Misc.10.15.2020

The Miscellany News

Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866

October 15, 2020

miscellanynews.org

Volume 154 | Issue 7

Prescription deliveries delayed

Lecture series challenges academia

Annabelle Wang

Lucille Brewster

Reporter

Assistant News Eidtor

A

s Vassar students learn to navigate life in the campus “bubble,” they have grown increasingly reliant on delivery services to obtain certain necessities or goods that are not readily available on the College’s grounds. For many students, these delivery services play a critical role in how they acquire medication. However, over the past couple of weeks, several students have voiced qualms about their personal experiences with medication delivery.

The two pharmacies that are available for delivery services are the Rite Aid on 238 Hooker Avenue and the CVS located at 722 Dutchess Turnpike.

Prior to this semester, Rite Aid and CVS delivered exclusively prescription medication to campus. But in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pharmaceutical providers agreed to deliver some over-the-counter medications and controlled substances.

Students in need of medication can have their health care provider send out the prescription to either Rite Aid or CVS. The students can then contact See DELIVERY on page 4

Inside this issue

9

FEATURES

Distanced roller disco? The Vassar College DJs accepted the challenge.

A

Above, a package container in the Vassar Mailroom. There is currently no system in place to prioritize prescription medications during mail processing. Courtesy of Renee Desantis.

s protests gained momentum across the country this summer in response to the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and other Black Americans, much of the media coverage described a renewed urgency propelling the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet for many in the Vassar community and beyond, the work of dismantling oppressive power structures began before this summer’s protests and continues to this day.

Professor of Africana Studies Jasmine Syedullah designed the lecture series “On Mattering: Voices from the Movement and Beyond” over the summer to lift up the voices of those organizing in the communities that have been most affected by anti-Black police violence. Syedullah explained that the framing of Black Lives Matter protests in the mainstream media focuses on individual actions of the police and responses of the protesters. Instead of seeing these groups as oppositional binaries, she wants to focus the conversation on the deeper carceral structures that enable and support policing.

“On Mattering” is a prime example of See LECTURE on page 5

AAS professor speaks on field's importance Helen Johnson Columnist

W

hen pre-registration began last spring, then-seniors Nicole Kormendi ’20 and Sylvia Peng ’20 impatiently opened AskBanner, eager to confirm that the class they had long cam-

paigned for would be offered next semester. And there it was—AMST/ASIA 185, Intro to Asian American Studies. Even though Kormendi and Peng were graduating, they were thrilled that incoming first-years would have the opportunity to take the

course, which is currently being taught by Vivian Truong, one of Vassar’s newest professors.

In addition to having been involved in the hiring process for Professor Truong, Kormendi and Peng were excited to see Intro to Asian American

Studies on the class schedule because they were two of the founding members of the Vassar Asian American Studies Working Group (VASAM), a pre-org pushing for Asian American Studies (AAS) courses—and, more broadly, Critical

Ethnic Studies classes—to be more widely available at Vassar.

VASAM was founded in November 2017 by members of Vassar’s Asian Student Alliance, but the history of the fight for AAS at Vassar goes all the way See AAS on page 9

45,000 Quilt Project illustrates ICE's inhumanity

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Abby Tarwater

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HUMOR

A very serious discussion with the dutiful civic youth of Vassar. Rock the vote!

12

OPINIONS

Trump benefited from socialized medicine, but he won't accept it.

Courtesy of James K. Cole.

Senior Editor

n 2019, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained an average of 45,000 asylum seekers each day in for-profit, taxpayer-funded and notoriously inhumane detention centers. With a number so large, the gravity and scope of the human rights abuses refugees regularly endure, from inadequate food and healthcare to forced hysterectomies, feel unfathomable.

Concord, MA-based activist Glen Ring found the long string of digits particularly astonishing.

However, she also realized the limitations of facts and figures.

“If someone just reads a number, it doesn’t make an impact,” she explained. “But if they have a visual to go along with that number, it’s much more powerful.”

She turned to art as a way to illustrate and honor the experiences of each person impacted by the United States’ immigration poli-

cies, from which the 45,000 Quilt Project was born. In her own words, “I just kind of dreamed it up.”

The 45,000 Quilt Project is a collaborative effort among more than 60 activists and artists across the United States and Mexico that will come to Vassar on Oct. 19.

Each square features hash-marks, each mark representing a current ICE detainee. Participants send their panels to New Hampshire, where a group of women stitch the pieces together to form what is becoming a massive product— when complete with all 45,000 marks, the quilt will be 45 feet long. Though each square is an individual effort, images such as butterflies and birds are common motifs.

“There’s a theme of freedom,” Ring reflected.

This project joins a rich history of quiltmaking as a collaborative, See QUILT on page 4

Page 2

October 15, 2020

COVID19 AT VASSAR 9,654

Total Tests Administered

THE MISCELLANY NEWS OCTOBER 15TH DATA VIA VASSAR TOGETHER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR SENIOR EDITORS

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Total Student Cases to Date

Aena Khan Ted Chmyz Taylor Stewart Abby Tarwater Duncan Aronson Jessica Moss Holly Schulman

Tiana Headley Olivia Watson Lucille Brewster ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Janet Song FEATURES EDITOR Jonas Trostle OPINIONS EDITOR Sawyer Bush ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR Meghan Hayfield ARTS EDITOR Nina Ajemian ASSISTANT ARTS EDITORs Leila Raines Isabella Migani HUMOR EDITOR Madi Donat ASSISTANT HUMOR EDITOR Alex Eisert SPORTS EDITORS Dean Kopitsky Natalie Bober SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Alison Carranza ASSISTANT SOCIAL MEDIA Sherry Liao ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Grace Rousell Jacqueline Gill COPY EDITORS Phoebe Jacoby Caitlin Patterson Juliette Pope GRAPHICS EDITOR VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGER Alexis Cerritos Alex Barnard AUDIO EDITOR Mrin Somani ASSISTANT AUDIO EDITOR Ben Scharf LIVE EVENTS CHAIRPERSON Emma Tanner BUSINESS MANAGER Logan Hyde ASSISANT BUSINESS MANAGER NEWS EDITORS

02

Total Employee Cases to Date

01

Total Active Cases

REPORTERS

COLUMNISTS

COPY STAFF

33

Lucy Leonard

For daily updates on Vassar's testing and cases, visit https://www.vassar.ed u/together/dashboard

CROSSWORD

Delila Ames Alysa Chen Olivia Diallo Rayan El Amine Sara Lawler Leila Raines Francisco Andrade Sawyer Bush Madison Caress Doug Cobb Rohan Dutta Helen Johnson Xin Rui Ong Taylor Gee Jason Han Jake Johnson Emma Kahn Tiffany Trumble Frank

CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only accept corrections for any misquotes, misrepresentations or factual errors for an article within the semester it is printed.

The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. Staff editorials are the only articles that reflect the opinion of a two-thirds majority of the Editorial Board.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

October 15, 2020

NEWS

Page 3

Students experience medication delivery backlogs, frustration Continued from DELIVERY on page 1 the appropriate pharmacy with their specific delivery instructions. They can opt for a no-contact direct delivery, in which they meet the delivery driver at a particular location and specified time, or the students can choose the mail order pharmacy option, which has the medication delivered straight to the Vassar Mailroom.

Many of the students who opted for the mail order pharmacy option have had difficulty receiving their medication on time.

After her medication delivery was a week late, Emilie Rose Parker ’22 decided to contact the Mailroom. She was told by the Mailroom staff that there was nothing under her name and was then directed to Central Receiving personnel, who informed her that her prescription had been delivered two weeks prior to her having contacted them.

At this point, Parker decided to contact Baldwin Health Services to arrange an appointment to retrieve a new prescription.

Shortly after she made her appointment, she received a new email in her inbox from the Mailroom saying that they had found her prescription after having lost it.

“I was extremely stressed,” Parker shared through email. “My prescription was overdue and the [M]ailroom was not helpful when I asked about it, giving me multiple messages and not being clear.”

Manager of the Mailroom and Copy Center Renee DeSantis detailed in an email how the United States Postal System (USPS) has a particular method of delivering to Vassar that can result in the lag in delivery time that students are experiencing.

The Vassar College Mailroom receives mail and packages on a daily basis from USPS. Packages are delivered to the Mailroom by the USPS in large postal containers.

The packages are not separated in any kind of order, and even overnight USPS packages are thrown in among the rest.

When packages arrive, they are individually scanned into the system by the Mailroom team, initiating the email notifications to students that their package

has arrived. Normally, all packages are processed on the day they arrive. However, during busy times like the beginning of the semester, when the Mailroom generally receives 10–15 large postal containers a day, it may take two days to notify students.

According to DeSantis, “Because all the packages are mixed together in the postal containers, and because the packaging doesn’t identify the package as medication, we don’t have a way to prioritize processing of medicine over other packages to help students receive their medicine faster.”

Another challenge posed by shipping through the USPS is that packages with tracking are marked “delivered” when the package arrives at the Arlington Post Office processing center. Because of this, the Mailroom staff cannot confirm if a package is on campus grounds or not. During the busy times, a package marked delivered may not make its way to Vassar from the Arlington processing center for two days.

Due to this process, DeSantis recommends students use shipping via UPS or FedEx if they are in need of medication immediately.

In addition to her struggles with communicating with the Mailroom, Parker has also been facing difficulties with Baldwin Health Services. She explained how she had a prescription at Rite Aid on 709 Main Street, but was told that they did not deliver when she called for confirmation. She then reached out to Baldwin and was notified that Rite Aid only delivered on the weekends. After this interaction, Parker followed up with Rite Aid and was notified that the only Rite Aid pharmacy with delivery capabilities was the one on Hooker Avenue.

Director of Health Services Margot Schinella confirmed that this Rite Aid is the only one with delivery capabilities in addition to the CVS on Dutchess Turnpike.

Reflecting on her experiences, Parker wrote, “The process was...extremely stressful, especially when my energy should go towards my schoolwork and sport and social life.”

She continued, “There needs to be more clarity from all parties about what is going on. Baldwin needs to have more consistent information and the [M]ailroom needs to be more organized in the event that they cannot track down a package.”

In Parker’s case, the medications were not extremely crucial or time-sensitive.

However, some students’ medications are time-sensitive, making it critical for them to receive their prescriptions on schedule.

One student anonymously reported that they were in need of an emergency refill since their prescription was not being delivered to the Mailroom on time.

In an emailed statement, they elaborated on their encounter. They tried to reach out to Health Services during the weekend, but were unable to obtain a prescription because the office was closed. The following Monday, they were able to see a Baldwin nurse who wrote them a prescription for an emergency refill and notified them to receive permission to leave campus to pick up their medication from Director of Case Management Erika Pappas. According to them, it took two days to receive a response from Pappas.

In another anonymous report, a student described their struggles acquiring birth control. This particular individual was in need of a prescription for Ella, an emergency contraceptive that is only effective if taken within five days of intercourse. CVS is the only chain store that carries this product.

After receiving a prescription from a Baldwin staff member, the student was notified that the closest CVS that carried Ella was in Newburgh, NY, approximately a half an hour away from campus. Although they were cleared to leave campus to pick up their prescription, Baldwin did not provide any transportation assistance. The student was told they could take an Uber. Instead, they were able to contact a friend who lives off campus to pick up their medication and bring it to them on campus.

At the end of their account, the individ-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

ual wrote, “Thank god I was able to call a friend who lives off campus and who has a car and he was able to pick it up for me and bring it to campus but otherwise I would've had to spend a ton of money on an Uber while endangering myself and others …

All this to say—Vassar should definitely be stocking Ella!!”

According to Schinella, Baldwin has been particularly focused on increasing the stock of emergency contraception such as Ella.

As of now, Schinella has contacted the Ella company to ensure the medication’s availability on campus. Additionally, Schinella has also been engaging in conversations with CHOICE representative Gillian Styring '22 to have Baldwin acquire a Pill Club membership to make birth control more accessible on campus.

Beyond birth control, Schinella has also been working to expand Baldwin’s stock of over-the-counter and prescription medications ever since she assumed the Director of Health Services position this past August. They now carry anything from calamine lotion to ibuprofen and several other over-the-counter pharmaceutical products.

They can also provide basic antibiotics such as azithromycin and amoxicillin.

Schinella stated, “We continue to expand [the supplies of over-the-counter and prescription medications] just so that we can meet the demands and keep people here and not have people go out.”

While Health Services tries to make adjustments to help students have better access to medication, they are still facing significant hurdles presented by COVID-19.

As Schinella said, “We have a lot of demand for a lot of different services. That’s been challenging.”

Despite these struggles, Schinella believes that the pandemic has presented an opportunity for growth: “It has had us all... reevaluate what we [do] and how we do it and how we can do better…We are trying to do everything we can to keep everyone safe and here on campus and will continue to do that.”

NEWS

Page 4

October 15, 2020

“On Mattering” re-examines traditional academic approach Continued from Lecture on page 1 multidisciplinary collaboration at Vassar.

It is both a virtual lecture series and a class students are taking for credit in Vassar’s Africana Studies Department. The class (AFRS-186) is co-taught by Syedullah and Professor of Religion Jonathon Kahn. Students in “On Mattering” participate in the lectures by doing contextual readings and engaging with the speakers. “Anti-Racist Learning Activism” (CLCS-121), which is taught by Professor of Hispanic Studies Eva Wood Peiró, also participates in and helps fund the lecture series. The lecture series is co-sponsored by the Dean of Faculty office, which also helped fund the series. Each installation is available online for the student body and are not restricted to students in these two classes. To get Zoom links for the remaining lectures, students can email jastrup@vassar.edu.

While “On Mattering” invites professors from universities such as American University and University of Texas to speak, the series also features organizers and activists who aren’t professional academics.

Activists from the Newburgh LGBTQ Center and Black Lives Matter Hudson Valley will host lectures this semester.

“The most cutting edge analysis and understanding of the movement is not coming from the academy,” explained Syedullah. “Academics are coming in after activists to theorize social change. It is so important to lift up knowledge being produced on the ground.”

Kahn concurred, adding, “While we on

campus are doing our best to inhabit one model of an ethical learning community, there are other models of ethical learning communities continuing their work. In particular, the activist communities we are speaking to continue to construct modes of knowing and being that we need to hear from.”

Syedullah explained that inviting organizers and activists to campus is not new for the Africana Studies Department. “On Mattering” is in the tradition of the student activists at Vassar in the 1960s and 1970s who organized to demand an academic curriculum that reflected the world they lived in. In 1969, the Black Studies Depart-

“Academics are coming in after activists to theorize social change. It is so important to lift up knowledge being produced on the ground."

SPRING SEMESTER

ment, later renamed Africana Studies, was established after 34 Black students at Vassar took over Main Building in protest.

Students participating in AFRS-186 emphasized the importance of hearing from similarly grassroots organizers at this political moment.

“There is a certain degree of knowledge that can only be obtained through experience,” commented Kareena Rudra ’24. “You can read all you want about some things and call yourself an expert, but there will always be a dissonance until you experience things yourself.”

Rudra mentioned Lisa “Tiny” Gray-Garcia and Leroy Moore as two speakers who re-imagined traditional notions of knowledge production in their talk. Their lecture on Sept. 30 was titled “No Matter How Many Times You Study Me it Doesn't Give Me A Home: Poverty SKolaz & Poverty SCholarship Inside Akademia.” Rudra explained, “They talked to us about the specific type of knowledge that comes from being poor, houseless, a person of color and being in any form of marginalized group.”

Hayley Craig ’22 also spoke about the effect of Gray-Garcia and Moore’s lecture.

“Their work questions the notion of who we consider to be scholars and centers the scholarship that is based on lived experience, struggle, survival and resistance,” Craig commented. “During their talk they were not afraid to criticize academic institutions like Vassar, which try to have a monopoly on learning.” Gray-Garcia co-founded POOR Magazine, which is an

PLAN A

indigenous-led arts and educational publication started in 1996. Moore writes for POOR Magazine and founded Krip-Hop Nation, a movement focused around amplifying the voices of disabled hip-hop artists.

While the lectures have been completely virtual, the Zoom format has not hindered the experience for the speakers and students. “[Zoom] actually makes this series really cool because it is easier for people outside of Vassar’s community to join in,” said Craig. Syedullah explained that since she began imagining this series during the summer, she created it knowing it would be virtual, which allowed students to hear from speakers all over the country.

Aspects of the virtual format created new methods for students to engage with speakers. Kahn explained that the chat function on Zoom has played a special role. “[The chat] allows each of us to express our gratitude and thoughts to speakers in new ways. If you think about it, an in-person lecture does not allow for so many voices to give specific words to what they are feeling.”

Students clicking on these Zoom links expecting a traditional college lecture would be surprised by what they find.

Beyond being virtual, the learning environment itself is challenging established practices in collegiate education by creating a space of community and care. “We are organizing an emergent conversational feeling that actually allows everyone to get life from the space,” said Syedullah.

39.8 %

As of Oct. 15, the student body has been presented with four possible plans for the spring 2021 semester. We polled our Instagram followers on what plan they liked best and received 341 responses. To

PLAN B

5.3 %

PLAN C

participate in our future polls, follow us on Instagram @themiscnews.

PLAN A: STUDENTS RETURN IN LATE JANUARY AND BEGIN CLASSES ON ZOOM UNTIL THE WEATHER WARMS PLAN B: STUDENT STAY HOME AND PARTICIPATE IN CLASSES REMOTELY UNTIL THE END OF FEBRUARY, AT WHICH POINT STUDENTS RETURN FOR IN-PERSON CLASSES

PLAN D

PLAN C: STUDENTS STAY OFF CAMPUS UNTIL MARCH, AND THEN RETURN FOR A DELAYED SEMESTER WITH IN-PERSON CLASSES. PLAN D: STUDENTS MOVE IN DURING MID-FEBRUARY AND BEGIN CLASSES IN LATE-FEBRUARY

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

45.7 %

9.1 %

October 15, 2020

ARTS

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Loeb student committee revives Smith sculpture 'Equinox' Leila Raines

Assistant Arts Editor

O

n July 29, while most students were off campus, the Student Advisory Committee for the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center uncovered a piece that had been hiding in storage for years. “Equinox” is a sculpture created by artist and pioneer in American minimalism Tony Smith in 1968 and later given to the College in the 1980s

by Marjorie Frankenthaler Iseman ’43. The work has found its new home right next to the entrance of the Bridge building, on the side closest to Olmsted.

Smith was best known for his monolithic, geometric sculptures. Especially when placed in natural environments, these monochromatic pieces challenge the space around them, morphing into voids and pockets of empty space that interrupt the flow of life and energy of the surrounding scenery. In the most recent biannual newsletter for the Loeb, Anne Hendricks Bass Director of the Loeb T. Barton Thurber highlighted the defining qualities of “Equinox”: “Produced in 1968 in an edition of six, the 450-pound, black-painted, welded-steel construction is comprised of smooth surfaces and symmetrical shapes that highlight the intersection between positive and negative space.”

The title of the piece, “Equinox,” references its connection to the astronomical phenomenon, linking the sculpture to the natural world. “An equinox, the moment when the earth’s equator passes through the center of the sun, is reflected in the perpendicular intersection of the sculpture’s major axes. It can be read as an abstracted, geomet-

ric model of a natural occurrence,” wrote Jack Mahoney ’22 in the piece’s label.

The sculpture plays with negative space, especially through the emptiness that weaves through and around the piece. As one circles the sculpture, its shape seems to change, revealing spots of empty space only visible from one vantage point. “It can seem a little not super engaging at first, but I

started working to find a new place to put the sculpture. The project gave the students a valuable opportunity to facilitate and lead the process of reviving a piece of art.

“Having a student direct and lead and kind of control the elements of this project was really important, because I don’t think so many opportunities are afforded to students in general of that nature,” said Temishi On-

Juliette Pope/The Miscellany News. think it’s really cool when you look at it closer,” Mahoney commented during a Zoom meeting with the Committee. “It changes how it looks when you look around it.”

Upon finding the sculpture in the basement of the Loeb, the Student Advisory Committee, a group of student ambassadors for the museum who strive to engage the student body and the wider Poughkeepsie community with the Loeb collection,

nekikami ’21.

The students initially debated whether the sculpture should be placed outside, since its effect on the viewer relies on its interaction with the natural world. However, they found that an outdoor sculpture would require more maintenance, like putting a film coating on the piece to protect it from the natural elements. So the Committee’s search shifted to indoor locations. “We

talked about choosing the Bridge because it bridged the gap between the arts and the sciences, and it seemed like a natural place,” commented Loeb Coordinator of Membership, Events and Volunteer Services Francine Brown. Thus, the Committee settled on the Bridge. The architecture of the new building draws from the surrounding landscape, proving to be a complementary spot for the piece. “We had a few different places picked out, but when we finally decided to put it where it is now, it just fit perfectly with the natural landscape behind it,” said Committee member Emma Iadanza ’22.

After years of laying dormant in storage, the sculpture has finally found its new and permanent home, greeting visitors as they enter and leave the building. In its new spot, “Equinox” simultaneously draws energy from both the architecture of the building and the vivid world right outside, transforming the object into a void that continuously challenges the reality of its surrounding space. As one directly approaches it, the view of the vibrant green leaves of the trees and bushes outside contrast with the dark metal, transforming the piece into a near black hole against a landscape brimming with life. “Now that it’s finally on display, it does feel more alive; it has a certain vivacity to it that wasn’t there when it was sitting sadly in the basement,” Iadanza commented.

So next time you are strolling through the Bridge, whether for class or to grab a meal from the Bridge Cafe, stop by the building’s newest addition. The Committee will be streaming on Instagram Live (@loeb_committee and @theloeb) on Oct. 25 to inform students of the art the Loeb has to offer.

45,000-square quilt representing immigrants featured at Vassar Continued from Quilt on page 1 therapeutic and community-building medium. It particularly evokes the famous AIDS Quilt, a massive communal art piece that successfully drew attention to the epidemic in the 1980s. Quiltmaking has also historically been employed as a healing mechanism for female survivors of violence, rape and war-induced trauma. Professor of History and Founder of the Consortium for Forced Migration Maria Höhn opined, “The quilt is, of course, in that same tradition of protest and advocacy.”

Local activist and board member of NYbased grassroots movement Grannies Respond/Abuelas Responden Valerie Carlisle alerted the Consortium of Forced Migration of the project back in March; but it took several months to finally display the quilt due to COVID complications. Department of Earth Science and Geography Lab Coordinator Richard Jones eventually forged the plan to make the exhibit both low-risk and interactive with the broader Hudson Valley community. The quilt will be outdoors—on the Library Lawn on Monday and Tuesday, then in the Sculpture Garden from Wednesday through Sunday—providing ample room to view the piece in a socially-distanced manner. After leaving campus, the project will be presented on Main Street, in churches downtown and eventually at Bard College. “[The exhibit] is a new opportunity to really show how agile we can be in times of crisis,” Höhn stated.

Connecting the exhibit to the rest of New York is especially vital given the state’s high number of ICE detention centers, which exist in Albany, throughout Dutchess County and right in Poughkeepsie.

As Höhn noted, “Though the border is so

far away from us, [immigration] actually affects us all, and it’s in all of our names... having this on campus can encourage students to learn about what it means to have this in our own backyards.”

Jones expressed a similar sentiment: “It extends beyond the border; it’s our whole system.”

It’s impossible for any one project to convey the breadth of the crisis. As Jones put it, “It’s hard to know how to address something as hideous as this.” However, the quilt at the very least forces the viewer to contemplate the human experience behind each mark. “For me, seeing a number that large, and knowing every single one of those people is suffering in some way—that hits me right in the gut,” Jones reflected.

“Knowing what those marks have been applied as really knocks you over.”

The quilt depicts a harrowing issue via beauty and brightness; though varied, the artists almost ubiquitously took an optimistic approach to their visualizations.

Consortium of Forced Migration member Matthew Brill-Carlat ’19 reflected, “We are not recreating these images of violence against people who are migrating, but we’re still conveying the seriousness of the situation.” Höhn evaluated the benefits of this ethos: “It’s a more abstract description...but every artist who works does so to shed humanity—you don’t just make art for yourself or the people in your village or town, but to speak to something larger.”

Jones added, “[The quilt] is a nonaggressive but unyielding statement on right and wrong.” The piece is also thought-provoking in its inherent juxtaposition: the artists use the quilt, a symbol of home and warmth, to demonstrate homelessness, abuse and desperation.

Courtesy of James K. Cole.

The project is not explicitly political.

However, given the exhibition’s proximity to the election, it pushes viewers to consider where their elected officials lie on this issue. As Chair of the City of Poughkeepsie Arts Commission Jeff Afman stated, “This one is definitely not a political statement—but then again, it is. It’s pointing out a failure of our society and of our government, and makes you question if what we’re doing is right. I think that’s a valuable role for art.” Höhn notes how the exhibit not only calls attention to ICE, but also to other pressing topics this election cycle. “The quilt speaks to the specific issue of detention, but it also speaks to much

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

larger issues in our country—incarceration of people of color, the injustices in the judicial system, the poverty of children not getting healthcare or not getting internet access to come to school,” she mused. “[The quilt] reflects much much larger social and traumatic challenges right now in our own country and our own democracy.”

The 45,000 Quilt Project is ultimately a space for empathy, solidarity and reflection. It presents a sorely needed opportunity amidst election season to ponder an issue that, though sometimes forgotten between cycles of outrage, is particularly critical. Carlisle promised, “You will learn, and you will open your heart.”

ARTS

October 15, 2020

Page 6

Notes on a Playlist: "Modern Mixtape From a Friend"

Flower, flower, do you know,

W

hether it’s a Zoom icebreaker or a friendship deal breaker, it always comes back to one inescapable question: What kind of music do you listen to? I stumble on this query every time I encounter it. As someone who was homeschooled for 11 years and thus grew up very sheltered, I have always felt like I missed out on that formative stage where everyone figures out their music taste. My exposure to music was extremely limited, consisting solely of what my dad put on my iPod Shuffle: the entire Beatles discography, a very vibrant Irish/Scottish folk album and a whole lot of classical (his subtle way of hinting that he wanted me to follow in his pianist footsteps). Oh, and don’t forget the how-to-learn-Spanish audio recordings.

After a cross-country move from California to Virginia and a shift from homeschool to public school, I gradually familiarized myself with the essentials. New friends shared their favorite music—or, more often, introduced me to all of the iconic artists I somehow didn’t know. It took a while. I vividly remember my first friend in middle school asking me if I liked Queen.

I answered, “Of course, I love her!” That was not the right answer.

I’ve come to realize that my relationship with music is very different from most people’s. While music is a strong emotional outlet and form of escapism for so many, especially in my generation, I grew up rarely listening to it. My downloaded songs were really only meant for long drives and road trips, and the closest I ever got to listening to music at home was the radio set to the classical and opera stations in my Nana’s apartment. The facts were the facts: I came to public school with a severe music deficiency.

It’s taken a while, but I’ve made it (sort of) thanks to the help of my dearest friends who let me into their hearts by sharing with me the music that means so much to them. I discussed this never-ending feeling of catch-up with one of my closest friends, Laura, during quarantine, and she made me a playlist, titled “Glenna’s Vibe Request.” I was ecstatic. A 64-song playlist that not only exposed me to new music, but also allowed me to feel closer to her. A modern mixtape from a friend.

The playlist checks all of the nonexistent boxes I have for music. Laura describes it as “The Four Seasons as presented through the pastoral lens,” which gives major cottagecore vibes. The music’s dreamy aesthetic, coupled with the soft, calming classical pieces she used to introduce each “season,” instantly made the playlist my go-to for breaks during quarantine. I started taking walks to get away from my loud and extremely crowded home, as well as to just process the newfound dread and overwhelm that consumed my life. My senior year of high school was taken from me, and that didn’t just mean canceled competitions and concerts. The academic year came to an anticlimactic close, and I missed out on the last few months with my best friends before we went our separate ways to colleges in three different states. A bittersweet ending.

And so I escaped. I finally understood my peers. I walked and walked and walked, listening to the familiar classical music and Beatles songs, but also the unfamiliar Simon & Garfunkel and Vampire Weekend. I let my emotions run wild to the original theme from “Pride and Prejudice,” and lost myself in Weezer’s “Island In The Sun.” Nostalgia rang with “The Garden/ All in the Golden Afternoon” from “Alice In Wonderland,” and a new sentiment grew from The Velvet Underground’s “After Hours.” I took Yusuf/Cat Steven’s “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” to heart and wore my heart on my sleeve, embracing the deep vulnerability music offered to me.

I am forever grateful to everyone who helped me on my journey of musical discovery by giving me access to the deep recesses of their personal Spotify accounts. I can now confidently label my music taste as indie and bedroom pop (with the exception of punk rock band The Regrettes) and even name-drop my favorite artists as Hozier, Clairo and Mxmtoon. Because of COVID, I couldn’t be with Laura in person, but the intimacy of a personalized playlist was enough to retain the deep connection across physical distance.

Playlist By Laura Madler Words By Glenna Gomez

Eternal Beauty you bestow?

In pews of red, green, & blue, O, do you know who made you?

For Beauty would like Moses roam,

"Flower Poem" Liam MiyarMullan Class of 2022

Without a brain to call its home, Had you not been seen by me, If not for me, what would you be?

Nor larking, lolling, living there, Of Cruelty are you aware, & never once the question “Why?” Until your colors reached my eye.

I give you Beauty as a gift, Cruelty I pass & thrift, & in return you give to me: The beads of Pleasure’s rosary.

Simons, Prada collab (only) pleases Massimo Tarridas

T

Guest Columnist

here was a great deal of excitement surrounding Prada’s announcement that Raf Simons would join Miuccia Prada as co-creative designer. However, it was perhaps unmerited. Simons had already worked for one of Prada Group’s former brands, Jil Sander, from 2005 to 2012, in addition to his previous tenure at Dior. And it’s an excitement that continues to be unmerited, given that their first collection together is nothing more than a very simple merging of their two respective aesthetics.

After the show’s video presentation, Prada and Simons answered questions from fans around the world—but beforehand, Prada delivered a small introduction. She stated that there were three main concerns for this collection: the relationship between technology, textiles and models; the opportunity to show off clothing through a socially-distanced show; and sustainability and inclusivity. On paper, all three of these goals were met in mutually supportive ways. Floating cameras replaced hordes of journalists and screens displayed the names of the models walking. The amount of cameras present meant lots of coverage and close-up slow-motion takes of the clothes themselves, without the distractions of a live show. Finally, all the models are first time catwalkers, and Prada’s famous nylon is in the process of being replaced by a recycled version.

All of these details are extraneous to the garments themselves, which are fine but unremarkable. This seems to be a purposeful design choice: Simons responded passionately to a question about uniforms, both true and metaphorical, saying that the idea is something that he and Prada have discussed extensively. For them, a good uniform expresses something timeless and per-

sonal on a consistent basis, functioning as a foundation for other high fashion items that are more obvious statement pieces. There are many looks in the collection that seem to be drawn directly from this notion, as except for the contrasting footwear, they are mostly monochromatic.

Prada and Simons also talked at length about the idea of “newness” in fashion, which they both relinquish responsibility in upholding. Simons thinks that the younger generation is responsible for the avant-garde, and that people who have been in the industry for a few decades should look to honing their existing design language; Prada declares that “new is the nightmare of every single designer” and “our present is done with our past.” This sentiment can be plainly seen in details such as references to a Prada pattern from 1996 and the motif of the cut-out holes, which Simons has employed before. The holes themselves could be a haute couture interpretation of Simon’s early distressing, yet instead of a frayed hole meant to look like wear and tear, it’s one that has been cleaned up so that it can mingle with the high status of Prada. The mock necks of some sweaters and dresses are also stamped with the Prada logo, an allusion to Simons doing the same at Calvin Klein. More subtly, all the coats are tied via the model’s hand clutching both lapels, a reference to Simon’s final collection at Jil Sander where he used the same styling technique.

The references to Simons’s first collections continues through a collaboration with artist Peter de Potter, with whom Simons has worked since the early 2000s and whose graphics are now screen-printed onto fine silk skirts and slip-on dresses. Moments like these clearly encapsulate the old-world allure of Prada meshing with Simons’ industrial minimalism. The result is

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

jarring and occasionally pleasing, but not enough to warrant a great deal of interest. It is mostly what it sounds like: graphics screen-printed atop staple womenswear items. Not to say that there aren’t interesting garments and looks—the pointy kitten heels are kind of funny, many of the aforementioned clutch-coats display a kind of elegant strictness, and the skirts are gorgeous in their drape and silhouette. The allblack portion of the show is ripe with plays on texture, fabric and accessories that seem to constrain as much as they adorn. In fact, the second half of the show is much better than the first, mostly because it eschews obnoxiously plastering the house’s logo across the chest.

When Prada and Simons were asked if their cooperative process involved subtraction or addition, they answered that they are doing both at the same time. They also said they found the collaboration very “natural,” and that it was easier emotionally, psychologically and intellectually to share the burden of creation with another person. Given the results of their partnership, I’d agree that it certainly seemed relatively easy… in all the business of their subtracting and adding, they ended up in some strange middle-ground, where things are pretty, but not exactly moving.

VIa Nylon.com.

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October 15, 2020

A look back at the life, work and legacy of Elizabeth Bishop '34 I

Ava Thompson Guest Columnist

nscribed on each of the granite benches outside of the Deece is a quote from Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry. The quotes center around themes of love, time, nature, war and change. The benches, designed by conceptual artist Jenny Holzer in honor of Vassar President Frances Daly Fergusson’s 20-year anniversary, were made from the Laurentian Mountain in Canada and invite students to take a peaceful moment and reflect on the words of one of their predecessors.

A member of the Vassar College Class of 1934, Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short-story writer whose vibrant poetry propelled her to nationwide fame.

Born in Worcester, MA, Bishop endured a difficult childhood; her father died when she was eight months old, and her mother was admitted to a mental hospital when she was five. After her mother’s admission, Bishop constantly moved between family members, first to her maternal grandparents, then to her paternal grandparents and then finally to her maternal aunt, whose husband Bishop described as “sadistic.” During the years spent with her paternal grandparents, Bishop fell very ill with asthma and an unspecified skin disease, from which she came very close to dying.

Throughout her childhood, Bishop developed a sense of being unanchored, which would later become a common theme in her poetry.

Bishop began writing poetry when she came to Vassar in 1929. While she originally wanted to be a composer, Bishop ultimately decided on an English concentration because of her fear of performance.

She co-founded “Con Spirito” (1933), a rebellious campus literary magazine, alongside Mary McCarthy; McCarthy would later write “The Group,” one of the most famous literary depictions of Vassar women. In Bishop’s senior year, a Vassar librarian connected her to fellow poet Marianne Moore.

Moore helped Bishop publish her poems in the “Trial Balances” anthology, from which they developed a close relationship.

After Vassar, Bishop traveled the world and continued writing poetry. She eventually took up permanent residence in

Europe with a Vassar classmate and wrote poems based on her travel experiences, including “Paris, 7 a.m.” and “Brazil, January 1, 1502.” . Bishop deeply admired and advocated for Brazilian poets. She translated Brazilian poems into English and often drew inspiration from the Brazilian landscape for her own work.

Bishop did not cover her personal life or socialist politics in her poetry, and favored older, more traditional styles like the 39line sestina structure. She approached topics like death, childhood and identity with a detached and detailed voice. Because Bishop was highly advanced in both technique and ear, critics found her to be among the most naturally talented poets of her generation.

Though an ardent feminist, Bishop re-

“[Bishop's] poems are funny. The words pop off the page.”

- Professor Barbara Page fused publication in anthologies that only featured women’s poetry. She found such a gender-based division condescending, preferring to be published alongside other top poets, regardless of gender. In the end, Bishop did become one of the leading poets of her generation. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1956 for her collection “Poems: North & West—A Cold Spring,” which featured detailed, realist poetry set in easily identifiable geographical locations from her travels. She won the National Book Award in 1970 for her complete anthology, and received the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1976 for her lifetime achievements. Bishop died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1979. While not a household name, her legacy looms large among scholars of American poetry and, perhaps, among Vassar students looking

Above are benches inscribed with Elizabeth Bishop '34's poetry.

Juliette Pope/The MIscellany News for a place to sit.

Former Professor of English Barbara Page and poetry editor of the New Yorker Alice Quinn advised the project to feature

Bishop’s poetry on Vassar benches. They honor a celebrated alumna of Vassar College, and remind Vassar students of their connection to one of the greats.

Skunks? Deer? Squirrels? A new Vassar Instagram trend Sashinka Poor

O

Guest Reporter

ver the past few months, several Vassar students have made Instagram accounts dedicated to the skunks, deer and squirrels frequently spotted on campus.

Each account follows the same format, posting student-submitted photos and videos (which, though often blurry, are indisputably adorable) of their respective animals. And though some of these accounts have proved nearly as popular as @vassar_ memes in its heyday, less well known are their origin stories.

The original and most popular account is @skunksofvassar, which boasts 587 followers as of Oct. 12. The owners, who wish to remain anonymous, had been spending more time outdoors due to COVID-19 regulations, and they observed a marked increase in the number of skunks taking strolls around campus. “We took quite a liking to the skunks and had the idea to catalog our sightings on an Instagram account,” the owners said. “The rest is history.” Since their first post on Sept. 11, their influence has grown quickly, trailblazing what can now be called a verifiable Vassar Instagram trend.

“We never in a million years expected to start a woodland creature revolution on campus,” they said. @deerofvassar, which has amassed 515 followers as of Oct. 12, was inspired by the Vassar community’s ability to interact with the nature around them.“This account is dedicated to celebrating the beauty of the deer on Vassar’s campus…

I wanted to recognize that we are coexisting with them and unite all the students that appreciate the animals’ beauty,” the owner said. @squirrelsofvassar’s owner believes that the circumstances of students’ return to campus have helped these accounts grow more quickly. “I think it makes sense that these types of accounts are popping up around campus this year because we’re all forced in a way to spend more time outside,” the owner said. “By sharing exciting moments in nature, we’re all learning to be more aware of our surroundings, which I think is a lovely byproduct of the times.”

The owner of the account was inspired by the @skunksofvassar and @deerofvassar, and began the account on Sept. 19 while procrastinating on an essay. “I be-

came focused on squirrels in particular because I eat a lot of my meals on the lawn between Joss and Jewett, a notable hotspot of squirrel activity,” they shared. “Also I have really enjoyed watching the antics of New York squirrels because at my house

“We never in a million years expected to start a woodland creature revolution on campus.”

-@skunksofvassar on the West Coast we basically only have ground squirrels, which are much less

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

lively.” @squirrelsofvassar so far has the fewest followers of the three accounts, pulling in at a measly 303, but it is also the newest. “The slow growth rate in followers compared to the other animal accounts is a tad disheartening, but I have faith that squirrels will win over the hearts and Instagram feeds of Vassar students,” the owner said.

Each account has grand plans for the future. @deerofvassar plans to keep the account running until the owner’s graduation, at which point they plan to do a face reveal. @squirrelsofvassar hopes to collaborate with some other accounts, perhaps getting a skunk, deer and squirrel all in the same photo. @skunksatvassar hopes to continue inspiring intrepid nature photographers to document their work (the newest iteration of the trend is @grassofvassar). “We have so much love for every other student who joined the revolution to celebrate everything from deer to squirrels, and even grass!” the students who run @skunksofvassar said. “Thank you to everyone who helped us grow and who shows love to Vassar’s skunks!”

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October 15, 2020

Greek and Lebanese baklava: two sweet, simple recipes Lukas Johnson

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Guest Columnist

rowing up as descendants of Lebanese immigrants, my younger sister and I had one thing on our minds at all times: baklava. This luxurious sugary treat made from a homemade syrup and layers of thin crispy phyllo dough is both delicious and incredibly fun to make. I will often use one of two recipes: one originating from Greece, the other from Lebanon.

Both have very similar constructions, but differ in the homemade syrup and spices used. Making baklava takes a while, but if you ever have a weekend day with nothing to do, just the smells of honey, spices and dough filling up the kitchen make the time commitment absolutely worth it. The recipe below makes a lot, so be sure to share with your friends (and hopefully me)!

Baklava/Baklawa: Ingredients: Syrup (Greek): 1 cup water 1 cup sugar 1 cup honey 1 cinnamon stick orange peel

Syrup (Lebanese): 4 cups sugar 2 cups water 1 squeeze lemon juice (fresh lemon tastes better) 2 teaspoons rose water 2 teaspoons orange blossom water Pastry: 1 lb toasted walnuts

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground cloves 16 oz packaged phyllo dough, thawed 1½ cups butter Directions: Make the syrup: For the Greek variety: Mix water, sugar, honey, cinnamon and orange peel in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

For the Lebanese variety: Mix water and sugar in a medium pot. Put on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved; then boil for five to seven minutes, letting it thicken slightly. Add lemon juice and rose and orange blossom water. Store with a small slice of lemon in the refrigerator once cooled.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Process walnuts, cinnamon and cloves in a food processor until finely ground. If you don’t have access to a food processor, place them in a plastic bag or fold under a dishcloth, then smash with a rolling pin.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.

Brush a 9-13” (or similar, I usually use a casserole dish) pan with butter and place a layer of phyllo at the bottom. Brush again with butter and place another layer. Repeat until you have seven layers of phyllo.

Spread about a quarter of the ground walnut mixture evenly on top. Add five more layers of phyllo and butter. Repeat three times, spacing out walnut layers with five layers of buttered phyllo, until all walnut mixture is used up; then finish with seven layers of phyllo over the last walnut layer.

Brush top with butter one more time.

Trim any phyllo dough sticking out with a sharp knife, then cut into 24 even triangles (first cut into 12 even squares, then cut each square in half diagonally).

The lemon and waters provide a more subtle fruity taste while the cinnamon and honey create a very strong sense of pure sweetness and comfort.

When working with phyllo, remember it is very thin and will rip and tear easily.

It’s not a huge deal if a layer does break, but be careful and gentle when handling and brushing with butter.

Place the pan of baklava in the oven and bake for about 50 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and immediately pour syrup over the dish, making sure it is as evenly distributed as possible and fills every crack. For Greek version, you can use all of your syrup, while for the Lebanese you only need 1-1½ cups. Let sit for four hours to allow the syrup to soak in. Serve at room temperature and store leftovers in an airtight container either refrigerated or at room temperature.

A few notes on phyllo and baklava: Yes, there's a lot of butter and sugar. It is worth it. However, it is very rich, so I wouldn't recommend eating too much at once.

As for the difference between Lebanese and Greek: it is really a personal preference.

Greek is much more common, but the Lebanese version tends to be a little lighter and with a noticeable difference in flavor palette.

Baklava is a sugary treat made from homemade syrup and layers of crispy phyllo dough. Lukas Johnson provides two recipes: one Greek, the other Lebanese. The two varieties have differences in sweetness and flavor.

Courtesy of Lukas Johnson

Zooming through the semester, in more ways than one Monika Sweeney Guest Reporter

S

ome recurring Vassar sightings include: chicken nuggets in The Retreat, skunks waddling across Noyes Circle and a miniature pink Lamborghini speeding all over campus.

For those who could have sworn they saw a miniature pink Lamborghini traversing the quad, rest assured that your sleep-deprived mind has not been playing tricks on you. Xia Lai ’24 has been zooming all around campus in her new wheels since mid-September.

Shipped straight from Amazon to Vassar College, this mini machine has been leaving students completely awestruck.

Adrianna Guarino ’24 said of her first lambo sighting: “I felt inadequate as a student because I’m not pulling up with the drip.”

As for what prompted her to suddenly splurge on this fresh set of wheels, it all stems back to years of joking with her dad about getting a Lamborghini and Ferrari. Lai decided to beat her dad to the punch, or in other words, “When in Rome, ride around on your pink Lambo like the Romans did,” she exclaimed.

She added, “I love riding in it, not just because it’s a power move, but also because it

““I felt inadequate as a student because I’m not pulling up with the drip.”

- Adrianna Guarino '24

puts a smile on every person I pass.”

Lamborghina (the full name of the legendary pink automobile) was met with nothing but support from Lai’s family, fellow students, faculty and even security guards.

“My grandma even insisted on pictures to flex on her friends,” Lai proudly stated. Lai,

“I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel a little famous.”

- Xia Lai '24 who was originally nervous about flaunting her new wheels around campus, has been the subject of numerous compliments, Instagram features and Snapchat stories.

“I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little famous,” she admitted.

So when can you see this bad boy out on the streets? Lai, who rides Lamborghina almost daily to swimming and fencing practice, also takes her for some quick spins around Sunset Lake or occasionally to Central Receiving. One of her reasons for getting it was simply to shave time off her frequent trips to and from Walker for practices. Lai’s next destination is most likely the Farm, or over to Skinner Hall for her own personal drive-in concert experience.

Lai is pretty particular about who gets to ride in her new wheels.

“I really don’t want her to break in less than a semester...I didn’t get her just to flex,” she affirmed. Additionally, she reminds students that the car was not cheap, and to keep in mind it was designed for three to five-year olds. However, if you happen to live on the seventh floor of Jewett with Lai, you are most likely to have special privileges for driving

Pictured above is Xia Lai '24 and her miniature pink Lamborghini, which she has lovingly named Lamborghina. Courtesy of Xai Lai Lamborghina.

If you are not one of the lucky few, but are still looking for a chance to take her out for a spin, “I’m definitely not above being bribed with a drink and some snacks,” Lai noted.

As a car with an ON button, two speeds, and a gear shift, it is extremely simple to drive, whether a five-year-old or a college student is in the driver’s seat. In addition to an AUX cord and built-in jams, it also has a safety feature.

“Parental mode engages a remote that came with it, so if you have an intoxicated friend, one could always zoom ‘em back home,” she explained.

As for exactly how fast one can zoom around campus, Lai said, “People ask me if it’s effective, and to that I’d say ask the fencing team. When we go to dinner, I leave them in my slightly-faster-than-walking-bougielambo-dust!” One anonymous fencer joking-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

ly stated, “As if our social status couldn’t get any worse. We don’t need any more bad PR.” At the end of the day, Lamborghina is housed in Jewett’s common room to charge.

Lai usually drives to the back of Jewett, pops out the handle and mini-wheels and swiftly rolls it into the elevator.

She added, “But if I’m feeling extra spicy, sometimes I’ll drive it down the ramp and all the way into the elevator and up to our floor.”

For those interested in their own fresh set of wheels to ride from class to class or even just to the Deece for a late lunch, this model includes a portable handle, storage space, an LED light and an AUX cord. We could all take a lesson from Lai’s book and learn to make the most of an otherwise complicated and stressful year.

“Honestly sometimes you just gotta say f*** it-—I’m buying a pink Lambo and I’m going to have an amazing time.”

October 15, 2020

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The future of Asian-American Studies: A talk with Vivian Truong Continued from AAS on page 1 back to 1979, when the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF) movement reached Vassar and Asian American students called for an AAS program. Then, in 1991, the Asian Student Alliance planned a protest day to advocate for AAS at Vassar and ask that the demands from 12 years prior be met. These demands have yet to be fulfilled.

Today, Vassar does offer a correlate for AAS, but according to VASAM member Gabor Ptacek ’22, “It’s very difficult to fill the correlate because there’s just not a very consistent offering of courses. People will be using courses that aren’t related to AAS to fill that correlate, just for the sake of having it.”

Ptacek, who is from the San Francisco Bay Area, said that his high school offered more AAS classes than Vassar. “That’s messed up,” he opined. “This is something I would have wanted to study. I would have probably majored in AAS if it was offered here.” For many of the students involved in VASAM, seeing themselves represented in their classes and professors is an essential but missing aspect of their education. Johnson Lin ’21, another student involved in VASAM, said he hardly learned any Asian American history throughout middle and high school: “It’s such a big void in terms of my knowledge, and it’s something that obviously means a lot to me as someone who cares a lot about the Asian American community.”

As Ptacek points out, AAS isn’t just for Asian Americans: “It’s a big part of American Studies broadly, that American Studies people should be learning about. It’s not just for Asian people, the same way that Africana Studies is not just for Black people, the same way that Latinx studies is not just for Latinx people. They’re all so interconnected, and that’s also why Critical Ethnic Studies is something VASAM is pushing for in tandem with AAS.” One of the largest barriers students face in studying AAS is the lack of professors who can teach these classes. The AAS correlate is understaffed and draws on professors who cannot always teach AAS classes because they are also obligated to teach within their own departments. Sometimes, if these professors are on leave, there will not be any AAS classes offered in a semester.

This most recently happened in Fall 2019.

In light of the once again lacking course catalogue, VASAM took it upon themselves to teach an entirely student-led, anti-institutional, un-credited AAS class that met

weekly and included an end-of-semester showcase complete with art, photography, essays, poetry, critical theory, and presentations.

That is why hiring new professors is so vital to VASAM’s goals. The group worked with the Asian Studies and American Studies departments last year to get a tenure-track line for an AAS professor approved by the Vassar administration, and they hope to have that professor hired by next fall. In the meantime, Professor Truong was hired last spring as a Post Doctoral Fellow in American Studies and Asian Studies. “She’s an amazing professor,” said Ptacek, who is in the AAS intro class.Professor Truong got her BA in Ethnic Studies from Brown University in 2012 and her PhD from the Department of American Culture at the University of Michigan. In her own words, she is “a community-engaged historian who takes an intersectional and comparative approach to the study of Asian American movements.” Truong also coordinates a public history project that partners with the grassroots organization Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV) Organizing Asian Communities and documents over three decades of Asian American community organizing in New York. Her current research project, “Whose City? Our City! Asian American and Multiracial Movements against Police Violence in New York,” examines how policing was a form of state-sanctioned removal for Asian American communities in New York. She is also participating in the A/P/A Voices: A COVID-19 Public Memory Project.

This week, I asked Professor Truong about her experience teaching AAS at Vassar.

The Miscellany News: What made you want to teach at Vassar?

Vivian Truong: It was mostly the students. Hearing about the history of the students really fighting for AAS at Vassar and being moved that the students—when they didn’t have any classes for a particular semester—actually ended up organizing their own course, and seeing the really amazing syllabus that they put together that they ended up teaching to each other in the absence of having AAS classes at Vassar that were formally offered. I was really inspired by a lot of the student efforts that were made in the years leading up to this position.

The Misc: You have several areas of research, including Asian American

Studies, urban history, and women of color feminisms. Have you always been interested in teaching Asian American Studies specifically?

Truong: I’ve seen these fields as interconnected, so looking at Asian American communities particularly in urban areas and how they’ve contributed to those cities, [as well as] understanding how Asian American women have contributed to feminist movements alongside other women of color. So I really kind of see these as interconnected. I was really drawn to these various fields as an undergrad, thinking about my own experiences growing up in Brooklyn and about the forms of housing and educational segregation that still existed. Being able to take these classes in AAS and Urban Studies and Women’s Studies [helped me] to think about my own experiences and to be able to name these things that I had grown up with. I think I’ve always had that kind of focus on AAS, but these other fields I see as kind of intersecting with AAS. The Misc: This semester you are teaching Intro to Asian American studies; what other types of classes are you hoping to teach at Vassar?

Truong: The classes I’m going to be teaching next semester are the Chinatowns class and a class on Asian American Archives.

That’s in part inspired by the students’ efforts to document all of the struggles for AAS here at Vassar. They’ve been collecting a lot of the documents that have been produced from the past couple of years, but also previous efforts from the 2000s and earlier to push for these kinds of classes.

I’m also working with a couple of public history projects, one that focuses on Asian American experiences of the pandemic, and I want students to be able to contribute to that, and also an archiving project that’s partnering with an organization in New York City that organizes low-income Asian immigrants and refugees. So [the focus is] getting students to really engage in the practice of archiving Asian American history.

The Misc: There is a long history of the fight for Asian American Studies at Vassar. Are you excited to be teaching a discipline that many Vassar students have fought long and hard for?

Truong: It is really exciting. I think it’s also in a lot of ways humbling, to know that students have been pushing for this current

class, the Intro to AAS class, for years now.

I think in some ways it kind of feels like things are finally coming together for students and that they finally had this victory.

It feels like a lot of pressure in some ways to meet these expectations of students who have been pushing for this for years, but at the same time, I think it’s a really exciting moment to actually have this class be offered, even in the midst of the current conditions we have to teach and learn in.

The Misc: What is it like being a new professor during COVID-19?

Truong: It’s really difficult because I, of course, was imagining teaching this class in person, and a lot of the students who are in the class now have decided not to come back to campus, so it is all online. So it’s been kind of a learning curve to really adapt a syllabus I would otherwise have taught differently in different circumstances from this semester. I miss seeing students in person and being able to have those faceto-face interactions, but at the same time know that we’re trying to prioritize safety and access.

The Misc: What do you hope to see for the future of Asian American Studies at Vassar specifically or at other primarily white institutions like Vassar more generally?

Truong: I think one of the things about student activism is that it often kind of comes and goes with students graduating, and one of the things I’m hoping is that the students maintain this kind of momentum because I am in a temporary position. I know that the school is actually hiring for a tenure-track position, but making sure that students really kind of maintain this momentum and investment in AAS at Vassar [is important].

With everything that’s going on right now—the president calling the coronavirus the China virus, and the rise of anti-Asian violence over the past several months. and all of these protests against police brutality and for racial justice—these issues of race aren’t really going away. It’s important to make sure that students actually have the space to continue to learn about our history and think about the context in which all these things that are happening now are occurring. I’m hoping for one day that Ethnic Studies or AAS is not necessary, but it's clear that in the present moment these things are not going away.

Let the good times roll: VCDJ hosts distanced roller disco Merrick Rubinstein Guest Columnist

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school-sanctioned party with DJs playing sick beats? Rollerblading races and disco dance-offs? And better still, an appearance from the infamous pink Lamborghini? It all seemed too good to be true, especially with COVID-19 concerns.

But despite the obstacles, Vassar College DJs (VCDJ)--formerly Vassar College Sound System--persevered and successfully hosted Vassar’s inaugural Roller Disco. House, rap and 2000s hits boomed from massive speakers as everyone danced and rolled the night away.

Situated on the Walker Field House parking lot and neighboring Ballantine Field, students were able to safely distance and still enjoy all of the festivities on the night of Oct. 3rd. The donut-shaped parking lot provided a perfect rink for blades, boards, bikes and more, all able to distance and maneuver safely. Students interested in participating signed up for one of four slots, each led by a personal DJ set

from Alexis Cerritos, Benjamin Scharf, Elijah Solomon, and Rachel Blair. And if you forgot to sign up or were just there for the bops, the spacious lawn served as a terrific socially-distanced dance floor.

Guest DJ Benjamin Scharf ’22 [disclaimer: Scharf is the Live Events Chair of The Miscellany News] explained that the idea came to him at the beginning of the school year, when he saw Madio Wallner ’22 rollerblading while dancing to music. “With quarantine keeping everyone inside, all I was doing was setting up tracks and finding that perfect dance music,” said Scharf.

“I saw Madio rocking out on her blades, and I biked straight to Alexis’ house.”

Upon hearing the idea, VCDJ President Alexis Cerritos ’22 [disclaimer: Cerritors is the Video Production Manager of The Miscellany News] got right to work with Campus Activities. Although he was the driving force behind the event, Cerritos made it clear that he couldn’t have done it without the help of Campus Activities Assistant Director William Rush. “He

fully backed our idea from the start, and worked with us to get every detail down.”

COVID-19 precautions, such as only allowing 25 people onto the rink at once, were taken into account from the inception of the event, and after weeks of hard work and policy implementation, the Roller Disco rolled off without a hitch.

After all was said and done, Cerritos gave an additional shoutout to the campus community: “I think it was very successful given the current pandemic circumstances. If any school can pull something like this off, it’s Vassar. We collectively have been able to maintain a low case count, and can now reap some of the benefits of that.”

Wallner, who attended the event and took her rollerblades for a spin, agreed that the Roller Disco was extremely successful in its use of space and inclusivity. “All wheels were welcome, making it much more inclusive than a traditional roller disco, which would only be roller skates or blades,” she said.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

And inclusivity is the name of the game for VCDJ. As the org’s executive board reevaluates its presence on campus, its members hope to use the disco’s success to promote accessibility and involvement.

“Being a DJ is not hard, but it is an expensive hobby,” says VCDJ Treasurer Rachel Blair. “Our goal is to increase accessibility by alleviating DJing’s financial burden.”

Blair explained that VCDJ is currently revamping its equipment, and is looking to begin offering workshops and loaner programs soon. VCDJ’s events are advertised on their Instagram @vcsoundsystem.

“Since we are so spread apart right now, how do we come together? And safely, in a party setting?” asked Blair. This question, according to Scharf, is what is pushing event creators to be even more creative with COVID-19 in mind. “Lots of new traditions are starting,” said Scharf, “and we really hope the Roller Disco will stick.

We are prepped to make this a regular occasion due to your support, and we don’t plan on disappointing.”

HUMOR

Page 10

October 15, 2020

Breaking News

From the desk of Izzy Migani, Humor Editor

Vassar student admits that if they have to sit outside in a circle one more time they’re going to lose it First-year speculations about pre-COVID Vassar life Vivian Phillips

Hairball Detective

I

anticipate that the Deece is just as terrifying in a normal year as it is now. I’m not quite sure what the wooden obstructions throughout the building are for, although I assume that they used to be assembled into an obstacle course for students to run through after finishing meals. I will say that I am confused as to why the Retreat does not have similar wooden obstacle course fragments throughout the dining area. I suspect that this is because students used to enjoy sitting criss-cross applesauce on the tile floor while eating their meals, as a change of pace from conventional seating arrangements. Alas, the pandemic has taken away our simple pleasures in life.

One of the only places where I seem to be able to eat in a chair is underneath the various tents around campus. I assume that these tents were introduced a few years ago as a pesticide-free solution to killing the invasive weeds in patches of grass. This was a good way to avoid poisoning the fish in Sunset Lake with toxic runoff, although the grass unfortunately had to die as collateral. Luckily, classes

have been moved to these tents, so at the very least there is life beneath them for five to six hours a day.

As far as indoor classes are concerned, I assume that seating arrangements in lecture halls were the same last year as they are now. I can’t imagine waltzing into a classroom on the first day and taking a seat inches away from a stranger. This seems like a wildly intimate thing to do in an academic setting. Even in a normal year, I only remember such physical proximity being reserved for friends and close acquaintances.

Speaking of wildly intimate settings, I am sure that in the past, students took many liberties when choosing which stall, sink or shower to use in the morning. Maybe some students opted to use a different combination of the three every day of the week. Perhaps other, more pragmatic students stuck to one combination, only changing things up on weekends. Such spontaneity must have felt exhilarating. The only issue with this kind of a system is the decreased accountability when it comes to balls of hair. Perhaps in the future we should keep the bathroom

Above is what a first-year entirely unaware of pre-COVID Vassar life imagines it is like to navigate the Deece during a normal semester. They believe the Deece tables were used to form an obstacle course for students to run through after finishing meals. Courtesy of My Photo Journeys/Flickr. spreadsheet as a means of narrowing down our search for hairball culprits.

Regardless of these changes, there is one aspect of the Vassar first-year experience that I am confident has not changed

regardless of COVID-19: even without an active obstacle course made of tables running throughout the establishment, the Deece still feels nearly impossible to navigate.

A talk with some very informed Vassar Voters Francisco Andrade

Old Ass College Student

The waves are crashing. The skies are dark. The volcanoes are ripe for a virgin sacrifice. The meteor hurtling toward the Earth is now considered an act of mercy.

This may sound like just another day in the Michael Bay production of 2020, but it is much more than that. Election time is near, and the insanity is approaching as surely as a fly to shi- Mike Pence’s head. As the whole nation readies itself for what I am lovingly referring to as UFC2020, there is no better time to go out and speak to the wide and varied masses of this great country. But as I am currently locked in the Vassar bubble (think NBA bubble but with fewer athletes; same amount of drug use though) I have to settle for the populace here. Luckily, I am sure there will be a wide array of informed political opinions on both sides of the table.

OK, so surprisingly there are a lot more Democrats than Republicans on this campus. Like, I am pretty sure Vassar Democrats is considered a varsity sport at this point.

The Vassar Republicans, on the other hand, have a hard time even affording Zoom calls.

Thanks to the Democrats, however, they always have pizza at their meetings, as long as they accept it under the name I.C. Weiner.

Current political leanings on campus aside, the one thing all students do seem to have in common is election fever, and it is spreading quickly—so quickly, in fact, that Vassar is developing a new app for it. So expect to ignore two daily notifications from now on.

With an increasingly loud political conversation happening on campus, it is important that we address all pressing matters not just through conversation, but meaningful actions as well. So I decided to

go around and approach random students and ask about everyone’s favorite topics: politics and personal action. As I roamed around campus ready to bother any innocent bystander who just wants to study for midterms, I found my first victim: Colby Beef ’21. Beef is Vassar’s only strictly carnivorous student, and after seeing his lifted Hummer truck, it is also safe to assume he is the reason why Vassar is now not projected to be carbon neutral until 2300. With his beautiful barbed wire tattoo and a collection of red baseball caps that would be the highlight of any Pawn Stars episode, Beef hardly seems like the typical Trump supporter, but he is here—and proud of it.

I decided that the best way to cook this Beef was to get to the point, so I just asked him straight up if he planned on voting in the upcoming election. Frankly, he seemed a bit shocked.

“Well of course I plan on voting,” started Beef. “As someone who is lucky enough to have his constitutional rights and be able to use them, not voting would be simply idiotic. Regardless of whether or not I find myself particularly interested in the policies of either candidate, it is my duty as an aware citizen to weigh both of the candidates and then ignore one side for the one I decided I’m voting for long ago. But yes, everyone should vote. Just go out there and spend one afternoon in a line of people. No big deal.”

“Well, actually you could just mail in your ballot—” “MAIL FRAUD EXISTS. The USPS is a broken system and absolutely no one should trust it!”

“Doesn’t the President mail in his ballot?”

“Interview over.”

Though brief, my interview with Beef

was very enlightening, as he brought up exactly the point I wanted to get to: the importance of voting. So I was very lucky to have next stumbled upon a group engaged in that very topic, and I decided it would be best to jump right in.

“So what did you guys think of the debate?”

“Oh, it was absolutely fantastic. Jim Carrey’s version of Biden really nailed what I assume he looked like. Baldwin as Trump is great as always, of course,” said S. Heep ’24, the “leader” of the group.

“The SNL debates are hilarious, but I meant the actual debate itself.”

“Oh yeah, of course, there were so many great TikToks of phrases I assume were said at the debate.”

“Okay…but did you actually watch any part of the debate itself?”

“Yes of course I did, the TikTok parts. Are you even listening?”

“Apparently not. But this passion is good at least. So you plan on voting right?”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

“Oh I hate Trump, he needs to be voted out ASAP.” “So you will be sending in a vote? Or going in person?”

“Oh, probably sending it in. I’m busy election day.”

“Mail-in ballots are totally valid, but don’t forget to request it by the 27th.”

“Oh…that’s so early. Well, it’s fine. He’s a horrible person, I’m sure he will get voted out.”

I had to stop the interview shortly after this interaction as I felt there was a 50 percent chance I would have a stress-induced aneurysm.

After enough interaction to last me a few elections, I felt dejected. But as I continued to walk through campus, seeing all the voting signs and receiving alerts on my phone reminding me to register, I felt a bit more confident that people would actually get out there and vote. Now please, don’t become a mocking caricature for some old ass college student to exploit for laughs. Just vote.

Courtesy of Creative Commons.

HOROSCOPES

HUMOR

October 15, 2020

ARIES

March 21 | April 19

TAURUS

April 20 | May 20

GEMINI

May 21 | June 20

CANCER

June 21 | July 22

LEO

July 23 | August 22

VIRGO

August 23 | September 22

The treasure you seek is just beyond the pines.

Fear not, for a drink from your magic goblet will help you reach it. Beware, however, for here be dragons. A friend can cast a spell to ward them off.

Godspeed, young traveler.

The sirens’ song is alluring, but your voyage mustn’t be compromised. Allow yourself to appreciate their beauty without becoming entranced. The ocean called to you for a reason; don’t give up now!

The clues that the witch gave you are all you will need to reach your destination; you just have to examine them a little closer. Once you can read between the lines and crack the code, all will be well.

Keep a watchful eye on those potions, my friend.

While they may not end up being used for what one might think, all of them will do exactly what they are meant to. Be sure to say the spell before you take a sip.

A magical companion is just what you need to guide you on your journey. Friends can be found in the most unlikely of places––is that an enchanted spider hopping beside you on your trek? Welcome it; it will take you far.

It seems the Queen has appointed you to be her royal ogre-hunter, but be sure that power doesn’t go to your head. And how bad are the ogres, anyway? They hold many secrets, and are actually pretty nice.

Page 11 Madi Donat

Astral Projector

LIBRA

It’s true that castles are magnificent, but they

September 23 | can also be cold. Not even carpets of the finest broOctober 22 cade can insulate you from the draughts and chilly

stone. In all your quests, make sure to see things as they truly are.

SCORPIO

You may grow weary on your travels, but let the knowledge that you are doing what is right guide the way. Keep your trusty sword at your side, but know that your armor and shield are far more useful.

SAGITTARIUS

Adventure awaits just beyond the horizon! Revel in the magic of the Mysterious Brambles and the Enchanted Brook; allow your mind to wander free as you voyage to the farthest reaches of the kingdom.

CAPRICORN

Life is not about a true love’s kiss, but rather the feeling of home. Whether that home is a beautiful royal palace, a small hut at the edge of the woods or a cave in a far-off land, relish in the simplicity of familiarity.

October 23 | November 21

November 22 | December 21

December 22 | January 19

AQUARIUS

January 20 | February 18

PISCES

February 19 | March 20

To cross the bridge you must make a sacrifice. Be not afraid; once you say the name of the one you love out loud, the trolls will not take them from you. Rather, they will let you sit in the fact that you simply said it.

Leave gifts for the faeries, for they possess great power. All things smaller than you can change your life immeasurably. When you reach the moors, beware, for they are all watching. Only you can know what to do next.

Frog and Toad are Frenemies

by Julianna + Olivia

Toxic Insecurities

by Adlai Brandt-Ogman

OPINIONS

Page 12

October 15, 2020

Genetic modification is ready to serve humanity Jonas Trostle

Opinions Editor

O

n Oct. 7, 2020, Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Dr. Jennifer A. Doudna were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work in the field of gene editing. On top of breaking barriers as the first two women jointly awarded the chemistry prize, Charpentier and Doudna’s recognition is a huge step forward for the controversial field of genetic engineering.

Humans have been practicingdoing a form of genetic engineering ever since we started cultivating plants and livestock.

Grafting two plants together dates back centuries in both the East and the West, and selective breeding was a staple technique used by even the earliest farmers.

These techniques aren’t using advanced technology to target and change certain genes, but nevertheless the point of these exercises was to eliminate or diminish unwanted characteristics and promote the characteristics that the farmer found most useful. Wild cabbage was bred to create broccoli, brussel sprouts and domesticated cabbage. Cattle were bred to increase their edible volume. This was all uncontroversial, but it was all gene editing.

Today the techniques have changed, but the underlying mission has stayed the same: improve quality of life. Public opinion has shifted, however. Currently, more than half of adults in the U.S. believe that using genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as a food source is worse for your health than using non-modified foods. Of those, 88 percent believe that GMO foods will lead to health problems for the gen-

eral populace. There is no such thing as non-modified food, but there is a stigma against food modified in a lab.

Part of this bias may be due to the way direct modification was introduced in the 1950s. In order to increase variation in plants so that selective breeding could be done more efficiently, scientists bombarded plants with radiation. This process, known as mutation breeding, was part of an effort to discover a peaceful use for the nuclear knowledge that was proliferating in the aftermath of World War II. Radiation was poorly understood by the general public in the mid-20th century. The possibilities of mutation due to radiation caused imagination to run rampant over reality: 1954’s “Them!” stars giant insects caused by nuclear testing in the area.

The 1957 film “Beginning of the End” has grasshoppers eat mutated plants and then grow to enormous sizes. Even some of the most famous pop culture characters that exist today were formulated along these lines. In 1961 the Fantastic Four were given their powers by cosmic radiation. Spider-Man has had eight movies over the last 20 years, and he was famously bitten by a radioactive spider. These examples don’t insinuate that people really believed that radiation could produce superheroes and skyscraper-sized insects, but they do reflect a general fear of the unknown that the gene modification of radiation could produce.

Radiation is no longer the bugaboo of the modern day, but fear of radiation has been displaced by fear of targeted gene editing, like the Crispr-Cas9 technique pioneered

by Charpentier and Doudna. Some of this

fear may be well founded: There’s no definite way to know that a gene edited plant or animal won’t act similar to an invasive species. Presumably freed from some ailment or deficit that was limiting its growth, it is possible that a plant may grow at a pace that is higher than wanted by its creators.

Nature is a delicate balance, and intervening must be done in a reasonable way that weighs potential costs and benefits.

Mosquito reduction or elimination may not seem to be a worthwhile risk for something with unknown side effects, but that initial intuition would be wrong. Malaria, a disease transmitted mainly through mosquito bites, kills around 400,000 people per year. Zika and West Nile virus, while less deadly, are also transmitted into the human populace via mosquito. No other creature kills humans at the rate of mosquitoes. Despite the environmental damage that may be wreaked by the adjustment of the other flora and fauna to a lack of mosquitoes, gene editing to reduce mosquito population is a clear path to saving hundreds of thousands of lives every year.

With this sort of benefit in mind, the United States’ Environmental Protection Agency and Florida state government recently came to an agreement that will release over 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into Florida. This is no small action and could potentially disrupt the entire food web of Florida, and possibly beyond.

The plan in Florida is to introduce a strain of Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes, a spreader of the Zika virus, that are genetically engineered so that their female offspring die off.

Mosquitoes bite to extract human blood, and in this exchange mosquitoes can transfer any diseases they are carrying. Mosquitoes only bite so that they can extract iron and proteins in human blood and transfer it to the fertilized eggs that will be the next generation of that mosquito’s bloodline. As such, the only mosquitoes that bite, and thus have the chance to transfer diseases, are adult females. The firm Oxitec produced a modified mosquito whose female offspring can’t grow out of the larval stage.

No adult females means no blood sucking, which means no disease transmission and no new mosquito larvae being produced.

A similar plan was executed in Brazil, where the Aedes Aegypti mosquito population was cut by 89 to 96 percent. With such a large reduction in mosquito population, the benefits move beyond that of just public health. Thousands of tracts of land would become more usable and see an increase in value if mosquitoes died out. Even dayto-day activities like gardening or talking walks could become much more pleasant in the absence of mosquitoes.

2020 has already shown the effects of disease and failures of public health. COVID-19 has killed over a million people; over the last 10 years, malaria has killed over four million. We have to live with COVID-19 for the foreseeable future, but gene editing has given us a tool to end malaria. Genetically modified mosquitoes should not end in Florida or with Aedes Aegypti: they should be of all species, placed all over the globe.

For months the world has lived under a new biological terror. It’s time we release a new biological salvation.

Trump won’t change his stance on medicine or COVID-19 Saywer Bush

Assistant Opinions Editor

D

onald Trump’s supporters have demonstrated time and time again that their loyalty knows no bounds. They see his authority and wisdom as ultimate.

While many in the liberal world chuckled at the irony of Trump being hospitalized by a virus whose severity he downplayed for months, his supporters were standing by his leadership as firmly as ever. And now the president’s recovery from the virus—at least to the public eye—will only serve as fuel for his supporters’ steadfast faith.

Trump’s loyal followers will no doubt see this reality as proof of the president’s strength and worthiness to lead the country, and they’ll ignore the fact that he received some of the best care from, as Senator Bernie Sanders pointed out, a 100 percent government-funded (socialized) medical center, despite having repeatedly warned his supporters that Democrats are going to force the country to turn to “socialized medicine.” In reality, Trump was able to make a speedy recovery because he had access to some of the best care in the country. In fact, Trump liked his small taste of socialized medicine so much, he trusted it with his life and was willing to give it praise in a video statement made in front of the Oval Office.

This occurred only days after he denigrated socialized medicine in the first presidential debate when he used the term to mock Joe Biden and his proposal to expand the Affordable Care Act, which, to be clear, is most certainly not socialized medicine.

In reality, Biden’s plan on expanding the

ACA includes a Medicare-like public option that would serve as a more affordable alternative but not a replacement for private health insurance. But this isn’t what Trump’s supporters are going to focus on.

They are going to see him making video statements and dramatically removing his mask upon returning to the White House.

They are going to hear him touting the supposedly miraculous effectiveness of his Regeneron treatment and think that this whole time that he has been downplaying the danger of the virus, he was, in fact, right as always.

Trump’s supporters aren’t going to see the dozen people in his circle and others in the GOP who have tested positive for the virus, demonstrating a clear lack of understanding or lack of consideration of the nature of the virus at the highest levels of our government. A recent study conducted by The Pew Research Center found that 89 percent of Republicans who rely on Trump and his task force for information regarding coronavirus say that the United States has controlled the outbreak as much as it could have, compared to 59 percent of Republicans who receive their COVID-19-related news elsewhere. This is not a promising sight: People are getting their information from the president who has himself caught the virus and been surrounded by nearly a dozen people who have also caught the virus and yet they are still believing Trump when he says we have the virus under control.

Nearly 215,000 Americans are dead and the president continues to spin disinformation about the virus despite himself falling

victim to it. And yet, despite the nearly quarter of a million death toll the virus has taken on our country, and the fact that some of the highest ranking members of Trump’s circle have demonstrated their disregard for its severity, his supporters will see him as having overcome the virus through sheer force of will and will double their faith in him and his ability to lead us out of this pandemic.

In this reality, there doesn’t seem to be much light at the end of the tunnel. Just a few weeks ago, we as a country set a new record for the most new daily cases since mid-August with over 55,000 new cases of the virus in one day. As much as I would

love President Trump to be right that we are managing the virus and recovering, that is not the reality. He touts the treatment he received as the cure, but that is only because he received some of the best medical care in the country thanks to funding from the government. But due to the reservation of both Republicans and Democrats regarding “socialized medicine,” that kind of medical attention is not available to the vast majority of people in this country.

The end of the pandemic in this country is not in sight and the road to a new normal will be long and winding, but it is not the road that Trump is leading his followers down.

Walter Reed Medical Center. Courtesy of the United States Army via Wikimedia Commons

The opinions expressed above do not represent those of The Miscellany News as a whole.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

October 15, 2020

OPINIONS

Page 13

Uprooting anti-Blackness in Asian communities Alysa Chen Reporter

T

his summer, I was sheltering in the silence and safety of my family’s home in the Bronx. Whenever the sound of sirens broke that silence, as they did several times a day, I imagined an ambulance—one more victim of the pandemic, one more reason to retreat into the protection of four walls. Now when I hear sirens, police cars and protests come to mind. I no longer want to be quiet.

When the video of George Floyd’s murder surfaced, the image of a Hmong-American man turning his back to the murder awakened in me a deep sense of shame. I felt ashamed of the Asian culture I grew up in that taught me to remain defensive, silent and complicit; I felt ashamed of the rampant anti-Blackness I grew accustomed to during family conversations.

As a daughter of immigrants, I appreciate the sacrifices my family made so that I could write this very article, but the Asian American community, especially those who were born here, needs to do better. It is time for us to accept our necessary role in fighting anti-Blackness in America.

Uprooting the complex and often hostile relationship between Black people and Asian Americans requires mutual listening and self-reflection, regardless of how uncomfortable that might be. Asian Americans have a long history of perpetuating systemic racism against Black people, but I decided to look to the present—I interviewed my Black and Asian friends.

Their personal experiences reveal how anti-Blackness from Asian Americans often manifests itself in microaggressions and other forms of covert racism.

Alliyah Logan, Smith College ’24, recalled disempowering educational experiences while growing up Black in New York City. When Logan lined up to take the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) at Bronx Science, she noticed that the line was dominated by Asian American students, even though neighboring schools like Dewitt Clinton High School were mostly attended by Black and Brown people. “When I started education equity work to remove the SHSAT test and make it more equitable, Asian moms protested against this. I asked myself, ‘Why would you not want to make this process more inclusive for students and expand resources so that every high school has the same amount of resources and access to test prep and programs?’” she reflected.

Nathaniel Swanson, DePauw University ’23, offered some insight into the specialized high school culture. “I have Black friends who recounted countless times that Asian students used racial slurs, made culturally insensitive comments and stereotyped them on many occasions.

As someone who wanted to attend one of these high schools, I could have been on the receiving end of these racist remarks,” he said.

Remarks like those often follow Black students into higher education. Helen Zhao, New York University ’21, shared her anger over NYU Lambda Phi Epsilon, an Asian fraternity whose anti-Black group chat messages were leaked on Twitter following Floyd’s death. Messages showed members encouraging police brutality and complaining that “99% of the black people did not give a f* about changing their relationship with any race.” “I was furious at first because I could not understand how people would think this way,” said Zhao, “but by speaking to my other

Asian friends about this, I realized that many of them agree with the chat messages to some degree.”

During our interview, Logan turned my attention to the lack of Asian support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I saw so many Black people—especially Black women—advocating for Asian people when they were attacked with racist comments during the start of COVID… But the way we were advocating for them is not the same way that Asian Americans are advocating for Black people now. We don’t get the same energy back.” Both she and Swanson shared memories of being watched and followed around in local Asian-owned beauty supply stores, illuminating the culture of mistrust toward Black skin.

This culture extends beyond Asians in the United States. Swanson told me that he feared for the Black people living in China and felt powerless to offer aid. “Recently, when COVID-19 was still growing and spreading at an alarming rate, Black folks living in China were treated unjustly,” he pointed out. “Some were evicted, others were restricted from going outside. They were profiled as disease ridden and a risk to their communities.” Lingyi Wang, Vassar College ’23, explained how anti-Blackness in China is fueled by nationalism, xenophobia and an information gap between us and our Asian counterparts across the globe. “As the friction between China and the States gets more intense, mainstream media tries to raise extreme nationalistic sentiment in mainland China through false propaganda. A lot of the reports I saw online in China discredited [Black Lives Matter] protests and characterized them as violent terrorism. Therefore, since a lot of people got misled by the information fed to them, they would post extreme comments online.”

Some Asian American homes share this ignorance of Black oppression. Janet Song, Vassar College ’23 [Editor’s Note: Janet Song is the Features Editor at the Miscellany News], described how she was “taught to dehumanize Black people” from a young age by her parents. When Song was applying to college, her parents saw it as unfair for Black people to “use their privilege,” referring to affirmative action.

Aryaana Khan, City College of New York ’22, also recognized anti-Blackness within her South Asian family.

“In the case of younger generations who grow up alongside the Black community, there is overt racism in the guise of mixing with Black culture; young South Asians are quick to use the N-word and identify with hip hop, but still support their community’s anti-Black rhetorics and perceptions,” she said. In Khan’s community, racism also serves as a form of social mobility. “While South Asians are considered ‘Brown’—neither Black nor white—many still strive for whiteness in order to climb the class structures,” she said.

This, seemingly, is nothing new. Khan acknowledged the “not-so-simple legacy of colonization” stretching back years.

“We hate Blackness while identifying with it because for centuries, we’ve had to cater to the White gaze to survive; however, these survival instincts hurt both Black and Asian Americans now because it prevents us from uniting against the root causes of the oppression of all those without power—and all those left out of the narrative,” she said.

Iris Thaoxaochay, Vassar College ’23, spoke on the origins of racial triangula-

tion of Asians in the United States, pinpointing its start as the 1850s gold rush and accompanying immigration wave.

“By characterizing the Blacks as lazy, rebellious and disrespectful…[and] Asians as foreign and apolitical…it’s important to realize that the status quo really only served the White population by keeping Asians docile and Blacks hated,” explained Thaoxaochay. Out of this came the model minority myth and its divisive implications.

Tamika Whitenack, Vassar College ’21, argued, “The model minority myth paints Asians as hardworking and successful— and creates further disparities between minority groups by promoting assimilation into American culture as a goal for Asians/racial minorities.” Sofia Baah, Vassar College ’21, argued a similar point. ““We have largely struggled individually— existing parallel yet opposite to each other. Ideas meant to keep us separate—e.g. ‘model minorities’ versus ‘criminal Black people’ narratives—may have prevented us from working together in the past,” said Baah.

Logan agreed that unity is in the best interest of all. “When it comes to oppression, it is so important to build solidarity between different groups of people,” she said. Still, she made a point to emphasize the unique experiences of Black people.

“Acknowledge Black suffering instead of making it a competition because it affects both groups. People don’t take a step back and recognize their privileges, even if they’re a POC,” she said. Anya Martinez, American University ’23, concurred.

“There are many forms of racism today that primarily affect the Black population but don’t affect other minorities as strongly, such as Asian Americans, thus these issues often go unnoticed or deemed as unimportant,” explained Martinez.

I ended each of my interviews by asking my friends what effective allyship looks like. Swanson answered that allyship starts with deconstructing racist notions that Asians/Asian Americans have against Black communities, educating and promoting dialogue toward generations both young and old, and understanding the cultural values of each group to communicate from a place of mutual understanding and respect for one another. “We must not let our pride affect whether or not we stand up to injustice. Xenophobia is wrong. Anti-Blackness is wrong,” he said.

To Baah, allyship means “constant recognition of a common, yet varying, experience in the midst of white supremacy.”

Logan broke down allyship into four

stages of dismantling racism: 1) social media solidarity, 2) protest, 3) legislative action and 4) having difficult conversations.

She elaborated, “I want to see more people standing up and advocating for education equity, showing up to protests supporting Black and Brown people and putting your body on the line. Even after these protests stop, we need people to continue to advocate for us and expand conversations to every part of your life. It really is about giving up power.”

Martinez told allies to look locally.

“What we need is for allies from all different communities breaking the silence on racism in their households, schools and communities to make social change,” she said.

Zhao challenged her Asian peers to have the courage to call out racism, even if it means losing friends along the way. Although not all of her peers support her, she remains steadfast in her beliefs. “The more time I spend fighting against racism, the more time my Black friends can spend relaxing rather than protesting on the street,” said Zhao.

Whitenack shared that she is working on holding herself and others accountable for potential internalized anti-Blackness through self-reflection and engaging in difficult conversations that consider how to adopt anti-racism practices in daily life.

Thaoxaochay believes in making change through the power of education. “We need to encourage intellectual curiosity and a healthy sense of questioning among our population. People should be willing to question the norm, because without questioning and thought, change will never come,” she said.

Khan has been combating anti-Blackness by talking to family members about the history of this country and the country they come from. “While American and Bangladeshi history take place in two different sides of the world, both have yet to fully resolve the detrimental effects of whiteness … Conversations not only make our understanding of the world greater, but they also reveal to us more about who we are—and more importantly—who we could be.”

Although I began interviewing for this article to help readers build intercommunal solidarity, I was amazed at the power of these conversations to initiate interpersonal empathy. Creating space for these difficult conversations can thread together perspectives that would otherwise divide one another. Having listened to my peers, there is one last question to ask myself: How will I choose to be better?

Adapted from a photo courtesy of Chumlee10 via Flickr.

The opinions expressed above do not represent those of The Miscellany News as a whole.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

SPORTS

Page 14

October 15, 2020

Confronting the complicated basketball bubbles Rayan El Amine Columnist

Tuesday marked the end of a complicated experiment for fans of basketball and advocates of social change alike. Breanna Stewart concluded her successful return from an Achilles injury to the tune of a second WNBA championship, quickly cementing herself in the pantheon of 21st century athletic superheroes. Likewise, LeBron James continued his tour-de-force against Father Time, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 4-2 win over the Miami Heat in a tightly contested NBA Finals matchup. It actualized all that basketball fans had hoped for: a fiercely competitive, COVID-free, highly televised return of the sport.

But police continue to kill Black Americans at an alarming rate.

From interviews to jerseys, #SayHerName was presented loudly and consistently throughout the NBA and WNBA bubbles alike, and the continued press conference protests reminded us that, while basketball was fun, the hearts of these predominantly Black athletes remained heavy. Breonna Taylor’s murderer still has not been rightfully persecuted. Her killers escaped with, at most, a Wanton Endangerment charge, reveling in the white supremacy inherent in the American judicial system. But Taylor’s name was not only used for activist purposes. While athletes’ efforts prompted an increase in racial justice advocacy, that increase coincided with an uptick in marketing and branding for the companies that wanted so desperately to profit off these young Black players. Typical conference protests by Sue Bird or LeBron James garnered tens of thou-

sands of shares—and thus, in a difficult and heartbreaking sense, engaged in and fueled the capitalist machine that ultimately drives the racism in this country.

Think of Jamal Murray’s shoes, which mourned the deaths of both George Floyd and Breonna Taylor by depicting their faces.

It was an incredibly touching tribute from an athlete who was experiencing perhaps the most exciting moment of his young life, turning heads with his playoff performance but still taking the time to stand up for what was right. Yet it was also an Adidas advertisement, because as prevalent as Floyd and Taylor’s faces were across Murray’s shoes, so were those dastardly three stripes. Reminding us that, one way or another, capitalism and the white ghosts that rule over it still infiltrate every aspect of our livelihood. After all, it was a sickening lust for profit rooted in capitalism coupled with a disregard for humanity that landed Plymouth Rock on so many enslaved individuals.This is the duality that haunts IMG Academy and the Disney World campus: the internal battle that Black athletes playing for white owners must endure in their pursuit for generational wealth, while simultaneously striving to end the systemic and economic violence that plagues so many of their communities.

Karl Marx described religion as the opium of the people—a tool that comforted oppressed folk but ultimately limited the potential for revolution, for radical change.

Yet, as I continued to invest myself in these playoff games, I could not help but wonder what Marx may have made of this frustrating duality. The NBA bubble was a platform that players like Jamal Murray hoped would

Five Years Ago Today

provide motivation for social change, but did more to satisfy the craving of white sports fans bothered by the stoppage of sports and conversations of race infiltrating their daily lives. In other words, when the games resumed and the conversations began to subside, the fans went back to getting their fix.

I cannot contend however, that the cancellation of the season—as athletes like Kyrie Irving advocated for, in order to keep the national focus squarely on fighting police brutality and racial injustice—would have been the true solution. Radical change is not so simple, and overcoming this activism-commercialism duality present within the capitalist machine is also not straightforward.

Take Ed Davis for example, the Utah Jazz forward who was loud in his critique of athletes like Irving and Dwight Howard prior to the bubble’s opening: “It’s easy for Dwight Howard to say that we don’t need to play when he’s in Atlanta in his $20 million mansion.

But there are other guys on the rosters who need this money to provide for whoever they’re taking care of.” There’s a reason Davis is so well-respected within NBA circles— his criticism isn’t just well-founded, but also speaks to the vast socio-economic disparities that exist even in a clique as small as the NBA. See, it’s easy to talk about radical change and the dismantling of a capitalist structure, but taking away opportunities for Black athletes to create generational wealth and help redevelop their communities is perhaps as reprehensible as any other outcome. A truly correct answer in this conversation does not exist. But one thing is clear: it is not on those who are neither Black nor professional

Courtesy of Mark T. Jerrill via AP. athletes to decide the best course of action for those who devote their lives to grueling travel schedules, lonely hotel nights and constant criticism in an effort to put a deafening dent in the historical oppression that their families have faced. Individuals who have no understanding of the systemic oppression that these athletes go through choosing to place them under an involuntary microscope without the understanding that it is the oppressor who needs to be placed under that same microscope, torched by the sun like ants on a hot summer day.

Accordingly, it is not and has never been my place to critique the activism of those who battle oppressions I could never understand. But our engagement with sports cannot continue to be so uninvolved; while acknowledging the systemic racism present in professional sports has not yet become routine, sports’ place as the opium of the people can no longer stand if racial justice is to become a reality.

The Throwback Crossword

by Kim Carlson and Mackenzie Little

ACROSS

1 A place to cease online 6 Tiny, common bugs 10 The scariest thing to be 14 When you know what’s going on, generally 15 Tortise’s race pal 16 Round of bets 17 Fast car driver 18 “I’m __ __!” − accepting responsibility (2 words) 19 First name of famous Antony 20 30 Rock’s Werewolf Bar mitzvah 23 A school for chefs (abbr.)

24 Bigfoot costume option 25 Related to the main artery 27 Both a continent & an 80s band 31 What seven did to nine?

32 Expected 33 Jelly bracelets, Nike sandals, the Atkins diet 34 To give someone cheek 36 Default example of an acronym 40 Mexican walking fish 42 A solid C 44 Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s big hit 45 Small ornamental case 47 Yet another garden ruined by snakes 48 “Comedy Night Done Right” network 50 Created by the Refugee Act of 1980 (abbr.)

51 Old timey way to say “do” 52 Keeps the field aligned in generators, motors, and sirens 55 Pass one in class, maybe to your crush?

57 What excited tails do!

58 Remus Lupin, Scott McCall− during their youth

64 Can do 66 Italian greeting 67 Beat someone out (2 words) 68 Metal band known for stop−motion music videos 69 What having fun isn’t, if you’ve got a It Sure Is Halloween library card Little 70Mackenzie From the Latin “I believe”and Kim 71 What 58−Across do at the moon 72ACROSS Multiple of the Ulmaceae Ulmus tree A placemain to cease online 731Skeletor’s nemesis

board 38 6, 12, and 17 are young ones 39 Musical that taught us how to measure a year 41 A U−shaped bend in a river or stream 43 Machiavellian blueprint for greatness 46 The arm on a record player Carlson 49 British nursery for young children 52 A vast strip 1

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53 A topic not appropriate for the dinner table 54 Glowing 56 A marked division of time 59 Official currency of Iran 60 Cinnamon rolls as of 2014 memes 61 Literally just a thing 62 Old Norse literary works 63 In a short time (& an ominous word to see on its own) 8

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41 A U−shaped bend in a river or stream