The Miscellany News
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Volume CL | Issue 6
October 19, 2017
Organization ‘CARES’ The scoop on Vassar’s Trustees for Vassar students Laurel Hennen Vigil, Dylan Smith and Clark Xu
Laila Volpe
Assistant Features Editor
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tudents might know CARES as the group of students that used to provide support over the phone to anonymous callers, but since being taken off call, the organization has been somewhat under the radar. As such, some students might not be familiar with CARES, either as the organization it used to be or the organization it is now. As their mission statement explains, “CARES is Vassar’s organization to provide peer-to-peer support for students affected by any sort of personal violation issue, no matter where it happened, when it happened or who it happened to” (Vassar Women’s Center, “Resources”).
Member Julie McInvale ’19 elaborated in an emailed statement, “CARES as a group was established in 1989 as a peer-listening group in response to growing recognition of sexual assault, both nationally and on Vassar’s campus.” Someone was on call 24/7 to provide listening support to callers until Spring 2016, when CARES, along with the The Listening Center, was taken off call in response to concerns from the administration about liability and the appropriateness of peer listening services. After CARES was taken off call, the members struggled to redefine the direction of the organization. Member Jemison Tipler ’20, who was trained just last semester, was unSee CARES on page 6
News Editor, Reporter & Assistant News Editor
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assar’s Board of Trustees holds more power than anyone at this college, but to many students, it can feel like there’s an air of mystery around who this group really is. The Trustees only visit campus for three weekends each year, and most students never catch sight of them. The only student invited to these meetings—the next of which takes place this weekend—is the student observer, VSA President Anish Kanoria ’18. “My primary responsibility is to make sure that student voices are heard and listened to,” said Kanoria. So just who are the Trustees? The Miscellany News set out to demystify the people who have the power to impact so much about our College and
our lives here, from financial aid policy to the appointment of administrators to decisions about building renovations. [Editor’s note: The Miscellany News is indebted to the Vassar Transparency Coalition for the inspiration for this article. In this piece, we seek to update and keep relevant the excellent information it compiled on the Board in 2015.] William A. Plapinger ’74, P’10, Chair William Plapinger has served as Chair of the Board of Trustees since 2006.1 He graduated cum laude from Vassar with a history degree in 1974 before obtaining a law degree from New York University four years later.2 Plapinger has been employed as an attorney for Sullivan & Cromwell, LLP for several decades, during which time he’s worked on a number of merger and acquisition cases for prominent
mining, gas and oil companies such as BHP, BP and E.ON UK.3 Formerly residing in London, Plapinger now lives in Manhattan’s Upper East Side neighborhood.4 Since 2000, Plapinger has donated nearly $90,000 to Democratic candidates and political action committees (PACs).5 Elizabeth H. Bradley, ex officio; President of Vassar College Elizabeth Bradley started as President of Vassar College on July 1. Bradley is one of only two members of the Board who is not a graduate of Vassar. She studied economics and art history at Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in 1984. Bradley also holds an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in health policy and health economics from Yale University.6 After earning her doctorate, See TRUSTEES on page 4
Philaletheis premieres new piece Courtesy of Julie McInvaleCrook
CARES members gather during their orientation. Although training has changed since being taken off call, they are prepared to give their all.
Kaitlin Prado Reporter
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his week, Vassar’s oldest student theatre organization, The Philaletheis Society, presents “The Moon is Red”, co-written and directed by Scott Szpisjak ’20, in the Susan Stein Shiva Theater. This student-written, student-produced and student-directed piece promises to be a combination of space, secretaries and socialism. Szpisjak and his co-writer, Aline Dolinh, a sophomore at the University of
Virginia, initially created the concept for this play based on an inside joke imagining a conspiracy theory that the moon didn’t exist. This joke soon developed and became more fleshed out. Once they brainstormed the plot point of the Soviet Union filming a propaganda video and hatching a plan to launch a satellite, the duo saw the potential for an exciting play. Caleb Featherstone ’18 plays one of the show’s principle characters and was attracted to the show from the start. He
said, “I was drawn to the play by the goofiness of the premise and the rapid-fire, self-aware comedy of the script.” Even while staring down a week of technical rehearsals, Featherstone recalled, “One of the highlights of the creative process thus far has been the open attitude towards experimenting with big, over-the-top choices, which has made the rehearsal process a lot more fun and less stressful than other productions have been for me and will make See MOON IS RED on page 15
Charli XCX defies norms of pop VC soccer moves up in Liberty League ranks S Patrick Tanella Arts Editor
Inside this issue
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Dress to impress! Take our Halloween FEATURES costume test
Robert Pinataro Sports Editor
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Patrick Tanella/The Miscellany News
ince her debut, Charli XCX has been a dynamic artist in the pop music industry, with her sound shifting based on passion and self-reflection. Her recent single “Boys” broke the Internet, with the video reversing the male gaze and featuring prominent male artists in pop culture today. Charli has not always had this party-girl or pop-music vibe, but it has brought her to the forefront of the experimental pop industry. She’s the Paris Hilton of 2017, just with less autotune and reality television features. I first discovered Charli in 2013 after hearing a friend talk about her debut album, “True Romance.” Following a great deal of success with this work in the alternative pop industry, Charli opened for the beautiful Marina and the Diamonds during her Electra Heart tour, and the two formed a close relationship, even collaborating on the brilliant not-on-iTunes single “Just Desserts.” “True Romance” is excellent alternative pop music, with a just-right combination of teen angst and romance. She quickly became one of my favorite artists, and her and Marina’s work defined the second half of my junior year in high school. Yes, I was that angsty teen. “True Romance” opens with “Nuclear Seasons,” which has an ominous, heartracing intro that still gets to me. The distorted lyrics “No one is forevSee CHARLI XCX on page 14
Pictured here is Charli XCX performing at this year’s Governors Ball Music Festival. She had a killer set and brought out the iconic Cupcakke.
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Free press jeopardized if media doesn’t OPINIONS decentralize
he Vassar College men’s soccer team is off to an incredible start to Liberty League play. After picking up two conference wins over the weekend, the Brewers have improved to an 8-3-2 overall record and an impressive 5-0-1 in the Liberty League. The Brewers’ successful weekend began with a 2-1 victory over Clarkson University on Friday, Oct. 13. The first half was scoreless, as both teams played an evenly-matched game. In the second half, Vassar took their lead. In the 62nd minute, senior Jose Novas scored the first goal of the game, coming off of a rebounded Mattie Mrlik shot. Shortly after, first-year Jonathon Bow scored the first goal of his collegiate career to give the Brewers a 2-0 lead. Clarkson made a late push and scored a goal, but the Brewers came out on top 2-1. Coming off of Friday’s victory, the Brewers looked to continue their success on Saturday afternoon against Saint Lawrence University. Going into the game, the Brewers were ranked second in the league behind the Saint Lawrence Saints. Following the 2-1 victory in this game, Vassar overtook Saint Lawrence in the Liberty League standings and claiming the number one ranking.
19 SPORTS
The Brewers came out of the gate hot, as sophomore Henrik Olsson scored on a Novas assist just six minutes into the contest. “The key for us this weekend was getting off to a strong start, which we did in both games,” junior captain Tyler Gilmore said. “Despite conceding goals in the second half of both games, we kept pushing on and ended up with two great results.” The Brewers continued to shoot frequently throughout the game, but the score remained 1-0 until Saint Lawrence’s Jethro Dede scored with less than 15 minutes to play. With the game in a stalemate, Novas rose to the occasion, drilling a shot into the back of the net in the 85th minute off of a Mattie Mrlik assist. After wrapping up a strong weekend, Novas commented on the team’s play. He said, “I think the team played great this weekend. Everyone stepped up and showed a lot of desire, heart and determination.” The team’s excellent in-conference record this season has put them on a great trajectory for a deep playoff run. The Brewers have even bigger goals for this season, however, according to Gilmore. “Our goal is to host the weekend games in the Liberty League tournament and compete in the NCAA tournament,” he said. See SOCCER on page 18
Sad but no surprise as USMNT fails to qualify