Misc10 13 16

The Miscellany News

Volume CXLIX | Issue 5

October 13, 2016

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

High-wire artist thrills with account of famous feat Clark Xu Reporter

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Courtesy of Vassar College/Karl Rabe

enowned for his illegal high-wire performance between the World Trade Center’s North and South Towers in 1974, Philippe Petit captivated Vassar students, faculty and local community members by telling his life story in the Martel Theater on the evening of Oct. 10.

Petit began the evening by announcing that he would not only speak about his experiences, but perform them with the help of a little imagination from the audience. Rushing onstage, he exclaimed, “So about my walk at the World Trade Center, I get always the same question over and over: How did you do that first step? What exactly happened in your head, in your body, at the moment of leaving the building? Well, I’m not going to answer that question in front of you today by remembering;

I am going to answer it by reenacting, recreating, reliving.”

The unusual approach that Petit took to deliver his story left a deep impression on his audience. Interim President Jonathan Chenette recalled, “I didn’t know what to expect from his campus appearance, but he managed to mix visceral re-creation of key points in his life, wonderful story-telling, magic and a marker board that he gradually covered with pictures and words to create a sense of wonder and joy among those of us lucky enough to be there.” Audience member Lily Kitfield-Vernon ’18 corroborated, “Petit is one of the most energized, fascinating speakers that I’ve ever seen. His audience consisted of kids, parents, students, professors and elders, and he engaged and motivated them all. That seems like a very difficult thing to do right now, with so much negSee PETIT on page 3

Petit engaged his audience with a one-of-a-kind performance, using images and words in a visual display that, combined with his charismatic storytelling, allowed viewers to relive his moments on the wire alongside him.

VUE calls for greater Board seeks Cappy’s replacement campus WiFi coverage W Imaan Lamba Guest Reporter

Emily Sayer

routers in residential and administrative buildings. he petition aims to determine locations where coverage is in highest demand, target these specific areas for improvement and, should the petition pass, begin with upgrades as early as next semester.

Founder Antoine Robinson ’18 See VUE on page 6

Features Editor

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assar Urban Enrichment (VUE) operates with the goal of improving the functionality, safety and accessibility of spaces on campus.

In response to student complaints regarding WiFi coverage, VUE has drafted a petition to extend coverage to areas of campus not covered by the

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hile faculty members and the student body bade a fond farewell to President Emerita Catharine Bond Hill at Fall Convocation, the search for the new President of Vassar College has been progressing at a considerable pace. Members of the Presidential Search Committee worked throughout the summer and the return of student and faculty members of the committee to cam-

pus for fall semester will likely allow them to get ahead on the process.

Several steps have been taken since the beginning of summer, including the completion of an official website dedicated to narrowing the candidate pool.

The Committee, appointed by the Board of Trustees and led by Committee Co-Chairs Geraldine Laybourne ’69 and Anthony Friscia ’78, consists of trustees, faculty members, alumnae/i and students. Along with this

14-person committee, Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Art Rodriguez serves as a non-voting observer, AAVC President Missie Taylor ’68 as Advisor to the Co-Chairs and Professor of Mathematics and Statistics John Feroe as Secretary.

According to an email sent out to the Vassar community by the Committee Co-Chairs, the input received from multiple student, faculty, staff and alumnae/i groups over the preSee PRESIDENT on page 7

Satrapi lectures on comic book, life WVB stuffs Liberty League competition F Noah Purdy & Elena Schultz Arts Editors

Fiona MacLeod Guest Reporter

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Courtesy of Vassar College Communications

ans and cosplayers alike flocked to New York Comic Con over the weekend, visiting panels about manga and getting their memorabilia signed, among other things. On campus this past Monday, Oct. 10, however, a crowd gathered for a talk by the creator of a very different kind of comic.

On Monday, Oct. 10, Marjane Satrapi, author-illustrator of the highly acclaimed comic series “Persepolis” visited the Vassar College Chapel to give a talk on her life and work.

“Persepolis” was originally published in four volumes in French starting in 2000 and later in two volumes in English. It chronicles Satrapi’s experience living through the Iranian Revolution as a child and subsequently moving away to Europe as a young adult. The books have been translated into more than 40 languages and were adapted into an Academy Award-nominated film. Their popularity and wide reach was reflected at Vassar by the array of academic departments and programs—from Women’s Studies to French to German to Film and beyond—that co-sponsored the event.

As opposed to the typical storylines of Comic Con-featured works, Satrapi utilizes the comic format in a very individualized way. “What I find really amazing about ‘Persepolis’ is that Satrapi is able...to explore difficult political, social and religious issues and See SATRAPI on page 14

Marjane Satrapi, creator of the highly acclaimed comic series “Persepolis,” presented an unabashed talk, addressing her experiences and worldview.

Inside this issue

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Former Misc Editor masters FEATURES British History

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President’s Peace Prize reflects OPINIONS precedent

ith seven wins and only one loss in the Liberty League so far, the Vassar women’s volleyball team has had a monumentally successful season so far. While the season began with a string of losses against competitive opponents in Seattle, WA, the testing matches prepared the team for league play. The Brewers have an especially young team this season, with an incoming class of six freshmen and four sophomores. But with the mentorship and experience of returning players, Vassar is continuing to advance its skill set and find success in matches.

Each member of the freshman class has proven instrumental to the team’s victories. Sophomore captain Annie MacMillan attested to this, claiming, “All of our freshmen have stepped in to fill critical roles on this team this season. Every member of our program has a large role, whether it is from the court or the bench. Our six rookies make us better in practice day in and day out, which in turn makes us better in games.”

The Brewers’ other captain, senior libero Sierra Tobin, seconded the important role the freshmen have been taking on in practices and each of their varying skills. “The whole class has been very engaged in practic-

15 ARTS

es and classroom sessions this year, bringing new perspectives, energy and excitement to everything we’re doing,” Tobin noted. “This engagement has really helped our game because we can trust all six of them to step into whatever role we need them in and they have been stepping up both on the bench and on the court.”

Freshman hitter Jane McLeod has undoubtedly stood out, earning four consecutive Liberty League Rookie of the Week titles. She has played in all of the 22 matches and leads the team with 264 kills, averaging 3.62 per set played. McLeod ranks second in the Liberty League for kills for average number of kills per set, and fourth for hitting percentage.

Though met with expected differences in the transition from high school volleyball to college volleyball, McLeod relayed that she and the other members of her grade were able to adapt to the team’s new dynamic quickly. “This team definitely has a different style of playing than most of us were used to before coming to Vassar,” related McLeod. “Over the past month, however, we’ve really adjusted and have gotten into the swing of the team. All the returning players were extremely patient and helpful throughout the transition. Now, it feels like I’ve been playing with the See VOLLEYBALL on page 19

ACCESS film screening sparks animated discussion

The Miscellany News

Page 2

October 13, 2016

Editor-in-Chief Rhys Johnson

Senior Editors Zander Bashaw Emma Jones

Contributing Editors Elizabeth Dean Yifan Wang

Courtesy Courtesy of JohnofAmmondson Karen Crook

During his stay in Vietnam, John Ammondson’s favorite spot to bike to has been the rice paddies. There is a bike path that runs through them and the shrimp farms that it surrounded by palm trees. It’s a beautiful journey, especially during the spectacular sunsets.

News Features Opinions Arts Sports Design Online Copy Assistant Arts Assistant Sports Assistant Copy Assistant Social Media Web Designer Web Master

Courtesy of Katie Hoots

Greek and Roman Studies major Katie Hoots is based in Rome studying Classical history this semester. Trastevere is the nearby neighborhood where Katie walks, goes out on weekends and gets coffee. To read more about Katie’s and John’s JYA experiences, visit farandaway.miscellanynews.org!

The Miscellany News 13

October

Thursday

Wild Edibles Workshop with Russ Cohen

5:30pm | Environmental Co-op Barn MPR | Vassar Conservation & Environmental Cooperative

Volleyball (W) vs. Sage College

7:00pm | Kenyon Gym | Athletics and Physical Education Department

Weekender_ 14

October

Friday

Soccer (M) vs. RIT

4:00pm | Prentiss Gordon Field | Athletics

HAVE A GOOD BREAK! 5:00pm | Everywhere

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October

Saturday

Free Public Walking Tour of Vassar History and Architecture

10:00am and 1:00pm | Main Circle | Communications

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October

Eilis Donohue Emily Sayer Nick Barone Noah Purdy Elena Schultz Hanna McGuire Talya Phelps Charlotte VarcoeWolfson Kelsey Quinn Jackson Ingram Patrick Tanella Olivia O’Loughlin Claire Baker Hannah Nice George Witteman Andy Carrera

Reporters Sieu Nguyen Sabrina Oh Clark Xu Columnists Jimmy Christon Jillian Elkin Sasha Gopalakrishnan Jesser Horowitz Saachi Jain Steven Park Kirk Testa Design Scarlett Neuberger Yoav Yaron Copy James Bonanno Gabriela Calderon Leah Cates Diana Henry Sumiko Neary Jessica Roden Laila Volpe Laura Wigginton

Sunday

Rugby (W) vs. West Chester University

2:30pm | Rugby Field at the Farm | Athletics

Soccer (M) vs. Hobart College 2:00pm | Prentiss Gordon Field | Athletics

Field Hockey (W) vs. Skidmore College

2:00pm | Prentiss Weinberg Field | Athletics

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only corrections for any misquotes, resentations or factual errors for ticle within the semester it is

accept misrepan arprinted.

October 13, 2016

NEWS

Page 3

Forum opens conversation about racial, social issues Meg Howell

Guest Reporter

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Courtesy of Meg Howell

he Aula brimmed with the smell of apple-cider. Balancing paper plates on their laps, students sat in chairs event organizers had arranged into a circle. Behind them, boxes of autumnal desserts lay sprawled out on a table. Someone had taken the time to cut the pumpkin pie into tea party-sized slivers.

Everyone was waiting for the “Campus Life and Diversity Forum” to begin. The event’s mission was for members of the Vassar community to have a dialogue on the recent, politically-charged tragedies that raged on throughout the summer and into the fall. The conversation was in part sparked by the string of racially-motivated police shootings that ended the lives of three black men within the span of three months. The casualties included Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, Minnesota; Terence Crutcher in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, Virginia. These were some of the latest in the incidents of police brutality since the slaying of Florida teen Trayvon Martin four summers before.

A group of Campus Life workers gathered as latecomers trickled into the room. The grim topics that flyers advertising the event promised to delve into–police shootings, racism, apathy, disillusionment–loomed ominously above the space.

Among College employees and faculty in attendance were Associate Dean of Campus Life and Diversity Ed Pittman, Interim Director of the ALANA Center Wendy Maragh Taylor, Director of the Spiritual Life Office and Assistant Dean of Campus Life Samuel H. Speers, Director of Jewish Life Joseph A. Glick and Women’s Center and LGBTQ Center Director Jodie Costanza. Also in attendance was Shani Cox ’15, a post-baccalaureate fellow for the Office of International Services.

The forum came on the heels of the postponement of “In Solidarity: A Gathering for Community and Affirmation,” a collaboration between the Black Student Union, Council of Black Seniors and Caribbean Students Alliance. Unlike “Solidarity,” the emphasis of the Diversity forum was dialogue

rather than healing. “You are invited to join a conversation about…#blacklivesmatter #sayhername #TulsaFerguson #bluelivesmatter #translivesmatter ElCajon FalconHeights and more,” read the mass email invitation Pittman sent out a week before. Though the event’s theme encompassed a wide varitey of discussion topics, students in attendance focused their concerns on the prolematic public discourse related to issues of social justice.

The forum was not an event in which all students felt comfortable, despite its welcoming invitation. One senior who chose not to attend, and who wished to remain anonymous, defended his choice. “Given what was written, I felt like the dialogue had so many intentions and super intense topics until it could have played out any number of ways,” he said in a brief interview. “It was too nebulous to really be effective in my opinion.”

To combat the gravity of the topics, the forum featured an open dialogue format. Its setup allowed for participants to reveal intense, painful feelings, and to sympathize with and support each other. The first half of the allotted hour was reserved for critiquing Vassar’s pitfalls as both a community and an institution when addressing the effects of headline-making hate crimes; the second half, to possible solutions.

When the time came for the forum to start, Campus Life workers interspersed themselves with the students before taking turns to specify a list of “norms” or rules to abide by during the talk.

The norms were simple enough: “Speak your truth with kindness and compassion,” “assume everyone has constructive intentions,” “appreciate that people have the courage to speak in a public forum on incredible violence” and “respect confidentiality” [for this reason, The Miscellany News has chosen to keep student participants anonymous].

Many of the topics discussed were emotionally charged, albeit important to talk about. Referring to the recent incidences of racially motivated police brutality, Pittman said, “My emotions were all over the place. We wanted to create an opportunity for students to talk. It’s an atrocious situation, and we can’t pretend that it doesn’t exist.”

Students and faculty gathered in the Aula last Thursday to engage in a forum about racial and social issues, which was hosted by the Office of Campus Life and Diversity.

The dialogue was punctuated with moments of silence. Speech came in bursts, followed by quiet reflection in the form of nodding heads and furrowed brows. Topics ranged from the superficiality of Vassar’s purported liberalness to the lack of critical thinking that often plagues discourse on identity based violence. “When things like [the shooting of Philando Castile] happen, there’s no pause [at Vassar],” one junior opined. “If there is, it’s always later, with the same circle of people.”

Students also brought up their disillusionment with the school, and the impact that that has on the campus atmosphere. One freshman said, “[Many students] reach a point where they become tired and action is taken off the table.” Voicing concern, he went on to say, “[Disillusionment] is so dangerous, especially for freshmen, to see because it creates a cycle.”

The conversation ended on a positive note. Professor of English Wendy Graham read a quote from renowned black feminist activist and writer Audre Lorde: “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence. It is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” People exchanged smiles and everyone went around the room to share their preferred method for self-care. Answers elicited responses that ranged from laughter–a senior admitted, “I like to take long showers…against my housemate’s wishes”–to understanding–one freshman offered, “I like to just look at the trees and respect nature.”

Students arranged themselves into small groups to continue discussing the topics they were most drawn to. While this particular forum came to a close, the dialogue surrounding emotionally charged topics such as identity based violence will undoubtedly continue.

Petit strikes balance between performance and narrative PETIT continued from page 1

Petit’s talk touched on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Recounting a wire walk he performed between the Arab and Jewish quarters of Jerusalem, he described his attempts to release a dove from his hand midway as a symbol of peace. The freed dove unexpectedly landed on his head, then on the end of his balancing pole, and then on the wire behind him. The crowd of tens of thousands went wild with delight, assuming this was rehearsed rather than accidental. As Petit resumed walking, the crowd settled into a unison clap, accompanying each step and urging him on. Differences between Arab and Jew became immaterial as the pleasure and wonder of the magnificent walk and the uncooperative dove crossed all cultural divides. As Petit re-enacted those steps for us on the Martel stage, we in the audience clapped along. It was a wonderful community-building moment.”

Petit showed his talent for improvisation when the stage crew made a few gaffes. Looking back on the preparations for the evening, Casio explained, “Bringing Philippe Petit to campus was an exciting and complicated endeavor. Any time you host an artist for an event there are many logistics to consider in order to set that moment up to succeed. As the audience experienced on Thursday, Petit is a master story-teller who had the dexterity to navigate a few technical challenges that occurred.” The technical challenges included a video playback that stalled in silence for several minutes, a missing stagelight that left part of Petit’s performance in darkness and logistical difficulties with running microphones through the audience during the question and answer period.

But Petit took these difficulties in stride and managed to convey the essence of his life’s work.

McCleary opined, “I liked him very much. He explained in simple terms his engagement to his art and how it fit into his life. I was not so surprised by his lecture, but pleased to see how his view of life was so interlaced with his art.” Reflecting on freedom and creativity in his own life, McCleary concluded, “For me, the list of attributes of his art resembled what makes a good mathematician.”

Pacio agreed, “There are many different disciplines at work in Petit’s craft that can be appreciated by many different perspectives.” The interdisciplinary connections suggested by Pe-

Courtesy of Vassar College/Karl Rabe

ativity on the news and in daily discussion. It was exciting to be so entranced by a man who could also reach young children while still speaking of the social and political tensions that have influenced his life.”

Creative Arts Across Disciplines (CAAD) sponsored Petit’s visit to campus for his ability to inspire a the audience with his creativity and charisma. Interdisciplinary Arts Coordinator Tom Pacio recollected, “Having Philippe Petit come to campus was a big deal. We got an overwhelming response from the community when his lecture was announced. I think it is safe to say that his presentation is one of the more high-profile events CAAD will host this academic year.” Both personal experiences and media coverage attracted people to the performance. Professor of Mathematics John McCleary elaborated, “I vaguely recall reading in the newspaper of Petit’s walk in NYC, but I was reminded of it by the novel ‘Let the Great World Spin’ by Colum McCann. Shortly after reading it, the movie ‘Man on Wire’ was released, and I enjoyed it a lot. It was clear from the movie that Mr. Petit is a man of considerable daring and creativity. I wanted to hear what he had to say.”

During his evening at Vassar, Petit discussed his childhood leading up to his performance career, his preparations for the walk between the North and South Towers, as well as his later experiences with Moai statues and the valley of Ben-Hinnom in Israel. Kitfield-Vernon summarized, “For starters, gathering the courage to even think about walking on a tightrope, let alone between some of the largest artificial monuments on the planet, let alone in front of huge masses of spectators, that is astounding on its own. But I was even more impressed by how he spoke of his upbringing.

He talked about how he dropped out of school to learn magic and circus tricks, how he was a pickpocket while living on the streets after his family disowned him and how even during his escapades as a recognized tightrope walker, he had to use a wounded white pigeon instead of a dove when he hoped to convey a message of peace and unity. He was so honest and tangible.”

Picking up the theme of the wounded white pigeon, Chenette continued, “In a surprising way,

Petit punctuated the story of his acclaimed walk between the Twin Towers with balancing acts and personal anecdotes, providing an inside look at the daring deed.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

tit’s visit attests to the vibrant life of Vassar’s arts programs. Comparing recent investment into the sciences with the creative arts, Chenette predicted, “Seeded by a four-year $750,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Creative Arts Across Disciplines initiative will continue beyond the grant period as we replace Mellon funding by gifts. Rather than sciences’ physical bridge, the arts will benefit from funding for programs that foster opportunities for boundary-crossing artistic creation and deepen the engagement of Vassar students across the curriculum with methods and ideas from the arts.”

Discussing CAAD’s plans for the near future, Pacio elaborated, “Still remaining this semester is a screening of a John Waters film with a ‘scratch and sniff’ card, a visit from the Kairos Italy Theater, and a guest lecture by Jane Hirschfeld. This is all in addition to any programming that will take place in the Collaboratory. For the spring term we have lots of exciting things in store that are still in the planning stages. In addition I am proud to announce this year CAAD is working with the Music Department to produce Modfest.”

Besides highlighting CAAD and the creative arts at Vassar, Petit pragmatically advised students not to lose their imagination and sanity over the course of their studies. Kitfield-Vernon concluded, “His advice about surprising yourself spoke to me and my chaotic daily routines. I think at Vassar, we all become too focused on just making it through each day’s packed schedule and that can make us frustrated with our peers, this campus and ourselves. I hope to learn to surprise myself every day, as Petit suggested, to make life here a little less oriented around productivity and a little more oriented on mental health.”

Thinking in broad strokes at the end of the evening, Petit concluded, “So now I would like you to go home, right, and to do something that Icarus did; I want you to go home and glue feathers to your arms. And to take off, to fly, but don’t go too close to the sun. And as you are flying, you will surprise yourself, you will look at our beautiful planet from a different point of view, and now I will whisper because it’s a secret—now I know that when you see mountains, you may agree with me that mountains can be moved.”

NEWS

Page 4 News Briefs

—Zander Bashaw, Senior Editor

Eilis Donohue News Editor

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ast Saturday was Poughkeepsie’s first foray into the Feeding the 5000 campaign to combat food waste, with an event called “Feeding the Hudson Valley.” Although the day was overcast, spirits were high as volunteers passed out hundreds of free meals to pedestrians meandering through the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park.

The event was funded mostly by Feedback, an environmental organization dedicated to transforming the food system, in cooperation with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the New York State Pollution Preventative Institute. It was organized by the Hudson Valley Regional Council and a host of other social and environmental organizations, including Second Chance Foods, Inc., the Poughkeepsie Farm Project and Dutchess Outreach. Volunteers from Vassar Food Rescue (VFR), also came out to raise awareness about food security.

Visitors could enjoy a free meal as they wandered along where the sponsoring organizations were tabling. They could take a turn on a bicycle outfitted to power a blender, simultaneously mixing a smoothie and getting some exercise. An interactive “zero waste” station encouraged conscious waste disposal. Local chefs participated in a cook-off, while Cathy Young and Jack DePietro lent their music to the festive atmosphere.

The event championed local food and educating people about accessibility and waste. According to one of VFR’s founders, Siennah Yang ’18, “All the food [cooked at the event] is gleaned and rescued from farms, food distributors and food establishments.” In addition to the meals handed out to passersby, several hundred meals cooked at the event were donated to local soup kitchens and shelters. Development Assistant at Dutchess Outreach Sarah Salem wrote in an emailed statement, “We do not have a final count of meals served but we went WELL over our target.”

VFR, formerly known as Just Food, is a pre-org dedicated to reducing food waste and improving food security and accessibility. They salvage left-

over food from on-campus events, vendors and local restaurants to donate to local shelters and food banks. VFR had been planning this event, along with local collaborators, since last spring semester, in hopes of forging a connection between Vassar and Poughkeepsie to work towards food security.

VFR executive board member Liza Ayres ’18 commented in an emailed statement, “A lot of people came for the event, but so many other people were just passing through, so we had the opportunity to inform them about what was going on and the issues of food waste and food insecurity.” Food insecurity, defined as a lack of consistent access to enough nutritious food, is an issue of particular concern in Poughkeepsie. Ayres explained, “In Dutchess, Orange, Putnam and Ulster counties, 1 in 10 people receives SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] benefits and face difficulty

Approved policy to enrich curriculum Elizabeth Dean

Contributing Editor

O

ver the next few years, Vassar students will be registering for and taking fewer classes.

Their schedules, however, will be no less rigorous. According to a recently passed policy, students will trade classes for more one-on-one learning experiences and non-traditional teaching opportunities. On Oct. 5, the faculty passed this plan, the “Proposal on balancing the curriculum and the teaching load,” also known as the 2-2-1 or “dash-1” proposal by a near 80 percent majority among the faculty. The proposal will be phased in over the next two years and will begin to be implemented in the 2018-2019 academic year, meaning that current senior and junior students will not experience changes to their class offerings or major requirements.

Under this new curricular policy, participating departments will reduce their course offerings so that their tenure-track faculty teach only

two courses per semester, instead of two courses in one semester and three courses the next. Instead of the third course, faculty members will be asked to increase their one-on-one projects with students, including theses, fieldwork and other newly created courses and programs that would expand the non-traditional learning experiences of Vassar students. This proposal would also reduce the number of courses required per major and the number of courses each student can register for per semester. According to the proposal, “[The policy will] enhance and grow student opportunities for wide range of learning activities with faculty...[and] give faculty opportunities and time to focus attention on existing (and to imagine new) ways to engage productively with students on credit­-bearing work outside the classroom.”

According to Professor of Political Science and Associate Dean of Faculty Steve Rock, the proposal has been a long time coming. He said, “It failed a procedural vote last spring, so we needed to have

a result of the hurricane, around 50,000 Haitian people were left without access to clean water or proper shelter. (ActionAid, “Hurricane Matthew in Haiti: ActionAid’s Response,” 10.07.2016).

—Nick Barone, Opinions Editor

getting enough to eat everyday, and in the City of Poughkeepsie alone, one in four households are food insecure by USDA standards.”

In an area that is in need of nutritious, safe food, waste is an unaffordable luxury. Salem described, “The City of Poughkeepsie has a food insecurity rate of 26.8 percent, a rate that is outpacing the levels for the U.S. on a whole, which is super alarming.

Dutchess County has more than 30,000 individuals that are considered to be food insecure, that’s 10.4 percent of the population. Meanwhile, we’re tossing food in the trash. It’s not right.”

Ayres agreed, “Food waste in the state of New York makes up 18 percent of our waste stream.

If we can get more of that food out of the waste stream and accessible to those who are food insecure, we could help so many people in Poughkeepsie and nearby.”

Vassar Food Rescue and local organizations corroborated to serve hundreds of free meals and provide food waste and accessibility education at the Walkway Over the Hudson State Park.

The Miscellany News

Hurricane Matthew desolates Caribbean, U.S. Although Hurricane Matthew has long dissipated, its devastating aftermath is being felt across the Southeastern United States and Caribbean islands.

At least 36 people have been killed as a result of the storm, including 17 in North Carolina alone (The Weather Channel, “Hurricane Matthew Kills at Least 36 in US; Deadly Flooding Continues in North Carolina,” 10.11.2016). It was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Hurricane Stan in October 2015.

The hurricane originated off the coast of Africa on Sept. 22. It intensified into a hurricane on Sept. 29 and swept across the Caribbean Sea, towards the southeastern United States (The Weather Channel, “Where Hurricane Matthew Came From and How Long We’ve Been Tracking the Monster Storm,” 10.07.2016).

Governmental entities across North America took proactive measures. In Jamaica, schools and government offices were preemptively closed, while all fishermen on the country’s cays were ordered to evacuate back to the island’s interior. By early October, Florida and North Carolina declared states of emergency, while South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley recommended residential evacuation for citizens living within 100 miles of the state’s coastline. 13 counties in Georgia also declared a state of emergency.

In the United States, towns from central Florida to Virginia are struggling with population displacement, power outages and widespread property damage.

For example, in Florida, around one million people lost power. Meanwhile, in North Carolina, around 900 people had to be rescued by boat crews on the morning of Oct. 9. Aid organizations and government agencies continue to work on repairing infrastructure and promoting public health and safety (The Weather Channel, “Hurricane Matthew Recap: Destruction From the Caribbean to the United States,” 10.10.2016).

Hurricane Matthew ravaged Caribbean nations as well. Before the hurricane began it was projected that, in Haiti alone, 55,107 internally displaced persons were at risk of having to stay in camps or other housing settlements without proper protection from the hurricane. The results thereafter were devastating. As

Feeding minds, bodies on the Walkway

Courtesy of Joey Weiman

Meat industry embraces protein alternatives Tyson Foods, the nation’s largest meat processor, announced Monday that they have invested an undisclosed amount for a five percent stake in Beyond Meat, a company that makes meat alternatives from plant protein (The New York Times, “Tyson Foods, a Meat Leader, Invests in Protein Alternatives,” 10.10.2016). Despite selling part of their stake to the meat giant, Beyond Meat will continue to be an independent company (Nasdaq, “Beyond Meat and Tyson Foods Announce Investment Agreement,” 10.10.2016).

Based in El Segundo, CA, Beyond Meat seeks to alter the modern diet by advancing the market in Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP), varying the vegetables used and attempting to better emulate the texture of meat (MIT Technology Review, “The Problem with Fake Meat,” 03.31.2015). Just this past year, the company began selling their “Beyond Burger,” a vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and GMO free patty that they claim “[l]ooks, cooks and tastes like fresh ground beef” (Beyond Meat).

Other companies have indicated interest in Beyond Meat’s products, including General Mills and Whole Foods Market, which has been selling the burgers alongside animal meats in-store. Beyond Meat raised $17 million last year from private and public investors, including The Humane Society of the United States and Bill Gates (Nasdaq).

Founder and CEO of Beyond Meat Ethan Brown sees his company as a forerunner in answering global health and sustainability, but he insists they remain committed to animal welfare. In response to the decision to sell some stake to Tyson, Brown said, “This investment by Tyson Foods underscores the growing market for plant protein. I’m pleased to welcome Tyson as an investor and look forward to leveraging this support to broaden availability of plant protein choices to consumers” (Nasdaq).

Executive Director of the Plant Based Foods Association Michele Simon qualified that there is much to learn about this agreement. She explained, “The most positive view is that this means the meat industry is shifting away from animal meat to plant-based meat, but I don’t think we know that’s the case yet—it could also be a way of distracting attention from their industrial meat business” (The New York Times).

October 13, 2016

Beginning in the 2017-2018 academic year, Vassar students will have fewer major requirements and the opportunity to choose more non-traditional learning experiences to fulfill them.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

2/3 majority of the faculty to bring it to an actual vote, and we didn’t get quite that many.” Over the summer, the Faculty Policy and Conference Committee (FPCC) made changes, including raising the maximum number of units students could take to 4.5 and making the major requirements more flexible in response to departmental needs.

Professor of Greek and Roman Studies and FPCC Chair Bert Lott said, “The number of units that can be required to complete a major in the proposal is set at 10 classroom units, plus a unit and a half of intensely mentored work ... Some departments would like not to do as much of [dash1] work, they would like to keep their classroom curriculum, and when that happens, then they can keep their major at 11 and a half.” He and Rock hope that the new flexibility will make the 2-2-1 proposal work for all of Vassar’s diverse departments. Departments that offer a lot of half-unit courses like music and dance, as well as lab-heavy departments like chemistry, will each be able to maintain their curriculum while accommodating the kind of work that the “dash-1” part of the proposal stands for.

Lott and Rock said that the “dash-1” element of their proposal is what will be key to diversifying Vassar’s curriculum in a way that will allow for greater student independence, faculty creativity and the development of mentoring relationships.

Rock said of the “dash-1” segment, “We’ve left this deliberately vague, partly because we want departments and programs to think imaginatively about the kinds of things that could count as dash 1 units ... We could imagine courses that involved artistic projects, musical presentations, multimedia presentations, small group seminars, which would be smaller than most of our traditional classroom seminars, maybe small group independent projects.” During the planning and implementation phases, Rock explained, the faculty committee will solicit feedback from students through the VSA, which was also consulted in the crafting of the original proposal.

Rock has high hopes for the faculty’s adoption of the “dash-1” element, and wants to encourage creativity: “In some ways the sky’s the limit: if you can imagine it, and you can make a good case for it, then we would probably consider it.”

October 13, 2016

FEATURES

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Research intern discusses merits of field work experience Sarah Henry

Guest Reporter

A

Courtesy of Sarah Henry

llowing Vassar students to gain experience in the fields of their respective intended majors while earning academic credit and getting involved in the Poughkeepsie and Hudson Valley communities, the Field Work Office has been an important facet of Vassar academia since 1949.

Field work consists of both the internship itself and an academic complement agreed upon by the individual student and their faculty advisor. Students tend to work twice per week, with the hours totaling 40 for a half credit and 80 for a full credit. Placement opportunities include Community and Governmental Services, Cultural Agencies, Education, Environmental Agencies and Farming, Health Services and Veterinarians, Legal Services, Media and Communications and Business and Financial Services.

Field work generally begins with a conversation with Interim Director of Field Work and Lecturer in Psychology Nicholas A. de Leeuw about one’s academic interests, goals and available opportunities.

However, if this seems daunting too, there is another way: the Career Development Office also helps students secure internships in New York City and elsewhere via the VCLink database, and many students arrange self-placed internships. Fiona Hart ’18 is interning at Health Quest Division of Clinical Research. Hart explained, “I actually applied for their summer fellowship and because of scheduling conflicts I was not able to take it, but instead was offered an internship for the winter. I got the internship independent of the Field Work Office, but I reached out to them to get field work credit at Vassar.”

Although Hart stated that her field work was important in that it afforded her experience in the medical field and medicinal branches that she’s interested in, it was pretty clear from her excitement at recounting the experience that it’s something she’s truly passionate about.

“Pretty soon we’re going to start shadowing doctors in the exam room but also possibly observing surgery...but you have to have blood work and tests to prove you’re healthy and the paper work can take a while.” Although her paperwork may still be in the works, Hart has by no means been idle. She is currently working on the logistical side of clinical research.

Shadowing doctors is not the only opportunity made available to Hart through her internship.

Her main contact, Dr. Portelli at Vassar Hospital, is a Crisis-Response Journal editor. So during down time and outside of office hours, Hart and her fellow interns have been exploring topics on their own to incorporate into a blog post. “This is all in the hopes that our post will get enough hits to be published!”

Beyond the value of the experience itself, field work also exposes Vassar students to great people working in their field of interest. Hart attests, “My favorite field work moment so far has been connecting with Dr. Portelli at Vassar Hospital.

He’s so brilliant and warm and truly wants to help his interns succeed. He’s not just a supervisor in the workplace, but a mentor to all of us at Health Quest.” If you’re concerned about feeling alone and out of place in a field work placement, rest assured. In Hart’s case, “There are three other Vassar students and one alumna also at Health Quest this semester.”

Sarah Dolan ’18 also found that connecting with people was a major bonus of her field work last semester with Mental Health America of Dutchess County. Most of her job was office work and client outreach, matching volunteers with people using MHA services. However, she said, “My favorite part was working at Compeer events. Most of the time, I communicated with everyone over the phone, and it was really great to meet all of the volunteers and clients in person. Getting to meet the people that were involved with MHA and Compeer made my field work experience a lot more meaningful. I wasn’t just doing office work and calling strangers, I was working to improve a program to help peo-

Fiona Hart ’18 is an intern at the Health Quest Division of Clinical Research. She got her internship outside the Field Work Office, but applied to get credit for her research through the office. ple that I knew and cared about.”

Elena Schultz’s ’19 [full disclosure: Elena is a Co-Editor for the Arts section of The Miscellany News] experience with field work helped to confirm her choice in majors and her passion for the field she wanted to work in. This past summer, Schultz worked as an editorial intern for a magazine in her hometown in Wisconsin. “My job was primarily to write articles, and because the magazine is a community, culture and arts publication, most of my pieces were about local people, businesses or events.” Besides gaining work experience, she also learned more about the publication industry. She added, “My editor and supervisor was incredibly helpful in explaining the process of creating a publication from scratch.”

She also got unique experiences and opportunities through this field work. Schultz said, “One of my favorite moments this summer was when I

interviewed the lead singer of Phox, a band that was touring the area and that I’ve admired since middle school. It was rewarding to write about something I really cared about.” Schultz recommends field work for “anyone still unsure about what they’re interested in studying–my summer experience made me much more confident about my decision to major in English.”

As a whole, field work is a highly recommended experience, and it’s not limited to upperclassmen. Field work becomes available to every student starting the spring semester of their freshman year. Hart remarks, “Field work can sound scary because it’s not a structured course on campus, and it’s different for every student.

But if you connect with the right organization and reach out to a sponsor you feel comfortable with, it’s a great way to get experience and build your resume!”

Gipson promotes campaign finance reform, engages students Sarah Henry

Guest Reporter

O

n Oct. 6 at 7 p.m., the New York State Senate candidate for Vassar’s district Terry Gipson came to Rockefeller Hall to address Campaign Finance Reform. The event was organized by Democracy Matters, a nonpartisan student organization that focuses on educating students about current political issues.

“I am passionate about these issues,” is my absolute favorite thing to hear from a source.

When I emailed Executive Director and co-founder of Democracy Matters Joe Mandle regarding Terry Gipson’s talk, he responded to my queries with vigor and passion. Mandle has a hand in policymaking, recruits interns to Democracy Matter’s 50 nationwide chapters and sits as the Staff Link for New York chapters.

Promoting student involvement in events such as the Gipson event, Mandle said, “I place the highest value on the political involvement of

college students. A democracy can only work if people are actively involved. I am confident that this generation realizes the importance of fighting for their issues–climate change, fossil fuel dependence, mass incarceration, outrageous student debt and the cost of college, economic inequality and more ... In New York, fracking was banned by the politicians ONLY because an anti-fracking movement–including students– pushed them to ban it!” Mandle explicitly stated of the talk, “I thought bringing Terry Gipson to campus to talk about a critical issue–the outsized role of money in our democracy and elections was very important. Terry is a strong advocate for getting big money out of politics and people back in. And the Senate race in the New York legislature is a critical one this year. If his visit impressed upon students the importance of voting this year, it was well worthwhile.”

The event was made possible due to the cooperation of Christopher Clark ’18 and the oth-

Courtesy of Sarah Henry

Members of Democracy Matters pose for a photo with New York State Senate candidate Terry Gipson at his October 6th talk on campaign finance reform in Rockefeller Hall..

er members of Democracy Matters with Terry Gipson’s campaign manager Josh Mumm this year. Having hosted a Grassroots training seminar with Mumm last month, Clark said, “We just mentioned one day that we’d love to have Terry come talk. He said he could work something out, and the rest is history.”

I’ll admit that my expectations were low as I shuffled into Rocky that night. In the chaos of this year’s presidential race, it did not occur to me that the politician I would be seeing that night might be a genuine and sincere man. I was pleasantly surprised. I learned a lot that night; some of it was sideline information, like Gipson’s fact that “the New York State Senate has been under majority Republican control for 78 years. It’s kept New York from being as progressive as many people think we should be.”

The majority of the information that night, however, was regarding campaign finances. The maximum individual donation to a U.S. Senate campaign is $2,700 per election cycle. A New York State Assembly candidate representing 150,000 people can receive a maximum individual donation of $4,400. A New York State Senator representing 350,000 people can receive a maximum donation of $11,000 from one person.

For corporations, the maximum amount of money they can donate to any campaign is $5,000 per year. That in and of itself doesn’t sound too bad. However, through the LLC loophole, corporations can open up endless LLCs, each with its own individual donation limit, allowing corporations to donate a virtually endless supply of money in order to get the candidate who supports their stances of hot issues elected. This is especially seen in pharmaceutical, oil and real estate companies. The LLC loophole was put in place by the ruling of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission in January 2010. Gipson claimed, “The amount of money we have in the political system is overwhelming. It’s drowning out the voices of the voters.” According to Gipson, the bill to close the LLC loophole has been passed by the State Assembly several times, but it makes it to the State Senate floor. Gipson says, “There’s a roadblock in the road of progress and right now it’s in the shape of dollar signs.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

This is why Terry Gipson, Democracy Matters and many others are pushing to reform campaign finance and switch to the Public Finance System. The Public Finance System maintains its operations by raising small contributions from individuals–these funds are then matched by the state. This system would require candidates to reach out and talk to their voters more and there would be a cap on how much money each candidate would raise, placing those running for an office on equal financial footing.

Gipson said, “Right now connection to personal wealth and the political leanings lining up with people with personal wealth has a lot to do with if you get elected ... The campaign finance system in place suppresses the common individual from running for office; they just can’t afford to. Lots of good people are in office doing good things but struggle because they find this brick wall in front of them.”

In regards to the current New York State Senate election, the issue of campaign finance is definitely having an effect. Gipson said, “Of the 63 seats, only six of them are competitive because no one can raise enough money to make it worth it to run against the others.” Gipson served for the 2012-2014 term, but was edged out when he ran for reelection in 2014. He was influenced to run after gaining experience on the local level when he found the state senator he dealt with to be, “extremely unhelpful and extremely uninterested ... He had been in office over 30 years.” Gipson also believes that term limits should be in place for senators to bring in new leadership and new ideas and prevent the current stagnation.

Terry Gipson has many personal connections to Vassar. His campaign office is right across from campus, and he has many friends on the faculty.

“I’m here all the time. Vassar is one of the largest employers in the district. I’m very connected to this college; it’s a great school. We’re very lucky to have it here.” Gipson said, “Duchess County is under Republican control ... It’s refreshing to have this campus in the middle of it ... It’s an island of liberalism, and it’s nice to come visit this island often.”

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October 13, 2016

Alumna dives into Cambridge academia, ponders future Rhys Johnson

Editor-in-Chief

M

dition, there is no discernable “average” in any aspect of life as a Cambridge graduate student; literally everyone else who I have met operates on a different schedule and that is the appealing truth about higher education. For some degrees, Cambridge operates very much like a business, with classes starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 5:30 p.m. every day, while others spend few, if any, hours in class at all.

Personally, I have three seminars over the course of two days, totaling five hours of class time. This sounds like a ridiculously low amount, I know, and this is the most I will ever receive since my degree emphasizes dissertation writing and research in the coming terms. However, in many ways graduate students at Cambridge learn more out of class than in it. Every day I attend graduate workshops to listen to scholars and stu-

Courtesy of Cassady Bergevin

y older sister has always been something of a guiding light for me. She is a person whose example drives my ambitions, as well as a friend whose limitless support has enabled me to pursue them. One of Vassar’s only alumnae/i that can boast having completed a triple major, a former Editor-in-Chief of The Miscellany News and now a first-year graduate student at Cambridge University, Bethan Johnson ’15 needs little introduction for those who know her. This week, I had the pleasure of catching up with her about her experiences since graduating, and what her own ambitions for the future are.

Q: What have you been up to over these last couple years?

A: After graduation, I accepted a one-year position to work for a social justice lobby firm in Washington, D.C. focused on education and advocacy with regards to national issues like income inequality and immigration reform. There, I devoted most of my energy to researching, co-writing and giving presentations, mostly to young people, on justice issues and the various forms of civic engagement. Toward the end of my time there, I also helped author an educational series about historic income inequality in the United States, including analysis on its intersections with race and gender identity. As my time there drew to a close, I realized how I enjoyed the historical research and writing components of my job and, coupled with a nagging feeling that I had more to say about my undergraduate history thesis on Welsh politics, I decided on a career-switch and applied to graduate school to study British history.

Q: What are you studying now, and what drew you to it? Where do you see yourself going with all this? Do you think anything from your time at Vassar drives you in that direction?

A: I am “reading” (read “working on”) a Masters in Philosophy in Modern British History. The course, surprisingly enough to friends and family, tends to focus on the “modern” period of 1600 to the present and generally analyzes the histories of England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, with some attention to other places in the historic British Empire. Also, with a degree in which 70 percent of my final grade will be determined by my year-long dissertation, much of my time will be spent researching my topic. I am writing about the life and legacy of Lady Llanover, a 19th-century Welsh woman. Llanover has become synonymous with helping to preserve traditional Welsh culture through food, dress, language and

music. This year, I will explore how authentic her version of Welsh culture was, her motives for preserving what she did and its implications for modern Welsh identity and nationalism.

As far as my future, I am hoping that I will work in the historical field after completing my degree. While I would love to write books and teach students about Welsh history—a discreet topic too often ignored, in my opinion, by historians—I am learning about all of the various career paths for someone interested in history.

In my first weeks at Cambridge I have met archivists, authors, teachers, administrators, lawyers, politicians and museum curators all with history degrees. In earnest, I just want to keep telling people’s stories, through whatever avenues are open to me.

I actually think that most of my life now and

Alumna and former Editor-in-Chief Bethan Johnson ’15 relates that her time after graduation has thus far been rigorous, yet enlightening. She is currently working on her M.Phil at Cambridge University. my career aspirations are tethered to my time at Vassar. The passion I feel about amplifying the voices muted by time or by other people, my belief that I should write about topics that interest me, and the confidence that led me to think that I was capable of thriving in an academically rigorous place like Cambridge are all at least partially the result of the people I met at Vassar.

Q: Take me through the average workday of a Cambridge grad student. What keeps you busy?

A: Oddly, for a university so steeped in tra-

dents present their research, sit in on undergraduate seminars to shore up my knowledge on my intended areas of expertise and, most importantly, live in the library as I research my dissertation.

Aside from that, Cambridge is an institution that loves to connect people with each other and with the past. This means that I may spend one evening sharing drinks with my dissertation supervisor and the next wearing an academic robe while eating at high table with the fellows of my college. Adopting a schedule like this means I am

often without spare moments to myself, but I am busy in a way that allows me to meet fascinating people and do things tailored to my interests.

Q: Any words of advice for current Vassar students?

A: While I am not a massive proponent of sweeping statements of advice, particularly from someone like me who has more aspirations than actual achievements at this point, I think that my experiences have shown me two things that may be helpful for others to know.

First, despite the seemingly hefty number of general graduation requirements and then distribution requirements for a concentration or correlate, I strongly recommend taking courses in other departments/programs. I saw the title “Politics, Law, Story” in the Jewish Studies offerings during freshman year pre-registration and signed up because of the title alone. Four years later, I graduated with a degree in Jewish Studies, having made some of my closest friends in life and having expanded my knowledge on so many topics that would likely have gone un-discovered otherwise. While most people will not choose to take more courses in that topic, that course can be a way of expanding horizons and this is one of the best times to totally indulge your hidden interests.

Potentially more importantly, the pressure which so many students, especially senior, (understandably) place on themselves to find the perfect job or ideal graduate program directly after graduation may be more harmful than helpful.

I learned an incredible amount about the world and myself during my time in a field in which I no longer want to work. While it would have been nice to be a year further into my studies, I gained a great deal from my time in Washington that I can bring to bear in my historical analysis and, thus, view that time as a helpful sidestep rather than a “lost year.” I am also friends with too many people who settled for a job, any job because they were afraid to take a chance and wait for better opportunities; likewise, I know many happily employed people who are grateful that they took a few months working as a temp and applying for jobs that they actually wanted to do.

Do not let fears about needing to find the perfect job, the stigma about under- or unemployment, or even the seemingly constant barrage of “what are you doing after this” questions make you forget that mapping out your entire future from TA 12 may not be reasonable. Try not to punish yourself for needing some time to figure things out. I have found that the process of trying, and sometimes failing at, something can be extremely validating.

VUE , CIS consider move to campus-wide WiFi coverage VUE continued from page 1

create a short list of spaces to address immediately (by next semester or next academic term).

And to continue this project until we achieved full WiFi coverage.”

Robinson underscores the importance of accessible WiFi for students without conventional cell coverage, such as those without internet plans or those with limited data usage. Consistent and strong coverage, he posits, is a crucial aspect of the campus’s livability.

Complete, or at least expanded, WiFi coverage throughout campus will surely benefit the whole of the student body. However, how feasible is this reform? What would the potential fiscal repercussions be? CIS Service Desk workers often consider these queries, wondering if the funds that would be allocated to re-routing the WiFi system could be funneled into an area of greater need.

CIS Service Desk Assistant Kimberly Nguyen ’19 said of the WiFi complaints from students, “There are too many people trying to access the WiFi at the same time, and once it hits, I think, 15 people per access point, it starts kicking people off. It’s very inconvenient if you’re trying to stay on the WiFi [especially during peak hours]. During midterm season where everyone’s trying to do everything at the same time it’s going to be very spotty.”

Kimberly Nguyen fields myriad WiFi complaints from fellow students. “In the middle of the quad there isn’t going to be any WiFi coverage, and if you do have WiFi it’s because your device has good range.”

Her co-worker, who chose to remain anony-

mous, argued that WiFi coverage is more than sufficient on campus. “I’m just happy having WiFi all over campus. I know at home, I have trouble getting WiFi in my room and my router’s on the other side of the house. Here, in my dorm, Main and the library the WiFi is pretty strong, and those are the main places I study.”

Ultimately, it is too soon to predict the what

outcome the petition will have. The VUE has data to collect and signatures to amass, and even if they can gather enough signatures, there will still be an administrative process to tackle.

Considering the costs and challenges involved, Kimberly laughs, “I think one of the ramifications of upgrading the WiFi is that...it’s gonna be a clusterfuck.”

Emily Sayer/The Miscellany News

said of the org’s goals, “​What about our environment is either inviting or restrictive​?​​What​ spaces and areas​, which were​once accessible​,​ have become ‘unsafe’​due to neglected maintenance and safety code requirements​? Why have these unique spaces become less of a priority?

By engaging and collaborating with different fields o ​ f thought we can come up solutions that are creatively diverse and address multiple perspectives.​” With regard to the WiFi petition specifically, Robinson asks, “Shouldn’t we question the versatility of the spaces we inhabit? In the case of Vassar’s campus WiFi plan, it is limited to buildings and their perimeters. Limiting the reach of WiFi has limited the way residents use and interact with campus spaces. Almost unknowingly, we limit ourselves to ‘WiFi available’ spaces because of limited accessibility to ‘other’ spaces and the college’s willingness to provide access to them. To make our campus more accessible and creative, there must be an effort to improve the flexibility of these spaces and provide a more broad definition of where work, creativity and community can happen.

Outlining the hopes for the petition, he adds, “The petition gages the demand for campus-wide WiFi. With the petition, VUE aims to recognize a need and desire for more expansive WiFi. By compiling data and asking students to note where they hope to see stronger/improved/present WiFi, VUE will present these finding to Marianne Begemann, Dean of Strategic Planning, and the CIS. Then, we hope to

CIS Service Desk Assistants contemplate both the costs and the rewards of better WiFi campuswide, which could include expensive re-routing systems but also wide WiFi access..

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

October 13, 2016

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Committee launches website to narrow candidate pool PRESIDENT continued from page 1

velopmental changes around campus.

These include the effort to support a diverse and vibrant community and promote the importance of the liberal arts education and an aspirational vision for Vassar College. Their role also includes reimagining the heart of campus by making significant capital improvements.

Additionally, the next President will be expected to oversee the continuing renovation and repurposing of aging buildings of the College, as well as creating a home for multidisciplinary programs and developing technological infrastructure.

On the fundraising front, “The next President will be expected to lead the College community to identify or confirm priorities, and then plan and lead a capital campaign or campaigns to secure funding for Vassar’s most pressing needs over the next decade and beyond. One of the challenges for the new President will be to increase annual giving to the Vassar Fund.”

In addressing concerns of students that the President does not engage enough with the Vassar community as a whole, the expectations for the next President include communicating and engaging with all constituents of the community, both on and off campus. This implies that they must have the sensitivity to handle

problematic discourses and bolster a safe environment while building a talented leadership team which also possess the ability to do so.

Under Qualities and Characteristics, this specification states that, “Vassar College seeks a visionary leader who possesses the intellectual creativity, energy, moral conviction, communication skills, and cultural competence to guide Vassar through the next stages in its evolution”.

This includes unquestioned integrity, belief in diversity and the ability to comfort people of diverse backgrounds, as well as strategic leadership skills. Only someone who understands and believes in the mission statement of the College and has the ability to work well with the governing board of the College can serve as a serious candidate for Vassar.

Drawing on this specification for the position, Isaacson, Miller, the Boston-based search firm hired to consult in the search for the next President, describes the candidate required as someone who “possesses a demonstrated ability to develop and execute a strategic vision, a record of effective leadership and administrative management in a complex environment, the financial acumen necessary to make difficult and necessary financial decisions, and the

Courtesy of Vassar College

vious school year and this summer were taken into consideration when drafting the detailed specification for the position. The qualifications can be found on the search’s official website; they encompass several of the College’s aspirations for whoever fills the position, as well as the desired capabilities of a selected candidate.

The site features a quote by the venerated Matthew Vassar, which states, “If we only follow on in the old beaten paths we will make no progress. We do no more than others have done before us. We are only copyists and not progressionists. My motto is progress.” The statement conveys a forward-thinking sentiment that the committee hopes its candidates will embody.

The site defines the position of the president as follows: “The President is the chief executive officer of the College and chair of the faculty, serves as an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees and all its committees (other than the Audit and the Personnel and Compensation Committees), and has final authority over the internal affairs of the College. The President is elected by, reports directly to, and serves at the pleasure of a self-perpetuating, 35-member Board of Trustees.”

This section also highlights the milestones achieved by President Hill during her 10-yearlong presidency, including the reinstatement of need-blind admissions, replacement of loans with grants in financial aid for low-income families and the enrollment of a “higher quality and more racially and socioeconomically diverse student body than ever before.”

Under her leadership, Vassar admitted 41 veterans through a program with the Posse Foundation since 2013 and the financial aid budget has more than doubled to over $60 million, with 60 percent of current students receiving some scholarship aid.

The candidate will face both challenges and opportunities, taking on this position at an important time of change for both Vassar College and the liberal arts community at large.

The expectations of the Board of Trustees from the selected candidate cover a wide spectrum of administrative responsibilities and de-

Professor of Mathematics John Keroe serves as a Secretary of the Presidential Search Committee with fellow faculty members, alumnae/i, students and Board of Trustees members.

skills and personality to fundraise successfully.

The next President will have a strong appreciation for the academic world and a commitment to the power of shared governance and academic freedom.” Their webpage dedicated to the Presidential search includes a link to the official website and allows anyone to apply for, or nominate someone else for, the position.

According to its Co-Chairs, “The committee has been working together very well in concert with our search consultant, Isaacson, Miller.”

They also continue to welcome nominations from the entire Vassar community through the Isaacson, Miller website and are pleased to report that the search is right on track, having moved forward as planned through the summer.

While assuring the Vassar community “there is strong interest among outstanding individuals to lead the College,” they invite comments and input from all members.

Appointed to the Presidential Search Committee, Ellie Winter ’18 echoes the thoughts of the Co-Chairs: “The process has been moving along beautifully, and I’m really happy with where we’re headed.”

This reflects the representation of all groups of the Vassar community on the committee.

Winter said, “Based on the surveys we conducted late last year and people who have approached us to share their desires, it seems that students are most concerned about maintaining Vassar’s need-blind status, increased attention to the needs of students regarding mental health care, sexual assault and racism, and advocating for students of all identities. We’re generally hoping for a president who can communicate well with the members of our community, and be a visible part of campus.”

Despite concerns that the views of the student body and the committee may not be in alignment, after incorporating the students’ responses and suggestions into the goal of the committee, Winter reports that the committee is “quite cohesive.” The voice of members of the Vassar community should be heard during this important process and all students and faculty are encouraged to reach out to the committee to make suggestions and provide input. Comments and feedback can be sent anonymously to www.imsearch.com/5861.

Fall into autumn with this cozy and easy tea-essenced icing Sarah Evans & Rafaela Vega del Castillo Guest Colunmists

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Courtesy of Rafaela Vega del Castillo

estled in the heart of the Hudson Valley, the presence of fall foliage is guaranteed as we enter into crisp October weather. Fastpaced walks to class are accented with the crunch of fallen leaves. Dropping temperatures make warmth in all forms a lavish thought. The warmth of spice is a powerful ingredient. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and cardamom are essential ingredients for happy souls and warm bodies. With the impending holidays and colder months, it’s no wonder food evolves with the dynamism of the seasons, and the need of warmth for the body and the mind.

On a windy day, mulling through a chill and a need for a pick-me-up, an enlivening snack or warming drink can be the deciding factor between a great day or a good day. Coffee or tea may be a constant in your life, but why not add a little more sweet and spice? Fortunately for the sluggish and suffering, there is a recipe that will brighten your taste buds and give you a sweet, local flavor. Such crisp weather is accompanied by crispier apples, being plucked from apple trees across New York State orchards. These sweet globular fruits are in prime season, and ready for picking! Although it may seem challenging to balance a beautiful apple picking scene in the midst of full schedules, a quick compromise and a restorative snack is a personal apple crisp! Forget fighting over the last bite of dessert, and have your own bowl and spoon.

As college students during a time of midterms, we tend to focus on the infinite number of papers we still need to write. The fast pace of school days makes us oblivious to the changing colors of the leaves, the chilly and refreshing wind in our faces and the deliciousness of fall food. There’s no reason to wait to go home for October break in order to enjoy warm apple and pumpkin confections. A tip to make Vassar

feel more like home is to learn how to prepare your own versions of the autumnal treats. We understand that life in a dorm can be tricky with the lack of a fully-stocked kitchen, which is why this recipe is here to save your fall spirit!

The only things you’ll need are a few apples, butter or coconut oil, oats, brown sugar and your favorite fall spices, as well as your favorite toppings.

If you’ve been apple picking already and ended up with a little-too-many apples in your room, here’s a recipe that will blow your mind as well as warm up your body and soul as the fall season starts to settle in. If school work has gotten in the way of your own apple-picking trip, or you’re simply not attracted to the idea of it, grab a few apples to-go next time you’re at the Deece or make this Apple Crisp right there!

This recipe is easy, microwavable and ready to eat before your stomach can even prepare itself for the deliciousness it is about to consume. Whip up this apple crisp the next time you’re with your friends or as a form of procrastination during your next study break. It’ll warm up your belly and your soul as we patiently wait for October break to arrive and let the fall settle into Vassar and our hearts.

Chop and slice apples to desired size. Peeling is optional but recommended since apple peels do not soften inside microwave! In a microwaveable bowl, heat coconut oil or butter for 30 seconds, just until melted. Then, place all ingredients into the bowl. Mix until evenly combined. Microwave for three to five minutes.

Stirring once in between. Once the apples have softened, remove from the microwave and top with your desired toppings while you wait for the dessert to cool. For a little glaze and extra gooeyness add more brown sugar or honey a top, allowing it to cool with the crisp!

If exploration is a part of your agenda, branch out into the local flavors of fall and visit an orchard to collect your own apples!

Ingredients 1-2 apples (your favorite variety) 1 tbsp coconut oil or butter 3 tbsp quick oats 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tbsp brown sugar add: almonds, pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, chia seeds or drizzle honey

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

OPINIONS

Page 8

October 13, 2016

The Miscellany News Staff Editorial

New college party regulations catch students by surprise

O

n Sept. 29, the Vassar student body of received an email from Dean of Students Adriana di Bartolo explaining the changes made to the school’s party registration policies and practices. The email outlined four main alterations: the maximum number of people allowed in an apartment for parties is now 25, only one host is permitted for each registered party, hosts can no longer serve hard liquor at a party and the number of parties per night is limited to one in the South Commons, four in the Terrace Apartments and four in the Town Houses.

The previous set of regulations dictated that up to 50 people were allowed in a house at one time during a registered party. There could be more than one host for each registered party and they were not confined to serving beer and wine only.

The list of changes laid out in the email was followed by a brief explanation of the Dean of Students Office’s and the Office of Residential Life’s rationale for the change in policy. The email ascribes the 25-person limit primarily to fire safety, and maintains that the hard alcohol ban is to foster a safer social environment.

However, in direct contradiction to the administration’s explanation, the fire safety regulations laid out in the document titled “Vassar College Regulations for 2016-17,” which can be found on the school website, state that up to 50 people can be in a SoCo, TA or TH at a given time.

Dean di Bartolo states in her email, “[Her office and the Office of Residential life] are committed to having the conversation about where and if large registered parties (>25) with alcohol should be permitted.” However, she does not include any alternative ideas. As it stands, student organizations with more than 25 members, as well as sports teams, are

now by definition unable to have social gatherings without excluding some community members.

Dean di Bartolo’s email was followed by an email from the Associate Director of Residential Life Rich Horowitz about a week later. This email included a report of student conduct incidents as well as an update on Vassar’s party policy. Horowitz noted that students of legal drinking age are now allowed to consume alcoholic beverages outside, as long as they are within close proximity to their apartment and they are not making a lot of noise. Horowitz clarifies here that there is an expectation that students will refrain from making a lot of noise at any hour of the day, not only when drinking outside of their apartments.

Both of the emails that students received were unclear in defining the new party rules, nor their relationship with the College’s old policy. Dean di Bartolo’s email does not lay out the previous rules in full, which prevents students from thoroughly understanding the change in code. Additionally, as explained above, the rationale that hosting 50 people exceeds the fire-safety capacity of THs does not match the information stated in the regulations documents themselves.

The email from the Office of Residential Life is ambiguous as well. It does not lay out the relationship between the change in outdoor drinking rules and the party policy. It raises questions such as whether what the email refers to as “favorite drink” includes hard alcohol and if one is allowed to drink outside of one’s apartment during a registered party or if the two are mutually exclusive. Neither email tells students where to find the policy in full.

The policies listed in both emails do not appear to be listed in any Vassar College pub-

lications regarding regulations.

Along with the ambiguous and confusing content, it bears mentioning that the emails were sent more than a month into the school year. While the whole campus was never officially notified when the policies were first enacted, Dean di Bartolo acknowledges in her email that some students may already be aware of the changes. This leads one to assume that the regulation changes had been in place for some time prior to the campus-wide email, which may have resulted in students getting punished for breaking rules they had no way to know about.

Many other U.S. colleges and universities, including Dartmouth and Stanford, have recently introduced similar policies. A year after implementing a hard alcohol ban, Dartmouth students received an emailed survey about the impacts of the policy. Overall, 85 percent of respondents reported that they had consumed hard alcohol since the ban was put into effect, 80 percent said that the ban had not changed their drinking habits and 15 percent claimed that they drink more times per week since the ban was implemented.

The lack of responsiveness on behalf of the student body does not, however, indicate a disregard for the need to create a safer environment on the university’s campus. 52 percent of the 1,745 respondents, in fact, were in agreement that there should be measures in place to foster a healthier environment. However, 80 percent of students did not believe that the ban lowered high-risk drinking on campus and 76 percent were not convinced that it fostered a safer and healthier environment.

On the other hand, Good Samaritan calls at Dartmouth, which is similar to Vassar and ensures that calling for medical help will not result in charges related to any involvement

of drugs or alcohol, decreased after the implementation of the policy. While Dartmouth is construing this as a positive trend, it could also indicate a hesitation to call for help rather than a decrease in unhealthy drinking habits. Students could be more afraid to call Safety and Security now that the punishments for possessing hard alcohol are stricter, even if the policy itself hasn’t changed.

At Stanford, meanwhile, the ban came in the wake of a highly publicized rape case in which Brock Turner, a former Stanford student, was convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. Many people object strongly to the enactment of the rule, arguing that it reinforces the victim-blaming myth that alcohol is to blame for sexual assault.

The Miscellany News acknowledges that there are safety concerns tied to parties on Vassar’s campus. There has been an increase in the number of EMS calls over the past few years, many of which are as a result of the consumption of hard alcohol, as Dean di Bartolo stated in her email. For the academic year of 2015-2016, there were 44 medical transportations related to alcohol at Vassar, a number significantly higher than peer institutions. We at The Miscellany News share the belief that a change in regulations must occur to make the Vassar party scene a safer environment. However, the current policies will not be effective, especially given the consequences of similar policies at Vassar’s peer schools. The changes in policy were also ineffectively communicated to students, making it harder for students, especially students new at Vassar, to have a comprehensive idea of relevant regulations.

— The Staff Editorial expresses the opinion of at least two-thirds of The Miscellany News Editorial Board

Italian-American communities must reject Columbus Day Curtis Eckley

Guest Columnist

I

t’s that time of year again.

On Oct. 10, 2016, across the Americas, we celebrate Día de la Raza in Latin America, Día de las Américas in Belize and Uruguay, Discovery Day in the Bahamas, Día del Respeto a la Diversidad Cultural in Argentina and in the United States, Columbus Day. The national holiday has become synonymous with the controversies over the brutal colonizer and, unfortunately, with Italian-American pride parades across the country. In theory, it makes perfect sense to celebrate our Italianità on a day that is coincidentally in the middle of Italian-American Heritage Month, especially if we forget Columbus’s legacy.

Today, many Italian-American groups herald him as a good representative for our community at a time when Italian-American depictions in the media are less than ideal (often, outright offensive and harmful). Unfortunately, that is far from the truth.

Columbus is worlds away from the Italian diaspora that created our communities within the United States and around the world, and it is insulting to both our ancestors and to the indigenous people to celebrate him as our hero. To understand this dilemma, it is necessary to understand the history of Columbus day as an act for recognition within a marginalizing state and the history of Italian-Americans as a traditionally marginalized, working-class people.

The establishment of Columbus Day in the early 20th century was not a one-way road, but a product of two different groups working to achieve two very different goals. One was the United States government, which established Columbus Day as a federal holiday in 1937. The act of celebrating the first colonialist served a greater purpose of legitimizing the United States’ imperialism in East Asia and Latin America.

The other group were the Italian Americans, who had been celebrating Columbus Day since 1866, when Angelo Noce lobbied for the day on the grounds of celebrating Italian-American contributions to the United States. It is difficult

to judge Noce for his efforts to legitimize the Italian-American presence in the United States after a surge of discrimination that started in the 1860s when mass Italian immigration to the U.S. began. However, it is also difficult to agree that Columbus actually represents Italian-American contributions to the United States. For many reasons, the statement doesn’t ring true. Logistically, Columbus never even set foot on mainland North America, instead hopping between islands in what is today the Bahamas.

“Columbus is worlds away from the Italian diaspora that created our communities within the United States and around the world...”

He also was not from “Italy” as we know it today, but rather the Republic of Genoa, a country barely on the Italian peninsula that sat at the very top of Northern Italy. In contrast, most Italian immigrants came from Southern Italy, which to a non-Italian may not make much of a difference, but is crucial in understanding the context in which Italian-immigrants were arriving. They were fleeing centuries of constant conquest, occupation and agricultural serfdom, and upon arrival were described as the “beaten men of beaten races” in popular magazines.

In fact, it was the Northern Italian state of Piedmont that had invaded and conquered Southern Italy during the unification of Italy (or the Risorgimento) that led to the economic catastrophe in the South. The Piedmontese army found itself at war with Brigantaggio, or Brigandage, which involved poor, rural Italians fighting against occupation and massacre.

While some Southern Italians fought, many others decided to leave, and those that did comprised the bulk of the Italian-American communities in the United States. Columbus had nothing to do with the struggles of these peo-

ple, our ancestors, and does not represent any of their accomplishments. He more accurately represents the “accomplishments” of Spain, as it was under the Spanish Crown that he sailed.

In response to these criticisms, many Italian-American groups have defended Columbus Day, usually on the grounds that he wasn’t “that bad” or that he was successful in spreading Christianity to native populations and furthering our understanding of the Earth and navigation.

Ultimately, none of these “successes” bear any significance to Italian-American communities, and yet these groups believe celebrating him can improve our reputation within the media, as more than just the violent criminals or buffoons we are often depicted as (depictions that have historically been used to discriminate against us). If Italian Americans are looking for an alternative to the mafia-saturated, gangster-induced images we are often confronted with, a man who literally enslaved and mutilated native people should not qualify.

Instead, Italian Americans should be celebrating the many individuals who have come from our communities and who have helped our communities. Figures like Vito Marcantonio, a progressive congressman who represented East Harlem when it was an Italian and Puerto Rican neighborhood. Or Angela Bambace, who also lived in East Harlem, and was the first Italian woman to hold leadership in the International Ladies Garment Workers Union. Or Arturo M. Giovannitti, a labor organizer involved in the Bread and Roses Strike. Or Ralph Fasanella, an Italian-American folk artist whose paintings represent the quintessential Italian-American immigrant experience.

I also want to know why groups like the National Italian American Foundation or the Order Sons of Italy don’t march in solidarity with the many Italian Americans lynched, attacked or killed as part of our history as immigrants. It is essential to note the struggle with the traditional American racial systems that excluded us from whiteness.

Why don’t these groups celebrate figures like Sacco and Vanzetti, or the victims of the 1891 New Orleans mass lynching of Italians, the

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

largest mass lynching in United States history?

Assimilation has erased the radical resistance Italian-Americans often espoused in the face of overt discrimination.

“In order to create a future for our identity and for our communities, we need to actively reflect on our history of resistance and end our idolization of Columbus” Today, many Italian-American communities face an uncertain future. Forceful assimilation robbed us of our cultures, and today, we are left struggling to keep it alive. We also face a greater threat of racism in our communities as we’ve adopted the majority values and have collectively forgotten our history within civil rights and workers’ rights. Reckoning with these histories is essential to both self-decolonization and paving the way for strengthening our relationships with indigenous communities. In order to create a future for our identity and for our communities, we need to actively reflect on our history of resistance and end our idolization of Columbus, abandoning him for better representation and better solidarity with the indigenous people. Of course, Italian Americans need to acknowledge their complicity in colonial legacies. At the same time, ignoring the contributions of Italian Americans in active resistances to American hegemony is damaging and ahistorical.

Italian-American communities must reject Columbus as a tangible symbol of their identity.

The character of Pino that we see in Spike Lee’s film, “Do the Right Thing,” is an unfortunate example of the mentality that is acquired when a group abandons their history for the sake of assimilation, and unfortunately, it could cause the demise of Italian-American communities.

October 13, 2016

OPINIONS

Page 9

When faced with extinction, wildlife creatively adapts Steven Park Columnist

H

ere’s some grim news: thousands of animal species are disappearing every year and the rate of extinction will only increase in the coming future.

As tragic as that sounds, is it even remotely surprising anymore? We’ve gotten so used to hearing bad news about the state of the environment that the image of humanity as this unstoppable, destructive force is pretty much cemented in both popular media and our collective consciousness.

Journalist and author Jeremy Hance admitted, “As an environmental journalist, I sometimes feel it’s my job to simply document the decline of life on planet Earth. The word ‘depressing’ doesn’t even begin to describe it. For many of us—myself included some days—the desperate state of our environment leaves us numb with sadness and, frankly, lost in hopelessness” (The Guardian, “Has hope become the most endangered species in conservation?,” 10.05.2016).

Yet, despite all this doom and gloom, we’re not giving the animals on the planet enough credit. Thanks to all the destruction that we cause, we tend to assume that nature itself is powerless against the overwhelming power of humankind. As true as that might be, it’s a rather arrogant assertion that underestimates the wildlife on the planet. The Earth’s biodiversity may be in danger thanks to humans, but nature isn’t entirely dependent on human activities.

For the environmentally savvy individual, there is absolutely no question that Earth’s wildlife is dying at an alarming rate. A study published in 2014 found that 41 percent of all amphibian species on Earth face the threat of extinction, as well as 26 percent of mammal species and 13 percent of bird species (Nature World News, “2015 May See Several Species Go Extinct,” 01.02.2015). Not only that, upwards of 80,000 acres of tropical rainforest are being destroyed every day, leading to an estimated loss of 50,000 species a year (Scientific American,

“Measuring the Daily Destruction of the World’s Rainforests,” 11.18.2009).

More and more, animals steadily face extinction, from the majestic Siberian tiger (Nature World News) to the rusty patched bumble bee (The Huffington Post, “The Loneliest Frog On Earth Dies, Marking The End Of Yet Another Species,” 10.04.2016).

If this devastating trend continues, scientists worry that at least one in every six species could vanish from the face of the planet by the year 2100 (The Huffington Post). Nature doesn’t stand a chance in the face of such overwhelming threats.

But while it’s true that the state of the planet elicits distress, it would be misguided to believe that all wildlife is helpless. Rather, nature is incredibly clever with how it approaches this dire situation. Because it’s not sheer dominance and size that guarantees survival; it’s adaptability.

For instance, scientists in 2011 discovered four new species of bees in the densely populated and highly urbanized New York City (The New York Times, “City Bees Newly Discovered, Yet Here All Along,” 11.10.2011). These bees have been found in Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau Counties hidden among other species. That is astounding, especially when one considers the rapid decline of bee populations across the planet. Not only that, researchers also identified a new species of frog in New York City as well (National Geographic, “Big City, Big Surprise: New York City’s Newest Species Is a Frog,” 10.29.2014). The Atlantic Coast leopard frog, or Rana kauffeldi, was first found in Staten Island and is seemingly resistant against the chytrid fungal disease that’s wiping out hundreds of amphibian species elsewhere in the world.

That’s right: In the age of extinctions and endangered animals, new species are being found right at our doorsteps. Even outside of New York City, entomologist Emily Hartop has documented 43 new species in the bustling metropolis of Los Angeles in just two years (New Scientist, “Los Angeles launches hunt for unknown spe-

cies hiding in cities,” 04.14.2016). Hartop wants other members of the community to explore urban landscapes and search for new species of spiders, snails, slugs, reptiles and amphibians hiding in the cracks. “[Urban landscapes] are as important for biodiversity as ancient woodlands,” says Matt Shardlow, the chief executive of the UK conservation group Buglife.

However, it’s not just that new species are being found in areas changed by human activity.

Animals that have lived for centuries in undisturbed wilderness are adjusting to city life and human presence, an amazing testament to the power of adaptation.

A great example of such an animal is the coyote, which has changed from a species native to the open plains of western America to one that has spread to every corner of the United States (National Geographic, “How Wild Animals Are Hacking Life in the City,” 04.18.2016). As omnivores, coyotes in the city usually come out during the night and search for anything to eat from backyard fruit to wild prey.

After decades of contact with human society, these canines have learned when to safely cross roads by observing traffic patterns and how to hide effectively in hidden concrete dens to avoid humans. But in some areas, coyotes have become so used to humans that they approach people and nip them on the shin to ask for food (YES! Magazine, “We Aren’t Alone in Our Cities: 12 Ways Animals Have Adapted to Urban Life,” 04.14.2015).

“If no one had seen a coyote before, I wouldn’t take them to a rural environment, I’d go to Denver,” says Stewart Breck, a research wildlife biologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (National Geographic, 04.18.2016). Breck underscores the incredible malleability of the coyote’s environmental fitness.

That’s not all. Many other animals are following suit in order to survive in an increasingly human-centered world. Sparrows in Bangkok, Thailand have changed their sleeping patterns to

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stay awake late into the night in order to feed on the swarms of bugs that are drawn towards the city’s bright lights (YES! Magazine). In Germany, wild boars are known to travel from the rural forest areas to the suburbs of Berlin in order to stay safe during hunting season. Tawny owls in Finland have become more brown over the past few decades in response to climate change and the lack of snow (Grist, “How humans are forcing other species to evolve,” 05.05.2011).

The Atlantic tomcod, a species of fish found in the Hudson river, have grown resistant to toxins and can swim in relatively polluted waters with no ill effect. There really is no end to the different ways animals have adapted to human activities.

“We forget that we are the biggest cause of evolution on the planet right now. We have this view of the wild as a pristine place [and of evolution as something that happens] in the wild.

But humans in cities are changing the animals now,” remarks Suzanne MacDonald, biologist at York University in Toronto, Canada, who studies urban raccoons (National Geographic, 04.18.2016).

Sometimes, endangered animals find refuge where one least expects it. An endangered bird known as the black-crowned night heron has adapted to urban life and is thriving in the heart of Chicago, the third largest city in the United States.

That’s the cardinal rule about nature: it’s all about the ability to adapt to changing environments. In the end, natural selection ensures the survival of the most clever and resourceful creatures.

So, let’s end the egotistical belief that, as humans, we ultimately decide the life and death of all animals on the planet. This infers a God complex, a trope that often dominates popular media’s representations of science (in particular, biodiversity).

We certainly shouldn’t ignore the destructive impact of human activity, but we shouldn’t look down on nature’s wildlife, either.

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OPINIONS

Page 10

October 13, 2016

Israeli LGBTQ rights must not overshadow state violence Joshua Schreier

Professor of History

M

r. Brenner’s recent letter in response to my opinion piece two weeks ago touches on a number of issues dealing with campus activism, the hazards of what he calls “post-colonial political correctness,” the “intensive international campaign to demonize (Israel’s) people,” and what he implies is poor behavior on the part of some in the Vassar community. I will follow Mr. Brenner’s lead in organizing this response around his seven “comments.”

Brenner’s first (and seventh) point criticizes of my use of Rifa’at Rafi al-Tahtawi’s well-known discussion about Paris in the 19th century. I used it not to condone or deflect from human rights abuses in Middle-Eastern countries, but rather to illustrate how there was nothing eternal, nor specifically “Arab” or “Muslim” about the terrible situation facing many LGBTQ individuals in the countries Stephens’s singled out for criticism. I saw it as relevant because, for a number of reasons, criticizing other Middle-Eastern regimes seems to stand in as a defense of Israeli policies. For example, Stephens did not mention that terrible situations for LGBTQ individuals also exist in Russia, Nigeria, Uganda, Honduras, Jamaica and elsewhere, because this would not serve the same rhetorical purpose.

Of course, this is no reason to ignore official or unofficial persecution in the Muslim Middle East.

The real problem is that Stephens did not come to Vassar to speak as an ally of persecuted Arab or Muslim LGBTQ people. He is not a scholar, activist or journalist seriously engaged with issues facing Palestinian or Egyptian or Iranian LGBTQ people, nor did he try to broaden our understanding of the form or extent of persecution in one or several of these Middle-Eastern countries. As far as we know, he is not working with, say, Palestinian LGBTQ (or any other progressive) groups or individuals, here or in Palestine. Although Stephens uses Arab persecution of LGBTQ people to champion Israel and condemn BDS, he did not claim that many Palestinian LGBTQ individuals actually oppose BDS. This is because he is not working in

solidarity with Muslim or Arab LGBTQ people, but rather as a conservative American journalist using the very real marginalization and violence experienced by LGBTQ individuals in Middle-Eastern countries as a way to condemn BDS activism and support the regime in Israel. This is problematic.

“The real problem is that Stephens did not come to Vassar to speak as an ally of persecuted Arab or Muslim LGBTQ people.”

Brenner’s second comment criticizes singling out of Israel when other countries act far worse.

Frankly, I agree—some countries are acting worse than Israel. Syria, with Russia’s help, is currently bombing hospitals and is massacring men, women and children by the thousands. Saudi Arabia just slaughtered over 100 attendees of a funeral in Yemen. This being said, the United States did not just agree to give Bashar al-Assad or Vladimir Putin 38 billion dollars in military aid over the next decade. Even American aid for Saudi Arabia, which similarly deserves criticism, does not come close to this. Much of the “singling out” of Israel is done not by its critics, but by its so-called friends. Politicians frequently remind us of America’s “special relationship” with Israel. Indeed, it bears repeating that this letter is a follow-up to an event entitled “Why I Support Israel, and Why You Should, Too.” It should not be surprising that responses to such an event remain on-topic and “single out” Israel. I don’t predict Vassar will soon host an event entitled “Why I Support the Syrian regime, and Why You Should, Too.” Brenner’s third point is largely a critique of The Miscellany News’ coverage of the event, but also a condemnation of those who do not embrace “dialogue” and a “two-state solution.” Dialogue is

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great (I am currently participating in one) and if a truly just, widely agreed-upon, two-state situation is ever reached, I will join the celebrations. But dialogue is not an end in itself, and to arrive at a just two-state (or one-state, or any other) solution, a great deal of nonviolent activism is probably necessary.

Brenner’s fourth comment is really aimed at SJP chapters “across the country,” some of which have shouted down speakers and stormed stages.

As for Vassar’s SJP “preemptively” accusing Stephens of espousing racist views, I am not entirely sure it was pre-emptive: his past columns have discussed “the disease of the Arab mind” and fret about Western Civilization’s slow death in the face of petulant Muslim leaders and waves of non-European immigrants. Vassar students can hardly be accused of jumping recklessly to conclusions.

The fifth comment accuses me personally of not engaging Stephens or speaking at the event.

Mea culpa. I had no questions at the time (his talk covered material that was reasonably familiar to me), and the moderator asked us to limit our responses to questions.

Brenner characterizes the student-organized “talk-back” to which he was not invited as a “whine-fest” uniquely for BDS supporters. Actually, it was open to all students and faculty. Indeed, a number of questions came from people I would guess were not supporters of the organizers of the event. Some really good questions came from a decidedly anti-BDS perspective. In this openness, it was similar to past JVP/SJP as well as J-Street U events I have participated in recently. Alumni, it is true, were not invited, but students organizing meetings or events aimed at other students is hardly unusual.

The sixth point criticizes the Palestinian authority, which certainly deserves criticism. But it also assumes the PA functions as a sovereign state and thus Palestine’s laws are easily comparable to the laws of Israel. This is not true, as the occupation has not ended. I would also question the implication that Israel’s LGBTQ protections are as available to Palestinians as they are to Israeli Jews.

This is not true either. Gay Palestinians cannot easily migrate to Israel and enjoy equal rights or protection. But even if they could, there would still be a good argument to be made for pressing Israel to extend such rights to the several million Palestinians who are not gay.

“[T]he horrors recently experienced by LGBTQ people in the Middle East should not be used to mask the horrors of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.”

In his seventh comment, Brenner is absolutely right in noting that many LGBTQ individuals in the Muslim Middle East often live with “fear and repression.” He would be right if he extended this point further, and insisted that things have actually been going in the wrong direction in some countries. I also agree that both Jews and Israelis are often subject to the same sort of reductive demonization that is directed at Arabs and/or Muslims (sometimes by the same people). But support for the dignity and basic rights of all, be they LGBTQ individuals, Jews, Israelis, Arabs, Muslims or some combination thereof, should be universal.

The suffering of LGBTQ people in, say, Egypt, should not be used to condemn Egypt as a whole, but rather certain practices and policies, and fueling such calls must be a belief in the humanity and dignity of Egyptians themselves. Criticism of Israeli policies ought to be just that—and not a denunciation of Israelis as an undifferentiated group.

Most relevant to this discussion, the horrors recently experienced by LGBTQ people in the Middle East should not be used to mask the horrors of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

Letter to the Editor I am a professor of Chinese philosophy who has fought for thirty years to overcome ethnocentrism and bring Chinese and Western philosophy into productive dialogue.

Consequently, I can only applaud the spirit of The Miscellany News article, “VC Wants Diversified Courses,” by Emily Sayer ’18. I am also flattered that she chose to quote the editorial Jay Garfield and I wrote for the New York Times, “If Philosophy Won’t Diversify, Let’s Call It What It Really Is.” Our editorial criticizes the majority of US philosophy departments, which (unlike Vassar’s) do not teach any philosophy outside the Anglo-European mainstream. However, I worry that the Miscellany article gives a misleading impression of Vassar’s Philosophy Department, which has been a leader in promoting intellectual diversity and in subverting dominant paradigms of thought.

For example, at Vassar, I regularly teach “Early Chinese Philosophy,” “Confucius,” “Daoism,” and “Neo-Confucianism and Chinese Buddhism.” In addition, Uma Narayan, a leading expert on postcolonial feminism, teaches “Feminist Theory,” “Philosophy and Contemporary Issues,” “Global Feminism,” and “Capitalism, Globalism, Economic Justice, and Human Rights.” Of course, not all valuable courses are about non-Western philosophy or postcolonial studies. Vassar philosophy professors have taught a variety of innovative courses seldom available at other liberal arts colleges, including “Marx’s Capital,” “Moral Psychology,” “Philosophy of Opera,” “Philosophy of Physics,” and “Philosophy of Law.” The Philosophy Department also has an extensive history of multidisciplinary cooperation, with Environmental Studies, Women’s Studies, Chinese & Japanese, Physics, Psychology, and Cognitive Science (among others). A reflection of the broad interests of the faculty in the Philosophy Department is the reading group on Indian philosophy that department faculty have been engaged in this semester.

The Miscellany article hints that conti-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

nental philosophy is more sensitive to cultural difference than is analytic philosophy.

A famous philosopher once observed that dividing philosophy into “analytic” and “continental” is like dividing cars into “blue ones” and “those made in Japan.” In both cases, the purported distinction is less than useful. Moreover, part of what is distinctive about the Vassar Philosophy Department is its long history of pluralism, which eschews such binary divisions. I myself teach a seminar on “Modernism, Postmodernism, and Hermeneutics,” with readings that bring into productive dialogue figures from a variety of schools of thought.

My personal experience as a comparative philosopher has been that one cannot predict whether a philosopher is open to a genuinely multicultural approach based on his or her area of interest in Western philosophy. Jay Garfield was trained as an analytic epistemologist, and is now a leading advocate of Buddhist philosophy. Graham Priest of NYU is a mainstream analytic logician, but he has argued extensively that paraconsistent logic and non-standard set theory can shed light on Huayan Buddhism.

In contrast, when he was invited to lecture in China in 2001, eminent continental philosopher Jacques Derrida informed his hosts that “China does not have any philosophy, only thought.” In saying this, he was essentially repeating the seminal continental philosopher, Martin Heidegger, who stated that the phrase “‘Western-European philosophy’ is, in truth, a tautology,” because philosophy is by definition European.

I have fought opposition to multiculturalism from both philosophers and non-philosophers, from both analytic and continental thinkers. However, I am thankful for the many colleagues at Vassar who have supported me and my work. They are my partners, friends, and allies in this fight.

Sincerely, Prof. Bryan W. Van Norden Department of Philosophy

October 13, 2016

OPINIONS

Peace prizes prove inherently political Sylvan Calko Perlmutter Columnist

T

he granting of the Nobel Peace Prize has always been a calculated political act. This might come as a surprise to some. After all, our stereotypes of Scandinavians would demand that the Norwegian Nobel Committee go about its task with a detached Nordic fastidiousness.

But the Nobel Peace Prize has been employed as a political intervention just as often as it has been simply an acknowledgment of a job well done.

The latest example of this tendency on the part of the Nobel Committee was in granting Juan Manuel Santos, the president of Colombia, the Nobel Peace Prize for his yet unfinished work in ending the 50-year conflict with the guerrilla group, Las FARC. The Santos government and Las FARC spent four full years negotiating in Havana, Cuba before a peace deal was presented to the public for referendum. You would think that everybody would support a deal to end a 50-year war right?

But no, some parts of the deal were too controversial for certain elements of Colombian society. For example, the deal allowed Las FARC to become a disarmed political party and promised lighter punishments for crimes committed if the Las FARC leadership submitted themselves voluntarily to the authorities. Álvaro Uribe, Colombia’s conservative former president and Santos’s bitter rival, led the “No” campaign. Voters rejected the deal by .2 percent. Tragically, when the voter distribution is considered, the areas most impacted by the war with Las FARC overwhelmingly voted for the deal while the areas most immune to the ravages of the conflict voted to continue on.

The peace process continues, but now Álvaro Uribe wants a seat at the deal and Santos must struggle to salvage as much of the deal as possible. Just like with Brexit, naked self-interest trumped service to one’s country.

In this light, Santo’s Nobel Peace Prize is not so much a reward as it is a premeditated political

intervention by the Nobel Committee. Throughout the negotiations, Santos was accused by his opponents of speeding the process so he could win the Nobel Prize. Now that he has one, his good faith in continuing the peace process is unimpeachable. Furthermore, the prize signifies the support of the international community for Santos and in doing so belittles Uribe domestically. Colombians respect the Nobel Prize.

Every school child from Cali to Santa Marta is taught how great Gabriel García Márquez was for bringing the Nobel Prize in literature to Colombia.

Such maneuverings are nothing new in the history of the Nobel Prize. Time and time again the Nobel Prize has acted to throw the weight of “Western” liberal democratic opinion behind a certain beleaguered figure. For example, before Nelson Mandela and Frederik Wilhelm de Klerk were granted the Nobel Peace Prize for (relatively) peacefully terminating the Apartheid system. Albert Lututi and Desmond Tutu were given Nobel Prizes for their efforts to end apartheid. The prize called attention to their plight and gave them international support as well as the protection that came with visibility.

Be that as it may, the Nobel Peace Prize’s lofty status as the peak achievement of world figures has historically not gone unchallenged. Noticing the deep ideological predilections of the Nobel Committee, Joseph Stalin decided to create an alternative prize for an alternative Communist world order. He called it, unsurprisingly, the International Stalin Prize for Strengthening Peace Among Peoples. If you’re trying to outdo a prize created by an arms manufacturer, might as well go with a mass murderer. Thankfully, after Stalin’s death, the prize’s name was changed to the more palatable International Lenin Prize for Strengthening Peace Among Peoples. The Nobel Peace Prize had been sucked into the stark ideological divisions of the Cold War. This is not to say that the Lenin Peace Prize was without its merits. The list of people who won Lenin Peace Prizes is far more racially and

geographically diverse than those that won the Nobel during the cold war. The Lenin prize was granted to W.E.B. DuBois, Salvador Allende and a whole slew of African and Asian anti-colonial revolutionaries. However, it was also granted to an expansive list of dictators including Fidel Castro, Sukarno, Janos Kadar and Leonid Brezhnev. But the Lenin Prize was fated to come to an end with the fall of the USSR, and the Nobel Prize has since the reigned unchallenged as the ultimate mark of global achievement, annually confirming and perpetuating the dominant discourses of human rights and liberal democratization.

A question to be asked is this: As the developing world continues to grow economically and military, will Euro-American ideological supremacy be challenged with other alternative awards? The latest effort in this vein is the recent creation of the Hugo Chavez Peace Prize in Venezuela, a country where people spend over 30 hours a week in line for scarce basic goods.

President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro, last seen handing over control of the food supply to the military, granted the prize to Vladimir Putin. Given the current state of Venezuela, and the current state of Russia, it is safe to assume that no one will take the Hugo Chavez Prize particularly seriously. Nevertheless, it serves as a handy illustration of the subjective political nature of prizes in general.

At the very least, whether credible new prizes emerge or not, perhaps remembering the Lenin Peace Prize and the Hugo Chavez Peace Prize can shake us from unconditionally worshiping Nobel Peace Prize winners. Nelson Mandela was an incompetent president, Aung San Su Kyi has done nothing to halt the immense suffering inflicted on the Rohingya people of Myanmar and Barack Obama presided over a massive expansion in drone strikes and extra judicial killings abroad.

Therefore what the world must do now is not simply congratulate Santos, but remember to keep him accountable.

Letter to the Editor I write in reference to Joshua Schreier’s Sept 28th article on Bret Stephens’ recent interview and Q&A at Vassar College on Sept 20th.

Professor Schreier’s assertion that Mr. Stephens has somehow “pinkwashed” the issue at hand is hollow and misses the point of the interview almost entirely. Stephens’ references to Israel’s history of tolerance toward the entirety of its citizenry were just simply and obviously to contextualize the liberal and progressive culture upon which the State of Israel has rested from the moment of its creation. No more and no less.

Professor Schreier’s peculiar inferences and extrapolations seek to suggest that Stephens argues that Israel’s actions in the West Bank are justifiable because of its liberal principals and tolerance of all communities, the LGBTA one included. That’s at least a stretch and at most absurd.

While it is true that Israel’s history of tolerance and protection of liberal principals has stood in stark contrast to the medieval principals of its neighbors, the two matters are simply irrelevant to one another and Schreier’s suggestion that Stephens intentionally has linked them for the purpose of obfuscating some supposed bad acts is pure fantasy if not utterly bizarre. Schreier’s letter is devoid of any meritorious scholarly criticism of the interview.

Instead, his letter to the Misc obsesses over the matter of LGBTA rights (as well as strangely seeking to tie in the recent civil protest in the US related to police brutality) when in fact not more than a few minutes of the actual interview addressed the liberal principals of Israel as a general matter. As much as I expected to be outraged by this aspect of Professor Schreier’s argument, it’s hard to think of his rantings as anything more than misguided and, well, weird.

Whether you agree with Brett Stephens’ position or not, this aspect of his argument is, in fact, that Israel’s defensive actions with respect to the West Bank indeed

are merited...but for reasons pertaining to something altogether different: specifically Israel’s right to protect the sovereignty of its lawful borders and the safety of its citizenry. The Palestinian community asserts that Israel has no right to exist and clings not to peace and coexistence but rather the destruction of Israel and its citizenry. Israel justifiably disagrees and seeks to protect itself.

It does so in the face of daunting daily struggles against an enemy that would throw it into the sea if given the opportunity and has tried regularly to do just that since before the Balfour Declaration. Despite living under constant threat, Israel provides aid, supplies, and the very best medical attention to the very people who seek its destruction.

Why does it do this? Because Israel believes that peace is possible even if its hostile neighbors repudiate the olive branch that Israel has extended time and again. To wit, as set forth on May 15th, 1948 in its declaration of statehood: “WE EXTEND our hand to all neighbouring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighbourliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.” Of course, the Arab response to this offer was a declaration of Jihad against Israel.

Schreier’s unsupported assertions about the history of the conflict is a study in historical revisionism if not ignorance and is highly irresponsible for an educator. It is a falsehood to say that Israel expelled 750,000 Palestinians in 1948. It is true that many Arabs in the region chose to abandon their homes ahead of what was soon to be a war zone due to the immanent military offensives planned by neighboring Arab states.

Golda Meir was famously dispatched to Haifa to try to convince the large Arab community there to stay. She was unsuccessful.

Most neighboring Arab states eventually sealed their borders against the Palestinian Arabs who chose to flee en mass creating a refugee crisis of the Arabs own making.

Israel did something unprecedented and quite the opposite: it offered all Arabs inside its borders full citizenry with the rights and privileges afforded to all other Israelis, Jewish or otherwise. Sadly, most turned down that offer, and their progeny are left to rue the day.

With respect to Schreier’s assertion that Stephens rejects the activism of SJP and similar parties, how can anyone expect otherwise? These are groups that stand allied with parties (e.g., Hamas) whose very charter calls for the annihilation of Israel! I also point out that the Vassar SJP chapter publicly labeled him a racists, so little surprise that Stephens stands justifiably opposed to their principals. Interestingly, Schreier has was quoted in Clark Xu’s Sept 28th article as having said that “[SJP and JVP] are not calling for the elim­ination, expulsion or subjugation of any national group, but rather for equal rights.” That is patently false.

I also point out that all citizens of Israel–be they Jewish, Muslim, Druze, Christian, Bahai, or other–already have equal rights and have had since 1948. Sadly, those who have chosen to be governed by Hamas have made their beds, their buyers’ remorse notwithstanding. These people were not denied the aegis of equal rights or even an independent state as offered by UNSCOP in 1947; their forefathers and foremothers turned down the invitation.

Schreier calls Israel “[A]n oppressive and racist regime”. If this is what Schreier considers oppressiveness and racism to look like, one wonders what his opinions are of the neighboring Arab regimes that kill gays, oppress women, and stand committed to wiping Jews (and other Arab Israelis) from the face of the earth. That’s not “Pinkwashing”; it’s just fact.

Richard E. Geller ’93

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Word on the street How would you defend yourself against a clown?

“Say I have their nudes.”

— Patrick Tanella ’19

“I would duck...

I’m five feet tall.”

— Wenjie Xie ’19

“I would throw make-up wipes at them.”

— Raphe Gilliam ’19

“Tell better jokes than them.”

— Kevin Arce ’20

“What Kardashian is your fav?” — Logan White ’20

“I would homealone it and protect myself with lots of traps.” ­­— Corey DeLay ’20

Evelyn Frick, Humor & Satire Editor

HUMOR & SATIRE

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October 13, 2016

Breaking News From the desk of Evelyn Frick, Humor & Satire Editor October break gives students ability to sleep and pray that the second half of the semester will be merciful.

Rad Brad’s Career Corner Possible write-in candidates Social Media/Online Edition are scarier than Trumpkins Leela Stalzer and Gabrielle Anspach “Brad”

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ip No. 1: Develop a professional social media presence. Remove all traces of alcohol, drugs and references to general fun from the last eight years of your Facebook timeline, ignoring the fact that most networking occurs when one or more of these things are present.

Delete, block and report anyone you have ever heard even mention these topics. Be wary of people who post pictures in which they look happier than you generally feel; they are most likely inebriated. Removing them from your Facebook newsfeed, as well as from your life overall, will make you a more attractive job applicant.

Don’t stop there. Once you succeed at developing your own online presence, you should not hesitate to help others. Nitpicking your professors’ LinkedIns, like Cory ’19 did, will let people know that when it comes to catapulting yourself into the upper echelons of the capitalist workforce, you’re willing to spare a few moments on something other than self-promotion: I was recently on my professor’s LinkedIn when I noticed that her profile picture looked a little more on the serious side. It felt completely necessary and appropriate to immediately send her a quick message on LinkedIn, “Hey Prof, I just wanted to tell you that, as a man, it would make me more comfortable if you would smile a little in your LinkedIn photo. Also, someone may have already told you this, but a bit of eyeshadow and lipstick could go a long way in boosting your number of connections.”

Tip No. 2: Learn how to write emails. We’re going to be frank with you: just as writing the perfect email can lead to lifetime employment, writing the wrong email can result in a lifetime of unemployment and societal excommunication. This is really all we wanted to say on this topic.

Tip No. 3: Always follow up. In the professional world, it’s best to remind people of your existence at least several times a day. Email is an integral part of this (see tip No. 2). Send emails

to anyone and everyone who might be useful to your professional network. For example, “Hi, I enjoyed making brief eye contact with you at the networking event yesterday. I would like this to be the beginning of a strong professional relationship. Thanks! Brad.” Always reply to job acceptances or denials promptly with messages like: “Great! I appreciate you taking the time to reject me.” In addition, show that you’re grateful for all the opportunities out there: Browse VCLink at least once a day for new job offerings and respond to every post with a personal thank you note. Leela (yours truly) recently saw a posting from Reynolds & Reynolds advertising their Entry Level Outside Sales Trainee position. In response, Leela wrote, “Reynolds & Reynolds, I really appreciate you putting this job out there and inviting qualified people like me to apply. Unfortunately, I am not looking for a job in marketing at this time as I have been invited to serve as President of Vassar College.”

With this kind of “follow-up,” you don’t need to wait for employers to contact you or waste time working on applications. And you’ll definitely make an unforgettable impression in the professional world!

Senior Snippet: It’s time to address that dreaded topic: LinkedIn bios. To illustrate the dire importance of this feature, we must give credit where credit is due: Thanks to our LinkedIn bios, we have received thousands of dollars over the past four years in the forms of fellowships and grants. It is, of course, too late for you to achieve this level of success in life this late in the game, but by including a LinkedIn bio, you can still hope to raise your profile traffic by a maximum of six percent before the end of the semester. The key to a winning LinkedIn bio is to be humble about your achievements–don’t brag too much about things like administrative positions you’ve been offered or awards you’ve received. This can be off-putting to potential employers. Instead, highlight your strengths in demure, coded language that will leave job recruiters wanting more. In place of VSA VP for Finance, for example, consider putting U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.

Talya Phelps

Jill stein 2k16

1)

Bo, The Obama’s Dog While I was weeping gently over Bo’s Wikipedia page at 2 a.m. this Saturday night, I discovered all I needed to know to convince me of his presidential prowess. Apparently he’s trained to sit, shake, lie down, roll over, wait and last but not least, get off. I really appreciate this last one because it means Bo is unabashed about his sexual proclivities; if he wants to get off, he’ll get off, damn it, and he doesn’t care who knows. When I scrolled down past “Selection of the Dog” on Bo’s Wiki, I found a photo of him wearing a colorful lei. By this point, my keyboard was short-circuiting from my tears of joy, so I had to stop–but not before I found out that one of his litter-mates was named “Cappy.”

It is truly our responsibility as Vassar students to vote Bo into office so Prez Hill’s name can live on.

2) “Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt” This Netflix-exclusive lady is basically a cooler version of Trump: both spent the majority of their time on Earth below-ground as mole people; both have been under the control of a hideous cult led by an insane preacher; and both have their lives written solely by Tina Fey. The only difference is that Kimmie is more stylish and would, if elected, feature occasional cameo appearances by Vassar alum Lisa Kudrow.

3) Weird Dude From My High School Named Maurice We were close in senior year, but he was extremely weird. His parents were farmers in Saskatchewan, and he was passionate about agriculture and would always lecture me on the evils of soy. Now he lives in Switzerland and works on a farm. He has almost no leadership qualities, but I think Maurice is just such a presidential name.

4) The Spirit of My Dead Guinea Pig Carrot was my first and possibly only love.

His interests included gnawing on sticks of applewood, rubbing his scent glands along my floor and biting my friends. Clearly he was an aggressive go-getter with a myriad of leadership qualities. Unfortunately, his life was cut short when he contracted stomach cancer, but all it would take would be a simple run-of-themill seance and we could get have our first rodent in the Oval Office. The only issue would be the depletion of the national budget due to his penchant for alfalfa.

5) Gym Guy (Karl) A lot of things fill me with shame on a daily basis, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt the kind of existential humiliation that came over me when Karl kicked me out of the Vassar gym for not changing my shoes. My gym wear is already embarrassing at best: until last year, I didn’t realize it was unacceptable to work out in jeans, and I still don’t own sneakers or a sports bra. I always thought being caught by Karl was like being struck by lightning or kidnapped: it’s always in the back of your head, but it would never actually happen. But when he sauntered up to me and gruffly ordered me out of the AFC, my stomach dropped to the Keds that I had neglected to change out of. Any man who can make me feel like that is a man with the power to lead a country.

6) UpC Guy (Patrick) I’m reluctant to give Patrick any ideas, since living without UpC for a month this semester was enough to break me, but I would be remiss not to mention him. Considering the heinous ways most of us on this campus would be willing to debase ourselves for smoothies, just think what Patrick could get us to do as Head of State. In fact, as long as he sank the entire budget into giving out free milkshakes and Nilda’s, I think he could literally do anything without anyone caring. In fact, I think he may already have a hypnotic hold on me: lately I’ve been blacking out for hours on end and coming to in the Old Bookstore with blood on my hands and a taste of pineapple on my lips.

Student takes midterm angst out on leaves and pumpkins Amanda Su, Autumn Hater

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is’ the season to bust out our cable-knit corduroy, flannel and tweed. After the infernal heat of summer, we are rewarded with the transitory period of fall. It seems like all everyone talks about how excited they are to showcase the autumn wardrobe they spent hundreds of dollars on. The campus essentially transforms itself into an autumn runway of vintage denim jackets and comfortable sweaters. Does the excitement that surrounds autumn revolve around the fact that it is the transitory season between two even worse forms of hell?

We are destroyed and begging for cold by the end of August, and by November, we are huddled in a blanket, refusing to move because the chill of winter follows us all. The hype that surrounds autumn is very real but does it have any basis?

1: Colorful Greenery You know it’s autumn when your instagram feed becomes littered with photos of orange, yellow and red foliage. Autumn seems to be the only season in which people are actually excited about the color orange. Indeed, crispy leaves and the slow but beautiful decay

of nature is very aesthetically pleasing—so aesthetically pleasing that people often don’t realize that the turning of the leaves signify the fact that the leaves are unable to provide for themselves and are slowly rotting away and dying. Next time you see an orange leaf on the pavement, I implore you to think about its lifespan and have some respect for the dying. After that, feel free to instagram that shit.

2. Apple Picking This is a crucial component of autumn. It’s the best time to showcase that new and overpriced sweater you just bought while collecting fruits. Cider donuts, apple cider, apple pie, apples galore! It’s great! Right? Wrong. When did menial labor and fruit picking ever appeal to you? You don’t even have the energy to get out of bed, and now you think you want to trek through nature picking fruits infected by god-knows-what critters and worms have tainted it? Yes, I am smiling in that picture of me eating an apple, but I am also freezing and I don’t even like apples.

3. Warm Drinks Picture this: the leaves are falling outside, a slight breeze enters your room and you are

huddled in your soft blanket, hands clasped around a warm cup of hot cocoa as you rewatch the entirety of “Parks and Recreation.”

Sounds like a dream. Unfortunately, this is not the reality of the situation. In actuality, you will not be watching “Parks and Recreation” because fall season is also midterms season. That pleasant breeze is actually a violent gush of wind that causes all your papers to scatter and fly uncontrollably around the room. As you struggle to maintain control of your surroundings, you spill that scalding hot drink all over yourself. Fortunately, the weather cools the hot drink that has just gotten on your favorite sweater. Unfortunately, it was a white cashmere sweater and now you have an unflattering brown stain on it. You are now a damp mess, and you smell of some pumpkin-laden drink.

4. Election Season I don’t even need to elaborate on this.

5. Thanksgiving Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, potato salad? Hell yeah! I love Thanksgiving! Food, family and good vibes all around. After the hell of midterms, the long weekend feels

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

like salvation. Maybe if I eat enough slices of Aunt Barbara’s amazing apple crumble, I will be able to drift off into a food coma and ignore the fact that Thanksgiving is essentially a celebration of the massacre of indigenous people. Maybe a few more scoops of that potato salad will help me tolerate Uncle Noah’s racist remarks and monologue on why he is voting for Trump.

6. Daylight Savings Time No one really knows how Daylight Savings Time works. All we know is that we get an extra hour of sleep, so there’s no reason to complain. But that extra hour does not account for the fact that the sun sets several hours earlier. It is disconcerting to walk into class at 3 p.m. with the sun still out, and walk out at 5 p.m. only to be welcomed by darkness and cold.

There you go. The myth and fantasy of fall completely debunked. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t enjoy autumn. Frolick in all the dying leaves you want! Drink all the pumpkin infused, apple-cider lattes! In a few weeks, the winter chill will cause us to revert back into hibernation anyway.

HUMOR & SATIRE

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This cider recipe will get you in the mood for autumn Yesenia Garcia CIA Wannabe

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Answers to last week’s puzzle Philosopher? I Hardly Knew Her!

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ingredient of any respectable fall recipe. Consider rescuing these jack-o-lanterns from their demise (or existence as a Trumpkin) and steal them from your unsuspecting neighbors. Once they have a sip of your hearty cider, they will surely understand and thank you.

The final ingredient requires you to plan a trip to the local orchard. Once you strike a few fun apple-picking poses and upload the pictures to the social media platform of your choice, select 27 of the juiciest, most voluptuous apples you see and add them to your stockpile of ingredients. If you don’t have time for this, apples stolen from the Deece will suffice, if you’re the type of person that likes to deprive themselves of authentic autumnal cuisine.

Once you have acquired your ingredients, it’s time to place them all in a gourd of your choosing. It is up to you to decide the color and texture of your gourd, but please make sure that it is particularly robust. And is also thick.

Now it’s time to turn up the heat! For approximately seven hours, boil the ingredients in water, frequently checking up on them. After you are done, let it simmer for a while, then stir vigorously with both hands, making sure the ingredients are beaten to a pulp. Let cool, then serve with a drizzle of butterscotch syrup.

Come on Brewers, whip out your mugs and let your senses be overcome with the pleasure of this decadent fall recipe!

Recipe for homemade vegan pine cone scented pumpkin cider: Ingredients (One Serving) 27 apples (whole) 2 gallons water (vegan) 13 pinecones (quartered) 3.5 lbs of leaves (diced) 100 pumpkins several cream cheese 7 tbsp ground cinnamon

The Miscellany Crossword

“Those Lacking Faces” ACROSS

cinnamon you want. However, if you are unsuccessful in your endeavors, store-bought cinnamon is fine; you probably need to head to Stop and Shop to replenish on alcohol anyway.

The next ingredient requires stealth, discipline and vigilance. It might be helpful to have a friend keep a lookout for you while you collect this ingredient. Head on over to the Retreat and snatch an entire block of cream cheese from the bagel topping station. If possible, grab another. Cream cheese is the secret ingredient that adds just the right amount of thickness that is so desirable in recipes. (Seriously, thickness is a really underestimated component of recipes.

You want cider that is really juicy.) It will truly transform your ordinary cider into a mouth-watering culinary masterpiece.

With Halloween steadily approaching, you may notice jack-o-lanterns begin to appear on the doorsteps of local Poughkeepsie residents.

It is a shame to see these perfectly good pumpkins go to waste, as they are the quintessential

Sanana Srestha/The Miscellany News

s you make your way across the quad, a delicate rust-colored leaf falls tenderly upon your cheek. A cool gust of wind blows in your face, and you jam your hands deep in your pocket, fingering the Crafted Kup punch card that eagerly awaits your next Pumpkin Spice Latte purchase. Not too far off in the distance, you hear the faint, repetitive chant growing stronger and stronger “sweater weather... Sweater weather... SWEATER WEATHER.” These signs can only mean one thing: fall is upon us.

There are few things people anticipate more eagerly than the start of the fall season. And who can blame them? An entire season dedicated to consuming vast quantities of pumpkin, spice and everything nice! The mere thought of wrapping your lips around the straw of your favorite fall beverage is enough to send a chill down your spine.

If the festive cider that is served occasionally in the Deece is not enough to fulfill your needs, we have a solution for you. The next time you are lounging about, enjoying a bite of a moist Apple Pumpkin streusel muffin and you find yourself without a beverage to wash it down with, try this recipe that is sure to quench your thirst for all things autumnal.

In order to prepare this scrumptious fall concoction, it is absolutely necessary to venture out into the wild and collect these ingredients yourself. It is the only way to ensure that your beverage is authentic and locally sourced. After all, ‘tis the season for harvest! So grab your favorite flannel and your closest friends and prepare to the create your soon-to-be favorite recipe of the fall season.

Start off your ingredient scavenger hunt with a trip to Noyes circle and begin gathering any pinecones you see scattered about. You might have to get on your hands and knees for this, but trust me, it will be worth it. Inspect

each pinecone carefully, admiring its delicate features. Deeply inhale its aroma (with both nostrils). As long as you are down there, you should also collect an assortment of leaves.

Piles and piles of glorious, crisp fall leaves of every color you can imagine. These ingredients are vital for your recipe, as they provide just the right amount of zest. It might be a good idea to throw in a couple twigs and perhaps a pebble or two. These ingredients will provide texture and the feeling of satisfaction knowing that your beverage is truly vegan.

For the next ingredient, you won’t have to venture too far. Unbeknownst to most students, Vassar’s favorite critters have been known to hoard cinnamon in large quantities deep inside their burrows. (Probably left over from when they were super into the cinnamon challenge.)

Pay a visit to a local womp womp den and chat with them for a bit, inquiring about their emotional well-being. In exchange for a couple of favors, they will usually let you have all the

by Kim Carlson and Mackenzie Little

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Mackenzie Little and Kim Carlson

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October 13, 2016

“Persepolis” creator addresses campus on identity, culture SATRAPI continued from page 1

her story. Furthermore, the position of Satrapi’s books within French-language literature is thought provoking. “In a lot of ways,” continued Choudhury, “the graphic novel genre, the bande dessinée, is actually much more vibrant in France...[and] in a larger sense, Paris has always been a city of exiles.” “‘Persepolis’ has the appeal of a familiar coming-of-age story. It can be said to function as Saint-Exupéry’s ‘The Little Prince,’ an inquisitive and sensitive young person opens up to the realities of the world,” wrote Professor of French & Francophone Studies Patricia-Pia Célérier, who incorporates “Persepolis” in many of her courses, in an emailed statement. Célérier also contextualized Satrapi’s work, bringing up predecessors and influences like Agnès Varda’s 1977 film “L’Une chante, l’autre pas,” Marguerite Abouet’s comic series “Aya de Youpougon,” Joann Sfar’s “Le Chat du Rabbin” and Art Spiegelman’s “Maus.”

Among its many strengths, “Persepolis” has also been lauded as an important feminist work.

Satrapi mentioned in her lecture that the French comics of her childhood, while a source of inspiration for her, were almost exclusively narrated by male protagonists.

Choudhury remarked, “I think that she provides a very important feminist perspective in terms of thinking about revolution, and it’s kind of a complicated feminist perspective as well.

On the one hand, she had the privilege of class, but in a regime like the one in Iran, class doesn’t matter, all women experience the same thing.”

Echoing Choudhury’s sentiments, Swamy added in an emailed statement, “Satrapi follows in the footsteps of a long series of women authors and artists who have strived to create a space for their collective voices to be heard.

Focusing on a young girl’s coming of age in a politically charged historical movement allows the reader to understand the specific gendered challenges that women have to face—whether it is an Iran run by Islamist fanatics (to which many episodes are dedicated) or in the so-called liberated West, as we see in Marji’s experiences with the nuns in Vienna.”

As Satrapi mentioned, condensing decades of history into 400 pages is nearly impossible– however, she manages to masterfully convey her life story in “Persepolis.” Célérier noted, “The strength of ‘Persepolis,’ through its tenderly sarcastic, yet at times melancholic tone, is that it recounts and teaches: the denial of creation and education, the dwindling light of the Iranian spirit, and the oppression that falls on the individuals and their families.”

Célérier continued, noting Satrapi’s balance of politics and its personal ramifications: “Satrapi provides a careful historical framing at the beginning of her graphic novel, after which she lets the boldly executed illustrations take over, presenting in black and white, literally and figuratively, the dire situation the country is engulfed in. Marji and each of her family members and close friends symbolize the collective riches

Courtesy of Maria Ortis/ Penguin Random House

the psychological toll that exile and diasporic experiences can have on individuals and society as a whole without having to create an imaginary society and instead foregrounding her own experiences and that of her family and friends,” affirmed Professor and Chair of French & Francophone Studies Vinay Swamy. “She is able to bring to the fore some of the most pressing questions regarding citizenship and belonging...”

Professor of History Mita Choudhury spearheaded the campaign to bring Satrapi to Vassar.

She collaborated with the various co-sponsoring departments along with Interim President Jon Chenette and Associate Dean of the Faculty Stephen Rock to coordinate the visit, as well as with Events Coordinator for the President and Trustees Angela DePaolo and Media Relations and Social Media Coordinator Julia Fishman to publicize the event both within Vassar and out in the larger Mid-Hudson Valley community.

“I was inspired to get her because I teach Women’s Studies 130 [Intro to Women’s Studies], and we read ‘Persepolis,’” explained Choudhury. “And for me personally, I lived in Iran as a teenager and I had to leave Tehran because of the revolution, so every time I read it, it’s a very personal experience ... It also forces us to think about Islam and Islamic culture in really nuanced ways at really important moment in the world’s history, and to continue thinking about Islam and society...[as well as what it means] to be an exile one the edges of two different cultures.”

“I didn’t write this book for the Iranian people; I wrote it for others,” Satrapi explained. “But to make them understand, you have to think like them. I had to write in French.”

In the talk, much like in her work, Satrapi touched on a myriad of themes, and the anecdotal structure of “Persepolis” came through even in her informal explanations of her life and views. “15 years of my life cannot fit in 400 pages of comics,” she stated, later citing an adage, “If you want to talk about the world, you have to write about your small village.”

A major topic Satrapi covered was a defense of her genre, the comic book (not the graphic novel, a term she scorns). As she is often asked why she decided to explore such a personal and political subject through comics and not with a traditional book, she replied, “I wrote a book ... [Comics use] a language that works between drawing and text.”

Satrapi recalled that the Iranian government only really started objecting to her work after it was adapted for the screen, explaining that in a broader sense, drawing is seen as childish as unrefined. In fact, she originally intended “Persepolis” to be written as a novel, but was weighed down by her idolization of authors like Dostoevsky, thinking that she had to write seriously and to reach a level of “at least Ernest Hemingway.”

Since Satrapi studied art at university, the comic format felt more natural and better told

Satrapi dedicated the focus of her lecture to many wide-ranging topics, including the Iranian Revolution, comic books, French culture, coming of age, cultural identity and humor. of the Iranian and Persian culture, but also the different individual facets of what was lost and ripped away through that historical period.”

Although “Persepolis” spans a tumultuous period of both personal and national history, Satrapi maintained that her story was best told through humor. In fact, she argued that humor is one of the most important vehicles for human empathy and understanding, both within literature and without.

“We all cry for the same reasons...but laughter is something abstract. The height of understanding others is humor,” Satrapi remarked.

After a pause, she joked, “We’re all going to die... so I’m going to continue to smoke and eat butter, a lot of it.”

Yet Choudhury reflected upon Satrapi’s sentiments, saying, “I think she provides a compelling example of how something like the graphic novel—or as she calls it, the comic book—is actually a really powerful vehicle for dealing with trauma.”

Satrapi’s focus on empathy in her storytell-

ing has, in turn, informed her world view. “The more time goes by...[I realize that] the ‘clash of the cultures’ is not true. It doesn’t exist. It’s a neologism created to divide us,” she reflected.

“The real division in the world...is [between] stupid, fanatic people and the rest of us.”

Satrapi explained that her initial attempt to bridge this divide through politics became an incredibly demoralizing process, and eventually turned to writing and illustrating instead to better tell her story–and its success has been more widespread than Satrapi ever imagined, reflected in Monday’s packed Chapel and the vast number of students who stepped forward to thank Satrapi for her work that not only illuminated a complex political situation, but also reached each reader on a universal level.

Swamy reflected, “Even though ‘Persepolis’ recounts the story of one young girl’s struggle as she grows up, it touches its readers deeply because Satrapi is able to present in an engaging manner some of the fundamental questions that we all have to face and grapple with.”

Courtesy of The Dissolve

Pictured above is a still from Satrapi’s semi-autobiographical story, “Persepolis.” Satrapi’s illustration style is inspired by various eras of Persian art, translating into a connection between the author and her history.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

October 13, 2016

ARTS

Page 15

First HEL show of semester inspired by new members Kaitlin Prado

Guest Reporter

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Courtesy of Kaitlin Prado

n the night of Oct. 8, the members of sketch comedy group Happily Ever Laughter (also known as HEL) performed their first show of the year: “Tomatoes are a Girl’s Best Friend.” This fun title was the brainchild of one of HEL’s newest members Jacob Liss ’20.

“Tomatoes are a Girl’s Best Friend” played twice on Saturday, which challenged the performers to figure out how to integrate performance and audience reception. Dakota Lee ’19 explained, “Historically speaking, the second show is better than the first show because we know the kinks of the first show, we can iron them out a little bit—we can see what we can do to get a better reaction out of people, and that’s what happened.” With that in mind you were lucky if you found a seat in the packed Shiva theatre for HEL’s second performance of the night.

A performance group’s first show says a lot about how the year is going to play out for them. HEL president James Pedersen ’17 has strong visions for this year and for the future of HEL, “We’re gonna build our year on the progress we made last year in trying to reach out to groups of people that are often untouched by the Vassar comedy scene.” Speaking passionately about the competitive auditions process this year, Pedersen said, “One of the things that stuck out about the two guys that we did end up taking is that they have a versatility in writing and in performance, and they’re just naturally cool and charismatic guys.” Liss and Daniel Rosen ’20 looked like they had a blast informing the audience of the clearly marked emergency exits at the beginning of the night.

After the show, Liss explained his vision for HEL, “I’m just excited to see what else we can do in terms of pushing not the boundaries of—I dunno—what’s acceptable, but what comedy can do. How you can present comedy, and how can comedy be staged— where does the comedy stop? Does it stop just in the scene, or can you fit it into the transitions? Can you make it a bigger theme about the whole show—not just a collection, but like a real through line?” This desire to make strong creative choices will surely

serve HEL well during their year. The show did not skimp on the bold choices.

Boldness of choice aside, we can all agree on two things: 1. group work is nearly impossible and 2. comedy is hard. So through what trying process must a comedy group go through in order to choose what sketches actually find their way into the show? HEL presented over 20 sketches of various lengths and subject matter. The audience laughed over the trials and tribulations of the Kool-Aid Man as well as the saga of PTA moms concerned with Miss Frizzle’s liberal teaching style. It was surprising that amongst all of these playful ideas (which included an alien couple learning what “we’re on a break” means, and the existential crises imposed by a Socrates-turnedfrat-bro) one of the sketches found itself with a great potential to offend.

A sketch that involved a pillagers versus villagers confrontation did not quite meet the standard set by the rest of the sketches. A sense of playful fun quickly turned to a problematic interchange onstage.

The weightiness of employing a specific vocabulary of words (such as agency and patriarchy to name a few) as well as the implications of the kinds of systems these words are most commonly associated with should not be forgotten, and did not sit well with everyone in the audience. Pedersen described the intention of the sketch: “‘Barbarians’ is a critique of faux-ally culture, set in a fictional pre-modern universe like Game of Thrones. The crux is that deeds are what separate Liberal Arts defenders from people who just pretend. One character attempts to understand the experience of another, but in the end, makes no behavioral changes and perpetrates the same un-civic behavior that he claims to abhor. It’s also a sketch about trying to connect with parents of a different generation.”

In a sense then, this sketch provoked an unexpected conversation. An anonymous HEL member admitted, “While the writer of the sketch would probably claim that that was the point of the sketch—it doesn’t have to be. We’re a college sketch comedy group and honestly our goal should be to make as many people laugh as possible. If we’re making someone uncomfortable—we shouldn’t be making anyone feel

Comedy group Happily Ever Laughter, commonly known as HEL, presented their first sketch show of the year, featuring new members Daniel Rosen ’20 and Jacob Liss ’20. uncomfortable, because that’s not the nature of what we do.” That same HEL member recounted, “A lot of the dialogue was filled with buzzwords ... Pushing boundaries is okay but crossing them is not.”

An anonymous HEL member brought up a good question that artists are constantly having to ask themselves during debates about creative license, trigger warnings and problematic content as a whole: “How do you decide how many people you wanna offend and how many people you don’t? Where do you draw that line?”

Some may argue that this line could be drawn at co-opting the painful experiences of others for comedy, while other people could easily draw that line at poking fun at the integrity of Miss Frizzle’s renowned curriculum. Pedersen clarified: “We believe that beneath our brand of humor is true experience. Every emotion, whether it be the loneliness of the sentient

box in Box or the jagged relief of the mascot in KoolAid, is grounded in the real emotional experiences of our group.”

And at the end of the night, the members of HEL considered the show a success. Lee boiled it down to, “We got a lot of big laughs, and I had a lot of fun doing this show. That is the most important thing for me: it’s that HEL has to be fun.”

The feel-good sentiments didn’t end there. The show as a whole was clearly a labor of hard work and comedy love, and there were smiles all around after the show had finished. For the second show, Pedersen mentioned, “I stayed up in the booth for a few extra seconds just to see all nine people...and I was so glad that we took every single one of them.”

In the words of the members of HEL, this show was messy, spunky, fun, technical, splashy and most of all: tomato.

Film screening prompts emotional yet vital conversation Sasha Gopalakrishnan Reporter

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derstanding of mental illness that this film provides. “The movie is a journey about making peace with oneself. It’s about realizing that people with disabilities do not always want to be cured. We like ourselves, flaws and all. Acceptance of oneself is really important,” implored Horowitz.

Courtesy of IMDb

ast Friday, Oct. 7, a film screening of “Mary and Max,” a stop-motion animated comedy-drama that addresses topics of disability, mental illness, loneliness and childhood neglect, took place in Rocky 300 at 8 p.m. Some specific issues that the movie deals with include autism (Asperger’s syndrome in particular), anxiety, obesity, depression and suicide. The screening was followed by a discussion on how the film represents disability and communicates the experience of it to its viewers.

“Mary and Max” is an eccentric and gut-wrenching film by Adam Elliot that delineates the blooming of an unconventional friendship between the two titular characters. Mary is an eight-year-old Australian girl with no friends and an alcoholic mother who regularly steals.

Max is a lonely 44-year-old obese Jewish man with Asperger’s syndrome who lives in New York City. One day, without really knowing what she was doing, Mary finds a stranger named Max Horowitz in the directory and decides to send him a letter with little tidbits of information about her life. When Max receives her letter, he undergoes an intense anxiety attack, but eventually writes back to her. From then on, Mary and Max become unlikely pen pals, bonding over their mutual need for a friend.

As the plot unravels, it becomes clear how each and every character has to deal with their own demons, highlighting what an imperfect and dissatisfying world it really is. Although traditionally deemed to be a pretext for children’s movies, the film uses animation as a medium to tell its story. Yet this film breaks barriers of convention, as it’s dark and emotionally exhausting themes are far from kid-friendly. Alongside its complex modes of storytelling, the film is interspersed with comic relief throughout, be it in the form of witty, ironic lines, ridiculous visuals or societal mockery. Apart from that, the film is well-produced, using sound effects to both dramatize comedic moments and heighten the emotional experience of tragic ones. Furthermore, the form of animation used, claymation, incorporates “deformable” or “clay-like” imag-

es, and fits well with the theme, accentuating both the grotesque and the comical in the film.

Jesse Horowitz ’19, the member of ACCESS who selected “Mary and Max” for the screening, discussed how he personally related to Max’s experience as a character, and how important he felt it was for others to gain the visceral un-

ACCESS sponsored a screening of the film “Mary and Max” on Friday, Oct. 7. The movie explores mental illness, and its claymation form makes the often somber subject more approachable.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

He continued, “This screening is really a way for us to educate people about experience of autism and Asperger’s syndrome, and often the feelings of self-hatred and isolation that result from them, and other mental disabilities. It’s to teach us to love ourselves despite all the negativity.”

Likewise, ACCESS member Charles Callejo ’17 also remarked, “It’s one of the best animated films I’ve ever seen. I have a lot of movie experience and I can tell you that this is by far one of the most interesting cinematic experiences I’ve had, at least with animation. I especially enjoyed the very selective use of color–the film incorporates imperfection into the aesthetic. Style and substance really work together.”

During the post-screening discussion about the film, Michael Callejo, a visitor who studies at Bard College, shared his thoughts: “Animation is stereotyped as either a kid’s thing or raunchy comedy. It’s so rare and refreshing to see an animation movie dealing with some really difficult subject matter. It makes one question, is disability actually a bad thing or is it just part of what makes us human?”

In response, Dylan Horowitz ’19, who attended the screening, observed, “I think what’s really important to take away is that each character has personal issues to deal with and that’s okay.

Mary and Max are not the only oddballs; we have the neighbor who’s battling agoraphobia, Mary’s mother who is spiraling deeper and deeper into alcoholism, Mary’s husband who has a stutter, and even the woman in Max’s Overeaters Anonymous group who doesn’t know how to give people personal space. It’s not a perfect world, and everyone is coping, and that’s okay.”

The discussion closed with a comment from Secretary of ACCESS Anne Goss ’20: “What we must realize is that they’re differently abled, not disabled. Because whatever imperfections they may have, it doesn’t make them any less human.”

The film’s ironic sadness, tinged with poignant hope and helplessness, was infused in every frame and deeply moving. It’s the kind of movie that makes you laugh through your tears and its lessons of acceptance are worth exploring for audience members of all ages.

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Fans rush artists for new work Patrick Tanella

Assistant Arts Editor

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Women designers shine in Paris couture Kirk Patrick Testa Columnist

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aris Fashion Week is widely considered the mother of all fashion weeks. It is the place where the world looks for fashion that breaks all molds and trajectories. It is the stage where fashion subverts all continuities and traditions through the genius of the best fashion designers in the world, this year demonstrating the tour de force of groundbreaking possibility by woman fashion designers.

Maria Grazia Chiuri made her debut collection for the house of Christian Dior this recent Paris Fashion Week. Chiuri’s appointment as Dior’s Creative Director is a watershed event for the brand’s legacy, as she is the first woman to hold the position for Dior. Why is this a big deal? For the almost 70 years of its existence, the house of Dior has consistently had male directors, and it has only just appointed a female designer as the first to lead the creative team. Dior has long been a symbol of French fashion and French femininity—though always rendered through the male gaze. Now that a woman is leading the brand, Dior is entering a new mode of dressing the female. Instead of taking a romantic route with the collection’s source of inspiration, Chiuri looked to fencing uniforms.

The first look of the show featured a model in a highly structured fencing gear-inspired jacket, jodhpurs and tennis shoes. This was an unexpected first look considering Chiuri’s past collections with Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino, which always took a very soft and demure approach to design.

Clearly, Chiuri is looking to shake things up in Dior’s legacy. Another look that demonstrated this new approach by Chiuri was Look 18, which featured a simple white T-shirt printed with the phrase “WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS” tucked into a floor-grazing black tulle skirt with gold constellation embroidery. This blatant political statement is indicative of Chiuri’s knowledge that, as the new designer of one of the most historic fashion houses of France, if not the world, she has the platform and audience to invert the notion that femininity is correlative to sex appeal.

Put simply, Chiuri is shifting the focus of French fashion to shed light on concerns that go beyond clothing on the body.

Another designer that made a forceful impact this past Paris Fashion Week was Rei Kawakubo through her brand Comme des Garçons. Kawakubo made her Paris debut in 1981 and shocked the Parisian audience, market and the world at large with her avant-garde designs that followed no other traditions or aesthetics of dressing the female body but her own. With this most recent collection, it is clear to me that Kawakubo will never settle into one trajectory of design. She continues to challenge everything about fashion by creating looks that transcend practicality and expectations through the use of sculptural forms and shapes. The show was titled “Invisible Clothes” yet, paradoxically, the giant sculptural pieces on the Comme des Garçons runway were anything

but invisible. The clothing occupied much space, swallowing the bodies of the models. Kawakubo released a statement on the show, explaining, “This is the purest and most extreme version of Comme des Garçons.” Is this what invisibility of clothing means? That Comme des Garçons pushes to create meaning on the runway that goes beyond the act of wearing clothes? I believe that this is the case.

The dark palette of the collection, balanced with the oversized nature of the pieces, evoked an anarchic spirit that is truly indicative of design that can only emanate from a genius like Kawakubo. There were also two looks that featured the color red, one in the form of tartan fabric (a favorite of the designer) constructed in the shape of a giant kilt that hung on top of the model’s shoulders like curtains, and the other, a flat red dress with ruffle details reminiscent of the designs from Kawakubo’s Fall 2012 ready-to-wear collection. My favorite look, however, was Look 11, which featured another flattened, sculpted ensemble in the shape of a circle. The dress was rendered in black fabric, the circle outlined with ruffle details and the neckline adorned with a giant Peter Pan collar. Though Kawakubo’s vision and avant-garde design aesthetic is hard to make sense of, what is certain is that her aim in dressing the female figure exceeds all other approaches taken by her peers. Kawakubo does not dress the body to please the eyes of the world. She radically breaks from all expectations of creating clothing to make statements that urge us to question expectations, be it of gender, culture, aesthetics, practicality, etc.

On this idea of culture and expectations, another collection that took me by surprise was Rihanna’s second collection for her collaboration label

with sportswear brand Puma, Fenty x Puma. In discussing the inspiration for the show, Rihanna described, “[I] kept it a bit street—everything was super-sporty and definitely highly influenced by 18th-century French culture...mainly Marie Antoinette and the Palace of Versailles. She just had this regal way about her, and everything she did was big. I wanted to mix that in with sport.” The designer and pop culture icon could not have said it better than that.

The collection featured a very light color palette, a different direction from the darker tones of last season’s Fenty x Puma collection. Colors such as bubble gum pink, olive green, white, beige, brown and lilac created an atmosphere of light, airy cheerfulness that harkened to a jovial sense of sports-meet-French opulence. The clothing exhibited a mixture of sweet and street in the form of hoodies, lace-up corsets, skintight bodysuits and oversized outerwear/jackets. There was also an influence of lingerie through silk teddies, broderie anglaise dresses and lingerie slips. Topped off with ruffles, bows, lace-detailed ankle socks, tassels and pearls, Rihanna’s collection put in more work (work work work work work) than the likes of other celebrities trying to make it in fashion (ahem, Kanye West).

Clearly this season’s Paris Fashion Week proved that female fashion designers are a force to be reckoned with. Maria Grazia Chiuri, Rei Kawakubo and Rihanna showcased their talents on the world’s largest fashion stage. They and others proved that womenswear designed through the lens of the female is an approach that lends itself to a fresh take on clothing, unbound by any and all expectations of tradition and of a feminine way of dress.

Courtesy of susiebubble on Twitter

he music industry is constantly changing, and in an era where fan-artist relationships are closer than ever, you have to ask whether they are healthy for either party. Artists now have instant, and not necessarily positive, feedback on everything they tweet, and their locations are constantly monitored. It could drive anyone insane, seen, for instance, in Justin Bieber canceling his meet-and-greets and no longer taking photos with fans.

While this is an example of the most extreme consequences of technology on fan-artist relationships, it illustrates the constant demand put on artists by their fans. I have witnessed a mob of teenage girls run after a car carrying Harry Styles, and it is a disturbing sight. I do not know if I could handle the constant attention and scrutiny that accompanies being an artist in 2016.

While there are many layers to fan-artist relationships, those within the music industry are often magnified due to increasing prevalence of social media. Before the age of Twitter and digital releases, there was not as large a hype when a singer released an album. Fans had no way to know when an artist was in the studio and there was no Instagram to give us constant updates.

Now, these changes have resulted in a greater demand for artists to produce more and more music.

Frank Ocean released his debut album ,“Channel Ocean,” in 2012, and after that nobody heard from him. In contrast to other artists, Ocean does not rely on Instagram and Twitter to give updates to his fans, but does remain active online through bizarre Tumblr posts. After almost four years of no word from Ocean about a forthcoming album or tour, many fans were upset. Ocean eventually released an album in late August and, while there was hype surrounding it, much of it was focused on funny tweets rather than the artistry itself.

Typically, a successful artist in the industry will release a new album every one to two years. One Direction, for instance, churned out a yearly album for five years to stay relevant and successful.

However, other artists such as Ocean, Lorde and Sky Ferreira depart from the norm and focus more on the music rather than commercial success.

Lorde, who hasn’t released an album since her debut, “Pure Heroine,” three years ago, has been criticized for not keeping up with her fanbase’s demands. On an Instagram picture, someone commented, “Do you think we will ever get another album or should we give up on you as an artist?” Lorde replied, “Give up on me if you want to!

I’m an artist, I write a record when I have enough special stories to tell, and it’s all me, every melody every lyric, not some team who just start the machine up every eighteen months like clockwork.”

Similarly, Sky Ferreira put out a statement detailing why she had not released her promised album. She said, “I refuse to put out something that isn’t honest. It’s not something that I can force out.

If I was to do it any sooner I either would have been compromising myself [or] anyone listening.

I would have had to put out music that wasn’t true or a message I would not want to put out into the universe. As personal as my music is...I get the rare opportunity to have people listen & connect to it. I personally think with that comes a responsibility of making something that’s still true to me but still can somehow make someone feel better or less lonely. I can’t do that lying through my teeth.”

You can tell that these artists truly care about the music they produce. They don’t just have a team of writers and producers that do everything for them but rather compile works that detail personal life events. Personally, I know that I would rather have music that means something rather than the typical Top 40 pop.

Like any other fan, I am always eager for my favorite artists to release new music. However, fans must understand that they are people too, and that they may need to take time for themselves. My favorite artist Marina and the Diamonds frequently departs from social media for months, and while I get concerned that she may never return, I have grown to understand that not everyone can survive in the industry, and sometimes people need a break. It is up to the fans to respect artists and the time they need to produce the music that we love.

October 13, 2016

Bonjour, mes amis!

Many standouts at Paris Fashion Week were women fashion designers, including the new creative director of Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri, who presented a distinctly pro-feminist stance.

Are you nuts about art and culture?

Write for the Arts section!

Email misc@ vassar.edu.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

ARTS

October 13, 2016

Page 17

Collaborative soundtrack misses the mark Jimmy Christon Columnist

The Birth of a Nation Various Artists Atlantic Recording Corp.

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f the phrase “almost decent” were embodied in an album, I’m convinced that this would be that album. What drew me to “The Birth of a Nation: The Inspired By Album” was just how many big names were attached to it from all sorts of genres such as Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne, Vic Mensa, Anthony Hamilton, Killer Mike, Nas, choir groups from around the nation and The Game, among a number of others artists involved These artists came together to create a collection of songs inspired by the newly released movie “The Birth of a Nation.” While I fail to see the inspiration in anything more than surface level similarities between the album and the film, I was surprised with just how good some of the tracks on this album ended up being At the same time, my expectations were met by this album’s array of fatty filler tracks that generally tended to sound very similar to one another.

The new film “Birth of a Nation” is a dramatic retelling of Nat Turner’s slave rebellion that occurred in 1831. Being concerned with a violent slave rebellion, I thought that the ground for inspiration would be ripe for producing hard-hitting, angry songs about the state of America 185 years after Turner’s violent revolution.

Instead, I got power-ballads, so many power-ballads. But I am left utterly complexed with how anyone could watch a movie about a slave rebellion and say, “Yeah, I’m inspired to make a ballad.”

It’s one thing to make a ballad tied to a movie like “Selma”—it makes sense to have a slower song about the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. (half of Common’s music is basically

Campus Canvas

that anyway).

It also makes sense for a movie like “Selma” to have a song like that. But if a song is supposedly inspired by a movie about the deadliest American slave revolt in history (not to mention the fact that the movie takes its name from a literal Ku Klux Klan propaganda film), it makes no sense for that song to sound so similar to one featured in a movie about nonviolence.

This is easily my biggest complaint with the album: There are just way too many ballads, and they are all trying to copy the success of “Glory,” the hit track from “Selma.”

This album has a collection of genuinely good songs, but the vast majority of “The Inspired By Album” consists of derivative, boring, uninspired ballads. These songs come from people like Georgia Ku, Trey Songz, NeYo and KAMAU. It’s honestly hard to tell these songs apart from one another due to their respective singing voices, instrumentation and rap elements, and the fact that they all come one after the other in the track listing certainly doesn’t help.

Frankly, I found it incredibly boring to listen to.

Admittedly, I did call this album “almost decent” at the beginning of this review, so it isn’t all bad. There are good songs on here that I think are worth checking out. These songs are angry and hard-hitting hip-hop tracks that work better with the subject matter of the movie.

The first six tracks are exactly what I initially wanted from this album. These songs stand on their own somewhat, but they really work better when taken together as a collective entity..

The rappers on these first six tracks actually sound like they were inspired by the movie “The Birth of a Nation.” Pusha T and Meek Mill deliver the best track on the album, “Black Moses,” in which they compare Nat Turner’s rebellion to modern America.

If that last sentence sounds ridiculous, that’s because it is. 2 Chainz has a solo track on this album titled “Whip and a Chain” (bonus points if you noticed that this title might be a dou-

ble-entendre), and it’s actually a pretty good track.

2 Chainz somehow manages to balance creating a song that is both high-energy and typically 2 Chainz with some surprisingly conscious lyrics calling for action from the new generation.”

The ridiculousness only ramps up in intensity after this. 2 Chainz was honestly just preparing you to hear Gucci Mane and Lil Wayne rap about social activism.

If I didn’t think that Gucci Mane, Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz were completely serious about what they said on these tracks, I would have hated these tracks for potentially being quick cash grabs.

But honestly, I think these rappers out-did the socially outspoken Killer Mike who appears just two songs later on the album in terms of technical proficiency as well as lyrical content.

Now don’t let me get your hopes up too high.

This album isn’t the sequel to Kendrick reciting a poem to 2Pac, this isn’t Common talking to kids about what they want to be when they grow up and this isn’t even Jay Z telling a story about getting pulled over.

These tracks are simply ridiculous, and they’re all the better for it. They aren’t good songs because of technical proficiency or because they’re something new.

However, these songs are good because they’re almost a novelty. It’s ridiculously fun to hear Vic Mensa, Gucci Mane, 2 Chainz and even Lecrae rap over beats composed of rattling chains alongside snare drums. It borders on self-parody, but there’s just this bizarre sort of charm to it that makes it work.

I wish I could say that this charm was present over the entire album. But I can’t. Those ballads really, really bring the album down.

They’re boring, repetitive and really just don’t fit on an album of songs which were supposedly inspired by the movie “Birth of a Nation.” What’s worse is that the rap songs on here really aren’t that bad. And compared to the ballads, they sound genuinely inspired. I just wish I could say the same for the rest of the album.

A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists

Excuse me, What Shrek character do you identity with?

“Right now with midterms I feel like the Gingerbread Man being torn apart.”

— David Gabriel ’19

“Gingerbread Man also, because I like the way he screams” — Zoey Weissman ’19

“I wanna be Farquaad, because he’s short and into power.” — Sundus Hassan ’19

submit to misc@vassar.edu

“The Princess.”

— Jeh Gagrat ’17

This piece is a self-portrait made on 6-inch by 12inch paper using ink wash. Ink wash is combining ink with water to create different shades for the piece. In this assignment, we were assigned to use ink experimentally. For this one, I could only use one ink wash (the gray), straight ink, and no color. I adjusted the amount of ink in different areas as another way to control the shading of myself.

—Kylan MacLeod ’19

“Donkey.”

— Dylan Joyner ’20

“Donkey, because he’s enthusiastic and helps his friends.”

— Sashie Cephas ’19

Evelyn Frick, Humor & Satire Editor

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

SPORTS

Page 18

October 13, 2016

Higgins and company make Vassar athletics happen Lindsay Wolk

Guest Reporter

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aking care of approximately 500 student athletes is no easy task. But head athletic trainer Suzi Higgins takes that role in stride.

“It’s an enormous responsibility that I take very seriously as not only am I in charge of making sure everyone is participating safely, but I also have to ensure that my staff, students, and coaches are aware and able to handle injuries in the event that I’m not there,” stated Higgins.

Higgins assumed the job of head trainer at Vassar in 2013 following a long career of athletic training at other schools around the country.

She began as Associate Athletic Trainer at the University of San Diego, where she worked for 13 years. She then became the Head Athletic Trainer at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. Immediately prior to taking control of Vassar Sports Medicine, Higgins took a break from athletic training to work in corpo-

rate wellness for Boeing in Seattle, WA. Higgins brings all of the necessary experience to run Vassar sports medicine as smoothly as possible. One of Higgins’ most impressive accolades comes from 2005 when she was named the recipient of the College/University Athletic Trainers’ Committee’s NCAA Division I-AA Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year award.

Despite working largely on the West Coast, moving cross-country from Washington to New York was an easy decision for Higgins and her husband. “My husband retired from the Coast Guard and he grew up in Beacon, NY and we knew we wanted to live in the Hudson Valley,” stated Higgins.

Four years later, Higgins is fully accustomed to life as the head athletic trainer at Vassar. One of Higgins’ favorite aspects of working at Vassar is spending time with the student-athletes. “Being around young people is very fun. I learn a lot from the students and it makes me feel good

Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton

Head Athletic Trainer Suzi Higgins wraps an athlete’s ankle before competition. Higgins holds one of the most important roles in making sure athletes are healthy and ready to play..

when they trust me with their health and even personal situations,” explained Higgins.

Her favorite events on campus include the alumni games that happen in each team’s offseason. “Now that I have a good amount of students that have graduated, I love the alumni events the most as it’s great to see what the student-athletes do after Vassar.”

Higgins is joined by Assistant Athletic Trainers Tabby Santiago and Ian Shultis. “Tabby and Ian are two of the best athletic trainers I have ever worked with in my 25 plus year career. I think they just get where I want this program to go in the future and they work hard when they are here and even when they go home. I couldn’t ask for two better people to assist me in this journey and I look forward to improving our department together as a team,” prided Higgins.

Santiago joined Vassar Sports Medicine in the summer of 2015 after previously working as the graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Central Florida where she completed her masters. She also worked at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports complex and Harvard University. Shultis arrived at Vassar in the fall of 2014 after graduating from Marist. He trained at Marist working with their sports medicine staff as well as serving on the sports medicine team for US Fencing since June 2012.

Shultis says he’s learned a lot from Higgins since joining Vassar Sports Medicine two years ago. “Suzi instantly became my go to for any question, or difficulty I had. She was always ready to help in a way that made me feel welcome and part of the team,” Shultis articulated.

“She has a wealth of experience in athletic training but most importantly knows how to translate that information to any level of athlete.”

Vassar Sports Medicine is comprised of not only certified trainers but also student trainers who work for a few hours a week along with attending classes. Many of the student trainers also double as Vassar student-athletes.

Sophomore women’s basketball player Nicole Teta stated, “I was interested in learning about

the side of sports that involves the people who do their best to get us back into the game.”

Each day Teta uses ultrasound and STEM machines, tapes athletes injuries and prepares the training room for practices and games.

“It’s definitely taught me to appreciate being healthy and able to play the sport that I love,” Teta reflected. “We see a lot of kids who miss their seasons due to injury and it has opened my eyes to see how lucky I am. I refuse to take playing basketball for granted.”

Countless students know all too well the challenges that come with being an athlete, including severe injuries that may take months, even entire seasons to recover from.

As a two-sport-athlete, sophomore soccer and track player Sarah DeBenedictis is no stranger to injury. “Since coming to Vassar, I started suffering from shin splints, then I pulled my hamstring, followed by a stress fracture in my back and now I am dealing with SI joint inflammation,” listed DeBenedictis. “The training staff have helped me every step of the way from paperwork to emotional support and everything in between.”

Coaches as well as players recognize all of the hard work the training staff puts into making each athlete ready for competition.“Most coaches do not have the knowledge or focus to think solely about an injured athlete,” Head women’s lacrosse coach Judy Finerghty continued. “They are integral to our daily operation and vital to the process of healing and recovery. We could not function at the same level as an athletic program without them.”

Everyone involved with Vassar Athletics truly cannot thank the sports medicine staff enough.

Everyday they show up to work ready to give 100 percent in order to ensure that each athlete can perform at their highest level possible.

Higgins claims “I try and think of each student as though they were my child.” And the student-athletes at Vassar could not be more thankful for their second family that is sports medicine.

Strong leadership helps swim teams make a splash Kelly Pushie

Guest Reporter

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in backstroke and freestyle events and has set many personal bests during his time here at Vassar. He is excited for the upcoming season and, along with other upperclassmen, is prepared to take on a leadership role.

“As a senior, I have the wonderful opportunity to provide guidance and leadership to my fellow teammates. I definitely feel adequately prepared to step into this role with the support of my coaches, Lisl & Danny, and my fellow captains and seniors,” Cerutti mentioned. “The team truly fuels my motivation and makes me strive to be a better leader and swimmer. I hope to be able to do everything in my capacity to encourage and support my fellow teammates throughout the course of the season both in and out of the pool.”

Like Cunningham, Cerutti is confident about the upcoming season because morale is high and the team has had a positive mindset each day of training. Building off of such great energy, these

Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton

nly a few weeks into the 2016-2017 season and things are already looking bright for the Vassar men’s and women’s swim team. High expectations, hard work and an incredible season to follow up on are a few things pushing this team in the direction of another successful year.

Coach Lisl Prater-Lee is back for her 22nd season as the head men’s and women’s coach.

Prater-Lee has helped move two women to All-American status, the most recent being senior Julia Cunningham, who as a junior took seventh place in the country in the 200-meter butterfly. Under Prater-Lee’s guidance, the men’s and women’s teams have broken 11 and 13 school records respectively since 2013. Not only has Prater-Lee produced successful swimmers, the team places immense focus on school as well as 20 swimmers last season were named Academic All- American.

“We are looking forward to small successes (i.e., staying healthy, getting stronger in the water and on the boards) leading to much bigger successes, both in terms of the group and the individuals. The women’s swim/dive team has a lot to look forward to and it’s great to see the excitement and motivation come through with the timed and competitive challenges we have had so far,” Prater-Lee iterated.

Cunningham has been a powerhouse swimmer for the Brewer’s during her time at Vassar.

Cunningham’s events include the butterfly and the IM. As a second-year captain, Cunningham is proud of how strong the team has come into the season. “We’ve been practicing hard and the team morale is high as we move into the season.

Our largest class right now is the sophomores and they’ve been really stepping into their roles as upperclassmen on the team,” she noted.

The Brewers have begun preparing for their season by breaking up and racing against each other. Last week the team competed in an inter-squad scrimmage, which helped give the team a taste of what their first meet against Bard is going to be like. It also provided the team with some baseline times for the start of the season.

Along with the talented sophomore class,

Cunningham mentioned that during their inter-squad meet some of the faster times came from first-years. The strong freshman class will help Cunningham to fulfill her team goal to continue improving personal times as well as standings against other Liberty League teams. Not to mention, the freshmen, with their initial skillset, will continue growing and establish a powerful foundation for years to come.

Although the women’s team is smaller than usual, Cunningham has high hopes for this team as she goes into her final season as a Brewer. “As a senior and second-year captain, I hope to keep the momentum moving despite our smaller team size. Regardless of the outcomes of meets, I know we will have a successful year. Right now we have a very talented squad and are posed to accomplish a lot this season,” she expressed.

Senior Chris Cerutti is back for his fourth year on the men’s side and will work with Cunningham as another captain. Cerutti competes

Senior captain Julia Cunningham (above) races in a butterfly competition last year.

She and the Vassar swim teams will start the 2016-17 season on Oct. 26 at Bark College.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

past few weeks the team has been working to improve all aspects of their skills. “The team has been focusing on details in our strokes (things like stroke count, underwater streamlines and kick, and not breathing in/out of our walls) because now is the time to be emphasizing these seemingly minute parts of our swimming in order to set up a solid foundation for the rest of our practices and season,” Cerutti specified.

Freshman breaststroke swimmer Matthew Imiolek reiterates how the upperclassmen have already impacted his experience at Vassar. “For me personally, Chris, Anthony Walker and Julia stand out to me the most because they swim with me in my lane and push me to try harder each day. Because of their leadership, I feel I am working harder than ever before and that overall, the team is very connected and in a lot of ways family-like, in a sport which has the potential to be very individualistic,” Imiolek stated.

Imiolek hasn’t had trouble adjusting to the practice schedule as it’s been similar to his high school training. “As a whole, the team is currently doing a lot of base work for later in the season, such as fixing technique issues and working on endurance,” Imiolek noted. “We have some intense practices to prepare us for later in the season and other practices that show us where we’re standing at this point in the season compared to previous years at this time.”

“Overall, the men’s swim/dive program should be stronger in 2016-2017 so we hope that can translate into even more competitive dual meets and higher team placing at Liberty League championships and UNYSCSA championships,” Prater-Lee expressed. “We are looking forward to the men getting faster in the training pool and taking that competitive drive to the dual meets and championship meets this season.”

With the help of experienced upperclassmen and freshmen who are already showing potential to impact the team, the Vassar College swim crew is steadily on track for another historic season.

The women’s and men’s swimming and diving teams will kick off their season opener in two weeks on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Bard College at 6 p.m.

October 13, 2016

SPORTS

Page 19

Golden State asserts NBA Sharapova’s reduced ban dominance with Durant creates more controversy Robert Pinataro Guest Reporter

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ust a few weeks after the conclusion of the NBA finals, the Golden State Warriors made a blockbuster free agency acquisition so grand that it has changed the dynamic of the entire league. The Warriors signed superstar Kevin Durant, who previously played for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Durant is regarded by many as the best small forward in the NBA other than Lebron James.

For the Warriors, Durant is another piece of the real life dream team the organization has been assembling for years. The 2015-2016 Warriors had the winningest season of any team in NBA history, powered by stars Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. All three of the stars are returning for the 2016-2017 season, and with the addition of Durant, the team seems almost unbeatable.

With his move to the Warriors, Durant is leaving behind teammate, superstar point guard and close friend Russell Westbrook. Durant and Westbrook have been something of a dynamic duo for years with the Thunder and have made several playoff runs, including an NBA Finals appearance in the 2011-2012 season.

When Durant signed with the Warriors, he just texted Westbrook to tell him the news. After spending eight years together, this was taken as very insensitive. He has been criticized for not discussing the topic with Westbrook in person. In an article by ESPN, Westbrook was quoted on Sept. 23, saying, “I haven’t talked to [Kevin Durant].” Their relationship has certainly been damaged by the ordeal, and the media and fans are anxiously awaiting the Nov. 3 matchup between the Warriors and the Thunder. This will be the first time since the signing that Durant and Westbrook are on the same court.

With a projected starting lineup of Curry, Thompson, Durant, Green and Zach Pachulia,

the Warriors have been projected by NBA analysts everywhere including CBS sports, to be the best team in the NBA. When looking at a such a star-studded lineup, it is impossible not to wonder: Is this fair?

While many criticize the situation and say the outcome is not, the truth of the matter is that everything about the transaction was within rules and, in fact, was aided by the recent league-wide salary cap increase. Every team in the league had an opportunity to sign Durant, but he was set on going where he would have the opportunity to win a championship. There is nothing wrong with that.

Even still, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has been quoted expressing his discontent with the signing. Regarding the situation, he was quoted in an ESPN article saying, “Just to be absolutely clear, I do not think that’s ideal from the league standpoint.”

Silver has expressed desire to reevaluate the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in order to improve the distribution of the league’s best players and thus the competitiveness of the league. As it stands, the CBA has allowed both the Warriors and the Cavaliers to rise a notch above all other teams in the league creating two “super teams” that have been in the NBA Finals for the past two years. This does not embody the spirit of the NBA, as it creates an uneven playing field.

Durant’s move to the Warriors has changed basketball by creating what may be one of the best teams in NBA history, breaking up the devastating Durant-Westbrook combination and sparking discussion of changing the way the league is run.

Only time will tell if the Durant and Westbrook’s relationship will ever be the same, and it will be interesting to see what the league does to prevent such influential transactions from taking place in the future.

Hanna McGuirel Sports Editor

I

was stunned when Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon in 2004 at 17 years old. I watched her topple fifth seed Lindsay Davenport and later take down defending champion Serena Williams in the final. After that slam, my nineyear-old self had a new hero.

Sharapova’s career has had its fair share of ups and downs. She’s overcome three shoulder injuries, a subsequent shoulder surgery and a forearm injury, which have made it difficult for her to stay in the top 10.

While Sharapova definitely faced challenges on the court, off the court she has flourished.

She raked in endorsement deals from Porsche, Nike, Cole Haan and others that have made her more than $20 million, putting her second behind Williams as the highest paid female athlete. Not to mention she started her own candy line, Sugarpova, whose partial proceeds support children from her hometown of Belarus.

I admire Sharapova’s play and her ventures outside of tennis. Growing up, she represented who I wanted to be. But then I found out about the recent doping scandal and my ideal image of her slightly shattered.

At the beginning of the 2016 season, Sharapova tested positive for meldonium, a drug the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recently banned. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) initially suspended the Russian superstar for two years but that ruling has since changed.

After Sharapova appealed the decision, the Court of Arbitration for Sport reduced her punishment to 15 months, allowing her to rejoin the WTA in time for the 2017 French Open.

Sharapova said she took meldonium for 10 years before it was banned to control health problems, including magnesium deficiency and the onset of diabetes. She also claimed that the ITF didn’t adequately inform her about the

drug’s addition to the banned list, causing her agent Max Eisenbud to overlook the change.

Since the decrease in sentencing, Sharapova has come out offensively, attacking the ITF. In her public statement last Tuesday, she said, “The delegation that the I.T.F. had with the WTA on checking what lists and emails were going out and who was actually receiving these notices– was it players, agents, their doctors–they had no system in place.”

Although the previous world No. 1 will be back on the pro circuit, her time off has significantly damaged her ranking. She currently sits 95th in the world, which won’t automatically qualify her for majors. Instead Sharapova will have to compete for wild card entries.

Some fellow WTA players are angry Sharapova’s punishment was reduced and stand by the initial two-year ban. Australian Samantha Stosur commented during an interview with Tennis Magazine, arguing, “It really sets a bad precedence for athletes moving forward, where you can almost put your hands up and say it was not my fault.”

Sharapova may not have intentionally broken the doping rules but she didn’t follow them either. It might not be fair to use her as an example but Stosur is right in that the overturn doesn’t give the ITF any clout for future similar cases.

Yes, the ITF and the WADA need to improve how they communicate with players about changes in the banned substance list, but regardless of that, Sharapova should have recognized the change. It’s a part of her job as a professional athlete to hold herself accountable.

Though I respect Sharapova’s undeniable talent on and off the court, it was disappointing to see my childhood idol act so carelessly. To me, her true test of character will be shown in how she handles coming back to the WTA. Hopefully she’ll make amends with the ITF and be the upstanding individual I’ve admired so much.

Underclassmen set women’s volleyball up for success VOLLEYBALL continued from page 1

Vassar competed twice on both Friday and Saturday, giving them Sunday to explore Seattle together as a team. “It was a great trip for us to bond and get to know each other outside of volleyball as well,” commented Tobin. This extra bonding time allowed the time necessary for many of the players to connect with one another, especially the freshmen, and make connections off the court, which is something the team prioritized this year.

The Brewers have not only been winning conference games but have also been dominating the Liberty League leaderboards. They rank highest out of all league teams in hitting percentage, assists, kills and service aces. In limiting opponent hitting percentage, opponent assists and opponent kills, the team stands second. The players hope to continue controlling the game in these aspects while working to improve their weaknesses.

“We definitely want to continue maintaining our aggressive and versatile offense,” said McLeod. “We’ve been running a lot of different plays lately and have really been working our opponents’ blocks. We need to continue to focus on being disciplined on defense at all times, and being ready to move for the ball.”

Tobin lauded the team’s ability to maintain their style of play against teams that have significantly different styles. “We need to focus on always playing our game, and not letting the other team dictate our play. We’ve generally done a good job of this and we want to continue bringing our energy and intensity to each match,” she remarked.

Unlike most Vassar sports teams, the volleyball squad has the opportunity to play each Liberty League team twice. Gallagher, commenting on how the team plans to use this scheduling to their advantage, noted, “We had our first two Liberty League weekends fairly early in the season. Now we have a break from conference games and are using our non-conference matches as opportunities to push ourselves and improve our play. Since we play every team in the league twice, we are able to really focus on each of their weaknesses and figure out what aspects of our game need work in order to play even

better against them the second time around.”

Showing this improvement from first to second match-ups against league teams, the Brewers recently defeated the Tigers of Rochester Institute of Technology 3-0 after falling to them 2-3 only six days earlier. Other triumphs over Liberty League competition include 3-1 defeats over St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University and 3-0 blow-outs over Bard College, Skidmore College and Union College.

Even in non-conference play, the Brewers are still showing dominance. Last weekend Vassar defeated Wellesley College 3-1 on Oct. 8. Gallagher had 17 kills and MacMillan also contributed with 40 assists.

Looking forward, the women are hoping to continue their winning streak against competition both in and out of league. The results of the upcoming games will help determine the Brewers’ spot in playoffs and the possibility of Vassar hosting those high-stake matches. “The

final regular-season Liberty League weekend is coming up in two weekends. The tournament is crucial because it will determine the standings and the host of the Liberty League Tournament.

During those four big matches, we will look to play each team better than the previous time we played them, while focusing on getting better each time we take the court,” expressed Tobin.

Like Tobin, MacMillan recognizes the weight of these games. “Our season goal of making it to the NCAA tournament will require two big victories in November,” McMillan continued.

“Our intensity, determination, leadership and confidence have got us to where we are today and we will rely heavily on those four things to propel us further. We know we are at the top of the league, we just need to continue to prove it.”

The Brewers will look to take home their next pair of wins in Schenectady, NY on Friday, Oct. 21, where they will work to beat Union College at 4:00 pm followed by Saint Lawrence at 6 p.m.

Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton

team forever.”

Colette Cambey, another freshman hitter, has also significantly impacted the Brewers in her first year. She ranks fourth on the team for number of blocks, contributing largely to the team’s defensive efforts. Returning sophomore hitter Devan Gallagher praised Cambey, saying, “She has really stepped up for us in some very tough, close matches. By setting up blocks and bringing her masses of energy and excitement to the court, she has really helped our team’s play improve.”

Gallagher acknowledges that all of the other freshmen, similarly to Cambey, have found their places on the team with the help of the upperclassmen. “The whole team has worked hard to make sure that each of our newcomers find a role in which they are maximizing their skills, as well as the performance of the team,” she explained. “They make up a pretty large recruiting class, and although that means we have a young team, it has served us well because we are all constantly working off of each other.”

Despite the Brewers’ current winning league record, the season started with four tough losses in Seattle. The team lost to the University of Puget Sound, Pacific Lutheran University, Southwestern University and Carthage College. Though the team was disappointed with the losses, they all recognize the importance of these games and how the high competition helped propel them forward into the season.

“Since these first games of the season were against top 25 teams, we were really able to challenge ourselves and see the level of play we are capable of,” Gallagher articulated. “We came into the Liberty League games with a high level of confidence because these first games showed us how well we could perform and what we are capable of as a team.”

Tobin, agreeing with how the competition helped drive the Brewers into their League games, said, “Seattle definitely prepared us for the season by starting us off with a high level of play right off the bat. The games we had were extremely competitive and we had to adjust quickly to play at game speed. ”

(From left to right) Seniors Sarah Roberts, Gabby Miller and Sierra Tobin are guiding the women’s volleyball team to a historic season. The squad is 7-1 in league play.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

SPORTS

Page 20

October 13, 2016

Baseball graduate reflects on Vassar after alumni game Alex Cooper

Guest Reporter

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Courtesy of Alex Cooper

here is a great cliché in sports: the game between the lines. For me, the most beautiful game between the lines has always been baseball. I love the shape of the baseball diamond and the picturesque nature of an old stadium.

Last weekend I came back to play in the Vassar baseball alumni game. I was joined by three fellow early ’80s alumni and founding fathers of Vassar baseball. We had all played on the first ever men’s collegiate team. It was a chance to reminisce and tell stories about how, with both sweat and frostbite, we made the old Prentiss Field into our field of dreams. Every game we picked out the rocks, glass shards, weeds and daisies that grew back as fast is it took to play an endless inning of Vassar baseball. We raked, laid lines, rolled and toiled in the fields. We found our first coach, Dan Gordon, and let our fearless captain Phil Kahn plunge us into the unknown of our first season. I still look back at our inaugural season and record of 1-9 with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Each time I visit the beautiful new athletic facility at Prentiss, the first thing I do is run into the fieldhouse to search out our team picture.

Fittingly the photo, the first one on the wall as you walk through the door, is in black and white.

For someone just growing up in the 21st century, it probably looks as old and nostalgic as a picture of the 1927 Yankees with Gehrig and Ruth.

Well, maybe not.

I used to look forward to my visits back in time for the alumni baseball game to relish and relive the “Glory Days” as my favorite Jersey musician likes to say. But this year was differ-

Alex Cooper, Class of 1983, is pictured with three of his Vassar baseball teammates.

Cooper and his fellow alums were a part of the original Vassar College baseball team. ent. I had boycotted the inaugural Celebration of Athletics at Vassar held last May in New York City and I was still ambivalent about attending a campus event. My recent bout of distress and frustration with Vassar is related to the ongoing maelstrom around the BDS movement on campus. I have strong views and opinions on this issue that I have vocalized before. But I will purposely not state them now or use my voice to influence or inform the discussion.

Luckily one my teammates and friends convinced me to put aside my differences for the day because he said: “I should separate my feelings for the institution from the friends and experiences I had.” Honestly, I still love the institution too.

Maybe the reason I fell in love with Vassar the first time I took a campus tour is because it reminded me of a baseball field. The walled in campus was like the chalk foul lines. The beauty

and symmetry of the quad were like four bases on the infield, and the interconnected walkways were the base paths. Inside the field everything was safe. Just like on the baseball field, I could focus simply on the task at hand. I still can feel the goosebumps of my first RBI and when my roommate let me drive his ‘67 Pontiac GTO to take a girl out for dinner.

Back then, what happened outside my fencedin community just did not seem to matter as much. I learned more about the world from the great scholarly texts and professors than what I saw on the television or read in newspapers.

I commend the students today for getting involved and caring about the most important issues of the day. Of course with the 24-hour news cycle, the internet and social media, blocking out the daily news or noise is as hard as putting your smartphone down for more than a few minutes. But information is not knowledge.

As I read about the actions and reactions to world events on campus my fear is the Vassar community just like everyone else is becoming victim to the “FOMO” culture–fear of missing out. If we don’t check-in on Facebook or check our Twitter feed we may miss something important. We all agree we have too much information. Journalists, political pundits, academia, pop culture, we are all guilty of falling into the trap. Group think replaces thinking critically about an issue. Tweeting what some else said or wrote replaces taking the time or having the time to really research a topic and come up with original analysis or independent opinion. Sometimes, I think it’s better to just play the game between the lines and block out all the outside distractions.

As league playoffs near, Brewers climb leaderboards Jamie Anderson Guest Reporter

Field Hockey

In their first come-from-behind victory of the season, VC upset Liberty League rival and No. 9 University of Rochester 2-1 at home.

The Brewers went into halftime trailing 1-0 thanks to a converted penalty by the Yellowjackets in the 23rd minute of play. VC would flip the script in the second half of play however: in the 45th, sophomore Megan Caveny notched the equalizing goal off an assist by senior Emma Bracken following a penalty corner. The score would stay locked at 1-1 until the whistle for regular time blew.

In overtime, VC scored the winning goal after an unusual buildup with just over three minutes gone. Freshman Sam Plante, playing with just one cleat, spun away from a UR player and got a long pass off to Caveny, who connected on the volley from range to lift Vassar to a huge win.

On Saturday, Oct. 15 Vassar will host No. 11 Skidmore College at home on Weinberg Field at 2 p.m. for Senior Day, which will recognize Bracken, Sophie Arnold, Lauren Shumate, Hayley Beach and Flora Crichton-Stuart.

Men’s Soccer

Women’s Rugby

The Brewers, without six of their regular starters, scored 10 tries to ease past visiting Stony Brook University, 56-7, in action from the Vassar Farm. VC’s offense produced a hefty and, ultimately, insurmountable lead in the first half, going into the intermission leading 34-0. Despite being down a player due to a card, Stony Brook managed a try in the second half to avoid the shutout.

Senior Nathalie Freeman was the top scorer for Vassar as she ran through the Seawolf defense to record a hat trick. Sophomore Rachel Elson recorded a brace, while her classmate Jennie To went over the line for a try of her own, as did junior Abigail Alexander. Junior Sarah Mawhinney’s efforts were also good for the brace while senior Mary-Margaret McElduff scored a try and was good on three of her conversion attempts.

The Brewer B-side was also in action against Stony Brook as a mix of rookies and vets outclassed their opponents to the tune of 27-0. Junior Andrea Ramsay, freshmen Caroline James and Kayla Vasquez scored a try each, as did juniors Claire Fondrie-Teitler and Megan de Koning, while senior Ellen Quist added a conversion.

Women’s rugby plays again this Sunday versus Westchester University, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. at the Vassar College Farm.

VC, as she finished tied for 19th place with a score of 166 for the weekend. Senior Emily Prince was one stroke off Han, finishing with a career-best score of 167, which included an 81 for her second round. Freshman Qiwen Tan finished the weekend with a 179 and tied for 39th place overall with teammate and junior Annie Hsu. Sophomore Evon Shay improved by 12 strokes in her second round, posting a two-day score of 196.

Vassar will next compete in the New York University Invitational this weekend in Suffern, NY at Spook Rock Golf Course.

Women’s Soccer

VC women’s soccer joined VCMS in beating RPI over the weekend. The Brewers recorded a comeback victory, 2-1, in overtime on the road Saturday against the Engineers.

Sophomore Rebecca Andrews continued her scoring ways, bringing VC level with RPI off a penalty kick in the 59th minute of play. Neither team was able to capitalize on any scoring opportunities for the remainder of play as the score remained 1-1 at the end of regulation. Less than a minute into overtime, junior Amanda McFarland slid the game winner into the bottom left corner past the fingertips of the RPI keeper.

Senior Stephanie Tapolsky managed three saves

Women’s Golf Men’s Rugby

The Brewers kicked off proceedings in high gear against SUNY Oneonta on Sunday at the Vassar Farm, as junior scrumhalf Trevor Kennish pushed three tries over the line in the first 25 minutes of play, converting two and putting

Women’s golf competed in the George Phinney Golf Classic over the weekend, hosted by Middlebury at the Ralph Myhre Golf Course.

The Brewers carded a 689 as a team and finished eighth out of 18 teams.

Freshman Andrea Han was exceptional for

during an extended shift in goal, only conceding an unlucky deflected ball.

VC remains undefeated through four conference games and sits tied with William Smith College for the No. 1 spot in the Liberty League.

Vassar has two more road games upcoming, against Rochester Institute of Technology on Friday and against William Smith on Saturday.

Women’s Volleyball

VC women’s volleyball rallied for a fourset victory on the road over the host Blue of Wellesley College Saturday afternoon. Vassar recovered from a sluggish start to record a 1525 25-18 25-20 25-19 win over a fellow Seven Sisters school. The Brewers, following their result against Wellesley, have now surpassed their win total from the entirety of last season.

Sophomore Devan Gallagher led the team in kills with 17. Freshman Jane McLeod was also big for VC, chalking up 15 kills and a team-leading 16 digs. Sophomore Annie MacMillan recorded 40 assist over four sets, senior Sierra Tobin was responsible for 15 digs playing the libero position, while freshman Jorden Schreeder had 10 digs on defense.

Vassar will host The Sage College Thursday evening at 7 p.m. in non-conference action from Kenyon Hall.

Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton

The Brewers kept their stretch of good results going, picking up a 3-2 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at home on Saturday.

Junior Alex Gonzales got scoring started just two minutes from kickoff, putting a headed pass from sophomore Tyler Gilmore into the back of the net. Senior captain Stephen Jennings scored off a breakaway 20 minutes later, pushing the scoreline to 2-0, which the Engineers would halve, scoring a deflected goal of their own in the 34th minute.

Gonzales made the margin two again for the Brewers after 14 minutes of play in the second half, as freshman Mattie Mrlik’s initial effort hit post and ricocheted out for the tap-in goal. RPI made a push, scoring 24 minutes from time to make things tight but VC held off the Engineers to walk away with the 3-2 conference win.

Vassar next hosts Rochester Institute of Technology on Friday at 4 p.m., and Hobart College on Saturday, at 2 p.m.

Vassar up 19-0. Senior captain Seamus Taylor added a fourth try for VC, in response to an Oneonta score and conversion. Kennish connected on his conversion attempt and Vassar closed the first 40 up 26-7.

In the second half, Oneonta picked up a red and yellow card, eventually depleting their number of players on-field to 13. VC was able to take advantage, as Taylor, sophomore Charlie Hooghkirk, junior Nick Olkovsky and freshman Joe Griffen each got themselves over the line in the second half. Kennish went six for eight on conversion attempts for the day as VC pushed past Oneonta 52-22.

VC next takes the field away against New Paltz at 11 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 16.

Freshman Andrea Han celebrates after successfully making a putt during competition. She and her fellow Brewers finished eighth in the George Phiney Golf Classic over the weekend.

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