Misc.01.26.23

The Miscellany News

In-person SCC sheds light on post-pandemic career building

Jacques Abou-Rizk News Editor

Alight buzz hummed throughout Rocky Hall as Vassar students and alumni alike gathered for the 9th annual Sophomore Career Connections (SCC) Conference held from Friday, Jan. 13 to Sunday, Jan. 15. Members of the Class of 2025 joined mentors from all periods of Vassar’s history to interact with, learn from and develop the skills and resources necessary for pursuing post-college goals. For the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Center for Career Education (CCE, formerly the CDO) held these connections in-person.

On Friday, keynote speaker Rha Goddess ’89 began the conference by encouraging students to find their voice and redefine success. Saturday kicked off a number of industry and identity panels to connect with Vassar alumni, and Sunday included a networking session and opportunities to improve a resume, cover letter or LinkedIn profile with the CCE.

For Assistant Director of Career Education and Programming Mario Roman, who has been helping coordinate the event with the CCE, SCC founders Carol Ostrow ’77 and her husband Michael Graff, ResLife and the Dining Services since 2018, this year’s program reintroduces the benefits of in-per-

Exhibit explores abstraction

Ganesh Pillai Arts Editor

We’ve been told stories our whole lives. From simple nursery rhymes and bedtime tales with clear moral takeaways, to the increasingly subtler works of fiction we slowly introduce ourselves to, our notion of what a story is grows in tandem with our familiarity of the art. We learn that capturing the essence of something is not as easily done as we once thought. Not only do illustrations feel insufficient, but so do pages of prose. Some stories find themselves incapable of adequate representation by traditional means. And when artists consider this conundrum, they may begin to abstract what exactly it means to call something a “story” or what it means to give something “meaning.” One way to tackle such a quandary comes through the works of “Imploding Meaning,” an exhibition demonstrating the very cruciality of abstraction in telling the stories seemingly impossible to capture by typical means.

“Imploding Meaning,” the latest Palmer Gallery installation, opened Thursday, Jan. 19. Featuring the works of four artists, M. Pettee Olsen, Michael Oatman, Rosanne Walsh and Monica Church, the show seeks to demonstrate the significance

of art in conveying meaning to ineffable concepts, summed up nicely in the exhibition’s tagline: “Tale-less Tales About Absolutely Nothing And Everything In Between.” The installation features various works each with their own unique style and confluence of messages to be gleaned. One of the exhibition’s most visually striking and unique pieces is “The Ook,” by artist Michael Oatman. Comprised of a 50-foot long collage book, folded into sections, “The Ook” brings together a collection of various images from Look Magazine, newspaper brochures and many more random ones that Oatman came across. He sought to embrace the found-ness and chaos of life in the piece, describing how the making of it provided him the opportunity to process his cancer diagnosis and served as a respite from weeks of radiation treatment. Even while having to carry the tremendous burden of a potentially terminal illness, “The Ook” speaks to art’s ability to promote perseverance and the joy in simple things, like a two-mile walk to an artistic studio—trips during which Oatman discovered many of the images for the collage. On what the project meant to him, Oatman described, “I would still have a way to communicate: in pictures, with collage, a material/cultural dialogue that I have

Humor Editor

Madi Donat eats a bag of baby carrots— an objectively scientific ranking and report.

son connections. “Getting back into the in-person, it was a little bit of muscle memory,” Roman said. “But there are some things that you forget about when you’re doing an in-person event again. So this year, as with every year, you run into some roadblocks, and you just work them out as they come. And I do have to say I’m really happy with how it turned out.”

Many sophomores also took advantage of the opportunities lined up with SCC over the weekend. Ila Kumar ’25 said her advisor recommended the program to her initially. For her, the diverse group of alumni provided a deeper insight into life after Vassar. “I thought it was touching that all of these alums wanted to come back to Vassar and share their experiences with students interested in pursuing similar work,” she wrote in a statement, adding, “I loved meeting a fairly recent grad who knew all my old babysitters from when I was little, and we bonded over that.”

Nick Tillinghast ’25 [Disclaimer: Nick Tillinghast is Assistant Humor Editor for The Miscellany News] said he first became interested when an alum recommended the program. In a written correspondence, he said, “I talked to a few mentors one-on-one. It was interesting to hear from people who took really weird career paths. I’m a film

Read about NFL player safety, following the recent hospitalization of Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin.

Image courtesy of Alysse Pulliam via Vassar Flickr.

Ganesh Pillai/The Miscellany News.

THE MISCELLANY NEWS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR NEWS EDITORS

ARTS EDITOR

FEATURES EDITOR

OPINIONS EDITOR

HUMOR EDITOR

ASSISTANT HUMOR EDITOR

SPORTS EDITOR

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

DESIGN EDITOR

COPY EDITOR

ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR

GRAPHICS EDITOR

LIVE EVENTS CHAIR VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGER

WEBMASTERS

Nina Ajemian

Monika Sweeney

Leila Raines

Jacques Abou-Rizk

Charlotte Robertson

Ganesh Pillai

Kai Speirs

Sufana Noorwez

Madi Donat

Nicholas Tillinghast Doug Cobb

Nick Villamil Tracy Cen

Maryam Bacchus

Caris Lee Tiffany Kuo Karen Mogami

Catherine Borthwick Ian Herz

Rohan Dutta

Chloe Gjoka Phoebe DiLeo

Emma Adams

Carly D’Antonio

Arlene Chen

Katie Gebbia Allen Hale Jesse Koblin Anna Kozloski Gwen Ma

Jyotsna Naidu

Sam Patz

Danielle Recco

Naima Saini

Anna Terry Anica Acuna

Emma San Filippo Emma Goss

Willa Jewitt

Allison Lowe Ailynn O'Neill

Meera Shroff

Julia Weinberg

Edward Welch Morgan Seowon Back Tori Kim

Image courtesy of Sandro Luis Lorenzo ’24.

Sophomore Career Connections fosters networking

major and the entertainment pretty much just confirmed the work culture ideas that I assumed were going on there.”

According to Roman, it is vital for current Vassar students to maintain a relationship with both the College and its alumni. While the CCE provides education and advising, Roman stressed the importance of connecting with those in the field. They said, “That insider knowledge is sometimes essential for something that you should have written in a cover letter, or how to handle a particular interaction, an interview, or even to get some coaching from alumni in our industries.”

Before the weekend, students chose three of the 16 industry panels that interested them. During the panels on Saturday, students were able to listen and ask questions to mentors in industries such as publishing,

global affairs and technology.

Kumar said she was able to connect with the mentors most during these panels. “It was interesting to learn the ins-and-outs of writing on a deadline, how publishing companies operate, etc. I also had a mentor tell me how important it is to have a ‘personal brand’ when it comes to publishing books, which I had never heard before.”

After the industry panels, there were the Topics and Identity sessions. According to Roman, the mentors were divided up for LGBTQ students, international students and other identities. They said, “Students then had sessions to connect with alumni to learn about how to navigate industries, if you’re questioning whether you should be fully out in the workplace, or how to navigate racial bias in the workplace.”

On Sunday, the alum-mentors returned

for a networking session, where they were back in their industry groups throughout Main Building. “It was just a chance for students to come and continue conversations, whether in groups with the mentors or oneon-one,” Roman said.

However, Tillinghast said he still wished for more opportunities to seek out alum mentors: “There were more mentors that weren't at the networking event than I thought would not be there. Also, sharing meals were good opportunities for this, but the Deece to some extent is not good for seeking out mentors, just because the tables are so weird.”

The CCE and other organizers have begun reviewing this year’s events to organize for next year. Roman said, “I think it is important for us to look at the survey feedback, and then listen to what students are saying and

try and see what reasonable changes we can make for next year.” Having spent much of the last two years with mainly online interactions, they added, “I think next year, we need to do a little bit more work on preparing students to interact with mentors. I did help some students go up to a mentor, who were maybe nervous to talk on their own, to help facilitate those conversations.” Roman continued, “I think we need to be cognizant of that and probably will need to think about that educational component about talking about how to build the confidence to go up to a mentor who is standing there alone and have a conversation.”

Regardless, having SCC in-person again highlighted the necessity for Vassar students to connect with alumni on a number of levels and learn about possible career opportunities for life outside of campus.

New tennis center signifies Athletic Department revamp

Charlotte Robertson News Editor

Vassar College began building the new Richard L. Cretella Tennis Center on Monday, Jan. 16. The $2.5 million project was made possible by multiple alumni donations, notably from the Richard Cretella Trust and from the family of late Eric Smith ’92, a former tennis player for the College.

The new Tennis Center will be located on what is currently known as Ballantine Field, adjacent to the Walker Field House. In an email correspondence, Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources Marianne Begemann explained that the eight new courts will be much more accommodating for tennis student-athletes, being within proximity to bathroom and shower facilities. Furthermore, the inclusion of a scoreboard and covered seating is meant to encourage spectator participation in matches. The courts will be made

of post-tension concrete, a highly durable surface with a lifespan of over 20 years, mitigating future maintenance.

Such improvements are meant to encourage student-athlete recruitment, an important component of Vassar’s physical education program: “The new tennis facilities will be important to attracting student-athletes who are drawn to the excellence of Vassar academics, our campus culture, and want to continue playing competitive tennis at the highest level in Division III,” Begemann wrote. Varsity tennis player Macey Dowd ’25 echoed Begemann’s enthusiasm in a written correspondence: “The whole team is so excited for the new facility!...These new courts will make match days much better and will also improve our program through the draw of this new facility for recruits.” Her teammate, Elyse Duley ’25, agreed: “It is a really big deal for us to be getting a college level facility, and I think it is going to create a more exhilarating atmosphere for competition.”

But she added, “As for the old courts, I did not have any real issues with them.”

Promoting athletics at Vassar aligns with the College’s Fearlessly Consequential campaign. As described on the campaign’s website, the “campus community pillar” is dedicated to creating accessible, inclusive wellness spaces: “Health is vital to Vassar’s success.” Begemann emphasized that the new Tennis Center was not prioritized over other Campaign goals like financial aid reform, diversity, faculty support or research, with the campaign having raised $228 million in these areas. “An important note about funding for the [Tennis] Center is that the donors directed their gifts specifically for the tennis courts, nothing was taken away or diverted from other priorities,” she summarized.

The creation of the Tennis Center will have a significant impact on the environment, with the destruction of the Ballantine Field. Additional trees will be chopped down to clear the New Observatory Road;

however, Vassar intends to replace these trees across campus elsewhere, Begemann said. As for the current tennis courts behind Josselyn House, nine of the existing 13 will be demolished, making room for the new Admission and Career Education building, the Bartlett Center. “The planned location will transform the north edge of campus by creating a new welcoming primary entrance to the College aligned with Fairmont Avenue and will invigorate our relationship with the neighborhood and the Arlington business district,” Begemann wrote. She added that the nearby North Lot will make the Admission and Career Education Department more accessible and convenient for visitors. Additional green space will be cleared behind Joss for recreational use.

In sum, the new Tennis Center will provide needed updates for the Vassar tennis team. And to a greater extent, the courts are representative of Vassar’s broader commitment to the athletics department.

VSA approves restructuring for 155th session next fall

As the Vassar Student Association (VSA) eases into the Spring 2023 session, a constitutional restructure, approved last semester, will implement a number of changes in the coming fall semester. The changes are based primarily on Goal 1 of the Strategic Plan: to streamline the Association’s operations. The large size of the VSA underpinned Goal 1 in comparison to analogous student associations at peer colleges, to which structural problems at the VSA have been attributed, according to VSA Vice President Joe Mangan. The Miscellany News obtained thorough and extensive written commentary on the restructure from Mangan, who described the constitutional updates as three years in the making. “It started in early 2020, with the Vassar Student Union…A series of Student Union interest meetings with almost one hundred attendees at each collected significant feedback related to how the VSA and the broader College operated and, during the impeachment scandal that year, we (Julián and I) attempted to pass a reform in part reflecting that feedback—which failed.”

A successive attempt the following fall was similarly unsuccessful, although the Executive Board impeachment scandal of Spring 2021 enabled the reinstallation of the Judicial Board. Even so, as Mangan described, at-

tempts at critically examining the internal structure of the VSA were routinely foiled. Then came the Strategic Plan in 2022, which recommended a reduction in the size of the VSA, enabling fewer positions, more competitive elections and greater opportunity for payment of members.

“Low structural awareness was broadly taken as a reflection of VSA’s sprawling size,” Mangan explained. “105 people are in some way directly involved in running the VSA, in varying ways, a reality which is often overwhelming to explain and often translates into confusion.”

So, Mangan and Aguilar spent most of the past semester conversing with every VSA Senator and with members of Residential Life. “[W]e hosted a student-wide Town Hall to solicit input. Meanwhile, the Operations Committee has been working tirelessly to develop our new Constitution and Bylaws,” Mangan described. He continued: “Seeing the 28-1-1 vote in favor of these documents in the Senate was incredibly cathartic for Julián and I, as we have spent so much energy and time here at Vassar trying to implement these changes.”

The administration has expressed approval for the ability of the VSA to work through operational challenges in a democratic fashion.

Dean of the College Carlos Alamo-Pastrana said in a written statement, “The VSA worked extremely hard on the constitutional restruc-

turing to ensure that its current practices and procedures work best for students and provide sound governance. I admire how the VSA undertook this process in ways that were thoughtful and inclusive of different voices and that were also open to rethinking some of their initially proposed ideas.”

Alamo also discussed the positive relationship between the administration and the VSA, saying, “The relationship between the administration and the VSA is strong and productive. We meet regularly through various channels, especially committees that are a part of the college governance. More personally, I have appreciated how the VSA continuously pushes us to consider how we can better support our students and where we can continue to improve."

Senator Charlie From ’25 shared their feel-

ings toward the restructure. “Personally, I'm very happy with the restructure. This was a rare moment where we got the chance to cut down the size of the student government which will hopefully make everything run smoother, allowing for the VSA to focus on a few priorities rather than wallowing in a mass of bureaucracy,” they said in a written correspondence.

From also believes the restructuring began as an opportunity to increase the level of equity in student government at Vassar. They went on, “I also think this restructure will incentivize more participation from low-income students, since now we have more freedom to pay historically unpaid VSA positions.” The restructuring will implement the changes in the new 155th VSA Session, to begin in Fall 2023.

Will Sorge Guest Reporter

Image courtesy of Vassar VSA.

The Vassar community honored The Mug’s 50th anniversary on Friday, Jan. 20, with a celebration that kicked off with a cocktail hour and led into a classic Mug Night party. Atmospheric lighting in shades of red and purple bounced off the dark walls, and live music thrummed through the small space, echoing down the halls of Main Building. Campus Activities offered a variety of food and organized the entertainment, which included live bands and a DJ towards the end of the night.

Many students were enthusiastic about The Mug’s anniversary. Zoe Tisato ’26 said, “It was fun to have live music and there was a real sense of community—lots of people knew each other…It was really nice seeing The Mug used in the way it was intended to be instead of, like, a place to sell boba.” Yet despite the buildup to the event and The Mug’s rich history, some students expressed their disappointment following the celebration. For a chunk of the night, the entrance to The Mug appeared deserted, and as first-year Ana Leon remarked, “Security was being very cautious about capacity so the room wasn’t very full.”

Security’s wariness is warranted considering The Mug’s unruly history, but this 50th-anniversary party stands in stark contrast to The Mug’s legendary reputation in

decades prior. According to “Matthew’s Mug fills nightlife niche across decades,” published by The Miscellany News in 2011, Vassar’s tradition of on-campus dances began more than a century ago as a way for Vassar women to meet men from nearby colleges. Matthew’s Mug officially opened its doors during the fall semester of 1975, although the project took years of work and endured many different names including the Drinktank, the Dangling Participle and Student's Consumption Function. The bar and dance floor were not an immediate success, but following the closure of a popular Poughkeepsie bar, Pizza Town, The Mug became the hotspot for Vassar party life. With a well-stocked bar, a jukebox and a staff of student managers, bartenders and bouncers, The Mug was unlike any other college party space in the country. According to Sandra Jean Glorian ’76 in Spring 2002 Volume 98 Issue 2 of Vassar Today, “From day one it was all about dancing.” Back in those days, the line to get into The Mug was so long and rowdy that students would stake out three hours in advance, and a slew of overly boisterous people was regularly banned from returning ever again. Around this time, the term “Mug Rat” was coined for those special people who ate, slept and breathed The Mug, showing up at least three nights a week.

Eventually, the jukebox gave way to a DJ booth and the space underwent several renovations in the following decades to redo the

mirrored ceiling and sloped floor, as intoxicated students often struggled to maneuver over the uneven ground. In 1984, the legal drinking age in New York State was changed to 21, and the Vassar administration considered turning The Mug into a senior-only space, but in the end, it was decided that all ages should be included, and so legal drinkers were marked with wristbands and stamps. In 2010, to the disappointment of many alumni, the sale of alcohol in The Mug ceased, and the infamous bar was removed following the change of management from Aramark, the College's food service company, to Cam-

pus Activities, according to The Miscellany News. The newest renovation in Spring 2022 transformed The Mug’s appearance yet again. The only remnant of its history now hangs against the wall: the original wooden bartop filled with signatures, notes and sketches etched into its surface by students, many of whom graduated long ago.

The Mug is fondly remembered by alumni and staff alike, and although it has gone through many changes in the past few decades, it remains a vital piece of Vassar’s vibrant history. Happy 50th birthday to the beloved Mug!

Emma Raff Guest Reporter

Palmer Gallery exhibit explores importance of abstraction

employed—and enjoyed—for 40 years,” as per an inscription by the work. It speaks to the cruel, unshakeable randomness of life, something that can give someone a diagnosis of possible death, while also one that could provide for the creation of something truly beautiful all the while.

Many of the installation’s works are acrylic paintings, sharing a similar aura of abstraction. Monica Church’s “Every Cloud has a Silver Lining,” painted on composite sail material, is a work dominated by grays and whites, whose one discernable, fluffy cloud shape embraces the color scale to create the titular silver lining. This was a piece that I found particularly touching when considered in the context of “The Ook,” which also shares similar themes of beauty from sadness and the optimism that art can communicate. These two works, one a 50-foot long folded collage book, the other a painting, demonstrate precisely what the exhibition was seeking to preach: Artistic messages can come in many, many forms with no one style better or more apt in the noble pursuit of conveying meaning.

Another particularly striking painting is M. Pettee Olsen’s “Red Turn,” which utilizes synthetic and luminous paints on canvas. While some of the painting is sim-

ilarly dominated by grays and whites, it communicates a strong sense of chaos and disorder through its use of red paint layered atop of the grays with no discernable pattern. While a grid-esque collection of lines is painted above the red, the majority of the painting feels entirely random, unable to be described or put in a box. Embodying the abstractness of “Imploding Meaning,” Olsen’s work is very much up to each viewer’s interpretation, with the only undeniable quality being the talent and care put into the piece

This collection of work in the Palmer Gallery invokes a genuine wonder and curiosity within each viewer, encouraging visitors to think about what a given piece may mean to them and what it could be seeking to communicate through its features, whether they are easily discernible, or more abstract in nature. This exhibition allows us to consider art as not simply an amalgamation of one message, but rather as the vessel through which people can form distinct, unique connections and interpretations, one in which a myriad of perspectives and themes can be considered and taken into account.

“Imploding Meaning” is open now in the Palmer Gallery and will run through March 1.

Spiraling from power: Cate Blanchett stuns in 'Tár'

How can one discern the immoral actions of an artist with their creations? At the center of Todd Field’s “Tár” (2022) is the question of separating the art from the artist. The film’s story follows the downfall of fictional conductor Lydia Tár, depicted in a masterful performance by Cate Blanchett, that transforms a movie presumably about classical music into an intense psychological drama. Set in a contemporaneous, post-lockdown world, the film makes narrative use of cancel culture to examine this question. Although this topic’s inclusion may sound like a cheap tactic that would result in a haphazard critique of social media and the shaming of victims who come forth against their abusers, “Tár”’s directing, acting and storyline all enable the notion of digital cancel culture to be executed as part of a nuanced mediation on artistry, power and moral consequence.

Taking the loose form of a biopic, “Tár” immediately throws the viewer into the classical music world, potentially scaring off the uninitiated through its terminology. The film is plain in style, placing characters into sterile environments that are matched by restrained editing. Field’s work opens with a jargon-laced interview of Tár highlighting her varied musical achievements. The main character’s accomplishments are diverse and impressive: She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute, a pupil of Leonard Bernstein and has conducted the “Big Five,” currently working towards a performance of Gustav Mahler’s famed “Symphony No. 5.” She is an innovator and generational talent who has secured her place as conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, her career trajectory headed decidedly upwards. Field continues this barrage of musical trivia, referencing names like Max Bruch, Herbert von Karajan and Glenn Gould with rapidity. However, the introduction retains viewers through the incorporation of elements familiar to the digital age; references to online termi-

nology like “UHaul lesbians,” and scattered use of Google, YouTube and Twitter push the story. This seemingly clashes with the archaic musical setting, being the centuries-old development of classical performance. These worlds collide in a lecture hall confrontation between Tár and her student over Bach’s misogyny and the white, cisgender male-dominated history of classical composition. They disagree over separating the art from the artist; the student is ridiculed by Tár for not taking interest in Bach and utilizing their personal identity as justification. She asserts to the hall that they must look past identity to examine art (Tár herself is a lesbian), with the student ultimately calling her a bitch and storming out. The introduction of this question is later mirrored by Tár’s own downfall, reintroducing the notion of cancel culture in relation to her eventual demise as a leading figure within the classical world.

Tár’s past is slowly revealed, an ominous beginning of the end. Conversations with her personal assistant Francesca and emails sent to Tár point at a

to the viewer. Tár orders Francesca to scrub the emails with Krista; we later see Tár delete a number of correspondences blacklisting Krista from opportunities with major symphony orchestras, wielding her power against Krista’s goals. Tár’s behavior grows increasingly paranoid as she is haunted by a two note motif heard in her home, dreams and ambulance sirens. Her focus, however, remains tied to the performance of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. In a breathtaking transition, we see Tár playing the motif on her home piano before moving into the symphony’s opening “Trauermarsch,” smoothly jumping to her conducting the orchestra rehearsing this fanfare.

certainly tied to the impact of controversy on her professional career.

now-soured relationship with a woman named Krista Taylor, a fellow of Tár’s foundation aimed at uplifting female conductors. Demonstrating her careerist striving for power, Tár’s genius and success begin to grow ethically concerning

The downward spiral is catalyzed by the arrival of Olga, an attractive cellist. Tár schedules a cello concerto as the companion piece to the symphony, and Olga wins the spot through blind auditions, with Tár’s infatuation becoming obvious to her wife, Sharon. Krista’s suicide then marks a sharp turn in Tár’s career. Francesca is instructed to delete all emails involving Krista while Tár prepares legally by retaining a lawyer, attempting to insulate herself from her past. Accusations arrive through the New York Post, labeling Tár as a groomer who took advantage of aspiring composers in her Accordion Foundation. Although there is an air of discredibility due to the publisher, the audience is positioned to see these allegations as hinting at a wider pattern of predatory behavior mirroring the events leading to Kristna’s death and her favoritism with Olga. A deposition for the lawsuit of Krista’s parents hint at Francesca sharing the email correspondences with plaintiffs, and the Kaplan Foundation severs its ties with funding Accordion. Tár remains haunted by dreams and sound, with the two note motif once again appearing in the form of an elderly neighbor’s medical-alert device. Although one may read her reaction as emotional guilt over her past actions, Tár’s palpable fear is most

Sharon grows outraged over Tár’s non-communication over the allegations, forbidding her from seeing their daughter. She claims that all of Tár’s relationships are transactional, maintained to enable her pursuit of power and dominance over others. As her life tumbles out of control, Tár’s behavior grows increasingly crazed, culminating in tackling her foundation’s financier onstage during the concert performance of Mahler’s Fifth. Blanchett’s facial expression is intensely desperate, portraying someone full of rage and on the verge of losing everything. Ousted from the classical world, Tár is shown tearfully watching a Bernstein tape discussing the power of music. Sometime later, she finds work in the Philippines, her character arc culminating in a darkly humorous ending where she conducts a youth orchestra performing a score to a live audience of “Monster Hunter” cosplayers. Tár is not legally punished, and Field purposely withholds a decisive confirmation of the accusations, leading the audience to wonder if justice has been served. However, the email chains regarding Krista and her relation to Olga essentially confirm her abusive patterns of behavior. Tár is not positioned as a “victim” of cancel culture but rather someone who takes the fall due to her immoral past, carrying these consequences with her to the Philippines. Cancel culture is utilized narratively, but it is not the directorial focus of Field. Rather, the film is more broadly aimed at a critique of power, which had been wielded by Tár to control others and secure career aspirations. We are reminded again of Tár’s confrontation with the student: Are they now validated by Tár’s moral failings? Can we separate her genius from accusations? The narrative reintroduction of this question looms over Tár’s downfall, concluding a decidedly modern examination of authority within the world of music.

Ganesh Pillai/The Miscellany News.

Allen Hale Columnist

“Tár's directing, acting and storyline all enable the notion of digital cancel culture to be executed as part of a nuanced mediation on artistry, power and moral consequence."

What to watch from winter '23: Fun finds to must-sees

Jesse Koblin Columnist

College winter break is a needed reprieve from the stresses of academic life, where students often travel, catch up with old friends and begin new professional opportunities. My winter break was an eclectic jumble of all these things, but it also included an engaging fourth element: a sudden, frantic movie binge. My family has always been cinematically inclined, especially now as the Golden Globes kick off film award season, and polite nudges to see every Oscar contender become coercions. Intensely peer-pressured, I made a concerted effort to cram in as many movies as I could during this break. Here’s a brief review of everything I saw and recommend. By the way, the 95th Academy Awards Nominations are coming out this week!

For fun and in theaters now:

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” (2022) (Dir. Joel Crawford, 100 min.)

A 10-year belated sequel to a spin-off didn’t initially sound promising. Yet, DreamWorks has delivered two excellent movies with “The Bad Guys” (2022) and now “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish,” another home run. “Puss in Boots” displays fantastic “Into The Spider-Verse”-inspired animation and tells the poignant tale of Puss in Boots’ ninth and final life. Many franchise-animated movies feel like a committee designed them, but not DreamWorks’ latest, where every frame shows a passion for entertaining and creating something wonderful. This movie is a recommended watch.

M3GAN” (2023) (Dir. Gerard Johnstone, 102 min.)

“M3GAN” (for Model 3 Generative Android, but pronounced Megan) isn’t as scary as horror movies go; it’s light on gore, all the kills are cutaways and the four-foot-tall M3GAN herself is hardly imposing. Instead, “M3GAN” is a fun romp that wears its “Child’s Play” influence on its sleeve, sardonically parodying contemporary technological phenomena (invasive home automation, “iPad babies” and their absentee parents, uncanny valley AI dolls) through the lens of campy slasher tropes. “M3GAN” feels like a mod-

ernized late-’80s-to-early-’90s kitschy horror/comedy film, a welcome niche for horror movies produced by Vassar-alum Jason Blum (‘91). This movie is surely worth a watch.

Streaming on Netflix:

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (2022) (Dir. Rian Johnson, 139 min.)

Director Rian Johnson returns after the triumph of “Knives Out” (2019) with another star-studded ensemble and Daniel Craig’s hammy Southern gravitas. The greatest strength of “Knives Out” was the reinvention of the Agatha Christie-style murder mystery as a vessel for social commentary. The first film used the backdrop of New England white generational wealth to discuss American immigration and wealth disparity. In “Glass Onion,” Edward Norton’s portrayal of tech billionaire Miles Bron is used to comment on how our leaders, once seemingly brilliant, now look increasingly fallible and buffoonish in the internet age. Though the central mystery is somewhat predictable, “Glass Onion” is even more entertaining than its predecessor, with the spectacle-meter turned to 11, due to its Netflix-size budget and Janelle Monaé’s fun and skilled work in dual roles. This movie is a highly recommended watch.

“White Noise” (2022) (Dir. Noah Baumbach, 136 min.)

“White Noise” is a hard left-turn for Vassar-alum Noah Baumbach (‘91) from his previous films’ grounded depiction of divorce and its effect on children (“Marriage Story“ and “The Squid and the Whale”). Instead, “White Noise” follows a college professor (who heads the Hitler Studies Department but ironically does not know how to speak German) and his family as they encounter environmental disaster, urban boredom, social panic, religion and fear of mortality in one surreal scene after another. In addition to Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig, the film also features Don Cheadle, who I feel delivers the best performance. “White Noise” is polarizing; some may find it a brilliant exploration of the postmodern themes of Don DeLillo’s titular novel, while others may find its (intentionally) arch dialogue tedious. However, “White Noise” is like nothing else out there right now. It’s often hilarious and

never dull—give it a try.

Oscar contenders:

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (2022) (Dir. Martin McDonagh, 114 min., streaming on HBO Max)

I already knew “Banshees” would be amazing, owing to the quadruple-whammy casting of Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, and the direction of provocative auteur Martin McDonagh. And “Banshees” is amazing—but what floored me was how quiet and understated it is, unfolding as a parable that avoids the overtly political messaging of McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017). “Banshees” isn’t afraid to move slowly or mask its comedy deep within twisted plot developments and character development. It is a dense yet subtle meditation on Catholicism, Irish culture, rural life and the symbiotic relationship between love and violence. This is a strong contender for my favorite film of 2022.

“The Fabelmans” (2022) (Dir. Steven Spielberg, 151 min., in theaters and streaming on-demand)

Steven Spielberg has arguably shaped the American cultural imagination more than any other living director. Attempting to create an artistic reflection on his life and work is a tremendous undertaking, so it only makes sense that Spielberg himself would direct that movie. “The Fabelmans” is a semi-autobiographical account of Spielberg’s childhood growing up in New Jersey, Arizona and California, and the development of his love for making movies. “The Fabelmans” is at its best when it follows the story of his mother, Mitzi (beautifully played by Michelle Williams), her infidelity and her strained but loving relationship with her husband and children. The other half of the movie is trite, leaning into the “suffer for your art” trope and feeling at times too self-congratulatory. Still, the good outweighs the bad, especially if you’re a David Lynch fan (no spoilers).

“Triangle of Sadness” (2022) (Dir. Ruben Östlund, 140 min., streaming on-demand)

“Triangle of Sadness” is a winding and

incendiary class commentary highlighting consumption, aesthetics and currency as the modes of late-stage capitalist control. The film is separated into three thematic sections, each delivering searing, essential critiques of different positionalities of privilege. The late Charlbi Dean’s excellent performance as Yaya and supporting performances from Harris Dickinson, Dolly de Leon and Woody Harrelson are also excellent. “Triangle of Sadness” is an easy recommendation to any leftists or fans of darkly satirical works, like Bong Joon-Ho’s “Parasite” (2019).

“Decision to Leave” (2022) (Dir. Park Chan-wook, 138 min., streaming on-demand and on MUBI)

“Decision to Leave” is, simply put, incredible. It feels like a South Korean Hitchcock film dealing with themes of fatalism, obsession and romance inspired by “Vertigo” (1958) to create a sexy, captivating thriller. What takes this inspiration to the next level is Park Chan-wook’s singular artistic vision. Chanwook employs lightning-fast pacing, dense and intelligent editing and an eye for the macabre, which infuses “Decision to Leave” with a spine-tingling edge that makes its love story more satisfying and its flashes of action more enthralling. This movie is a highly recommended watch.

“Living” (2022) (Dir. Oliver Hermanus, 102 min., in select theaters now and playing at Starr Cinemas in Rhinebeck starting Jan. 27)

“Living” adapts Akira Kurosawa’s “Ikiru” (1952), which follows a government worker stuck in bureaucracy until a life-altering event, but changes the setting from Japan to 1950s England. While it might have been interesting to frame Kurosawa’s story in a contemporary setting, London’s post-war ennui is a perfect backdrop for a subtle and memorable performance by Bill Nighy (who played Billy Mack in the 2003 rom-com “Love, Actually”). Nighy is known for excellent character work, yet he’s never received an Oscar nomination; his role here as the humble and civil servant Williams is more than deserving.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these recommendations and found some inspiration for your next cinematic experience!

Karen Mogami/The Miscellany News.

Vassar builds geothermal wells to heat new buildings

Just before the end of last semester, I was granted the opportunity to take a hard hat tour of Vassar’s Inn and Institute for the Liberal Arts construction site. As a soft-handed liberal arts student, I’ll admit this was my first time on a bonafide construction site, but the work there was fascinating. Construction on the Inn and Institute began in October, and it is expected to open by 2024. According to its website, “The Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts will convene scholars and thought leaders from Vassar, our local area and around the globe.” The Institute hopes to create a space where people from all walks of life can come together and share ideas, finding solutions to difficult problems.

The project is very impressive on a sustainability front. The building is designed to be completely carbon-neutral, utilizing geothermal wells, solar panels and all-electric appliances, according to the informational website on the Institute. President Elizabeth Bradley said of the project, “This is our first net zero-emissions building on campus, which is among the first such buildings of its type in the Hudson Valley. In its commitment to net zero-emissions, the Institute and Inn sets the standard for other new construction on campus. Throughout the planning process, the green building guidelines, developed by the Climate Action and Sustainability Committee with students in 2020, have been front and center.” Professionals and students alike have been influencing the construction plans; even in the design process, the Institute has been doing its work of connecting students and experts for change.

Presently, the work on the site is focused on the green geothermal installations, which the construction superintendent described in detail. There are a total of 56 geothermal wells underneath the majority

"This is our first net zeroemissions building on campus, which is among the first such buildings of its type in the Hudson Valley."

of the site, each running 500 feet deep into the crust. This is a shallow depth for geothermal power generation, but it suits the necessary purpose, which is to supplement heating and cooling processes. The temperature at that depth is 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius), and the wells pump water down into the ground so that it reaches that temperature before being pumped back up to help the temperature regulation of the building. The diagram to the side demonstrates this process visually.

The function of the wells changes seasonally. The municipal water temperature will correlate to the outside temperature, getting as cold as 38 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter and as hot as 71 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. The water pumped down the well comes back out at 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which can assist the heating or cooling process of the building. This is supplemented by an electric water heater powered by other means to get the temperature to an ideal setting, but the change in temperature the wells provide cuts down electricity needs by a great deal.

Mary Ann Cunningham, Director of the Environmental Studies program at

Vassar, said of the installations, “The geothermal wells are exciting because they use heat pumps, which are one of the most important answers to the climate crisis. That is, heating and cooling buildings is responsible for around 25 percent of emissions, and right now most heating, and a lot of cooling, relies on burning fossil fuels.” She went on to explain the specifics of how Vassar and Poughkeepsie are part of this problem, saying, “At Vassar, we mostly burn natural gas (increasingly called fossil gas or methane gas). For a lot of homes in the Hudson Valley, we use more expensive fuel oil or propane, as well as gas.” Natural gas releases methane, a very potent greenhouse gas. By finding an alternative for heating and cooling, we’re able to avoid harmful emissions, and we should aim to continue this across campus.

Geothermal wells are economically and logistically intensive on the front end for installation, with a specialized crew needing to drill them down into bedrock, but once they’re in, very little maintenance is needed. After speaking with the construction site superintendent, I learned that Vassar has received a Federal Nicer-

ta grant of $1.9 million to help install the wells and will be receiving more federal help for heat pump installations expected near the Terrace Apartments. Similar geothermal setups can be installed under smaller buildings, including homes, and are a highly efficient way to cut down on your carbon footprint and electricity bill in the long term.

What's really exciting is that this is in our backyard. Cunningham said, “The biggest reason I'm excited about the geothermal system in the Institute is that it's a learning opportunity. Students can see how the system works and learn from it… [V]isitors can see the building and learn how it works, if we make sure and communicate why it's important.” As a Vassar student hoping to pursue a sustainability-oriented career ( I know I’m far from the only one), it excites me that our own campus is at the forefront of climate innovations. Cunningham continued, “At Vassar, it's just one building so far, but we need to find ways to cut emissions from all our buildings, so this is an excellent place to start.” An excellent place to start, indeed. An excellent place to start, indeed.

Harrison Walker Guest Columnist

Images courtesy of Harrison Walker ’26.

Image courtesy of Purdue University.

'Little America' does immigrant storytelling right

Jyotsna Naidu Columnist

During winter break, I watched the first season of “Little America ''—a series on Apple TV+ where every episode tells a different immigrant story that is based on a real person. I appreciate the respect given to each story through an anthology as opposed to mixing people's deeply personal, unique stories. This allows the series to escape the trap of monolithic immigrant narratives forced into a so-called cohesive season arc. I also skipped around to episodes that interested me, as the viewing order does not affect the overall experience.

The show offers more nuance than the traditional, one-dimensional immigrant narrative themes. The timeless authenticity is a result of narrowing in on each person’s story rather than trying to fit people into pre-existing narratives. No immigrant nor episode in the show is the same. For example, the first episode follows Kabir, a spelling bee champ turned hotel manager, and his efforts to bring back his deported parents; the next follows Marisol, an undocumented squash player nicknamed Jaguar.

Marisol started playing squash because free shoes were promised at lessons. At first, the sport is a stark reminder of wealth she does not have. But after dedication towards training, squash begins to represent Marisol’s journey of personal growth. The end of each episode concludes with a picture and a few sentences describing where the real life person is today. Reyna, the person Marisol is based off of, is shown to have gained citizenship and attended Columbia University because of the resilience she learned from squash. Jaguar, her apt nickname given by her coach, is also the title of the episode.

In the episode “Cowboy,” Iwegbuna is an economics graduate student in Oklahoma

who finds freedom in acting as a cowboy like in the Westerns from his childhood. He communicates with his family in Nigeria by mailing tapes and calling. As Iwegbuna listens, his brother and mother appear in his living room almost like holograms although in reality still in Nigeria. Their stories come to life. Iwegbuna listening to his family’s story brings him to Nigeria, as if he can really experience Nigeria through their stories.

The near absence of formal politics in the show gives way to the daily, realistic impacts of informal politics, which is both more pleasurable and personal. I don’t need to be an expert on the foreign relations of Iran to value Faraz’s ambition to build a house for his family. Only when we bring our stories, our home, our family and our hope can we make new stories that are unabashed expressions of self-acceptance and freedom. Thus, these stories are not told as Syrian or Nigerian in an exclusively geopolitical context, but rather as unique to each person's dreams. Breaking from her family’s expectations, Beatrice from Uganda wants to be a baker. Sylviane (Yemana in real life) from Switzerland finds love after a silent retreat. “Little America” makes it clear that home, or the past, does not define who we are but rather serves a base that one can launch from. The show avoids the political immigrant narrative trap, which reduces people to their geopolitical circumstances. This is not an anti-Trump story or even a pro-immigrant story—it’s a pro-Kabir, pro-Rafiq and pro-Iwegbuna story. These stories are fictionalized accounts of real personal experiences. For example, Marisol’s real name is Reyna for instance. Stories like these can make us laugh and cry about Reyna’s real story through the experience of a fictional character, Marisol. Fiction may oversimplify but can make her complicated, gritty story more accessible to a larger audience. Thus, more people carry these

stories with them, take action, think of our world differently or spam Twitter with their obsessions.

TV also presents a powerful medium for immigrant stories to resonate and start conversations. I grew up on classics—complex sentences, thick books, extensive imagery. Authors brought readers to a completed painting which was beautiful but could leave little room for alternative interpretation. Later on, I found other mediums such as blog posts, narratives and film—short sentences, writing as you would talk, non-linear storytelling. Because the full context isn’t presented in short TV episodes, the viewer is forced to put together the background story. In taking the time to put together the story, the viewer becomes invested in the story rather than a passive listener of Marisol’s life. The audience can fill in the gaps to bring them closer to the

material. A more intentional engagement to the story allows for finding unique meaning to apply to one’s own life because in each story, multiple stories exist. Marisol presents a coming of age story, a first-generation, low-income story, a good sportsman story and more. It is up to the viewer as to which story they form to find meaning in.

“Little America” brings much needed representation of authentic immigrant stories to the screen instead of checkbox diversity. This multicultural perspective extends behindthe-scenes, too. While watching interviews after the series, I found that directors scouted for an international cast and crew. Directors also shift from episode to episode, with many sharing the background of the people whose story they tell. Most notably, director Tze Chun told the story of his mother, Ai, in the episode “The Grand Prize Expo Winners.”

The diversity of languages spoken in the show also intrigued me, including Igbo, Levantine Arabic, Luganda, Spanish and more according to Deadline. The start of each episode reads, “This was inspired by a true story,” first in English and then in the language of the respective character. Each episode is framed not by monolithic narrative tropes, rather, for and by the people whose stories are shown.

I do not personally relate to each episode. Nor should I. We are tempted to make stories digestible, easy to understand and easy to relate to. Diversity is absent if viewers only look for their own stories on screen. I think of my own ignorance when I am not always open to listening to stories of my family or digesting even my own stories. What stories do I lose because they are not presented in an easily digestible, 15- second video that I can instantly share? I realize that watching eight 30- minute TV episodes on winter break is not a deep expression of listening and connection—but can it be the start?

I saw 'Saw' I-VI so you don't have to

The year was 2022. The date was lost somewhere in the haze between Christmas and New Year’s. The place, a U-shaped sectional. Cuddled like puppies on the café au lait colored couch, my friend Payton Courtney and I stewed in winter-break boredom, plotting. Our proposed next move: naively embarking on a weeks-long binge, a saga of self-discovery. On the agenda, and the screen in front of us, was the first of nine movies in the Saw franchise, a 2000s horror sensation from the minds of James Wan and Leigh Whannel. Little did we know how many hours would be spent on that very same couch—mouths slightly ajar—avoiding direct eye contact with the screen, sitting as we watched blood-soaked scenes through the rain-soaked reflection of the living room window.

How did two friends arrive at this inciting incident? After waddling like lost ducks along the landscape of our small town, reading books that had laid unopened since August, what remained to be done with the time over break? Only the magic of cinema, of course. We were Nicole Kidman in her fabled AMC ad, splashing through puddles in silver stilettos, donning bedazzled jumpsuits, showcasing our Australian accents as we strutted around empty theaters. Our trips to our local Regal Hudson Cinema lead us to “Avatar” (in 3D), “M3GAN” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.” It wasn’t enough. We wanted a whole different beast. While all those films were certainly entertaining,

we decided to fill our plates with bigger portions—a series that, while having disappeared from theaters long ago, would absolutely challenge the strength of our stomachs.

As we watched that first installment, I remember liking it. The editing is certainly a thing of the past. It’s excessive, downright goofy, but Courtney and I were living. The gore isn’t overwhelming as we follow a select few, well fleshed-out characters. We’re introduced to the basic premise of the series, which follows a serial killer named Jigsaw, notable for the way they put their victims through games designed to morbidly teach them a lesson about the value of life and the effects of their actions. The plot had a few well-thought-out twists, and as the credits rolled, we solidified our pact to continue.

The decay of quality is non-linear as the sequels progress. Some scenes were atrocious, some showed glints of the first movie’s charm. The sequels have different structures and different setups all ending with a supposedly gag-worthy plot twist. Some of these climaxes are effective, some are anything but. “Saw II” (2005) features a sprawling group dynamic, while “Saw III” (2006) is more of a medical-style drama with a concurrent narrative focused on revenge. “Saw IV” (2007), a surprise second best in my opinion, features Scott Patterson (of Gilmore Girls’ fame) as an FBI detective investigating the murders in tandem with local police. I would be lying if I pretended to care at all about the plots of the fifth and sixth movies. They were rotting at a record pace. With the new writing a far cry from the work of Wan and Whannel, the

movies became senselessly gorier and gorier, sadistic and cruel. For us on the couch, the same set of friends who gushed over “Puss in Boots,” we decided to stop after the conclusion of the sixth movie. We were washed-up zombies, shells of our former selves, ready to return to the clutches of academia as a way to escape the promise we had made to each other.

Three movies remain in the franchise, with a new “Saw X” promising to grace theaters this October. Will we decide to continue watching, for no other reason besides a hatred towards ourselves? That remains to be seen. But if there’s anything Courtney and I learned over break, it’s that not every movie has to be seen—even Nicole Kidman takes a break from the magic of cinema.

"The near absence of formal politics in the show gives way to the daily, realistic impacts of informal politics, which is both more pleasurable and personal... Only when we bring our stories, our home, our family and our hope can we make new stories that are unabashed expressions of self-acceptance and freedom."

Luke Jenkins Guest Columnist

Image courtesy of Payton Courtney.

Students share qualms and credences in New Year’s resolutions

Whether in the unusually crowded Thompson Memorial Library—each table occupied by earnest academics—or the bustling athletics center filled with sweating gym rats, it seems that each student on campus is taking strides toward a “new and improved” self. Will these self-made promises endure? After all, only about 19 percent of New Year’s Resolutions are kept past mid-January, with roughly 80 percent of resolutions being abandoned altogether, per Psychology Today. Perhaps the fault lies with a commitment-phobic generation, too timid to take bigger steps on the road to a goal. Or, alternatively, the whole concept of a New Year’s Resolution is itself inherently flawed—the pressure of making a drastic life change once a year is too heavy, leading to failure. Either way, it seems that most students today—particularly first-years with a semester’s worth of new experience— are getting on board with holding themselves accountable in the new year, at least at first.

Many Vassar students have committed to new academic attitudes. Jordan Chafe ’26 is taking new steps in the realm of time management. Chafe acknowledges that time management was a bit of a struggle in the fall semester, but wasn’t a significant concern in his life. This semester, though, Chafe is taking more challenging courses, and he wants to plan ahead to prevent slipping into a routine of disorganization. “New challenges mean new diligence,” Chafe asserted. To stick to his plans, Chafe has created a routine to follow. “I want to wake up earlier and get breakfast before class every morning. I think small changes like that alter the entire trajectory of my day,” he says. Ultimately, Chafe thinks that it is important to create personal goals in order to understand what you are capable of achieving under more challenging circumstances.

Ethan Benadon ’26 shares a similar sentiment. “I think that having self assurance and confidence in your resolutions makes all the difference,” noted Benadon. Although Benadon thinks that most New Year’s resolutions are bound to fail, he believes there is a certain amount of merit in making and keeping promises with oneself—New Year’s resolutions or otherwise. This spring, Benadon wants to take his

time at the gym more seriously. In the new year, he is making a commitment to finding workouts that will help him make more consistent progress. “For me, working out is about more than just physical appearance. A better self image equates to better mental health, so there are many benefits all around,” Benadon explained.

For other students, such as Rose Golick ’26, New Year’s resolutions can be about listening to others just as much as listening to oneself. “I want to listen to my friends’ advice more. They are always logical and unbiased. After all, the best advice comes from those who know you best,” Golick mused. In turn, Golick is also going to focus on being a better listener for her friends as well. “If I’m asking others to keep me accountable for my actions, then the least I can do is look out for them as well,” Golick reasoned. Overall, Golick thinks that being more attuned to her friends’ suggestions will help her attain a less frazzled life. “Although, I have to say the whole premise of starting new lifestyles at the start of a new year is a bit silly. Why not start whenever,” Golick quipped.

Grace Montas ’26 agreed: “I think having goals is a good idea but I don’t think I need a new year to begin new goals. For my personal goals, I’ve been working on being more decisive for a while.” Montas added that being indecisive can be a challenge because she doesn’t want to make the wrong choice for herself or displease others with her choices. “[My indecisiveness] makes small decisions like trying to figure out what to eat with friends a hassle. But, it can also be an issue with larger life decisions, too,” she explained. Montas’ personal strategy for sticking to her goals is not letting her resolution consume her life. “Overall I want to be more assertive and hold myself accountable with that, but progress isn’t linear,” Montas reasoned.

Despite the pervasiveness of New Year’s and semester resolutions, it seems most students have a general distaste for making drastic life changes only when a new year or a new semester starts. Although taking steps to improve one’s quality of life is important, changes are not bound to happen when the clock strikes twelve on New Year’s Eve. Perhaps you’ve already failed your New Year’s resolution. If so, all hope is not lost. Be kind to yourself and take small steps towards your goals; progress will follow.

Carina Cole Guest Columnist

Image courtesy of Rose Golick ’26.

Image courtesy of Jordan Chafe ’26.

Image courtesy of Grace Montas ’26.

Image courtesy of Ethan Benadon ’26.

HUMOR

Breaking News

From the desk of Madi Donat, Humor Editor

As winter slowly makes

students

wondering

Should Vassar invest in more taxidermy? (A neutral report)

Nicholas Tillinghast Living

Over break, I had a run-in with the Buffalo Museum of Science and witnessed various excellent animals from around the world, all of whom were dead, but, through the magic of taxidermy, were in many ways alive. Sure, the taxidermied lion may not have looked like the king of the jungle, but much of the taxidermy appeared accurate to my understanding of what animals look like.

On a side note, the museum also had this inflatable life-size rhino that would deflate and fall over every couple minutes to represent declining rhino populations, but in

"You read that right—I don’t have the credentials to see the extent of my own college’s impressive taxidermy collection on a Saturday morning."

order for it to periodically do that, the rhino would constantly have to inflate again and revive itself. Regardless of some mixed messaging on rhino resurrection, the Buffalo Museum of Science’s animal representation (especially with taxidermy) is rather impressive and admirable—the sort of footsteps Vassar could follow in.

To truly consider Vassar’s taxidermic potential, it might be useful to first ask, “How much taxidermy does Vassar have right now?” While I haven’t necessarily scoured every last corner of this campus for preserved animals, but I’ve certainly found the epicenters of taxidermy on campus, those being the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences and the Museum of Geology and Natural History and the Olmsted Hall of Biological Sciences, the latter of which I have restricted card access for. You read that right—I don’t have the credentials to see the extent of my own college’s impressive taxidermy collection on a Saturday morning. Regardless, I have been told they have a variety of dead birds, a particularly unruly creature to taxidermy.

The Bridge, on the other hand, features a small display case with a preserved scarlet ibis, a cane toad and a furry little guy. I walk by these critters just about every day on campus, which has created a rather unique relationship. The more secluded Museum of Geology and Natural History features a replica of a Great Auk, which maybe isn’t technically taxidermy, but it sure looks like it.

Now, it's maybe worth considering what Vassar could be like if there were much more taxidermy, and if it were more publicly available. You might assume that the business of taxidermy is quite niche and small, since it is utilized only by hunters and museums. The surrounding Hudson Valley could not possibly accommodate such a large-scale collegiate-level taxidermy project, right? And yet, believe it or not, there are at least nine different taxidermy studios in a 40-mile radius of Vassar. I’m not saying I have all of the answers, but I do think it's maybe worth starting the con-

versation.

Maybe a room, like the Villard Room, could be spiced up with a mounted moose. Maybe a drumfish in the Deece, a nighthawk in New England, a lemur in the Library (they don’t all have to be alliterative combos, but it certainly ups the intrigue.) It also begs the question, if taxidermy really is an art form, why don’t any of the art buildings have taxidermy? Again, I don't have all of the answers, but I do think it’s worth starting the conversation.

Amongst Vassar’s numerous ongoing building plans, not only do none of them include plans for taxidermy, they also don’t involve any on-campus jacuzzis. Unrelated to taxidermy, it’s worth considering

what Vassar could look like with more hot tubs. Would it improve the campus? Could an already depressed space like the Noyes conversation pit simply be filled with hot water? Could a boring room like the Villard Room instead feature a mounted moose and a jacuzzi? The question is certainly begged. Maybe taxidermy’s not your thing, and that’s okay. I think an alternative plan might involve a Rainforest-Cafe-type situation where we add some animatronic growling tigers and hooting apes and some dense foliage in the Old Bookstore. That might sound like a sound solution to you, but I’m still left asking one question: Who has all the answers? Certainly not me, but it's worth starting the conversation.

Take your semester by storm… or by lawsuit!

Alyssa Willeford Judge, Jury & Executioner

Well, winter break is over, and it’s time to get back to class. Whether you celebrated the holidays at home with family, at Vassar with friends or on retreat at the Sri Ganja Center for Transcendental Substance Consumption in Northern California, now you’re back in Poughkeepsie and ready to study up. Can’t you just feel your eager young mind ready to absorb all kinds of inspiring new things just like a dry, crusty sponge in the sink of the Davi basement kitchen? I know I can.

The transition back to school, though, isn’t always the easiest. This is especially true for me; I’m still getting used to America after three months in Japan, where I did not once see a person’s bare cheeks at the bus stop.

Still, however great or small the contrast between your winter break and Vassar classes, you’ll need to adjust quickly and get back into the swing of things. Your GPA might very well depend on it—and you can tell how important a good GPA is to Vassar students just by observing a TH kegger on a Thursday night!

So how can you best adjust back to Vassar life? Read on in amazement as I, the greatest of the Misc’s advice columnists, outline a time-tested, battle-hardened strategy for getting back into your rhythm. Hitting the ground running might SEEM difficult, but it’s actually easier than losing your New Yorker tote bag in the College Center! Prepare to take this semester by storm…

With my first Hot Tip: Meet with all

"I wholeheartedly do not recommend necessarily threatening to sue [your professors], but make it very clear that if your grade is anything less than an A, they may be getting a letter in the mail."

your professors! This may sound like boring, trite advice that you could find in any

first-day-of-college guide article, but most of those other fools don’t have the full story. The truth is, not only should you meet with your professors, but you should also make constant reference to the fact that you have a lawyer in these meetings. I wholeheartedly do not recommend necessarily threatening to sue them, but make it very clear that if your grade is anything less than an A, they may be getting a letter in the mail. It’s easy to work this into a casual conversation at a meeting: “I’m definitely excited to take this class,” you might say. “And my lawyer is eager to hear all about it!” It’s best to start things off on the right foot, after all.

My second Hot Tip: Find a new squad to roll with! Let’s be honest; those losers you call “friends” aren’t getting you anywhere other than the county jail on DUI charges. You need to find some cooler homies to roll with, and fast. For a good place to start, I’d try your dorm bathroom. Simply hang out near the entryway in a long, dark coat, and when people come in, sneak up behind them and surprise them with a suave, “Heyyyyyy.” It’s a sure way to leave an impression!

My third Hot Tip: Seek out stress! Stress is a sign of growth, as we all know, which is why you should cultivate as much of it as you possibly can. Maybe your professors have been suitably intimidated by your veiled and, once again, not overt threat to sue them, but don’t let that stop you. Even if they grade your assignments more leniently, make sure you don’t work on anything until the day it’s due; the closer, the better! Also, make sure you never do anything enjoyable or fulfilling other than work. Hobbies are silly wastes of time! Never decompress; I find that I reach optimal productivity when my spine is wound up tighter than a Slinky.

With these sizzling tips in mind, you cannot possibly fail to succeed at everything you attempt to do this semester. If you ever do fall short, I offer a personal guarantee that I will help you, no matter the day or the hour.

Simply come to my dorm, located in the quaint little two-story house directly between the Chapel and the Bridge, and toss a pebble at the window to wake me up! I’m at your service 24/7—and what more can you ask for in an advice columnist?

its exit,

are left

where the sun went and when it will be coming back

Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.

ARIES

March 21 | April 19

HUMOR

HOROSCOPES

Madi Donat Astral Projector

Examine colors this week. Sometimes, you think things are normal, but they aren’t, and you can tell by their color, like poison dart frogs. It’s a great evolutionary privilege we have. If you and a dog had a color-identification contest, you’d definitely win. Think about that when you have a bad day.

TAURUS April 20 | May 20

Stepping out of your comfort zone is key. It’s nice to look at things or have experiences that make you nervously laugh and say, “Haha! What the fuck!” But in a good way. It can be really fun to tell your friend where you are and realize you’ve typed a string of words you’ve never typed before.

GEMINI May 21 | June 20

Growing up is all about learning how to prioritize. We thought our parents were so organized but that’s only because they knew really well what to get done and what to ignore until it hit them in the face or went away or got solved on its own. Sometimes that’s how we go through life, and that’s okay. Forget about your problems responsibly.

CANCER June 21 | July 22

Life is hard, but that’s what makes it fun. This week, lean into what makes you healthily uncomfortable, like being honest about conflict, and psychoanalyze yourself into oblivion, because it really all comes back to the home. But at the end of it all, maybe you’ll feel accomplished. Or maybe not.

LIBRA September 23 | October 22

After a break, it can be hard to get back into a routine, especially if your sleep schedule has become what is scientifically known as “wack.” If you need to quickly push your night-night time back an hour or four, remember the classic sleep tips: count sheep, take melatonin, crack open some Hegel…

SCORPIO October 23 | November 21

I talk about whimsy a lot, but what better time to inject some unpredictability into your life than at the start of a new year? I’ve been thinking about boats recently. I think we as humans are intrinsically not meant to be in a floating vessel in deep water, which makes boats all the more intriguing to me. Try it out. Not with me, though. I’m scared.

SAGITTARIUS November 22 | December 21

Now is the time to GET SHIT DONE! If you’re feeling an uncharacteristic burst of energy, use it to get ahead on your classes! Or instead of doing that, you could spend the time writing 5,000 words of a medieval murder mystery or binging a podcast way too fast. Not like any of that is from personal experience, or anything.

CAPRICORN December 22 | January 19

Fear is SO 2022. It’s time to plow forward without a care in the world! Who cares about being anxious? Who cares what other people will say? 2023 is the year of the YOU! Take up a hobby you were terrified of before, like skateboarding or going outside in a shirt which kind of sort of shows your body.

LEO July 23 | August 22

VIRGO August 23 | September 22

Sometimes I feel that my only social skill is sharing worrying fun facts. I’m like if Hank Green knew weird amounts about the law and art history. This week, freak your friends out with interesting morsels of information. You’d be surprised how quickly a conversation can turn into a debate over swimming pool ethics.

A new semester means new classes. Even if your classes are great, they may get stale after a bit. Try to find the joy even in the boring parts, because nothing reminds you of your own mortality like getting a headache from staring at your computer trying to comprehend a reading that was allegedly written in English, but you aren’t so sure.

AQUARIUS

January 20 | February 18

PISCES

February 19 | March 20

This semester is the ripe old age of four business days young, and already my attention span is the size of a raisin. If you, too, struggle with needing eight podcasts and 12 YouTube videos playing to even begin to get work done, might I recommend: hanging out with real people. In real life. I know I sound crazy, but you’d be surprised.

Stating your needs is so scaryyyy OMG it’s so haaaaard what if I dieeeeee. So, you won’t, is the thing. You will be so boringly fine. And the great thing is that once you do it the first time it will get so much easier to do in the future. Whatever it is you want, you won’t get it unless you ask for it. Except for emails. Those you’ll get regardless.

HUMOR

Madi battles a bag of baby carrots: A not-quite-listicle

Madi Donat Adaptive and Immune

Well, hello again, friends.

I must admit; it’s been a while. I’ve been chilling all winter break, definitely not freaking out about it being my senior spring and my having many, many projects due that I totally should’ve been grinding on over those blissful four weeks and mostly was not. But this isn’t about that. It isn’t even really about me.

Okay, that’s a lie. It is about me. It could not be any MORE about me. All of my other listicles I did for altruistic purposes: What dorm would fit you best? For example, if you like mostly quiet and chill vibes, I’d go Strong. If you like hating yourself and not having privacy, Main is the way to go. I literally went through Hell for you, all to tell you what we collectively already knew: The Deece has bad teas, and the only reason we all gaslight ourselves into liking them is because of its endless supply. But this? This listicle is mainly for my eyes only.

This time, it’s personal.

So what, you may ask, darling reader, could I possibly care about so much that I decided to dedicate such verbiage to it?

Well, I’ll tell you. The other day, I was explaining to my housemate my usual ails of consuming a bag of baby carrots, which is something I do very often as I am a fan of both vitamin A and fiber. I was outlining my carrot selection process, and then my carrot grading process, both things that I’m sure every one of you also does because I am normal and behave normally. Then, my housemate said something to me that shook me to my core:

“I’ve noticed that your baby-carrot-consumption experiences can be quite stressful. To take the edge off, why not rank the carrots in this specific bag of baby carrots from Stop & Shop and make a Misc article out of it, to profit off of your sick mind?”

And, lo, an idea was born.

This took much time, as you can imagine; while I can consume a lot of baby carrots in one go, I certainly can’t eat a whole bag at once. And I would never want to subject you to the intricacies in taste for each individual baby carrot in the bag. So, as a happy medium, I’ve decided to organize the baby carrots into archetypes, much like you would find at the Venetian carnival, a Shakespeare play or TVtropes. org, three pillars of our culture. Once describing each archetype’s characteristics in both normal and baby carrot universes, I will provide a grade on a scale I’ve made up by myself, then come up with a total grade for the bag of baby carrots based on weighted averages. It’s really pretty simple; I don’t know why I’m taking the time to explain all this to you. Let’s just get going.

#1: The straight man (carrot) Every sitcom needs a guy (or not-guy) to make silly faces while shenanigans happen around them. Sometimes, this is the main character: a Jeff Winger or Michael Bluth type. Sometimes, they’re slightly off to the side, like Ben Wyatt from “Parks and Rec” or, the most overt straight man of all time, the beloved Jim Halpert. Their comedy lies not in the silly shenanigans they get up to (usually), but rather in their reactions TO the chaos. Their expressions and mannerisms are never not meme-worthy, and they usually are the center holding the entire group together. To me, this is like the affable, lovable, get-what-yousee carrot. A carrot that makes you say, “I don’t know what I expected,” à la opening a bag that says “Dead Dove Do Not Eat!” and seeing a dead dove inside. When I take a

baby carrot out of its little safe cellophane home, I am, perhaps naïvely, expecting a sweet, bright crunch that improves my life. The straight man carrot is what happens when, by some divine act, I receive a carrot which not only delights my senses, but also restores my faith in carrots as a concept forevermore. This carrot does what it is supposed to do, even with my high expectations. Isn’t that just beautiful?

Grade: A+

#2 Scaramouche

(carrot)

A Scaramouche is one of the many archetypes of the Venetian carnival, according to my source, AtHomeInTuscany. org. This quirky guy is characterized by his black mask and shirt. He is a lovable buffoon with a heart of gold, but he regrettably doesn’t have much going on in the brain department. The website I sourced from said he’s “lazy and gets beaten often,” which seems a little intense, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of my second carrot archetype: the promising specimen who returns only dissatisfaction. Instead of a clean crunch, for example, I am faced with a wet and limp mouthfeel. Or, instead of sweetness, I am simply left with a taste of nothing. Now, let’s be clear: These carrots do not taste BAD. They just make me forget why I like carrots sometimes, is all. A carrot that makes you think, “Why am I doing this again? What is to be gained by grading the carrot types in a bag of baby carrots from Stop & Shop?” Everyone has these thoughts. It’s okay.

Grade: B#3: The obvious villain (carrot)

Pieces of media with twist villains are always entertaining, but there’s something to be said about someone who you know from the jump is gonna be the bad guy. In “Twelfth Night,” the villain’s name is literally Malvolio. He’s going to do bad things. Or in “Othello,” where Iago just kind of lets everyone know at the beginning that he sucks and is going to cause chaos and terror because that’s what he’s into. You kind of know what’s going to happen after that. And, listen—I’m not a fan of judging people, books or even things by their covers; what may look odd to one looks great to another. That said, of course, sometimes you just know a carrot is gonna disappoint before it even goes in your mouth. The ones that look like fingers are especially egregious, with their brown knuckle lines

and disconcerting curve. But, listen, I like to believe I’m a good person. I like to believe that I’ll give a carrot a chance, you know? So I try it. I try to see past its similarity to human phalanges and give it a go, but it’s never quite right. If it looks like a villain, a villain it will often be. There are no sleeper enemies in the land of Carrotville. I should learn this, and soon.

Grade: D

#4: The wolf (carrot) in sheep’s clothing, AKA the Brighella

Now, this one is the most disappointing. Brighella’s archetype page states that he is a master liar as well as a fire-eater, so the man really has no shame. And a wolf in sheep’s clothing goes one step further, purposefully disguising themselves to be good when in reality they are nothing of the sort. While I don’t want to speak on the moral compasses of baby carrots specifically, I can confirm that when a carrot that looks delicious turns out to have deceived and is in fact terrible, that’s a level

of betrayal known by few. Can I judge a carrot by its exoskeleton or not? If good carrots look good and bad carrots look bad, what then is this? Have I been tricked for laughs? I try to up my daily vegetable intake and get left with this? It seems incredibly unfair. From the outside, they seem like normal morsels, delicately shaped and bright orange. Sometimes, a small part of their appearance will be unusual, but nothing to throw me off. Their disguise, then, has worked: I am disappointed, the carrot bag is emptied, Brighella swallows fire.

Grade: F

So, that’s all there is to it, really. Next time you find yourself face-to-face with a bag of Stop & Shop baby carrots, use this grading system to assess the average of your bag. My bag, which was labeled bni22l27r, was at a solid B+ average, which is pretty good in my opinion. I hope you can remain informed for your future carrot adventures, and you can thank me later.

Madi Donat/The Miscellany News.

Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.

HUMOR

Fed up with success, Miss Likki leaves material world behind

Nandini Likki Waving Goodbye!

Sigh. I’m not a writer, okay. I’m a Writer. And being a Writer comes with a huge responsibility that I’m not fully equipped to handle: arduous, violent, back-breaking fame.

Last year, when I published my uber-successful Misc article “Westboro Baptist Church retracts statement calling Vassar an ‘Ivy League Whorehouse’ after realizing Vassar isn’t a part of the Ivy League,” I was simply bombarded by a painful slew of positive comments and rolling laughter. It was too much to handle. Do I still read the comments on the Misc website? No, because I have them memorized. Ms. Michelle Olson ’99, in particular, still has my heart on Saturday nights: “This is seriously the funniest thing I’ve read in a long time. I expect to see this writer’s name on an Onion article some day. This is the first time I’ve shared a Misc article on my Facebook. Beautifully done.” (Don’t tell her I’m more

of a Reductress girl!) My sister congratulated me for finally writing something that was embarrassing enough for my father to not show his friends (huge thanks to the word “whorehouse;” you’ve done so much for me). On Instagram, I remember people–who I thought were kind of cool and maybe would have talked to me in real life if I didn’t spend my time behind a computer typing–sharing my little baby article to their friends.

I’m writing all of this to say: I have such a handle on culture that I’m not even on Instagram anymore. I don’t even know what Facebook is. I’m beyond fame. I’m beyond any sort of tangible journalism. I create the rules. I can create anything. I’m creating a cult.

Okay, cult is a strong word—I should know, as a Writer. Real cults like Westboro Baptist Church feed off of paranoia and ignorance. But aren’t you also tired of the fatigue and world-weariness that comes with a great career success (assuming you’ve

been successful—I know some of you haven’t, and that’s okay, I guess)? After I wrote that Westboro article, I couldn’t stop roaming Poughkeepsie’s streets, looking for the next topic to cover and write a fake news piece about. But everything seemed so stale, so passé, so obviously unreal. Nothing would ever compare to the rush I got on that fine April day. It took me ages to even gather the courage to pick up the pen again. Which made it incredibly hard to finish the semester, as classes were still going on. Anyway! At my private island community just off the coast of the Maldives, none of us would ever have to face this awful feeling again. After everyone gives up all their material belongings at security and embraces their new uniforms (only the finest Vivienne Westwood for my followers), the fun will begin. Every minor thing we do will be subject to MAJOR importance and encouragement. Just broke up with your toxic partner? Cake will be provided. Just sent a vaguely foreboding email to your profes-

Poetry Corner

Anna Kozloski

A NEW YEAR’S WISH

If the past is the past, And the present’s downcast, Rejoice, then, my reader, In a brighter forecast.

sor? Party poppers will be passed around. Just listened to “2 Baddies” by NCT 127 for the third time in a row even though you swore you wouldn’t because it’s incredibly embarrassing? Actually, I won’t celebrate that. Get your life together, babe.

This idea is mostly for me, though—sorry to burst your bubble. This way, I won’t get out of my cold, comfy bed to write an article for an idea that I literally just had, when I have an Intro to Philosophy class early tomorrow morning that I’m really only taking because I need eight units outside my majors, which are both in the arts because I love double unemployment, but don’t tell my philosophy professor because, to my horror, professors actually read The Misc None of that will happen. I’ll listen to the rain outside my window, sleep and wait for the idea to wither away, knowing that whatever I do tomorrow when I wake up will be commemorated anyway. And maybe I’ll listen to some NCT. Zip, zip it and close.

OPINIONS

What can churches tell us about climate action?

Sarah Winickoff Guest Reporter

Igrew up without ever once stepping foot inside a church. Everywhere I’ve lived, most people I knew hadn’t either. Because of this, it was initially hard for me to comprehend the extent to which American society is influenced by churches. Yet it is, and greatly so. In an article by American sociologist and professor Claude Fischer, Fischer writes, “Congregations have been the key association for Americans.” By this, he means that Christian churches form the backbone of civil society. Not only do they provide the scaffold for secular institutions, but they also have the power to mobilize people. Historically, there have been many examples of this.

Fischer argues, “The reversal of Roe v. Wade is the culmination of grassroots organizing, joining together people who were already participants in associational life, particularly in churches, to elect conservative Republicans.” This is just one example of the influence that churches can have on people.

Churches have been weaponized successfully for all kinds of causes, not just conservative ones. According to Scientific American, “Movements are generated by grassroots organizers and leaders—the [civil rights movement] had thousands of them in multiple centers dispersed across the South—and are products of meticulous planning and strategizing. Those who participate in them are not isolated individuals; they are embedded in social networks such as church, student or friendship circles.” Many civil rights leaders were also church leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Considering the success churches have had in the past with inspiring groups of peo-

ple to fight for change in America, it may seem that they could similarly be a main organizing force in the movement against climate change. However, there are a few key issues with this idea. For one, according to NPR, churches are rapidly decreasing in popularity. This is largely the result of both the secularization of society and the association between Christianity and conservative political ideology. As stated by Pew Research center, another issue is that the people most willing to engage in climate activism are liberal—the exact demographic, according to Barna, that is least likely to be involved with churches.

Is it possible, then, to integrate a church model to create a new type of organization that could advocate for fighting climate change as effectively as churches advocated for the reversal of Roe v. Wade?

In order to accomplish this, it is necessary to identify the aspects of churches that make them effective in getting people involved with social movements. An article by Jaime Kucinskas and Evan Stewart published in SAGE Journals showed how the moral and theological frameworks that religion provides motivate people to engage in social and political movements. In the case of the civil rights movement, for instance, churches provided a spiritual foundation for the equality that many civil rights leaders advocated for. This is a piece of the puzzle that could inform a new secular organization, or any organization we already have in place. Many hiking and outing clubs could assert to their members the morality in being not only someone who wishes to spread the enjoyment of nature to others, but also someone who is a caretaker of and advocate for the land. If they made developing an empathetic view of nature a specific focus, outing clubs could better inspire climate action.

Another aspect of churches that may make them more conducive to social movements is how they function as communities. Kucinkas and Stewart also explain how experiencing the joint emotional energy in churches and in church-organized activities often results in an increase in political engagement that occurs throughout the church. This was shown to be true regardless of where subjects fell on the religious ideological spectrum.

This research suggests that the community aspect of church involvement contributes to people’s engagement in larger global issues. The whole concept of congregating to attend church supports the importance of community to church-goers; even though typical religiosity emphasizes an individual’s connection to God, making practicing religion alone more convenient, people commute to churches, conforming to the schedule of the church they attend. When people go out of their way to participate in social events organized through churches, such as teen activity programs, church groups, church dinners and celebrations on holidays, opportunities arise for people to connect with one another, another factor that contributes to civic engagement.

It would therefore make sense that in an association modeled after a church, engagement in climate action would be positively impacted by fostering a sense of community. In addition, the association would ideally prevent the egoism caused by a lack of participation in social groups in general. Egoism is dangerous for environmental action; when people stop associating with each other–as many experienced during the pandemic–they risk losing sight of their values and their morals. In a world constantly shifting towards seemingly superficial modes of virtual communication, forming

these associations that force people to socially interact may help them develop a larger sense of purpose outside of themselves. Populations of post-COVID Americans who find themselves isolated could take refuge in community-oriented climate advocacy programs.

Strong central leadership is another characteristic of churches that may contribute to their success in mobilizing people. Christianity uses a model of central human authority, as opposed to a more egalitarian “society of friends” model. Successful church leaders have been able to greatly motivate their congregations through being knowledgeable and charismatic. Climate advocacy often begins in the voices of individuals who have the ability to inspire others. In theorizing an organization with the mission of promoting climate action, it may be helpful to have a central authority figure.

Ultimately, it may prove difficult to create an organization from scratch that emphasizes an environmental ideology, fosters a sense of community that allows members to hold each other accountable and features a popular, motivational leader. Perhaps the beginnings of such an organization already exist. Groups like the Vassar Outing Club are community spaces that already help people understand the beauty and importance of nature firsthand. Although this hypothetical organization would ideally be more universal than a hiking group or even an outing club, I believe that outing clubs at universities may be a great starting point for better climate advocacy. Beyond their ability to foster community, outing clubs can provide the spiritual experience of existing in nature. Still, outing clubs may have a lot to learn before they become key associations in creating a powerful community of climate activists.

World Cup reveals age-old hypocrisy towards Middle East

Henryk Kessel Guest Reporter

When a lone protester tore onto the field at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Nov. 29, the first thing that Twitter noticed was his shirt. He disrupted the Portugal-Uruguay match, running with the Superman emblem on his chest above the words “Save Ukraine,” and, on the back, “Respect for Iranian women.” He waved an LGBTQ+ pride flag before being apprehended and escorted into the darkness of the stadium.

It was almost comical to see one person covering so many human rights issues. Still, the internet wasn’t satisfied. What about Palestine? Whether or not the man— identified as Italian activist Mario Ferri, according to Insider—cared about the “correct” causes, it was clear what message he wanted to send: that the Qatari government didn’t care at all.

The stunt follows an ongoing conversation about human rights abuses in Qatar. Last year, The Guardian published an article stating that 6,500 migrant lives had been lost in infrastructure projects preparing for the sporting event. In late November, PBS reported that German players were barred from wearing armbands that read “OneLove” in protest of Qatar’s anti-LGBTQ legislation.

So when Ferri, dressed like Superman, swooped in to save the day, he was joining the West in its general assumption that, like most other states in the region, Qatar is fundamentally “backwards.”

Despite this seemingly ubiquitous attitude, the country experienced a flux of two million tourists in a radius of 35 miles, nearly 100,000 of them Americans, according to The Gulf Times

While today’s tourists are coaxed by major sporting events and internet trends, in the ’60s, airlines like Pan American Airways (Pan Am) and Trans World Airlines (TWA) advertised which destinations were fashionable with colorful posters. Today, many of these iconic retro advertisements are on display in the TWA Hotel, which stands as an homage to the Jet Age, near JFK Airport’s Terminal 5.

Lining the walls of the elegant structure, designed by architect Eero Saarinen (who also designed Noyes House at Vassar College, according to the Office of Residential Life), you’ll find the posters inviting you to enjoy Las Vegas, London or Rome.

At the end of the hallway is a poster with the same red and orange color palette and “Fly TWA” slogan. But this one doesn’t advertise a particular city, or even country. This one sells “The Orient.” The statue of an unidentified deity dances in front of a kaleidoscope of fabrics, temples and mountains, beckoning the viewer to discover a land unburdened by political titles like, “India,” “Tibet” or even “Asia.”

Whereas JFK was once a point of departure for swaggy ’60s tourism, with TWA planes jetting off to demystify the allures of Eastern exotica, it eventually bore witness to the chaos and xenophobia that marked the darkest four years in American democ-

racy. The “far East” wasn’t far, but knocking on our door. Until something changed on a chilly Saturday in Jan. 2017.

For Rolling Stone, John Knefel describes a scene at JFK from that day. Immigration lawyers joined masses of protestors at Terminal 1, holding signs that read messages like, “Do you need help?” and “Do you have information?” It was a demonstration of fear, rage and allyship for immigrants and foreign nationals who were suddenly no longer allowed in the country following Trump’s executive order—his “Muslim ban.”

A man from Yemen explained his mother’s situation—that she is a 67-year-old diabetic who received a visa just five days before, but is currently in custody. Another man explained that his Iranian mother-inlaw was also being detained at the airport.

When it comes to the countries the Muslim ban was so declarative in distrusting, it is ironically American travelers who are playing a large role in the revitalization of their tourism economies, per The Economist, flocking to Doha’s surrounding regions like the UAE or sitting in front of their televisions at home to witness the world come together in the name of sport. It’s a paradox.

But the West’s fixation with the Middle East has always been paradoxical—only now is it permeating the nearest corners of popular culture. It’s been simultaneously fetishized and rejected. It has been projected onto the posters that line vintage terminals, codified and protested in Terminal 1,

and now it plays live on ESPN and Twitter, where people like and share their way into outrage.

After the Cup ended in December, 100,000 Americans returned home—likely unsatisfied with the performance of their team—to airports like JFK. Sitting at the TWA Hotel with a view of the runway, they would have noticed the rhythm of air travel: Each flight that arrives is a flight that departs. It’s a formulaic cycle that, like tweets born into virality and sprung into confirmation bias, has no promise of ending any time soon.

Image courtesy of Ben Kaden via Creative Commons.

NFL player safety in doubt after a year of frequent, horrific injury

Nicholas Tillinghast Assistant Humor Editor

At 8:55 p.m. on Jan. 2, Damar Hamlin suffered cardiac arrest on the field in the first quarter of an NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills. Hamlin stood up after tackling Bengals tight end Tee Higgins but abruptly collapsed around midfield, receiving immediate medical attention. As details slowly emerged during the broadcast, Joe Buck, a commentator for ESPN, explained to TV audiences that Hamlin was administered CPR for nine minutes on the field. In between the commercial breaks that followed, audiences watched an ambulance take Hamlin off the field. Meanwhile, on-field cameras showed close-ups of immense distress on players’ faces on both teams. The league postponed the game, as Hamlin’s status was unknown for the remainder of the night.

In the week following the injury, Hamlin regained consciousness and ultimately showed no signs of neurological damage. He was released from the hospital after five days, a best-case scenario for the entire NFL.

Despite Hamlin's success in recovery, it is worth remembering the gravity of his injury. An update on Hamlin’s status was not shared until Tuesday afternoon, leaving those aware of the situation believing that they potentially witnessed someone die on the football field, as horrific of a thought as that was.

While such a chilling injury certainly opens the door for a discussion about the potential dangers of professional football and opportunities for better player safety policies, the specifics of Hamlin’s injury make it unlikely to sway in-game player safety rules. According to NPR, It is likely Hamlin suffered a rare heart injury which occurred on a routine tackle play. This sort of injury is not Football-specific and is actually more com-

mon (still very rare) in projectile sports like hockey, lacrosse and baseball. Additionally, the medical team’s response to Hamlin’s injury demonstrated NFL personnel’s potential to adequately handle life-threatening injuries.

A lot of credit can be given to NFL staff and policy for the handling of this situation, but many equally concerning and much more preventable injuries still plague the NFL, such as the fate of Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa in 2022.

Tagovailoa’s year was marked by repeated head injury. He suffered two confirmed concussions during the year and an additional early season injury that, at minimum, resembled a head injury—Tagovailoa exhibited gross motor instability after a late hit but was cleared to play in the second half. The following week’s concussion was visually unnerving, as Tagovailoa’s fingers appeared contorted and stuck in front of his face after his head whipped back into the turf. His week-16 concussion prematurely ended his season.

What is potentially most concerning is that all of his injuries occurred on nontraditional injury plays. According to NFL Football Operations, “roughing the passer” rules penalize defensive players that unnecessarily throw down or put their complete body weight on a passer at the end of a play. Neither of these tackling maneuvers occurred on Tagovailoa on any of the plays where his head injuries occurred—instead, the injuries largely occurred because he repeatedly did not cushion his falls with his hands, and thus his unbraced falls caused his head to whip back into the turf. This is not an indictment on Tua, but rather the coaches and training staff who could have better trained him for taking and reacting to such hits.

While the safety of every NFL player is important, the modern professional quarterback is easily the most essential position in the context of an NFL team. His absence was

a huge factor in many of the team’s losses this season, but for Tagovailoa, the combination of a lack of transparency and caution taken in both injury identification and injury prevention has likely shortened his career drastically while setting him up for a future where neurological impairment is much more likely to occur.

Looking more generally at the NFL quarterbacks, three out of the 12 NFL playoff teams this season fielded backup quarterbacks in the opening round, with two of those teams fielding a backup to their backup quarterback. Quarterbacks are the most protected player on the field through penalties like “roughing the passer.” If they are not protected, than no player is.

While there are technological improvements like better helmet construction and, as the NFL website touts, Novel Mouthguard Sensors for concussion detection, the league continually ignores much simpler solutions to its injury crisis. More injuries occur because of longer seasons, shortened rest times and improper playing conditions. The NFL recently added a 17th game and likely will add an 18th game to the season in the near future in order to “grow the game,” per CBS Sports. If the NFL truly wanted to reduce injury, it could return to a 16-game season or, at minimum, shorten the four-game preseason, in which players often get injured before the season starts. Thursday Night Football scheduling, while increasing the number of days the NFL is on television,often creates a shortened week for NFL teams who played on Sunday earlier in the week, shortening recovery times and thus increasing the risk of injury. Finally, in terms of the playing conditions, cold-weather teams at multiple points in the season faced the Miami Dolphins at home in horrific conditions. The Minnesota Vikings played the Dolphins with the sideline reading 122 degrees, per SB nation. While Minnesota

would ultimately win that game, the Buffalo Bills lost a game in Miami in which, at one point, four of their offensive starters were on the sideline because of heat illness, per Syracuse.com. Games in such brutal conditions should either be canceled, played in enclosed stadiums or at least played with proper shading on the away team’s sideline.

The NFL, of course, is not the only organization that plays football. It is much harder to address the decentralized injury crisis in college football and highschool football. In 2021 alone, four highschool players died directly from traumatic football-related injuries, per TIME. At the minimum, action taken by the NFL, whether it comes in the form of scheduling, shortened seasons or improved playing conditions, can at least serve as new policies that lower leagues can look to in making their own player safety policy improvements.

Messi, Argentina finally crowned champions of the world

Nick Villamil Assistant Sports Editor

The story of the Qatar World Cup Final was perfectly captured in Andrés Cantor’s voice.

As Argentinian Gonzalo Montiel’s penalty strike went left and French keeper Hugo Lloris helplessly dove right, Cantor, longtime Telemundo soccer commentator, rejoiced at the end of the finally fruitful rollercoaster ride that Argentina fans had patiently been on for the past 36 years.

The moment was a kind of poetic justice that Argentinians, starting with Lionel Messi himself, just plainly deserved. A kind that the Argentinian-born Cantor deserved to be the voice of. And a kind that listeners deserved to hear Cantor elevate.

To capture a special moment with a spontaneous call is a commentator’s most difficult task. One so difficult that it's often best to not even try. To just let the moment speak for itself is good judgment for most. But those who do dare to, and excel at it, find themselves etched in history alongside the moment itself. It’s where Cantor’s call found itself practically as soon as it happened.

“No podía ser de otra manera sino sin sufrir.”

“It couldn’t have happened without suffering” might be the best line from Cantor’s call. It’s at least my personal favorite.

It was the encapsulation of the prevailing emotion amongst a fanbase that entered the 2022 Final 90 minutes from seeing arguably the greatest soccer player ever once again fail to capture the most important title in inter-

national soccer. Or, if you view it the other way, a national team failing once again to properly support a generational player.

Cantor was not lying. There had been plenty of suffering. An extra-time, onegoal loss to Germany in the 2014 World Cup where Argentinian strikers failed to capitalize on multiple golden opportunities. A loss in penalty kicks in the 2016 Copa America Final, the Americas’ most prestigious tournament, in which Messi sailed a penalty attempt into the stands.

on. After his goal, it was pure euphoria as they finally appeared destined for a world championship. DiMaria was subbed off in the 64th minute in what felt like a hero’s exit for a veteran player that had suffered through the losses to earn this moment. Injury had sidelined DiMaria for the 2014 World Cup Final and his ability to capitalize on scoring opportunities could have made all of the difference.

The first 80 minutes into the match against France felt like Argentina’s reward for staying true through all of the disappointments. Argentina was playing practically flawless soccer and France looked overmatched and without answers.

Messi and Argentina had captured the 2021 Copa America title, giving him his first international trophy 16 years into his career and ending a 28-year trophy drought for Argentina. But, this still felt like a disappointing output for such a golden generation. The crowning moment was still missing.

The start of the final was all Argentina.

In the 23rd minute, the South American side was awarded a penalty for a chance to score first. Messi stepped up to the penalty spot and calmly converted. 13 minutes later, Angel DiMaria broke free down the left side and finished surgically.

DiMaria’s ensuing celebration and emotions became the perfect representation of how Argentina fans felt as the match went

That all changed in the 80th minute when France was awarded a penalty. French superstar Kylian Mbappe left no doubt from the penalty spot, and suddenly Argentina’s crowning ceremony was delayed. At minimum, the next 10 minutes were going to be a lot more stressful.

But before Argentina could even process the change in where the game stood, Mbappe’s magic struck again with an equalizing strike in the 81st minute. In just two minutes, Mbappe had erased 79 minutes of Argentinian domination. The trophy was as distant as ever.

The game extended into extra time and so began a brand-new 30-minute battle. The extra period was as defining as a moment can be for a team. 30 minutes for Argentina to do more of what they had done so well for nearly 80 minutes or to produce another one of the collapses they had become far too

familiar with.

Throughout the extra time period, Messi was masterful, leaving no doubt about how he intended the game to end. In the 108th minute, Argentina finally broke through as an initial offensive effort left a rebound for Messi to just sneak through.

It seemed that Mbappe’s heroic burst would ultimately be harmless. If anything, it had earned Messi another opportunity to display his magnificence.

Then it happened again: A penalty was awarded to France. Mbappe stepped up again and tied the game. The final would have to be decided in penalty kicks, but not before Argentinian goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez made a game-winning save as France’s counterattack so dangerously threatened Argentina that French players began to run onto the pitch from the bench, believing they were about to become world champions.

After holding two leads that seemed decisive, Argentina found themselves almost relieved to be in penalty kicks and not the World Cup’s runners-up.

Messi began the penalties with his third goal of the game. The rest of the game belonged to Martinez, who saved a penalty and watched another go wide. Then Montiel stepped up and Cantor took over.

“Argentina es campeón,” he exclaimed, failing to hold back his tears of joy.

Argentina were finally champions. And Cantor was right, the suffering, before the game and during it, made the victory all the more glorious.

Image courtesy of Tennessee Titans via Wikimedia Commons.

“Messi was masterful, leaving no doubt about how he intended the game to end.”

The Miscellany Crossword

“The Study of...”

By Monika Sweeney

By Harrison Walker