Misc.10.31.24

The Miscellany News

Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866

Vassar launches Institute for the Liberal Arts

Charlotte Robertson, Maryam Bacchus, Allison lowe Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, News Editor

On the weekend of Oct. 25 through Oct. 27, the Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts celebrated its launch with various events, including a ribbon cutting ceremony, keynote conversations, a review of this year’s Signature Programs and a panel with members of the Vassar and local communities.

The launch kicked off on Friday with a Keynote discussion with Dr. Jim Yong Kim, former president of the World Bank, former president of Dartmouth College and current chancellor of the University of Global Health Equity. The conversation was led by Institute Program Director Wesley Dixon and took place at 5:30 p.m., followed by a reception.

Kim began his career in public health as a co-founder of Partners in Health, a global nonprofit organization focused on providing healthcare to impoverished communities in developing countries. He later served as the World Health Organization’s director of the HIV/AIDS department in 2003, where he led the “3 by 5” initiative, which aimed to supply antiretroviral treatment to three million people in developing countries by 2005. At the Keynote, he spoke at length about his work fighting HIV/AIDS, his recent initiatives in the mental health field and singing karaoke with President of the College Elizabeth Bradley in Rwanda.

Officially titled “A Life in the Liberal Arts,”

the Keynote was grounded in the Institute’s mission. “I think the liberal arts are under threat. I think there’s less of a sense of the importance of what a liberal arts education does in terms of context and pedagogy and culture,” Kim said. Referencing his own undergraduate liberal arts background at Brown University, he added: “I’ve had this unbelievable opportunity to walk into a room and argue about treatment regimens for MDR TB, but then in my mind, linking this to the history of Tuskegee.”

The day before the Keynote, Vassar Students for Justice in Palestine (VSJP) announced via Instagram a rally protesting the Institute’s launch and Kim as their choice of speaker: “Despite the multi-year community campaign against the institute’s construction, owing to its destruction of public community space, Vassar circumvented zoning restrictions and prioritized its corporate interests,” the post read. “We respond: NO IMPERIALISTS ON CAMPUS.” Additionally, VSJP reiterated their demand for an immediate vote on divestment from military and surveillance technologies.

Dozens of students carrying signs and drums gathered outside of Josselyn House and marched to the Institute, chanting “Free, free Palestine,” and “Over 40,000 dead.” The protestors, who continued to demonstrate for around two and a half hours, were faintly audible from inside the Institute.

In her concluding remarks, President Bradley acknowledged the protestors. “They

Costumes charm in annual tent

Luke Jenkins Assistant Features Editor

Santa rubbed elbows with a pack of Fred Flinstones. Mia Thermopolis ran by four Marios and Ice Spice. Frozone jousted with a knight as Clifford the Big Red Dog sniffed trampled grass. A monarch butterfly took flight as Jacob Elordi from “Saltburn” ran for a tiny water bottle. All of this (more or less) occurred in the depths of Noyes Circle’s Halloweekend Tent last Saturday, Oct. 26. The costumes inside showcased a range of student interests and, perhaps more importantly, a range of tailoring abilities.

Classic takes on the Halloween costume were on full display. Witches and vampires were seen waiting patiently to be let in the front entrance. There were angels and devils with halos and plastic pitchforks. Dorothy (and her friends) were spotted, as was Little Red Riding Hood with the Big Bad Wolf and even an impeccably styled Mad Hatter.

Rodents were a popular choice of costume too, running rampant inside the tent from 9 p.m. to midnight. Several Judy Hopps were seen surveilling the crowd. And a group of cousinly mice were waving arms high in the middle of the mosh pit.

Other (non-rodent) animals looked heavenly beneath the tent’s gothic arches. Cows were hard to miss with udders swinging in their wake. Paddington Bear, with his signa-

5

Senior Editor Allen Hale contemplates Marcel Proust’s “Swann’s Way.”

ture red hat, posed elegantly while smiling adorably wide. Elmo and the Cookie Monster stalked around in matching onesies, fueling speculation about their budding romance.

Friends paraded through the night in other group costumes as well. Gru and his minions were never far, mostly near the porta-potties. The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders were stage right. Even Winnie the Pooh was seen with compatriots from the famed Hundred Acre Wood.

Legendary literary figures made their mark too, showing off Vassar’s highbrow taste. Babymouse of the eponymous leg

See Tent on page 6

have meaningful things to say. I wouldn’t, if I were you, engage that much since they’re not here for a conversation. They’re here to make an important point,” she said. She invited guests who were uncomfortable exiting the building to mingle inside. “I think they will peter out eventually,” she said.

“They’ll get hungry,” joked Kim, to a room full of laughter. When asked by The Miscellany News about his reaction to the protestors, he declined to comment.

The following morning began at 10 a.m. with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and another Keynote conversation with The New York Times journalist Steve Lohr; President and CEO of Jobs for the Future Maria Flynn; and LinkedIn’s Chief Economic Opportunity Officer Aneesh Raman, about the role of the liberal arts in the era of Artificial Intelligence.

Lohr

From 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., VSJP hosted another community rally on the corner of Raymond Avenue and Collegeview Avenue. “We reaffirm there is no business as usual during genocide, and we stand with the right of the people of Palestine to resist occupation and return to their homeland,” the announcement on Instagram read.

The afternoon session of the launch commenced with an interactive fair featuring descriptions of the six Signature Programs inside of the Heartwood Inn. Guests were instructed to begin on the first floor of the Inn, where three of the programs were tabling, then proceed to the upper floor for the

remainder.

The Miscellany News spoke with Associate Professor of Political Science Taneisha Means about “Promoting Partnerships to Advance Educational Justice in Poughkeepsie.” The program is intended to foster conversation about resource allocation in Poughkeepsie, where equity issues impact the quality of and access to education. Inspired by the disparities in quality of education she noticed, having children in the local Arlington school district, Means collaborated with faculty in the departments of Education and Mathematics and Statistics to create a symposium where participants will engage in meaningful conversation about the systems that contribute to the inequities in local education, brainstorming potential solutions for real-world use.

Towards the central entrance of the building, Lili Walker ’27 and Katherine Powell ’27 conversed about “Transgressing Borders: Reimagining Education and the Role of Learning and Community.” Championed by Director of Community Engaged Learning (CEL) and Co-PI of the Mellon Foundation’s Community-Engaged Intensives in the Humanities (CEIH) Elizabeth Cannon and CEIH Research and Program Associate Zoë Markwalter, the purpose of the program is to reimagine the ways in which higher education institutions interact and collaborate with each other and the local communities in which they reside. Powell commented,

See Institute on page 3

Men’s soccer eyes postseason

Casey McMenamin Guest Columnist

This season, the Vassar men’s soccer team has emerged as a national contender, even soaring to a top ten ranking from the United Soccer Coach’s poll. But for this squad, success is not defined by what the pundits think or how the rankings end up; Instead, it is about unity and putting in the work to get better as a group every single day. Third-year coach Jonathan Hood has described his team’s resilient work ethic as one of their keys to success this year, noting that his team’s commitment, trust and belief off the field has directly translated to positive results on the pitch. There have been many positive results thus far. To start the year, Vassar has outscored opponents 28-13, including crucial wins against Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Union College. To start Liberty League play, the Brewers outscored opponents 8-0 in their first four games. Playing stellar and gritty defense, Vassar has allowed just one opponent goal-per-game on 10 shots-per-game. On offense, dominating possession and generating easy chances has earned Vassar eight Liberty League weekly honors. Midfielder Jared Fiske ’26 has been a contributing and steady force to the Brewers success, earning Liberty League offensive performer of the week himself twice already

Is your name Elizabeth Bradley? Are you searching for costume ideas? Look no further. 9 HUMOR

SPORTS

this season. With five goals and three assists on the season, Fiske credits his success on the pitch to his teammates, noting, “I have been fortunate to be on the receiving end of some of these amazing plays, but I believe it is the style of soccer that we are playing that has led to my individual success, in addition to the team’s.” Fiske, however, is not focused on collecting individual accolades. Rather, his eyes are set on the Liberty League and the NCAA tournament.

Embodying a true team-first attitude, Fiske is leading by example for his younger teammates, as he knows what it takes to get to the NCAA tournament. In Fiske’s first year in Poughkeepsie, the Brewers made the NCAA tournament for the fifth time in program history and lost in a heartbreaking penalty shootout in the second round. For Fiske and other upperclassmen, the 2022 season was an unforgettable journey with invaluable lessons about competing at the highest level. According to Fiske, it was an inspirational yet humbling experience. “2022 was a really fun year. Making it to the NCAA tournament was extremely exciting,” he recalled. “But we’ve never won a Liberty League championship or a Liberty League playoff game.”

This taste of the postseason has left a lasting impact on the Vassar side. For the now-upperclassmen, there is a newfound

See Soccer on page 15

Sports Editor Henry France extensively reviews the New York Mets’ close call with victory this season.

Luke Jenkins/The Miscellany News.

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

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Institute for the Liberal Arts premieres programming

“The focus for our program is really on community learning and how we can have it that it’s not this rigid structure of just Vassar and just, and having like this intersectionality of community.” Walker continued, “And kind of how the work we do at Vassar and in the OCEL, how can we bring that to other institutions? And also, what do other institutions do that we can start utilizing here?”

Behind the check-in desk, “Belonging and Beyond: Using Future Histories to Reimagine Teaching and Learning” was featured as the brainchild of Candice M. Lowe Swift, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Africana Studies and International Studies, and Eréndira Rueda, Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of Latin American and Latinx Studies. The highly interactive program aims to reimagine pedagogical practices via a multimedia installation created on-site, surrounding themes of academic belonging, future history-telling and speculative pedagogies.

Upstairs towards the Institute’s conference area, “The Entrepreneurial Mind and the Liberal Arts” was introduced by Vassar alum Brielle Irahoza ’24. Initially proposed and developed by fellow alum and current Academ-

ic Computing Consultant in the Office of the Vice President for Technology and Human Resources Julian Aguilar ’23, Irahoza herself joined the project during her senior year. She told The Miscellany News that for her senior project, she created an informative board game to engage students, and once successful she sought other opportunities that would allow her to accomplish similar goals. Per the abstract, “This program, ultimately, seeks to foster critical curiosity, creative thinking and a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between the liberal arts and entrepreneurship.”

Across the skybridge connecting the Institute back to the Inn, Director of Sustainability Kenneth Foster spoke about “EcoVisions: Finding Your Place in Environmentalism.”

The three day conference will kick off the Signature Programs in just two weeks, hosted from Nov. 14 through 16, 2024. Foster mentioned that the last day of the event is mostly catered towards students. “The Saturday event is more broadly about ‘how can you be engaged in environmental issues?’ And so, the first part of it is this panel discussion with climate lawyers.” He continued, “One of our collaborators is Arpitha Kodaveri from the Political Science Department. She was an

environmental lawyer before she came here.” He added that Kodaveri sought to show students the varied ways in which they can involve themselves with climate justice. Later in the day, attendees would have the opportunity to engage with student work from Vassar and local colleges, the product of a cross-collaborative effort for the program. The event will conclude with an address from Environmental Media Host and Activist Kristy Drutman. Those who want to attend are encouraged to register online as soon as possible.

Back in the Institute, Associate Professor of Biology and Director of Neuroscience and Behavior Megan Gall and Associate Professor and Chair of Music Justin Patch discussed their program, “Soundscapes and the Anthropocene.” Inspired by ongoing interdisciplinary work in their respective departments, the program’s goal is to encourage attendees to think about the reciprocal relationship between humans and sound environments. Gall commented, “Vassar has a really rich history, actually, of people studying soundscapes in very different ways. People in the music department were inspired by the Hudson River and the sounds that it makes, but also people in the sciences who studied the way that the natural world is and then we had people in physics who studied the way that stuff propagated out in these spaces that we have influenced sound. And so, we’re interested in thinking about soundscapes and the ways that humans interact with them.” The program will conclude with Soundscapes on May 10, 2025.

The Institute’s launch concluded with a final panel, entitled “Architecting a Sustainable, Community-Oriented Future.” This panel was led by Vassar Professor of Art Yvonne Elet. Featured guests included architect Frederick Fisher, University of Virginia professor and architect Karen Van Lengen ’73, and Caroline Alsup, the Headquarters Project Manager at Scenic Hudson—the Hudson Valley’s largest environmental organi-

zation. The conversation focused on how the Institute can use its place as a center of dialogue to foster sustainability and health in various communities and organizations.

This topic holds particular importance in light of the criticisms of the Institute’s history included in VSJP’s Oct. 25 statement. The Instagram post reads, “Before its construction, the Arlington Neighborhood Association and Vassar org Stop the Inn waged a multiyear campaign against the project, citing environmental degradation, community harm, and gentrification…Accordingly, the institute represents the college’s prioritization of private interests and its historic cycle of harm to the Poughkeepsie community.”

The Institute has articulated its hopes to exist as a meeting point for local community partners and national leaders in the liberal arts, stating on its website page, “Signature Programs are projects that best exemplify the spirit of The Vassar Institute for the Liberal Arts. Vassar faculty and others collaborate with partners across the campus, in the local community, and around the country to engage in meaningful work and dialogue about the most pressing issues of our time.”

As the Institute begins its journey, it remains to be seen what its larger role will be in the Vassar and Hudson Valley communities. In an email sent to the student body on Oct. 29, President Bradley reminded students of the opportunity to submit proposals for the next academic year’s Signature Programs. Bradley also noted students’ ability to shape their engagement with the Institute, writing, “If you have ideas about ways you would like to engage with the Institute for the Liberal Arts beyond Signature Programs, please know that the Institute Committee is interested in hearing those ideas. We envision hosting conferences, workshops, book launches, meetings, lectures, exhibitions, and a variety of other events. In a sense, our community is co-creating the Institute alongside the Committee.”

VSA Amendment modifies the election appointment process

Emma Brown Reporter

The Vassar Student Association (VSA) passed a new amendment on Oct. 27 that will give the Senate and the VSA’s Internal Affairs Committee power to appoint students to officer positions.

Previously, the Elections and Appointments Commission was in charge of appointing student applications to open VSA positions. However, in hopes of giving the student body a greater say in the appointment process, VSA Vice President Miles Harris ’25 introduced the Democratizing Appointments Amendment (DAA).

“We had some issues with previous Elections and Appointments Commissions that led us to think more broadly about that process,” said Harris. “We thought it would make more sense to have the elected representatives of VSA select other representatives since those people were elected to represent student opinion.”

After the initial Senate vote, during which the amendment passed by more than a two-thirds majority, DAA was referred to a week-long period of review. Students were invited to submit comments on it during that period. The bill was co-sponsored by VSA president Emily Doucet ’25 and a senator from each class. On Oct. 27, the amendment was passed by a three-fourths majority and adopted as a part of the VSA bylaws.

“I believe that this amendment will give

students more of a voice in the process,” said Ryan Baumann ’27.

Phoebe Bergan ’28 reflected on the impact of the VSA on her first semester at Vassar stating, “Well, I’m a freshman, so I don’t know much about what the VSA does and I haven’t gotten involved, so it’s not very clear to me exactly what roles they fill.” Bergan continued, “I think it [DAA] generally seems like a good thing, moving towards student representation, like student body general representation, as opposed to more of a hierarchy of representation.”

Moving forward, the Elections Commission, formerly the Elections and Appointments Commission, will still control VSA elections, which occur in the fall for the first-year class and the spring for the rest of the student body. In the future, the Elections Commission will be downsized from seven students to six. The commission will continue to operate separately from the rest of the VSA.

“I think most forms of student government usually struggle to actually implement student voices,” said Emmaline Pearson ’27. “So, I feel that trying to bolster student involvement in areas such as the appointment process could be quite impactful.”

The Internal Affairs Committee, which is composed of senators from all classes, as well as the VSA President and Vice President Harris, will review students’ applications for positions before bringing the ap-

plications to the Senate floor for review and approval. The appointment process is primarily relevant when a position is vacant, such as when a student steps down from a position mid-year.

In the coming weeks, the Internal Affairs

Committee will send out an application through which students can apply to open VSA positions.

The Elections and Appointments Commission did not respond to the The Miscellany News request for comment.

Image courtesy of Berk Meral ’28.

Maryam Bacchus/The Miscellany News.

Spiraling into the chaos and excitement of ‘Saturday Night’

Madeleine Nicks Columnist

Before I begin breaking down Jason Reitman’s new movie “Saturday Night,” let me make one thing clear: I am a biased critic. I have, for as long as I can remember, watched “Saturday Night Live” (“SNL”) every week. Whether that means I stay up on Saturday and watch it live, get up on Sunday morning and tune in over breakfast or (the worst-case scenario) wait until the middle of the week, I never miss an episode. In fact, I have not missed an episode since my dad sat me and my brother down in front of the TV at an age one can only call “way too young” and made sure we were properly educated on the world of “SNL,” from Bill Hader’s Stefon to Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri’s Spartan Cheerleaders and back again. I watched all of Lonely Island’s videos before learning to do basic algebra, and I memorized most of the Weekend Update host pairings before the state capitals. And I stand by that. Needless to say, I am a fan. So, when I found out that there was going to be a film dramatizing the 90 minutes leading up to the very first “SNL” broadcast, I was a little bit excited.

First and foremost, let us talk about the cast of characters involved in “SNL’s” first episode. The captain of the barely-floating ship is, of course, Lorne Michaels. He is synonymous with the show and is still the executive producer after 50 years. Most of the comedy legends we all know and love have been hand-picked or hand-rejected by Michaels personally. He is played by Gabriel LaBelle, who some might remem-

ber from Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film “The Fablemans.” Michaels is characterized nowadays as a mysterious, god-like, stalwart figure. In “Saturday Night,” however, he is as much a source of chaotic intensity as he is a problem solver. While he seems blindly confident in the value and necessity of his entertainment concept, he also carries a stress-inducing level of indecisiveness, creating an unending string of problems right behind them.

As “SNL” enters its 50th year on air, there are rumblings of conversation around who will replace Michaels, when it will happen and if it is even possible for the show to go on without him. However, this film proves just how much weight his vision and belief carry, and the faith he had in a motley crew to have their finger on the creative and intellectual pulse of New York City.

The character that surprised me the most from “Saturday Night” was undoubtedly the portrayal of Rosie Shuster, played expertly by Rachel Sennot. Shuster was one of three female writers on the staff during the beginning of “SNL,” but her role aligned more with that of a circus’ ringmaster. Part of her characterization in the film is as Michaels’ wife. The two met in their childhood and grew closer, developing their relationship into a romantic partnership and a comedic writing team. By the time they were working on “SNL,” they had already been long separated, and Shuster famously was attached to Dan Akryod, one of the original stars of the “SNL” cast. The persisting tension of Shuster’s romantic loyalty has a small place in the film, but her significance goes far beyond that. While everything and

everyone is crumbling, Shuster is focused, determined and keeps her head above the water. She is maternal and caring and does not allow her warmth to give anyone the opportunity to steamroll her. She is sharp and funny, and her mature calmness keeps her elevated from the unpredictability. Her ability to assure those around her injects her persona with the eerie feeling that she knows everything will work out, the same feeling the audience experiences, no matter how close the show feels to falling into failure.

The rest of the cast is just as strong as the leads. Dylan O’Brien’s Dan Akyrod, Cory Michael Smith’s Chevy Chase and Tommy Dewey’s Michael O’Donoghue perfectly capture the mixture of a distinct “boys club” attitude with the charm of ’70s-era comedy. They are each filled to the brim with ego but are aware that they need to prove themselves in this new, risky comedic format, so the lingering desperation undercuts some of their macho-leaning qualities. Matt Wood’s John Belushi is a surprisingly paradoxical presence. He was undoubtedly a scene-stealer while he was on the show, and holds a permanent place in the “SNL” Hall of Fame. In the film, however, he struggles with a deep insecurity and hesitance in his performance. He is overrun with a fight-orflight response, and both fights and flights multiple times throughout the 90-minute chaos. I was unbelievably impressed with Lamorne Morris’ Garrett Morris, who delivered the most laugh-out-loud, unexpected moments of the entire film. He acted as an intellectual foil to the other male players of the cast and represented a more vul-

nerable side of becoming part of the risky and new “SNL.” The women, namely Ella Hunt’s Gilda Radner, Kim Matula’s Jane Curtin and Emily Fairn’s Laraine Newman are the heart of the film. They are the ones who actually seem like they are having fun and maintain a true sense of camaraderie in their dynamic and shared understanding of the position they find themselves in. They are the problem-solvers in a sea of deteriorating lunatics. It felt incredibly special to have a window into the minds of the original “SNL” greats and to see them struggle, slip up, compromise and laugh their way through the sketches and moments that would change the comedy world forever.

Each of the characters are geniuses in their own right and funny in their own fresh ways, and they come together to make a dysfunctional family that is so special it has lasted through 50 different iterations and will continue to do so. It has adapted, changed, grown and carved a place in entertainment history. While it is easy to assume that “SNL” and its creator would have had an easy, supportive path to doing so, this film showed that they climbed a difficult mountain, kicking, screaming and clawing their way to the top with an unwavering, gut feeling that “SNL” could become the behemoth of pop culture that we know it to be today. And that no amount of unnecessary llamas, fake blood explosions, Muppets, bumblebee costume issues, Milton Berles or broken lights can stop a good idea from coming to fruition. Sometimes, you just have to let it happen minute by minute and brick by brick.

Marcel Proust: Searching for particularity

Over the summer, I read “Minima Moralia: Reflections from Damaged Life” by Theodor Adorno for my senior thesis. The first of 153 numbered passages is titled “For Marcel Proust.” A month after finishing “Minima Moralia,” I began volume one of Proust’s seven-part novel “In Search of Lost Time,” entitled “Swann’s Way.” I looked forward to absorbing some fiction which, even prior to thesis reading, had long been on my to-do list.

The thesis seminar course is led by Associate Professor of Philosophy Christopher Raymond. During The Miscellany News’ last Editorial Board meeting, Features Editor Caris Lee ’25, a fellow student in the seminar, mentioned that Professor Raymond had a unique connection to Proust: He spent one of his summers before graduate school working in a bread store while reading all seven volumes of the novel. The convergences between my academic work, non-academic reading, newspaper writing and personal connections seemed all too intertwined, and I later sought out Professor Raymond for some casual literary conversation before starting this piece.

“Swann’s Way” is about a variety of topics deftly woven together: romance, childhood, remembrance, musical motifs, class society, sensory experience, late 19th-century French bourgeois social customs and more. In one respect, the complete seven volumes form one Künstlerroman, or a narrative about an artist’s process to maturity. The importance of aesthetic experience is given prominence through the novel’s encyclopedic references to various works of art, forcing the reader to self-reflectively examine their own unfolding understanding of “Swann’s Way” as an artwork incorporated into our routine. It consistently invites us to consider the importance of the books, paintings, poems and more that we engage with.

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

The title “In Search of Lost Time” immediately cues us into the centrality of nostalgic remembrance. Our nameless narrator in “Swann’s Way” has a singular memory of his childhood home in the countryside before the taste of a madeleine cake revives this world once more, after which he divulges this milieu’s related events and characters. While discussing the novel, Professor Raymond and I noted the irony

of engaging with work that thoroughly describes memories despite being ourselves unable to recall the book’s various details, whether it be multiple years or mere weeks after reading it for him and me respectively. At the volume’s end, the narrator remarks, “The reality I had known no longer existed,” further noting how “...the remembrance of a particular form is but regret for a particular moment; and houses, roads, avenues are as fugitive, alas, as the years.” Why might readers and narrator alike latch onto highly specific moments without being able to construct a comprehensive account of the past, whether it relates to actual experience or that which is contained on pages?

Obviously, memory is never infallible. Writing things down is one potential remedy, but I wanted to understand how I knew the book was incredible without simultaneously being able to recall an outline of its complete events. Stylistically, the level of intense description provided by Proust makes it essentially impossible for totalizing comprehension. How could I even approach “Swann’s Way,” much less write about it for the newspaper?

With my thesis in mind, reconsulting Adorno’s philosophy gave me a starting point, which might have further complicated everything. Classic. In his “Short Commentaries on Proust,” Adorno describes how doing analytic justice to Proust’s work would require further interrogating the entanglement of detail, rather than laboriously approaching the whole of the novel’s structure. Instead, what is complete or total within Proust’s volumes are their highly particular moments: Unity in the work is identical to a reader’s passive capacity to lose themselves in detail “without restraint or reservation.” Time passes in these countless instances through which the book’s themes emerge, dissolve and reappear, whether it involves the narrator’s recollection or the examination of the titular Charles Swann, a friend of the former’s family. I was constantly rereading passages in an attempt to sort through these details, which often breezily flowed owing to the fluidity of their composition.

Adorno continues by asserting that Proust’s work captures the experience of having people who are decisive in our lives appear in them “as though appointed and dispensed by an unknown author,” crossing our paths as distinct yet shifting figures within particular moments. People change through time by the descriptive images we impose upon them in order to assert our

own understanding; this is especially pertinent to the narrator’s recollections. If anything can be established about the novel’s structure, it is the fact that “Swann’s Way” proceeds by describing the path these constructed images might take in our lives. This felt especially relevant to senior year, a time frequently marked by revaluation of preconceptions, new self-understanding and random reconnection with others.

Oddly, but not without reason, interrogating Proust might then involve thinking about the images I imposed upon my own continual experience with text, the (potentially deceptive) appearances I retained from or ascribed to its inked words. I thought back to reading environments and contexts, the when and where of “Swann’s Way” during my own life: the quiet humming of a bus, dining hall silence, solitary bedrooms. The most salient moments of the book emerged both in those settings and through discussion with others. Walks through the Champs-Élysées, Françoise’s personality, the aching of Swann’s collapsed love, Bloch’s artistic friendship and the lighting of the narrator’s bedroom are among some of these prominent instances for myself.

As previously hinted, “Swann’s Way” had been engaging because, like any actu-

al remembrance of past life, the passages that resonated could be carried within me to recreate a picture of the reading experience, even if this picture immediately began fading amidst a vast presentation of written datum. My reading and reality had come together here, both structurally and thematically. Picking up the book over October Break after putting it down in early September, I struggled to precisely recall where I had even left off.

This article’s account still feels traditionally incomplete, likely owing to its lack of content analysis or even a vague plot summary. Still, it seems that in order to understand something holistic about Proust, we have to start with the particularities elaborated between the book covers; our usual demand for clear systematicity is not always stylistically compatible with writing on this content.

Regardless, this reflection has gotten me closer to capturing what made the book memorable, even as these memories begin to fail me. As my daily routine’s actions slowly escape my mind into the future, summer 2024’s transition into this fall will remain colored by the impression of reading “Swann’s Way,” one point of reminiscence among an assemblage of minute, fleeting instants.

Allen Hale Senior Editor

Allen Hale/The Miscellany News.

Image courtesy of Karen Mogami ’24.

October 31, 2024

Students show off costumes in Halloweekend Tent

Santa rubbed elbows with a pack of Fred Flinstones. Mia Thermopolis ran by four Marios and Ice Spice. Frozone jousted with a knight as Clifford the Big Red Dog sniffed trampled grass. A monarch butterfly took flight as Jacob Elordi from “Saltburn” ran for a tiny water bottle. All of this (more or less) occurred in the depths of Noyes Circle’s Halloweekend Tent last Saturday, Oct. 26. The costumes inside showcased a range of student interests and, perhaps more importantly, a range of tailoring abilities.

Classic takes on the Halloween costume were on full display. Witches and vampires were seen waiting patiently to be let in the front entrance. There were angels and devils with halos and plastic pitchforks. Dorothy (and her friends) were spotted, as was Little Red Riding Hood with the Big Bad Wolf and even an impeccably styled Mad Hatter.

Rodents were a popular choice of costume too, running rampant inside the tent from 9 p.m. to midnight. Several Judy Hopps were seen surveilling the crowd. And a group of cousinly mice were waving arms high in the middle of the mosh pit.

Other (non-rodent) animals looked heavenly beneath the tent’s gothic arches. Cows were hard to miss with udders swinging in their wake. Paddington Bear, with his signature red hat, posed elegantly while smiling adorably wide. Elmo and the Cookie Monster stalked around in matching onesies, fueling speculation about their budding romance.

Friends paraded through the night in

other group costumes as well. Gru and his minions were never far, mostly near the porta-potties. The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders were stage right. Even Winnie the Pooh was seen with compatriots from the famed Hundred Acre Wood.

Legendary literary figures made their mark too, showing off Vassar’s highbrow taste. Babymouse of the eponymous legendary graphic novel series was spotted in Sanders Classroom at a comedy show. In the dark, one could make out Camilla from the popular picture book “A Bad Case of Stripes.” It remains to be seen if any lima beans made it out of the tent uneaten.

First-year student Susan Crumbley brought up a tough issue for many students on tent night: when to arrive. She felt she had timed her exit and entrance incorrectly: “Got there too early to fully enjoy it,” she said. When she arrived 30 minutes after the tent had opened, the night’s groove had not really begun. “The music was too loud for the little people that were there.”

And the music remained loud, but luckily, people did arrive. Sets from student DJs entranced those who were lucky to time their nights in a way that suited them.

With the tent on Saturday, students were unveiling their second costumes of the season. Two costumes is perhaps daunting, but one can always be creative and reuse a dress or outfit they already own.

“You just need a staple, a base for a costume. The rest is all accessories,” Crumbley adds.

Costumed students, tuckered out and hungry, retreated to a deliciously spooky Deece until 2 a.m. post tent, making haste

through a frightening inflatable arch to grab some mozzarella sticks. Here, the moody red light of the tent morphed into unsparing fluorescence. Sweat, once a glistening enhancer for the eye, became a gruesome aroma for the nose. Students bonded over seeing a particularly accurate Chappell Roan and the persisting thought of what to do next.

Near the desserts, a green M&M ate a scoop of ice cream. A Batman grabbed a croissant. Both are bonded because of their Owala bottles, green and orange. They will both soon realize their mucus has momentarily been stained black, something that happens after attending a music festival or sleeping near a campfire. This must be a

sign that a Vassar Halloween is always one to remember and a casual reminder that our nasal cavities can do their job just fine. That Saturday also brought us a pumpkin patch on the Library Lawn, complete with caramel apples and apple cider, and pumpkin carving and painting. Campus roads were circled by the classic Haunted hayride.

All in all, a special thanks to all who put work into the event and the weekend, from security to planning and setup to cleanup. A huge effort was made to help us all enjoy the holiday. And a final thank you to the Health Promotion and Education posters. They remind us of essential truths after a brazen night on our old stomping ground.

Vassar hosts Chemistry Bowl trivia

On Tuesday night, eight teams of four, along with a number of spectators, converged in the Bridge atrium to compete at the annual Vassar Chemistry Bowl, held in conjunction with the American Chemical Society’s National Chemistry Week. Three teams were composed of Vassar students from a number of departments: Biochemistry, psychology, chemistry and biology majors all competed, in addition to five teams from other local schools. Team names were punny, including “Isomer? I Hardly Know Her” from Vassar and the “Holy Molars” from SUNY New Paltz. Professor of Chemistry Christopher Smart brought a rusty metal box full of hand-written questions, of which the difficulty varied

wildly. Students were asked questions about the namesakes of elements like hafnium, ruthenium and lutetium, quizzed on the states of matter of different metal coordination complexes and even asked to name the cause of death of Marie Curie’s husband. Though a student buzzed in to answer that he suffered from cancer caused by radiation poisoning like his wife and daughter, the audience soon found out that he was actually killed after being run over by a horse-drawn wagon. The tournament was played in three rounds of 10 minutes each, alternating between buzz-in “tossup questions” and team-directed “bonus questions.” While a number of questions were multiple choice or true-false, some questions were much more difficult and required students to name chemical compounds or chemists like Glenn Seaborg and Enrico Fermi. Two Vassar teams

advanced to the semifinals, one of which played in the finals before losing narrowly to the ‘Quantum Thoughts’ from SUNY New Paltz.

For a chemist, no event is complete without a handful of swag to take home. All participants were given stickers and pens with the Thermo Fisher Scientific logo, which is a slightly more exciting gift to receive than you might expect. Teams in the semifinals received foam Albert Einstein stress balls— even though Einstein was a physicist, not a chemist. He now sits proudly on my coffee table in a white lab coat and little red spectacles, unaware of the fact that the real Albert Einstein did not wear glasses. Teams in the semifinals received drawstring backpacks, and every member of the winning Quantum Thoughts was given a beaker with a mug handle, to be sure an object of envy of any

chemistry student.

The chemistry department at Vassar exists in a strange kind of middle space. Dozens of students pass through its general chemistry course every semester in order to fill prerequisites for courses in other departments, and most never come back to take a second course. A similar phenomenon occurs with organic chemistry, a requirement for students on pre-med tracks. Enrollment in upper-level chemistry courses is low, with a number of classes having only four to eight students this fall semester, and the number of majors in any given class year is typically in the single digits. It was heartening to see the department come together and to see a group of students interested enough in chemistry to come to an event that was not widely advertised outside of a handful of flyers posted along the Bridge corridor.

Claire Bennett Guest Reporter

Luke Jenkins/The Miscellany News.

The Misc’s Editorial Board imagines themselves as ghosts

Happy Halloween! This issue, we had the Editorial Board draw themselves as ghosts. Bedsheet ghosts—the natural form our ghosts have taken—has origins in the fact that up until the 19th century, the deceased was wrapped in burial shrouds rather than coffins. In some cases, the deceased were simply wrapped with a sheet from their deathbed. Lay folk began to describe apparitions and other supernatural phenomena as wearing a shroud. This notion of ghosts became so widely accepted, in fact, that a group of thieves established themselves by donning white sheets and pretending to be ghosts. So, whether you think of ghosts as the cute, spooky kind like Casper or haunting, horrific kind like Banquo in “Macbeth,” we hope you enjoy our renditions our ourselves as ghosts! Boo!

Anabel, Copy Editor

Felix, Games Editor

Emma A., Arts Editor

Charlotte, Editor-in-Chief

Yaksha, Features Editor Oliver, Humor Editor

Jesse, Senior Editor

Henry, Sports Editor

Emma L., Arts Editor

Allen, Senior Editor

Nick, Humor Editor Lev, Opinions Editor Maryam, Managing Editor

Soren, Asst. Opinions Editor

Caris, Features Editor

Tori, Graphics Editor

Allison, News Editor Luke, Asst. Features Editor

Nicolas, Senior Editor

October 31, 2024

Breaking News

From the desk of Nicholas Tillinghast, Humor Editor

Have you or a loved one been affected by black snot? You may be entitled to compensation.

Naked goblins run rampant across Vassar

Josie Wenner Hobgoblin

The Halloween spirit has endured, despite the tent party’s conclusion. Naked goblins have swarmed campus and are wreaking havoc all over. They’re leaving the doors of the Noyes elevator open. They’re going out the middle door of the Deece. They’re chanting goblin insults and sticking their tongues out at freshmen. It’s bedlam out there. Something must be done.

Students have mixed opinions of the goblin apocalypse, or goblinpocalypse for short.

“I’m okay with goblins, I just don’t like that they’re naked. It makes me uncomfortable,” said Maria Milovanovic ’27. While being interviewed, Milovanovic revealed a notebook full of drawings of goblins wearing clothes. Her dream is to become a goblin fashion designer and she was an awestruck audience member at the Victoria’s Goblin fashion show this year.

“I’m okay with nudity, but I don’t like goblins. I’d be perfectly fine with naked imps everywhere but goblins give me the heebie-jeebies,” said Ben Timberlake ’27. Timberlake is not faring well in these trying, goblin-filled times, and has taken to trembling in corners whenever goblins scamper by him.

The Vassar Student Association (VSA) is working on passing a resolution to clothe all the goblins, although there’s been some dissent among both goblins and students in response. “Nudity is a key part of the goblin lifestyle,” said Gorp, a goblin diplomat. “Our culture is NO costume. To clothe us is to strip us of our dignity.” Goblin rights groups everywhere have taken notice and are making a fuss. People for the Ethical Treatment of Goblins (PETG) are calling for mandatory goblin education in schools across the country, chanting “GOBLINS ARE FRIENDS, NOT FOES!” It’s unclear if anybody else is taking this stance.

“I don’t know why the VSA is working on clothing the goblins and not getting rid of them. What is wrong with them? Why are they being so stupid?” said an exasperated student who wished to remain anonymous for fear of the VSA’s wrath.

“Personally, I think everyone needs to loosen up. I think we can all learn a little something from the goblins and maybe we should all take our clothes off,” said an anonymous and honestly kind of perverted student. Few others share this viewpoint, and many are just hoping for some peace, tranquility and significantly less goblin genitalia in the future.

Upon further investigation, it appears that the goblins were summoned via an incantation. “That’s how we’re always summoned,” said Dirf, a goblin. “Someone says the incantation, does the magic dance, makes a little sacrifice and then poof! Here we are. I wish I knew who did it this time. I always wonder why anyone would want us. I guess I never quite feel like people want to be around me. I think it goes back to my childhood, when my father would…” [Here, Dirf broke out into sobs and had to be comforted by other goblins, who said that this is a sensitive subject that he’s working on with his therapist.] Nev-

ertheless, he’s revealed crucial information; someone summoned the goblins on purpose.

Who would do such a thing? Who would set hundreds of goblins upon campus, causing terror and mayhem wherever they go?

Clearly, someone out there is really trying to get into the Halloween spirit. Someone who loves the holiday. Someone who was seen having the time of his life dancing in the tent. That’s right: John Bradley.

John Bradley, President Bradley’s husband, is often overshadowed by his wife. She’s the public face of the marriage and he has fewer things on his plate. This leads him to hobbies such as knitting, painting and horseback riding. However, a little-known fact is that above all, John Bradley loves mischief. Further digging and inquiry to the library staff reveals that John Bradley recently checked out a book entitled “Naked Goblins and How to Summon Them.” It’s unclear why he checked out this specific book, as “Clothed

Goblins and How to Summon Them” was on the shelf right next to it. The librarians say they’re planning on removing both books from circulation.

“Yeah, you got me,” said John Bradley when cornered and interrogated while hammocking on the quad. “It was me. I summoned the goblins. I’ve always wanted to try it, and this was just the perfect opportunity. Everyone was distracted by the tent and nobody saw me sneak off to do a little incantation. I know they’re causing chaos all over campus, but you have to admit, it’s funny.”

It’s a little funny. John Bradley handed over his borrowed copy of “Naked Goblins and How to Summon Them,” to The Miscellany News, and after a thorough reading, we’ve determined how to summon the goblins. To begin, one must wait for the perfect night. It must be a cool forty-ish degrees and a night of revelry. This creates the proper atmosphere for the goblins to appear because

they love fun and they thrive in colder temperatures. Then, the summoner must recite the incantation snilbog snilbog esaelp raeppa, snilbog snilbog wohs sevlesruoy, snilbog snilbog emoc ot em! After that, they must do the ritual dance of the ancient lean and dab. Lastly, they must make a sacrifice: A bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade and a lock of hair. Once these steps are completed, the goblins will appear and begin their mischief making for one week exactly.

“I don’t really know what we’re up to after this,” said Robert, a goblin. “Wherever the wind takes us, I guess. I hope we get summoned somewhere a little more hype than this, if I’m being honest. What you guys call a party is quite frankly pathetic.”

It’s been rumored that campus security is already brainstorming anti-goblin safety measures to make sure next year’s Halloweekened is goblin-free (although probably not nudity free).

Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.

Brainstorming Halloween costume ideas for President Bradley

Picture this: You’re President Bradley. It’s October 27th. Halloweekened is just around the corner, and you’re still desperately seeking a costume idea. Never fear, ideas are here. This article won’t come out until Halloween, so I’m no help for her this year, but PB (President Bradley) can use this list for many Halloweekends to come when she’s truly lost in the costume sea.

Engaged Pluralism (again)

This was an iconic President Bradley and John Bradley couple’s Halloween costume from 20221. President Bradley wore a big engagement ring, and John wore a poster board on which he had written many plural words—and also wore a blonde afro wig. Nobody could represent Engaged Pluralism as chaotically as they did. I imagine they could go a step further, though. Why not a green long-haired wig next time, John? Is a handlebar mustache too much?

The Halloweekend tent

What a wonderfully flowy costume this could be. She could carry a speaker with her, blaring EDM music and sprinkling dirt on people’s shoes, ruining them forever. This could work as a couple’s costume too. John Bradley could be a security guard checking to make sure everybody’s V-cards are legit.

BYU

Last year, PB, in her most on-the-nose moment of all time, was Vassar College for Halloween. John Bradley was also the devil, which gave her costume enhanced meaning, but this was a pretty lopsided couples costume, if you ask me. I can only imagine it was John’s idea (what’s next, a dust bunny?). Still, if dressing up as colleges is the

path PB is taking, she could expand the scope by dressing up as a more wholesome, pious college next year like BYU. John could be the devil again.

Optimus Prime

Autobots, roll out. My friend from high school dressed up as Optimus Prime for Halloween a few years ago and it was pretty cool.

Garfield

Insider sources tell me that PB adores lasagna and hates the first day of the workweek. Boy, do I know an orange cat you could relate to and also dress up as. John could be Jon.

Robocop

President Bradley—a cop? A robot? People might take umbrage with PB being a cop for Halloween, but let’s be clear: This is a robot cop, which is like, a whole different thing. There’s maybe a handful of cops that might be socially acceptable for PB to dress up as, like the bunny from Zootopia or Jim Lahey, but I picture PB as more of a Robocop enjoyer. John could just be a regular cop. I think people would be fine with that.

A Bengal tiger

There’s no significance to this one. I just think it would be fun. John Bradley could also be a Bengal tiger. Just two Bengal tigers, clowning around. Baller stuff.

A Vassar fire alarm

There’s nothing better than a big boxy Halloween costume. She could have a speaker attached to it that just starts beeping out of nowhere for no discernible reason, just like the Vassar fire alarms. If she has a Halloween party and wants it to end early and make everybody leave, she could hit a button that makes a beeping sound and then she could tell everybody to play along and evacuate her

house. Then, when everybody is outside, she could quickly go back in, lock the door and go to bed. John Bradley could be the entire Poughkeepsie Fire Department.

Nicholas Tillinghast The Clown in the Tent

This soothsayer’s priorities are really skewed: An interview

Excitement

gripped the community late last week, after religion major Claire Voillant’s prediction of the future (“Strong fire alarm will go off, like, six times tonight”) was proven true. Finally taken seriously after years of mockery, Vouillant (whom readers may know as “Magic Douche” or “the stupendous psychic shithead”) was eager to share more of her prophecies with The Miscellany News.

The Miscellany News: So can you give us, like, an overview of the whole next couple centuries or so?

CV: Oh, sure, yeah! So, twenty years hence, the end will come, and a rain of fire will scour the surface of the earth, and a roiling lightning storm will rage for millennia unending, and the brine of the seas will rise higher and higher, drowning the living—righteous and evil alike—until it is more blood than water. But before that, they’re gonna make a sixth “Ghostbusters” movie and it’ll be kinda mediocre.

The Misc: What?

CV: Yeah, they cast Timothee Chalamet, but his heart’s not in it. This is right after he marries and then divorces Zendaya and—shit, did I mention that polygamy is legalized? Crazy, right? Anyway—

The Misc: No, like, we only have 20 years to live? How will we know when the time is at hand?

CV: Yep, 20 years. In the third season of 2044, a horned man will descend from the boreal forest, claiming to be the successor to the Ten Virtuous Kings of ages past; bearing a strange and terrible scepter, he will conquer each of the nations of man. Canada will go first, which sucks, because poutine is gonna be, like, a huge thing online, for some reason? So… yeah, horned man, nations of mankind perish, poutine.

The Misc: Is there—is there anything we can do to stop it?

CV: No.

The Misc: What? What the fuck? So, we’re all just living on borrowed time?

CV: Yeah, more or less. Anyway, other stuff… Microsoft brings back the Zune, we cure prostate cancer and a great serpent rises from within the earth to swallow the moon. Oh, and you know how we keep trying to resurrect mammoths? We finally get it right, but then it turns out they’re just really mean, which is why we killed them all the first time.

The Misc: … Does anyone survive?

CV: No, we kill all the mammoths. I told you, they’re jerks.

The Misc: … Do any humans survive the coming apocalypse?

CV: Oh yeah, a couple. Me, Jake from my stats class, Johnny Cash for some reason…

The Misc: Johnny Cash is dead already.

CV: Oh, we find a cure for that too. But they destroy all the necromancy pods after some joker brings back Mao and no one can figure out how to deal with him.

The Misc: Why didn’t you mention this? What the fuck?

CV: Well, it doesn’t really become relevant until a while after the United States collapsed, and I figured you mostly just cared about the stuff from before.

The Misc: Oh, it finally collapses? Dope, I was waiting on that. Anyway, I feel like I shouldn’t know this, but… do I survive the apocalypse? How long do I live? Should I be saying goodbye to my family?

CV: Oh, no, you bite it super hard, like, three years from now. You find out that you’re not getting into grad school and you kinda flip out. Then, you remember this interview. The awareness that our universe is completely deterministic pushes you over the edge, and then…

The Misc: I… you know… end my life?

CV: Oh, shit, no! No, that’d be a bummer. In an unrelated international poutine incident, the Turkish government launches a missile

with a faulty targeting system, and you perish

The Misc: And all this happens because I realize the universe is deterministic from this interview?

The

Why would you agree to it, then?

in the blast.

CV: Mostly, yeah.

Misc:

CV: Whoops.

Wren Buehler “Ghostbusters 6”

Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.

HORRORSCOPES!

Jordan Alch Afraid of Zombies

ARIES March 21 | April 19

Take a moment to appreciate the beautiful fall weather. It’s nice and chilly! It’s best not to think too hard about the cold spots you may pass through in your dorm.

TAURUS April 20 | May 20

Seek out your favorite candy! Who cares if you can’t really find it in stores anymore? Do they still even make it? I sure hope so.

GEMINI May 21 | June 20

Watch something scary tonight. I won’t. I saw the trailer for “Lights Out” in fifth grade and I still haven’t recovered from that experience, but I believe in you.

LIBRA Sept. 23 | Oct. 22

Go on a ghost hunt in the dorms. If you do it in a different dorm than your own, you reduce the risk of being haunted, probably.

SCORPIO Oct. 23 | Nov. 21

Take a spooky walk on the Preserve. Be careful and don’t get lost. We don’t know what’s out there after dark.

SAGITTARIUS Nov. 22 | Dec. 21

Keep an eye out for bats this week. Make sure you don’t get locked in a stairwell with one. Vampires are a real and ever-present threat to society.

CANCER June 21 | July 22

I think you should re-wear your favorite childhood Halloween costume. Kids are so creative. How could you ever top your ten-year-old self?

LEO July 23 | Aug. 22

Stay away from the skeletons in the Deece. You know the ones. They know you too.

CAPRICORN Dec. 22 | Jan. 19

Research the hauntings of Vassar. Lots of the buildings here have been around for a while. Look in the archives of the Misc to find reports of hauntings. Nothing like some archival work to help distract you from doing your readings for class.

AQUARIUS Jan. 20 | Feb. 18

Reread your favorite scary book. I suggest “A Bad Case of the Stripes.” That really freaked me out as a kid.

VIRGO Aug. 23 | Sept. 22

Research the history of the Jack-o’-lantern. It’s quite interesting, and it would enhance your experience of walking around campus. There’s nothing like a Wikipedia rabbit hole!

PISCES Feb. 19 | March 20

Take a moment and gather the strength to go through the second scariest part of the semester: midterms. I believe in you. The ghost of Matthew Vassar believes in you.

October 31, 2024

The populism, mythmaking and success of Donald Trump

Ian Watanabe Cartoonist

Donald Trump embodies the American Dream. He was an underdog in a way that his more experienced opponent, Hillary Clinton, was not. The media criticized him relentlessly, but he still became President of the United States due to the support he cultivated. The American Dream is the idea that a person can achieve great things without having the same resources and connections that others might. When a political outsider wins our nation’s highest office, that is the American Dream in action. I do not actually believe what I wrote above. I would especially like to emphasize that I do not think Trump is an “underdog.” While much media coverage of Trump was negative during his first campaign, as a result of his outlandish behavior, the odds in that field certainly were not stacked against him. According to The Street, Trump received almost five billion dollars in free media coverage during 2016 through his use of X, formerly Twitter. While Trump did not start with the same political connections as most presidential candidates, he certainly had enough fame and wealth from the private sector to leverage the support of powerful people. It is difficult for Trump to fit a rags-to-riches story when the “rags” include golden buildings with his name on them.

The Trump campaign omits facts of his character and experience to paint Donald Trump favorably. More than that, there’s an effort to mythologize Trump by tying him to the American Dream. The American Dream is not a provable concept, but

rather a story that many Americans hope will come true. And if Trump’s story can align with the American Dream, he can legitimize that narrative. This makes his campaign resonate with voters. This mythmaking is an essential component of populism, a tactic that frames a leader as a man of the people, and all opposition as part of an elite that does not represent the people’s interests.

Donald Trump associates himself with many popular myths and stories. When he describes China, he always mentions how he will return manufacturing jobs to the US. The outsourcing of jobs has left many Americans without work, while China’s rapid growth sparks people’s fears of their future economic domination. Trump repeatedly mentions China because he wants to portray himself as a winner of the game of international economic competition. He, and by extension America, becomes the hero, while China is the villain. However, according to Bloomberg, Trump does not accomplish what he promises. Under his administration, 184,888 jobs are estimated to have been offshored by China. In many places, Trump has consistently blamed American joblessness and its downturn on either foreign countries or foreign immigrants, adding a xenophobic angle to his mythmaking. When Trump tells people that the economic success of immigrants comes at the expense of American citizens, he is failing to address true solutions in order to get more votes. Not only that, but his lies create a hostile environment for the groups that Trump disparages.

To many Democrats, Trump’s state -

ments are outrageous. The fact that such a solid portion of the population believes him and supports him is baffling. But Trump’s lies have a foundation in real problems that America faces. Manufacturers in the US have indeed outsourced labor to other countries since the ’90s, leaving many without reliable jobs. Economic crises from 2008 and the disruptions from the pandemic have upended the lives of many Americans. The government has not always stepped up to meet these needs. Trust in the federal government, according to the Pew Research Center, has been in decline for 20 years, with 65 percent of subjects believing that government officials serve their own interests rather than voters. If citizens feel that Establishment politicians have not helped them, this makes them friendlier to leadership options from outside the corrupt system—or options who appear to be outside the corrupt system. Donald Trump addresses these concerns, but instead of moving to fix them, he preaches a false view of reality that reaffirms nationalism and distrust of the Establishment. By validating these pre-existing feelings, Trump gains a base of support that will be loyal to him even as his behavior grows more and more outrageous. Is there something that Trump’s opposition can do to counter the political mythmaking that gives him so much support? I believe the answer is yes, but beating him in the upcoming election will not be enough. President Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in 2020, but that has clearly not weakened the latter’s support. The Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris has captured many voter interests in a short amount of

time. The Harris campaign has recently emphasized its endorsement from Republican figures like Dick and Liz Cheney, with sights on bringing in disaffected Republican voters.

As opposed to Trump, who seems to be doubling down with his existing voter base, Harris is trying to grow and diversify hers. This is obviously a good strategy during elections. It also means that if she wins, she will have to deliver on the many promises she made to that large base of constituents. People will need to see tangible improvement in their lives, particularly in healthcare and jobs. According to Northeastern Global News, the inflation rate is currently down but prices, particularly of food, are still high due to supply chain issues. If Harris fixes these economic issues, she would also be directly disproving the economic discontents of Trump’s populism.

The cultural discontents of Trump’s populism, meaning the discontents with globalism, the urban-rural divide, and race and gender, will not disappear. However, if citizens feel that their leaders are directly improving their lives, they will have less reason to embrace or accept the hostility in Trump’s rhetoric. If Harris can make and deliver on her promises, populist mythmaking will have fewer frustrations to draw upon. Likewise, if the Harris Administration cannot effectively help Americans, Trump can continue to leverage hostility while juxtaposing himself as a savior. Trump gains his power by prescribing distorted myths for real problems. If the Democrats want to overcome this, they must prescribe solutions.

Image courtesy of Karen Mogami ’24.

New York Mets close storybook season

Henry France Sports Editor

There really is no good place to start when telling the story of the 2024 New York Mets, a team with no expectations that ended up energizing a lost fan base. For the sake of timeliness, we will start in 1962 when the Mets were founded to replace the New York Giants and New York Dodgers, adopting the blue from the Dodgers and orange from the Giants. The Metropolitans would eventually, in 2009, situate themselves at Citi Field in Flushing, Queens. The Giants moved to Northern California and became the San Francisco Giants, and the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles to become the LA Dodgers—safe to say that they have not forgotten being booted from the Big Apple by the Mets. Despite the two departures, the Mets still had another team in the neighborhood—the New York Yankees. The New York Yankees are one of the most dominant North American major sports teams and have achieved such noteworthy success through big spending—in 2005, the Yankees had the five highest-paid players in Major League Baseball (MLB). But the New York Mets never had this luxury, losing out in bids for generational players despite sharing the attractive New York market. Mets fans have long grieved their team’s stinginess due to the Wilpon family—the Mets’ former owners—refusing to shell out on big contracts. The Yankees are now second in the MLB for highest payrolls, paying their team a total of $309.4 million, following the once “poverty” New York Mets. In October 2020, the Wilpon family sold a whopping 95 percent of their complete ownership stake in the team to hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen. Since taking over, Cohen has flipped the Mets’ conservative financial outlook upside down, pouring his dough into luxurious contracts for big names. Mets fans revered their new owner’s excited spending, referring to Cohen as “Uncle Steve.”

Uncle Steve’s first big move was a trade for four-time all star shortstop Francisco Lindor. General manager Billy Eppler signed Lindor to an 11-year $341 million contract and Cy Young Award winning pitcher Max Scherzer to a three-year $130 million deal. The Mets reinvigorated their offense and possessed what was widely regarded as the best one-two punch of starting pitchers in all of baseball. Mets fans were glad to be spending like the Yankees, and expectations were high for the upcoming 2022 season. The Mets finished their season with a solid 101 wins, tied for first in the National League East (NL East), but the team would lose to the San Diego Padres in three wild card games. The next season, the Mets disappointed, finishing fourth of five in the NL East and winning 26 fewer games than the previous season. The Mets swiftly fired manager Buck Showalter, with general manager Eppler resigning days later. Verlander and Scherzer would both leave the Mets. Weeks later, the team hired manager Carlos Mendoza and signed free agent pitchers Luis Severino and Sean Manaea, among other players.

Compared to seasons past, the 2024 New York Mets had no expectations. Uncle Steve’s spending spree had come to a screeching halt, and fans were bracing for impact. But when it seemed the bar had been placed as low as possible, the Mets still managed to have a disappointing start to the season, losing their first five games—the third worst start in team history. It looked like the 2024 season would be lost. After trading their two Hall of Fame pitchers away for younger prospects, the Mets seemed to be positioning themselves for the future. One of the two departed pitchers, Scherzer, even confirmed that “the [Mets’]

vision now is for 2025–2026, ’25 at the earliest, more like ’26,” reflecting the Mets’ organizational outlook that “it was going to be more of a transition in 2024.” Evidently, the Mets’ poor performance was not surprising. Nevertheless, it was still disappointing. And while the team eventually started winning, top players—Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso—were performing poorly, and the team’s new pitching staff—Manaea, Severino and José Quintana—looked ready for retirement. The Mets were sinking in the standings. In early June, the Mets sat fourth in the NL East at a record of 24-35. They were the fifth-worst team in baseball. Days earlier, Mets pitcher Jorge López had a disastrous performance against the Dodgers and tossed his glove into the stands, remarking in a postgame interview that the Mets are the “worst team in all of fucking MLB.” That week was the trough of the Mets’ 2024 season, though it seemed like it was only going to get worse. Players were insulting the team and throwing tantrums, and you really could not blame them because the fans were as well. The Mets were awfully close to the “worst team in all of fucking MLB.”

Then, on June 12, Grimace, McDonald’s big purple mascot, threw out the inaugural “first-pitch” for the New York Mets. Like it or not, this was a pivotal moment in New York’s season. The stats do not lie—the Mets won their next seven games and eventually 12 of their next 14, including a sweep over their crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees. At the same time, infielder Jose Iglesias began to captivate the Mets for a reason other than his performance on the field. The 34-year-old infielder released latin pop song “Oh My God,” or “OMG,” and the song instantly became the 2024 New York Mets theme music. Iglesias would perform the song after big wins at Citi Field as fans sang along. The OMG Mets started to get hot. The Mets went on to win against the Yankees 12-2, and the next day, they sat just one game out from a postseason spot. In two weeks, the Mets had turned their season upside down, bringing joy to a city and captivating their tuned out fan base. Big things were happening in Flushing. Since turning their season around in early June, the Mets won 65 games—the most in baseball—with 26 comeback wins.

Fast forward two months and the Mets were now vying with the Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks for the final two National League wild card spots. After a turbulent final few weeks of the season, there were only two spots available for the three teams. The Mets and Braves had a monumental three-game series that could decide the fate of both teams. After Atlanta won the first game, Hurricane Milton stole the show and postponed the final two games of the series. The MLB decided that the Mets and Braves would play a doubleheader on the day between the end of the regular season and beginning of the wild card series. While every other baseball team had ended their regular season, the Mets’ and Braves’ futures were still to be decided. The stage was set: of the two games, each team would have to win just one to make the playoffs, but if one team won both, then the winning team and Arizona Diamondbacks would make the playoffs. In the first game of the double-header, the Mets took an early lead, only to lose it late in the game—the Mets trailed 7-6 in the ninth and final inning. It was looking bad until Francisco Lindor hit the biggest home run of his baseball career: a two-run home run to take the lead. It was a critical and emotional moment for Mets fans. Little did we know that it was the first of many in the coming week. After a turbulent season that was supposed to be a reload, the New York Mets were headed to

the playoffs. The Mets celebration would be a quick one because they would head to Milwaukee for a best-of-three series against the Milwaukee Brewers that would start the next day—the winner would play the Philadelphia Phillies.

The Mets and Brewers split the first two games of the series and would play a third and final game of the series for a chance to continue their season. The Mets and Brewers played a tight game that had the Mets entering the final inning down 0-2. I stood and watched, clenching my Mets cap with white knuckles as New York had three outs to save their—our—emotional season. The Mets win probability sat at 8.3 percent. Lindor got to first on a walk. Mark Vientos came up to bat. He struck out—it hurt—and the Mets were down to just two outs. Nimmo would hit a big single to get the tying run on base. First baseman Pete Alonso stepped up to bat in a dramatic moment. It was a captivating scene that could not have had a better setup. Alonso entered the season as one of New York’s stars, and he had not met expectations. His contract was expiring after the year, and the Mets community was expecting and almost even eager for Alonso to find a new team. It looked like Alonso would step up to bat one last time for the baseball team he once broke the rookie home run record on. Then, the improbable happened: With three balls and one strike, Pete Alonso smacked the baseball 367 feet into the Milwaukee outfield seating to give the Mets a 3-2 lead. Alonso was not done being a Met, and the Mets were not done with their season.

The Mets would play a well-rounded Phillies team in a best-of-five series to make it to the National League Championship Series. Phillies outfielder Kyle Schwarber led off for Philadelphia in the first inning of the first game, and he hit a home run to immediately give Philadelphia the lead. It was a humbling moment.The one hit reflected a larger realization for Mets fans. As Schwarber trotted around the bases, it was clear to me that the Mets had just barely made it to the postseason by way of gritty late-season play and breakout stars and then had managed to beat a solid but beatable Brewers squad. It was a fun stretch of unlikely, inspiring hits, but now, the Mets would play a real-deal team. The Phillies were hungry. They had great hitters throughout their entire lineup and an impressive pitching core to pair with the offense. The Phillies would cling onto the 1-0 lead that Schwarber gifted them until the top of the eighth inning when the Mets stormed ahead, scoring four runs and winning the game 4-1. Again, the Mets win probability sat in the low-30s with less than six outs remaining in the game, only to take over the final moments and come away with a victory. The Phillies tied the series up in the next game, and both teams traveled to New York to play

the next two games. In game three, breakout pitcher Manaea threw a masterful seven innings, allowing just one run. It would be later revealed that the kiss the grieving pitcher blew towards the sky as he exited the game was to his aunt Mabel. Manaea was extremely close to her, and she passed away just hours prior to the game. Now, Manaea had put the Mets just one game away from advancing. With a 2-1 series lead over Philadelphia, New York had the chance to seal the deal in Flushing or let the Phillies tie the series at two-a-piece and take the tie-breaking game back to Pennsylvania. The Mets applied pressure throughout the game, dinging hits and earning walks, but would not come away with a run. The team entered the bottom of the sixth inning down 0-1. Their win probability sat at 33 percent and was decreasing. Nothing was working, and it looked like the Mets would head to Philadelphia for a deciding fifth game. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Mets had the bases loaded with one out—a position they had been in throughout the game and failed to capitalize on—but this time, Lindor would come up to bat. Again, the Mets were playing out a scene that could not have been scripted any better. On the fourth pitch of the at bat, Lindor lifted a 99.4 mile-per-hour fastball nearly 400 feet into center field for a grand slam to give the Mets a 4-1 lead. I could not believe my eyes. The Mets had once again climbed out of a hole to take the lead. It felt inevitable that Lindor delivered the swing, performing at such a high level since June that he had been receiving “MVP” (Most Valuable Player) chants throughout the stretch. The Mets would hold onto the lead, and advance to the National League Championships Series against the Dodgers. The Mets had defeated their rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, in just four games. Now, it felt like nothing could stop this unlikely, underrated and drama-producing squad.

Then, reality hit. The Mets dropped the second and sixth games of the series to lose to LA in six games. The Dodgers would go on to play the New York Yankees in the World Series (ouch), but I would root for the Yankees. My little brother Abe somehow ended up as a Yankees fan, and if I cannot celebrate a World Series, I hope he can. Even if the Yankees manage to beat the formidable Dodgers, I do not think it can be as sweet and sincere as a New York Mets World Series Championship, six words that give me goosebumps. Being a Mets fan is so much more than rooting for the New York Mets. As my grandfather Murray, who inspired my fandom, has taught me, life is not winning season after winning season. Sometimes, the biggest victories come when you least expect it, and conversely, the biggest losses and disappointments come when you expect success most. But that is life, and that is being a New York Mets fan.

Image courtesy of Natalie Sang ’28.

Brewers Ballin’: Bouggess nets game winner

Our goal with Brewers Ballin’ is to feature Vassar athletes who starred for their team the week previous to publishing. If you would like to nominate an athlete, please email hfrance@vassar.edu.

Brewers Ballin’

Name: Maddie Bouggess

Year: Senior

Team: Women’s Soccer

Stats: Bouggess played a critical role in the Brewers’ 2-1 victory over top-ten ranked Ithaca College, scoring both of the goals, and on Senior Day nonetheless. The attacker has put together an impressive campaign so far this season, netting her fifth and sixth goals to tally a total of 16 shots on goal on the season. The pair of goals came within one minute of each other, and both within the first five minutes of the game to respond to Ithaca’s early 1-0 lead. Bouggess second goal proved to be a critical game-winning shot as the score held at 2-1 for the rest of the game.

Statement: “This year’s Vassar Women’s soccer team has had a spark that I have not seen before on past teams. Because of that, I am so excited to see what new accomplishments, awards, and memories this soccer season will bring us.”

Image courtesy of Madison Bouggess ‘25.

Image courtesy of Karen Mogami ‘24.

Men’s soccer prepares for Liberty League playoffs

Continued from Soccer on page 1 hunger and focus to return to the postseason. Hood reflected on how the tournament exposure in 2022 “shaped their [the current juniors and seniors] desire for competing at the national level.” This big game familiarity has strengthened the team’s resilience in high-pressure situations and brought the group together. For Vassar, the group is everything. To hold possession and play the style of soccer that the Brewers want, everyone needs to be all in. The Brewers have bought in. While the Brewers have suffered some losses this season, the group has remained steadfast in their mission. Hood has made it clear: “The ability to have unwavering commitment, trust and belief within the

team is essential.”

This year has been turbulent for the squad, requiring the very “commitment, trust and belief” that Hood alluded to. The Brewers have dropped just three games this season but, more impressively, have come back from each game with a big win in the next, a reflection of their trust in the process.

The Brewers do not have the luxury of bounce-back wins in the postseason. Every game is a must-win from here on out. With just two regular season games to go, the squad sits second in the Liberty League Standings with a playoff berth in sight. The opportunity to make program history and fight for a Liberty League title will not be taken lightly. The Brewers’ combination of

battle-tested veterans and eager underclassmen make it easy to look for the programs first Liberty League tournament win under Coach Hood. The gaffer has recognized that being present is critical, saying, “The goal for me is to stay in the moment and keep getting better as a team.” Nevertheless, the Brewers have their work cut out for them with two Liberty League matchups left on the slate. Vassar needs a strong finish to the regular season if they want to secure home field advantage and the coveted first round bye. As the calendar flips to November, the pressure of each game rises, but this Brewers squad, by standing on the shoulders of previous Vassar sides and trusting each other, is ready to take on anything. Come on you Brewers!

Students discern NBA contenders and pretenders

Every year in the NBA, there are about eight teams that think they have what it takes to win it all. This level of delusion is unprecedented outside of sports: there is no other industry where such unearned confidence is commonplace. But when every team is all in and talking a big game, it is hard to separate the wheat from the Chicago Bulls. Who are the contenders, and who are the pretenders? This week, we take a look at eight high-tier NBA playoff teams and sort them based on one overriding criteria: how likely we think it is that they go all the way. We are not looking for Conference Champions or most improved teams, and we are certainly not looking for in-season tournament winners (though our money is obviously on the Lakers to repeat). We are looking for teams who we see plausibly holding the O’Brien trophy in June. It is the NBA: The only thing that matters is the chip.

Contenders:

Boston Celtics

We wish we were not writing this. We wish that, when we poured over the advanced stats, we found some chink in the Celtics’ armor that would disqualify them from holding the trophy again. But as much as we love to hate the Celtics, we must admit: This crew seems likely to repeat a win and is too good to be labeled as anything but a contender. The Celtics’ offense is sharp and well-varied—few teams have the defensive pieces to stop both a strong three-point attack and a Kristaps Porzingas-led post game. Defensively, they were also among the best in the NBA, trailing only the Minnesota Timberwolves in defensive rating. Through three games of the 2024-2025 season, the offensive dominance has continued (though interestingly, without Porzingis, the Celtics have fallen to 13th-best in defensive rating—something to watch as the season continues). The Celtics, despite second-apron troubles, have the repeat entirely within their grasp. The only consolation to every other fan in the East is that if they mess it up, we will never let them hear the end of it.

Dallas Mavericks

Beginning this list with the two championship finalists is a remarkably unimaginative take, but the Dallas Mavericks, despite their relatively low seed in the 20232024 NBA playoffs, have proven that they can pull it together for a convincing playoff run. Dallas has an experienced court general in Kyrie Irving, and they have added even

more veteran star power with the signing of Klay Thompson, who hopes to learn from Irving and have his own career renaissance. A solid bench brings up the rear for the Mavericks, and pieces like Derek Lively and Maxi Kleber keep the Mavs competitive deep into regular season games. But the true star of the show, and the ultimate determiner of the Mavericks’ postseason success, is Luka Doncic. Doncic’s MVP-caliber play is what elevates the Mavericks to nonfraud status: without him, we doubt the Mavericks would even contend for the playin. As such, the Mavs’ status as a contender is the most precarious among the four we’re listing here. What it comes down to is simple: As Luka goes, so goes Dallas.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The elephant in Target Stadium is Minnesota’s blockbuster trade with the New York Knicks, which sent T-Wolves standby Karl Anthony-Towns (KAT) to the New York Knicks for a package headlined by Donte Divencenzo and Julius Randle. It is too early to truly judge this trade on its one merits, but despite the departure of a star player on Minnesota’s end, we are convinced that the Wolves won this one by adding two strong options for the price of one. Though Randle is not as dominant of a scorer as KAT, he stretches the floor and gets back on defense just as well, and his presence might even allow Anthony Edwards to shine even brighter than he did with KAT on the floor. And though Divencenzo likely won’t crack the starting lineup, he is a spark plug off the bench and gives Minnesota explosive scoring power well into their reserves. Together, their addition makes the Timberwolves a more balanced team who are capable of elevating themselves on both sides of the ball and credibly facing off with any team in the league. Minnesota has good vibes right now: They have young stars and capable veterans, a front office that is all in and a head coach (Chris Finch) who elevates his players. If there is a time to get it done, it is now.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City (OKC) is another one of those good vibes teams that you just know is going to run their conference for years to come. They are stocked with a young core that includes MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and two-way center Chet Holmgren, not to mention defensive star Luguentz Dort and scoring threat Jalen Williams. The main knock on OKC is that they are too young, a quality definitely apparent in their Western Conference semifinals collapse last year. Hopefully, veteran Alex Caruso can add some composure to

the OKC crew. But the remarkable thing about this version of the Thunder is that they are still in great position, draft and cap-wise, to build an even more monstrous contender in the years to come. At any time, they can cash in some of that savedup capital to make an already dominant 2024-2025 squad even better. Until further notice, the Thunder is the team to beat in the West.

Pretenders:

New York Knicks

Rising from decades at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, the New York Knicks reinvigorated their franchise with a solid playoff push despite injuries to several key players late last year. Led by guard Jalen Brunson with many of his former college teammates who helped him win the NCAA Championship at Villanova in the 2017-2018 season, the “Nova Knicks” appeared to be a team with a bright future. Their core of young developing stars had some of the best locker room culture in the league, but rather than attempting to run it back with a hopefully healthier team, Team President Leon Rose preferred to renovate. Trading away former All-NBA forward Julius Randle, Sixth Man of the Year contender Donte DiVincenzo and a few draft picks this offseason to pick up the aforementioned Karl-Anthony Towns and another Villanova man in Mikal Bridges, the Knicks see themselves as a win-now team. The issue is, they are not one. Towns and Bridges are both great pickups, but neither player is quite as good as those they gave up as they need them to be. They sacrificed defense and their future for a more dynamic offense. But with other Center Mitchell Robinson continuously battling injuries, the team is too small and lacking in paint defense to be able to handle any teams with major frontcourt scorers, leaving them to more than likely finish early in the playoffs once more.

Milwaukee Bucks

When Damian Lilliard signed with the Bucks last offseason, the mood in Cream City was electric: Though local heroes like Jrue Holiday and Bobby Portis Jr. had left Milwaukee, the Dame trade was an indication that the Bucks were not willing to let their championship window close without a fight. One season later, however, the Bucks are starting to show cracks that Dame Time cannot fix. Lilliard’s on-ball power is undeniable; However, his weakness on defense, as well as his tendency to hog the ball, have led to an overall diminishment of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s effectiveness and an over reliance on deep threes that come in streaky

bursts. The Bucks cap and trade struggles have also manifested themselves in a thin bench; when Antetokounmpo and Dame are not on the court, you know Milwaukee is being outscored. That is not to say that Milwaukee is not a solid playoff squad—any team anchored by Antetokounmpo is going to have a shot in any seven-game playoff series. But those odds diminish significantly when you have a shallow bench and when your star point guard is 34-years-old and might not make it through several playoff series against tough, physical opponents. Milwaukee certainly has a place in the East, but we do not see them going all the way this year.

Philadelphia 76ers

Looking at the Philadelphia 76ers, the story is actually quite simple. The best ability is availability, and being a team led by Center Joel Embiid, they will play almost half of their games this season without a completely healthy starting lineup. They squeaked into the playoffs last season after Embiid missed 43 out of 82 games—he plays an average of just 54 per season—and it is quite unlikely that things will go any differently this year. Point guard Tyrese Maxey is coming off an excellent season in which he won the Most Improved Player award, and the team added aging superstar Paul George this offseason. However, they did little to solve their lingering issues. George has also found himself spending many games off the floor in recent years, and the odds that he finds legitimate synergy with the rest of the team in addition to him and Embiid being healthy come playoff time are insurmountably low. If there was a one pill fix for all injuries, this team would be in a great place, but unfortunately for Philly sports fans, that is not the case.

Denver Nuggets

Denver fans will tell you that the Nuggets’ fall from grace in the Western Conference Semifinals was an aberration, an unlucky end for a team that was otherwise on track to repeat. We offer another explanation. Nikola Jokić is one of the best basketball players in the world, but no amount of triple doubles will change the fact that Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon are starters for this team. The outlook only gets gloomier when you peek under the hood at the second team and see stinkers all around like Dario Šarić and Peyton Watson, who combined for one point, two rebounds, one steal and three fouls in 21 minutes against the Raptors. You could probably find better contributors at any intramural game at the AFC, so we are expecting to see some scouts there this spring.

Henry France/The Miscellany News.

Willem Doherty & Ben Vinson Guest Columnists

The Miscellany Crossword

Covering the Bases

By Olivia Blank

ACROSS

1. “Oops!”

5. Times Square kiosk

9. Play lightly, as a guitar

14. Average

15. Honolulu’s island

16. Pop up

17. *What the shrimp did, per a popular food pun (Jim)

19. St. ___ , one of the “big four of doom metal”

20. Cell apparatus

21. Second chances

23. *Classic autumn treat (Coco)

27. Thing

31. Small Battery

32. Madre’s hermana

33. Ice Spice dance locale

34. Ballpoint brand

35. Channel for hoops fans

39. Rough estimates, or a hint to the second halves of the starred clues

43. Arab leader

44. NYC subway line

45. Money-related: Abbr

46. 2006 Rihanna hit

48. Lead in to liberal or Freudian

49. They follow “Do-Re-Mi”

50. *Causes of some typos (Rollie)

54. No Noise

55. Outdo pettily

60. Extra, briefly

61. *Carpenter’s domain (Johnny)

65. Long time follower?

66. They’re found on desks or in fields

67. Actor’s part

68. “Stay ___”, former VSA president sign-off

69. Joie de vivre

70. It can be fatal

Answers to last week’s puzzle:

By Felix Mundy-Mancino

DOWN

1. “No frickin’ way!”, over text

2. Sandwich

3. Execute perfectly

4. Universal donor’s type, for short

5. Browser for surfing the deep web

6. Red Ninjago character

7. Ingredient in special brownies

8. Blue ___ Shoes

9. Enjoying, as a meal

10. Ken Jennings, e.g.

11. ___ of passage (plural)

12. Seize illegally

13. Do not do this, with Texas

18. Museum in Beacon, NY

22. Current mo.

24. Sunscreen ingredient: Abbr.

25. Couple

26. Deficient

27. “___ honored!”

28. There’s no “I” in here

29. Harvard-educated lawyer Woods

30. Noteworthy events

36. Opera solo

37. “Camp Rock “villain

38. App whose users might dawn scrunchies and Birkenstocks

40. The BAU develops them

41. Liberated

42. Ripley’s Believe ___ Not!

47. Bro’s sib, maybe

50. Big name in travel guides

51. “Thus …”

52. January 1st persona

53. Bawl

54. Da ___, Vietnam

56. Brand with a “Rebelle” line

57. Hydroxyl compound

58. SoCal school that just entered the Big Ten

59. What one might exclaim after a near-miss

62. OPEC commodity

63. Record label of SZA or Flo Milli

64. Boy toy?