trade. 10 SPORTS Humor Editor Madi listicle.percentanotherreturnsDonatwith100official9 HUMOR
Then I was led to my room in Josse lyn house by one of the available student leaders, and I was told how lucky I was to have such a large room. Afterwards, I was left to my own devices and followed my family around to different events. The privilege of touring the campus for the first time was, much like the rest of my introduction to my new home, a surreal experience.Sadly,the time came for me to say good bye to my family. After a family dinner, we walked back to the parking lot in front of Josselyn house and I said my farewells, gave my hugs, and everything in between. Yes, I’ll keep in touch through Facetime and I’ll see them again during Thanksgiv ing break, but my heart still ached. I was devastated and didn’t know what my next steps were. Doubt crept in my mind. I be came unsure of what would happen in the week to However,come.in hindsight I can say that the week that followed contained some
How does nature impact us and the way we reflexively view the world? How are we molded by the spaces we live in? These are some of the questions that Marieken Cochius’ art seeks to tackle and explore such that even being left without concrete answers feels like an epiphany in itself. Students from Vassar have the op portunity to ponder such issues by stop ping by the Palmer Gallery through Sept. 15 to take in the exhibit “Impulse and Still ness: The Art of Marieken Cochius.”
around us. Specifically, she noted on her website, “My sculpture, drawings, and paintings capture such fleeting moments in an organic world dominated by cha os and change. The energy that natural forms temporarily contain yet inevitably transform particularly inspires me.” As viewers of her art, the mind cannot help but wonder about these processes, con sidering the universality of them and the connectedness of our world, chaotic as it may be. Regarding opening the exhibi tion, Associate Director of Campus Activ ities Ed Cheetham said, “Amy Manso and I went to Marieken Cochius’ studios and were blown away by her breadth of work and infectious passion for art! All kinds of art.”
Sophie Wood Guest Reporter
Burgess added that masking has also been a topic of discussion within the classroom.
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“We will track the number of new and cu mulative cases for students and employees,’’ President Elizabeth Bradley said in her Sun day email on Aug. 28. “Thank you for your continued engagement with our efforts to keep campus safe and healthy.”
Even with the return of the COVID-19 dashboard, students are still expressing con cern for the loosening of isolation, testing, and distancing protocols.
Vassar
College reinstates COVID-19 dashboard
Graphic courtesy of Sophie Wood ’23.
Ganesh Pillai Arts Editor
Continuing through the gallery, Cochius’ other abstract, curiosity-piquing works come into view. While she did have her inspirations for the work, each piece serves as an exercise in the imagination for the viewer. Does a piece remind one of a group of flamingos standing upright, or the paint drippings of a frustrated artist,
The day I was dreading had finally ar rived. I woke up on Aug 15, 2022 ear ly in the morning, body caked with sweat from the night before. My eyes were blood shot as I blankly stared at the wall for a good 10 minutes. Could this really be happening to me? Was I really going to Vassar? I knew the answer already: Yes, I am.
Jacques Abou-Rizk and Will Sorge News Editors
Palmer Gallery exhibit explores life
Since the start of the 2020-21 academic year, the COVID-19 dashboard had provid ed daily updates to the number of new and historic cases for members of the College community to reference. Many students and employees ordered their pandemic-era precautions, such as masking and social dis tancing, around the severity of the campus caseload.Theadministration had initially planned to discontinue updates to the dashboard, which it communicated in a series of emails over the summer, considering the state of the virus. Instead, Vassar originally planned to update the community about particular clus ters or outbreaks as they arose. Many stu dents criticized this decision.
The drive to Vassar was relatively calm. We passed many bridges, many trees and many empty roads as I approached the Poughkeepsie area. I sat there absorbing the peace and quiet—a luxury in New York City, the place I was born and raised. A feeling of tranquility enveloped me as I slumped in my seat. This changed the in stant I reached the reception area outside of IMain.wasgreeted by a roar of cheers and ap plause from the upperclassmen I would eventually call student leaders. Their smiles beamed as bright as the sun on that warm August morning. They were hold
“Half of my classes have mandated masks and the others have not,” Burgess said. “My classes that require masks are in smaller rooms with a lot of people in them, and I would not feel safe in those classes if we did
Melanie Burgess ’25 said she checks the COVID-19 dashboard case count every week. They said, “I think the new isolation policy is lazy and an excuse to spend less money.” Ac cording to Burgess, “Last year I tested positive for COVID and was sent to isolate in the hotel
Inside this issue Read all about the BenOpinionsadventuresstudy-abroadofEditorFikhman!11 OPINONS
Sports Editor Doug Cobb shares his thoughts about a controversial MLB
As you walk into the gallery, the words “Impulse and Stillness” sprawled across the wall greet you, below them a piece of interlocking loops across the can vas. If it conjures up images of tiny cells within the body, or a mass of microscopic organisms, then that’s precisely what Co chius was going for. In a statement from her website, Cochius described how she is fascinated by the depiction of natural pro cesses, and by the energies of the world
College updates The Mug’s look
Richard Lu Guest
Abig, bright sign welcomes students back after a long year of renovations to The Mug, the small but mighty space underneath the College Center. The Mug is finally open, but will it become the next big study spot/party spot on campus? Only time can truly tell. The Mug first opened its doors in the fall semester of 1975, according to the Spring 2002, Volume 98, 2nd Issue of Vassar Today, and became successful as sur rounding bars disappeared or changed their names. However, as the years went on, The Mug struggled with the “logs show[ing] that the problems managers encountered span the decades [it was open]: kegs with no pressure, growing banned lists, and sticky floors” according to Vassar Today. On Dec. 1, 1984, New York State changed the legal drinking age to 21, making a student bar in the College Center even harder to main tain. Eventually, Vassar College did not renew its liquor license, and The Mug fell from a go-to weekend spot to a place where infamous Mug Nights, StuMu concerts and Student Theater events were held. Known for being an overcrowded and small space, The Mug got a much needed facelift this past spring. As students make their way down the winding stairs, they are greeted with the sound of soft jazz music and a low roar of chatter from their peers. From the old bartop now backlit and hanging on the wall to the color-changing ceiling, Vassar has truly tried to make The See Mug on page 8
miscellanynews.org September 8, 2022 Volume 158 | Issue 2
for 10 days. My roommate, however, did not test positive. This new policy basically just puts people at greater risk of actually con tracting the virus.”
FoundationsReporter prepares student
In response to student criticism, Vassar College has reinstituted the COVID-19 dashboard, which will be updated with the number of positive student and employee cases every Thursday at noon.
not have masks as we are all seated closely together.”Evenso, students are generally pleased with the decision to bring the dashboard back. “The decision to discontinue the dash board felt premature considering the pan demic is not over,” said Charlie From ‘25. “It may be in its late stages, but nonetheless it’s more deadly and contagious than most com mon illnesses, and depriving students of a
The Miscellany News
See Palmer Gallery on page 5
See COVID on page 3
ing signs of greeting and waved me inside. I felt like I belonged here.
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Graphic courtesy of Sandro Luis Lorenzo ’24.
Leila Raines NIna Ajemian Monika
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. 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. COPYREPORTERS,DESIGNWEBMASTERSVIDEOGRAPHICASSISTANTCOPYDESIGNSOCIALSPORTSASSISTANTHUMORASSISTANTOPINIONSFEATURESARTSNEWSCONTRIBUTINGSENIORMANAGINGEDITOR-IN-CHIEFEDITOREDITOREDITORSEDITORSEDITOREDITOREDITOROPINIONSEDITOREDITORHUMOREDITOREDITORMEDIAEDITOREDITOREDITORSCOPYEDITORARTISTSPRODUCTIONMANAGERSTAFFCOLUMNISTSSTAFF
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“I did pay attention to the dashboard, but not all the time,” said Miller Dauk ‘24. “Most ly around bigger events, holidays, or breaks. I’m glad they brought it back as it’s a useful tool for numerous reasons - especially for our immunocompromised friends.”
without masking.”
When asked about precautions amid the current caseload, they replied, “Most pro fessors had mandated masks for the first two weeks, which I found to be a reasonable request. I noticed that some students with in the first week didn’t adhere to professors’ concerns, and it confused me because not masking in this window after being asked seemed like a lack-of-respect thing. Their choice I suppose. After these two weeks I feel pretty comfortable on campus and in classes
Continued from COVID on page 1 key source of information that was essential to their understanding of the pandemic on campus in earlier semesters was a misstep.
When asked if the current campus case load matched the administration’s expecta tions, she added, “The caseload has been very much in line with what was expected.” Ac cording to the dashboard, as of Sept. 1, there have been 54 student cases since August 16— there had been 14 at the same time last year. However, the first weekly dashboard cycle published on the same day showed only six new cases, indicating a spike followed by a downward trend.
COVID-19 dashboard returns by popular demand
The Miscellany News reached out to the Vice President for Communications, Amani ta Duga-Carroll, for insight into the College’s decision to resurrect the dashboard. “Stu dents suggested that they would feel more comfortable if they had some sense of the number of cases on campus, and this seemed important particularly as we re-entered the fall semester,” she said in an email correspon dence.
I’m glad they brought it back….”
Courtesy of The Miscellany News.
Page 3NEWSSeptember 8, 2022
Tori Kim/The Miscellany News.
Credit cards are not an acceptable form of payment at this event, and all passport fees paid to the U.S. State Department must be paid through checks or money orders, according to Stamp. The same ap plies to fees paid to the Dutchess County Clerk Office, but they will also take cash. The payment details are as follows:
ing and printing the form in advance to save time. The passport application form can be found on the State Department website. Anyone planning on participat ing in the Passport Day event should also prepare to bring documents that can serve as evidence of U.S. citizenship. More in formation on what documents will prove your U.S. citizenship can also be found on the State Department website.
“With thanks to our partner, the Dutchess County Clerk’s Office, offering this event on campus enhances access for the Vassar community members to retrieve a passport, and this supports the overall objectives of the Office of Inter national Programs,” said Assistant Dean for Global Partnerships and International Programs Kerry Stamp. She added, “By fa cilitating meaningful student and faculty engagement in learning opportunities outside the United States, the OIP contrib utes to Vassar’s mission of nurturing in tellectual curiosity, creativity, respectful discourse, and engaged citizenship from a global perspective.”
The price of a passport is $165 with $130 payable to the U.S. State Department, and a separate payment of $35 payable to the Dutchess County Clerk.
For those 16 and older (Under 18 must have a parent present):
The Study Abroad Fair gives students the opportunity to engage with represen tatives from over 20 different frequent ly-used study-abroad program providers through information sessions and pan el discussions for students to ask ques tions. “All persons who need to apply for a new passport are welcome to participate (please note that the Clerk’s Office is un able to process renewals on campus),” Stamp wrote in an email correspondence.
For those younger than 16 (Both par ents must be present):
While clerks will have applications available for all, The Office of Interna tional Programs recommends complet
A passport photo is available for an ex tra $10 fee payable to the Dutchess County Clerk. In the event you need your pass port expedited, please add $78.32 to the check or money order payable to the U.S. State Department for the expedite fee. A more comprehensive list of U.S. passport fees can be found on the State Department website.Withsupport from the Institute for In ternational Education, OIP has received a grant allowing for the distribution of funds for 25 first-year students to receive
Passport-orderingReporter event returns for third year
Additional reporting by Jacques AbouRizk and Will Sorge.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE September 8, 2022NEWSPage 4
Anyone in the Vassar community can come to Room 240 in the College Center for the Passport Day event, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The Study Abroad Fair will be at the same time in the Villard Room. Students, faculty and administra tion will have the opportunity to work through the passport application process with representatives from the Dutchess County Clerk’s Office. Passport Day also allows those in the Vassar community to get passport photos if needed for a travel visa, according to the OIP website.
The price of a passport is $135 with $100 payable to the U.S. State Department, and a separate payment of $35 payable to the Dutchess County Clerk.
Study abroad is considered to be an im portant part of Vassar’s liberal arts curriculum, and the College offers a long list of successful programs for students to take part in. However, the pandemic has diminished the need for overseas-specific IDs, leaving many without a passport. In response to this, the Office of International Programs (OIP) has decided to bring back its passport-ordering event on campus for all students, faculty and administration for a third year, which was last held when stu dents were unable to leave campus during the 2020-21 academic year. The event will be held in concurrence with the annual Study Abroad Fair on the second floor of Main on Friday, Sept. 16.
Photo courtesy of gnokii via Wikimedia Commons.
Emilee Busby Guest
their first passports at no cost. Stamp stated, “We understand that passport fees may pose a serious barrier for students seeking to gain international learning experiences and are excited to announce this new opportunity. This grant is in tended to promote access to and equity in study abroad and encourage students to integrate an international experience into their college education.”
Graphic courtesy of The Office of International Programs.
Palmer Gallery exhibit provides fascinating look at life
So, is Roger Waters actually more import ant than Drake or The Weeknd? While Drake and The Weeknd are unquestionably more popular and influential to a modern audience, the length of Waters’ career and knowledge of global issues magnifies his importance. Af ter attending the “This is Not a Drill” tour, I couldn’t help but feel that behind the powerful songs, solid musicianship, awe-inspiring me dia integration and pure scale of the concert, Waters, for all of his fierce beliefs and anti-au thority rhetoric, is still of a different era. The music industry has been radically democra tized in under a decade, allowing new stars to rise meteorically through media algorithms and access unprecedented amounts of people, with the boon of having the political fire and contemporary knowledge of youth. While Waters, Drake and The Weeknd are among the most eminent forces in the music indus try, Waters’ cultural importance has parabo lized downward with time, while his younger competitors are following a linear ascent into superstardom.
at Vassar are particularly attuned to the impact that we have historically had on the planet, and Cochius’ work encourages thinking along a similar vein. The mass of abstract, thoughtful work preaches a kind of universality, of a shared chaos and confusion among the inhabitants of this planet. The process that inspired one drawing could apply to any number of other pieces, places or beings.
Some may say that Waters’ performance is a sonic retread of the same sounds he made decades ago. His lead guitarist seemed like a substitute for young David Gilmour, com plete with shaggy brown hair and the same Muddy Waters-inspired guitar tinge. Typi cally, repeating the same sounds that made you famous in your youth doesn’t make you seem important. Granted, this same argu ment could be leveled at both Drake and The Weeknd; from “Take Care” to “Scorpion,” Drake has reiterated the same Afro-Carib bean dancehall motif, and The Weeknd’s themes of excess, addiction and burnout paired with synthwave production have yet to cease in his new output. Waters also devot ed an extended section of the concert to Pink Floyd’s 1975 album “Wish You Were Here” where he recounted at length anecdotes from his time with Syd Barett, an early member of
It is hard to understate the power of mul
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
or perhaps a series of electrical circuits? Containing a mix of drawings as well as sculptures, this openness and thematic malleability stood out in this collection of pieces.Additionally, the exhibition’s themes and takeaways are a perfect complement to the values and staples of life here at Vassar. On a basic level, one of the most appealing aspects of campus is the abun
The image of a rainbow refracted into pure light by a triangular prism is iconic and inescapable, printed on endless t-shirts, postered on college dorm walls and notably printed on the record cover of Pink Floyd’s 1973 album “Dark Side of the Moon.” This album has been hailed as one of the greatest ever by NME, Rolling Stone and score aggre gator Acclaimed Music. Arguably the concep tual genius behind that album, vocalist Roger Waters is one of Pink Floyd’s founding mem bers, moving on to a solo career after leaving the band in 1984. Waters is also known for his leftist political views and protest art, and has taken stances on international affairs such as the Israel/Palestine conflict as well as the Rus sian invasion of Ukraine and Chinese annex ation of Taiwan.
Jesse Koblin Guest Columnist ARTS
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as a whole, Cochius told me, “My work is about energy, and a respect for it, recog nizing it as a life force and seeing if I can hold some of it in my work.” Suffice to say, Vassar’s Palmer Gallery is the perfect spot in the soil for an exhibition whose mes sage, and visitors alike, share in an equal ly appreciated wider community of life.
Speaking on the exhibition and her art
dance of green spaces and emphasis on cohabitation with nature. Cochius’ won der with the intrinsic energy of organ isms echoes this reverence for the outside world. It’s the same wonder that draws students to the quad when it’s sunny out, or to the Shakespeare Garden when a band is performing. Furthermore, gallery visi tors are encouraged to consider the essen tial question of what impacts the outside world has on us, and vice versa. Students
Yet, in a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Waters started a comparatively petty beef, claiming that he is “far, far more important” than fellow musicians Drake and The Week nd. Music enthusiasts exploded into internet crusades following the interview’s publica tion; dissenters claimed Roger Waters is a rel ic of a past musical generation and hypocrite gatekeeping younger and more popular mu sicians, while those defending Waters’ legacy maintained that his impressive six-decade career and political importance has yet to be matched by contemporary acts. As a fan of all three artists, I did the only logical thing I could do, of course: I attended a Roger Waters concert to see if his claim holds water. (Pun intended).Themost remarkable thing about Roger Waters’ shows is the resemblance to perfor mance art. The dystopia of “The Wall” (both a 1979 Pink Floyd album and 1982 movie) remains at the heart of Waters’ stage show and his visual concept. At times, the band marched on stage dressed in Gestapo uni form, banners unfurled from the ceiling ,and automated sheep and pigs floated above the audience’s heads, all while the music played on. The most impressive achievement was the use of audiovisual displays, thrown upon huge screens across the arena that synced with the songs. During “Comfortably Numb,” the show-opener, the screens projected a ru ined city bathed in smog and darkness, with its computer-simulated residents in rapture toward a monolithic building inhabited by oligarchic late-stage-capitalist elites. Immedi ately afterward, “The Powers That Be,” a rous ing political indictment, played alongside images of riot-geared soldiers beating safety dummies with batons. “Us and Them,” per haps lending the most gutting imagery in the show, flashed images of protestors, refugees, starving children in wreckage and survivors of war, all compiled into an evolving tapestry of forlorn faces across the world, a demon stration that embedded in all inhuman con flict is a core human resilience.
The audience’s reception of Waters indi cated perhaps the most damning evidence of his diminishing importance. Despite his best efforts to remain on the political cutting edge as an old-generation standard bearer for progressive views, the Philly audience did not seem to be in sync with Water’s avowed pol itics. Despite raucous applause at messages imploring audiences to support trans rights, dismantle the patriarchy, and support Black lives, many people sitting next to me were grumbling uncomfortably and pointedly not cheering. When a display came up ad monishing a list of modern U.S. presidents as war criminals, mentioning Ronald Reagan’s funded genocide of Guatemalans, a man next to me yelled, “He didn’t kill any of us!” The same man screamed “God Bless America!” when Donald Trump was shown a few slides later. None of this is Water’s fault—he cannot control who his listeners are, but their dis positions are conversely all-powerful in dic tating his cultural strata. Meanwhile, Drake and The Weeknd push new ground with their listener base; both are Black men who sing
about loneliness, substance abuse and mental health, dismantling both racial and gendered barriers on emotional intimacy in the rap industry. It also helps that they cover their romantic relationships, a significant aspect of social existence that seems to be outside Waters’ artistic focus. Perhaps due to age or relevance, Waters seems to be screaming into the void, while contemporary acts like Drake and The Weeknd use their titanic platforms to effect significant sociological change.
Is Roger Waters more important than Drake and The Weeknd?
timedia accompaniment that was not only spectacular on its own, but gut-wrenching when paired with Pink Floyd’s music. The audio and visuals of the concert make dis agreeing with Waters’ pompous assertion frustratingly difficult—not only is his political messaging important, but the level of visual innovation raised the bar. But music doesn’t only have to be politically prescient to be im portant; art that is made purely for enjoyment is just as valid, as the betterment of people is achieved both through political activism and therapeutic musical power. In this perspec tive, Drake and The Weeknd trounce Waters in importance based on popularity alone.
Pink Floyd and seminal rock experimentalist who left the band due to bipolar disorder and drug abuse. While it was a touching story, and Waters’ performance of the album’s title track was perhaps the peak of the evening, I couldn’t help but feel Waters was attempting to associate himself with an innovative and storied musician whose unfortunate mental issues were mythologized by the “tortured artist” trope.
“Impulse and Stillness” will remain in the Palmer Gallery until Sept.16, featur ing a closing reception that evening.
Photo courtesy of Jesse Koblin ’25.
September 8, 2022
Continued from Burglaries on page 1
Photo courtesy of Sophie Wood ‘23.
After a few decades, however, films de veloped immensely as an artform. They began to create fiction, telling stories and
Video games are an artform, one that is well-established and incredibly di verse. This perspective is a given for many familiar with the medium, but others may find it surprising. They may think of the ti tans of the industry: “Call of Duty,” “Super Mario,” “The Legend of Zelda,”maybe “Fi nal Fantasy” or a simple arcade classic like “Pac-Man.” These franchises, and others of similar fame, are reasonably represen tative of the modern video game industry. Some are very “schlocky” and action-fo cused, while others are simply fun, like “Tetris” or any of the other classics your parents played as kids.
So, if games have such high artistic po tential, why do people seem to hardly con sider the medium as an artform? Well, some may refuse to view video games as such due to a lack of experience and, some times, an over-tuned tendency to catego rize them into the strictly play-oriented tropes of early games. This would create a
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the public and games’ creators took a while to even consider making art out of these silly electronic toys. It’s hard to pinpoint when art started to become a goal for game developers, but the predominant view be fore that turning point is brilliantly sum marized in a quote from John Carmack, one of the creators of the ‘90s smash hit “DOOM,”: “Story in a game is like a story in a porn movie. It’s expected to be there, but it’s not that important.” This is synecdoche for the state of games in the ‘90s. Story was an excuse for play, and it takes no leap of logic to see how developers with that phi losophy would care little for anything but the basic fun.
again, the few people I’ve dis cussed this with have mostly been in favor of the artistic merit of games, and even a non-gamer I spoke with was quite enthu siastic about the medium, having gained experienced second-hand through let’splays on YouTube. My tentative conclusion is that most younger people tend to accept games’ potential to be art if not its whole actualization, while almost every gamer knows video games can be great art and probably has a favorite “art game” of their own.Before ending, I must confess that this is not the article I initially planned to write. I actually wanted to write a short video game analysic but I hardly got off the ground be fore realizing that some readers may be sur prised to see an article discussing a game as art. But maybe not. Perhaps people by now in 2022, so far removed from the simplicity of games’ philosophy in the ‘90s, and espe cially young people as I said, are far more open minded about something like this. After all, the prospect of a whole new art form should sound wonderfully exciting! Why be snobbish and exclusionary?
Video games are art, and I’m not sure if that’s still controversial
The medium of film is a great touchstone to model how games are coming into form. Film, too, took a long time to be accepted as an art form. The moving picture began as a novel and cheap form of entertainment, something without narrative, whose main attraction was the amusing effect of view ing a photograph in motion.
This compares to video games in the late ’80s and ’90s, when they began to rapidly grow in popularity. Just as film began as a novelty, video games were captivating con sumers as a new form of flashy entertain ment. till, the act of play alone was the soul goal of early video games, as touched upon by the Carmack quote above. And, just as with the Lumière brothers’ “L’Arrivée d’un train en gare de La Ciotat,” or, “Train Pull ing into a Station,” “Game Card Number 3” on the Magnavox Odyssey (the first ever at-home game console) had no artistic as pirations. One was an amusing showcase of motion, the other an amusing new evo lution of play.
While these simpler, perhaps less ar tistically distinct, games can still qualify as art under certain lenses, these figure heads of the medium understandably give an impression of simplicity and frivolity. This conception tends towards a perspec tive of games as a sort of toy, an image consistent with the usual vocabulary of games: Games are “played,” whereas more traditional forms of art are “experienced” or “admired,” as with film and visual art (these terms are used for games, too, but only by critics who already look at them as art). Play is traditionally associated with childhood, with immaturity, which, while not bad things themselves, are considered distinct from the realm of art, which is de cidedly not frivolous, but important and impactful. When one thinks of “high art,” they imagine maturity, an image that can appear incompatible with video games as objects of “play.” While this often-snob bish perspective has weakened over time, its residual effect has certainly stunted the association of video games as art, as both
Justyn Cooke Guest Columnist ARTS
developing their own artistic language— cinematography—to communicate ideas in ways no previous artform could. Video games are now developing in a similar way. For one, they have already been telling sto ries for decades. First, they were simple tales, often of adventure, as with the first “Super Mario Bros.” Later, they became more complex, telling stories as deep as many respected films and often employ ing the pre-existing, already understood language of cinema-narrative. But most importantly, they began to take advantage of the interactivity intrinsic to the medium in service of art, forming their own artistic language.Oneof the most basic uses of this new language is as a vehicle for empathy. For example, the 2013 game “The Last of Us” has the player control the main character, Joel, placing them in desperate combat situations that experientially relate the ne cessity of violence in the game’s post-apoc alyptic setting. First-hand experience is the shortest path to empathy, so putting the player behind many of Joel’s actions makes those actions feel like the player’s, creating a unique relationship between the audience and the artwork that a film or book would have a hard time accomplishing (and “The Last of Us” is a relatively basic example of artistic interactivity). I somehow doubt the upcoming HBO Max adaptation of the game will make me feel like Joel rather than an onlooker.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
September 8, 2022
simplistic view of games as no more than the novelty they were in their early form. Another problem may be that most games today still put play before every thing else. The best video game developers usually design their games’ interactivity to help communicate the game’s artistic goals; however, especially in the big-bud get space, art is often the last consideration game developers seem to have. I need to keep emphasizing the nuance of this topic because many of the best big-budget games (often called triple-A, think of it as gam ing’s Hollywood level) are highly artistic and well renowned for their artistry. It’s just that most of the big titles in the in dustry—“Fortnite,” “Call of Duty,” “Super Mario,” “Grand Theft Auto,” or “The Elder Scrolls”—are sold and enjoyed predomi nantly as a way to kill time and have fun. They’re like the “Transformers” and MCU’s of the gaming industry. Now, even these can have some artistic merit or untapped potential within them and can thus act as gateways for some gamers to discover even richer works of art in the medium, but it is hard to deny their superficial appearance. I think these games, which are the face of the medium, hurt the reputation of video games as a whole in the artistic communi ty. They’re like Michael Bay films: audienc es don’t go to Michael Bay to think; they go to have fun. And that’s okay—I don’t want to imply these games’ existence is a bad thing. The harm they do to the medium’s artistic reputation is merely an unfortu nateHavingside-effect.saidall that, I’m actually not sure whether the question “Are video games an artform?” is still controversial. It seems to me that most gamers today do accept video games as art, even if they only consider a few “artsy” games as such (“Journey” and “The Last of Us” are common touchstones for that). The issue’s lack of discussion out side the community could, in itself, be an indication that most people don’t see the medium as art; however, that isn’t a leap I feel safe taking, as I don’t believe an ap parent lack of a consensus means there is a silent one. If it’s not discussed, the question is dead, so there’s no room for controversy to begin with. The absence of any discus sion of games in The Miscellany News’ Arts section (over the past two years at least) seems to indicate some interest for games as art among Vassar students, even as video games hold a firm presence in a lot of social clubs.Then
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FEATURES
The new student orientation that fol lowed changed the entire dynamic of Foundations. Instead of only being around 50 people, I was surrounded by hundreds of other new first years. Foundations stu dents were divided into different Stufel groups and I was separated from my new friends. I began seeing everyone less and less, and the effects of Foundations week started to wear off. The community that existed began to fade.
of the best adventures of my young life. I took part in Foundations week, a pre-ori entation program bringing together first-generation, low-income, and/or un documented students to foster early com munity ties and support systems. Thank you Michelle Quock and the Transitions staff for making it all possible.
Continued
Kai FeaturesSpeirsEditor
By the time I walk through the door I’m raving, this craving for hand-pulled noodle soup, hidden in my consciousness until now, has blossomed, or perhaps exploded. I sprint across the street, with no regard for my life or safety, and swung open the door to heaven on earth. The place is tiny, narrower than a Cushing double, with at least 10 customers crammed on tiny plastic stools, slurping up soup. No one even no ticed me enter because everyone was face down in the broth making love to steamy bowls of noodles. I ordered in Mandarin and stood in the corner jealously watch ing other patrons eat. Entire families were having lunch, but no one was talking— just slurp, slurp, cough. The kitchen was a frenzy; six cooks at least were packing into what looked like a small sauna of heat and steam, all yelling, frying, tossing noodles, even smoking. In a place like this it doesn’t really matter what you order. The aro ma of everything cooking wafts into your
Photo courtesy of Richard Lu ’26.
But, as the saying goes: once a family, always a family. Many Foundations stu dents continue to keep in contact. Transi tions is also currently hosting Supporting Possibilities & Opportunities to Thrive (SPOT), a bi-weekly event where Transi tions students gather to discuss their expe riences. As for me, I see familiar faces ev ery day and give greetings whenever I get the chance. It’s more difficult now to stay connected, but it’s still definitely possible.
Foundations week was filled to the brim with both wonderful highs and horri ble lows. I started friendships that I hope will blossom over the next few years and perhaps even over a lifetime. I also expe rienced being away from my friends and family for an extended period of time, which had almost never happened before. The transition to college has been a dou ble-edged sword, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
Everyone who has adventured for good food knows that part of the magic lies in that triumphant search for a place to eat and the eventual leap-of-faith-like risk one must take in order to cross the door frame and give oneself up to the cook whom you may never even see. While this leap of faith may seem daunting to some, there are many clues to look out for that can reveal a good restaurant from the outside. One particular day I wanted Chinese food, and I wasn’t going to go anywhere but China town (well, if you have time, go to Flush ing—it’s the best). I wanted something cheap, no frills, and most importantly, I
Now this is just one story, hungry read er. I have many more! But so you don’t sulk to the Deece, I’ll stop here and leave you with this: You’re only a two and a half hour train ride, plus a subway ride, plus a short walk away from SUPER TASTE on Eldridge street, and if you somehow make it there you can be guaranteed to experience at least half the joy I have.
On the night of Aug 15, 2022, Founda tions students played Where The Wind Blows, an offbeat and exciting game of musical chairs where you get to learn about others. We got comfortable with one another and acted like giddy eightyear-olds in the process. That week, there was also a road trip to Storm King Art Cen ter where we admired the artistic beauty of different sculptures (and drowned in sweat). We also went bowling at Spins Bowl Poughkeepsie and cooking at Molé Molé, and bonded over the lighthearted fun of both activities. The most memora ble event by far was Standing on Shoulders of Giants. We sat in an oval formation and took turns sharing our darkest memo ries, allowing ourselves to be vulnerable
“Their smiles beamed as bright as the sun on that warm August morning. They were holding signs of greeting and waved me inside. I felt like I belonged here.”
Editor reccommends the best of Manhattan’s Chinatown
ty and nothing remained of the crime but the soupy evidence of the murder stained on my shirt. I also ordered dumplings but figured I should eat them at home because, after all, one should not commit the same crime in the same location twice.
Picture this: Sometime this semester, you find yourself on a day trip to New York City. Before you know it, it’s lunch time and you’re hungry. Now tread care fully, you may only have one meal, one opportunity to eat food you will not find in the Deece. It’s make or break and this meal, whether you like it or not, will de termine the quality of your day trip, so it better be good. Suddenly, the sheer mul titude of different food options you have overwhelms you. You panic. You’re indeci sive. You crave the simplicity of the Deece where the limited options feel so lovingly painless. Your wallet wails at the prices of food in Japanese restaurants in the East Village. But if you’re at least half-sane you know not to walk into the very first place you find, blind as a bat. You just need a little guidance, a keen eye, inspiration, even. Well, let me tell you about one of my lunches in Manhattan; perhaps you’ll find it so mouth-watering that you may even try to retrace my steps…
Photo courtesy of chensiyuan via Wikimedia commons.
from Foundations on page 1
wanted it to taste good. So I looked out for three things: signage in Chinese first, then English; a poorly translated or comically bad English name for the restaurant; and lastly, the dirtyest awning known to man. Well, I struck gold, right there on Eldrige street, at a place called “SUPER TASTE,” with the letters printed all uppercase on a pumpkin orange awning with Chinese characters above the English words. Now don’t get me wrong, half the restaurants in Chinatown score three for three on the clues I layed out, but this place advertised hand-pulled beef noodle soup and I have loved that dish for all of my life. I lived the first year of my life in Manhattan China town, and I like to think that beef noodle soup was the first step in my ascension from baby food.
food which is probably tended to by every chef at least once as they dance around the kitchen, playing the chef’s version of mu sicalWhenchairs.Ifinally get my food after a pain ful 5 minutes, I’m out the door as quick as I came. I’m looking for a spot to sit down and devour my meal. I chose a small park just a couple blocks away. My lunch bud dies today are two groups of old Chinese men, all infinitely more interested in their card games than in me. Now to describe the eating process would be gruesome, perhaps a little bit classless and wholly tortuous to any presently hungry readers. But I will say that after five minutes the bowl was emp
in sharing these personal stories. All eyes were turned towards the speaker and the room was dead silent. I didn’t speak, but I sympathized with all the stories told. Tears were shed, embraces were given and awkward laughs were let out. That night we were a family.
September 8, 2022
Foundations laid the foundation for me
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Continued from Mug on page 1 Mug “The Next Big Thing” on campus, and it might be just that. The Mug is now home to a cushy booth in the corner, chairs and tables set up for studying, a new DJ station and a stage area. It’s also very conveniently located, especially for the student on-thego who only has time to grab a quick bite, sit for a minute and then rush off to their nextTheclass.Mug is perfectly set up to be the new go-to seating area during the busy lunch rush after 11:45 a.m. classes let out. Now with the vibe of a jazzy study space by day, and an event space by night, The Mug is a great place to escape from the hoards of people scrambling to grab a table outside of Retreat and Express, and it comes with some additional perks.
Maryam Bacchus/The Miscellany
The Mug has finally reached its glow-up era
Saving the best for last, The Mug bath room has also been upgraded, and no lon ger feels like a scary clown could be lurking behind the toilet. Granted, it may give off airport bathroom vibes, but it’s a cute air port, and it certainly feels more sanitary thanWithbefore.allthe work that’s been done on The Mug, I am confident that it is going to become the talk of the town.
It is seldom that a book draws me into a story so thoroughly that I feel completely renewed in my love for literature and the art of language itself. “Stoner” is one of the most emotionally impactful novels I have ever read. Williams’ plainspoken, icy style flawlessly elevates the story’s subdued dev astation, moving through the narrative in a smooth manner that is highly impactful without clichés or sentimentality. In or der to understand what makes “Stoner” a uniquely powerful literary work, I wish to center my attention on the novel’s exalta tion of literature itself and a core duality within the novel: the protagonist’s display of passion in work and love, according to an essay in The New York Times
Williams’ ability to describe distinctive, complex feelings with remarkable clar ity, reinforcing our own passion for the written word. Having fallen in love with literature, Stoner quickly drops his agron omy courses and explores English instead. Stoner continues his study in graduate school, staying behind for his doctorate while many of his colleagues sign up for WW1. This begins a common thread throughout the story in which Stoner struggles with the positionality of being a scholar, often utilizing literature to cope with private life.
In addition to the jazz café vibes The Mug provides in the day, it also provides a stel lar party vibe for all of the Mug Nights and concerts it’s sure to host within its walls.
John Williams explores literature and passion in novel ‘Stoner’
News. September 8, 2022
FEATURES
At a faculty party, Stoner meets a wom an named Edith, quickly falling in love with the idea of her. They agree to speak privately, experiencing their first period of extended time alone with one another. Edith reveals more about herself during this hour and a half than she does for the rest of her life, acutely prompting Ston er to seek marriage. We as readers are similarly appreciative of Edith’s first im pressions, described by Williams in a del icately unique manner that emphasizes the overwhelming sway felt with a small spark of love. From the start of their rela tionship it is clear that whatever connec tion had been previously experienced is now absent, a feeling of loss that reverber ates within us. Stoner instead directs his care in raising his daughter Grace, gaining newfound vigor for his life and work. No longer using literature to cope with unsat isfactory private life, Stoner feels a sense of renewed ability for a short period of time. The reader is reminded of literature’s pow er through literature (i.e. the novel) itself, and in reading “Stoner,” we begin to share Stoner’s reignited belief in life through our own Despitereading.re-experiencing the initial pas sion he held for English, Stoner’s private life begins to complicate his work. Edith
Allen Hale Guest Columnist
by a declining health, seemingly onset by the state of his passions.
systematically drives Stoner and Grace away from one another. Stoner seeks out romantic love and begins an affair with a younger instructor, Katherine Driscoll. Edith becomes aware yet is unbothered. However, trouble confronts Stoner’s ca reer. In one of Stoner’s classes, a protegee of department head Hollis Lomax named Charles Walker is clearly unfit to pass the course. Stoner believes his behavior is threatening to the sanctity, rigor and es sence of literary study which he strongly values; this feeling is mutual with us as readers. Seeing himself within the stu dent, Lomax exacts revenge through de partmental power for the rest of Stoner’s career, preventing promotion which Ston er would have otherwise earned. Lomax also becomes aware of the affair between Driscoll and Stoner, putting pressure on Driscoll as she tries to complete work within the department, attempting to sab otage each of their careers.
With the end of his life marked by trag edy and despair, Stoner contemplates his failures on his deathbed. Did he put enough work into his marriage? Did he succeed as a professor? In a moment of reflection, he watches a group of students pass by while holding a copy of the only book he published. As the sole product of Stoner’s academic ardor slips from his hand, he dies, leaving us to assess his life. Is Stoner to blame for the circumstanc es others have put him through? Could various moments of action and inaction have changed the solemn, isolated fate of his life and work? Is he a martyr? We are positioned to emphasize with Stoner’s life, for we too possess some degree of his pas sion for literature by engaging with the novel on our own time. “Stoner” embodies a book about loving books, the only form of love which endures throughout Stoner’s existence. In centering the story around Stoner’s passion for others and literature, the novel imparts a sense of the profound power of language, both in determining the course of Stoner’s life as well as his fictional suffering’s impact on us as read ers. We finish the novel reminded of our own passions, devastating for anyone that shares Stoner’s academic desire and belief in the written word.
The novel—first published in 1965—has since gone through a modern reappraisal, stated The Irish Times, that has been noted by various critics, authors, and publica tions. The introduction by John McGa hern describes “Stoner” as a “novel about work”, a central theme which emerges early in the book’s storyline. William Stoner is born into a poor farming family towards the end of the 19th century, sent off to the University of Missouri to study agriculture. While completing a required English course, Stoner becomes enamored with the study of literature. This begins with a moment of revelation in which he is pressed by Professor Sloane on the meaning of a Shakespeare sonnet. Stoner is unable to answer but, while thinking, becomes acutely aware of the physical and mental sensations that surround and compose himself. He holds onto a feeling of both distance and closeness with oth ers on campus, past grayness seemingly lifted from his life. His own love for liter ature extends to ourselves; we feel awed by
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In the daytime, The Mug is set to serve as the new home to The Vassar Brew Coffee Bar, the beloved student-run coffee shop that came to fruition in the spring of 2021. On Wednesdays and Fridays, The Mug will also be the home to a Twisted Soul popup that will serve cupcakes and boba tea. Bringing these two businesses into the space is sure to amplify The Mug’s popu larity as students have continued to crave and request high quality coffee and re freshments. Even after the coffee change in Gordon Commons, there’s simply nothing like an iced chai latte brewed fresh in front of you by a friendly Vassar barista.
With the chairs and tables moved to the storage area, The Mug becomes a dance floor, and, bonus, as mentioned before, the ceiling changes color. LED blues, greens and reds can be projected onto the dance floor with the switch of the color changing ceiling, helping The Mug shift from chill hang space to club real quick. With the right music and decorations, Mug Nights may be all the rage this college season.
In a harrowing final goodbye, Driscoll and Stoner mutually agree to part ways de spite sharing intense passion. Their choice is driven by a shared concern for their ca reers, seeking to avoid derailing their jobs. Literature related work is valued above love itself by each party, as there is still some solace to be found in a career that is based upon their passions. Even though Stoner saves the job he cares deeply for, life once again becomes mundane as he has again been denied the ability to carry out personal passion for another human. We see a key parallel between the end of the af fair and the academic limitations caused by Lomax’s interference, preventing Stoner from fully exercising his passion in either area of life. Literature had been previously suitable for coping with his marriage, yet even that pursuit has become entangled in personal drama. The essential dissatisfac tion Stoner feels on both fronts is followed
“The reader is reminded of literature’s power through literature (i.e. the novel) itself...”
Maryam Bacchus/The Miscellany News.
~ Anna Kozloski
Page 9
The SoCos are Vassar’s forgotten trea sure. Where else on this campus will you get a front porch? I think you all are graced
4. Ferry
EGGS
Feeling nervous or anxious or otherwise terrible about classes starting? No, you aren’t. Look at the trees!
Breaking News
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
3. Town Houses
What if Ferry House doesn’t even exist at all, but rather is a collective hallucination that manifests itself in mirages of campus accessibility and a weirdly rude application
1. Terrace Apartments
Madi Donat Back for Round Two
with a house that truly feels like a home. Hell, you even get a linen closet. Every time I pass by those houses I am reminded of a true neighborhood, except instead of being populated by new mothers with their strollers, it’s populated by students who foolishly thought that their two (2) week ly trips to Skinner Hall for their ensemble rehearsals justified the neverending trek to the Deece. I cannot stress enough how far away these houses are. Are you a Stu dio Art major? No? Then I don’t care how huge your kitchen is; if you don’t have a car it will feel like you are living on a deserted island. I wish all of my SoCo buddies love, joy and above all, stamina.
The soon-to-be-scrambled raw eggs Ran off on their newly grown legs.
From the desk of Madi Donat, Humor Editor
Photo courtesy of Jean Gonzalez ’23.
Ranking the non-dorm houses: You thought you were safe!
It seems we have once again reached that time where I must impart my expert, unbiased, completely correct opinion onto you all. It has occurred to me in the weeks since my dorm rankings article (behind which I still stand, as I have no doubt you will agree) that there are yet more houses we must rank! What about those of us, myself included, who can no longer say we grace the halls of Vassar’s nine (seven) beautiful dorms with our presence? What of us who can relish in our kitchen-hav ing, private-bathroom lives? I know that sequels are rarely as good as the original, but I hope I can give you an “Empire Strikes Back,” or a “Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again!” of a rankings list. Once again, I must disclaim that all of these houses are wonderful places to live, and I would con sider any resident incredibly lucky. No ex ceptions. Mostly.
As a current TA resident myself, I must admit: The life we live is pretty sweet. We get a beautiful kitchen, a selection of the most beautiful laminate flooring (or car pet, depending how lucky you are) and enough stairs to work your calves to shred ded beacons of fitness. Who cares that it currently averages around 97° Fahrenheit in there, and that when the oven’s on it’s more like 97° Celsius? We get two of the stickiest couches you’ve ever laid eyes on and big enough windows to give EVERY ONE on the street a show. The five-persons seem nice, but they do scare me a little bit because every five-person TA I’ve been in feels a little bit like a hospital, with its tiled floors and grippy steps. In all seriousness, though, I love my apartment and wouldn’t have it any other way. Okay, maybe I would have it one other way, and that way is five degrees cooler. That’s all I ask. I fear I may soon become Madi Soup.
of what I do not know. How can you be in a house so convenient, so literally trans parent, and yet I have heard nothing of the goings-on in those four glass walls? What secrets of Ferry House are being kept from us? Is there a secret meat stash you are all ashamed of? Do you not actually recycle?
2. SoCos
Another far walk for ye. You do get a view along that path, I’ll give you that, but there is simply something about the THs that gives me a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe I’m just not used to being in such close proximity to gaggles upon gaggles of sports bros—would it be fair to call the THs the equivalent of our frat row? At least there are no life-endangering rituals going on there in the name of belonging, but hey; you never can tell. The THs may have us TA-ers beat in terms of yardage and bath room quantity, but they are dinged simply by the vibes. I wish I could give you a better reason, but I honestly don’t think I can. It’s just like, the TAs are cats and the THs are dogs. That’s all I can really say. I’m glad you got that crosswalk so you don’t get hit by any more cars, though.
September 8, 2022
This is simply based on principle. Fer ry is an enigma to me; it is a mystery. But instead of a sexy mystery, it’s one of those mysteries that you can see right through. Literally, right through. You guys have NO PRIVACY. How do you change? How do you survive the Quadrangle concerts? I’ve met very few Ferry-ites out in the wild, and it always feels like I’m meeting a celeb rity. The kitchen seems cool. I guess. I just don’t think I can condone the severe lack of personal space or the weird chalkboard tiles. And, let’s face it, I am put off by fear
form?Iguess we’ll never know.
HUMOR
What’s a talent you wish you had? I wish I could play the banjo, or sculpt, or stop think ing all my friends hate me. But everyone’s dif ferent. Cultivate your wishes and you’ll never know where life will lead you. Manifesting is important, but it can only get you so far. Like, it probably couldn’t help with the sculpting.
This whiplash weather is very tough for my already fragile state. I wish at least one thing in my life was consistent, and it doesn’t seem like that one thing is the temperature. At least it’s more exciting—and we can all learn something about ourselves, like just how much sweat a human can physically produce in a day.
This has been the week of forgetting things. I have been losing and re-finding very important objects at an alarming rate. Perhaps this is the Universe trying to tell us that there is more to life than headphones and doctor’s appointments. For example, life also contains periods of great anxiety brought on by forgetting headphones and doctor’s appointments.
SAGITTARIUS November 22 | December 21
May 20
Sheeran song, but you can’t quite place the title. The lyrics sound so personal you con sider ending your shower prematurely and leaving. Is this person okay? One second your shower neighbor is feeling the highs of “Cotton- Eyed Joe” andbut the next, they’re stewing over a failed relationship with a high school sweetheart. But you do not hear the end of Sheeran’s lament.
It’s often not until you don’t have something that you realize how much you miss it. (It’s just like that Joni Mitchell song.) But we can’t live life paralyzed by grief and regret; we have to move forward, too. Familiarize yourself with the five stages of grief and practice them for when times get hard. Or don’t, actually; that sounds miserable.
September 8, 2022
Page 10 The
Nicholas Tillinghast/The Miscellany News.
At the very least, you’re made someone else’s shower experience marginally better, but you have made yours exponentially worse. You’ve realized it may simply be im possible to stop someone else’s bad shower playlist.
GEMINI May 21 |
NicholasTear-FreeTillinghast
This week, everything feels like the hardest thing ever, even if it’s a thing you’ve done before, like answering emails or waking up. Soothe your self through this uncharacteristic stagnation with comfort—cook your favorite foods, watch your fa vorite shows, curl up into a ball and climb into a cave and sleep until springtime…
But then you hear a soft guitar play from that crackly phone speaker. It’s an Ed
Energy runs high this week. You may feel an urge to run, jump, hide, fight. Not for any particular reason, just to get some blood flow ing. Take a look at old-timey crimes to get some adrenaline in your blood, like swindling a farmer out of livestock or taking time out of a Friday night to attend the Devil’s Sacrament.
Madi Donat Astral Projector
VIRGO August 23 September| 22
Emotions run high, but logic runs higher. Instead of trying to pick apart your feelings or self-pathologize (classic goat behavior), consider some healthy self-reflection: Why did that make me feel that way? What can I do to feel better? Who is that? Is that the Misc Humor Editor? Why is she in my room? Etc.
You breathe a sigh of relief. You’re show ering in peace once again. And then you hear loud sniffling and a creaky voice. “You said that because you wanted to hurt me.” It was true. That was exactly what you want ed to do. You backtrack immediately.
HOROSCOPES
TAURUS April 20 |
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
cry in the bathroom tonight but here you are. “Play whatever you want. It’s not a big deal.”
LEO July 23 August|22
June 20
Reentering an old routine can seem weird and off-putting, so maybe you should try to keep up other routines in your life. Brush your teeth at the same time each night, for example, or schedule your nightly freakout about the future for a tight, five-minute window instead of letting it overtake you at random. Hope this helps.
CAPRICORN December 22 | January 19
SCORPIO October 23 | November 21
“THIS MUSIC SUCKS!” Your anger echoes off the bathroom walls.
Sometimes, we just want to have all of the things that we want and don’t want to have any of the things that we don’t want, and it sucks because we can’t get it. But this is a week of unabashed selfish ness and hedonism. Give into your deepest desires at the extent of others’ well-being! Who cares? Well, okay, a lot of people do.
AQUARIUS January 20 | February 18
wick & Friends’ timeless and sensitive sin gle, “That’s What Friends Are For.”
ARIES
LIBRA September 23 | October 22
PISCES February 19 | March 20
July 22
April 19
Vassar professors love to talk about the impor tance of space and place. And they’re right—the space you’re in is very impactful to your mental health. For example, being in a room with one tiny window makes you feel like you’re in a Me dieval dungeon. Make the most of it though, I guess—start seeing visions and writing hymns.
You enter the bathroom at 1:13 a.m. on a Tuesday night (Wednesday morn ing?). You’d rather not be up at such a late time this early in the week, but at least the bathroom is empty and you have the show ers to yourself. You enter the farthest show er cubicle from the door and get to work.
New beginnings are always hard. Sometimes you just need to listen to some weird music to clean out your brain. Put on some beeps and boops by a German guy from the ’60s and feel everything leave your mind. It washes you out like an exfoliator. We are not liable for any damages caused by this.
HUMOR perils of showering to someone’s bad music are too real
“It’s okay. I understand. Hey Siri, play ‘Who Let the Dogs Out.’” You have failed. This isn’t what you wanted at all. In a perfect world, you would be listening to nothing but the sounds of shower water, with the exception of maybe Dionne War
June 21 |
March 21 |
Our grasp on reality can seem faint right now. Not to worry, though; some of the best times of your life are in this fun state of “Rats! I forgot I’m a real person.” To ground yourself, find one thing you can see, one thing you can hear and one thing you can say to your profes sor about why you won’t be in class tomorrow.
You set your things down and turn on the faucet. The bathroom door swings open and the curtain of the shower next to yours is yanked closed. Suddenly you hear a tenor voice with a southern twang com ing out of a muddled phone speaker. Even as the water droplets rain down upon you, you know it’s Rednex’s 1995 hit song “Cot ton-EyedWhileWell,Joe.” you could say “CEJ” has un deniable party value, in the confines of a bathing facility, it offers very little. As the song plays you almost think you can hear light, wet clapping from the adjacent shower. After three minutes and thirteen seconds, the song completes. You nev er learn where Joe came from or where he went. And then it’s just the sounds of shower water once again.
The “Star Wars” theme pauses. The neighboring shower stream stops.
CANCER
Suddenly a blare of horns hits you. It’s so loud you slip a little on the tile. Is that the “Star Wars” theme? In a dorm bathroom shower? At 1:21 a.m.? What is going on? Did someone add lyrics to it? Is that har monica? The phone speaker is working as hard as it possibly can. You’ve had enough.
“It’s not that bad. It’s just a little bad.” You wait. You don’t get a response. You start to feel guilty. “It’s actually perfectly fine music. I’m sorry, okay?” You hear another sniffle. You didn’t plan on making anybody
about his career in politics, life journey and mastery of many languages was a privilege. Being able to call him by his first name, bike side-by-side with him on several occasions, share a texting basis of communication and drink beer during our class trip in Belgium while maintaining an effective teacher-stu dent relationship in every class was some thing I would have never expected prior to study abroad semester.
eas, the magnificent cherry blossom season, the wide cobblestone shopping streets, the dreaminess of Nyhavn. But what also de serves the proper emphasis is Copenhagen’s centrality within the European Union, an economic and political bloc whose gener al infrastructure can boast faster trips and lower costs as a result of integration and the suspension of needlessly aggressive border controls. I spent an amazing weekend in Prague at the cost of a $47 round trip, and another weekend in Madrid at the cost of around $70. My overnight train to and from Berlin was also quite cheap and comfortable. It feels so casual and simple to bike to the Co penhagen airport only 45 minutes prior to my flight to another European Union mem berCopenhagenstate.
Ben OpinionsFikhmanEditor
The opinions expressed above do not represent those of The Miscellany News as a whole. MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
News.
Biking with my classmate (left) and E.U. Politics professor (right).
Jeromin Cordes is a Polish pro fessor with DIS Copenhagen who is still a mentor and a friend to me. Getting to know
Learning Danish was an exciting but bumpy experience. While the language is challenging to pronounce, DIS Copenha gen’s Danish Language and Culture curric ulum taught me more about my surround ings, how to advance my proficiency in real-life conversation and the linguistic nu ances Danish shares with other languages. Interestingly enough, however, Denmark’s particularly high education standards allow an understanding of English wide enough that getting around is famously easy. Copen hagen is an ideal destination for those who truly want to learn the basics of a new lan guage while also avoiding language barriers that can complicate planning and getting around.Inconversation, I could reminisce on Copenhagen for hours. The colorful baker ies tempting my daily visit, the sometimes unsuccessful but fun attempts of trying to pronounce Danish words in public, the freshness of the air even in the busiest ar
As Copenhagen maintains a reputation for its cozy yet effective lifestyle, activism and ecofriendliness are also vital character istics of the city. Named the European Green Capital in 2014, according to the European Commission, Copenhagen witnesses locals and tourists swimming in its own canals and harbors, notably so during the winter. I my self winter-bathed with a friend by Islands Brygge, an activity that felt unique but also made me free and, for a moment, euphoric. Green recreational areas are plentiful, clean and peaceful, a great avenue for both de compression and exploration, particularly for students studying abroad. Most impor tantly, however, is the sustainable mindset that drives an unparalleled bicycle infra structure. Rain or shine, heat or cold, the collective cycling mindset among a plurality of Copenhageners is a contributing factor to the city’s well-being and happiness.
View of the Nikolaj Contemporary Art Center and canal running along Parliament.
September 8, 2022
Ben Fikhman/The Miscellany
View of Copenhagen from the top of Parliament.Nyhavn.
OPINIONS
Copenhagen is a city of seemingly or chestral motion, as if a spiritual conductor dictates its smooth and calm daily lifestyle. Even on a muggy day, a plurality of Danish locals will be on their bikes commuting to and from work or school. The prevalence of minimalist fashion among the popula tion expresses the society’s famous openness and kindness. One important value when it comes to Denmark is hygge, which The New Yorker claims is defined as “a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a contentment or well-being.” Whether on my daily routine or aimlessly
wandering around Copenhagen, I felt hygge within me and saw it in front of my eyes.
But while I preface with this understand ing of the sheer majesty of these popular cit ies, it should be brought to attention just how wonderful, exciting and especially cozy it is to live and study in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark. Copenhagen does not necessarily promise the most intricate architecture, the most orgasmic dishes or the demonstrative might of a powerful European nation, but there are fundamental reasons for why the city brings such joy and comfort.
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quickly became a second home to me, and it was not easy to leave the city. I dream of going back. I hope more students take advantage of the DIS Study Abroad program with enthusiastic and ad venturous professors who genuinely care about their students and curricula in a city that taught me to find beauty in random small alleyways and the simple elegance of homes along clean streets. It is fair to want what is most grandiose, but to feel comfort able and at home, while still having the great flexibility and affordability to witness the most grandiose in Europe, Copenhagen is a phenomenal choice for student residence.
Study abroad in Copenhagen deserves more recognition
My study abroad program in Copenha gen, DIS Copenhagen, offered me the great est academic experience of my life. With professors whom I still hold very dear to my heart and whom I could call by first name, my classes taught me the history and politics of Denmark and the European Union in a manner that motivated my own explora tion. Even as Russia invaded Ukraine during the former half of my study abroad semes ter, my professors skillfully altered their curricula in a manner that allowed Ukraine to become a top focus, while preserving the same intended passage of knowledge to all students.Milosz
When contemplating a stay in Europe, the first cities that come to mind are oftentimes London, Paris, Madrid or Rome, among other postcard destinations that evoke the most beautiful mental images. For students, four or five months in any of these places promises the experience of a life time, both socially and academically. Even those who did not or do not plan on study ing abroad can understand that, expected ly bombarded with Instagram photos and reels of international adventures right as the spring semester of junior year rolls around.
The opinions expressed above do not represent those of The Miscellany News as a whole. MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
immunity can be passed along to other un vaccinated individuals in the area through contact with fecal matter.
five to ten percent of those who are paralyzed due to polio, die because the muscles used for breathing become incapacitated and can no longer function. This recent resurgence of polio, coupled with declining vaccination rates must not be ignored. Doing so would be a public health failure, and special attention must be given to increasing public health messaging and vaccination efforts.
The word “polio” evokes certain imagery in the minds of the average American, such as black-and-white photographs of children in iron lungs or on crutches, or per haps even President Franklin Delano Roo sevelt, who was infected by polio and par alyzed from the waist down. Since the late 1800s, the disease has occupied a special spot in the consciousness of Americans, one that has largely faded into a shadow of the past in recent years, thanks to widespread efforts to eradicate the disease using vaccination.
have indeed shown that polio is circulating undetected amongst the population, which is extremely worrying. If the virus circulates enough, it may eventually reach populations who are most susceptible to serious effects, such as infants and young children, who may not have received all of their polio vac cinations. The easiest and least expensive way to prevent such a disaster is for people to get vaccinated and keep up to date on the boosters needed to induce robust immunity against polio.
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Assistant Opinions Editor September 8, 2022
However, on July 21, 2022, the Rockland County, New York, Department of Health announced that a case of the virus was de tected in a resident of the county. The man was unvaccinated and said to have caught the disease from a person who had been vaccinated with the oral version of the polio vaccine—one that is often administered in countries outside of the United States.
Although the OPV is largely safe and effec tive, and has been instrumental in the mas sive reduction in illness and disease from the virus worldwide, there is a small risk that this vaccine, which is derived from weak ened but live samples of the virus, can revert to the actual disease, and in some rare cases (two-four cases per million births), cause pa ralysis. As with all vaccines, there are small risks associated with taking the vaccine, but the benefits overwhelmingly outweigh the potential risks.
This phenomenon is not unique to the U.S., either. Although there have been no re ported cases of polio in the United Kingdom, according to Science, similar wastewater sampling has also shown community trans mission of the disease. Therefore it is no sur prise that the U.K. has extremely low polio vaccination rates. According to the Guard ian, 11 percent of local communities have vaccination rates surpassing 90 percent, and some have less than 50 percent in teenage communities, which may indicate a larger trend of declining vaccination rates.
Sufana Noorwez
As fear-inducing as this disease used to be, it barely registers in the minds of most young people today. This is because of wide spread vaccination efforts around the world which have come very close to completely eradicating the disease. There are two kinds of polio vaccines, the inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) and the oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV). The IPV is the vaccination of choice in the United States amid low polio risk and the focus is on prevention of severe disease. According to a study published in the Jour nal of Infectious Diseases, the OPV is still used in countries where the disease is en demic, including many countries in Africa, Asia and South America, where the health infrastructure may not be well enough equipped to handle routine IPV vaccina tion. According to Nature, the IPV is more expensive, harder to transport and requires specialized training. Administering the OPV lacks these challenges, and is as easy as a few drops into the mouth of children in rural, hard-to-access communities. Additionally, the OPV provides a more robust immune response through the digestive tract, which is similar to the path that the virus takes in the wild. This is an important part of stop ping local transmission of the disease in times of outbreaks, and a study published in Developmental Biology shows evidence that
Recent data from wastewater samples collected by the Department of Health in Rockland County and Orange County (polio vaccination rate: 58.68 percent), New York,
OPINIONS
According to the World Health Organiza tion, about one in 200 infections lead to ir reversible paralysis. In extreme cases, about
Photo courtesy of Margaret Suckley via Wikimedia Commons.
Polio outbreak warrants bolstered vaccination efforts
In the 1900s, polio occupied a large space in the national dialogue, in part because of the horrifying effects it could unleash on people, especially children. According to the CDC, the majority of people infected with the vi rus remain asymptomatic and largely unaf fected by the disease, and about a quarter of people infected develop symptoms including sore throat, fever, tiredness, nausea, head ache and stomach pain. However, a small percentage of people infected develop serious symptoms, including meningitis (infection of the spinal cord or brain), and paralysis.
Polio wreaked havoc on the U.S. in the 20th century, but the miraculous develop ment of two highly effective vaccines has all but stopped the disease in its tracks, with the disease remaining endemic in only two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, ac cording to the Global Polio Eradication Ini tiative. However, recent data suggests that the disease may be rearing its ugly head once more. The only way to prevent its transmis sion and to prevent vulnerable communities is by vaccination, which must be made a pri ority in the long list of public health goals in tended to prevent unnecessary disease, suf fering and death amongst innocent people.
In the United States, where the IPV has largely remained the preferred method of vaccination, the risk of disease is very small, with three doses of the vaccine providing 99 percent immunity, cited the CDC. This ro bust immunity, however, falls apart when people refuse to receive vaccinations, as seen in the latest case of the man in Rockland County.Inorder for polio to remain in the shadows of history, Yale medicine states that commu nity vaccination rates must reach about 80 percent to induce effective herd immunity, which protects those who are immunocom promised and unable to receive vaccines for medical reasons. According to the New York State Department of Health, the polio vacci nation rate in Rockland County is 60.34 per cent, well below this target, which indicates that the protection in place to prevent com munity spread is insufficient.
Tori Kim/The Miscellany News.
Monika Sweeney/The Miscellany News.
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An advanced arrival to campus is critical to starting the season strong. Teams know they are operating on a tight schedule and cannot afford to squander precious prepa ration time. By last Friday, the first of the academic year, all of the aforementioned teams had begun regular season competi tion.After spending an entire summer apart, the team members spend their last days of vacation participating in practices, scrim mages, meetings and anything else needed to get back up to speed.
The NFL has recently undergone some very exciting changes: a three-week pre season instead of four starting last year and an enhanced regular season that revolves around all 32 clubs playing internationally at least once every eight years, beginning this year. To contextualize, these changes are the first to occur in the seasonal structure since 1978, almost fifty years ago. And just as NFL Communications states, the new model will ensure up to four neutral-site games per year and will initially focus on sites in Can ada, Europe, Mexico, South America and the United Kingdom. In addition, clubs can also choose to continue playing home games internationally, allowing the sport to reach further audiences.
This year, the NFL has announced the par ticipation of five teams in the International Series: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orle
The Packers are yet another team with rookies putting up a good showing, though they have only won one out of three games
“Preseason is one of the most challenging weeks of training, but also crucial to the foundation of a team,” said Molly Ardren ’25, a setter for the women’s volleyball team.
“I think that a good preseason really sets the stage for a team, especially with the in tegration of new recruits,” Ardren contin ued. “With the constant time we spend to gether in preseason the team is really able to bond and build strong connections despite only knowing each other for a few days.
“To contextualize, these changes are the first to occur in the seasonal structure since 1978, almost fifty years ago.”
from the exciting news on the In ternational Series coming up soon, here are some takeaways from this preseason, focus ing on rookie performances:
The Ravens have won all three of their games this preseason, and they might have struck gold in their picks this year, especially
The Texans have also won all of their games this preseason, with a potential rising star in their rookie halfback Dameon Pierce. He has rushed for 86 yards on 11 carries, with one touchdown and no fumbles. This Florida product, selected in the fourth round, seems poised to become the RB1 for the Texans.
And for first-year men’s soccer head coach Jonathan Hood, preseason training
Though the Rams have won just one out of three games this preseason, their undrafted rookie wide receiver, Lance McCutcheon, has proven to be a fantastic selection. He has caught 15 out of 20 passes, with 259 receiving yards and two touchdowns. McCutcheon has since been confirmed to be on the final roster by the Rams’ general manager Les Snead.
on campus helped his team earn a decisive 4-0 victory over Mount Saint Mary in New burgh on Sunday.
this preseason. For instance, wide receiver Romeo Doubs is performing competently, catching eight of 15 passes, with 10.3 yards per reception plus two touchdowns. Tack le Zach Tom has also put on a great display, with 124 offensive snaps played and only one penalty.Houston Texans:
site.Apart
This year, women’s volleyball, field hockey, cross country and soccer arrived on campus prior to the official start of the aca demic year.
For Vassar’s cross country teams, early arrival paid dividends as early as Thursday at the Vassar Farm. In the Vassar Season Starter event, the men’s side tied for first place and the women’s team finished in sec ondTheplace.team is well aware of the importance of the intense but limited time they get for preseason.“Wetryour best to encourage each other for our runs and we try to meet through Zoom to get to know each other, but it’s a lot more different than actually being with each other,” said Jose Magana ’25 of the men’s cross country team. “Those days of preseason helps [sic] us to build community so that when we race, we know who we’re racing for and it gives us purpose.”
Photo courtesy of James McCowan, Head Coach of Vassar Men’s and Women’sCountry.Cross
“When we arrive our preseason days help with the integration because of the sheer
Photo courtesy of Elvis Kennedy via Wikimedia Commons.
Baltimore Ravens:
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Preseason was especially crucial for the women’s volleyball team this year, as they incorporated a recruiting class of six firstyears after graduating five seniors.
Los Angeles Rams:
“[The days dedicated to preseason are] a great opportunity to build chemistry and spend quality time with your teammates,” said Derek Sando ’25, who netted a brace in Sunday’s match and was named to the Lib erty League Weekly Honor Roll.
Almost every Vassar student-athlete spends time on a nearly completely deserted campus. Winter sport athletes get to see a snow-covered campus in the early days of January, and fall athletes end their summer vacation about a week early to start preparations for their upcoming seasons.
Frank Zhu Guest Columnist
September 8, 2022SPORTSPage 14
NFL wraps up preseason, looks forward to International Series
Nick PreseasonReporterVillamil training proves essential to fall sports
in terms of overlooked players. In particular, tight end Isaiah Likely, a round four selec tion, has had a powerful display with 12 out of 12 receptions and 12 yards per reception, plus a touchdown. Furthermore, quarter back Anthony Brown, an undrafted player, has passed for 464 yards and three touch downs in 47 ThePittsburghattempts.Steelers:Steelershavealso won all three games throughout this preseason, albeit with one close call of 16-15 against the Jaguars. Their rookies are also doing quite well; for exam ple, wide receiver George Pickens has had some strong showings, catching eight out of 12 passes with 10.1 yards per reception. In addition, quarterback Kenny Pickett has also proven himself capable, reducing his throw time from 3.2 to 2.5 seconds and throwing 261 yards plus three touchdowns in 36 at tempts.Green Bay Packers:
amount of time we spend with each other everyday.”Allthree student-athletes that spoke with The Miscellany News shared a com mon sentiment: the value of having days dedicated strictly to their sport and their teammates, something that is impossible to replicate once classes begin. For all of these teams, there might not be more important days until the postseason rolls around.
ans Saints and Green Bay Packers. Starting in October and ending in November, these regular-season games are set to play in Mu nich, Germany; London, United Kingdom; and Mexico City, Mexico, according to the announcement the NFL released on its web
The Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays are two other teams famous for find ing success despite a small payroll, but neither the “moneyball” Athletics nor the Rays have won a world series in the last 30 years. This problem also extends past just the small market teams. Even teams in big markets like the aforementioned Washington Nationals or the Chicago Cubs don’t make enough money to keep the payroll high every year. They both had a couple of seasons where they were able to pay big money, but then that win dow closed and they were forced to sell off everything. The finances of baseball are complicated, but essentially only two or three teams have owners who are able and willing to spend enough to be competitive every year. All the other teams are either in a small market or don’t take in enough of a profit for the owners to see spending big on players as worthwhile. It doesn’t matter how well run an organization is; eventually it will succumb to the few big spenders in the league. If a franchise is lucky, it might capture a championship or two during its window, but eventually the best players will leave for a richer team like the Yankees or Dodgers.
On Aug. 2nd, the Washington Nationals sent waves throughout Major League Baseball (MLB) when the team traded su perstar outfielder Juan Soto to the San Di ego Padres for a large package of talented prospects. Trades involving big stars hap pen every year at the trade deadline. Teams who know they won’t make the postseason trade away their best players who are on expiring contracts, in exchange for young minor league prospects who they hope will help them build toward future playoff runs. This system works pretty well and usually makes sense for both sides; the bad teams are likely to lose the player they are trading away in free agency at the end of the season anyways, so by trading them they get a po tential future star for a season where they may actually have a shot at the playoffs. The good teams, on the other hand, are able to plug the holes in their rosters and bolster their lineup heading down the final stretch of the season and into the playoffs. But the Juan Soto trade is different.
such an issue? Because the MLB is not a level playing field. The financials of the game are set up in such a way that only a small handful of teams get to sign whatev er players they like. A majority of teams have to work within a restricted budget, either because their owners can’t afford to pay big salaries to players or because they are unwilling to. This is really bad for the competitiveness of baseball, and it hurts the product of the league. One of the reasons the NFL is so popular is that it truly has achieved relative parity in its league. Almost every season, a team or two who finished last place in its division the previous year moves up into first place and makes the playoffs. There are ample opportunities for a terrible team to turn things around if it makes the right deci sions. In baseball though, rebuilding is ag onizingly slow. Teams like the Nationals or small market Kansas City Royals can win the world series but then completely crater because they either weren’t able or weren’t willing to re-sign any of the play ers that won them their championship.
Doug Cobb Sports Editor
In any case, these comparisons do not bode well for the Washington Nationals or their fans. Trades of superstars like this almost never benefit the team trading away the superstar. So why did the Nation als do it? The simple explanation is that they didn’t think they had a chance to resign Soto before he hit free agency in a few years, and they didn’t think they would be playoff contenders in the time frame they still had him under team control. They attempted to cut their losses and get some future value for him instead of letting him walk away for nothing in 2025. The
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The Ruth trade is less similar but much more infamous. If the Soto trade turns out anything like the Ruth trade did, then the Nationals might as well never field a team for a Major League game again. Babe Ruth
Soto trade illustrates one of baseball’s big problems
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is considered by many to be the greatest baseball player of all time. In 1919, at the age of 24, Ruth had just entered the prime of his career when the Red Sox traded him to their most hated rival, the New York Yankees. Over the next 85 years, the Yan kees went on to win 26 world series titles, while the Red Sox would win zero. The Ruth trade is a tough comparison because it was such a different era and because the owner of the Red Sox did it for money, not receiving any players in return, but it il lustrates the dangers of trading away such a young superstar.
reasons why they thought they couldn’t re-sign Soto are a little more complex, but in short, he turned down a 15-year $440 million contract extension from the Na tionals. That rejection, coupled with the predicted sale of the team to new owners and Soto’s established desire to play for a winning team (which the Nationals most certainly are not right now) all contribut ed to team ownership throwing up their hands and proclaiming, “Well, we can’t re-signSomehim!”wondered why Soto rejected the offer, which was the biggest in the history of the sport in terms of total money. The average annual value was the key factor. Although the contract wasn’t lacking in total money, Soto’s average annual salary would not have even been in the top 15 in the MLB. Looking at it from Soto’s point of view, accepting the deal made no sense. He made the smart move by rejecting it, and he will almost certainly get a better deal when he hits free agency.
Soto was more than just a great player in Washington D.C. He was quite literally the face of the franchise. He was totally beloved by everyone in the area. He came off as a smart, genuine person in inter views and always played his heart out for the city. He played a key role in securing the World Series title the Nationals won in 2019 (the city’s first since 1924), and he had a game-winning hit in the wild card game that season that will forever go down as one of the greatest moments
In 2022, the top payrolls in baseball are as follows: the Los Angeles Dodgers ($265m), the New York Mets ($262m) and the New York Yankees ($253m). All three of these teams lead their divisions and are comfortably in the playoffs. Only three of the 12 teams currently in a playoff position have a payroll in the bottom half of the MLB. Since 1988 (the earliest I was able to find payroll records from), only two teams won the World Series with a payroll in the bottom third of the league: the 1990 Cincinnati Reds and the 2003 Florida Marlins. That means that a team with a payroll in the bottom third of the league only wins the World Series 5.9% of the time. Basically, if your team can’t pay a lot of money, they don’t have a fair shot. Other leagues have a salary cap or rules like the NBA has that give a team a fair shot at re-signing their own players. Not baseball. Is it really good for baseball if Juan Soto signs with the Dodgers in 2025? Or the Yankees? It seems almost certain that he will sign with one of the few richest teams out there who already get all the free agents, and when he does it will be just another reason to change the channel.
Nationals’ return from the trade was (and it will be another few years before we get a good idea of the value they got back for Soto). Two things are certain, though: The trade was a disaster for Nationals fans (of which I am one), and it illustrates a huge problem the MLB has with compet itiveness.AmIjust a Nationals fan who is infu riated and depressed by my team trading away my all-time favorite player, the likes of which the franchise will likely nev er see again? Yes. Is the trade objectively bad for the city, its fans and Major League Baseball as a whole? Also yes. Multiple things can be true at the same time.
in D.C. sports history. Despite the team being in last place every year since that championship season, Soto was a rea son to pay attention to the team and buy a ticket to a game. Even if the Nationals benefit from the prospects they acquired in the trade, they have robbed their fans of the opportunity to see a true star at the ballpark every year. Never again will the Nationals have a player like Juan Soto, be cause there will never be another player like Juan Soto. This is the heartbreak that baseball fans must endure when their fa vorite player gets traded or leaves in free agency. And therein lies a problem that is unique to baseball.
Soto is arguably the best hitter in all of baseball, already having won a batting title, two silver sluggers, a world series ring, the home run derby and two AllStar appearances. Oh yeah, and he is only 23 years old. Since entering the league in 2018, Soto has tied with Mike Trout (currently his generation’s most accom plished player) for the highest on-base percentage (OBP) in baseball at .427 and has the most walks in the league by a large margin at 488. Soto has regularly been compared to all time great players such as Ted Williams and Mickey Mantle, due to his impressive accomplishments achieved at such a young age. All of these factors, along with the fact that the Nationals had team control of Soto through the end of the 2024 season, make this trade truly unprecedented. The only trades that even remotely compare are the Miguel Cabrera trade and the Babe Ruth trade.
Teams lose their star players in every sport, but it’s different in the MLB. Base ball is in many ways a more local sport than say the NFL or NBA. MLB games are not as big of a draw nationally as NBA or NFL games, but rather locals watch their favorite teams many, many times each season and form a special connection and fondness for their stars. So why is this
The jury is still out on how good the
Graphic courtesy of Sophie Wood ’23.
At the time of the Cabrera trade in 2007, Cabrera was 24 years old and al ready a four time All-Star and two time silver slugger. He had also already won a World Series ring. In December of 2007, the Florida Marlins traded Cabrera to the Detroit Tigers for a package of pros pects. None of the prospects would end up contributing much of anything to the Marlins, and Cabrera went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Tigers that included a world series appearance and a triple crown—when a player leads their league in home runs, batting average and runs batted in (RBI). Cabrera is one of just seven players in MLB history with both 3,000 hits and 500 home runs, a feat that even Babe Ruth didn’t accomplish. The main differences between this trade and the Soto trade are that Soto is slight ly younger, has more team control than Cabrera did and is arguably better now than Cabrera was at the time of his trade. Then, Cabrera had an OBP of .388 and an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of .929, along with 138 home runs. Soto, meanwhile, had slightly fewer home runs with 122, but both a much higher OBP (.427) and OPS (.966).
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