Welcome Class of 2028!
Campus adopts new Title IX policies
Allison Lowe, Makenna Monaghan and Sarah McNeil News Editors
On August 1, 2024, the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action/ Title IX (EOAA) sent an email to the student body announcing the College’s 2024 revised policies in compliance with new federal Title IX regulations, which went into effect on that same date. In order to meet the implementation deadline, a unified Interim Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct and a revised set of Resolution Procedures were established on campus. Vassar’s 2020 Title IX Grievance Policy and Procedures, created in compliance with the Trump Administration’s policy, will remain in effect for incidents of sexual harassment prior to August 1, 2024, regardless of when incidents are reported.
In a joint written correspondence with The Miscellany News, Belinda Guthrie, the Assistant Vice President of EOAA and Title IX Coordinator, and Jeffrey Schnieder, the Faculty Director of Affirmative Action, stated, “The Interim Policy was developed collaboratively with input from the Title IX policy advisory committee, which included student, faculty, and administrators from
the Committee on College Life, Faculty Policy Conference Committee, SAVP [Support, Advocacy, & Violence Prevention], VSA [Vassar Student Association], General Counsel, Athletics, and the Title IX Student Advisory Committee.” This working group began meeting in the winter to ensure that Vassar adopted a process that consistently and equitably resolves all forms of protected class discrimination and harassment.
The Interim Policy established by the College merges three formerly separate policies relating to discrimination, harassment and sexual misconduct into the consolidated Policy Against Discrimination, Harassment and Sexual Misconduct and Resolution Procedures. The unification of these policies allows all allegations of sexual violence, sex-based harassment and other forms of sex-based misconduct to be addressed by one policy, as opposed to the previous system where the response and resolution processes for allegations may have required the application of three separate policies. Guthrie and Schnieder wrote, “[M]ultiple policies, definitions, grievance processes, and variability in their application to students, faculty, administrators, or staff led to inefficiency, confusion, and barriers to reporting…Fortunately, the 2024 Title IX Regulations created
an opportunity and window for the College to implement a unified policy.”
A Summary of Changes issued by the College notes the largest alterations the Interim Policy yields. One such change is the elimination of the live hearing requirement. The College said of the shift in the Summary of Changes, “The interim unified Policy and administrative resolution process provides for thorough, fair, and impartial investigation, giving the parties an equal opportunity to present and access relevant and not otherwise impermissible evidence without the live hearing requirement.” Kate Brown ’25, who formerly worked as an intern in the EOAA, commented, “I also think that the quicker resolution timeframes established in the updated policy will be a positive change to the Title IX system and reduce the trauma that can result from participating in a long investigation and grievance process.”According to a Time Magazine article by sociologist Nicole Bedera, the Trump Administration’s policy was designed to discourage survivers of sexual assault from seeking legal action. Bedera outlines how a requirement of a live hearing has been criticized as a barrier to survivors of sexual assault. A live hearing forces complainants to face their respondents and to additionally
be subject to a cross examination. This process has been criticized by Bedera and other advocates for how it may deter survivors of sexual assault from pursuing legal action. Brown added, “I’m very happy to see the changes that were made to Title IX policy, both federally and at Vassar. These updates correct some policy limitations persisting from the Trump administration’s rollback of Title IX protections, which placed more focus on sheltering the accused rather than the accuser/alleged victim.”
The most recent regulations from the U.S Department of Education reflect a significant shift from the former policy implemented by the Trump Administration in May of 2020. The Trump Title IX Policy restricted the reporting and investigation of cases through several policies, such as adopting a limited definition of sexual assault, mandating that one must be a student while reporting, and specifying that the incident must have happened on campus or in direct conjunction with an educational program or activity. Vassar’s Interim Policy also expands on the College’s jurisdiction to off-campus misconduct that limits or denies a person’s access to educational programs or activities. The College may also extend jurisdiction to
See Title IX on page 3
Recounting summer adventures at Vassar
Yaksha Gummadapu, Caris Lee, Luke Jenkins Features Editors, Assistant Features Editor
Welcome back, Brewers! The Features section, our newspaper’s home for everything but the kitchen sink, greets you with open arms into our dear Dutchess County. For freshmen or wandering upperclassmen, you missed an exciting summer on campus, a great season of change and novelty. The rather annoying caterpillars from spring have transformed into moths fluttering at dusty windows. There are cherry blossoms in the Shakespeare Garden and blistering heat, everywhere.
In true Vassar fashion, the campus remained bustling with students over the break participating in programs such as Ford Scholars, the Undergraduate Research Summer Institute (URSI), Powerhouse Theater, Community Fellows and other on-campus jobs. But summer at the College definitely is not the same as during the school year. From jarring construction projects cropping up across campus to reduced options at the Deece (aka mini-deece), students on campus navigated a simultaneously familiar and foreign landscape.
For many, living on campus this summer
proved to be a positive, restorative experience, rendering one able to fully appreciate the views of Vassar without a cloud of academic stress overhead. After the end of the workday at 5 p.m., worries about experiments going awry or projects running dry officially left students’ heads, opening up opportunities to venture outside of campus.
Katy Wu ’25 worked at a local farm this summer, commenting, “Living on campus this summer was refreshing as I got to experience Vassar’s beautiful campus without having to worry about schoolwork and the fast-paced life of the school year. I was fortunate enough to have other friends here as well, and we even got to explore more of the nearby towns and areas on the weekend!”
With less happening on campus, Brewers broke out of the Vassar bubble, investigating the rest of Poughkeepsie and the Hudson Valley. Especially as Main, the chosen dorm where summer students were housed, underwent asbestos cleaning and lacked central air conditioning, students were eager to travel. With towns like Beacon and Cold Spring reachable by the MetroNorth and New Paltz and Kingston drivable journeys, students this summer found the time to tour places they would not typically have
See Summer on page 3
THE MISCELLANY NEWS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MANAGING EDITOR
SENIOR EDITORS
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
NEWS EDITORS
ARTS EDITORS
FEATURES EDITORS
ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR
OPINIONS EDITOR
ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR
HUMOR EDITORS
ASSISTANT HUMOR EDITOR
SPORTS EDITOR
DESIGN EDITORS
ASSISTANT DESIGN EDITOR
COPY EDITOR
ASSISTANT COPY EDITORS
GRAPHICS EDITOR
GAMES EDITOR
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGERS
LIVE EVENTS CHAIR
WEBMASTER
REPORTERS/COLUMNISTS
CARTOONISTS
COPY STAFF Charlotte
CORRECTION POLICY The
Jacques
Ben
Madeleine Nicks
Andrew
Image courtesy of Karen Mogami ’24.
Biden Administration’s Title IX policies take effect on campus
off-campus and/or online conduct if it affects a substantial College interest, defined as any action that constitutes a criminal offense; any situation posing an imminent and serious threat to the health or safety of an affiliate of the College; situations impinging on the rights of others or causing social disorder; and any situation that substantially interferes with the College’s educational interest or mission. Additionally, the reporting party or complainant does not need to be a member of the College, however the resolution process only applies if the respondent is an affiliate of the College.
In a stark contrast to the Trump Administration’s reduction of Title IX protections,
President Biden’s Title IX changes further expand upon protections for LGBTQ+ students and parenting and/or pregnant students, provide greater clarity on the definition of sexual harassment and protect against discrimination based on gender and sex stereotypes, sexual orientation and gender identity.
Biden’s Final Rule under Title IX has been in the works since 2021, according to the American Council on Education, facing many delays and extensive review. However, shortly upon the release of the new Final Rule, Education Weekly reported six legal injunctions temporarily blocking the rule in 26 states. While New York is not named in the suit nor likely to engage in one of that
nature, the 26 states affected are at risk of losing their federal funding. A note was added to the EOAA’s email to highlight the legal challenges and Vassar’s commitment to abide by the federal policy, stating the Office would inform the campus community of any changes to College policies in the coming months. Guthrie and Schneider explained, “Where possible, we are also committed to retaining those aspects of the unified policy that have improved and enhanced the College’s ability to address discrimination, harassment, and sexual misconduct more effectively and efficiently.”
Due to the federal August 1 implementation deadline, the Interim Policy has not yet been reviewed through Vassar’s shared gov-
ernance process. At the start of the Fall 2024 semester, Guthrie and Schnieder will reconvene the Title IX policy advisory committee. They wrote in a statement to The Miscellany News, “The two of us will also hold public listening sessions to introduce the new policies and procedures, address any questions, and gather feedback to try to address any concerns.” Guthrie and Schnieder will then work with the Faculty Policy Conference Committee to bring the revised policy and procedures to the Faculty for discussion and vote. They explained, “Though most of the policy is required by federal and state law, the faculty can vote on any policy changes that are not specifically mandated by federal or state law.”
Summer students explore the Hudson Valley
Continued from Summer on page 1
during the semester. Eve Braverman ’25 participated in URSI and partook in several outings during the summer, stating, “After being abroad last semester it was so nice to be back in Poughkeepsie with some friends!
I explored the Hudson Valley, which I haven’t taken full advantage of since being at Vassar. My housemates and I enjoyed the strawberry festival in Beacon, hiked in Esopus, and went to a museum in Cold Spring.”
Victor Zhang ’25 agreed: “During the semester I was always too busy to visit nearby
towns and explore what the Hudson Valley had to offer. Being at Vassar over the summer was a nice change of pace and on the weekends I found myself biking to New Paltz and Wappingers or taking the train down to Beacon and Cold Spring. I was finally able to enjoy some of the restaurants, matcha and community that Vassar has to offer.”
Limited food at mini-deece further encouraged students to broaden their horizons. Three swipes a day at Home and Root provided opportunities for students to catch up with each other on freshly-laminated ta-
bletops. However, hunger after 8 p.m. was left un-satiated, pushing students to search for food elsewhere.
With the Fall 2024 semester beginning, this season’s adventures are winding down. Priorities shift as homework piles up and exams loom; fall colors and sweater weather take over. Familiar classmates move back in.
That is not to say off-campus outings must halt completely. To the incoming class of 2028 and the returning student body: Take a note from those who stayed in
Poughkeepsie this summer. We invite you to travel to the Minnewaska State Park Preserve, the Storm King Art Center or the Antiques Barn in New Paltz; perhaps visit the Vanderbilt Mansion, Ferncliff Forest or the nearby Locust Grove Estate. Try out every location of Ready Coffee; check out every bookstore on the Hudson Valley Book Trail. The start of the school year is often filled with conflicting emotions—new beginnings and bittersweet endings. But summer adventures need not end! They will simply take a different shape.
Hello Class, Here is my syllabus.
Nicholas Tillinghast Professor of Studies
Dear all, I hope your summer is going well! (Mine is not, hence I am sending the syllabus four weeks before class starts). Please read below my syllabus to the class that you already regret enrolling in:
MISC 143-01: Miscellaneous Utterances: An Epistemological Collapse of Hegemony Email: woodywoodpecker38@hotmail. com
Class Time(s): Friday 5-10p.m. Office Hours: Saturdays 4-6 a.m., Sundays 1-3 a.m.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Miscellaneous Utterances: An Epistemological Collapse will look at contemporary and historical models of understanding postmodernism as a rhizomatic inflection point of recent post-structuralist trends that reframe in a retelling ingrained narrative conceptions, vis-a-vis the election of Donald Trump….. If you’re still reading this bullshit section, you’ll see that I’m actually cooking harder than I will cook all semester, but also I’m just gonna repeat all of this on the first day, so don’t bother reading it.
COURSE MATERIALS
I’m thinking either one really gigantic, expensive book that’s way too big to justify lugging to class each week or maybe a bunch of teensy weensy books. You know what, screw it, we’re gonna do both. For at least one of those tiny, napkin-length books, I will assign only about a sentence to read in it and then in class be like, “So yeah, that’s really what the book’s all about.” Also, no digital copies!! Book=smart. Screen=dumb.
CLASS SCHEDULE
This is the only part of the syllabus that you will dig it back out for. Too bad I’m not gonna be following any of it after week two. All deadlines are firm as a rock, though.
Week 1: Some awkward icebreaker activities that take up half of class. After that, I’ll just read the syllabus verbatim, or, if I’m a professor older than dirt, we’ll just jump into the material. No foreplay.
Weeks 2-13: Hell on Earth. Somewhere in the middle here I will cancel a week of class because of a family emergency, and you will be excited about it. Shame on you.
Week 14 (last day): We will either be so far ahead that this last day is just a bullshit
wrap-up day, or we’ll be so far behind that we’ll schedule an extra class day during study week to actually wrap things up.
GRADES
50%- That really big final project that you’re already super worried about.
25%- An experimental project that I’m trying for the first time and it probably won’t go very well, but it’s still worth a fourth of your final grade.
15%- Midterm that’s either too late or too early into the semester to actually be considered a midterm.
5%- Participation points. I get really bothered when no one is talking, but I also ask borderline-impossible-to-answer questions
5%- My opinion of you as a person.
ACADEMIC POLICIES
No computers or phones in class EVER!!!!!!!!! If I see a computer in class, I will make you go in front of the class and write on the board all the reasons why you have chosen to be churlish and insubordinate today. Then I will make you do twenty push-ups in front of the class and will proceed to FAIL YOU. Also I will never enforce this policy ever because I am afraid of confrontation.
It is also pertinent that you show up to class ON TIME and meet your deadlines for EVERY ASSIGNMENT, lest we become a kangaroo court. Now, this does not apply to me when I am grading assignments, which I will take a minimum of four weeks per assignment to do, every time. Remember kids, you can’t be late for something if you never give yourself a deadline.
CONCLUSION
Now you might be saying, “Wow this was a bunch of wack crap nonsense and a waste of my time,” especially the sections that you didn’t even consciously read, like “Integrity of Academic Work,” “Responsible Employee Statement” and “Departmental Armadillo Policy.” And that’s because most of this syllabus is just a copy of another professors’ syllabus who copied it from someone else who copied it from a friend who copied it from another professor who actually took the time to have AI generate it.
Well, that’s my syllabus. If you have any questions, please email and I will try my best to get back to you never.
Best, (cool name abbreviation that you may never ever refer to me as in class)
The Miscellany Crossword
Vassar “Bee”
By Felix Mundy-Mancino
ACROSS
1. ___ Emmanuel, former Chicago Mayor
5. Beloved pizzeria of Vassar students
10. Necklace ingredient
14. Villanelle rhyme scheme 15. Classic Camaros
16. Bone prefix
17. “Little” Dickens character from The Old Curiosity Shop
18. Arboreal Hideaways
20. Besmirches
22. 70s replacement for a cat or dog
23. Matthew Vassar’s profession
24. Facial hair
25. Letter between Nu and Omicron (plural)
26. Not online (abbr.)
27. Limerick rhyme scheme
31. Take a small drink
33. Indigenous people of the American plains
36. Leopold’s partner in crime, or the namesake of Vassar’s art museum
38. ___ Ring, notoriously difficult video game
39. Japanese seaweed
40. “Mr. Television” of the Texaco Star Theater
43. Units of mass (abbr.)
44. Louisiana swamp dweller
45. French possessive
46. Chat GPT and Alexa
48. “___ defeats Truman”
50. Isolated Southwestern hill
53. Street racer
56. Cheesy horn section spotlight
57. Churchill Downs and Belmont Park
59. What tight pants might get, annoyingly
60. Coup D’___
61. California ice cream novelty brand, or a frank admission
62. Belg. neighbor
63. Obligation to be paid off
64. Sunset direction, in Madrid
65. Sweet Suffixes?
DOWN
1. Alicia Keys’ genre
2. Something to have after turning 21
3. Anticipate uncertainly
4. Southwest African country nestled in Mozambique
5. Mouth’s job
6. Pirate communications
7. British track athlete Sebastian
8. Hail and sleet
9. Ice Cube’s birth name
10. Vassar alum and lewd gourmand
11. Brand name of ExxonMobil
12. “Gimme ___”, a plea for more time
13. Office furniture
19. Others (sp.)
21. Prefix of -potamia or -america
24. Vassar’s president
26. What you might be if you can’t read this
28. The Juliet is one of these, servicing Vassar students
29. Town
30. Graph line
31. Shell-less snail
32. University in New Rochelle
34. Precious mineral
35. Little ___, Darth Vader’s childhood nickname
37. Vassar’s home of Anthropology and Religion
41. Construct
42. French waters?
47. Disappointing rejection
49. Mario’s nemesis
50. Cook in layers of fat, such as a turkey
51. Above the rest
52. Status of last year’s frosh (pl)
53. ___ Scott, abolitionist who sued for his freedom
54. Give stars to
55. Progressive cry against the police
56. Short performance
58. Computer language compatible with HTML