forum on campus for the artistic, literary and creative exploration of sex. SQUIRM organized the event in an effort to bring to campus a unique show that will combine sexuality and humor.

“SQUIRM can often get into many heavy issues and we like to challenge the way people think, but what’s the point of life if you can’t have some fun?” said President of SQUIRM Gretchen Heinel ’12.

While still attending college, Weinbloom and her friends founded Alpha Psi Ecdysia, a sorority that was also the country’s pioneer undergraduate burlesque group. Upon graduation, the group took on the name Rhinestone Gorillas. “When we took on our grown-up name, we wanted to pay homage to our past as Alpha Psi Ecdysia while acknowledging that we are rhinestones in the rough as well as guerilla artists, and certainly not your average showgirls. Rhinestone Gorilla just fit,” explained Weinbloom in an emailed statement.

Weinbloom, the founder, producer and creative director of the Rhinestone Gorillas, goes

by the stage name of Lucida Sans. The other members of the troupe are Gemma Stone, Angelique A’LaMode, Izebel Vivant, Spartacus Rising, Debra Delorean, Avian Rush and Kinky Demure.

From New York to San Francisco and Los Angeles, the Rhinestone Gorillas has taken the country by storm. The troupe’s performances are naughty, intelligent, funny and sexy.

“Most of our shows are heavily themed and some are scripted. In two days, we’re doing Rhinestone Gorilla Burlesque presents ASS FROM THE PAST: Age 10, Revisited, featuring all world-premiere acts based on the years when we were each 10 years old. Some of our acts are classic, pretty, sexy teases, some are funny and cute, some are uncomfortably and confrontationally political, and some are just plain, stupid genius,” explained Weinbloom.

For their upcoming performance at Vassar, the troupe plans to do a best-of show, consisting of many of their classics. “You guys are lucky, too. Spartacus—the first man to strip at the Boston Burlesque Exposition, has not performed since this summer, when he made his farewell performance with Rhinestone Gorillas. He’s coming back to the troupe just to do this show, so we owe Vassar a debt of gratitude for the opportunity to work with him again,” said Weinbloom.

Weinbloom assures that the audience will have plenty to look forward to with hilarious audience competitions, Jock Jams and a burlesque adaptation of “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Heinel, who saw the troupe perform at Vassar last year, said, “Their acts are more off the wall than typical burlesque.

They are quirky and lighthearted and just so awesome.”

As an undergraduate burlesque troupe, the Rhinestone Gorillas began by performing to an entirely college audience, which is one of the reasons the troupe looks forward to perform-

Above, members of the Rhinstone Gorillas, a burlesque group, give a performance. The group will hold a show, sponsored by SQUIRM, at Vassar on Friday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. in the Villard Room. ing at Vassar. “We love working with college audiences. We got our start performing for our classmates at SUNY New Paltz and we’re most comfortable with an audience that gets our esoteric and highly nerdy literary references,” said Weinbloom. “We used to play with the Barefoot Monkeys fairly regularly and we’ve missed spending time spinning fire. I imagine we’ll have some burlesque virgins in our audience and it’s always an honor to be the first burlesque show that a person sees.”

The event is also significant because it lays the foundation for conversations about SQUIRM and sexuality on campus. “We want to create dialogue on campus about kink and sexuality and gender and the direction we want to go is edgy,” said Heinel. She also anticipates that the event will spread SQUIRM’s mission:

to create safe spaces for sexual expression on campus.

“One of the core concepts behind Alpha Psi Ecdysia was to create a safe space on the New Paltz campus where students could comfortably explore and express their relationship with gender and sexuality. Whenever we visit college campuses, we embrace the opportunity to return to that core value. Our shows are celebratory occasions; we always hope that our audience will leave our shows feeling sexy and inspired,” said Weinbloom.

The Rhinestone Gorillas promise to bring a fresh and new perspective about burlesque to campus. As one of the members of the troupe, Gemma Stone, recently put it, “A lot of burlesque is about wanting what you can’t have, but we’re about getting what you don’t want.”

New lecture series melds environment, creative arts Burcu Noyan Reporter

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Courtesy of Robbie Rosenthal

Courtesy of Charlesgeiger.com

he Gulf oil spill won’t be the first thing that will come to your mind when you look at Charles Geiger’s paintings, which are made to resemble the world of cells made visible when looking through a microscope. His paintings show dense pools of arboreal elements, combining to produce a colorful pattern.

Chaotic, yet harmonious; complex, yet simple; beautiful, and representing decay and destruction.

Geiger is the upcoming speaker for the artist lecture series titled “Art in the Environment —The Seen and Unseen,” organized by the Environmental Studies program at Vassar College. On Thursday, Nov. 17 in Taylor 203 at 7 p.m., Geiger will talk about his new series of paintings that capture the damage done by the Gulf oil spill, which will mark the final lecture of the artist series for this semester.

“We wanted to offer a forum for local artists to engage in conversation with people who may not be familiar with their work or who may not have focused on the connections between their work (paintings, photographs, sculpture, for example) and environmental concerns,” wrote Director of Environmental Studies Lizabeth ParavisiniGebert in an emailed statement.

She added, “We have scheduled the presentations for Thursday evenings, when the art gallery is open late, so as to be able to engage members of the larger community in the discussion.”

This particular lecture series is the first of its kind and will continue into the spring semester. The presentations highlight two celebrated aspects of Vassar’s Environmental Studies program: the pride of the program in being fully mul-

Artist Charles Geiger, whose painting is pictured left, will give the semester’s final lecture for the series “Art in the Environment—The Seen and Unseen.” Sponsored by the Environmental Studies program, previous speakers in the series have included mixed-media artist Jason Middlebrook, whose subway murals are pictured right. tidisciplinary and its focus on exploring the relationships between people and their environment.

“The idea for the lecture series stemmed from conversations about how to incorporate the humanities into the campus conversation on environmental issues. We all see the relation between the environmental and the natural and social sciences as ‘natural,’ but have a harder time understanding how the humanities can contribute to the development of environmental thought,” explained Paravisini.

She added, “The series is meant to foster dialogue between the humanities and the natural and social sciences so as to show the myriad connections between the arts and our perceptions of the environment.”

For upcoming lecturer Greiger, science and art ebb and flow together to create surreal representations of subatomic universes. His background working as a scientific researcher is evident in his unique

microscopic perspective.

In addition, Greiger was born and raised near the marshes of Charleston, S.C., thus his personal experience with flux and power in nature is particularly evident in his work.

The first guest lecturer was Jason Middlebrook, a mixed-media contemporary artist whose most notable works include the mosaic murals in the Avenue U subway station in Brooklyn, depicting 10 flowers native to the surroundings.

“One way to describe my work in a nutshell is ‘the weed that breaks through the sidewalk in an urban setting,” said the environmental artist during a TV interview on Grassroots TV in 2009.

“What I appreciated about him was that all he was presenting was his art. Not an overly put together artist or a super-cultured mind (both of which he is/has)—just his art,” said Tillan Muthama ’14 about Middlebrook.

“I would really love to have Vassar bring more lecturers that have enough passion in their work that they are willing to leave all ego and pretentiousness behind and just share.”

In his lecture, Middlebrook spoke about the recent sculpture series that he produced using only found objects in the environment, in an attempt to explore people’s relationship to their planet. “What I came out of this lecture with was an understanding of how art can be experienced by so many different people in so many different ways,” explained Muthama.

“I learned that artists can be extremely effective community builders, and that there really isn’t any reason to ever waste an unused piece of paper when the earth is filled with so many art supplies,” she further added.

“Our second speaker, Michael Sibilia, gave a fascinating presentation on his photographs, which

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

by capturing the debris lining the shores of the Hudson River articulate the damage done to the Valley by failed industrial development,” wrote Paravisini.

Photographer Sibilia sees his art as the means to try and understand a world that is full of paradoxes.

“We live in a country that exists because it was rich in natural resources. Discovered at a time in the world when these materials were most needed to fuel a growing civilization,” Silbia said in a statement on his website. “Why is what built us seemingly destroying us? Or is it?” he further questioned.

Speakers expected for next semester’s lectures include Amy Lipton, a curator for Ecoartspace, an organization devoted to promoting awareness of environmental issues through visual arts, and environmental artist David Hebb, who documents industrial artifacts in natural settings through photography, video and installation.

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Bevy of plays headed for campus stages

Hays a performer with good cause in mind Sam Plotkin

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Guest Columnist

f you’ve seen any musical performances on campus lately, chances are you’ve probably seen (and heard) the extensive musical talents of Aubrey Hays ’15. Hays, a prospective drama major, is an active participant in multiple performing arts activities at Vassar.

She sings with the Night Owls, the longestrunning all-female college a cappella group in the country. Hays is also a member of the cast of the Future Waitstaff of America’s production, “She Loves Me,” a musical about two co-workers who think they dislike each other but simultaneously harbor an anonymous pen-pal romantic relationship.

One of Hays’ busiest projects is with the Night Owls, who recently performed at Dormal Formal, an AIDS benefit and a reunion for the Class of 1963. She has also been doing a solo with the group on Janis Joplin’s “I Need a Man to Love.” “It’s not just something you sing in,” she said. “A cappella is like having a little family.”

In addition to performing regularly, Hays takes classes for dance, and even choreographs her own pieces for them. An avid songwriter, Hays has performed at several open-mic events on campus, both with ViCE and in Josselyn, the house where she lives.

She regularly writes songs for guitar and voice, but also plays piano, harp, flute and knows a thing or two about the dulcimer and accordion. While she has been extremely busy with rehearsals for various groups, Hays does find the time to create her own music here at Vassar. “It’s hard to find a simple balance of time in college, but I have found time to write one or two songs while I’ve been here. I also have plenty more that I’ve written previously.”

Prior to coming to Vassar, Hays sang and played in a family wedding band along with her mother, who plays piano and harp; her

Campus Canvas

Alex Schlesinger/The Miscellany News

THEATER continued from page 1 on two argumentative shop clerks, Georg and Amalia, in Budapest, Hungary before World War II. The two constantly bicker, and despise each other at work, yet are each the recipients of the other’s anonymous love letters. When Georg discover his “dear friend” is none other than Amalia, he strives to make her fall in love with him before revealing himself. “She Loves Me” is based on the play “Parfumerie,” which has been adapted more than five times into movies, including The Shop Around the Corner and You’ve Got Mail.

“It’s a timeless story,” said director Amy Corenswet ’13, adding, “The show is a charming, heartfelt and funny classic musical comedy.

It has both a strong plot and gorgeous music and lyrics, a combination that is sometimes hard to come by in musical theater.”

The sentimental, touching play makes for a production a bit more mainstream than previous FWA musicals.

Corenswet explained the appeal of true classic. “FWA generally produces modern or nontraditional musicals, and so I’m excited to bring a true standard of the genre to audiences,” said Corenswet. “Although ‘She Loves Me’ is not a brand-name musical, it is well-known and loved among musical theater fans.”

Musical director Reeve Johnson ’14 echoed Corenswet’s words: “It’s not like other Vassar shows that deal with heavier topics. It’s about love. It’s simple, cute, fun and energetic; a breath of fresh air for Vassar student theater.”

Philaletheis’ “Yellow Ribbon Oaks” will take place in the Kenyon Club Room on Nov. 17 to 19 at 7 p.m. with an additional matinee on Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. Although they are vastly different productions, “Yellow Ribbon Oaks,” like “She Loves Me,” will present an atypical experience for Vassar theatergoers.

Andrew Massey ’12 recently penned the play, making this its very first production. Director Elana Fruchtman ’14 said, “It’s a novelty that a student piece is getting done in such a big way.

Even though it is only 40 minutes long, it is ticketed as a Phil full-length show.”

Massey propositioned Fruchtman to spearhead the project over the summer. Fruchtman was already interested in directing for Philaletheis, and everything simply fell into place after she read Massey’s play. “When I read the piece I was blown away,” explained Fruchtmann.

Like “She Loves Me,” “Yellow Ribbon Oaks” is a love story. However, the play is a drama about a married couple, Molly and Thomas, and takes place while Thomas is overseas in the army.

Fruchtman revealed, “It’s about what it means to be far away from someone you love and how that separation affects the people in the relationship.”

The play is also interesting in that it is setting exists independent of a specific time period. “It’s timeless, which adds an element of magic to the piece, yet it is grounded in reality, so it is relatable,” said Fruchtman.

The staged reading of Noah Haidle’s “Kitty, Kitty, Kitty” is being put on in the Mug on Nov. 18 at 10 p.m. and Nov. 19 at 5 p.m. “Kitty, Kitty, Kitty” is a zany comedy about a sad, lonely housecat who falls in love with his clone.

Woodshed decided to focus on one playwright alone this semester, Noah Haidle, whose play “Mr. Marmalade” the troupe recently performed. According to Woodshed member Sammi Katz ’14, “Haidle’s plays are biting, darkly funny fantasies that frequently explore themes of loneliness and depression.” The society in which the feline protagonist lives is not ready for inter-clone romance, and as a result, there ensues a drama that is wrong on a level reserved only for a Greek tragedy. Katz explained her take on its subversive ideas. “The play can also be read as a tongue-in-cheek primer on common philosophical concepts, from questions about what constitutes the self, what true love is and and what is means to be alive at all,” Katz said.

Although all three plays have themes of love, they are different enough that dedicated students will happily see all three. “I can’t wait,” declared student and theatergoer Jay Louik ’14.

November 17, 2011

Aubrey Hays ’15 splits her extracurricular time between singing with the Night Owls and acting with the Future Waitstaff of America. She also dabbles in dance, choreography and songwriting. sister, who plays violin; and a guitarist. “It was just sort of my job in high school,” she said. “It was really interesting, though, because we would get asked to do a lot of interesting pieces at weddings. We even had one all-Beatles wedding, which was a lot of fun.”

One of Hays’ other major interests is melding community service with artistic performance. She worked with a group in high school called Wings Performing Arts, whose goal was to “nourish the mind as well as the spirit.” The group performed regularly for veterans’ homes and nursing homes, as well as for underprivileged children. “It’s so much more rewarding when you can say, ‘We’re not just doing a play, we’re doing a play to help someone,’” she said. “That’s what I love so

A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists

It’s a room that can be assembled anywhere with a thick layer of dirt.

The walls are constructed of painted wood letters, and they read “gladyoucouldmakeitsitcanigetyouanything” but it is not necessary to read them because their main purpose is structural. The phrases are common, repeated formalities which suggest that you are entering a situation without divulging any details as to where you have entered, or

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

much about the arts, they have this transformative power on people.”

A truly dedicated artist who leaves little time for anything else, Hays goes beyond the concept of the triple threat, and writes songs, dances and theatrical pieces such as plays and monologues.

She hopes to be a professional actress and songwriter in the future. “I just want to be involved in the arts in whatever I do because if you don’t like what you do, then what else is there in life? I believe if you find something you love to do, you’ll never truly work a day in your life,” she said.

Hays is always interested in collaborating with others in all kinds of projects and she encourages anyone interested to contact her.

submit to misc@vassar.edu

who has been expecting you. It’s a place without a location or setting and devoid of sincere, warm qualities. It can exist anywhere. The room contains no context, as it can be moved to any location and the words— impersonal, overused and in many ways shallow—have no specificity or valuable meaning; they are just walls.

-Maxine Puorro ’13

November 17, 2011

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Moneyball cashes in on all audiences Lily Sloss

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Guest Columnist

ports movies are famously filled with cliché moments: tear-filled group hugs, people brought together by their love of the game, half-dead coaches hitting balls alone in the park. Moneyball has, thankfully, a director who has restrained himself from perpetuating the “classic sports flick” stereotype. The film instead focuses on recreating, beautifully, a “game-changing” moment in baseball’s history.

I am not a sports person. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I have watched golf games with my dad and been forced to attend my brother’s lacrosse games. However, Moneyball does not require a viewer to be versed in sports. It doesn’t require audiences who love baseball. It doesn’t even ask that you know the history of the Oakland A’s: the team which defied the traditional approach to baseball club management and had an exceptional season. But I get ahead of myself.

Brad Pitt stars as the general manager of the Oakland A’s, Billy Beane, a once talented baseball player who had to make the classic choice: Stanford or ball. He made the wrong choice, went to the big leagues and failed miserably.

His time in the big leagues allows him to get his current position as general manager for the Oakland A’s, but he is fails there, as well. The team he is managing is both poor in performance and, simply, poor. Billy Beane does not have the funding to buy the high status players that he believes will win the Oakland A’s a championship.

Pitt plays the character with an accentuated ease, but strangely it is his aging body which brings a truth to the role. At one point

in the film, as the camera follows him around a gym, it pans to him straining his muscles and sweating to keep his body going, at which point his 47 years are apparent. His eyes are lined, his face is fuller and he no longer looks, well, young. It is touching to see an actor who’s losing his youth (finally, we might say) playing a character who has as well.

But the movie isn’t about Pitt, and it shouldn’t be. The central role to the story, is, in fact, Jonah Hill’s part. Hill plays Peter Brand, the Yale graduate who majored in economics, the fresh-faced student with something new to bring the table. (Side note: How badly would every Vassar graduate like to be the one who helps out Pitt upon leaving college? (Correct answer: Pretty bad.)

Spouting information learned from Bill James, who is most famous for his idea of “sabermetrics,” Peter explains to Beane the mathematical way in which to choose players: looking at their numbers. Not discussing their age or weight or whether they have an ugly girlfriend (this indicates a lack of confidence, in case you were wondering), but instead taking into consideration only the amount of bases they’ve gotten. Apparently, there are hugely underrated players available for cheap, who are not chosen because they throw funny. Who knew?

In case you are not one of those sports people, I won’t ruin the ending for you. But, if it wasn’t obvious, the Moneyball approach to finding cheap talent in baseball provides a new perspective on the way the game can be played. When you are general manager of a baseball team someday, keep this in mind.

Although I found it a little hard to wrap my mind around the idea that Hill was fresh out of Yale, he plays Peter as a naive but intellec-

tually clever apprentice in a believable way.

As Beane instructs Peter how to let go of a player, he tenses with obvious discomfort, saying several times, “No, this is stupid.” As Beane presses him, however, Peter finally attempts to fire Beane and finds himself unable to do it successfully. Peter becomes emotional in the process. It’s as though the movie is shouting out at the audience, “Look, look!

Everything can’t be intellectually reasoned.”

Yes, Moneyball, we get it. Yale economic majors don’t know everything. I feel less bad about my film major from Vassar now.

This point, that intellect cannot determine everything, is pressed frequently. Even as the film argues that math-based reasoning is a better alternative for putting together baseball clubs, it also argues for the inherent romanticism of the game. Frequently Pitt makes the comment, “Now how can you say baseball isn’t romantic?” As directed by Bennett Miller, baseball certainly is romantic. More frequently than not, the viewer is placed within the vast stadium. Peering over Beane’s shoulder, audiences feel themselves unconsciously flooded through the field as the baseball players wait anxiously to play.

I found myself getting antsy as I waited through a painful rendition of the national anthem with the players.

Miller gives the audience the dual ability to be a player and a kid sitting in the stadium watching the game. In Moneyball, you don’t have to choose. You can experience the romance of baseball and sports and delve into the mathematical reasonings of Bill James.

The film, despite claiming to be a sports movie about numbers, is actually a movie romancing its audience, trying to pull the viewers into the love of the game.

J. Edgar: The little biopic that couldn’t Yen Nquyen

Guest Columnist

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Harris Gordon ’15

“Econ nonsense.”

Kennedell Amoo-Gottfried ’14

“I’m sexting my housemates.”

Sam Caravaglia ’12

“Just journaling.

I don’t have any papers due this week!”

Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

. Edgar is written by Dustin Lance Black (Milk), directed by Clint Eastwood (things Clint Eastwood has directed), and stars Leonardo DiCaprio (23 episodes of Growing Pains, according to IMDB). With the Hollywood stock of these three names on the rise since 2008, you’d expect this movie to be pretty great—really good, even—like, not bad at all, right? Well! Do I have some news for you!

Despite the caliber of the people invested in this project, J. Edgar comes off as a not-particularly-ambitious History Channel special that somehow managed to land a Hollywood star. The film meets all of the requirements necessary to be considered a biopic, but its aimlessness stops it from ever becoming a real story. I certainly don’t expect to walk into the theater to be bombarded with 137 minutes of meandering mediocrity, but that’s what I got. My popcorn was legitimately more interesting than much of this movie, so you can imagine how I felt when that resource ran out halfway through.

I really don’t want to write out the synopsis for a biopic, so let’s just say that the movie focuses on the sections of the Wikipedia article on J. Edgar Hoover titled “FBI career” and “Personal life.” Actually, the objective facts and the subjective controversies that surround Hoover’s long run as director of the FBI are an extremely interesting topic, especially when you consider how public he threatened to make the lives of those who threatened him while keeping a lid on his own affairs. It’s no surprise that people retaliated with their own infamous rumors that Hoover’s relationship with his Associate Director Clyde Tolson was secretly homosexual, or that he spent much of his free time cross-dressing. What’s more, aside from the juicy speculation about his personal life, Hoover undoubtedly played a large role in making the FBI as efficient and mythical as it is today by introducing a centralized fingerprint database and the very idea of foren-

sic laboratories. If you’re finding any of this piquing your interest, well, I’m sure there are some good, good books on the subject!

These details obviously encompass several decades of the man’s life, as reflected through ever-increasing age make-up across DiCaprio’s face and those of his closest allies, Clyde Tolson (the fantastically named Armie Hammer) and Helen Gandy (Naomi Watts), his personal secretary. There is a small lie in the previous sentence; I wish that the age make-up slowly showed up instead of being used as a sudden and silly-looking visual shortcut to tell what plot timeline we’d been unceremoniously dropped into next.

For instance, the movie begins with an old, rubbery Hoover giving dictation to a young agent who is tasked to draft a biography of the aging man. This dictation, of course, sends us back to a smoother past and then back to the present and then maybe there’s some unrelated stuff where we linger on the past for a few years until it gets a bit rugged and suddenly get jettisoned back to a slightly more rubbery present and we stay there with a little uncertainty until the movie ends. The flashbacks are a messy and awkward framing device and the result is a movie that is just as confusing to follow as my description.

Instead of telling the story of Hoover’s life in the order that most human lives tend to unfold, J. Edgar ends up being a disjointed series of vignettes.

Still, the cast turns in decent performances despite a narrative structure and a needlessly grandiose screenplay that tries to bury them.

DiCaprio is still lost in his habit of the past few years to make his characters rough men with a whispering Boston intensity, but his best scenery-chewing matches the look and feel of the period, especially in the scenes set during the ’30s and the ’40s. The real standout is Hammer, who plays Tolson with a quiet but believable subtlety, constant but willing victim to the wending desires of Hoover.

DiCaprio and Hammer’s scenes together are the most interesting to follow, as is the

“An essay for my political science class, American Conflict.”

Rosie Acorn-Rubenstein ’13

“I’m writing about someone’s thumb getting cut off for my German class.”

J. Edgar does not provide an enthralling narrative, despite the promising caliber of the cast and crew and the quality of the subject matter. choice by the filmmakers to make Hoover’s homosexuality explicit. As you might have guessed from that, there is a scene where the two men are alone and there is some loud fighting and arguing and almost confessing that by all accounts should fall flat for being such a huge cliché, but the actors really do make it work. It is their earnest efforts that make this film watchable at all.

The problem is that Black’s loud writing, Eastwood’s bland direction and what seems to be their minimal combined time in the editing room makes for a very one-note movie that also happens to be frustrating to follow.

I don’t doubt that all parties involved tried their best—a few scenes here and there indicate the potential for a good movie about J. Edgar Hoover as made by these same people—but, to be honest, nothing stands out when everything seems to be happening at once.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Johnathan Spiegel ‘14

“My Misc article on Cornel West.”

Aashim Usgaonkar ’13

—Rachael Borné Arts Editor

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Page 18

November 17, 2011

Women’s rugby qualifies for Nationals in spring season Jesse Hartman

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Reporter

Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

erhaps overshadowed by the buzz surrounding the Vassar College men’s soccer game at the NCAA Division III Championships, the women’s rugby team qualified for their own National Championship tournament with a 2019 victory over Rutgers University last Saturday. Entering the weekend, both the men’s and women’s teams had the opportunity to qualify for their respective national championships, hosting qualifying tournaments. The seventh seeded women’s team needed to win just one of their two games, while the top-seeded men’s team needed to win both contests.

The women’s team was able to avenge a regular season loss to the Scarlet Knights with an exciting last-second penalty kick, converted by leading scorer O’Mara Taylor ’12, who also scored two tries. The contest proved to a backand-forth affair after the Brewers jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, the largest deficit either team faced on the day.

After a stunning late try by Rutgers put the Scarlet Knights up 19-17, the Brewers marched down the field and were awarded with a 30-meter penalty kick. Taylor calmly stepped up and converted the kick and the match official whistled the game over shortly after, sealing the Brewers’ victory. Dallas Robinson ’14, who put the Brewers ahead 17-14 with a second half try, shared her joy in an emailed statement, writing, “Our win on Saturday was such an amazing feat. I am still so excited about what that win means.”

The next match on Sunday against Norwich University proved to be a more difficult task, as the Brewers fell to their powerful opponents 46-0. Robinson again explained, “Sunday, was a much rougher day for us, but we

The men’s rugby team attempts to hold off Fairfield University in a match at Vassar Farm last Saturday. With a heartbreaking 45-35 loss, the Brewers were unable to progress to the National tournament. played so hard. Norwich is definitely a team that knows rugby, and I think the fact that we did keep them from scoring for so long definitely counts for something.” While the Brewers will certainly have to think about the loss for the time being, they have Nationals to look forward to come spring. Robinson sums up the exuberance she feels about the weekend, remarking, “This weekend was amazing and bitter at the same time. I love this team so much, and Nationals is going to be surreal. Get ready, USA!”

The women’s triumph came just hours after a heartbreaking 43-35 loss by the men’s team at the hands of Fairfield University.

The preparation for the weekend was one of immense anxiety for the team. “For starters this past week was the longest week of my life,” senior winger Brett Anker explained in an emailed statement. “In my 17 years of sports I never wanted to win a game more than this weekend.” The Brewers men’s team faced a Fairfield team that they were able to defeat earlier this season by a score of 19-13. In the

opening half, it appeared as though the earlier result would be duplicated. Anker continued, “We came out fired up and took an early lead.”

However, it was clear that this match was a far cry from the regular season contest against the Stags. “Vassar’s game against Fairfield was a very volatile, exciting and high-scoring game, which was in sharp contrast to the drag-it-out battle in the trenches that occurred when the two teams played earlier in the year,” commented Jonathan Chu ’13; and, unfortunately for the Brewers’ side, their defensive effort was lackluster enough to allow Fairfield to gain a few lucky breaks, ultimately defeating Vassar 43-35. Anker described the end of the game, writing, “We just couldn’t put in the knockout punch that would have launched us into the final. With about five minutes to go, they took the lead on a 90-meter try. I was devastated.

They added another try and finished us off.”

Anker cited the play of some of the Vassar forwards, commenting, “I would also say that Adam Steele ‘12, James Purtle ’12 and Andrew Jdaydani ’14 played fantastic games.” Despite the great team play, the Brewers couldn’t quite pull out the victory. Chu provided final thoughts about the weekend match and the fall season, stating, “We were all sad that such a great season had to end in such a disheartening game. Nonetheless, I think I can speak for the entire team when I say that we’re all very proud of what we’ve done this season and how far we’ve come. The spring season can’t come soon enough!”

With the Vassar men’s squad having an excellent combination of youth and experience to build upon and the women’s side claiming a berth at Nationals, both rugby teams will have plenty to to look forward to for the Spring 2012 season.

Penn State an example of A mid-season review of the failings by many groups 2011 NFL competitive lineup Sam Scarritt-Selman

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Columnist

hen Joe Paterno was dismissed as the head coach of the Penn State University football team last week, the crowd that had gathered in front of his home cried out, with sincerity, “Thank you for everything, Joe.” Slowly, these became chants of “PENN STATE! PENN STATE! PENN STATE!” They were students, alumnae/i and members of the community expressing their gratitude for a man who had been, for nearly 50 years, inextricable from their sense of identity. They were voicing their dissatisfaction that he had to go so soon. Then a riot broke out. Some students overturned a media van, and the police had to start using mace. There were students posturing for the news cameras, emphatically waving their index fingers as if to signal “Number one!” This was a macabre display, a blurring of misery and festival that reveals a disturbing lack of perspective in the place they call Happy Valley.

There are now three tragedies in State College, Penn. The first is the appalling child sexual abuse scandal, in which former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky has been charged with 40 counts of sexual abuse of young boys, including seven counts of statutory rape. According to the grand jury report, Sandusky had used his position as coordinator of a charity youth football program to lure his victims, and he committed these heinous acts in the showers and locker rooms of Penn State athletic facilities.

The second is the cover-up that bespeaks a moral cowardice on behalf of the entire chain of command at Penn State. When Mike McQueary, a graduate assistant working for the football team, found Sandusky raping a 10year old-boy in the shower of the Penn State locker room in 2002, word of Sandusky’s actions flowed upward to Paterno, then to Athletic Director Tim Curley, Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Gary Schultz and Penn State President Graham Spanier.

Each link in the chain of command took only as much action as he was obligated to take, covering himself so that, if any word got out, no one could say he did nothing. But at no

point in these proceedings did anyone experience the moral outrage or human decency to intervene, alert the authorities, go to the public, follow up to make sure the man was fired and arrested or do anything that might stop the sexual predator from striking again.

Instead, they protected him, kept quiet and pretended that nothing happened.

One would hope that, at an institution so ostensibly dedicated to the well-being of youth, more people would give a damn about this, yet the only care any of these men demonstrated was loyalty to the Penn State brand and to their own image. The only thing resembling disciplinary action was the banning of Sandusky from bringing children onto Penn State’s main campus and football facilities, yet, even then, Sandusky was allowed to operate a summer camp on one of Penn State’s satellite campuses up until 2008.

These men were complicit in Sandusky’s crimes, and their silence and inaction is inexcusable and unforgivable. That is why all these men are no longer working at Penn State.

The third tragedy, then, is the aftermath to all of this. The Penn State community writ large reconfirmed how misplaced its values really are. When the Board of Trustees announced that Paterno was to be fired, effective immediately, the news was met with a chorus of boos, as though the firing was some egregious affront to the university.

Some members of the community refuse to believe the allegations and regard the decision as hasty, others simply do not think the allegations constituted a fireable offense, and others just cannot see why all of this is happening to them. The bottom line is that there has been an insultingly large wave of apologists leaping to Paterno’s defense saying things like “What else was he supposed to do?” and “This is just unfair.”

It gets worse. There were rallies in support of Paterno before there were any rallies in support of the victims. One Penn State alumnus and booster is trying to raise money for a legal defense fund for Sandusky. McQueary, the man who initially reported what See PENN STATE on page 20

Andy Sussman

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Columnist

ow that we are just past the midway point of the NFL regular season, it is time to hand out midseason awards to teams and players. Not all awards are positive, because, let’s be honest, not everybody is a winner.

Best Team: Green Bay Packers, and it’s not even close.

MVP: Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. Not since Tom Brady in 2007 has there been such an obvious choice for the most valuable player. In a year of unprecedented pass offense, Rodgers has still managed to stand out with incredible numbers: 2869 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, only three interceptions. His passer rating of 130.7, if it stands, would demolish the previous best passer rating (Peyton Manning had a 121.1 in 2004).

Best team no one took seriously going into the year: San Francisco 49ers. With the usually moribund Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals and Buffalo Bills playing above .500, this award has a great deal of competition. In the end, though, the 49ers have the second best record in the NFL at 8-1, and are on a seven game winning streak. Last year, the 49ers were unable to even win the historically awful NFC West, finishing 6-10, and firing their then-Head Coach Mike Singletary at the end of the season. However, new Head Coach Jim Harbaugh has inherited a supreme defense that, unlike last year, has been able to stay healthy. With quarterback Alex Smith making very few mistakes and running back Frank Gore continuing to run well, this is a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Most disappointing team: Philadelphia Eagles. Remember when media pundits referred to the Eagles as the “Dream Team”? Well, they’re 3-6 after quarterback Michael Vick has badly regressed and their linebackers might be the worst in all of football. Suddenly, longtime Head Coach Andy Reid’s job is no longer safe.

There is still some time to sneak into the playoffs, but it will take a virtually perfect second half to do so. Keep in mind, this team just lost to the lowly Arizona Cardinals at home.

Defensive player of the year: Jared Allen, defensive end of the Minnesota Vikings. Yes, the Vikings, at 2-7, are going nowhere near the

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

playoffs this season. Don’t blame Allen, however, as he has contributed about as much as any one defensive player can to his team. Through nine games, with Pro Bowl cornerback Antoine Winfield missing five of them, Allen has registered 41 tackles (32 solo), 13.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. If the Vikings had not been starting Donovan McNabb at quarterback for so long, maybe Minnesota could have actually won some games and been able to reward Allen’s excellence this year.

Tanking award: Indianapolis Colts. The Colts lost star quarterback Peyton Manning for the season due to his third neck surgery in two years, certainly a devastating blow to the team. However, the Colts should not be THIS bad. Not only is the team 0-10 so far, they have given up a staggering 169 more points than they have scored this year. After competing at least a bit towards the beginning of the season, the Colts have clearly not given their all in recent weeks, including a truly embarrassing 55-point loss to the New Orleans Saints in prime time. Clearly, the Colts are only thinking about selecting star college quarterback Andrew Luck in next year’s draft, as this season is long gone for them.

Most underwhelming individual performance: Chris Johnson, running back for the Tennessee Titans. Two years ago, Johnson set an NFL record with 2509 yards from scrimmage in a season, including running for 2006 yards in 2009. This year has been a completely different story, though. Even after his best game of the season against the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday, Johnson is averaging only 3.4 yards per carry, and has under 500 rushing yards in nine games played. For someone with his incredible speed, Johnson has had great difficulty breaking through the first line of defenders, with a season-long rush of only 25 yards.

Breakout player of the year: Jimmy Graham, tight end for the New Orleans Saints. Graham, who took over for the departed Jeremy Shockey, is having one of the best seasons by a tight end ever, yet very few even knew his name before the season began. Graham has 62 catches for 873 yards and 6 touchdowns in just 10 games. For a wide receiver, those numbers are phenomenal.

For a tight end, they are simply historic.

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November 17, 2011

Page 19

Men’s soccer falls to Dickinson in NCAA first round Corey Cohn

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Sports Editor

Courtesy of Shane Donahue, Vassar Athletics

n its first trip to the NCAA Championships since 1999, the Vassar College men’s soccer team was eliminated in the first round, losing to Dickinson College 2-1 last Saturday afternoon. The defeat marked the end of the most successful year in program history, which included the Brewers’ first-ever Liberty League championship and their first 11-win season in nine years.

As was the case with most of Vassar’s losses in 2011, the matchup with Dickinson remained close throughout. The Red Devils broke the ice with a goal 23 minutes into the game, but the Brewers were quick to retaliate. Two minutes after Dickinson scored, Sam Erlichson-McCarthy ’12 capitalized on a cross from Dante Varotsis ’13 to even the score at one apiece. It was ErlichsonMcCarthy’s third goal in the past five games.

The scoreboard stayed static until the end of the half, at which point Head Coach Andy Jennings assessed his team’s performance.

“We did a number of things well in the first half—especially defensively,” Jennings wrote in an emailed statement. “But we knew we had to improve going forward, so one area we wanted to improve was our possession in the midfield.” He discussed positioning with his players during the intermission: “We talked about our spacing in the midfield,” Jennings explained, “and the importance of playing the front players a little earlier rather than playing too many square balls that were getting picked off.”

It was Dickinson, however, who took the lead in the second half. Jennings stated that he did not alter his game plan in response to the deficit. “We did not make too many changes in terms of our attacking shape—we knew that the game would slowly change and we would end up pressing them higher and higher,” he wrote.

Indeed, the Brewers exerted significant pressure on the Red Devils defense near the end

of regulation. In the final three minutes, Vassar had two set piece opportunities—utilizing plays that Jennings had previously perceived were an area of weakness for Dickinson. With almost the entire Vassar team crowded into the penalty area, Captain Ross Macklin ’12 sent a kick into the pack. Fellow Captain Zander Mrlik ’13—who scored the game-winning goal in the Brewers’ Liberty League championship victory a week before—headed the ball toward the far post, where Erlichson-McCarthy redirected it towards the net. It took a phenomenal diving save from Dickinson goalkeeper Cody Hickox to preserve the lead, and ultimately the win, for the Red Devils.

After a recent sequence of dramatic victories, Jennings admitted that he thought his team would pull this one out as well. “I believed we would score—we have done it before and we came so close on a number of occasions [so] it was only a matter of time,” he wrote. “Unfortunately the time ran out and to [the Red Devils’] credit they defended with great passion.” Ultimately, Jennings concluded, “It was just one of those days when the great chances we created in the last 15 minutes did not end up in a goal.”

Dickinson was eliminated by Montclair State University (who hosted the Vassar-Dickinson contest) 2-1 in double overtime the following day, while Vassar’s season came to a close. Jennings emphasized the value of using this experience for personal and team-wide growth. “Of course it was very disappointing but we have to take the positives from our run in the Liberty League championship and the experience of playing in the NCAAs,” he wrote. “The last two weeks provide a great opportunity to build and we intend not to miss out on this opportunity. We cannot do anything about the result at this point--but we can affect the future.”

This building process will take place without seniors Erlichson-McCarthy, Macklin, Eli London and Harrison Freund, who have played

Defender Evan Seltzer ’14 vies for the ball with a Dickinson College opponent at last Saturday’s men’s soccer game. The Brewers fell to Dickinson 2-1, ending the team’s most successful season. their last game for Vassar. Jennings wrote of the departing Brewers: “It is always sad but the seniors always leave a legacy and this particular group can be very proud of how far the program has evolved in their four years.”

London, meanwhile, appreciates being a part of history. “Winning the league for the first time in school history and advancing to the NCAAs for the first time since 1999 is something that I will always be able to look back on and think about fondly,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “While I’m sad my career is over it was a great way to go out.” London also noted that the lasting friendships he made on the team will extend his connection to the soccer program. “I have made so many great friendships on the team that I will be involved as a fan for the foreseeable future,” he expressed.

Arden an athlete that stands out in a crowd Nathan Tauger Online Editor

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SCOREBOARD NOVEMBER 12 WOMEN’S SQUASH VASSAR VS William Smith

Nathan Tauger/The Miscellany News

ast Sunday, at the Vassar College Invitational, Johnny Arden ’14 faced 16 fencers from six schools. He lost just two bouts.

When asked about his performance, Arden, a native of Pelham, N.Y., skips the affected humility typical of top college athletes, lightheartedly pointing out only that he was sick.

Though his jovial honesty distinguishes him from the typical NCAA athlete, Arden’s abilities place him among the upper echelon of collegiate fencers. He demonstrated his skill by defying expectations and making it to the NCAA-qualifying regional final rounds as a freshman.

On Nov. 5 of this year, Arden placed sixth out of 82 sabre fencers at The Big One, Smith College’s annual fencing tournament that signals the start of the season. “Fencing was tiring, we were there all day, and we had to get to the fencing room at 5 a.m., so we had to wake up even earlier,” Arden said. “But by the end of it I felt really great, when you do really well in something like that, it’s a good feeling.”

And in a different way, two weeks prior Arden had embraced another good feeling. “[The Big One] was about achievement; I felt happy at Comic-Con through being around awesome people, with awesome things happening,” he said. Arden happily reflected on his first trip to Comic-Con in New York City: “It was full of energy, there were people dressed up as different characters, some well, some not so well; the car from Back to the Future was there;

I played a lot of video games.”

Where other athletes might have a poster of their favorite player or team in their dorm room, Arden reserves a special space for his picture with Mark Hamill.

Most notably at Comic-Con, Arden posed in a photo with Hamill, who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the classic Star Wars saga, and fellow Vassar fencer Nicholas Mongillo ’14. When asked about the significance of this picture and of Star Wars in general, Arden said: “Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back—best movie ever. Lightsabers are why I chose sabre instead of the other fencing styles. There are no lightfoils.”

Arden ambitiously awaits the coming semester with regard to fencing, academics and entertainment. “I want to qualify for NCAAs this year, and I think I have a good shot. I’m going to have to take every match, every point, seriously, make sure I don’t slack off,” Arden said.

Reminiscing about practices earlier in the semester, Arden recalls working on attacks and defense in practice earlier in the season, something he refers to as “nothing too special.” Instead, Arden recalls a memorable classroom topic from that time. “I found the strategies that our presidents used to try and remove Communist leaders or forces from power from my Vietnam War class very interesting,” he said.

Arden illustrated these extremes with examples that embraced the age-old adage of the writing implement as mightier than the sword. “JFK tried to

Macklin, like Jennings, is excited for how this season will help benefit the Brewers in years to come. “I feel like this team has ushered in a new era of Vassar soccer,” he wrote in an emailed statement.

Fortunately for Macklin, he will remain directly connected to the soccer team for at least another season. Macklin will return next fall as an assistant/student coach to help Jennings and Assistant Coach Tony Flores. While he admits that the thought of his playing career ending is difficult, he still relishes the opportunity to stay involved.

And after being part of a historic season, Macklin knows how important it is to savor one’s time on the field. “I only want the very best for my teammates,” he wrote, “and I want to tell them to take advantage of every moment, both in and out of the fall season.”

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Letter to the Editor To the Editor:

Johnny Arden ’14, a sabre for the men’s fencing team, recently placed sixth out of 82 at The Big One tournament at Smith College on Nov. 5. kill Castro through such covert means as poisonous and exploding pens, it’s pretty interesting that the U.S. would go through with all of that,” he explained.

And besides the military trivia from the class Arden also enjoyed learning about the Vietnam War through the Vietnamese perspective. “You usually only get our side of the story,” Arden said.

The accomplishments that emerged following those practices, and that lecture, also expose Arden’s eclectic interests.

Recently, Arden had the chance to play Robespierre in his French Revolution class, noting ironically, “Initially [Robespierre] was opposed to the death penalty, [which is] pretty weird when you think about what he ended up doing.”

And when he is not working on parrying or attacks in preparation for reaching the pinnacle of collegiate fencing, reserved for only the most adroit swordsmen, Arden looks forward to taking American Revolution next semester.

“American history is what I’m most interested in, and by taking it right after French Revolution I’m going to get that compare and contrast element,” he explained.

And finally, Arden eagerly awaits the arrival of his preordered copy of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword for the Nintendo Wii. “It’s got one-toone sword motion with the Wiimote, you know what that means for fencers.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

On behalf of the players and the coaching staff of the men’s soccer team, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone that came to cheer for the team in the recent NCAA Championship game. It was an incredible feeling as the team took to the field to see so many members of the Vassar community cheering us on. While the majority of support (and perhaps noise) came from the students, it was also wonderful to see members of the faculty, staff, administrators, parents and friends of the current players as well as alumnae/i from the past four decades and even parents of alumnae/i attend the game. It was an opportunity for the Vassar community to come together and cheer as one—and you certainly did that!

Thank you!

Andy Jennings —The writer is coach of the Vassar men’s soccer team.

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November 17, 2011

Cross country wraps season as basketball starts campaign Alicia Salvino

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Reporter

Courtesy of Sports Information

his past week the men’s and women’s cross country teams concluded their seasons with the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships, while the men’s and women’s basketball teams began their journey.

A season of hard work and preparation came to a head with the NCAA Regionals last Saturday, where the men’s cross country team finished 13th and the women’s team finished sixth for the second year in a row— just one place away from qualifying for nationals.

In an emailed statement, Captain Elizabeth Forbes ’12 wrote: “I am really proud of the attitude our team went into the race with. We were excited and unified, and we ran together as a result. There was no fear and I didn’t see anyone get intimidated by the race size or the other contenders.”

The team worked diligently towards regionals all season, preparing by setting goals throughout the pre-season and regular season and working to achieve them. Explained Forbes, “We had process goals to help us make steps towards the end of the season; for the women, for example, maintaining our Seven Sis-

ters’ Championship was a process goal and we worked towards that (and succeeded) as part of our overall season’s goals.”

Forbes believes that the second consecutive sixth-place finish will spur on next year’s team to push past this year’s accomplishment and make it to nationals. “I expect that next year’s team will be even hungrier for a top-five team finish after this year,” Forbes wrote. “We’re knocking on the door of NCAAs and Saturday’s race helped reinforce that attitude.”

Kelly Holmes ’13 had an impressive breakout race after a season of hard work; Forbes described her as a “standout runner and team member.” Forbes also highlighted the freshmen who ran, emphasizing that “[Vivianne Ford, Cass Carpenter, and Harper Cleves] stepped up big time; to be a freshman at a race that big can be really intimidating and all I saw from them was [excitement] and [readiness].”

One specific goal that Forbes believes was achieved at regionals relates to team solidarity. “We’ve been working on that pack-running mentality for years,” Forbes wrote, “and I think it really showed up well at regionals.”

Next year, she hopes the team

This weekend the men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships. The tournament marked the end of a succsessful fall season for Cross Country, while several winter sports began League play. “can break through the door we’ve knocked on twice already.”

Holmes finished 19th out of 256 runners, earning her a spot in the NCAA Championship race this weekend at the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh for the first time.

She and Forbes (27th) both earned All-Region honors. Will Healy ’12 led the men’s team, finishing 45th over-

all, eight seconds away from being All-Region.

While the cross country teams concluded their season, the men’s and women’s basketball teams kicked off their campaigns this past Tuesday. The women’s team built upon last year’s success with a 74-54 victory over College of Mt. St. Vincent.

Captain Cydni Matsuoka ’14 led the

Broooers bring Vassar ‘quove’ to NYC Andy Marmer

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Sports Editor

Courtesy of Lindsay Garten

he fifth annual intercollegiate Quidditch World Cup was a spectacle unlike any other. Played over two days on Randall’s Island in New York City, the event featured 94 teams from 27 states and multiple continents as well as bands, including famed wizard rock band Harry and the Potters. For the Vassar College team, the Butterbeer Broooers, the event wasn’t just about the sport or the atmosphere, but instead about spreading the reign of “quove (quidditch love) terror”—where opposing teams will both love and fear the Broooers.

Teams competing in Division I of the World Cup, like the Broooers, (there were two divisions plus a high school competition) were split into 12 groups of five teams.

The top three teams from each group were guaranteed to advance to a single elimination tournament, where they were reseeded Nos. 1 through 36 based on their performance in the four group games. The teams seeded 29 to 36 competed in a preliminary contest to determine the top 32 teams, which then each had to win five games to capture the championship.

Competing in a group with No. 4 nationally ranked Texas A&M University, No. 18 University of Miami, No. 56 New York University (NYU) and the Ithaca Community Quidditch Team, the No. 35 Broooers faced stiff competition to advance out of group play. The team’s first contest was against eventual semi-finalist Texas A&M. The game was a hard-fought defensive struggle, with both teams displaying a tenacious effort on their own end. Offensively, the Broooers tried to go inside at the beginning, but were turned away and forced to settle for longer shots. Ultiamtely the Broooers were overcome 70-60 despite Matt Zeltzer ’13 earning his team 30 points by snatching the snitch—a tennis ball in a sock velcroed to the back of a runner or wrestler.

The Broooers, though, rebounded with their remaining two Saturday games as they steamrolled NYU 110-20 and Ithaca 130-40.

In both games, the Broooers’ strong defensive effort led to fastbreaks and points for the offense. The 2-1 record also guaranteed that Vassar, regardless of the outcome of their game against Miami, would advance to the next round.

The Broooers began the second day with yet another defensive struggle, this time against Miami. In a violent contest, the teams looked evenly matched at the outset, before Miami inched out to a small lead. When the snitch returned to the pitch after his wander-

Vassar College’s quidditch team, the Butterbeer Brooers, squared off in the fifth annual intercollegiate Quidditch World Cup this past weekend, held on Randall’s Island in New York City. ings on the complex, Vassar was still within 30 points, meaning a snatch could provide the win; however, while Zeltzer was fending off thrusts from the snitch’s foam sword, Miami opened a 70-30 lead, necessitating the Vassar seeker switch to a defensive role. After Miami scored again, expanding the margin to 80-30, the Broooers, with their spot in the single elimination tournament already assured, chose to capture the snitch to end the game, and take the ensuing 80-60 loss.

Based on their 2-2 record and point differential the Broooers were seeded No. 30, which meant a preliminary round game against No. 35 State University of New York at Geneseo. Vassar had faced Geneseo numerous times, most recently just last month at the Philadelphia Brotherly Love Cup, a 6040 Vassar victory. The two teams exchanged a massive group hug before the game, as the commentators remarked sarcastically about the clear hatred and animosity the two teams felt for one another. Despite the teams’ whimsical nature before the game, once the contest started the game was on. From the get-go the teams seemed locked in a defensive struggle; however, the Vassar offense was slowly able to break en route to a 140-30 victory. Donning a tutu prior to the game, Zeltzer once again recorded the snatch to ensure the victory.

The Broooers’ victory over Geneseo set up

a rematch of one of the most exciting games from last year’s World Cup, a contest between Vassar and Louisiana State University (LSU).

In last year’s quarterfinals, LSU jumped out to a 40-0 lead when the snitch reappeared.

Seeker Pablo Arenas ’11 defended the snitch, until a Vassar goal made the score 40-10. Arenas then quickly grabbed the snitch to force overtime, before completing another grab in the extra session to give Vassar a victory.

This year’s contest, though, was different.

A strong and skilled LSU team overpowered the Broooers, overcoming Vassar 130-20. Explained chaser Dan Bossert ’12, “They were out for revenge. They thought they could win it all last year and we ruined their chances.”

The Broooers, though, took their loss in stride, engulfing the announcer in a giant group hug following the contest. For the Broooers, the result is by no means the most important thing that happens. Explained Molly St. Clair ’12, “You have to remember you’re playing quidditch. This is a game where you run with a broomstick between your legs …

It’s about having fun.”

Overall, the tournament—won by four-time defending champion Middlebury College— was a success for the Broooers. Summarizing the tournament, keeper David Bridgman-Packer ’12 remarked, “I think we showed that to be good at a sport you don’t need to be serious.”

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way with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Kristyn Tempora ’12 contributed 10 points and 14 rebounds.

The men’s team also had a successful start, earning a 69-66 victory over St. Joseph College. The Brewers displayed a balanced attack with seven players eclipsing eight points.

Captain Nick Justiz ’12 led the way with 15 points.

Students, officials fail Penn State PENN STATE continued from page 18 was happening in the Penn State showers and who does share in some of the blame for not doing enough to stop Sandusky, has been getting death threats, presumably because the upshot of his participation in an investigation about a sexual predator led eventually to the fall of Paterno.

In a scandal where there are clearly defined victims in need of compassion, the Penn State faithful have tried to position themselves as victims. And, like Paterno and everyone else in the chain of command, so many members of the Penn State community have turned a blind eye to Sandusky’s atrocities, only to focus on football.

And they have the audacity to ask why they had to fire “Joe Pa.” Perhaps this is what happens when an institution defines itself by one man, letting the man stand as an avatar for the institution’s own integrity and honor. Penn State has shown that its loyalty to the ideal of Paterno is far stronger than any commitment to an objective moral code, and perhaps denial and delusion are consequences. It seems bizarre that so many people needed to be reminded that the University was bigger than Paterno, but the way in which Penn State revolved around idolatry for Paterno cannot be understated. So many people, beyond football players, went to Penn State because Paterno headed the football program there. Joe Pa was an idol, winner of two national championships and more football games than any other coach in college.

He had nobly devised the “Grand Experiment,” whereby big-time collegiate athletics could cohabitate with academic success, and, in turn, the graduation rate of his players was consistently towards the top of Division I athletics.

He further brought to the university great prestige and revenue, for the prevailing narrative among college sports was that Paterno did things the right way. Thus, for so long, Penn State allowed Paterno to bestride that narrow world like a colossus and, moreover, believed him to be immortal and unimpeachable, a man of honor and moral character. Now, the varnish has been stripped from his hitherto vaunted program, and he has been exposed as a deeply fallible man guilty of a profound moral failure.

What is so dispiriting is that, in his wake, he leaves an angry mob that has learned nothing.