The Miscellany News November 2, 2023
miscellanynews.org
Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866 Volume 160 | Issue 8
Vassar SJP stages walkout College moves to dismiss lawsuit William Sorge Managing Editor
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assar Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), following the lead of their parent organization National SJP, staged a walkout on Wednesday, Oct. 25 to call on the College to hear their demands in response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, amid the current Israel-Hamas conflict. The walkout began at 2 p.m. on the Library Lawn at the steps of Rockefeller Hall. Beginning as a rally of over 150 students, the crowd then marched around campus in the vicinity of Main Building. The group demanded the College to divest from weapons manufacturers arming Israel while publicizing its independent contractors’ investments, boycott two study abroad programs in Israel and call for an end to the blockade of Gaza and U.S. funds to Israel. Further, the group asked the Vassar Student Association to re-introduce Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) legislation. Organizers specified guidelines prior to the march to ensure the safety of the protesters, including not to take pictures of protesters’ faces and not to engage with counter protesters. A student-led teach-in followed, detailing the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the United States’ role in the region and funding of Israel. “I would say that given the response from
the administration, participating in this kind of event and seeing the involvement and support from my peers has been really encouraging simply because the response from President Bradley and the administration was so disappointing, so that’s why I feel like this event for me personally is really powerful and important to be a participant in,” said an anonymous student at the protest. During the initial rally and the march that followed, attendees chanted a number of call-and-response slogans demanding Palestinian liberation, such as “when people are occupied, resistance is justified” and “not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes.” However, some of the chants used during the protest received backlash for antisemitic connotations. An anonymous Jewish student who did not attend the protest shared, “People’s concerns about the rally Wednesday were because of the chant ‘from the river to the sea,’ which is often seen as antisemitic because it is advocating for the eradication of Israel completely.” The following day, Oct. 26, President of the College Elizabeth Bradley sent an email entitled “Campus Climate” which referenced the walkout and reemphasized her commitment to speak out against antisemitic, anti-Israeli and anti-Palestinian prejudice on campus. She noted comments See WALKOUT on page 3
Jacques Abou-Rizk, Benjamin Savel Editor-in-Chief, Reporter
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n the evening of Friday, Oct. 13, just hours after students departed for October Break, Vassar College submitted a letter requesting permission to create a motion to dismiss the women professors’ pay equity lawsuit in federal court. Vassar’s request will be heard by Judge Cathy Seibel in White Plains on the afternoon of Nov. 16. This appearance in the Southern District Court of New York will be the first time the parties face off in court. The letter alleges that the professors’ claims are not covered under the Equal Pay Law, Title VII and the New York State Human Rights Law, asserting that the professors’ data is too vague and not compared to specific male professors’ salaries. In addition, the letter states that Vassar cannot be accused of unintentionally discriminating with evidence of intentional discrimination. Michelle Lamy, one of the attorneys for the female professors, noted in a written statement to The Miscellany News that the professors’ claims have not been dismissed. In fact, Vassar does not currently have permission to make a motion to dismiss. “In the letter filed on October 13th,” Lamy clarified, “Vassar merely requested permission to file a motion, which the Court may or See LAWSUIT on page 3
Benjamin Savel/The Miscellany News.
Roundabout Discussing recent Notre-Dame lecture Ramblers Madeleine Nicks Guest Columnist
Jyotsna Naidu News Editor
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ince the late 1970s, the Roundabout Ramblers have brought together professors, staff and students to cover Americana songs on acoustic instruments. With a steady rotation of members, each iteration of the Ramblers adds to a nearly 50-year legacy of Vassar music history. Assistant Professor of Biology and drummer Megan Gall has played with the group since her arrival to Vassar 10 years ago. “It seemed like a good way to get to know people and we have been playing together ever since, with people cycling in and out, but that core group over a decade now,” Gall said. Gall is the first drummer the group has had and uses brooms instead of drumsticks to deliver a softer folk feel. Guitarists Professor Emeritus Randy Cornelius and Professor Emeritus Robert “DB” Brown restarted the band in 2008 and continued to play post-retirement. Other members include: Associate Professor of Biology Jenny Kennell who plays the fiddle and sings, laboratory technician Aaron Linder who plays the bass and their newest member Media Coordinator Pete Conklin,who plays See RAMBLERS on page 4
W
hen thinking about the great monuments, paintings and cathedrals of medieval art, it is oftentimes difficult to think of the humanity that lies behind these masterpieces or how they connect to modern times. Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the preeminent medieval cathedrals in France, is no exception. It has been a longstanding symbol of this period in art and architecture, paving the way to defining the forms and elements that would become synonymous with the Gothic style. In 2019, when a devastating fire broke out in the cathedral and caused immense damage, collapsing a section of the wooden roof and entirely destroying the spire, Notre-Dame took on an entirely new meaning and mission. The fire triggered an intense emotional response from people all around the world; the efforts to restore Notre-Dame have therefore become deeply human ones. On Oct. 25, the Vassar community had a special opportunity to hear from the very people carrying this responsibility on their backs: chief architects Philipe Villeneuve and Pascal Prunet. Villeneuve was already the chief architect of Notre-Dame before the fire, working on needed restorations and ensuring the continuous longevity of
the structure. Prunet was asked to come on board in 2019, leading the rehabilitation of the stone and paint destroyed in the fire. Villeneuve and Prunet spoke at the College through the Claflin Lecture Series, a longstanding educational program through the Art History Department in honor of the late Professor of Art Andrew Tallon. Tallon’s groundbreaking work helped establish the use of laser technology and imaging techniques, providing architects with a digital model of Notre-Dame and its many imperfections.Villeneuve and Prunet’s immediate concern was supporting the structural integrity of the building, mainly the areas adjacent to where the fire occurred. This meant creating unique bracing for each arch, vault and flying buttress that could have been affected. As none of these measurements are the same, Tallon’s work was essential in securing the remaining parts of Notre-Dame with speed and accuracy. Having the precise data of Tallon’s digital scans of Notre-Dame allowed the architects to quickly and accurately build supports for the remaining structures of the building. This construction was titled the “Safety Phase,” and allowed for Villeunuve and Prunet to focus on reconstructing what the fire had destroyed without being worried about a ripple effect to the rest of
the cathedral. The appreciation and respect that Villeneuve and Prunet have for Tallon was clear, as their lecture and efforts in traveling all the way to our campus was in honor of him and his career, giving Tallon’s family, friends, colleagues, and students a window into the legacy of his work. Villeneuve began the presentation by carefully working through a detailed description of the damage the fire caused. The audience often responded in gasps and exclamations to the sheer amount of devastation, as access to comprehensive imagery of the fire is difficult to find. Villeneuve emphasized just how difficult it was to remove the rubble from the cathedral, as it was too dangerous to have people working inside the space. To ensure safety, the architects used a combination of cranes and workers suspended from aerial platforms or ropes to clean the scraps in an almost archeological way, taking stock layer by layer of the remains of the fire. After the rubble was removed, it was essential to dismantle the large amount of melted metal that had been encasing the spire. It hardened after the fire was extinguished, and posed the largest threat to the cathedral. After it was taken out, work could begin on the interior. After building a roof covering to ensure See NOTRE-DAME on page 4
Inside this issue
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FEATURES
Assistant Features Editor Luke Jenkins describes his experience as a Boxtroll on Friday of Halloweekend.
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HUMOR
Join Humor Editor Nicholas Tillinghast on a riveting excursion to the Bronx Zoo.
14 SPORTS
Vassar women’s volleyball prepare for playoffs after a successful start to the regular season, Copy Staffer Kathryn Carvel writes.
November 2, 2023
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Editorial: Protecting student speech is vital in frightening times A
t The Miscellany News, we look to create a space where students feel comfortable speaking up about the issues most important to them and to the rest of the student body. Serving as one of the oldest student organizations at Vassar College—the College’s newspaper of record since 1866 and weekly in print since 1914—The Miscellany News has been the center of student journalism at Vassar. The paper has provided a space for students, faculty and administration to engage in critical discourse on the ongoing pay equity lawsuit against the College; highlighted exhibitions of student art; reported on student concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic; and myriad other topics. We strive to always expand this newspaper’s rich history of community expression. Student speech should be protected at all costs. However, personal attacks on students, hate speech in any form, or libelous and misleading statements restrict proper dialogue and fail to adhere to the ethics of both The Miscellany News and professional journalism. In recent weeks, The Miscellany News has received a number of overtly inflammatory attacks on students. As such, we have revised our Letter to the Editor policy and our comment policy to better address such attacks. In concurrence with our mission to produce high-quality student journalism and defend the student body’s freedom of speech, our publication is within our right to restrict hateful language that targets students’ right to expression. Every perspective is welcome at The Miscellany—however, when language is used to target, restrict, harm or silence individuals or groups, such speech is neither protected nor welcomed. We encourage community members to engage in public discourse via The Miscellany News, so long as such debate remains respectful to the vast plurality of perspectives and beliefs that a diverse student body promotes. We are disheartened to see collegiate papers attacked for publishing student voices. Students
themselves have also been attacked for sharing their views, as detailed by ABC News’ article “As debate rages on campus, Harvard’s Palestinian and Jewish students paralyzed by fear.” These attacks discourage future students from coming forward and using The Miscellany and other student-run newspapers as platforms for critical discourse. Any attempt to debase student voices will only lead to the development of a campus culture of shame, silence and ignorance. To threaten or intimidate those who speak up, especially in a journalistic capacity, is unacceptable, and The Miscellany News will always strive to remain a space in which students are able to exercise their freedom of speech. Students who are directly impacted by on-campus or global issues should be encouraged to write to express their feelings and opinions, especially as it relates to their respective institutions. Here at Vassar, it is no different. There is no newspaper without the students. We are committed to providing a safe space for students of all backgrounds and beliefs to voice their thoughts on the issues that matter most to them. Student newspapers create discourse independent of existing social media or television news structures, providing a platform for voices not traditionally represented. We aim to always maintain a space for the publication of student voices. The protection of student journalism is the purpose of this newspaper—now and always. We thank all of our readers and contributors for their support and constructive criticism that has improved this paper each year since its conception. Signed, The Miscellany News Editorial Board
THE MISCELLANY NEWS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR SENIOR EDITOR NEWS EDITORS
Jacques Abou-Rizk William Sorge Monika Sweeney Sashinka Poor Sarah McNeil Jyotsna Naidu Emma Adams ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR Allen Hale ARTS EDITORS Jesse Koblin Kai Speirs FEATURES EDITOR Carina Cole ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITORS Luke Jenkins Sufana Noorwez OPINIONS EDITOR Nicholas Tillinghast HUMOR EDITOR Nick Villamil SPORTS EDITOR Tracy Cen SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Olivia Kahn ASST. SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Richard Lu Igor Martiniouk PHOTO EDITOR Nandini Likki DESIGN EDITOR Molly Delahunty ASSISTANT DESIGN EDITOR Caris Lee COPY EDITORS Julia Weinberg Anabel Lee ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR Sandro Lorenzo GRAPHICS EDITORS Karen Mogami Tori Kim ASSISTANT GRAPHICS EDITOR Catherine Borthwick LIVE EVENTS CHAIR Kai Chang WEBMASTERS Michael Yang Britt Andrade REPORTERS, COLUMNISTS Cassandra Brook Yaksha Gummadapu Anna Kozloski Emma Lawrence Gwen Ma Benjamin Savel Oliver Stewart Andrew Chu CARTOONISTS Ian Watanabe Kathryn Carvel COPY STAFF Grace Finke Willa Jewitt Allison Lowe Claire Miller Ailynn O’Neill Emma Sandrew Emma San Filippo Edward Welch Morgan Sadie Keesbury CROSSWORD EDITOR
CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only accept corrections for any misquotes, misrepresentations or factual errors for an article within the semester it is printed. The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. Staff editorials are the only articles that reflect the opinion of a two-thirds majority of the Editorial Board.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
NEWS
November 2, 2023
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SJP, Bradley respond to campus walkout backlash Continued from WALKOUT on page 1 she had received, writing, “The protesters may not have intended harm to the Vassar community but the harmful impact nonetheless has been significant. Within hours of the event, I received multiple inquiries from faculty members, employees, and students—who have expressed feeling unsafe and/or highly upset by the protesters’ actions.” Additionally, since the walkout was an unregistered student protest and several individuals submitted bias reports, she noted that SJP would go through both the Community Expectations process and the Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) process. “These two processes are educational ones and are intended to lead to deeper discussion and learning. Real learning about these issues happens in community,” wrote Bradley. Prior to October Break, SJP hosted a demonstration of solidarity and a vigil on the National Day of Resistance, Oct. 12. Vassar Chabad hosted a Jewish Solidarity Rally the day prior on Oct. 11. In a written statement to The Miscellany News, SJP responded to some of Bradley’s statements, affirming their decision not to register the protest and rejecting accu-
VVPP
sations that it was antisemitic. “We intentionally did not register the walkout with the institution that we were protesting against, as we believed that would be counterintuitive. We deny the allegations that ‘From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will be Free’ constitutes hate speech,” wrote SJP. SJP declared their interpretation of the quote at the beginning of the walkout: “We clarified the meaning of this chant, explaining that it calls for ‘decolonization and dismantling the racism of the settler colony of Israel, and replacing it with a state where human rights are available for everyone: people of all backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities.’” Bradley argued that this declaration went mute as protestors marched throughout campus: “The students made an attempt to mitigate harm caused by their chants through introductory statements. These introductions, however, were lost as the march proceeded around campus,” she wrote in her email. This charge was similarly rejected by SJP: “While President Bradley recognized this effort in her email, she claimed this explanation ‘lost its meaning’ as we marched through campus. Given the impracticality of restating our explanation every time
hosts
Clara Alger guest reporter
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n advance of the Nov. 7 general election, Vassar Voices for Planned Parenthood (VVPP) held a candidate panel on Oct. 25. Although the organization invited candidates from both the Republican and Democratic parties, only those running on the Democratic ticket were in attendance. The panel included Kenya Gadsden for county clerk, Anthony Parisi for district attorney, James Rodgers for family court judge, Tommy Zurhellen for county executive, Lisa Kaul for county legislator of District 6 and Rebecca Edwards for Poughkeepsie town supervisor. Half of these six candidates have ties to colleges in the area: Edwards is a current Vassar history professor, Kaul is the former director of Vassar’s Community-Engaged Learning, and Zurhellen is an English professor at Marist College. VVPP was inspired to put on the event after they invited Edwards to one of their
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we recited the chant, we reject this accusation.” SJP expressed frustration that the email distracted from the main goal of the protest, which was their list of demands for the administration. “By obfuscating these demands, [Bradley] consciously ignored hundreds of student voices. We condemn [Bradley’s] failure to acknowledge the reason for the protest and her continued unwillingness to name and denounce the ongoing genocide in Palestine.” Bradley responded to some of SJP’s demands in a written statement to The Miscellany News: “Vassar will not support a boycott of Israel or Israeli products and services. Not only do we as an institution not support such a boycott, in New York State boycotts of this nature subject the College to ineligibility for state funding in key areas. Additionally, Vassar has alums, students and family, and faculty ties to the region as a whole and a long history of student travel to Israel which we will continue to support.” The Vassar Student Association (VSA) has also communicated with SJP the legal limits to boycotting Israel given that the VSA is also subject to state anti-BDS laws. The VSA, with guidance of Vassar’s Gen-
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weekly meetings to talk about citizenship and local politics. Realizing that students may not know much about local issues, they decided a panel would help students engage with the Dutchess County community. Dutchess County is a swing county, and elections are often very close. In 2021, Edwards lost her seat in the County Legislature by 43 votes. Greenberg says, “If my hall voted, we would change that.” She added, “If the students banded together, we could change every election.” Panelists pointed to homelessness, food insecurity, domestic violence, climate change, waste management, incorporating migrant workers into the community and shifting Poughkeepsie into a college town as key issues in Dutchess County. Zurhellen was especially concerned about the proposed plan to put homeless people in the soon to be decommissioned Dutchess County jail. Kaul shed light on the dangers of Poughkeepsie’s system of burning trash and its outsize effects on low-income people
eral Counsel, is exploring the possibility of sending out a list of corporations with ties to Israel to student organizations so their leadership can decide independently to divest. VSA President Olivia Gross ’24 commented, “We are still figuring out what we can legally do in terms of providing a list of companies that orgs may choose to no longer purchase from and we are in contact with legal experts for advice. She added, “The VSA Equity Executive, Traci Francis, and I are currently in an ongoing conversation with SJP about how we can support them and they’ve been understanding of our limitations. The VSA remains a space for all students to feel safe, heard, and represented.” In her statement responding to SJP’s demands, Bradley again appealed to unity and mutual understanding at the College in this challenging time. “On this campus, we must listen more, ask more questions, consider multiple perspectives, and engage in meaningful dialogue that is respectful, non-threatening, illuminates our collective humanity, and sustains our community.” Additional reporting by Jyotsna Naidu
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and people of color. VVPP Co-Communications Chair Maggie Greenberg ’26 explained the importance of local politics to the organization, “Planned Parenthood is in danger in a lot of places so it is political, and so I think that our reproductive rights are inherently tied up in who we are voting for.” When asked about reproductive rights, all panelists affirmed their support for prochoice policy. Yet, even though the right to abortion is protected in New York, panelists pointed out that voters still have to pay attention. Poughkeepsie has only one Planned Parenthood location, and Edwards and Zurhellen said there is a pregnancy crisis center that gives out false information. Edwards commented, “We are all focused on Texas, we are all focused on horrific things that are happening in other parts of the country as reproductive rights are rolled back, but there are a lot of barriers here to reproductive health for people who need reproductive health, and I am not just talking about abortion but other things as well. At
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the panel, we were able to talk about some of those barriers and what some solutions might be.” All panelists wanted to emphasize that everyday lives are affected by county politics; even though 2023 is considered an offyear election, meaning it is neither a presidential nor a midterm election, Edwards emphasized that every vote matters in local elections. Greenberg said she was especially interested in learning about the positions of District Attorney and Family Court Judge, commenting, “They have so much power on people’s actual lives in a way I did not consider.” Edwards also noted, “The Town of Poughkeepsie is really important to the life of people at Vassar in ways they might not even be aware of,” citing air quality, bus service, housing and amenities near campus. Candidates said that no matter who students vote for, they should get to the polls and make their voices heard. “If young people understood the power they had, they could flip everything,” said Gadsden.
Hearing date set on motion filed to dismiss lawsuit Continued from LAWSUIT on page 1 may not grant.” Vassar’s letter was filed by Matthew Gagnon, one of the two lawyers from the firm Seyfarth Shaw that is representing the College in the lawsuit. Gagnon declined a request to comment due to the ongoing litigation. For at least the past five years, a higher education institution moving to dismiss a professorial wage discrimination lawsuit has been a rare occurrence. In pay discrimination lawsuits at the University of Arizona (2018), Northern Michigan University (2019), Rutgers University (2020) and Syracuse University (2021), no schools attempted to dismiss their professors’ claims. Many students were upset by the College’s attempt to dismiss. Gwynne Smith ’24, speaking on behalf of HearUsOut, said they are dedicated to increasing awareness
of the lawsuit. “We were shocked, dismayed and offended on behalf of our professors whom this institution has so disrespected,” Smith wrote in a statement to The Miscellany News. The group’s statement continued, “The motion to dismiss shows that [the administration is] refusing to hear out the people essential to our education in their claims of being hurt and wronged by the College.” Lamy added that the professors share a similar sentiment, stating, “We are disappointed with Vassar’s continued insistence on fighting—rather than embracing—its professors’ attempts to close the gender pay gap.” In an email correspondence with The Miscellany News on Oct. 26, President Elizabeth Bradley maintains that the College is committed to fair pay for all faculty, regardless of gender. “The College does
want to continue to work constructively with all professors to ensure gender pay equity,” she commented. “That commitment has not changed.” Members of HearUsOut now feel deceived by the College’s communications to the community. In an email to the community on Sept. 22 and a Letter to the Editor in s on Sept. 9, Bradley said, “I am committed to communicating with you on behalf of the college in the most transparent way possible,” and “I look forward to diligently working with all parties to reach a fair and thorough resolution in due course.” Smith, however, responded by calling out the College’s inconsistencies. She said that despite these promises of transparency and resolution, “When [the College’s] lawyers decide to file to dismiss the case altogether it becomes obvious that they would much rather sweep the entirety of it under the rug.”
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
The motion was filed on the last day Vassar was eligible to respond to the lawsuit. The next day, on Oct. 14, at a meeting with President Bradley, the Executive Session of the Board of Trustees received an update on the lawsuit. However, the contents of this update are private since these meetings are closed to the public, according to VSA President Olivia Gross. HearUsOut continues to organize protests outside of the admissions building, and the group is currently working to expand programming to bring more information about the lawsuit to the campus community. HearUsOut ended their statement by underscoring student appreciation for their professors. “We hope you know that so many of your students value you and want the school to show that they value you as well.”
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ARTS
November 2, 2023
Deconstructing Art Department’s recent Notre-Dame lecture Continued from NOTRE-DAME on page 1 there would not be any additional water damage, Villeneuve began installing an incomprehensible amount of scaffolding throughout the cathedral’s interior. Almost every step of this process was incredibly hazardous, as the tension of the scaffolding was a constant concern within the historic cathedral; the effects of that amount of tension and magnitude were entirely unpredictable. Villeneuve then transitioned his presentation to discussing the spire: a wooden, conical structure that forms the highest point of Notre-Dame. After the destruction sustained by the cathedral during the French Revolution, the spire was rebuilt by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in the 1850s. This is the main inspiration for Villeneuve’s own restoration project, newly constructing it from the base up. He is reconfiguring the original four-column support that characterizes Viollet-le-Duc’s spire in order to ensure its ongoing fortitude. The presentation then turned to Prunet’s work on the re-pollution of stone and paint in the building’s interior. After removing the remains of the former paint that was added during Viollet-le-Duc’s time, fixing grout issues and repairing stone decay, Prunet and his team turned their attention to restoring the color of the stones and original paint. Through arduous trial and error, testing different chemical treatments and stain applications, Prunet and Villeneuve achieved a perfect color match to the original stone, creating a seamless transition from the surviving and rebuilt roof. While both men were incredibly humble regarding their immense accomplishments, they did admit to taking specific pride in the fact that the extensive repair would be completely untraceable by any visitors.
Over the next few years, Villeneuve, Prunet and their team of architects, art historians and skilled workers will labor to restore the cathedral to its original glory, slowly but surely dismantling the scaffolding. They noted that they worked especially quickly to unveil one section of the vaults to the world for Christmas of 2022, wanting to see the fruits of their labor and share it with the world in time for the holiday season. Even while grieving the immense catastrophe of the fire and working diligently to restore the cathedral to its original glory, Villeneuve and Prunet maintained that their relationship with the building does not change. Villeneuve emphasized that, if upon entering the cathedral you do not feel absolutely miniscule in relation, then you have no business being there. This sentiment informs how they both interact with the space: maintaining a large degree of respect while believing that their individual selves have no place in the greater legacy of Notre-Dame. And yet, there is nobody else who has ever been able to have such a hand in creating a new chapter for this historic monument. Villeneuve and Prunet, though, hold steadfastly to the principle of restoration rather than reinvention. The triumph of Notre-Dame reopening will not be if an infinity pool or greenhouse replaces the roof, but if generations to come experience the same feeling that generations before have. Notre-Dame is a deeply religious space, a home for creativity and soul-searching, and a symbol of many different times in art and history. The cathedral now holds the Gothic style of the 14th century, the travesty and following reconstruction of the French Revolution, and the catastrophic fire and full restoration of
our modern time. We are lucky to witness this revitalization, one which reinvigorates our love for this historic monument. And while Notre-Dame will not have changed, the repairs and refreshed aesthetics will bring visitors closer to the way the cathedral was meant to have looked upon its first construction. This lecture emphasized that even something as huge and magnificent as Notre-Dame is, at its core, driven by people— people who are working tirelessly to continue the thread of history while using our modern tools, minds and advancements to
do it. Villeneuve and Prunet’s commitment to restoring and maintaining the building that they love overpowers the laborious work. It proves that the art is truly sometimes bigger than the artist, or in this case, the cathedral bigger than the architects. And while millions of people will be able to enjoy Notre-Dame for centuries to come without ever knowing about the exact color-matching of the stones or the names Villeneuve and Prunet, they will still be able to feel minuscule in the best way and appreciate this ever-lasting symbol of Gothic architecture.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Roundabout Ramblers expand historic band legacy Continued from RAMBLERS on page 1 the banjo. Their process of choosing songs stems from a traditional Americana/folk base but leaves room for growth and experimentation. The Ramblers cover a variety of artists and genres from country to ’80s pop to blues. Gall likened the main music style of the group to Johnny Cash with a driving beat. “We usually let whoever is singing pick songs. Every month, we have three or four new [songs] to try out and see how they fit and see if we all enjoy playing them and listening to them. As long as everyone is on board that is usually how we go about picking stuff.”
A long history of playing together allows the group to create roles for each member and understand who can support melody or provide continuity. This group camaraderie is exhibited in the Ramblers’ rehearsal style as well. “We have been playing together so long that we have got a little bit of a shorthand for how to make a song come together,” Gall said. A long history of playing together allows the group to create roles for each member and understand who can support melody or provide continuity. Still, they do switch it up
occasionally. Given that there are fewer singers in the band currently, Gall now plans to sing again in “Avant Gardener” by Courtney Barnett. The band’s name itself reflects its evolutionary nature. In the 1980s, the band was known as the Raymond Avenue Ramblers, given that they were on Raymond Avenue. As the years passed and the influx of traffic grew the small road into a busy fairway, Raymond Avenue had new roundabouts installed. Thus, the band became the Roundabout Ramblers. “We are still playing some of the songs that were played 40 years ago, and then new stuff as well,” Gall said. Over their tenure, the band released an album, two members hosted radio shows on WVKR and the band opened for folk legend and social activist Pete Seeger. The Ramblers’ busiest time of the year is during the fall, fitting their folksy energy. This year, the band has played across the Hudson Valley at local breweries and two Cider Festivals—the Kimlin Cider Tasting and Peach Hill Park’s Cider Fest. Proceeds from the Kimlin Cider Tasting supported the preservation of the Kimlin Cider Mill, which was established in the early 1850s and a popular destination for generations of Vassar students in the fall. Pictures of Vassar students in billowy white dresses were displayed in the museum portion of the mill. The Roundabout Ramblers created a warm ambiance for attendees to sip their cider and bounce along with the beat at the historic landmark. “People always seem to have a good time.
We really enjoyed a lot of other faculty members who would come to our show and would bring all their kids. It was really fun to see how excited the kids got about live music,” Gall said. The Roundabout Ramblers fanbase extends to the student body too. Earlier in the semester, the band was featured at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center’s weekly “Late Night” event presented by the Loeb Student Committee and hopes to return soon. Playing with students offers a lively dynamic where 18-year-olds can sing along-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
side 80-year-olds, Gall adds. While students tend to be more technically proficient, they can be less used to playing in a group setting, needing to balance their energy with other members. To receive information about the Ramblers’ gigs, sign up for the mailing list by emailing RoundaboutRamblers@gmail. com, or follow their Facebook page, The Roundabout Ramblers. While their peak fall season of performance may be concluding, the Roundabout Ramblers are sure to press on for years to come.
Image courtesy of Grace Adams Ward ’24.
FEATURES
November 2, 2023
Boxtroll
reflects
Luke Jenkins
Assistant Features Editor
I
found peace while taped inside a box. Dressed as the protagonist from the 2015 stop-motion film “The Boxtrolls,” I approached the Friday of Halloweekend with a lucid sense of calm. What could go wrong? I expected a successful night out, wearing brown corduroys and a tattered mix of gray and blue fabric as a top. Surrounding my chest was a box, let us say a shoebox, with a picture of an egg on it. Eggs, the character I was in costume as, was human in the Laika-produced movie but rescued as a baby by the cities’ Boxtrolls—misunderstood creatures who live and hide in boxes. They are talented builders, hunted and kidnapped by local exterminators: the Red Hats. Eggs believes he is a Boxtroll, growing up as one of their own, and serves as a catalyst to change others’ minds about the species. This Friday night, I too would spread the kind words of the Boxtrolls and declare the beginning of Halloweekend a success. Reactions to my trollhood were mixed. Two strangers knew who I was without hints. We squealed together in recognition and toasted to the night ahead. Everyone else had a wide range of reactions. Some remembered the movie as a forgotten childhood memory, while others puzzled over the cardboard with dead stares and scattered mutterings. What resulted from these beginning interactions was an interesting census of childhood experiences. There I sat, with Barbie and Remy from “Ratatouille” on a cement stoop, silently dissecting the differences that shaped our early life. I would go to bed hours later thinking about the same memories. I came to learn that a wise part of any cos-
History Guest Reporter
N
oel Smyth, Vassar’s newest tenure-track history professor, has always loved stories. He began his academic career hoping to write fiction. Now, he teaches about the stories of people who were previously ignored by history. After teaching part-time at colleges along the central coast of California, Smyth accepted a tenure-track position as an Assistant History Professor at Vassar. Specializing in American history, Smyth tries to bring underrepresented perspectives on the subject into the classroom to paint a fuller picture of the past. He is currently teaching two fall semester courses: HIST-274 “Early America, 1500–1750” and HIST-366 “Transatlantic Encounters: Indigenous Histories of the Gulf South and the Greater Caribbean.” “The thing I like about history is telling the truth about the past,” said Smyth. “I am interested in marginalized people and the history of people that have been voiceless or not spoken about in history very often, partly because of my own upbringing and partly because of the world I see around me. It is a way of getting justice.” Smyth began his studies at the University of Iowa, where he majored in History and English and minored in both Native American Studies and African American Studies. Though he began college with a focus on creative writing, Smyth soon turned his attention to history as he began to read historical novels for his English courses and wanted to know more about the time periods that they were set in.
a
tume—that is not a character from “Scooby-Doo” or “Alvin and the Chipmunks”—is the usefulness of setting your wallpaper as the thing you are dressed as. Words tend to fail you when stumbling around late at night. Whipping your cracked iPhone out, even when it is on the verge of dying, saves the Halloween-goer precious moments. Let the pixels speak for you. You must save whatever energy you can for the walk home when the embarrassment, drudgery and chafing from the hours before demand the most from your motor functions. I can reflect on this choice because I, in fact, did not change my lock screen that night. What did I bring up to people when preaching the gospel of the Boxtroll? I could have shared memories of my friend’s beige-colored basement where after our long days in the sixth grade, we made stop-motion Lego films. We would sink onto his parents’ leather couch, exhausted, after hours of making the tiniest of movements to a Chewbacca arm or Batman leg. This friend and I would grow apart by grade nine (creative differences), and our iMovies were lost to time. But the Boxtroll brought out the passion forged in those grueling hours. I, so far as I remember, did not bring these memories up to random people on campus lawns. Instead, someone dressed as a bunny or cat would ask, “What are you?” in an elongated drawl. I would smile and shout, “I’m a Boxtroll!” and then give a hearty spin. Nice people would inquire further, but the nicest just smiled like they were looking at a puppy on the street. At one point in the night, after being released from a conversation with someone in Lederhosen, Remy from “Ratatouille,” Barbie and I spotted heaven. Street Eats shrouded the
Department
Emma Brown
on
Halloweekend
cul-de-sac with a holy light. The promise of chicken nuggets lifted our weary bodies up off the pavement. We began to float, my box carrying me up. I made eye contact with the red of the truck’s side, and, like a seagull, let out a guttural honk. Our squadron flew, birds on a whipping breeze, landing awkwardly at the line’s end. We all became one. We hugged. We waited patiently, not even 10 minutes, smiles drawn wide as we tapped our cards. And then we feasted. Bellies full, I felt the edges of my box stretch to make room for the loot. We migrated around the now-crowded scene, doing a little boogie here and a little jig there. Our night dripped on like a leaky faucet. We commiserated with King Henry and Anne Boleyn, bowed to a few Avatars and found solace in the arms of angels. I introduced myself to everyone who passed, despite having to be taped
night
back together by Remy. Before making our last lap at the Town Houses, I had one final objective: find Barbie’s Ken. He was nowhere to be seen. Arm in arm with the Mattel staple, we made a wide loop, weaving in and out of kissing couples and people deep in conversation, to find her counterpart. “Stop, I see him!” standing deep in a sports team’s circle. Troll and doll broke out into a sprint, finishing our loop right where we had started. When they united, I slunk away, finding rest under an evergreen. There I sat, hopelessly square-shaped, watching the beauty of the campus scene before me. This is where I found peace—watching unhinged passersby throw up in the bushes around me. The night had gone swimmingly, a blur that ended where it began, with me tackling myself out of the box on the floor of my single.
Luke Jenkins/The Miscellany News.
welcomes
“I started taking history courses, but the more I learned about U.S. history, the more I wanted to learn about all the things I felt like I was lied to about,” said Smyth. As Smyth began to dig deeper to find the source of systemic injustices, he landed on his specialty: early American history. “I really wanted to know why the world is the way it is and why there is so much racial and gender inequalit[y] in our world today,” said Smyth. “It is like I was falling further and further back, which is partly why I teach early American history and colonial history. I felt like that was the time period that really helped me understand some origins of things that happen now.” After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Smyth took a seven-year break from academia and moved from Iowa to California. “I felt like I could not really properly evaluate humans in the past without having tried to live,” said Smyth. “I wanted to go out and just experience the grind of life, to see what it was all about.” During that time, Smyth worked at a construction company, a window company and a door company before enrolling in a graduate program at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he received his Ph.D. in Native American Studies in 2016. While in graduate school, Smyth became fascinated with the history of the Natchez nation, which was said to have disappeared after fighting a war with the French in 1731. After contacting living members of the Natchez nation, Smyth began working on a book about the nation’s previously ignored history. “Since 2009, I have been going back to
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Professor
Oklahoma and South Carolina to talk with the community and share my work,” said Smyth. “I do archival work but I also do community building work.” During the 2024-25 academic year, Smyth will be working on his book on the Natchez nation at William and Mary College’s Omohundro Institute for his postdoctoral fellowship but will return to Vassar
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Smyth
the following year. “I have been grinding as a teacher for years,” said Smyth. “I absolutely love teaching, but it has kept me away from doing some research. So having this time to be able to do it is just amazing.” Outside of the classroom, Smyth enjoys hiking, playing disc golf and spending time with his wife Kathy and his cat Arrow.
Image courtesy of Noel Smyth.
FEATURES
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November 2, 2023
Spooky stories from the medieval world enchant and bewitch Kai Speirs
Features Editor
A
round this time of year, I often return to an anthology of stories about the undead––“The Penguin Book of the Undead: Fifteen Hundred Years of Supernatural Encounters”—primarily because I find horror stories, especially ancient and medieval ones, to be quite funny. Sure, the myriad of similarities between modern horror stories and ancient ones can feel uncanny, but the differences—that is, the sheer distance we have from the disposition of ancient and medieval peoples—can make these morbid horror stories feel quite madcap, even mildly charming. This is not to rag on ancient and medieval storytellers for being dupey. After all, they would most likely find many modern horror tropes to be absurd. Simply, people from antiquity were scared by different things than medieval peoples, who were scared by different things than we are frightened of now. This historical distance makes reading these stories quite a treat. The Penguin anthology is organized partially by time period and partially by theme. Within each theme and while moving between time periods, changing temperaments in regard to horror are reflected, and disagreements over the nature of undead things are displayed via the sequential arrangement of texts that argue against each other. In addition to the historical distance the modern reader will surely feel, the anthology sheds light on the difference in beliefs that existed within given time periods and places. These differing beliefs are explained (or left questioned but unanswered) with topics spread across
the socio-historical milieu. Sometimes, religion determines differing beliefs on the undead, explored keenly in the section “The Reformation of the Wraiths,” which reckons with the effect of the Protestant Reformation on horror stories. At other times, geographical location is shown to be a determining factor. “Northern Horrors” shows how persistent fear of wilderness, dense woods and the possibility of losing one’s livestock overnight contributed to stories about grotesque beasts and wandering feeders. Debates over the doctrine of new faiths also spills into the realm of the undead, as is found in “The Autopsy of Souls in Late Ancient Thought,” which pits early Christian theologians against one another. Despite the well-thought-out organization and selection of the content for this anthology, the editors are not trying to tell a single story about the progression of beliefs regarding the undead. There is plenty of storytelling in the anthology, given the fact that stories about the supernatural must necessarily take on a heavy storytelling disposition because their content must be made believable if the teller aims to scare. Medieval writers were keenly aware of their own role as storytellers and could not stop reminding readers of their own position as someone retelling a story. The narrator’s “I” butts in constantly, and they very often dramatically set the tone in a manner reminiscent of the “spooky voice,” adopted by people orating scary stories at night. Additionally, at the beginning of most stories told by medieval authors, the narrator begins by informing the reader where they learned of the story they are about to tell. The origins of these tales often feel a bit du-
bious; they seem to have been passed along a lengthy chain of previous storytellers. For example, William of Newburgh records the story “Rampaging Revenants” in his book “The History of English Affairs” (1066-1198) after hearing it from his friends who lived in Bukingham who in turn heard it from the local archdeacon. He collected many scary stories from locals in the north of England and believed that Satan himself was animating corpses to rampage through England. His stories follow a very systematic narrative structure. First, townsfolk complain about weird noises at night, which get more and more diabolical. Then, the townsfolk go into the graveyard, remove corpses and hack them to bits, burn them, crush them with boulders, cover them in acid, dismember heads and genitals and scatter the parts. Medieval townsfolk must have really valued their sleep. I feel some sympathy for the animated corpses who often did nothing more than get rowdy at night. It is interesting to see various historical medical theories at work in these stories. For example, William of Newburgh recounts a story in which villagers fear that an evil spirit who always arises at night with a “pack of loudly barking dogs” is filling the air with a sickening odor. The villagers round up “ten young men renowned for their boldness” who dig up the grave of a recently deceased man, chop up the corpse limb by limb, place the head between the legs and then burn it. Then, “tranquility seemed to be restored to [the village], but then a disease, which originated as a result of the monster, killed a large number of the villagers.” The villagers who told this
Kai Speirs/The Miscellany News. MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
story to William must have believed in the miasma theory of disease, which held that diseases are spread by foul air—in this case fouled by the stench of the evil spirit’s odor. Various theories on the existence or nonexistence of ghosts are also played off each other in the Penguin anthology. Bishop Evodius (fifth century) believed that dreams proved the existence of ghosts who “communicated to the living in dreams.” While this feels like a poor argument, his treatise asks some highly provocative questions about the nature of souls. His writings are a great reflection of his community in modern-day Tunisia; he comments on how varying beliefs on the nature of souls can help people cope with the loss of loved ones. Less than trying to prove a singular theory on ghosts, he seems more interested in exploring how different beliefs are determined by people’s life circumstances. Saint Augustine, one of the most important theologians in the history of Christianity, wrote extensively on ghosts, though he rejected their existence. He believed that souls could not return to the world after death and challenged the long standing belief that souls would benefit if their corpses were buried in proximity to the holy bodies of saints. Compared to the corpse-obsessed peoples of England that William of Newburgh wrote about, Augustine was fairly unconcerned with corpses and even burial. I have only just begun to unearth the treasures this anthology contains and will not spoil anything for the interested reader. For scores of other spooky stories, treatises on ghosts and underworld ecologies, I highly recommend “The Penguin Book of the Undead.”
Image courtesy of National Geographic.
HUMOR
November 2, 2023
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Breaking News From the desk of Nicholas Tillinghast, Humor Editor
“You’re my one true friend in this world,” says student to medium-sized pumpkin. The
Bronx
Zoo:
Need
it
or
keep
it?
Nicholas Tillinghast In Captivity
L
ast Saturday, I left campus at 8 a.m. to go to the Bronx Zoo. Why was I at the zoo, you might ask? I was there for important zoo business of course, mainly to study the hell out of the red ruffed lemurs and gelada monkeys so I could compare them in a study. This meant watching an enclosure for an hour and scribbling what’s going on every couple of minutes. After studying two primate species, we would get zoo free time before heading back at three. My friend Miles, a Bronx native and unbiased source, told me that the Bronx Zoo is the best zoo in the world, which got me excited to see everything. Of course, the trip being on Halloweekend was semi-tragic. I mean, zoos are typically filled with kids, but these were kids emboldened with costumes. I really thought there would be more animal costumes seeing as you DECIDED to go to the ZOO and here you are DRESSED AS OPTIMUS PRIME. I saw some half-committed butterfly costumes here and there and plenty of ninja turtles, but the thing about ninja turtles is that they just happen to be turtles. There is nothing turtle-like about them. In another universe, where they’re a gang of pizza-eating ninja triangles, no one is saying, “Why aren’t they turtles, though?” Us Vassar students, too, joined in the Halloween fun, each of us carrying dollar store clipboards and an air of sophistication as we pretended we were scientists for the day. The bus trip took an hour and a half, some of us entering the zoo caffeinated and others half-awake (me). All of us started huddled up around a map sign. Since I am a navigationally challenged person, I purchased the two-dollar Bronx Zoo interactive map app. I used to be really shrewd about buying paid apps. But I’m personally much more financially stable now than when I was 12, so I can shell out a few bucks to see a little blue dot of me on a map. I’ve paid far more for far stupider things in my life. Next, I went straight to the Madagascar building, the home of the lemurs, where
Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News. I would be studying the red ruffed lemur. I went through the first door, and I saw sifakas; next door, ring-tailed lemurs. Just as doubt set in, after the next door, there they were: three semi-bald, gingery beings perching on tree branches. I immediately started writing stuff down: The study had begun. Everything was great for the first half hour: These three lemurs were perching, moving, eating leaves and constantly licking tree branches—it was great. Then out of nowhere, they all scampered up to the top of the enclosure where I could barely see them and did NOTHING. For 40 MINUTES. My disappointment was immeasurable. Halfway through those 40 minutes, a realization dawned on me: Why am I letting three red ruffed lemurs determine my level of happiness today? The real menace is all the moms telling their kids that these were monkeys. Is it true that the three lemurs just sat there for half of my study? Yes. But I still love them <3. After leaving Madagascar, I walked a ways to the geladas, which were in a large outdoor
Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.
enclosure featuring ibexes and hyraxes. No oxes or axolotls were present. The gelada monkeys proved far more interesting than the lemurs off the bat. I could watch those guys pick bugs out of each other’s hair for hours. Unfortunately, they all just started eating grass halfway through my study, which was fine, but it got pretty boring writing down “eating” every two minutes. Near the end of my time there, they started picking at each other’s ears again, but pretty soon my study was over. I liked watching the ibexes and the hyraxes from time to time too. The ibexes naturally intimidated the monkeys, and the hyraxes were just scared of everything. I can imagine their inner monologue: “Why am I spending the rest of my life with a bunch of monkeys that eat grass all day? Why did hyrax God put me in this situation?” I feel for those little guys. After all that primate studying, I was so hungry I could eat a tapir, so headed back up to central dining, the Dancing Crane Cafe. I passed all sorts of exhibits on the way back, but the wildest one still proved to be the food court (pause for laughter). In all seriousness, central dining at the Bronx Zoo—the Dancing Crane Cafe—is a mess. I got a more severe form of Deece whiplash entering this place. It was loud, confusing and chaotic, featuring grab-and-go food. “Was it better than what Vassar Dining offered, seeing as you paid $25 for a boiled hotdog, fries, a brownie and a water, Nick?” Yes. A thousand times yes. Amid all the chaos of the Dancing Crane, I happened to run into Jacques, the Misc Editor-in-Chief, who was at a table. He was also there studying the primates. I sat down, and we had a great chat until he started discussing his Editor-in-Chief duties. I finished my boiled hot dog very quickly, not because Jacques was depressing me, but because I had more zoo to experience! Well, that would be after I hit up the gift shop (it was right next door, I had to). There I found a beautiful red ruffed lemur plush, which I bought to commemorate the 70 minutes I spent attempting to study red
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
ruffed lemurs. They are in my heart forever now. At this point, it was 1 p.m., which meant I had two hours to speedrun the rest of the zoo. This meant no bugs and no reptiles. Only cool, medium to big stuff that moves. With my time, I hit up the Congo Gorilla Forest, the Himalayan Highlands, the African Plains, Tiger Mountain, the World of Birds and ended at the Bison Range. As a Buffalo native, I feel personally connected to the bison. I learned on the enclosure placard that it’s America’s national mammal, which is essentially an Olympic silver medal. Major snub by the Founding Fathers. At the end of the day, despite trying to see everything, I did miss some cool things like the Butterfly Garden and the Mouse House (if only because of its name). Really, all of the exhibits had fun names, except the grizzly bear one, which is just called “Bears.” Maybe it could’ve been “The Bear Zone” instead. So all in all, was the Bronx Zoo “the best zoo in the world”? I’m not sure I can say that. It was certainly a quality zoo, but not by any insane margin. My biggest comparison zoo is the Buffalo Zoo, (which I went to twice last summer, so I’m basically an expert on it), and while the Bronx Zoo is better, it didn’t blow me out of the water with superiority. The Bronx is notably a larger zoo where walking times matter, even for a speedy boy like me. I also noticed a lot more conservation pushes than I ever have at the Buffalo Zoo. These were well-intentioned, but at some point, do I really need to see a picture of a gorilla head in a frying pan? I would love, just once, a zoo exhibit with a species that everybody hates, like mosquitos, just millions of them flying around. There would be signs around that say, “These guys suck and we hate them.” But anyways, the Bronx was a blast. I got to see plenty of the Bronx’s creatures acting in strange ways, which was great. The animals weren’t half-bad either.
HUMOR
Page 8
HOROSCOPES
November 2, 2023
Oliver Stewart
Dancing with the Stars
ARIES
March 21 | April 19
TAURUS
April 20 | May 20
GEMINI
May 21 | June 20
CANCER
June 21 | July 22
LEO
July 23 | Aug. 22
VIRGO
Aug. 23 | Sept. 22
This week, make sure to leave no trace. Pick up after yourself; tread lightly, lest you leave footsteps behind. There will be grave consequences if you forget your headphones in the library again. It has been foretold.
Pip-pip-cheerio, old chap! This week, adopt the speech patterns and mannerisms of a member of the late-Victorian British gentry. Not a super important one or anything, just an earl or a viscount, something of that nature.
Things will take a turn for the worse unless you go glamping. Don’t be afraid to splurge on top-of-the-line equipment; I’m sure the gold threads woven into the fabric of that tent serve some utilitarian purpose. Plus, it looks sick.
LIBRA
Sept. 23 | Oct. 22
SCORPIO
Oct. 23 | Nov. 21
No notes! You’ve been doing everything right so far, so just keep up the good work. However, if you do change anything—and I mean anything—things could start to spiral pretty quickly, so make sure you stay on your toes. No pressure.
You know what they say about looking a gift horse in the mouth, and it’s true—don’t do it. Equally important, however, is not looking a gift horse in the eye. It will interpret any eye contact as a display of aggression and attempt to trample you to death. Consider yourself warned.
This week, you will have the best Deece fry of your life, but it will quickly be folSAGITTARIUS lowed by the worst. Do not despair; these Nov. 22 | fries are the highs and lows of life rendered Dec. 21 microscopic. If bad fries ceased to exist, would the good ones not cease to be special?
Just because Halloween is over doesn’t mean that Halloween is over. All your friends may have seen your costume already, but your professors haven’t had the pleasure. Don’t deprive them! Everyone will think you’re really cool if you wear it to breakfast and keep it on all day.
Wherever you go this week, leave a little CAPRICORN trail of crumbs behind, Hansel-and-Gretel Dec. 22 | style. It’s helpful in case you lose anything Jan. 19 and have to retrace your steps, and you can always reach into your crumb pocket for a quick snack when you’re on the go.
Ancient tomes hold knowledge that will be of great use to you this week. Explore archives, get lost in the stacks and do not under any circumstances come back until you’ve inhaled a century’s worth of information and two centuries’ worth of dust.
You are filled with wisdom, and it would be unfair for you to keep all of it to yourself. Besides, if you keep it all cooped up inside, it will probably give you a headache. This week, get a job tutoring or teaching or making speeches to cheering crowds.
This week is the perfect time for you to refresh your music taste. Clear your Spotify ‘liked’ list and replace everything on there with Pentatonix Christmas albums and Billboard Hot 100 singles from 2006. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
AQUARIUS
Jan. 20 | Feb. 18
PISCES
Feb. 19 | March 20
Riddle me this—How many Vassar students does it take to change a lightbulb? No, seriously. My lamp is broken and I can’t fix it. More and more people keep coming to help and none of them can figure it out. There’s barely enough room to lie down in here any more. Help!
November 2, 2023
HUMOR
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Investigating the horrendous post-Halloween stenches Cassandra Brook Smells
S
pooky season is done and, apparently, so are my nostrils. Over the past weekend, without my knowledge, the apocalypse has consumed my dorm, leaving every last bit of the building looking like it was just attacked by a gang of rabies-ridden squirrels. I fear that maybe End Times are upon us because the noxious smell wafting through my hallway makes me feel like I’m in the ninth circle of hell. Because this complete disaster is ubiquitous, I will break this geography of madness into two sections. The Bathroom Who vomited out a rabid cat who then vomited up a hairball in every single shower drain? Last weekend, the showers were just fine—regular amounts of hair,—if I do say so myself. This weekend, suddenly, it seems I volunteered to be on the Titanic. I don’t remember signing up to drown in two-inch hairy water, but it appears I must have. At this point, the drains can barely function and my shower shoes aren’t protecting me from mingling with the germs that creep on the bathroom floor. And I’m a nice person, which I really am starting to regret, because I’ve been picking up the arachnoid-like hair clumps from the drain. Yet, despite my existence as a good Samaritan, every day some new mammoth sheds back into the same drain. Even worse than the showers are the sinks. Somehow all four billion men on earth have decided to shave everywhere but the sink. If this was a game of basketball, there would be no shots in the hoop.
Instead of nothing but net, it’s everything but sink. And this beautiful masterpiece mingles with the dead bugs that suddenly materialized. It appears that the flaming pile of trash that is now the bathroom attracted horror-movie level amounts of flies. I am sorry to whomever’s tomb I stepped on, but I did not ask for all ten plagues to come for me while I’m brushing my teeth. Also, on a nasal note, why does the bathroom smell like a pair of old cigarette-smoking skunks freshly died in the toilets? I honestly think I need to invest in a bubonic plague mask because I do not want to catch the diseases that are obviously breeding in the bathroom.
The Hallway How is it that every section of the hallway has a different smell? It’s like the Epcot of the different smells of roaches dying, except I don’t eat a new cuisine from every hallway, unless I wanted to pick up the miscellaneous nibbles of food items that were already ravaged by a midlife crisis version of Remy the rat. Being in the dorm literally makes me look like the Puffs tissue mascot because of the way I’m sniffling my nose. It’s hard to rise and shine in the morning, anticipating a good day, and then to be instantly smacked in the face by the smell of a thousand stink bugs defecating on a recently sweaty sock in a porta-potty in a landfill.
The hallway is biblically smelly and I believe if bad smells had a religion, the hallway would be the messiah. I think I should build a time machine to propose this smell as a form of torture in the Spanish Inquisition. No amount of Febreze could help me “Febreathe” through this nightmare, and the hallway needs an avalanche worth of Tic Tacs. Whatever happened this weekend and led to an absolute nightmare of a mess, I am so sorry to the people who clean the dorm. You guys are my heroes, honestly. And to whoever released all 99 problems onto this dorm, remember me as your victim and make sure to put flowers on my grave.
Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News. MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
OPINIONS
Page 10
November 2, 2023
All opinions and Letters are submitted to The Miscellany News. The Editorial Board does not take responsibility for the views expressed in opinions articles.
A philosophical response to (the lack of) climate action Zachary Silbergleit Guest Columnist
D
id you know that the Earth is warming up? If the answer is no, what are you doing at Vassar? Do you think enough is being done to combat climate change? If the answer is yes, see above and also read the room, man! I think I speak for everyone on campus when I say climate change is an issue, and furthermore, it is an issue that is not being addressed properly. Scientists are also in agreement regarding climate change and have explained countless times what the issue is and what we can do to address it. They say if at first you do not succeed, try, try again. What they should say is if at first you do not succeed, and the world is a ticking time bomb—pivot like hell. Since the current approach is not working, I am here to present an alternative. When most people think of climate change, they think of 60 degree days in February, Greta Thunberg’s emotional “How dare you!” and the ocean reclaiming Florida. What they do not think of is philosophy. Last semester, I took both ENST 124: “Global Change and Sustainability” and PHIL 234: “Ethics,” and there is a surprising amount of overlap. Since science has not really moved the needle regarding climate action, I am going to present the possible ways philosophy can. Utilitarianism is a philosophy focused on maximizing the net good in the world. This good (according to utilitarians) is human happiness. Utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, which is the branch of philosophy that judges the morality of an action by the consequences it produces. The idea that the best actions are the ones that result in the best consequences is a SparkNotes version of consequentialism. Utilitarianism is very much a large scale philosophy. The most famous example is the trolley problem, where you can either kill one or five people. It does not matter who those people are; from a utilitarian standpoint, it is a no-brainer that you should only kill one person. To connect utilitarianism to climate action, let us look at the example of switching from coal to renewable energy. It is important to note that in this scenario, the coal workers would be able to get new jobs working for the renewable energy plants. This switch would constitute a loss of a large source
of income for many people investing in coal. But it would also create new jobs and decrease our emissions, which would save who knows how many lives. Again, the choice from the utilitarian point of view is quite obvious. Now, let us take a look more broadly at the decision to take drastic measures to combat climate change. I do not need to say how many lives could be saved or changed for the better because scientist after scientist has. Instead, I am going to dwell on the moral implications of this decision. Many (and probably all of us here) would say it is morally dubious to not take action to combat climate change; however, such a conclusion becomes even more obvious when adding the consequentialist principle of negative responsibility to our decision process. Negative responsibility is the idea that in addition to being responsible for all the consequences of our actions, we are also responsible for the consequences that may occur due to our lack of action. Let us say we do not do anything that raises our current emissions, but also choose not to take drastic action to combat climate change. When Florida is submerged, we begin to ponder how we got here. We did not submerge Florida; and yet, because we did nothing to combat climate change, Florida has been submerged. Accord-
ing to the doctrine of negative responsibility, we are responsible for this unfortunate chain of events. Another lens from which we can analyze our actions is through our motivations. One of the most prolific supporters of this way of thinking is German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Kant bases this motivation off of duty. Put in more simple terms, the only way for our actions to carry moral worth is doing them because we know it is the right thing to do. Actions that produce good consequences from corrupt motivations carry no moral worth. For example, helping someone study because you want to cheat off of them has no moral value. Taking it back to the climate crisis, committing to large-scale change only to score political points has no moral value. In other words the only acceptable motivation for trying to stop climate change is a duty to stop climate change. The reason I introduce this way of thinking is to challenge the ways we attempt to frame the conversations regarding climate change. Many arguments in favor of drastic climate action tend to point out the economic benefits of such actions. If we all followed a Kantian point of view, we would only need to point out that it is our moral duty to challenge climate
change. However, I acknowledge that this particular argument is rather weak because most politicians are not going to approve drastic climate change measures based on the ideas of a long dead philosopher. I am merely pointing out how the discourse surrounding climate change runs contradictory to several different ethical philosophies. The science has not changed. The concern climate scientists have for our future has not changed. The fact that we are pretty screwed if we do not take action has not changed. And yet, although we have made some progress via legislation such as the “Inflation Reduction Act,” we still have not done enough. I believe that if we wish to escape this stalemate and the facts that are not going to change, then our outlook must change. Right now, climate action is seen not even as a scientific debate, but as a political debate. This debate has made little progress. I think this reason (along with many others that I have listed) suggests that we should pivot the debate surrounding climate action from a policy debate to a moral debate. If people begin to associate climate action with increasing the net good and inaction with being unethical, I believe we can move the climate discourse forward in a way we have as of yet been unable to.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Now more than ever, engage with mental health resources Britt Andrade Columnist
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his month has been hard. I feel like I am treading water in dangerous seas as I try to balance school, work, my family and the state of the world. I want to be well informed so I can understand why the Israel/ Palestine conflict is so complex and so divisive. I want to do well in my classes because it’s senior year and I need to finish strong for my law school applications. I write weekly for the paper because I love writing but the topics can become too heavy to carry sometimes. My son is two, growing like a weed, but I worry constantly about the world he will inherit and if I am a good enough parent for him. The world is stressful and it sometimes feels like everyone is just waiting for you to fail. I know I am not the only one who is feeling the weight of the world right now. The world is harsh right now, in the pursuit of knowledge, of justice, it is necessary to take care of ourselves first. For those of us who have flown, we have gotten the in-flight safety brief. In case of emergen-
cy, oxygen masks will be deployed in the cabin. Please put your own mask over your face before assisting others. Corny but necessary. If you are not taking care of yourself, then how can you take care of others? Below are a list of resources, both on campus and off, local, state, and national resources. Take care of yourself because not only does the world deserve you at your best but you deserve to feel your best.
crisis, VCCS provides the following guidance: “a mental health emergency is a life-threatening situation in which an individual is in imminent danger of harming oneself or others, severely disoriented, out of touch with reality, is unable to function, severely distraught, or out of control”. In those cases it is recommended students call the Vassar College Campus Response Center (CRC): (845) 437-7333 and/or Police, Fire, Ambulance at 911.
Vassar College Counseling Services Counseling Services offers a variety of resources, including Individual and Couples Counseling, Crisis Intervention, Walk-in Clinic, Group Counseling, Workshops , Outreach, Biofeedback, Consultation, Referral Assistance. To schedule an appointment with a counselor, call VCCS at (845) 437-5700 on weekdays between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Appointments are available to currently enrolled students and are generally scheduled within a few days of the request. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency or
Mental Health America of Dutchess County Contact Info: 845-473-2500, 253 Mansion St Poughkeepsie, NY 12601, info@ mhadutchess.org Mental Health America of Dutchess County provides multiple services including a mobile crisis team, depression screenings and individual support programs, among others. This program provides resources to anyone living in Dutchess County, regardless of income and believes in support without the stigma.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is one of the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organizations in the country dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. The NAMI helpline is a free hotline for anyone in crisis to use 24/7 if in crisis. Mental Health First Aid is a national council for mental health that has compiled a database of resources for people to access in times of need. Mental health is no joke. Do not let something happen to you because you believe that you are strong enough to bear the burden alone. You are important on this campus, in this community. You, not the course work, not the grades, not the projects or the movements. You matter. There is privilege in being able to step back from the edge but that does not mean it is a privilege that should be ignored. Accept the hand up and maybe one day you’ll be in a place to pass on the love.
November 2, 2023
OPINIONS
Page 11
All opinions and Letters are submitted to The Miscellany News. The Editorial Board does not take responsibility for the views expressed in opinions articles.
Letter to the Editor: Faculty provides statement on ongoing violence in Gaza Strip and Israel W
e the undersigned want to express our unwavering support of all members of the Vassar community who speak up against the violence occurring in Palestine/ Israel. Our scholarly and pedagogical practices are guided by a commitment to challenge the intertwined systems of patriarchy, racism and colonialism (of which antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian sentiment are a part). This commitment informs our condemnation of the recent and ongoing violence, which includes a long history of land appropriation, occupation, displacement, apartheid and blockade. The killing of civilians, the siege of Gaza, the deprivation of electricity, food and water, the multiple attacks on ambulances and health care facilities, and the forced displacement of about 1.4 million people within Gaza are all violations of international law recognized as such by the United Nations, Amnesty International and Oxfam International. From Oct. 7 until now, as we write, 1,400 Israelis have been killed in the Hamas attacks and more than 5,791 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to the UNRWA. Furthermore, there have been increasing arrests and killings in the West Bank. In light of this, we call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to U.S. support for the war in Gaza: The ongoing killings are only planting the seeds for more violence. As reported by Al Jazeera, Israel’s Defense Minister has characterized the people of Gaza as “human animals,” and its Minister of Energy and Infrastructure has said on X that “they will not receive a drop of water or a single battery until they leave the world.” This dehumanizing and exterminatory rhetoric is being openly supported, and often celebrated, by the U.S. government, and much of the media in this country. This support includes routine conflations between criticism of Israel’s actions and antisemitism, which cannot but hurt all involved. As scholars and educators, we vehemently oppose any efforts to censure critical discussions of the current war—no matter how difficult these conversations may be. Joining our colleagues at Birzeit University, we
too call upon our academic communities to “fulfill their intellectual and academic duty of seeking truth, maintaining a critical distance from state-sponsored propaganda, and to hold the perpetrators of genocide and those complicit with them accountable.” All members of the Vassar community are invited to sign or view an updated list of signatures here.
Catherine Tan, Assistant Professor of Sociology
Ed Buie II, Assistant Professor of Astrophysics
John Andrews, Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology, AMST, MEDS, WFQS
Deon Knights, Assistant Professor of Earth Sciences and Environmental Studies
David Tavárez, Professor of Anthropology
Payton Small, Assistant Professor of Psychological Science
Joshua Schreier, Professor of History and Jewish Studies
Connie Ndonye, SILP Language Tutor
Michael Reyes Salas, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies Eva Woods Peiró, Professor of Hispanic Studies Hiram Perez, Associate Professor of English Sam Okoth Opondo, Associate Professor of Political Science and Africana Studies Diane Harriford, Professor of Sociology
Candice Lowe Swift, Associate Professor of Anthropology
Jasmine Syedullah, Assistant Professor of Africana Studies Mita Choudhury, Professor of History Vinay Swamy, Professor of French and Francophone Studies Allison Puglisi, Assistant Professor of History Paulina Bren, Adjunct Professor of Multidisciplinary Studies
Amy Chin, Assistant Professor of American Studies and Asian Studies Kimberly Williams Brown, Assistant Professor of Education Pinar Batur, Professor of Sociology Daniel Mendiola, Assistant Professor of History Emily Antenucci, Visiting Assistant Professor of Italian Curtis Dozier, Assistant Professor of Greek and Roman Studies Kate Susman, Professor of Biology
Joseph Nevins, Professor of Geography
Marcela Romero, Visiting Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies and LALS
Giovanna Borradori, Professor of Philosophy and Media Studies
Tim Koechlin, Director of International Studies
Peipei Qiu, Professor of Chinese and Japanese
Maria Hantzopoulos, Professor of Education
Gabrielle Cody, Professor of Drama, Emerita
Kirsten Menking, Professor of Earth Science
Claire Sagan, Assistant Professor of Political Science
John Elrick, Visiting Assistant Professor of Geography
Molly Nesbit, Professor of Art
Ismail Rashid, Professor of History
China Sajadian, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
Kirsten Wesselhoeft, Assistant Professor of Religion Erin McCloskey, Professor of Education Taneisha Means, Assistant Professor of Political Science Katherine Hite, Professor of Political Science
Tom Ellman, Associate Professor of Computer Science Candy Martinez, Assistant Professor of Latin American and Latinx Studies Montserrat Madariaga-Caro, Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies Shona Tucker, Mary Riepma Ross Chair in Drama
Gordon Hall, Assistant Professor of Art
Peter Gil-Sheridan, Assistant Professor of Drama Tracy O’Neill, Assistant Professor of English Mark Taylor, Visiting Assistant Professor of English Ryan Chapman, Adjunct Instructor of English Sole Anatrone, Assistant Professor of Italian Studies
Letter to the Editor: Recently promoted female full professors support pay equity lawsuit T
o the Vassar Community: We the undersigned, who have been promoted to the rank of full professor in 2021-22 and 2022-23, are writing to add our strong support for the class action gender discrimination lawsuit against the College. We take this opportunity to thank and salute the 41 female full professors, including the five plaintiffs, for their work to ensure that Vassar brings its review and compensation practices into line with the College’s long-standing ethos of gender equity, and its current mission to lead on issues of equity and inclusion; we join them in that effort. We also share the concern of our Asso-
ciate Professors (“Letter to the Editor: Associate professors support lawsuit”) that some of our own experiences, direct or indirect, have led us to question how gender- and race-based discrimination and bias may currently exist in structures and practices related to promotion and salary recommendations at all ranks. We add our voices to those calling on the Trustees, President Bradley and the Administration to settle the case promptly, amicably and by agreeing to full compensation for financial inequities over time. We also call on the College to include full compensation for the expenses connected with this suit. Finally, we express
our gratitude to, and admiration for, the many students who have so thoughtfully and professionally responded to the issue via their writings and actions. April M. Beisaw, Professor of Anthropology Lynn Christenson, Professor of Biology Yvonne Elet, Professor of Art History Maria Hantzopoulos, Professor of Education
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Kathryn L. Libin, Professor of Music Erin McCloskey, Professor of Education Molly S. McGlennen, Professor of English
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OPINIONS
November 2, 2023
All opinions and Letters are submitted to The Miscellany News. The Editorial Board does not take responsibility for the views expressed in opinions articles.
Letter to the Editor: Alum responds to SJP’s Letter to the Editor T
his is in response to the opinion piece in The Miscellany News dated Oct. 10, and entitled- “Letter to the Editor: SJP demand Palestinian liberation.” The above piece arrived with my emailed Misc this morning. The screed characterizes Hamas’ terrorist attack against civilian Israeli men, women and children as an “act of rebellion” and notes they had managed to “touch the land” that has historically belonged to Israel. What they touched, with bullets, knives, grenades and flame, were people. According to The New York Times, approximately 1,300 people. As a fraction of population, this would be equivalent to approximately 46,000 Americans, had it been the United States that was attacked. Think of it as about 15 Sept. 11s. A bit of historical context: According to biblical accounts, Gaza was under Israelite rule beginning in approximately 1100 BC. Encyclopedia Britannica states that Israel was founded in approximately 930 B.C. Per the Israeli mission to the United Nations, Arab occupation of and rule over historically Israeli lands commenced in approximately 636 A.D. Doing a bit of quick math, we can see that there
are approximately 1,700 years between the founding of historical Israel and later claims to the land. The referenced opinion piece notes “military occupation.” In 2005, Israel voluntarily and unilaterally disengaged from Gaza. Israel left. When it did so, Israel left 3,000 greenhouses behind. On Nov. 28, 2005, The New York Times published “Gaza Gets Ready for a Harvest of Produce and Promise,” estimating a harvest of approximately $20 million worth of crops. Shortly after, Hamas ascended and began attacking Israel. Now food has to be trucked in instead of grown. The old crop was strawberries. The new crop is missiles. Reasonable people can disagree about land claims—it depends upon when one would like to start the conversation. What is not debatable is that these most recent terrorist attacks were undertaken by Hamas terrorists who had no compunction about committing depraved acts against innocent civilian human beings. According to the Medialine, these victims ranged from three months old to 80 or 90 years old (even pathologists have difficulty with some of the identifications). A mother. A child.
Bound together with metal wire in a final embrace. Burned alive. When trying to address how and when infants were decapitated, one doctor answered, “it’s difficult to ascertain...as well as how they were beheaded, ‘whether cut off by knife or blown off by RPG,’ he explained.” If you have the gut for it, make yourself look at the pictures, the video. Go to the source. Warning: you can’t unsee it. Relatedly—the referenced piece rationalizes these crimes under the guise of responding to “settler-colonial and military occupation.” For an informed third party response to this canard, I would recommend Adam Kirsch’s essay in The Wall Street Journal, “Campus Radicals and Leftist Groups Have Embraced the Idea of ‘Settler Colonialism,’” from Oct. 26, 2023. A quote: “Ironically, while anticolonialism conceives of itself as a progressive, left-wing ideology, this understanding of the relationship between people and land is similar to that of fascism, which was also obsessed with the categories of native and alien. The Nazi slogan ‘blood and soil’ conveyed the idea that German land could only truly belong to its primeval inhabitants.”
It is telling that this piece runs under SJP authorship, rather than individual names. In my lived experience, those with the courage of their convictions are typically proud to sign their names to what they write. I myself am wary of those who hide in the shadows. I share Tressie McMillan Cottom’s sentiment, written in her essay “Academic Cowards and Why I Don’t Write Anonymously,” that “For sure, this moment in time is woefully thin on leaders. I hope they emerge soon.” Here is hoping there are more cleareyed critical thinkers at Vassar than those who wrote this opinion piece. Go to the source and see what you find. Let’s wrestle with intractable problems, but do so from a position of reason and humanity. Wishing Israel swift victory and stability, with as few civilian casualties as possible, from the river to the sea. תוביציו ריהמ ןוחצינ לארשיל תלחאמ, םייחרזא םיעגפנ תוחפש המכ םע, רהנהמ םיה דעו. -Sean Dwyer, Vassar 1988
Letter to the Editor: Jewish alumnae/i speak in support of Israel W
e represent the voices of hundreds of Jewish Vassar alumnae/i. On Saturday morning, Oct. 7, on the Jewish holidays of Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, a time of celebration for Jews around the world, our community woke up to a nightmare. We learned that Hamas terrorists had invaded the kibbutzim of southern Israel, killing more than 1,400 unarmed men, women and children and kidnapping more than 200 others. Dozens of Americans were among the dead. Hamas has fired thousands of rockets into dense cities like Ashkelon, Tel Aviv and even Jerusalem, forcing much of Israel to take cover in bomb shelters and causing tens of thousands of Israelis to be displaced. Hamas is not shy about anti-Jewish hatred; It is a part of their charter.
Since that time, Jewish communities have been grieving. Regardless of our political leanings, we are united in sadness and outrage at the barbarity of what occurred in Israel. The terrorists gunned down some 260 young people dancing at a music festival for peace. On Kibbutz Kfar Aza, one of Israel’s socialist communes, men, women and children were gunned down in their homes, some shot in their beds. Others were mutilated and burned alive. It was the deadliest day in Israel’s blood-stained history. The last time so many Jews died in one day was during the Holocaust.
Since that time, Jewish communities have been grieving. Regardless of our political leanings, we are united in sadness and outrage at the barbarity of what occurred in Israel. We are a tiny worldwide community of just 15 million people which has faced unspeakable persecution in recent history. The death of any of us is felt by all of us. Most of us have family and friends in Israel. This is extremely personal for all of us. Though we share President Bradley’s hope that students express care for one another, we also know that the history at Vassar tells a different story and that this is a call that organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) never heed. Sadly, the same day President Bradley released her initial statement, Vassar’s SJP chapter, following the lead of its parent organization, National SJP, not only did not condemn the mass murder or even bother to offer their condolences, but defended it as “decolonial resistance”; two weeks later, SJP printed their statement in The Misc. But Israel is no colony. It is the world’s sole Jewish state, a place where Jews have lived continuously for thousands of years. It is a democracy in a sea of dictatorships. In the mid-1940s, many Holocaust refugees made their way to Israel. In the 1940s and 1950s, Israel took in hundreds of thousands of Jewish refugees who were ethnically cleansed from surrounding Arab regimes. In the 1980s, Israel welcomed tens of thousands of Ethiopian refugees. In the 1990s, Israel became a home for Jews from the former Soviet Union and in 2022, a refuge for Ukrainian Jews fleeing Russian aggression and Russian Jews fleeing Russian antisemitism. National SJP’s response, now stealthily deleted, was even worse, glorifying the murders of 1,400 people as a “historic win” for the Palestinians and stating that
“armed confrontation with the oppressors” is what it means to “free Palestine.” But there was no armed confrontation with the people of Kfar Aza. There were only gunmen going house to house butchering unarmed men, women and children. There was no armed confrontation with the party goers that the terrorists mowed down in the hundreds. And there was no armed confrontation with the grandmas, grandpas, fathers, mothers and children who were murdered, burnt alive and taken hostage. These
The Anti-Defamation League has documented a dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents since Hamas’ atrocities. were homicides and kidnappings. These were atrocities that violated international law and every standard of human decency. Last week, Vassar SJP, continuing to follow National SJP’s pro-Hamas lead, led a march across campus during which students chanted popular Hamas slogans that call for Israel’s destruction. Hearing SJP’s words sends chills down our collective spine. According to a recent poll conducted by the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi, 70 percent of Jewish students have personally experienced or are familiar with an act of antisemitism on campus. The Anti-Defamation League has documented a dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents since Hamas’ atrocities. If the mass murder of innocent men, women and children and taking hundreds hostage is now defined as armed confrontation with oppressors, it is a short leap for disgruntled individuals
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
to target our community, which is already the most targeted religious minority community in the United States per capita, according to the FBI’s hate crimes database. Our synagogues and institutions already must operate with guards to keep us safe from terrorists of all stripes, from white supremacists like Robert Bowers, who killed 13 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue and Stephan Balliet, who murdered two people outside of a synagogue in Halle, Germany, to terrorists and state actors, who have murdered us for who we are in countries from France to Argentina to Bulgaria to Pakistan. We are saddened that many Palestinian civilians have been killed in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 mass murder. Blame for their deaths, however, rests with Hamas, which for years has purposely used civilian institutions like hospitals, schools, and mosques as command centers and weapons depots to evade accountability, much like ISIS in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon; sadly, terrorist organizations seek to maximize civilian deaths in order to stoke international outrage so that they can continue to operate with impunity. We are all aware that innocent lives have been lost in both Jewish and Muslim communities, even if organizations like SJP are not. In mourning, and with a strong conviction that we will not be made to live in fear, whether in Israel, the United States or anywhere else, we proclaim our outrage and our pain. Sincerely, Mike Brenner (on behalf of Fairness to Israel, Vassar’s chapter of Alums for Campus Fairness)
November 2, 2023
OPINIONS
Page 13
All opinions and Letters are submitted to The Miscellany News. The Editorial Board does not take responsibility for the views expressed in opinions articles.
Letter to the Editor: Vassar SJP and normalized depravity T
he recent Letter (published on Oct. 25, 2023) by Vassar Students for Justice in Palestine (VSJP) demands a response. The Letter unequivocally supports Palestine’s liberation from “settler-colonial and military occupation.” The Letter doesn’t acknowledge that Jews are indigenous to the Levant. Indeed, Jews have lived there for 3,000 years. The original Palestinian Arabs, distinguishing them from the original Palestinian Jews and modern Palestinian Arabs, colonized the Levant through wars of conquest after Prophet Mohammed’s death. They replaced other colonizers that came before—Persians, Romans, etc. Many modern Palestinian Arabs immigrated in the 1800s, as did many Jews. At this point, let us acknowledge that violence was used against Jews by Arabs in the 1920s, and not until the 1930s did the Jews of Mandatory Palestine organize a “resistance.” But the broader point is that either both groups are settler-colonialists, or neither of them fulfill that definition. Their respective histories in that land are parallel to one another, not naturally oppositional, as VSJP wants you to think. There’s more commonness between Jews and Arabs than people are aware of, and that’s the basis for a mutual respect that may overcome Hamas’ and VSJP’s rejectionism. Second, when young girls are beheaded, daughters are raped before their fathers and husbands are killed before their wives, to describe Oct. 7 as a “rebellion” of freedom fighters is to malign the idea of freedom. As there is no military advantage from these deeds, perhaps they were intended to normalize depravity itself. That’s evident as some Palestinians and some supporters—including VSJP—take glee from these acts, proving them to have worked as intended. Third, the Letter misrepresents Israel’s relationship with Gaza. Jews left Gaza in 2005. The indefinite restrictions on commerce—the so-called “blockade”—came with Hamas’ political ascendancy in Gaza via a civil war fought against Fatah in which Hamas killed hundreds of Palestinian Arabs. Perhaps the VSJP should ask Hamas to make peace with other Arabs before it asks Israel to concede to Hamas’ eliminationist agenda. But Israel’s sanctions on Gaza are hardly the only ones. The US, Egypt and Europe maintain sanctions on Gaza, too. But VSJP cares only about Israel’s sanctions, of which the “blockade” is a physical manifestation. The necessity of Israel’s sanctions was proven by the continuous rocket attacks by Hamas upon Israel. And when restrictions on travel were lifted to allow Gazans to work in Israel, Hamas used intelligence gathered by the “workers”
to commit its depraved acts. So, Hamas’ supporters call for an end to a (arguably ineffective) blockade, to promote a fanatical free-for-all. We’d say now to instead strengthen the blockade to its full moral effectiveness, for the benefit of future generations of innocent Gazans. Perhaps it is still not too late for Hamas to lay down its arms, recognize Israel as it was envisioned at its founding, and build Gaza into a prosperous society. The Jews waited for their turn for 1,900 years, and when their time came, they suppressed their own terrorists harshly and rapidly. Palestinians in Gaza should do the same to flourish. Fourth, the Letter says that Israel has committed to the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian Arabs since the “Nakba” in 1948. We reject this narrative. Were it true, it would apply to Palestinian Arabs living in Israel. But Arabs who live in Israel live there unmolested. It would stretch the imagination to believe that Israel would ethnically cleanse Palestinian Arabs who are outside the core of the state (that is, in the “occupied territories”) but choose to live proximate to Palestinian Arabs in Israel proper. Let it be known that the population of Israeli Arabs has grown twelvefold since 1948, but the Jewish population has grown tenfold. Let it be known also that Hamas terrorists knowingly killed Israeli Arabs and non-Israelis on Oct. 7. VSJP’s Letter needs to deal with that in its appeal to a claim of “self-defense” from Hamas. We also recall that “Palestine will be free from the River to the Sea” is deviously ambiguous at best, and genocidal at worst. Hamas’ supporters cynically use the word “free” because it connotes a positive thing, but that’s not always so for Jews (see “Judenfrei”). Jews perceive the destruction of their nation-state as a “clear and present danger” to themselves, as they are a mere two generations removed from attempted genocide, so long as eliminationist antisemitism exists. Here, let’s not forget that Hamas’ original Constitution called for the destruction of Israel and violence against Jews, which only proves the point of Israel’s necessity. Israel has its own racists, but eliminationist attitudes toward its Arab citizens are nowhere in Israel’s basic laws. The ethnic cleansers are Hamas, supported in that endeavor by the VSJP. Their goals self-align with those of the Nazis, as do Hamas’ actions—burning bodies, raping, impaling. Neo-Nazis in the West haven’t acted collectively in fulfillment of such fantasies yet—but Hamas has, with apparent approval by VJSP. Finally, the National SJP’s “Day of Resistance Toolkit” asserts that it is not only in solidarity with Hamas but “part of its movement.” That’s lamentable, as
it suggests that SJP is part of a group that has advocated violence toward Jews and is designated as a terrorist group by the United States. So, when SJP or VSJP supports Hamas openly, they should know that they are advocating harm upon Jews and are thus crossing an ethical boundary. Moreover, support by persons for a designated terror organization, and the application of the “clear and present danger” restrictions around free speech, also raise issues of legality and civil and criminal liability. We worry a failure to act to restrain calls to violence emanating from Vassar’s community will result in litigation directed at Vassar. Those responsible for this reprehensible behavior must be subject to Vassar’s disciplinary process for violations of the Code of Conduct or any other standards used by the College. This is to protect Vassar’s reputation, safeguard its endowment and keep its Jewish students and staff far from harm. - Sara Spielman Augenbraun ’74 P ’17, Ian R. Lobell ’89 Chuck Augenbraun ’74 P ’17 Rachel Luxemburg ’88 Jane C. Bergner ’64 Ruth Manfredi ’90 Andrea Braslavsky Kane ’88 Felipe Maristany ’90 David Check ’86 Elizabeth Mayer Rappaport ’88 Andy Chou ’88 Avrum Mayman ’85 Bennett Cohen ’83 Martin Mendelsohn ’87 Andrea Cohen ’86 Bruce R. Mendelsohn ’90 Natasha Cooper-Benisty ’87 Rebecca Merrens Oberman ’88 Kim Dooley ’91, Rebecca Moore ’84 Emily Zoe Eisenberg ’86 Sunshine Mugrabi ’88 Bernice Feuer Garbade ’79 P ’15 lizabeth Muslin ’87 Allan Filler ’88 Andrew Newman ’87 Howard Fishman ’92 Elizabeth Parish ’88 Steven Freesman ’86 Matthew Parker ’88 Kevin Friedman ’14 Jason Pickering ’88 Neal Friedman ’78 Roger Plawker ’88 Richard Geller ’93 Jason Ralston ’92 Julie Goldsmith Reiser ’92 Barrie Rifkin Shackman ’87 Abra Gorby ’90 Teme Ring ’83 Johanna Gorelick ’88 Jackie Rubenstein Golub ’89 Mary Green Howie ’92
Michael Schatz ’89 Danny Greenberg ’81 P ’15 Anne Schneerer ’88 Wendy Harwin ’88 Eric Schneider ’81 Gary Lee Heavner ’87 Lisa Schultz Golden ’89 Jordan Hoffner ’91 P ’27 Roberta Schuman Kline ’78 P ’16 Andrew Jacobs ’92 Steven Schuster ’89 Edward Katz ’92 Lenny Schuster ’86 Sherri Kauderer ’81 Amy Serper Leder ’88 Elizabeth Kemeny ’07 Judy Sherwood ’62 Saar Klein ’89 David Stone ’88 Mark Kornfeld ’89 Megan Tallmer ’74 Jennifer Krass ’87 Heather-Ann Thompson ’92 Robert Kuzma ’88 Michael Weiner ’91 P ’23 Nicole Lefton ’86 Bram Weinkselbaum ’89 Sam Lehr ’87 Allan Weinstein ’92 Stacey Levenberg Abrahams ’87 Barbara Weinstein LeWinter ’66 Alexandra D Levinsohn ’88 Thierry Wizman ’86 Mark Liflander ’90 Larry Rose ’88 Amy Schildhouse Greenberg ’79 Paul Greenberg ’83 Sam Goldberg ’78 Brenda Feigen ’66 Scott Aronin ’92 Marc Frankel ’91 Judy Cohen Lieberman ’86 Monica DiLorenzo ’07 Craig Tenner ’88 Joshua Mack ’87 Ted MacDonald ’91 Marc Plawker ’87 Laura Dwight ’78 Marguerite Grable Adams ’90 Susan Greenberg Yarmush ’88 John Lambrainakos ’91 Valarie Samuels ’79 Cheryl Rushton Neuburger ’87 David Neuburger ’85 Melissa E. Green ’78 Andrew Fano ’87 Ken Michaels ’85 Jesse Horowitz ’14 Eleri Reiner Dixon ’85 Brett Ankler ’12 Jesse Hartman ’15 Emily Kemp ’87 Meryl Cohen ’85 Raz Samuel ’86 Alexandra Fano Moshen ’92 Fred Skoler ’85
Karen Mogami/The Miscellany News. MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
SPORTS
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November 2, 2023
Answering the biggest questions from recent NFL weeks Henry France Guest Columnist
I
t has been three weeks since my last NFL rundown, and there are some big questions looming. Which teams are contenders and which are pretenders? Which teams did we count out too early? What should I look out for in the second half of the season? Countless questions are waiting to be answered. But let us begin by breaking down some of this week’s action. This was the week of the quarterback, with the highs and the lows of the position on display. The first and second picks of last year’s NFL draft, Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Houston Texans quarterback C. J. Stroud, faced off in a duel that saw Carolina get the last laugh in a 15-13 final for the Panthers, earning them their first win of the season. Young looked great, completing 22 out of 31 of his throws, 235 passing yards and a touchdown to outperform a struggling Stroud, who averaged 303 passing yards in his first four games but has averaged only 196 yards per game in his last three. In Tennessee, rookie quarterback Will Levis was stunning with an impressive four touchdowns in the Titans’ win over the Atlanta Falcons. Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins went down in the fourth quarter with a torn Achilles tendon, joining fellow quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a lengthy recovery process. In other poor quarterback news, Patrick Mahomes was just disappointing in the Kansas City Chiefs’ surprising loss to the Denver Broncos. This brings us to our first question: Who is a contender to win the championship, and who is a pretender? Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs
started the season with a disappointing loss against the Detroit Lions after winning the Super Bowl last season. From that point on, the Chiefs won six straight games behind the star duo of Mahomes and Travis Kelce (maybe a trio with Taylor Swift). Behind that deceiving six-game run is the fact that three of those wins were one-score games (where the final score was only one touchdown or less of a difference). The Chiefs’ luck ended Sunday as a struggling Mahomes could not muster any semblance of strength or formidability, and Kansas City solidified itself as our first pretender. Our other pretender is the San Francisco 49ers. Heading into a bye week, the 49ers have a lot to sort out after losing their last three games. Most of the 49ers’ early wins were against pretty bad teams, and their only claim to fame was a single impressive victory (frankly, a fluke, if you ask me) against the Dallas Cowboys. San Francisco is banged up (which the time off of a bye week should help with), but they will also need to get to work tightening up their once-solid defense and now mistake-prone offense. The 49ers have the right weapons to be a contender but will need to put the pieces together once again. The first contender is clear: The Dallas Cowboys. Four weeks ago, Dallas lost by 32 points to the San Francisco 49ers, but the Cowboys have bounced back in a resilient fashion since, posting 43 points in a decisive victory over the Los Angeles Rams this week. Every aspect of the Cowboys’ offense is fantastic. From their tough offensive line to their dangerous running game and explosive passing, it is not going to be easy to stop Dallas. The Cowboys will face their real test next week, in a matchup with our other contender, the Philadelphia Eagles. It is hard
to ignore the vengeful play that is coming out of Philadelphia. The Eagles have asserted such dominance behind a seven-and-one record that football fans are even calling for their marquee play on fourth-and-short—the “tush push” (a play where the offensive players rally behind quarterback Jalen Hurts and push him across the first-down line)—to be banned. This Philadelphia offense is special, averaging 26.6 points and 390 yards per game, respectively third and fourth in the NFL. The defense is solid too, allowing an NFL-leading under 70 rushing yards per game. The Eagles look ready for another title run. Who did we count out too early? I would say the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals. After starting the season 0-3, the Bengals have had their foot on the gas pedal ever since, with their most recent victories coming against a pair of good teams in the Seahawks and 49ers. Joe Burrow, too, is back, posting a career high 87.5 completion percentage behind 28-for-32 passing with 283 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions to give San Francisco their first home loss in 11 games. The Bengals, simply, are back. The New York Jets took care of business after what was frankly a poor game of football against their neighbors, The New York Giants. Zach Wilson forced overtime with an impressive fourth-quarter drive to see an overtime victory in rainy East Rutherford. The Jets have now won three straight games, including a victory over the Eagles. Despite losing quarterback Rodgers with a torn Achilles tendon, the Jets have been an exciting team to watch, now vying for a spot in the AFC playoff race. Going forward, there are three main things to look out for. First, what is going on with the Buffalo Bills? They were neither a contender
nor a pretender because it is just too hard to tell. The Bills topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football but did not look as decisive as they should have. Buffalo has an array of weapons and a star-studded offense, but they have not been able close out games in the fourth quarter this season, with more than half of their games ending in a five-point-or-less margin. Next, are the Chicago Bears making me swallow my words? No—well, yes. I was ready to explain why the Bears qualified for the “Who did we count out too early?” section, but, after a 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, we are not quite ready for that yet. Rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent has been filling in for Justin Fields and has looked solid in doing so, earning a win last week. The Bears defense has been good the past couple weeks as well, but unfortunately, they could not keep it going against the Chargers’ powerful offense. Look out for the Bears to get going, but they only have so much time to build momentum. Finally, keep an eye out for the AFC North, quietly flying under the radar as an intriguing playoff race. The Ravens, Steelers, Browns and Bengals are all above .500 and have had impressive moments. The Week 17 game—between the Steelers and Ravens, and Browns and Bengals—is certain to have playoff implications. With more and more on the line, teams will either solidify themselves as contenders or dissipate into the dark realm as pretenders. In what is becoming a season of surprises, I would not be surprised if the Bears staged a late-season playoff campaign or if the contending Cowboys suffered a couple of losses, including one next week against the strong Eagles.
Women’s volleyball prepares for upcoming playoffs Kathryn Carvel Copy Staffer
T
he Vassar women’s volleyball team is finishing up a successful regular season, which first started in September against Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is now preparing to head into playoffs. As one the top teams in the Liberty League, they hold a 14-9 overall record and a 6-2 record in conference play. The team is also currently on a three-game win streak after a successful weekend in upstate New York, defeating St. Lawrence University and SUNY Potsdam, as well as a home win against Union last Wednesday, Oct. 25. Thanks to this successful season, the women’s volleyball team is set to host the first round of playoffs at Vassar. Through written correspondence with The Miscellany News, team members Molly Ardren ’25 and Morgan Miller ’25 explained that the team’s success has stemmed from multiple factors. Ardren, who plays setter, explained that most importantly, the team is driven and dedicated to winning. “This team has a lot of fight,” she said. “We have had some challenges and proven that we can play when our backs are against the wall.” Miller, an outside hitter, agreed and added that everyone on the team is supportive of each other. “I love this team. We have each other’s backs and we are honest with each other,” she said. “Everyone on this team is competitive, yet knows when to reel it in.” Along with these values, both Ardren and Miller commented on the importance of the first-year class. This year, the team brought in three first-year players: Maura McAusland, Holland Kaplan and T Petro. Currently, all three are in the team’s starting lineup and have contributed in every phase
of the game. “I am really impressed with some of the younger players’ abilities to rise to the occasion when the stakes are high and play fiercely,” said Ardren. Miller added, “I think the first years on this team really contribute to the great team dynamic this year. They are amazing additions to the team and I just think they are all amazing players and incredible people.” Though the first-years have proved their importance to the success of the team, the team’s achievements are a collective effort, especially on a roster with only 13 players. “We also have a really fluid line up, meaning that a lot of people get playing time, making us really hard to predict and play against,” Ardren said. When everyone on the roster is able to contribute to the success of the team, opponents have a tougher time because a wealth of players makes a team versatile. Also important this year has been the team’s bond and chemistry, which is strong thanks at least in part to the team’s October Break trip to Puerto Rico. Having the opportunity to travel as a group and experience something new and exciting together helped further relationships that had been forming throughout the season. “Taking a training trip to Puerto Rico really brought us closer together,” Ardren said. “We are only a 13-person roster so I have really gotten to know everyone on an individual level as well.” Miller also noted that the trip to Puerto Rico was a valuable playing experience because the opportunity to play against new teams with new skill sets provided a space for the Vassar team to learn and improve in order to continue on their successful season. “Being able to play in Puerto Rico was such a unique opportunity and it is always so amazing to be able to play volleyball with teams that we would
never normally be able to play,” she said. Along with the trip to Puerto Rico, both Miller and Ardren said another highlight of the season so far was Vassar’s 3-1 win against the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) on Oct. 20. “The highlight for me was definitely beating RIT last weekend,” Ardren said. “They are a team that we have historically struggled to overcome so it was really fun to show them what we are made of now.” The 3-2 win against Union College on Oct. 25 was also a significant win. It did not go exactly how the team hoped it would, but it was an opportunity to demonstrate the team’s culture. “The Union game was a really good example of our ability to fight,” Ardren said. “We came out strong in the first set and beat them pretty easily, but once they upped their game we began to fall behind a little. However we didn’t let their ability to step up stop us from staying aggressive and pulling out the win.” She also noted the importance of home court advantage, which the team now looks to take advantage of in the first round of playoffs. “The energy in Kenyon is always an advantage for us as well,” Ardren said. “The men’s volleyball program consistently
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
supports us which is fun since they really understand the game and can get the rest of the crowd hyped for big plays. I also love to see other women’s teams at our games, and I hope our team is able to show up for them once we are out of season.” Miller agreed that the high energy and attendance is greatly valued. The Union game was a white-out, so fans showed up in white to support Vassar. Miller commented, “It was so exciting to see the white-out in the stands. I love to see our student body out and supporting Vassar athletics, even more so when the support is for my team!” As the regular season comes to a close, the Vassar women’s volleyball team still has a few more games before playoffs start, including their Senior Day against Marywood University on Saturday, Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. in Kenyon Hall. The team is looking forward to playoffs and are excited to show off what they have been working towards. “I am very excited for playoffs,” Miller said. “I have been here three seasons and this is the second time we have made it to playoffs. With a few more matches left, I wannwa get a few more wins under our belt and this team is more than ready to deliver.”
Molly Delahunty/The Miscellany News.
GAMES
November 2, 2023
Page 15
The Miscellany Games By Sadie Keesbury
Category Match CATEGORY MATCH INSTRUCTIONS In the word bank below, there are 16 words that belong to four categories. Each word belongs to only one category. You don’t know which words belong together, nor do you know what the categories are! Try to find similarities between them and place them into four categories below. Answers (which words belong together, as well as the categories they belong to) will be revealed in next week’s issue. Have fun! Example category: 1: Toyota Car Models: COROLLA PRIUS TACOMA HIGHLANDER
WORD BANK LOVE PENNY QUIP DIME THIRD ENDANGERMENT HALF QUARTER ABANDON QUACK EIGHTH DRIVING NICKEL WHOLE QUIT DOLLAR
WORD BANK ACROBAT TOMATO HEART CLOWN APPLE BOWLINE COWBOY OVERHAND TIGHTROPE LEMON LAUGHING SQUARE ORANGE BARREL TRAPEZE EGGPLANT
“Oh say...”
“Oh Dear Me”
Answers to last week’s puzzles: By Sadie Keesbury
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
“Blank Space”
CROSSWORD
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November 2, 2023
The Miscellany Crossword “Happy Fall!” By Sadie Keesbury
ACROSS 1. Curved 6. Sick 9. Smooth transition 14. Texas tactical manufacturer 15. Inc. (fr.) 16. “It’s _____!!” (spy gender reveal party cry) 17. “It’s _____!!” (gender reveal party cry) 18. Gorgeous 20. United Arab Emirates city 21. Dances, with “the beat” 22. Intestinal disorder, for short 24. Oy _____ 25. Baseball stat 28. Fall desserts 32. Medieval bowed instrument 34. Ajit _____ of the FCC 35. Katy Perry song that says “I’ve got the eye of the tiger!” 36. Coffin carrier 37. Where one might buy wholesale pork 39. Isn’t full, as a restaurant 40. Think
41. Assist 42. _____ Isthmus (narrowest part of Thailand’s Malay Peninsula) 43. “It’s _____!!” (musical gender reveal party cry) 44. Fall holiday 46. Negating prefix 47. _____ on a string (hodgepodge phone alternative) 48. _____-cone 49. Fall transportation option 53. Grin 57. Travel around the world 59. Norwegian “father of realism” Henrik 60. Man, colloquially 61. _____ Lipa 62. Professional driver 63. Direct 64. Under the radar, for short 65. Les _____-Unis (d’Amérique)
DOWN 1. “It’s _____!” (Irish gender reveal party cry) 2. Meat sauce 3. MTV’s house 4. European train system 5. On purpose 6. WMD carrier 7. What my Bonnie might do, regarding the ocean? 8. Fall fallers 9. ACT alternatives 10. Give off 11. Really give it your all 12. Inuit blade 13. Gar-like fish 19. 180, in the car 23. Mushroom reproductive unit 26. “Ooh, I’m gonna _____ tomorrow!” (gym lamentation) 27. 2015 Kuklinski crime film 28. Rome’s _____ way 29. “Guys, I was NOT _____ say this” (influencer’s promise of integrity)
30. Put in a box 31. Now, in Latin (or “sum” in English) 32. Reacting 33. Hearer 36. Cough drop brand 38. Lover, as of a celebrity 39. Vassar comedy group 41. Freebie 44. Mane style? 45. Australian marsupial 47. Academic framework attempted to be banned by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (abbr.) 50. Having the power (to) 51. 365 days 52. Authorial list ender 54. Like Cuba, Hispaniola or Puerto Rico 55. “5p3@k” +h@+ 100k5 1ik3 +h15 56. Tolkien’s tree creatures 57. Members of a lesbian couple (for short) 58. Allow
More Miscellany Games Inside!
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE