The Miscellany News
miscellanynews.org
Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866
October 26, 2023
Volume 160 | Issue 7
VSA will launch new VCycle bike share program Lev Winickoff Guest Reporter
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ozens of bike racks were installed around campus. The racks remain empty and students are locking their personal bikes on the new racks. There are plans for the racks—they are part of a campus-wide transportation system called VCycle. The Vassar Student Association (VSA) program promises to give students access to free bike transport on campus in the near future. According to Max Bergman ’24, VSA Director of Services, the decision to launch VCycle was made last year by the previous Director of Services due to a surplus in the executive discretionary fund. Bergman explained that the program was made possible because of a company called On Bike Share, who has worked with many other college campuses, such as Colby College and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Vassar purchased the VCycle infrastructure from On Bike Share, with the company offering support for any issues that may arise. VSA President Olivia Gross ’24 reported the total cost of VCycle to be around $39,000. “The idea was to have a safe, universal transportation system that would be free for students,” Bergman explained. Biking is beneficial for many reasons, mainly because it is more environmentally friendly than car transport and it is quicker than walking.
Many people have already caught on to the benefits of biking—so many that the campus seems to already be overflowing with bikes. According to Bergman, most of those excess bikes remain on campus due to the services provided by the Vassar Bike Shop. “Because of all the bikes on campus, they get a lot of traffic and it is very difficult for them to service every bike. On top of that, there are a lot of bikes that people leave on campus over breaks or when they graduate, and those bikes are not very functional,” Bergman added. “VCycle will put less stress on the bike shop because they won’t need to service as many bikes,” he explained. Additionally, Bergman shared, VCycle will work in collaboration with the bike shop. “The bike shop has agreed to help service the bikes as needed, and there should be a feature on the app when the bikes are launched that allows you to report any issue with the bikes or bike locks. That information can be relayed over to the mechanics in the shop, who will help service bikes,” he said. The VSA hopes to negotiate with bike shop workers to be paid for any additional work, according to Gross. The bike shop expressed excitement to take on the challenge of a new system. Pranav Parekh ’25, a Vassar bike shop mechanic, is happy to hear that the College is spending money on bikes. “I think a bike share program will hopefully do a lot to get folks riding around campus.” He continued, See VCYCLE on page 3
Image courtesy of Jade Hsin ’25.
Discussing Bishop’s postcards Alum wins gold for U.S.A Willem Doherty Guest Columnist
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he Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library, in collaboration with Dr. Jonathan Ellis of the University of Sheffield and Associate Professor Susan Rosenbaum of the University of Georgia, is presenting selected postcards of Vassar Alumna Elizabeth Bishop ’34 in a special exhibition until Dec. 15. Bishop is a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet known for her exceptional verse. The exhibition has received international attention and can be found in Thompson Library. Below is an interview with Professor Patkus, Head of Special Collections and the Vassar College Historian, about the exhibition, the process of its creation, the nature of Bishop’s correspondence and the value of archival work. Patkus: There was a review in the Times literary supplement in London, the Paris Review is in the process of doing one, so is the New York Review of Books, so literally— The Miscellany News: Everyone. Patkus: Yes. The Misc: And The Misc! Patkus: And The Misc. It’s clearly gotten some attention. The Misc: Could you give me a brief description of the exhibition, for people
who have not gotten the chance to see it? Patkus: This is an exhibition that focuses on Elizabeth Bishop’s postcards, you may know we have in the Special Collections Library a large collection of Elizabeth Bishop’s papers, the largest collection of those materials in the world, and one segment of it within the correspondence files are her postcards. Although there has been a lot of attention to Elizabeth Bishop over the years, there has not been a lot of attention to her postcards. And so we thought maybe this would be a good chance to have an exhibition to bring some attention to them and connect it with some other ideas and Bishop scholarship. So that is sort of the background of how we came to it. The Misc: And that has been a success— people are interested? Patkus: Oh yeah, I mean, honestly, there has been an incredible outpouring of interest. The Bishop community is worldwide, and I think we have connected to people from various places as a result of that. The Misc: What was the process of putting the exhibition together? Patkus: Yeah, so I was working—I should say sooner rather than later—I was working with two outside scholars. Jonathan Ellis, who is at the University of Sheffield in England, and Susan Rosenbaum, who is at the University of Georgia. And they each have See POSTCARDS on page 4
Nick Villamil Sports Editor
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n Sept. 22, the United States defeated Canada in the gold-medal match at the NORCECA Final Six’s men’s volleyball tournament. In matches against North America’s best, the United States was thoroughly dominant, dropping only a single set and allowing Canada to score no more than 21 points in any of the sets of their 3-0 gold-medal match sweep. Leading the Americans was middle blocker Patrick Gasman, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player and won a national championship with the University of Hawaii in 2021, as well as outside hitter Ethan Champlain and setter Andrew Rowan, UCLA standouts fresh off a national championship of their own last spring. From top to bottom, the U.S. roster was lined with current players and alumni of the most prestigious collegiate volleyball programs who have been in the national team pipeline since their high school years. Except for one: Vassar’s own Matt Knigge ’18, who started every match at the other middle blocker position opposite Gasman. Knigge was a three-time First Team All-American and a two-time United Volleyball Conference player of the year with the Vassar men’s volleyball team, but he never thought he would
be a gold medalist with Team USA. He did not even plan to be a professional volleyball player, which he is in his sixth season as, now playing with a top German team that also competes in the European Champions League. After a decorated collegiate career at the Division III level, Knigge, an International Studies and Russian major at Vassar who studied abroad in St. Petersburg, had a Fulbright Scholarship lined up to study Russian-Ukrainian Energy Relations and Politics in Ukraine upon graduation. That changed only a few weeks before graduation when Knigge received the news that changes in the State Department’s education budget had cut the position he was set to take. Since then, Knigge has been on a journey that he could not have imagined as the inexperienced volleyball player he was when he first arrived at Kenyon Hall. He did not even anticipate a professional career as a decorated collegiate athlete. “Six years down the line, I’m so far away from where I thought my life was going to take me when I was up in Poughkeepsie wondering what I was going to do,” Knigge told The Miscellany News. Richard Gary was hired as Vassar’s men’s volleyball head coach before Knigge’s junior year, and while he saw immense potential for growth in Knigge’s game, Gary also See KNIGGE on page 14
Inside this issue
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Arts Editor Allen Hale reports on new art from VAG beautifying Gordon Commons.
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Guest Reporter Anna Terry finds comfort while abroad in Rilke’s FEATURES “Letters to a Young Poet.”
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HUMOR
Ever been to Raymond’s second floor bathroom? This Halloween, The Misc exposes Raymond’s true haunted house.
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October 26, 2023
THE MISCELLANY NEWS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR NEWS EDITORS
Jacques Abou-Rizk William Sorge Monika Sweeney Sashinka Poor Sarah McNeil Jyotsna Naidu Emma Adams ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Allen Hale ARTS EDITORS Jesse Koblin Kai Speirs FEATURES EDITOR Carina Cole ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITORS Luke Jenkins Sufana Noorwez OPINIONS EDITOR Nicholas Tillinghast HUMOR EDITOR Nick Villamil SPORTS EDITOR Tracy Cen SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Olivia Kahn ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Richard Lu Igor Martiniouk PHOTO EDITOR Nandini Likki DESIGN EDITOR Molly Delahunty ASSISTANT DESIGN EDITOR Caris Lee COPY EDITORS Julia Weinberg Sandro Lorenzo GRAPHICS EDITORS Karen Mogami Tori Kim ASSISTANT GRAPHICS EDITOR Catherine Borthwick LIVE EVENTS CHAIR Kai Chang WEBMASTERS Michael Yang Chloe Osborn BUSINESS MANAGER Britt Andrade REPORTERS, COLUMNISTS Cassandra Brook Yaksha Gummadapu Anna Kozloski Emma Lawrence Gwen Ma Benjamin Savel Oliver Stewart Andrew Chu CARTOONISTS Ian Watanabe Kathryn Carvel COPY STAFF Willa Jewitt Anabel Lee Allison Lowe Claire Miller Ailynn O’Neill Emma San Filippo Edward Welch Morgan Sadie Keesbury CROSSWORD EDITOR
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.
Sandro Lorenzo/The Miscellany News. MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
NEWS
October 26, 2023
Students
anticipate
Continued from VCYCLE on page 1 “But I think that the amount of money spent on bringing the new VCycle bikes to Vassar could also have been spent on helping to repair some of the hundreds of bikes we already have laying unridden throughout campus and in the security building.” The VSA, according to Bergman, hopes to remove some of the excess bikes that Parekh
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referred to once VCycle is up and running. “I’m really excited to use VCycle,” Gross said. According to the Annual Comprehensive Survey results from the summer, 70.7 percent of survey participants have not owned a bike on campus and 88.8 percent are satisfied with the locations of our new VCycle bike racks. Many students may be wondering when these bikes will arrive.
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Bergman also gave short step-by-step instructions for how the bikes will operate. “There’s going to be an app, and you can sign up through the app with your Vassar email. You’ll automatically be put into the system. Whenever you want to bike you can just open it, and go near a rack that has bikes in it. It will connect via Bluetooth and you can select which bike to take out,” he explained.
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“We began working with the college over the summer to get everything installed,” Bergman said. “Just putting in the actual racks has been taking a little longer than we would have hoped.” Bergman explained that the rain in the past few weeks delayed rack installations. “The hope is that when we get back from break the racks will be in so we can launch the program,” he added.
Zero Waste Dutchess hosts sustainability panel at Vassar Emma Adams
Assistant News Editor
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n Oct. 9, Vassar College hosted a Zero Waste Dutchess public forum to address the county’s sustainability practices. Neil Seldman, advisor to local sustainability organization Zero Waste Dutchess, led a panel discussion surrounding the Dutchess County incinerator and how the county can move toward zero waste solutions. Seldman discussed the county’s current waste management strategies, which rely entirely upon incineration. For decades, Dutchess County has used a waste-to-energy incinerator to dispose of waste, a practice that has garnered criticism from environmental activists in the area. In the discussion, Seldman noted that not only is the incinerator bad for the environment, it has deeper detrimental effects on the economy. “The Dutchess County incinerator is the single most polluting facility in the county, and it’s also a very expensive way of managing garbage or discards,” he said. “The irony of what’s happening in Dutchess County is that all across the United States there’s enormous private sector and public sector investment in recycling, composting and reuse, and none of those strategies is being pursued by the county.”
Seldman attests that there are a number of safer, more sustainable and more economically attractive alternatives to incineration. Composting, recycling and reuse programs, for example, reduce the waste stream to landfills and incinerators and create hundreds of jobs for the community. During Seldman’s visit to Vassar, he visited Gordon Commons and noticed that waste bins in the building are marked for students as “landfill.” He explained that this label is misleading; Dutchess County has no currently operational landfills. Seldman assumed, therefore, that the waste from the dining hall feeds into the incinerator. “The College is hiding the fact that their materials are being incinerated,” he said. “That is significant because it literally means that the students are breathing their own garbage.” Izzy Rico ’23, Vassar’s Coordinator for Sustainability Data and Programs, confirmed Seldman’s suspicions. “Most of our waste labeled landfill goes to the Wheelabrator incinerator located in the Town of Poughkeepsie,” they said. “We don’t have many alternative options to the incinerator that are nearby as of now, but we are working on a few things to lower how much waste we burn and advocate for the closing of the incinerator in favor of a managed landfill.” One way Vassar is working toward a
more sustainable future is through composting. Much of the food waste produced at Vassar originates from Gordon Commons. While students compost food waste in the dish room, even more composting is done behind the scenes. “We work with Greenway Environmental Services to compost all the food waste in the dining hall,” Rico explained. “Scraps from the front of house, where students scrape their plates, and back of house, where food preparation happens, are both put into a larger compost bin that is picked up by Royal Carting and delivered to Greenway. Greenway then sorts through the compost to remove any non-compostable items and uses microbes to break it down into usable soil.” However, when students misread the labels on each waste bin, contamination between compostable items and non-compostable items can occur. For example, non-compostable plastics that are unable to be broken down by the Greenway processes are often accidentally discarded into compost bins. Consequently, Rico explained, Vassar has recently had to cut back on some composting practices: “Due to contamination like this we had to stop composting in the College Center in 2022, but hope to bring it back as we increase our education efforts and transition to only compostable plastic.”
While composting in the College Center was put on hold, Vassar has expanded its composting practices this semester with the introduction of individual compost bins for each of the Town Houses (THs), Terrace Apartments and South Commons. “I would say the individual compost bins have been a good addition to the apartments,” Cassie Koyamatsu ’25, a resident of the THs and one of Vassar’s sustainability interns. Residents of off-campus housing often use their kitchens to cook meals, and thus produce a large amount of food waste. However, Koyamatsu noted that not everyone may actually be utilizing the bins. “It’s very much on the individual household if they want to compost or not, so I could see a large variation on the amount they are actually used.” Seldman attested that a commitment to sustainable practices and education surrounding Vassar’s waste management is incredibly important. “It is critical that students understand what’s happening to their garbage, one because they’re living there and breathing the air, but secondly because if you study garbage you acquire knowledge about the economy and our political system.” Students who are looking to become more involved in Zero Waste Dutchess can attend weekly Zoom meetings on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
Dr. Jill Biden visits Poughkeepsie education non-profit Sarah McNeil News Editor
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n Friday, Oct. 6, First Lady of the United States Dr. Jill Biden visited Poughkeepsie to discuss education initiatives in the Hudson Valley. Dr. Biden’s trip showed support for Dutchess Community College’s expansion of semiconductor industry training programs and Day One Learning Community’s preschool teachers training program. According to The Daily Freeman, Dr. Biden landed in Stewart International Airport on Friday morning before traveling to both Poughkeepsie and Fishkill. The First Lady celebrated the opening of the Mechatronics Lab at Dutchess Community College. Last October, President Joe Biden visited Poughkeepsie after IBM invested $20 billion in the Hudson Valley to increase the production of semiconductors. Biden, an educator herself, also visited the Reformed Church of Poughkeepsie for an event focused on Day One Learning Community’s innovative education programs. The visit was hosted by Day One Learning Community, a local Poughkeepsie school that focuses on early childhood education. According to the organization’s website, “Our MISSION is to create a model teaching and early learning community where families, educators and future teachers collaborate to nurture every child’s potential, from day one.” Day One co-founders and Vassar alumnae Gerry Laybourne ’69 and Julie Riess ’82 helped organize the event, while Deputy to the President Wesley Dixon intro-
duced Gerry Laybourne and greeted guests. Dixon commented, “At the event, elected officials, non-profit/community leaders and students reflected on the importance of access to quality early-childhood education in Poughkeepsie and in the country.” He continued, “Day One Early Learning was referenced as an example of a model of early-childhood education that can be replicated in other communities around the country.” Executive Director of the Vassar Education Collaboration John Bradley discussed Biden’s trip to the Hudson Valley, commenting, “The purpose of the visit was to focus attention on the community college and Poughkeepsie early learning programs to highlight the progress that is being made in these two areas.” He added that Biden connected local issues with the Biden Administration’s goals saying, “Jill Biden talked about the administration’s focus on building the new economy and on expanding early childhood education.” Several Vassar students were recruited to staff the event, assisting with setup, security and ushering. Sophie Mode ’25, a student who worked the event, shared in a written correspondence to The Miscellany News, “Coming from the Office of Community Engaged Learning, I know what an impact Day One has on all of its students, and how much Vassar students have learned when working there!” She continued, “We were so excited that their innovative ideas were getting recognition from the First Lady and the Secretary of Education, it was a very inspiring and emotional day all around.”
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Image courtesy of Sophie Mode ’25.
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Discussing the ‘Elizabeth Bishop’s Postcards’ exhibition Continued from POSTCARDS on page 1 specialties. So John is especially interested in the literary side of Bishop’s work, and Susan is especially interested in the visual imagery. So you can see how together they
“The Bishop community is worldwide, and I think we have connected to people from various places as a result of that.” started talking about Bishop’s postcards. The Misc: Yeah, there is a quote [in the Ellis and Rosenberg introduction], in terms of what to include. Ellis talked about how there was an attempt to sort by correspondent, or time, or place, and then you guys ended up not going with any of those. So I was wondering how you played into and played off of those traditional methods of organization? Patkus: Initially, there were a little over 500 examples of postcards in our collection, and that is a large number. There is probably an equal number out there in the world, floating around, but we had that number to work with in our collection, and then the question was “OK, which ones do we pick?” And “After we pick them, how do we arrange them?” And, as you said, there are various ways that can be done. It was really Jonathan and Susan’s call though, after they looked at some of these examples, they thought the best way to present them was topically. And so there are actually twelve topics that are available upstairs, and there is one case for each topic, and there is a caption card for each case where we describe what the topic is and how these examples come from it. But I think they did a great job of highlighting some of the aspects of Bishop’s postcard writing, and I feel that the topical approach
Laufey
makes it a little more accessible for people. The Misc: As an archivist, you must feel like you have a connection after reading all of these [postcards] and caring for them. Patkus: Oh yeah, absolutely. That is part of being an archivist. You often get very connected to the material. The Misc: Thinking about the postcards specifically as a form. Postcards can be a memento, something highly valued— Patkus: —Or very ephemeral. The Misc: Exactly. Maybe it depends on who is sending it to you, more about that relationship than anything. But I have to imagine that double nature presents a challenge for archivists. Patkus: It is definitely a challenge, and something we just have to bear both of those qualities in mind. You made me think, though—we still have postcards nowadays, but I do not think we use them to the extent they were used during Bishop’s lifetime. There is a whole history of the postcard, and she is writing and living in the mid-20th century where it is really at its high point, and people often did this, so we get to see that window on
“There is a whole history of the postcard, and she is writing and living in the mid-20th century where it is really at its high point, and people often did this, so we get to see that window on the world through Bishop’s eyes.” the world through Bishop’s eyes. We have some connection to that, but I think it
‘Bewitched’
Grace Finke
Guest Columnist
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rom achingly beautiful tunes of unrequited love to groovy melodies accompanying novel feelings, “Bewitched” is a standout record in the pop charts, recording the biggest first day for a jazz album on Spotify. However, this album is more than just a pop record; it is an exploration of what modern music can be and a redefinition of artistry. Icelandic-Chinese singer Laufey Lín Jónsdóttir, known mononymously as Laufey, has made waves in the world of modern music with her unique musical abilities and influences.
However, this album is more than just a pop record; it is an exploration of what modern music can be and a redefinition of artistry. Blending styles of modern pop, jazz and bossa nova, Laufey experiments with style and technique while staying true to her musical signature in her phenomenal sophomore album, “Bewitched.” Laufey’s sound
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is characterized by her smooth low tones, relatable lyrics and jazz influence. Especially known for her songs “Valentine” and “Let You Break My Heart Again,” Laufey beautifully narrates stories about even the most mundane interactions, drawing listeners in with her unique musical style and rich voice. Laufey transcends the confines of genre and narrates even the most melancholy of topics with an oh-so sweet charm. The album opens with “Dreamer,” an upbeat piece in which she describes her resignation from love to focus on her own dreams. She croons, “I’m moving up into a cloud, into my fantasy/ And no boy’s gonna be so smart as to/ Try and pierce my porcelain heart/ And no boy’s gonna kill the dreamer in me,” ornamenting her newfound individuality with mesmerizing harmonies and energetic instrumentation. Laufey then transitions into the lilting “Second Best,” layered with guitar and strings, longing to be more than a second choice. The freeness in her runs, riffs and trills perfectly captures the daydreams, the yearning and the desperation of this song. Laufey continues her storytelling through a variety of styles, from a modern feel in “Lovesick” and “Letter To My 13 Year Old Self” to a nearly classical style in “California and Me” (recorded with the Philharmonia Orchestra) and “Serendipity.” She seamless-
was more widespread during her lifetime. The Misc: Ellis and Rosenbaum talk about how it was part of a consumerist boom— Patkus: Indeed. The Misc: —And that is good for archivists, if you suddenly have a lot more material being produced. Patkus: Absolutely. And it is interesting to see how Bishop negotiated that. And she did some unique things which revealed something about her. Looking at those examples of ephemera as opposed to looking at examples from other people tells us something about her. The Misc: I think, talking about the prevalence of the postcard in that time, I immediately make the connection to digital life. People my age do not send a lot of postcards, but we do send a lot of texts. I was wondering—that is a massive thing to tackle as an archivist. A digital archive—so much stuff is preserved, so much is lost. I wanted to know your thoughts on that. Patkus: It is a recent challenge for archivists. We want to preserve material that documents today’s world as well, and that material is changing. It is no longer just paper-based, they are being created digitally. So the challenge is you want to preserve those things digitally, so you can understand how they’re being used. So we actually have a digital library team in the Vassar Library, and we partner with them on a number of projects to get a record of what’s happening at Vassar today, and other archives at other institutions usually have some team or people that are engaged in that sort of work as well. It’s challenging, because some of the technological formats have changed so frequently, the amount of data is substantial and therefore costly, so there are a lot of challenges, so the archival community has come up with some ways of trying to deal with it. The Misc: It’s also a challenge, being closer to it, so it’s hard to know what you want to preserve.
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ly riffs and runs through these genres, establishing a style that is uniquely hers. “Nocturne (Interlude),” is a piano composition in the style of Romantic-era impressionism in which Laufey pays homage to her classical music background. She incorporates themes from the other tracks in the record in this piece and shows both her technical skill and artistic vision in this short piece. The lead single, “From The Start,” serves as a rhythmic contrast from the previous tracks, taking inspiration from the bossa nova style. Laufey portrays the nerves of a new crush with the lyrics, “When I talk to you/ Oh, Cupid walks right through/ And shoots an arrow through my heart,” pairing this anticipatory poetry with instrumentals seen primarily in jazz bands as well as a scatting solo. “From The Start” adds a modern, innocent feel to the bossa nova tradition and demonstrates Laufey’s enthusiasm for experimentation. Laufey then transitions to “Misty,” a jazz standard composed by Erroll Garner. The song, first sung by Sarah Vaughan, has also been popularized by Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis, Lesley Gore, Aretha Franklin and countless other artists. As a singer myself, this is one of my favorite songs, as I feel like the tone and melody perfectly suit the medley of emotions that Johnny Burke’s lyrics convey. After hearing her sing, “On my
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Patkus: Not to say every text that has ever been written needs to be preserved The Misc: Phew. Patkus: Archivists have guidelines, professional guidelines, about what those things are. The Misc: Because you don’t want to editorialize. Patkus: No, the job of the archivist is to preserve the material and make it available for researchers. The Misc: I wanted to end with a fun one. What’s your favorite postcard of the exhibition? Patkus: I think I would have to choose
“It’s challenging, because some of the technological formats have changed so frequently, the amount of data is substantial and therefore costly, so there are a lot of challenges, so the archival community has come up with some ways of trying to deal with it.” the one that has a postcard of Vassar—the Vassar campus. It’s in the first case, and in fact the Times literary supplement, when they did their review, they chose that one as the image that they would include, and it’s a wonderful color depiction of the campus from overheard, looking at the main building and some of the surrounding area. There’s so many, we could talk for longer about the interest in several of them, but being at Vassar, that’s probably the first one I would choose.
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own/ Would I wander through this wonderland alone/ Never knowing my right foot from my left/ My hat from my glove/ I’m too misty, and too much in love,” Laufey’s rendition of the song quickly became a new favorite. Her voice glides through the chromatic melodies and perfectly blends the classic with her new tracks.
She has made a name for herself by bringing classical and jazz influences to mainstream audiences and has mastered an understanding of how she can make these styles her own. “Bewitched” is a beautiful showcase of her musicality, style and incredible voice. She has made a name for herself by bringing classical and jazz influences to mainstream audiences and has mastered an understanding of how she can make these styles her own. Laufey is a one-in-a-generation talent, and this album is a stunning journey through musical eras.
October 26, 2023
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Revisiting ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ concert film ‘Stop Making Sense’ Jesse Koblin Arts Editor
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ching and couch-ridden from a double COVID/flu immunization, I pondered my options for a Wednesday afternoon over break. I could wallow in my misery and drift back to sleep—this seemed to be the obvious choice. Alternatively, I could immerse myself in the bombastic music of the rock band Talking Heads by watching Jonathan Demme’s classic concert film “Stop Making Sense.” My original viewing of this movie years ago led me down a New Wave rabbit hole I have never returned from, and my sickness was making me a little nostalgic. Fortified by ginger ale and broth, a seven-day free Filmbox trial I still need to cancel and ambitions to induce good health through the vivifying music of Talking Heads, I dove headfirst into Demme’s intoxicating cinematic experience. “Stop Making Sense” has been hailed by Variety as one of the quintessential concert movies, and rightly so. The touchstone film is one of my favorites simply because it demonstrates the joyous connection between music and movement. Talking Heads’ live performance was shot in December 1983 over the course of three nights at Hollywood’s Pantages Theatre. “Stop Making Sense” is now getting a second lap in movie theaters as part of a restoration and re-release by A24 Studios. But why does the world need a new release of a 40-year-old movie featuring a band that broke up decades ago? The answer lies in how the film neatly solves the question that plagues most concert movies—how do you share the experience of music meant to
make you dance with a seated movie theater audience? In a virtuosic movement, Demme, best known for the 1991 classic “Silence of the Lambs,” answers by punctuating Talking Heads’ breathless musical performance with kinetic camerawork and subtle storytelling. The film’s ability to immerse the viewer in the band’s sound and motion is established in the opening shot, where Talking Heads lead singer David Byrne comes onto the stage alone and sets down a boombox, which plays the infectious background of the band’s early hit “Psycho Killer.” Byrne plays acoustic guitar and sings over the minimal beat. This sparse opening is made captivating by the camera’s focus on details—a close-up of Byrne’s tapping foot, then a pan upwards to capture his body’s idiosyncratic, loose-limbed, electric movement as he plays. Demme uses long takes that let the viewer focus on Byrne and his introverted yet frantic energy. Then, bassist Tina Weymouth joins Byrne for a duet on the subdued but beautiful “Heaven,” followed by the entry of drummer Chris Frantz for the snappy “Thank You For Sending Me an Angel.” Finally, guitarist Jerry Harrison joins the band for “Found a Job.” As band members enter the stage for each song, the stage grips amusingly place risers behind the group to accommodate the increased number of players. Is the “assembly” of the group a metaphor for building a band’s aesthetic? “Stop Making Sense” establishes a patient focus on the details of the performance and a feeling of narrative momentum that mirrors the arc of the performance itself, drawing the viewer into the experience. After the gradual building of the stage, the movie (and the concert) kicks into high
gear. The band is augmented by even more guitarists, keyboardists (including P-Funk legend Bernie Worrell) and backup singers. The previously low-fidelity vibe becomes a musical bacchanal as the expanded band runs through the densely-layered songs Talking Heads developed on the albums “Remain In Light” (1980) and “Speaking in Tongues” (1983). The songs are always full of movement, mirrored by Demme’s direction—a kaleidoscope eruption of light, sound and dance as the musicians react to the music individually and collectively. Each player’s movement is framed within dramatic lighting, reaching a fever pitch by “What A Day That Was,” where only harsh floodlights illuminate the performers, overexposing individual faces floating through a dark stage. By the time Byrne comes out in his iconic oversized suit on “Girlfriend Is Better” (the song the film’s title is derived from), the film has overwhelmed and amazed with its rich array of sensory inputs. Byrne’s performance rides on top of this wave of sight and sound. Talking Heads and their accompanying instrumentalists are undoubtedly exceptional, especially the economy and lyricism of Weymouth’s bass playing, but Byrne is always the star. Even outside Demme’s directorial gaze, viewers cannot pry their eyes off him. We see Byrne in an astonishing variety of expressions and poses—sometimes exaggerating his facial expressions to the music, contorting his body to emphasize the emotions and structure of the song, or playfully diving into antics that are funny and full of strange pathos. Byrne is a paradox: awkward yet electrifying, at the center of the music yet aloof and cerebral and
possessing a restless energy that sets the tone for the movie. “Stop Making Sense” begs endless analysis beyond even the scope of this article. It dispenses with trope band interviews, audience shots and narrators (yes, talking heads!) which often underpin concert films. The magic of this movie, and the key to its pop cultural legend, is the constant attention it pays to movement. Demme allows the camera to organize all forms of motion, both obvious
Byrne is a paradox: awkward yet electrifying, at the center of the music yet aloof and cerebral and possessing a restless energy that sets the tone for the movie. and subtle, within the making of a concert. The choreography of the stage setting, the motion of musicians in performance and the visual interactions of dancing performers on stage all stand in as visual reminders of the incessant frenetic energies inherent to the music world, especially that of Talking Heads. Demme and Talking Heads have created a definitive concert film by inviting the movie audience to the theater to join the party. Now that “Stop Making Sense” is back in movie theaters, you are invited to the party, too.
Vassar student art uplifts Gordon Commons’ atmosphere Allen Hale Arts Editor
O
ne of the best ways to enhance a public space is by filling available areas with pieces of artwork; Gordon Commons has been recently transformed by students according to this principle. Over October Break, Vassar Artists’ Group (VAG) installed two exhibitions showcasing the talent of student artists: “Doodles” and “VAG Queer Eye.” The former includes a collection of aesthetically related pieces built upon the act of doodling; the latter displays a wider variety of work that marks the second edition of “VAG Deece Makeover,” a theme which first ran last spring in Gordon Commons. According to VAG statements, “Doodles” celebrates accidental, unrecognized moments of creativity which blur boundaries between art and everyday life. The broader “VAG Queer Eye” exhibit is a beautification project that provides an opportunity for students to publicly display their work, enabling wider peer recognition and enjoyment. The two displays are located on the far ends of Gordon Commons above booth seating. After returning from Fall Break travels, I took some time to observe the newly featured art, which led to a few pieces in particular catching my eye. Walking by the “Doodles” side, I was particularly struck by the repetitive subject matter of Molly Arden’s ’25 piece, which features fish overlapping each other in lines that resemble a dysfunctional school. The red background squares highlight the blackand-white sketches in a stunning, complementary manner, accompanied by a poem in the bottom left that adds additional intrigue. On the right, two works by Lauren Freedman ’24 utilize bright color schemes
in dense collage format; the bottom right piece resembles graffiti work with its dripping paint and rounded numbers, with added density provided by doodles of critters and nature. The mediums explored here demonstrate the range of possibilities under which doodling can be incorporated, a thought which stuck with me after leaving. Pieces by Elia Smith ’26 employ the human body as a background for the irregular overlay shapes and declarative words. This underlying shape is always visible despite the geometry and vocabulary which is composed upon it, a feat which requires an impressive level of balance. A personal highlight of mine was Brody Weiss’ ’26 piece, which combines graphite and red pencil work in a light, impressionistic manner. The arrangement is stable and purposeful, yet the piece appears natural to the viewer. This is as if it was ripped unwittingly from the creator’s sketchbook and hung up. The second wall features an array of smaller pieces, completed on various backgrounds such as lined paper. These doodles often combined imagery with extended written sections; their smaller size required one to approach closely in order to read, an experience which made them feel deeply personal to witness. On the “VAG Queer Eye” side, I was quickly immersed within the surreal work of Gracie Chang ’26 and Phineas Cashman ’26 on the leftmost end of the wall. The bold colors and body-centric focus of Chang’s piece left me perplexed and unnerved yet thoroughly fascinated; this is perhaps the most memorable work of the entire display for myself, which says a lot given the intrigue of each artwork. Cashman’s uncanny landscape reminded me of a solar system map on its right side, featuring a cube-shaped hole which suggested a
dimension beyond the artwork’s boundaries. Continuing rightward, Leo Valenti’s ’26 mechanical arrangements popped out thanks to the use of shadows, black and white, and thicker linework. The angular sprawl of chords may appear cluttered from afar, yet the aforementioned qualities enable their patterns to emerge with stunning vividity. Immediately afterward, another black-and-white image caught my attention. Although my uninitiated understanding of the medium makes this description lacking, I was captured by Preston Bowe’s ’24 black-and-white work depicting a series of shapes, which morph in texture from left to right. I understood this as a sort of naturalistic progression like the flow of magma or the molting of snakeskin, with harrowing “faces” emerging and dissolving
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
into the rock-like shape. The final piece I wanted to note was Harper Navin’s ’26 textured mountain landscape. A stark, gray background clouds the sky above pointy peaks, with simple strokes beneath it gesturing towards the idea of bare foliage; the serene scene left my heart full as I left once more for the library. My overview barely scratches the surface of what these exhibits have to offer, and I have unfortunately been unable to cover every single piece in their deserved level of detail. In order to fully experience the work yourself, please consider making an effort to immerse yourself in each of the displays when the moment strikes you. Your contemplation will be rewarded by the immense level of talent and creativity on display.
Image courtesy of Tianchen Zhou ’24.
FEATURES
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October 26, 2023
Letters from afar: Finding familiarity in Rilke while abroad Anna Terry
Guest Reporter
T
his past September, I moved across an ocean to attend university in a city I had never seen before and a country I barely knew. For several days, my entire world felt in flux. It was as though I was watching my life back home happen through binoculars and my life here in the United Kingdom pass through foggy rose-colored glasses—a life I knew was distinctly mine but did not quite feel real. I spent those days staggering through Oxford, dragging my body from one item on my never-ending to-do list to the next. I fought back tears as I stood in art museums by myself, trying to find some sense of familiarity in the faces of 18th century portraiture, overly conscious of the fact that my family and friends were thousands of miles away. I walked through meadows and listened to the voices surrounding me, a cacophony of accents that reminded me over and over again, like waves pushing against land, this is not home, this is not home, this is not home.
I walked through meadows and listened to the voices surrounding me, a cacophony of accents that reminded me over and over again, like waves pushing against land, this is not home, this is not home, this is not home. One day, I stumbled into Blackwell’s, a famous bookshop in the center of the city. This particular store is apparently the larg-
est academic bookseller in the U.K.,which I did not realize until the first time I entered. Immediately, I was drowning in shelves upon shelves of books. I tend to feel quite at home in bookstores, but on this specific day, I stood aimlessly in the middle of the store, feeling completely hopeless about where to look first.
“Letters to a Young Poet” is an exception to the literary tradition of selfhelp quotability. I drifted to the non-fiction section in search of something vaguely truthful that would tell me what I was doing here and why I had come so far, something that would confirm my long days of travel were not all some huge mistake. And there Rilke stood. I had read Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet” once before—my mother recommended the book to me last December to help me through a difficult moment—but it had been a while, and many significant changes had occurred in my life since then. “Letters to a Young Poet” was published in 1929 in Germany. The collection contains 10 letters that the Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke wrote to the young writer and cadet Franz Xaver Kappus. The letters offer wisdom to Kappus—and to us, the readers—on writing, loving, thinking, engaging with the world around us and finding what matters then holding fast to it. Reading this book for the first time last December, I felt comforted by Rilke’s words on how to exist in a world that felt too big, too frightening and too overwhelming for me and all of my humanness. Reading this book for the second time, I landed on the following passage, which advises the reader on how to cope with distance from home and all that is familiar:
“For the people who are close to you, you tell me, are far away, and that shows that you are beginning to create a wider space around you. And if what is close is far, then the space around you is wide indeed and already among the stars; take pleasure in your growth, in which no one can accompany you, and be kind-hearted towards those you leave behind.” Rilke continues, “Ask no advice of them and reckon with no understanding; but believe in a love which is stored up for you like an inheritance, and trust that in this love there is strength and a benediction out of whose sphere you do not need to issue even if your journey is a long one.” These lines have been a great teacher to me over the past several weeks. When I read them, I think of the family I left in the United States and my friends back at Vassar. I sometimes worry that by spending my junior year abroad, I am missing out on crucial time with my communities at home. But Rilke reminds me to trust in the friendships I have made during my first at the time when I will be able to embrace my Vassar friends again seems so far away, the fact that I am conscious of this feeling of separation proves that there is something there to be missed—something that cannot be so easily deconstructed by distance. When I remember this distance between me and my home, I repeat to myself the beginning of Rilke’s ninth letter. He writes, “[I]t is always what I have already said: always the wish that you may find patience enough in yourself to endure, and simplicity enough to believe; that you may acquire more and more confidence in that which is difficult, and in your solitude among others. And for the rest, let life happen to you. Believe me: life is right, in any case.” Oftentimes, I find that books so frequently cited by self-help gurus, like Rilke’s collection, tend to be overhyped and valued more so for their inherently quotable nature than for any kind of deeply-rooted emotional
wisdom. “Letters to a Young Poet” is an exception to the literary tradition of self-help quotability. The beauty and sagacity of this collection permeates through our 21st century instinct to highlight the first mentally-stimulating quote found on the page, and instead forces the reader to reckon with a series of letters in which every single sentence is embedded with significance. In Rilke’s work, no word is too small for meaning.
In Rilke’s work, no word is too small for meaning. Perhaps that is why this book has lasted as an emotional touchstone for many readers, even a century since its publication. As life courses onward, Rilke’s words stand with their feet in the sand, enduring the whip of the sea and the flood of time. Perhaps that is why this book has lasted as an emotional touchstone for many readers, even a century since its publication. As life courses onward, Rilke’s words stand with their feet in the sand, enduring the whip of the sea and the flood of time. I am about a month into my life on the other side of the ocean, and there is a copy of Rilke’s “Letters to a Young Poet” sitting beside me in my dorm room. I am grateful to have found solid ground under my feet, that the people and wondrous sights around me are becoming familiar and that this faraway place is finally beginning to feel like home.
Images courtesy of Anna Terry ’25. MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
HUMOR
October 26, 2023
Finding
the
Nicholas tillinghast Phantom Pain
H
alloween, the most fearfully consequential holiday of the year. In honor of such a momentous occasion, I’ve made a compendium of Vassar’s most annoying and bothersome ghosts poltergeisting around campus. Maybe we can unpack some thrilling Vassar history along the way too. Matthew Vassar’s Uncle Phillip Not many people know that in South Jersey, Matthew Vassar was born and raised. In the bars is where he spent most of his days. But when Matthew’s life got flipped-turned upside down after accidentally hitting a group of gangsters with a ball, his mom got scared and sent him to live with his wealthy aunt and uncle in Westchester. Uncle Phillip became a big part of Matt’s life, acting as a father figure who helped him launch a short-lived career in squeaky-clean rap. Uncle Phillip’s ghostly presence can be found in the Martel Theatre, marked by the distinct sound of audience laughter and the occasional ghostly chorus of “awwwwwws” in the empty theater. Students have reported feeling both terrified and weirdly comforted by his presence, but admitted that these inter-
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worst
actions feel rather formulaic and unearned. Professor Ekksposifs Working at Vassar between the years of 1922-1952, Professor Ekksposifs taught in the now defunct department of Bombology which met its tragic end due to a lack of interest in the ’80s. On one most unfortunate night in 1948, Professor Ekksposifs was working late in his lab on a new pipe bomb when suddenly he slipped on a banana peel and fell headfirst into an adjacent wood chipper. He was remembered as a professor with a dynamite personality and a passion for wood chips. Many people have linked his ghost to mysterious clumps of wood chips in his former office: the men’s bathroom on the first floor of Rocky. It has always been a bathroom. Rockin’ Randy Frequently spewing his signature catchphrase, “I’m Rockin Randy, better call the cops!”, Randy’s ghostly presence is found harboring in cans of Street Eats Starry, popping out when the drinker has come down to the final third of the beverage. No one is entirely sure how he died or why he is haunting Vassar, but he’s apparently been spooking people on campus since Sierra Mist made the
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ghosts
big conversion. It is also unclear whether his suggestion to call the cops is genuine, or simple facetious intimidation. Police altercations with the ghost of Rockin Randy have been largely unsuccessful. Margaret Wairamai Margaret visited campus one evening in February 2001, hoping to get a job at the Retreat, but the poor girl couldn’t find Main Building despite it being RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF CAMPUS. After five days of searching and asking students, she still couldn’t find Main Building, stumbling far away into the woods around New Hackensack. On the verge of starvation, she met her demise when Vassar’s short-lived, free-roaming therapy panther viciously mauled her behind New Hackensack. Wairamai’s ghost can frequently be heard muttering “Where is Maaaiiiinnn Builddinnnng” around the perimeter of Main Building. The therapy panther later died of natural causes on the eighth of September, narrowly avoiding post-9/11 America. Richard Nixon Richard Nixon’s ghost has somehow drifted to Vassar campus this past year, many thinking that he’s drawn to Vassar’s “chill
at
Vassar
academic vibes and natural fall beauty.” Many complaints have already been filed that Richard Nixon’s ghost is attempting to corrupt Vassar students, whispering in their ears things like “Evil, evil evil…” and “Look, Watergate wasn’t really that big of a deal.” While it seems most students are unswayed, recent polling suggests Vassar students are 3 percent less in favor of Nixon’s impeachment trial than they were in 2021, per VSA’s annual comprehensive survey. 36 elephants Not many people know that before Vassar had a groundhog problem, they had a major elephant issue—36 elephant issues to be exact. Matthew Vassar, in 1868, brought 37 elephants on campus, hoping they would boost morale for students who were “feeling depressed and stuff” because of “academics and all that.” They did not. In the great Elephant Riots of ’71, all of the elephants were killed except one named Lou who everyone on campus agreed was pretty cool. The ghosts of the 36 elephants can still be heard clomping around on the ninth floor of Jewett, which they called home. I hope this Halloween you only run into Vassar’s cool ghosts: Gary Coleman and Abraham Lincoln.
Would it kill you to show a little gratitude? The Mudslide Trainstopper
W
ell, you’re probably all familiar with me at this point, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to start with a brief introduction. Without further ado: I’m the mudslide! That’s right: The mudslide. You know, the mudslide—or landslide, I’m not picky—that covered the train tracks in Briarcliff Manor, halting Metro-North service to Poughkeepsie and earning shoutouts from New York State Governor Kathy Hochul and Vassar College Transportation Manager Salvatore Incorvaia in the process. I know, I know. I don’t usually do selfies with fans, but you seem sweet, so get on in here! Now that we’ve gotten the pleasantries out of the way, there’s actually something that I wanted to talk to you about. Since I slid down that hillside on Saturday morning, I’ve noticed a disturbing lack of gratitude on the part of Vassar students and the wider Hudson Valley community. I’m sure it’s nothing personal—you all seem very nice—but it’s really been hurting my feelings, so I thought I’d clear up a few misconceptions that have been floating around and make sure that you’re all
sufficiently appreciative of everything I did for you. I’m gonna start with a big one: this idea I keep hearing that I “inconvenienced” people or caused “problems.” Okay, did a few people have to cancel their travel plans? Maybe. But, for your information, Metro-North tickets can be used on any trip along a given route, so I think you should all stop being so dramatic. Anyways, if one little canceled train is enough to mess up everything for you, maybe you need to try living in the moment a little more and stop being so materialistic. Why are you more worried about “trains”
Today’s youth wouldn’t understand hard work if it hit them in the face. and “attending college” than your growth as a person? Seems toxic. You should stop whining about mudslides and look inwards for once. I’d like to dispel the notion that it’s somehow a negative thing that you had to take a shuttle bus from Tarrytown to Croton-Har-
mon on your way to Poughkeepsie. All too often, Vassar students forget that there’s life off campus. Now, I handed you a golden opportunity to get out there and see more of the beautiful Mid-Hudson Valley, and you’re complaining about it? It seems to me like all of you are missing the forest for the trees here. That bus took you past the Tarrytown Farmers Market and Town Hall and offered scenic views of the local landscapes. Who did that? Me! Did it add a little bit of travel time? Maybe, maybe not. Who’s to say? The focus, though, should be on the life experience you had thanks to none other than yours truly. Not only did I offer you a chance to see the beautiful county of Westchester, but it was also a golden opportunity to form new friendships and romantic relationships. Think about it—how better to bond and hit it off with a new connection than commiserating over a shared cancellation? How awesome would it have been if you had met the love of your life on the platform at Grand Central because of me? The only reason that didn’t happen is because you were too busy being mean to me to see the chance I was giving you. They probably would have made a movie about you if that had happened. You
could have been played by Zendaya. Your loss. I also want to make sure that all of you ingrates understand just how much work goes into mudsliding. You don’t slide down a hillside and take tons—tons!—of material with you on a lark—it takes years of preparation! Years spent building up water in the soil, weakening root systems, gathering dirt and rocks, all leading up to this one moment. Yet you can’t muster even a little bit of appreciation for all of that hard work? Typical. Today’s youth wouldn’t understand hard work if it hit them in the face. Let me tell you, there are no “participation trophies” in mudsliding. One last thing—how come mudslides don’t get names? Hurricanes and tropical storms do. Earthquakes don’t, I suppose, but they’re mostly just helpers for mudslides. We can be very impactful, you know. A name would go a long way in bringing much-needed recognition to mudslides. I’ve always been fond of “Lucille.” Anyways, if you’re not grateful now, I suppose there’s just no helping you. But remember: Thank your local mudslide. We’re doing it for you.
Raymond: ‘Second floor bathroom isn’t our haunted house’ Benjamin Savel
Flushed With Fear
O
n the Thursday night before Halloween, Thomas Ratking ’26 walked into Raymond House, unsure of what to expect. He had heard the dorm was lurking with ghosts, witches and zombies for the night of their haunted house. But as he opened the door to a mysterious room on the second floor, the horror that struck him was greater than anything he’d imagined. He should have been warned by the inhuman noises coming from within the room as he entered. The ceiling was beginning to cave in, with wet plaster eerily dripping from above. Cobwebs dotted the edges of the room. He heard the sounds of rushing
water and was soon startled by a gasp as a large stone detached from the ceiling, landing with a thud in a locked shower stall concealed by a curtain. A putrid odor soon met his nose. “This must be the smell of a rotting vampire,” he postulated. His suspicions were confirmed when a bat flew through the window, darting through the piping, veering above his head and pounding its wings for minutes before perching upside down on a pipe. Ratking knew that this room was a surreal window into centuries-old history, something that no human had truly experienced in generations. So after consulting a textbook of historical methodology, he heeded the well-respected advice of Karl Marx and posted a Fizz about the room. He explained
that it felt like living in a Victorian-era building that hadn’t been renovated for decades (Raymond was built in 1897 and as far as we know, was last renovated then too). But as 785 students came flocking to the second floor to follow in Ratking’s footsteps, the organizers of the annual Raymond Haunted House sat in the Raymond basement, wondering why no one was attending their usually-popular event. According to more reports on Fizz, the second-floor space had outshon the regular haunted house. Raymond has since clarified the mishap. “To the Vassar College community, we are glad we could provide you with enough horrors to fill a lifetime. We’d like to apologize and clarify that this is an average Raymond bathroom.”
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Benjamin Savel/The Miscellany News.
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HUMOR
Anna Kozloski
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
October 26, 2023
HORRORSCOPES!
HUMOR
October 26, 2023
Page 9
Jordan Alch
Afraid Of Horror Movies
ARIES
March 21 | April 19
TAURUS
April 20 | May 20
GEMINI
May 21 | June 20
CANCER
June 21 | July 22
LEO
July 23 | Aug. 22
VIRGO
Aug. 23 | Sept. 22
VVitch
Did you ever read those articles that were meant to fear-monger parents into thinking that there were shards of glass in their kid’s candy? Yeah, me neither. But you should check your Halloween candy this year. You never know what could be hiding in there. Mystery pills, razor blades, Richard Nixon—the usual things to be afraid of seeing when you open a Snickers bar.
Sept. 23 | Oct. 22
Step out of your comfort zone this Halloween and try a spooky activity! Watch a new scary movie or text an old friend and see how they’re doing. Or, my personal favorite, ride alone in the elevator with someone that you kind of know but not well enough to feel completely comfortable talking to them. That’s always frightening.
SCORPIO
Oct. 23 | Nov. 21
Try out a new costume that nobody has ever seen before. Be an armadillo, or a traffic cone. I knew someone who dressed up as the purple Teletubbie and wore the costume to high school every year. That’s definitely an option for you, if you’re looking to be the talk of the town.
SAGITTARIUS
Nov. 22 | Dec. 21
Watch a horror movie for all of your friends who are too scared to watch one. Tell your friends about it, but make sure that your description isn’t too scary! Some people want to get the full experience without all of the jumpscares and gore. Not speaking from experience.
CAPRICORN
Dec. 22 | Jan. 19
Did you ever get chased by some teenager in a clown costume while you were trick or treating? This was a regular occurrence where I lived. If this were to happen to you now, would you be the chaser or the chasee? Think about it.
AQUARIUS
Jan. 20 | Feb. 18
Participate in a seance this week to connect to the other side. Vassar is supposed to be super haunted, so it’s probably not too hard to talk to a ghost. Bring your friends! Pull out a Oujia board that you bought from Toys R Us! See what they have to say about how this weekend will go. Just don’t tell the ghosts that I sent you.
Halloween
Josie Wenner
Bottom Half of the Horse
I
LIBRA
’m Screaming with joy this Halloweekend. My love for Halloween must be Hereditary, because I know my Mother! is just as hyped as me. Here’s hoping people Talk To Me and Nun of my friends get too scared (scary masks can sometimes get to Us). You should try to Get Out of your comfort zone and really make the most of your time. I’m going to be dispensing some Pearls of wisdom for you in this article, and I want It to help you figure out your costume. Christopher Columbus and syphilis: For the historians and/or pre-meds. It’s a long-standing rumor that Columbus brought syphilis to Europe when he returned from pillaging the Americas. For this costume, one person should dress like
PISCES
Feb. 19 | March 20
costume
Columbus and wear a pointed hat and cape, and carry a spyglass, and the other person should hold up a sign that reads “Stay away! I have syphilis!” This costume is not only hilarious, but it has the added benefit of making you very popular at parties. My water bottle: A very simple costume for any Josie Wenner fans out there. Wear teal, cover yourself in stickers and take several days in between washes. Spotted lanternfly and spotted lanternfly hunter: This costume is relevant, woke and oh-so-fun. One person should dress in red and wear spots, and the other person should wear a pith helmet and try to step on their friend as much as possible. Gnomeo and Juliet: Everybody does Claire and Leo R&J for Halloween. Absolutely nobody does G&J. Break the mold. Dress like a gnome.
Reflect on your past Halloween costumes. What was your best one? What was your worst? Maybe you dressed up as some obscure book character and nobody could tell who you were. Or maybe you were Spider-Man, that’s pretty cool. Or maybe you’re one of those lame people who didn’t dress up and just went and asked for candy. I’m pretty sure that’s illegal. Go roam some basements on campus! That’s supposed to be pretty fun. I wouldn’t do it because I’m too scared of rats and roaches, but I’m sure some people enjoy it. Go see if there’s actually a tunnel between Ray and Davi. Or is it Joss and Jewett? Let me know if you figure it out. You should watch all of the Disney Channel Halloween episodes. Sure, it’ll heal your inner child and all of that, but some of them are actually entertaining! It’s a nice break from all of the readings you probably should do. I recommend the episode from “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” I think that you should go ghost hunting. You’ve probably got all of the supplies that you need, like a flashlight and that weird radio thing that allows ghosts to talk to you. If you don’t, head on over to gatorsandghosts.com to find all of your ghost hunting essentials! (Not sponsored.) Connect with your inner ghost. Haunt the halls. Freak people out. Don’t put concealer on to cover your eye bags and wonder why people ask if you’re sick. Be unapologetically you <3 Do the monster mash (the monster mash). I’ve heard it’s a graveyard smash. It catches on in a flash. Apparently it was Dracula’s “Transylvania Twist” before Bobby “Boris” Pickett and The Crypt-Kickers renamed it the monster mash. Do the mash! (wa-wa-ooh).
should
The Notes app: Personally, I love to scribble things down in my notes app whenever I please. For this costume, write things on sticky notes and cover yourself completely. To give this more of a Halloween vibe, write scary things on the sticky notes. Some examples: “ahhh!” “boo!” “So what are you going to do after college?” “getting stuck in elevators,” “intimacy.” Average Vassar student: Doc Martens. Jeans. Large sweater. Tote bag. Cigarette. Pitch Perfect riff-off: Fun fact! The first Pitch Perfect movie features an exterior shot of Vassar. For this costume, wear many, many layers of clothes, sing the iconic riff-off and rip off a layer whenever a new character starts singing. Ivy League and Whorehouse: A nod to one of Vassar’s funniest pseudonyms. One person should dress like a scholar (sweater,
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
you
wear?
jeans, blazer, etc.) and drape themself in ivy, and the other person (or multiple people) should dress like a prostitute. A man a plan a canal Panama: An iconic four-person costume for palindrome lovers. Take your pick of the 62/38 gender ratio for a man, dress like you’ve got your life in order for a plan, drench yourself in water to be a canal and wear one of the world’s most stylish hats for Panama. Noyes House: A splendid dorm and a splendid costume. Make Noyes’ beautiful windows out of popsicle sticks. Curve your body to represent its unique shape. Talk about how full you are to highlight its close proximity to the Deece. Loudly scream the whole night as a nod to its constant, never-ending fire alarms. Personally, I will be going as slutty Edgar Allan Poe. Happy Halloweekend!
OPINIONS
Page 10
October 26, 2023
All opinions and Letters are submitted to The Miscellany News. The Editorial Board does not take responsibility for the views expressed in opinions articles.
The
cost
of
Britt Andrade Columnist
T
wenty two years ago the United States responded to the Sept. 11 attacks with a 20-year conflict—a conflict so strongly embedded in our culture and society that we are still in Iraq, without it being even a blip on the radar. In the beauty of hindsight, we can condemn the Global War on Terror, we can begin to acknowledge the harm done to U.S. veterans and Afghan citizens. We spent trillions on a model that failed…yet we still have not learned. According to the Council on Foreign Relations, we have sent over $75 billion to Ukraine already. We are backing Israel, both politically and monetarily, after the attacks from Hamas. Students and citizens across the country are protesting that unilateral support, demanding freedom for Palestine and the creation of a fair two-state solution. I am not here to give my opinion on Israel and Palestine. Everyone is going to be doing that for the foreseeable future. Classes will be taught about this time in history. Politicians will be made and destroyed by this conflict. I am not here for them either. Instead, I am here for the living dead. The men, women and children who are walking through life, being loved by their families, who unfortunately will not be with us this time next year. Instead they will be dead, lost to another global conflict created by leaders more con-
conflict
cerned about maintaining power than they were about human life. Lost to human apathy toward problems that do not really affect us. I am here for them because they deserve to be recognized, they deserve to be mourned, and most importantly they deserve to live.
Conflict and war are not just. There is no justice or honor in war; there is only survival.
Conflict and war are not just. There is no justice or honor in war; there is only survival. I am not a combat veteran. I am, however, a veteran speaking from the perspective of someone who has lost fellow soldiers to the impacts of war. Both sides always believe that they are morally justified. Both sides have a reason for fighting, both sides have families to protect, both sides are filled with fighters that just want to go home and never pick up a rifle again. When we pick sides, we dehumanize our enemy because it is the only way to convince people to fight and kill other human
deserves
more
beings. We kill using bombs and drones for the safety of our troops but also because it prevents troops from having to see, smell, hear, taste the death in the air that follows war. We are removing humanity from combat and are recreating systems of oppression and war in our attempts to protect ourselves. We have to find a new way to resolve conflicts between nations besides violence and apartheid because the cost is too high. We are losing brilliant minds—average minds, too. All of them, deserving of life regardless of supposedly quantifiable potential. Children are being forced to grow up quickly in worlds that do not believe in them. Hate and rage are being grown in communities both foreign and domestic because people feel and are disempowered. Even now as I write this my baby brother is serving a 10-month deployment in the Middle East that is already being impacted by these global conflicts. He is 21, the same age as many of you, the same age as many of the fighters in Israel and Palestine and Ukraine. He is a dork, I changed his diapers, he followed my friends around constantly, he even followed me into the military, and he is brilliant. I say this because I love him, the same way that everyone loves someone, the way siblings and mothers and fathers love enemy combatants. But I cannot see them as the enemy because doing so continues the cycle. I have to find peace in my heart, so that it does not have
attention
We have to find a new way to resolve conflicts between nations besides violence and apartheid because the cost is too high.
room to be poisoned by rage. Often when you are not connected to someone directly in war, the waters get muddy. The acceptable losses are easier to accept and easier to dismiss. As we demand justice, as we academically dissect conflict and assign blame, we lose sight of the greater cost. We forget the sacrifice. I ask that you consider some questions I have been mulling over these last few weeks. Are you willing to pick up a rifle and take a life for the sake of a cause, for the sake of your definition of justice? Are you willing to die? If you are not, then who should and why are they an acceptable sacrifice? If the only solution is violence, then what comes after and who will be alive to see it?
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Image courtesy of Mstyslav Chernov of AP. MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
October 26, 2023
OPINIONS
Page 11
All opinions and Letters are submitted to The Miscellany News. The Editorial Board does not take responsibility for the views expressed in opinions articles.
Can we call truce on thalidomide post tragedy? Christine Xu
Guest Columnist
I
t is the late 1950s and a new “wonder drug” is going on the market. First debuted in West Germany by a pharmaceutical company called Chemie Grünenthal, you see this new sedative and tranquilizer become an international superstar. Therapeutic Advances in Hematology recalls that researchers assure that testing on rodents shows no amount of this drug results in a fatal dose. Advertisements market thalidomide as completely safe for human use—anyone can take it. Soon enough it is 1960 and thalidomide is popularly prescribed to pregnant women because its antiemetic effects can help with morning sickness. Birth Defects Research shares that doctors receive samples of this drug to freely distribute to their patients; its lack of federal approval is not a big deal. It is a few years later and the “wonder drug” has become what Birth Defects Research describes to be the “largest man-made medical disaster.” It turns out thalidomide is safe for anyone except pregnant women, because it causes birth defects—the early research from the 1950s and 1960s had not accounted for pregnant subjects in testing for the safety of thalidomide consumption. According to the Science Museum Group, at the time scientists also thought that the placenta was a durable barrier between the fetus and the mother, not allowing any drug the mother ingested to penetrate into the womb. We now know that this is not the case. When thalidomide reaches a fetus, it causes a wide range of damage. Scientists do not fully understand the mechanisms of its harm on the fetus, but they found that thalidomide has antiangiogenic properties. When exposed to thalidomide in the embryonic stage (from fertilization to eight weeks of gestation), the drug targets blood vessel formation in the embryo. These disruptions in blood vessel development manifest in birth defects, such as shortened limbs (phocomelia) and extra digits in the hands or feet (polydactyly). Other effects include ear malformations, internal organ damage and neural damage. Babies born with these conditions were coined “tha-
lidomide babies.” The thalidomide tragedy changed the way drugs are tested and regulated. Thalidomide had never actually been approved in the United States during the period of 1957 to 1962. Toxicologic Pathology credits Dr. Frances Kelsey as the physician and pharmacologist in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who pushed back against pressures to approve the drug because she saw insufficient safety testing and data on thalidomide. After the impacts of thalidomide were finally illuminated, the United States refurbished its drug regulations. Birth Defects Research discusses that in drug testing, there was more awareness of species differences in drug responses. Mice, the species used to test thalidomide, happened to be less responsive to thalidomide. The Science Museum Group recounts that animal testing was no longer enough for drug approval. Therapeutic Advances in Hematology further explains that the FDA also began enforcing stricter guidelines for clinical trials and company transparency about the product. Packaging labels were revamped to include information on contra-indications of the drug and specifications on safety of its consumption for pregnant women. Thalidomide was banned in the United States during the 1960s, but scientists had not totally abandoned this drug and its potential. After researchers uncovered uses of its antiangiogenic and anti-inflammatory properties, the FDA allowed restricted use of thalidomide. According to the National Library of Medicine, this drug can treat patients with plasma cell myeloma, which is cancer in the bone marrow, by preventing tumor growth, increased concentration of blood vessels attached to the tumor (hypervascularity) and the spread of cancer (metastasis). Microbes and Infection describes how thalidomide can also treat leprosy, which is a skin disease caused by infection of a bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae). Leprosy patients may sustain nerve damage and skin lesions. While thalidomide does not have an antimicrobial effect on M. leprae, it has been shown to inhibit the production of a pro-inflammatory protein involved in reactions to leprosy, called Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha
(TNF-α). Thalidomide’s anti-inflammatory property comes from its ability to degrade the messenger RNA (mRNA) that codes for this specific inflammatory protein. According to Therapeutic Advances in Hematology, even as the FDA approved thalidomide in the United States in 1998 to treat leprosy and in 2006 for myeloma, memories
People, from both the scientific and political realms, are responsible for how thalidomide reaches and interacts with society—the problem is not the drug itself. of the “thalidomide babies” linger. Toxicological Sciences refers to the FDA enforcing the System for Thalidomide Education and Prescribing Safety (STEPS)—a program directing doctors to educate all patients on the effects, both positive and negative, of thalidomide. It also requires doctors to provide contraceptive counseling and reproductive oversight
and receive informed consent from patients to participate in follow-up surveys before prescribing the drug. This program serves as a safeguard to disallow thalidomide access to pregnant women. Thalidomide is inextricably linked to tragedy, understandably so, given that it was a preventable man-made medical disaster with far-reaching consequences. The lack of strict regulations allowed the pharmaceutical industry to deem the drug safe, even for pregnant women, which gave rise to birth defects in the babies born from mothers who were prescribed thalidomide. These consequences warrant caution, but that is the crux. Despite its history, thalidomide has useful applications, like for cancer treatment, and it need not be demonized for its past. People, from both the scientific and political realms, are responsible for how thalidomide reaches and interacts with society—the problem is not the drug itself. Researchers excluded pregnant women from thalidomide’s safety concerns and the politicians failed to uphold protective regulations. Thalidomide cannot be disentangled from the people in white coats or expensive suits making the decisions, but it also can not be frozen in a state of scientific disaster.
Image courtesy of Rehman et al.
Letter to the Editor: SJP demands Palestinian liberation October 10, 2023 ear Vassar Community,
D
In light of the recent events in Palestine, Vassar Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), affirm our unequivocal support for Palestinian liberation from settler-colonial and military occupation. On Saturday, Oct. 7, Palestinian militants from Gaza organized the most extensive act of rebellion against Israel since the Second Intifada. Militants successfully undermined Israeli military intelligence and managed to touch the land they had been forcibly removed from nearly 50 years ago. These acts of resistance were neither unprovoked nor aimless. The attacks were motivated both by the recent desecration of the sacred Al-Aqsa mosque by Israeli settlers on Oct. 4 and Palestinians’ ongoing dire conditions of oppression. Gaza—the world’s largest open-air prison—is home to over two million Palestinians trapped by a land, sea and air blockade since 2007. Movement of people
in and out of Gaza and access to food, gas and electricity is restricted and controlled at the discretion of the Israeli government. Furthermore, since the Nakba in 1948, the Israeli government has persisted in its commitment to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people. After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel obtained control over the West Bank and Gaza and cultivated an apartheid regime by demolishing homes, unjustly detaining Palestinians, restricting mobility and committing various war crimes. Decolonial violent resistance is an inevitable result of the ongoing ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the state of Israel, and we hold the Israeli regime responsible for all the unfolding violence. There is no peace under apartheid. The American government demonstrates unabashed support of the racist, colonial Israeli agenda; every year, the United States sends over $3 billion to the Israeli military. Accordingly, as Americans, we have a responsibility to protest
our government’s support for apartheid and ethnic cleansing, as well as to challenge and de-normalize the dominant Zionist narrative. We condemn President Bradley’s email regarding “Violence in the Middle East,” which only recognizes attacks on Israel, ignoring the subsequent blanket bombing and full economic and infrastructural blockade on Gaza, as well as the history of Israeli violence against the indigenous Palestinian population. By failing to recognize the direct and structural violence on behalf of Israel, President Bradley inaccurately represented the crisis, professed bias toward Israel, and in turn demonstrated her lack of care for our Palestinian students and community members. We, as Vassar SJP, join together from a variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds to call for an end to apartheid and military occupation. This is not a religious conflict nor an opportunity to advance one religion and target another; this is a call to end the humanitarian cri-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
sis that is continuously imposed on Palestinians. Despite Zionist attempts to delegitimize Palestinian resistance, we remain in unequivocal support of Palestinian liberation. We also remain adamant in our call for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) from political, economic and cultural institutions complicit in Israeli apartheid. We will continue to listen to Palestinian voices on the ground and represent their interests to the best of our ability. We believe that within our lifetime, Palestine will be free, from the River to the Sea.
ستكون فلسطني حرة،من النهر إىل البحر Signed, Vassar Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)
OPINIONS
Page 12
October 26, 2023
All opinions and Letters are submitted to The Miscellany News. The Editorial Board does not take responsibility for the views expressed in opinions articles.
No
idea
should
Edward Welch Morgan, J. Lincoln Dauer
Copy Staffer, Guest Columnist
“S
tudents should be more open to religion at Vassar” is a reasonable and agreeable statement. The opinion article of that name by Catherine Borthwick ’24 and Eli Cuomo ’24, published by The Miscellany News on Sept. 27, is not as reasonable as its title suggests. The negative experiences of religious people at Vassar are valuable perspectives to share, but the article’s diversion into Christian apologia and general scorn for the nonreligious is concerning. We want to make it absolutely clear: We are not attacking religious individuals. Everyone has the right to engage in personal religious practice, and we respect that right. This response is not intended as an attack on religion, but rather, an explanation of why religion should not have a privileged role on Vassar’s secular campus. Borthwick and Cuomo rightfully expect that critics of religions should not view adherents as indistinguishable, but they fail to extend this expectation to nonbelievers. Their rhetoric, particularly the use of the terms “secular liberal” and “the atheist,” implies that they view nonreligious people as a monolith, when this is simply not the case. The nonreligious have no shared practices, texts or tenets. While atheism can be for some, non-religiosity is not an identity—it is the lack thereof. In fact, we are writing a joint response precisely because we often disagree about spirituality, politics and all kinds of topics. The article contends that religion has been “wrongfully politicized,” but religion has always been political. To say otherwise is to misunderstand what it has always been. Was Jesus’ resistance to Roman laws not a political act? What about the conquest of Mecca by Muhammad and his army? The personal is political. As soon as religious beliefs impact others (like how one raises their children) or translate into public action (like voting based on “Christian values”), it becomes a political matter. We absolutely agree that extreme believers do not represent all individuals in a religion, but to claim that they do not reflect the religion they adhere to is evasive. The difficulty in identifying “true believers” originates from an inherent flaw in Christianity and many religions: When an institution treats a book as an unchallengeable authority—and that book is self-contradictory—it can be (and has been) used to justify almost anything. Despite this complicating factor, evaluating religions is not impossible, and it is not bigoted to do so. The best approach by which to understand a religion is multifaceted: examining its doctrine, scripture and the actions of all of those who identify as its adherents. If a religion comes out of such an examination appearing unfavorable, there is nothing but that religion to blame. More often than not, Vassar students do adhere to the Enlightenment ideas of secularism and rationality, and that is a good thing. It is dangerous how flippantly Borthwick and Cuomo discard secularism and rationality as “closed-minded.” Rationality was developed not only by atheists, as is seemingly assumed, but by those of many faiths all over the world. For example, René Descartes was Catholic as well as one of the first modern rationalists. But also, rationality and reason are the only methods by which useful truths about the
be
sacred
material world can be understood, because no other methods allow for the valid, systematic scrutiny of ideas. There have been Christians opposing rationality every step of the way, from Galileo’s trial on heliocentrism to the Scopes trial on evolution to present-day religious anti-vaccine advocacy. Allowing such irrationality to go unchallenged, especially in academia, would be unacceptable. Secularism is one of the most valuable principles of a free society, ensuring that the powers that be have no religious basis and permit as much religious freedom as possible. When people of various faiths and lack thereof choose to attend a secular college like Vassar, that secularity should be maintained. In the same way that we would not want to see governmental or institutional powers take an actively religious role, we also do not want them to take an anti-religious role—this neutrality defines secularism. Governments that are not secular, identifying themselves with particular religions or actively against religions, are inherently oppressive. It can be useful, in academia especially, to divorce the philosophy (the debatable matters, like the values and ethics) of a religion from the faith (the unfalsifiable matters, like gods or divinity). So when in its proper place, we in no way “reject Christian philosophy,” as Cuomo and Borthwick suggest. One of us is a student of early modern art history who is constantly immersed in Christian philosophy, holy texts and historical experiences. In fact, we are not opposed to religious ideas of any kind being brought into class discussions. But if the ideas are rejected—for example, if the consensus is that their unprovable nature renders them not useful—that is fair. If one wishes to convince academics of religion’s “intrinsic worth,” one must actually prove it. All ideas should be scrutinized; religion deserves no immunity, even if it is “thousands of years” old. Borthwick and Cuomo state, “In rejecting the transcendent, secular liberals have doomed themselves to an existential and hopeless outlook on an increasingly downward-spiraling world.” They ignore millennia of secular, material philosophies, and again treat nonreligious people as indistinguishable. And above all, any “transcendent” worldview that leads away from reality is inherently illusory. The world is in crisis in many ways—this is depressing, but something we have to acknowledge in order to fix. This is how the “opium of the masses” operates: reality-transcending structures of belief can lull followers into a false sense of contentment with a diseased world. Regarding spirituality, investigate it in whatever manner feels most appropriate to you. But that does not mean all religious practices should be tolerated. If we want a truly free society, manipulative tactics historically utilized by religion cannot be tolerated and must be confronted. Some examples include doctrine forbidding the questioning of dogma, ostracization of and violence against apostates, inclusion of religion into state institutions like education, and indoctrination from birth. When religious practice and demonstration are embedded into school life, as seen in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, they can strip away secularity and perpetuate coercion. Despite the article’s claim that “Religion has been sidelined and compartmentalized in American society,” three-quarters of
at
Vassar
Americans identify as religious—the vast majority Christian—according to the Public Religion Research Institute. Christianity is everywhere, from our public holidays to “In God We Trust” as our country’s motto (only since 1957, it is worth mentioning). Conversely, many atheists have to keep themselves “in the closet” to avoid the discrimination they might be subject to by
The best approach by which to understand a religion is multifaceted: examining its doctrine, scripture and the actions of all of those who identify as its adherents.
their families, employers and communities. The consequences of this persecution are seen in government: According to Pew Research Center, only one member (0.2 percent) of Congress is openly unaffiliated with a religion, compared to roughly a quarter of Americans. A clear explanation for this phenomenon is that, according
College
to a 2019 Gallup poll, only 60 percent of Americans would be willing to vote for an atheist—significantly lower than the proportions who would be willing to vote for a Catholic, Evangelical Christian, Muslim or Jewish person. But it is true that in the 21st century, the United States is (debatably) beginning to move past a culture where Christianity is treated as untouchable, and we are beginning to reject its entanglement with our government and institutions. This progress is a good thing, despite some Christians wanting to claw back that privilege. As the saying goes, “When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression.” We are happy to hear of the joy and community found at Pratt House, and we hope that it continues. Supporting people from minority cultures is of paramount importance, and the fact that some have felt out of place or attacked at Vassar is unacceptable. We clearly have work to do. But in order to have a rigorous academic environment, students should not contribute or promote ideas that they are unwilling to have questioned or scrutinized. Although we want everyone to experience comfort in their community, comfort that comes from shutting oneself off from critiques of one’s beliefs is not only closed-minded, but harmful. We will continue to be open to others’ religious perspectives. We hope that religious people at Vassar will be open to ours.
For Vassar Poetry lovers! Announcing the Edna St. Vincent Millay Pulitzer Poetry Centennial Challenge Open to all current Vassar Students. To commemorate the Centennial of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s (VC 1917) reception of the first Pulitzer Prize for poetry awarded to a female poet, the Vassar College Library is accepting video submissions from current students reading from the poems for which she won the award. This is not a competition but an opportunity to remember Millay by lending your voice as a living connection between Millay, yourself, and her audience. Videos will be publicized by the Library and the Edna St. Vincent Millay Society on Youtube, and archived by the Vassar’s Digital Library as a record of the celebration. You may submit videos for up to five poems. The submission form, as well as links to the eligible poems, is available on the Vassar Libraries website at https://library.vassar.edu. The deadline for submissions is December 31, 2023. Please see the form for more details.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
OPINIONS
October 26, 2023
Page 13
All opinions and Letters are submitted to The Miscellany News. The Editorial Board does not take responsibility for the views expressed in opinions articles.
Letter to the Editor: Assistant professors support lawsuit W
e, the undersigned assistant professors, express solidarity with the senior women colleagues in their class-action lawsuit aimed at holding Vassar accountable to its own stated values regarding pay equity. The current lawsuit, which calls on the College to honor its historic reputation as a champion of gender equality in higher education, has exposed that our senior colleagues have internally elevated concerns about gender pay disparities for more than fourteen years. As junior faculty joining the campus community, we have listened attentively to our senior colleagues—both in faculty meetings and in casual workplace conversations—discuss the flaws in the College’s evaluation practices. We appreciate the efforts made by full professors and other long-time employees of the College in identifying patterns of gender- and racebased bias in the College’s review practices that have impacted their careers at Vassar, and we stand by them in solidarity. Moreover, we fear that if these voices go unheeded, and further College-wide full pay transparency is not offered by the administration, such policies and practices will continue to reproduce pay inequities. How the College responds to this case will set a precedent for how they value and treat future generations of female faculty moving forward. Therefore, we join our colleagues in calling upon President Bradley and the Board of Trustees to settle the lawsuit in a manner that reflects the immense con-
tributions of our female senior colleagues and demonstrates a commitment to addressing the issue of gender pay disparities at Vassar. Additionally, we call upon them to allocate the necessary resources to all faculty committees to enhance transparency and rectify these inequities in the long term. We hope these steps bring us closer together as a community and empower us all to put Vassar’s values into practice.
Gordon Hall Assistant Professor of Art
Dianne Pater Assistant Professor of Biology
Myra Hughey Assistant Professor of Biology
Allison Puglisi Assistant Professor of History
Trevor Hyde Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
Michael Reyes Salas Assistant Professor of Africana Studies
Sincerely,
Lee Kennedy-Shaffer Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
Claire Sagan Assistant Professor of Political Science
Sole Anatrone Assistant Professor of Italian
Elizabeth Lastra Assistant Professor of Art
Blevin Shelnutt Assistant Professor of English
Leah Isseroff Bendavid Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Montserrat Madariaga Caro Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies
Ashanti Shih Assistant Professor of History
Andy Borum Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics
Krystle J. McLaughlin Assistant Professor of Chemistry
Payton Small Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences
Amy Chin Assistant Professor of American Studies & Asian Studies
Taneisha Means Assistant Professor of Political Science
Alberto Gelmi Assistant Professor of Italian Studies
Daniel Mendiola Assistant Professor of History
Katie Gemmill Assistant Professor of English
Tracy O’Neill Assistant Professor of English
Mallory Whiteduck Assistant Professor of Political Science
Hannah Gommerstadt Assistant Professor of Computer Science
Sofia Ortiz-Hinojosa Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Kimberly Williams Brown Assistant Professor of Education
Catherine Tan Assistant Professor of Sociology Kirsten Wesselhoeft Assistant Professor of Religion
American Jewish student reflects on the Israel-Gaza attacks Emma Driker
Guest Columnist
S
ince headlines broke on the attacks in Israel-Gaza on Saturday, Oct. 7, I have been worried about saying anything about the conflict. Over the last two weeks, I have opened my phone to a slew of Instagram stories posting infographics and touting narratives that are often very limiting and harmful. Most of these thoughts were written in the days immediately following Oct. 7, while I was in the thick of this online atmosphere. Yet, as a bit of time has gone by, they still feel relevant.
Instagram activism sometimes feels like a never-ending pit of virtue signaling—people trying to assert that their stance and their opinion make them morally superior and somehow exempt from guilt, even from across the globe. Instagram activism sometimes feels like a never-ending pit of virtue signaling—people trying to assert that their stance and their opinion make them morally superi-
or and somehow exempt from guilt, even from across the globe. It is important to note that American Jews are socialized from a young age to have an idealized understanding of Israel. All the way in Michigan, my early Jewish education cultivated a narrative of Israel quite detached from the nation itself. Over slices of challah and Dixie cups of grape juice, we learned about the formation of the Israeli state after World War II, we learned about its importance as a homeland for the Jewish people. We did not learn about the people who were living there beforehand, and we did not learn about what happened to them in the process. As I began to learn more about the world—and after a visit to Israel and Palestine when I was in middle school—my understanding of the region was complicated. Suddenly, dinner conversations at my Bubby and Zeyde’s house became tense as we grappled with the generational gap in perspective; we sympathized with my Zeyde’s support for the Israeli state as the child of Jewish Ukrainian immigrants. Yet, as the younger generation, my cousins, sister and I could not ignore our growing knowledge of the treatment of Palestinians. Today, to be clear, I am a Jew who supports Palestine’s right to liberation. I also understand the recent frustration I see expressed online that long, ongoing Palestinian oppression does not receive the same media coverage that Israeli oppression is receiving right now. However, one can express frustration over disproportionate treatment and double standards without
an insensitivity to Jewish suffering and trauma; I have been seeing a worrisome erasure of the latter half in the narratives online.
To create a space— physical or digital—in which someone cannot feel comfortable openly grieving the death of innocent people is troublesome. This online atmosphere makes it near impossible for someone to express their thoughts without losing crucial context.
I have been fearful to say anything in person regarding the attacks, but especially online, where words are quickly taken out of context and infographics pop up quicker than you can keep up with. I worry about liking any of the dozens of posts I see floating around Instagram. If I share support for Israel and my Jewish family and friends, I worry I will come across as
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
anti-Palestine, I will be deemed as apathetic and uneducated, I will be labeled as tone deaf. I am scared that if I do not acknowledge the horrific loss of life, people will again think I am apathetic, that I do not care enough. We live in a weird age, where we are expected to share all of our thoughts online. If you say the wrong thing, you will be frowned upon. If you say nothing at all, you do not care enough. Why is it that being Jewish and expressing sympathy for my fellow Jewish community automatically makes me anti-Palestine, automatically makes me a Zionist? The workings of social media activism are so flawed that, to say one thing instantly means you must fit into one specific category. These limiting narratives are harmful and reflect why activism on social media platforms can only go so far. To create a space—physical or digital—in which someone cannot feel comfortable openly grieving the death of innocent people is troublesome. This online atmosphere makes it near impossible for someone to express their thoughts without losing crucial context. Again, I do not stand for the Israeli government’s actions in Palestine, but I also mourn for the hundreds of people being killed; it can feel disheartening that finding a way to express this comes with such worry. It is frustrating trying to strike the balance of sharing support for your community while also not wanting to come across as sympathetic to an unjust government, all of this while grappling with the pressures to share everything online and the restrictiveness of social media.
SPORTS
Page 14
October 26, 2023
Knigge ’18 captures gold medal with U.S.A. Volleyball Continued from KNIGGE on page 1 could not have predicted Knigge becoming the international champion he is today. “I don’t think anybody can know if they’re good enough to play professionally coming out of the Division III college setting,” Gary, now in his eighth season as head coach, said. “Matt’s defining factor was that any bar you put in front of him, he would eventually jump over it. I honestly think if you put him in a group of eight footers, he would somehow grow to eight feet because he just always adapts to whatever the competitive environment around him is.” Vassar career Knigge’s unlikely journey traces back to his hometown of New Egypt, New Jersey where he was a standout baseball player and first picked up volleyball at backyard family parties with his aunt and uncle who were volleyball players themselves. When he was 14, Knigge suffered a serious elbow injury and decided to focus on volleyball. In New Jersey, however, such a decision can be difficult to execute. Boys volleyball was not sponsored at Knigge’s high school, and travel volleyball options were sparse throughout the state. “When I told my parents I wanted to play volleyball seriously, they had no idea where to find a place for me to play,” he said. The Knigges eventually settled on a boys volleyball club two hours north of their home where Matt attended practice weekly. Still, the long commute made practice time sparse, and Knigge says he felt like he barely got to practice volleyball as he began to speak with college coaches. “I was not a good volleyball player when my recruiting process started,” Knigge admitted. “I was trying to convince big schools like Harvard and Princeton to take me because I believed I was a good athlete who just needed coaching, which, of course, was not a pitch they wanted to hear.” Knigge’s decision ultimately came down to Vassar and New York Universi-
Islanders
open
Becca Weinstein, Caris Lee Guest Columnist, Copy Editor
W
ty. Once enrolled at Vassar, he finally had consistent access to the resources that allowed him to grow as a volleyball player. The greatest, and newest, resource at the time for Knigge was that he was finally in a volleyball gym full of players who were, if not better than him, at least far more technically trained and experienced. Now a starter on a collegiate team, Knigge says he learned at Vassar through a high volume of play and by constantly asking his teammates questions about why they were choosing to do certain things on the court. Knigge says he continues this practice today, even as one of the best middle blockers in the United States. His first year at Vassar in 2014 was also transformational thanks to the varsity weight room, which helped him add nearly 40 pounds of muscle. “There is a pretty stark difference between freshman year and then sophomore year and onwards for me. I went from being a pretty mediocre player to being an All-American by the time my sophomore year was over.” When Gary arrived at Vassar after Knigge’s first All-American season, Knigge says he finally received training in the technical aspects of volleyball that he was still lacking. “Richard [Gary] was one of the first people to tell me that I could be much better than I was at the time and also guide me through that,” Knigge remembers. From Gary’s perspective, he saw an athlete that was taking to his coaching faster than anybody else and flashing signs of excellence as both an attacker and a blocker. In volleyball, the accuracy of a set a player receives is typically telling of how their attack will result. Gary recalls how this was not really the case for Knigge. Regardless of where the set took him, Knigge adjusted. And when the defense changed their positioning to try and stop him, he would follow suit by directing his attacks to the newly opened spaces, even if they were more difficult shots to hit, Gary said. Most important for a middle blocker is, as the position’s name suggests, blocking. In the blocking training he implemented, Gary says Knigge was a total natural. “Matt
ith the NFL season underway and fantasy football on everyone’s minds, it seems easy for many to neglect other (perhaps more exciting) sporting events. Oct. 10 marked the start of the season for the National Hockey League (NHL), where teams play 82 games during the regular season, culminating in the Stanley Cup finals in June. The league is composed of 32 teams divided into four divisions, including seven teams from Canada. As fate would have it, this October Break was the perfect time to start watching the NHL, more specifically to cheer on New York’s best NHL team: the New York Islanders. New York is home to three teams: the New York Islanders, the New York Rangers (boo) and the Buffalo Sabres. With the Sabres fan base located mostly upstate, the close proximity of the Rangers and Islanders has created a longstanding rivalry in lower New York. The Rangers are one of the NHL’s “Original Six” teams—this being their 96th season.Yet, they have only won the Stanley Cup four times. Their home ice is located in Madison Square Garden in Manhattan, attracting fans from all parts of New York City and the greater New York state. Though only in their 51st season, the Is-
NHL
took to it like a sponge,” he said. “Coaching him through it was hardly necessary.” By the time Knigge played his final match at Kenyon Hall, he was as decorated as any Vassar athlete ever. His time as a Brewer culminated in two more All-American selections, two conference player of the year awards and the team’s first Final Four appearance since 2008. An unexpected professional journey When he signed his first professional contract, Knigge did not plan on making a career out of volleyball. All he wanted was to find a job in Europe that would allow him to travel easily and give him time to decide what his next “real job,” as he put it, would be. But after a few months in the second division of the German league, Knigge made his potential apparent, just as he had at Vassar. This time, Knigge caught the attention of two veteran Polish volleyball players. Flu-
“I don’t think anybody can know if they’re good enough to play professionally coming out of the Division III college setting.” ent in Russian, Knigge was able to communicate with them better than any German speaker. “Near the end of the season, they pulled me aside and told me that I could be much better than I realized. They told me I should keep playing for at least one more year,” Knigge, who at the time was ramping up his job search in the U.S., recalls. They connected Knigge with a former Spanish teammate of theirs who had recently retired and become an agent. With a new agent, Knigge signed to play his second season of professional volleyball in Spain’s top league.
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landers have built up a sizable following of their own. Their legacy stands out against that of the Rangers, with four consecutive Stanley Cup championships during the Islander dynasty in the early 1980s and a multitude of renowned players, including Denis Potvin, John Tonelli, Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier. The Islanders just recently moved to UBS Arena in Belmont Park, formerly playing in the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. Although both teams were eliminated during the first round of the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs and currently appear to be in similar standings, Islander fans are confident that this year will be the year. Yes, we say that every year, but we mean it this time… The Islanders faced off against the Arizona Coyotes on home ice at UBS Arena in their second game of the season last Tuesday, Oct. 17. It was the Coyotes’ third stop in their stretch of away games in the tri-state area, where they won their season opener against the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 13 and lost to the Rangers in Manhattan the previous night on Oct. 16. The Islanders’ started forwards Mathew Barzal, Bo Horvat and Simon Holmstrom with defensemen Noah Dobson and Adam Pelech. This was matched by Arizona with forwards Clayton Keller, Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz and defensemen Travis Dermatt and Matt Dumba. The first peri-
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od started off slow with a faceoff win by the Coyotes, but the puck was repeatedly turned over by both teams, neither spending much time consistently in the offensive zone. About halfway through this first period, it looked like things would quickly head south for the Isles as the Islander forward Hudson Fasching took a double-minor (four-minute) penalty for high sticking. However, the Isles worked together cohesively and maintained a tight defense to kill the penalty, much to the credit of goaltender Ilya Sorokin. Despite power plays on both sides, neither team scored a goal in the first 20 minutes. With a strong start to the second period, the Islanders went on a power play after a slashing call against Arizona. At only 3:47 into the period, Barzal shot a one timer into the top shelf of the Coyotes’ net to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead on the power play with forward Kyle Palmieri and defenseman Dobson each getting an assist on the goal. This was Barzal’s first goal and point of the season—the first of many expected for one of the strongest players on the Islanders’ roster. Barzal, who signed an eight-year extension with the team last year, was on track to surpass his previous point record of the last two seasons until he sustained a lower body injury in a game against the Boston Bruins and missed over 20 games at the end
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He has not looked back since. In four seasons in the Spanish league, Knigge emerged as the league’s best middle blocker. When it came time for an ambitious and well-financed Spanish club to create a “super-team” with the league’s best players, Knigge was one of the middle blockers it signed. As he flourished, Knigge found himself facing off against other top American middles who were starring for teams in other professional leagues. Consistently, Knigge held his own, and even often got the best of whichever American middle was on the opposing side of the net. By now, there was no question that Knigge belonged in any conversation about top American middles. Still, the invitation to train with the U.S. National Team never came. Knigge says he felt slighted but was also not surprised. After all, why would the national team call a guy who nobody knew of in high school? Why would they call a former Division III player? Knigge explained this to a friend in California, also a volleyball player, during the summer of 2022. As Knigge laid out his theory, his friend laughed more with every word Knigge spoke. “I was starting to get pissed off. I was like ‘What’s the deal, man?’ ” Knigge said. “He told me, ‘Unless you’re the best player in the United States, they’re not calling you. You have to reach out to them.’” So Knigge did. He shared his film, his stats and his resume of accolades—all of which showed the National Team that he belonged among the 30 or so best players in the United States. The U.S. coaches agreed and invited Knigge to practice in the National Team gym. From there, though, nothing else was guaranteed. Knigge would have to prove himself in a field rich with middle blockers that were expected to be better than him. So, he did as he always has. He found a way to conquer his newest challenge. He jumped over the latest, highest bar. He grew to the metaphorical eight feet when placed in competition with literal and figurative giants of the sport.
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of the 2022-2023 regular season. The Coyotes continued to struggle throughout the rest of the second period, only managing to get off a total of seven shots in the first 40 minutes of play. Heading into the third and final period, the Islanders looked to expand their lead while the Coyotes tried to get on the scoreboard. Tensions were conspicuously high, as quite a few skirmishes broke out on the ice and some fists were thrown. Arizona ended up tallying only 14 shots on goal throughout the entire 60 minutes, half of which were in the third period. Staying strong in the defensive zone, the Islanders kept the Coyotes off the scoreboard and won the game with a final score of 1-0, their second consecutive win and Sorokin’s first shutout of the 2023-2024 season. Though a low scoring game and only the second of the season, the Islanders gained an essential two points—all of which will contribute to their climb to the top of the Metropolitan division and their journey to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Trust me, it’s going to happen. Coming up, the Islanders will face the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, Oct. 26 and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday, Oct. 28. And by the time the Islanders finally confront the Rangers for their first of four games in February, the Isles will be ready. At least I hope they will.
October 26, 2023
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GAMES
October 26, 2023
The Miscellany Crossword “Oh say…” By Sadie Keesbury ACROSS 1. Grab 4. Janelle of “Glass Onion” 6. “Bombs bursting _____” 7. Sam who wants you! 8. @@@@@
DOWN 1. Will, informally 2. Put into place, as a law 3. Heads or _____ 4. When repeated, a fashion brand owned by Prada 5. Before, in poetry
“Oh Dear Me” By Sadie Keesbury ACROSS 1. Sunscreen initials 4. Future teller 6. Preparation work 8. Ancient symbol 9. Big body of water
DOWN 1. Sizzling sound 2. Look 3. Womb inhabitant 5. Beach hill 7. Little veggie
“Blank Space” By Sadie Keesbury ACROSS 1. This continent’s major at Vassar (abbr.) 5. Dua _____ 6. Seltzer brand 7. _____ Morrison 8. Not closed
“Flip it and Reverse it” By Sadie Keesbury
Answers to last week’s puzzles!
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
DOWN 1. Thrown for _____ 2. A.A. of “Winnie the Pooh” 3. Barcelona’s Country 4. Cate Blanchett’s 2022 conductor character 6. Non-sick days, for short
“Media, Media, Media!” By Sadie Keesbury