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The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVIII | Issue 4

October 2, 2014

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Election to fill sudden BurgerFi location a major appeal vacancy in Exec. Board T Julia Cunningham Reporter

Palak Patel

Senior Editor

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he burgerfication of the nation® has found its way to Poughkeepsie. BurgerFi, the newest way for the Vassar student body to get off campus, has officially opened its doors to the public.

The burger is a quintessential American creation, but of late, it has begun to be viewed as rather un-

carbon footprint in the local community, especially with Vassar College we thought that would resonate,” said De Lise.

According to BurgerFi’s website, everything from their food to their building to their furniture is environmentally aware. “BurgerFi store is built according to environmentally sustainable best practices,” their See BURGERS on page 7 Emily Lavieri-Scull/The Miscellany News

t the Vassar Student Association (VSA) meeting on Sept. 28, Vice President for Activities Reuben Moncada ’15 announced his resignation, which will take effect as soon as his position is filled by a special election, to conclude on October 8. At the meeting, Moncada announced, “I’ve been debating this over the past week or so and I think it’s what’s best for me right now. It wasn’t an easy decision, but it has to be done. I’ll still come to council meetings until a new Activities person is trained. For those of you who

are staying, this is a rewarding experience.” In recent years, the VSA has seen a large turnover rate for Executive Board positions, including having to refill the VP for Student Life last fall.

Upon hearing of his decision to resign earlier the same day, the Board of Elections and Appointments (BOEA) met and discussed the merits of filling the position using a special election or appointment. BOEA chair Casey Hancock ’15, who recently stepped down from his position, will remain in his post with the BOEA until the end of the special election process. He See VSA on page 3

healthy. BurgerFi is an ecologically friendly twist on the American burger joint. According to Derrick De Lise, BurgerFi prides themselves on keeping their practices environmentally conscious.

De Lise, the general manager at BurgerFi, said he is proud of the new eatery’s lack of low environmental impact.

“We take great pains to reduce our

More reported crime at VC than peer colleges Bethan Johnson

Contributing Editor

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ccording to the Jeanne Clery Campus Security Act Report released on Sept. 24, Vassar experienced a substantial reduction in almost all areas of criminal activity since 2012, with the notable exception of sexual offenses. The statistics, while not entirely reflective of crime on campus due to underreporting, were collected and released to the public by federal mandate. The data released to the student body, tracking both federal offenses

and college disciplinary committee’s adjudications, also shows that in recent years, Vassar has experienced generally more criminal activity than its peer institutions such as Marist College and the Seven Sisters colleges. Associate Director of Security Kim Squillace believes that the perceived elevation of Vassar’s crime statistics may be reflective of the administrative policies that encourage victims of crime to come forward and report the crime.

These annual reports are compiled See CRIME on page 4

Sporting an environmentally conscious selection of food and drinks, the BurgerFi chain of restaurants recently opened a new location in the former Juliet. The chain has locations up and down the east coast, with plans to expand nationally.

Zine creates new outlet for comedy Golf’s increased roster aims for consistency A Jake Solomon Reporter

Amreen Bhasin Reporter

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Alec Ferretti/The Miscellany News

lthough it may sometimes seem that established groups dominate Vassar’s art scene, students are always coming up with new ways to innovate and create new artistic spaces. This fall, at Vassar there will be an entirely new outlet for comedy on campus: a printed comedy magazine. Rather than limiting themselves to the confines of performance comedy, Zack Wilks ’16 and Tatiana Esposito von Mueffling ’16 have created The Dialogue, a zine which will feature comedic stories, drawings and other creations by college-aged students from Vassar and even other universities.

Currently, performance groups seem to dominate the Vassar comedy scene. The Dialogue’s content, however, will change that. Esposito von Mueffling said, “[The zine will consist of] comics, doodles, satire, visual puns, one-liners. And we’re not looking for one voice of humor; any kind of humor at all. We think that the performance-based groups tend to be more specific. Improv and sketch are like that, so we want to broaden the range of humor available [at Vassar].”

The title of the zine is meant to be a play on Vassar’s serious nature regarding discussions, but isn’t intended to be a jab at the college’s administration or student body, explained See ZINE on page 16

After seeing other forms of published art around campus, Esposito von Mueffling and Wilks were inspired to bring more attention to printed comedy.

Inside this issue

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Teaching seminar examines art of FEATURES writing

15 ARTS

Initiative seeks to fuse creative arts, sciences

he Vassar College women’s golf team has started off their fall season with a larger roster and great success. This year’s team boasts an expanded roster, with seven different players to choose from on a weekly basis. This is an upswing from last year’s roster of only five. The team also welcomes back Andy Jennings as head coach.

Jennings, one of the most prolific men’s soccer coaches in Division III after winning his 200th game earlier this season, has also helped create a winning program for women’s golf.

Under his leadership, the team was ranked as high as 16th in the country. This year’s team also has some depth and talent. The team is composed of one freshman, two sophomores, two juniors and one senior.

Juniors Aimee Dubois and Angela Mentel serve as captains, and senior Caitlin Bell is returning from a year away at Dartmouth.

From the start, the Brewers have had the mindset of taking each tournament as one event at a time, according to Mentel. “At the beginning of the season, our team set out to improve tournament to tournament and day by day,” Mentel wrote in an emailed statement. “So far, we have achieved this goal. We’ve improved

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tournament to tournament and tied with Mount Holyoke for fourth place at our tournament this past weekend. I am so incredibly proud of this team and cannot wait to see what our last two tournaments [of the fall] hold for us.”

Sophomore standout Diana Howland echoed Mentel’s sentiments of the importance of daily improvement, “The team has played really well overall so far,” Howland wrote in an emailed statement. “All of our practices have been a lot more focused this year and I really think we’re all improving each and every day, as our results have been showing.” She was impressed with the team’s performance so far but cited consistency as a continual goal.

“The team has performed incredibly well but I think one thing we need to work on is our consistency.”

The team began its 2014-2015 season with a ninth place overall finish at the New York University Invitational. The Brewers started off their second day in seventh place, but dropped twelve strokes off its Saturday score and were passed by St. Lawrence University and SUNY Cortland. Dubois was the leading scorer for the Brewers as she placed 15th overall. She finished with a seven-over-79, which was her best See GOLF on page 19

Alum coach pushes cross-country runners SPORTS to improve

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The Miscellany News

JYA finally begins for Zach Rippe in London Zach Rippe JYA Blogger

courtesy of Zach Rippe

As the beginning of September approached, I slowly began saying goodbye to friends from home, ended my summer job, visited some friends at Vassar and…waited at home on my couch. Unlike all my friends going to school at Vassar or abroad, I had to wait until Sept.

20 to fly out to London. Alas, on the morning of Sept. 21, I along with 12 of my classmates stumbled out of a rather cozy charter bus onto the streets of New Cross. It was loud, we were tired, and there was a “mandatory meeting” we probably should have attended. Oh well— we registered eventually. We hiked past the public toilet in the middle of the road and through the gates of Loring Hall to our rooms.

Goldsmiths College grouped all of the study abroad students into the last two buildings on the block, filling the halls with kids from Muhlenberg College, Lafayette College, and Oslo, Norway. My room is complete with plenty of closet space, its own bathroom, and a beautifully stenciled phallic symbol on my bulletin board. I of course mentioned this on my room maintenance sheet because I, like anyone else, would be ashamed to take credit for such a masterpiece.

This morning, maintenance knocked on my door and wanted to see the artwork. Upon seeing it, the worker chuckled, told me he’d “seen much worse,” and pulled out his phone to snap a picture for his friends.

Then I ate breakfast.

Being on the Vassar Media Studies London program means that I only take two classes at the College, along with one on Print Culture in London taught by Vassar’s very own, Professor Bob DeMaria, and an independent study project that uses London as a medium. Classes here don’t start until the 29th, giving everyone here some more time to get adjusted (and go out exploring).

To read more about London from Zach, visit farandaway.miscellanynews.org

Want to keep up with the VSA? The Miscellany News liveblogs every VSA Council meeting.

Tweet at us with your thoughts and feedback! @miscellanynews

October 2, 2014

Editor-in-Chief Marie Solis

Senior Editors

Meaghan Hughes Palak Patel

Contributing Editors Bethan Johnson Aja Saalfeld

Opinions Arts Humor & Satire Sports Design Photography Online Social Media Copy

Chris Brown Samantha Kohl Chris Gonzalez Eli J. Vargas I Elizabeth Dean Samantha Pianello Gwendolyn Frenzel Maddy Vogel Ashley Pecorelli

Crossword Editors Collin Knopp-Schwyn York Chen Assistant Features Erik Halberg Assistant Opinions Chris Dietz Assistant Photo Jacob Gorski

Reporters Amreen Bhasin Julia Cunningham Emily Hoffman Columnists Delaney Fischer Sam Hammer Zach Rippe Design Bethany Terry Photography Alec Ferretti Copy Hallie Ayres Claire Baker Sophia Burns Anika Lanser Cody Duan-Mcglashen Macall McQueen Alessandra Muccio Kelsey Quinn Jessica Roden Emma Roellke Sophia Slater Rebecca Weir

The Miscellany News does not expressly endorse any of the opinions of the columnists featured within the pages of the paper, except for the staff editorial.

LETTERS POLICY The Miscellany News is Vassar College’s weekly open forum for discussion of campus, local and national issues, and welcomes letters and opinions submissions from all readers.

Letters to the Editor should not exceed 350 words, and they usually respond to a particular item or debate from the previous week’s issue. Opinions articles are longer pieces, up to 800 words, and take the form of a longer column. No letter or opinions article may be printed anonymously. If you are interested in contributing, e-mail misc@vassar.edu.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

October 2, 2014

NEWS

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Freshman Class Council brings fresh voices to campus Emily Hoffman

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Reporter

Megan Griffiths/The Miscellany News

fter days of campaigning, four Freshmen were elected to the Freshmen Class Council, as well as the class president who will sit on the VSA Council. Juleen Graham was elected to the position of Freshmen Class Treasurer, Anna Meaney was elected as Freshmen Class Secretary, Kevin Pham was elected as Freshmen Vice President, and Rebecca Pober was elected as Freshmen Class President.

Following the election, the four new members of the Freshmen Class Council reflected on the election process, as well as their goals and hopes for the future on the Council from a variety of positions, reflecting the diverse reactions to the nerves inherent in running for an elected position in a new environment. Graham expressed her positive experience with the election process. She said in an emailed statement, “I really liked the restrictions on the amount that could be spent by candidates on campaign finances. Coming from a country where there is still debate about whether or not to limit campaign funding, I was really glad to see that implemented here.”

She continued, “I especially liked that funds were made available to candidates who might have needed money to finance their campaign so that they were not put at a disadvantage.”

However, the experience was not the same for elected secretary. Meaney said in an emailed statement, “The election process was pretty stressful because I didn’t feel like I had time to do everything I wanted to get done, especially regarding making posters and going door to door (neither of which I had time to do).”

The freshman class secretary also posited a change for the electoral process given her experience. She remarked, “The primary thing I would change about the election process would be the debate. I attended, and while it did definitely help me to get a better understanding of the candidates, I felt as though it would have been more illuminating had it been an actual debate instead of each candidate just answering the question down the line.”

Although relatively new to campus, as the student leaders of their class, they have quickly

sought to appraise themselves of the issues on campus. As the treasurer, Graham already identified what she believed to be the largest issue facing our campus. “A major issue on campus is definitely the price of the meal plan. It is really distressing when you think about the cost of each meal swipe and that these meal plans are mandatory for some students,” Graham explained.

She continued, “It is really not fair to us students and our families. Not only did the price of a meal swipe increase, but the total number of meal swipes was also lessened.”

Meaney addressed some issues which may be invisible to members of the community; she stated that the largest issue facing campus, in her mind, is the marginalization of certain voices on campus. She noted, “I see privileged individuals feeling as though Vassar’s campus is extremely diverse when that is not necessarily the case.”

Pham has past experience as a treasurer; he served as the treasurer of his senior class and president of a nonprofit called Project Change in high school. He believes that these experiences have taught him to be efficient, communicative and organized. Pham believes that these skills will translate into effective leadership and an empowered voice for creative programming.

He stated “[I hope to] organize more inter-class events, organize more inter-house events, and listen to the voices and needs of his constituents.” In order to understand better the different perspectives and experiences of students, be they racial, socio-economic, sexual, or gendered, Pham hopes to visit different centers such as the African American/Black, Latina/o, Asian/Asian American, Native American Alliance (ALANA) Center, the LGBTQ Center and the Women’s Center to learn more about his diverse constituency.

Meaney echoed Pham’s sentiment. She remarked, “To me, (and Rebecca also voiced this desire), the best way to include the more silenced voices of students who don’t feel adequately represented is to go speak to these groups directly...

This comes in the form of visiting clubs of minorities such as the ALANA center and speaking to people face to face.”

Pober has past experience being the founder

The newly elected members of the Freshman Class Council, pictured above, have already met to discuss their goals for the semester. Their main objectives are decreasing student apathy and inter-class events. and president of the Youth in Government Club at her high school, serving on the Eastern Shore Youth Chamber of Commerce, as well as being a Girl Scout Ambassador. Three actions she aims to take this year are related to communication, dining and class unity and pride.

In terms of communication, Pober explained that she sees the apathy towards need to be changed. She remarked, “I’d like to decrease apathy towards the VSA by educating the student body on what the VSA actually does. The Class Secretary Anna and I are soon to be in the process of making a visual chart that explains what the VSA is, does, and how it helps students.”

Pober continued, “Also, part of this problem results from students just not knowing what’s going on. I am changing that through honest, open, and active communication with the class.”

Furthermore, Pober spoke about specific ways in which she plans on incorporating the voices of constituents that may not feel represented ade-

quately by student government.“I plan on getting a 2018 Class Council Suggestions Box put into the College Center for students who wish to have their suggestions and concerns submitted anonymously. If anyone does not feel adequately represented, I will ensure that I voice their concerns loudly to the Class Council and the VSA Council,” Pober explained. “Also, I am always encouraging people to come to the VSA Council meetings every Sunday at 7pm in the College Center, having more students-at-large attend those meetings is really important.”

The representatives said that they were open to staying in touch with their constituents through methods such as Facebook and email, they believe that face-to-face interactions will allow them to do their best to address issues. Graham noted, “First of all, my door is always open. Even if someone just wants to say “hi” or just wants a hug, I am here. I’ll let them know that they can feel free to talk to me if they need/want to.”

Climate March inspires demonstration, ‘chat’ at Vassar Rhys Johnson Guest Reporter

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be used to bolster environmentalist efforts on campus. Vassar Sustainability Coordinator Alistair Hall ’11 said about his experiences at the Climate March, “I was in the back of the group, sort of near the middle. It took me about three hours just to start walking, which sort of gave me a sense of real scale, that there are two miles of people in front of me and two miles of people behind me. We were all here together.”

Those that marched in New York City related stories that touched them personally, and voiced their excitement at the potential enthusiasm the Climate March could spark in Vassar students. Brooke Robinson ’15 said, “It was definitely something that Vassar students were really excited for, and a lot of people did get involved and went to the march. It definitely

Emily Lavieri-Scull/The Miscellany News

ept. 24 marked the beginning of a mid-week, two-day long series of actions regarding climate change and Vassar’s role in the climate movement. In light of the recent People’s Climate March in New York City, students from a variety of environmental organizations and committees sought to educate fellow students about the perceived need for increased urgency and action on Vassar’s campus on these environmental issues.

On the first of the two days, members of the Vassar College Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign, also known as Divest VC, assembled outside the All College Dining Center (ACDC) for their Human Oil Spill demonstration. Members of Divest VC, one of the many environmental campaigns run by the Vassar Greens, dressed in black clothing, laid on the steps of the ACDC and shouted chants explaining their cause and their goals. Divest VC Campaign Co-Coordinator Ben Lehr ’16 said about the project, “So at Vassar Greens, we have different campaigns.

We’ve done stuff like get bottled water off campus, promote reuse and this divestment campaign is one of our biggest projects yet.”

The demonstration, which was also staged earlier this year, was one of Divest VC’s numerous efforts to raise awareness among the student body about the facts of the divestment movement and how students can do their part in working towards Vassar’s complete and public divestment in the fossil fuel industry.

Elise Ferguson ’17 commenced the event with a speech on Divest VC’s mission. She said, “Vassar strives to be sustainable and encourages its students to make sustainable choices. But individual choices are not enough to combat the huge challenges posed by global climate change. It’s time that we demand immediate action and real change to back up our environmental and social justice ideals.”

As students passed by, many voiced their approval of the rally, cheering along with the

students participating in the event. “I thought it was definitely effective in raising awareness,” remarked Sufyan Abbasi ’18.

Abbasi continued, “It made us rethink the way in which we view oil, that a lot of Vassar’s endowment comes from oil money, which we know contributes to the destruction of the environment. These kinds of displays of activism are important to express our opinions as students and I’ll be making sure to look out for the next one so I can join in.”

The following day, the College Committee on Sustainability and the Vassar Greens held a Campus Chat on Climate Change, discussing the recent People’s Climate March in New York City. It was attended by several students and faculty members, and how its message could

Sacha Pfeufer ’16, a sustainability intern, was one of several students who spoke on the importance of educating and rallying students on the issue of activism on campus. at a dialogue last Wednesday.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

gave us some energy and brought us back with a new perspective on climate change issues.”

She continued, “It kind of brought us out into the real world, because Vassar is such a bubble that even though we do so much sustainability work here, sometimes it’s good to go outside of Vassar and experience it in a wider setting. It gave us a little bit of a reality check, in a lot of different ways.”

In addition to the focus on demonstrating the personal impact of the Climate March on members of the Vassar community who went, the Campus Chat served also as a general purpose meeting, providing a background of what has been happening in the Vassar community regarding sustainability as of late as well as an open discussion about issues important to people interested in environmentalism. Among the topics mentioned during the meeting were of need for major systemic changes, including divestment in the fossil fuel industry. The concerns of many students in the discussion, however, were more related to everyday choices. “Individual action is really hard. But I think, and maybe it’s weird to say, but it starts with little things, like using reusable water bottles.

It’s the little things that I think are really important,” said Vassar Greens Co-President Gabby Pollack ’17.

Those who attended the Campus Chat also expressed great support for better synergy between environmentally-focused groups on campus, agreeing that student organizations with common interests and goals could accomplish more with greater cooperation. “There’s so many orgs on campus that stem from an environmental perspective, whether it be through food, or through nature or through just appreciating the environment in general,” said Pollack. “I definitely saw this at the Climate March, how even though there were so many groups, everyone was together because there is this overarching theme where everyone kind of has a common goal even if you’re fighting for one specific thing.”

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Outside the Bubble California Passes “Yes Means Yes” Law On Sept. 29, Governor of California Jerry Brown signed SB967, more commonly known as the “Yes Means Yes” bill, making California the first state in the union to require affirmative consent, and not the absence of a rejection, for sexual activity. The law, written by State Senator Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), applies to all state-run schools of higher education, as well as all those that receive federal aid funding.

The law mandates that all sexual activity requires an overt show of consent from both partners. The law reads, “‘Affirmative consent’ means affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity” (Politicususa.com, “California Leads the Way Out of the Rape Culture With Yes Means Yes Law,” 9.29.2014).

The law continues on to stipulate, “Lack of protest or resistance does not mean consent, nor does silence mean consent.” Additionally, affirmative consent is also expressly required during each sexual experience.

Affirmative consent also must be given at each stage of sexuality activity. Both partners also retain the right to revoke their consent at any point during the experience.

A previous or current relationship between both parties, as well as affirmative consent at an earlier time during the same day, are also rejected as forms of consent.

Another factor in regards to consent, particularly of issue on college campuses, is the law’s regulations around the influence of alcohol or drugs and the ability to give consent. The law states that any person who is either incapacitated or unable to understand the “nature” or “extent” of the sexual activity cannot consent. The law also makes both partners responsible for attaining consent.

Prior to its passage, the law had been criticized in the media. An adviser to the National Coalition for Men Gordon Finley argued that the bill presumes the accused guilty of sexual misconduct. Meanwhile, legislative and policy director for the Foundation for the Individual Rights in Education Joseph Cohn stated that the legislation is out of sync with the realities of human sexuality. He said, “Under this legislation, students who are or may become sexually active must now worry about documenting that they obtained consent, because proving affirmative consent is the only way to defend oneself before a campus tribunal” (CNN, “Schools preach ‘enthusiastic; yes in sex consent education,” 9.29.2014).

This law, while the first of its kind, adds to a growing movement on by sexual health advocates and college administrators, as well the White House, to shift the rhetoric of sexual assault policies away from implied consent.

—Bethan Johnson, Contributing Editor Mount Ontake Volcano Erupts in Japan On Sept. 27, a volcano in central Japan erupted without warning. The active volcano, Mount Ontake, erupted in between Nagano and Gifu prefecture district, in the Chubu region, and covered at least a 2.5 mile radius of the area in ash and loose stones.

Mount Kiso Ontake is the second highest volcano in Japan at a little over 3,000 meters on the peak of Honshu island. At 11:53 a.m. Japan Standard Time Zone, the volcano erupted with at least 30 people injured and another 32 missing under debris; more than ten people remained unconscious and covered by the 6 to 7 inches of ash.

Most victims were visiting climbers or tourists who had come to see these crater lakes and foliage. At least 200 climbers have been able to descend, with and without the help of army units and 550 emergency officials commissioned by the Prime Minister Shinzō Abe. Officials later told residents near the active volcano to be aware of falling debris within a 4 kilometer radius of the eruption. There are still about 40 people who are taking shelter in mountain lodges, said Sohei Hanamura, a crisis management official in Nagano. There was also one woman who was initially confirmed dead but this statement was later rescinded.

On Sunday, workers planned on trying to reach those injured and buried under the plumes of ash and hopefully all will be rescued. However, efforts to attempt to rescue those injured by air have been ineffective because of the danger of having these aircrafts in close proximity to the ground with not enough space to maneuver and locate the injured. The ash is a major obstacle to rescue workers as it impairs the sight of the rescuers and hides loose rocks in the pathways up the mountain which can be a potential fall hazard.

According to a Youtube video taken by hikers, called “Mount Ontake Volcano Eruption In Japan RAW VIDEO,” shocked climbers glimpsed scenes of the eruption with massive plumes of ash mushrooming out of the crevice and stating that everything went dark for a couple of minutes. Japan’s meteorologists raised the alert level for this volcanic activity to a three from a scale of one to five, with five being the most severe, and insisted that people to stay away from the mountain if possible.

—Lisa Je, Guest Reporter

NEWS

October 2, 2014

Resignation indicative of pattern in VSA VSA continued from page 1

wrote in an emailed statement, “I am staying on through this election as picking my replacement and training them while simultaneously holding an election is a logistical mess that simply isn’t worth the trouble.”

Before the BOEA made the recommendation for a special election, they debated whether a special election was the best way to fill the position. “We had a deep discussion that compared and contrasted the pros and cons of each method of filling the position,” wrote Hancock. “Our discussion didn’t lean very strongly in one direction or another as most people recognized the value of both methods.”

While this is the first resignation this academic year, Hancock explained that during the three years he has served on the VSA three members of the Executive Board were replaced. “Two years ago, the VP for Student Life and the VP for Academics were both replaced in the Spring semester through appointment,” wrote Hancock. “Quite a bit of that decision seemed to be focused on logistics and the social climate surrounding the situation.”

Hancock continued, “Last year, the VP for Student Life was replaced in the Fall Semester by an election. The decision to fill that position by election seemed to be based on the high logistical feasibility of an election and a desire to keep students engaged in the VSA and Student Life specifically.”

Given this information, the VSA and the BOEA lacked precedence for the best way to fill vacant positions in the middle of the semester. With the BOEA recommendation, the VSA did undergo an extensive debate on Sunday as to whether or not to approve the BOEA recommendation for special election.

Moncada was the first to express doubt about a special election. “So I trust the BOE[A], and because I resigned it doesn’t matter anymore, but I don’t feel comfortable handing off this position to someone who has really good

campaigning skills,” he said in Council.

At the meeting, Hancock explained that the BOEA felt a special election was the best way to accurately represent the student body. “Ultimately, we decided that we really want to see someone good coming into this position; the disenfranchising of people that would happen if we did an appointment position outweighed the negatives of campaigning,” he said.

The BOEA chair went on to explain, “We discussed it, because it’s an exec position, previous appointments for exec have been really controversial whereas previous elections have been met with scrutiny, but are generally better received.”

VP for Finance Maximilien Moran ’16 concurred with Moncada. “I want to disagree with this decision because what it comes down to is I think we need someone in this role immediately and pick up where Reuben left off because we need to get a move on things,” Moran said in the meeting.

Moran continued, “Furthering that, I don’t think, in my personal opinion, that the student body is going to feel disenfranchised because they didn’t pick their VP for Student Activities. I don’t think they’ll care. I think we just need to fill the role. There will be very little voter turn-out, and people who aren’t involved with VSA probably won’t even realize that anything’s different.”

Although Council members entertained a debate between them, many at-large members spoke up against a special election. Briana Pedroni ’15 found issue in the outgoing VP for Activities’ comments concerning the lengthy training process for his replacement. “What I’m hearing in the arguments about an appointment versus an election is very self-centered.

I don’t mean this in an offensive way: I don’t care that your job is going to be harder for a week and a half. If it benefits 2,400 students for the next six to eight months, you can deal with it for a week and a half,” Pedroni told the coun-

cil. “As a member at-large, it seems elitist that you’re thinking about what it would mean for you. You’re supposed to represent the students and appointments just don’t do that.”

The Council voted in favor of a special election, with five abstentions and two against the special election. Class of 2017 President Jonathon Nichols was one of the votes in favor of the special election. “At the most basic level, I think that this is the best avenue to take because it is the decision arrived at by the Board of Elections and Appointments, people who were elected specifically to make decisions about filling positions,” wrote Nichols in an emailed statement.

VP for Operations Ramy Abbady ’16 wrote in an emailed statement, “I think that a special election was the best option for a few reasons.

In general, I believe that positions on the VSA Council should always have elections, since these positions exist to be representatives.”

The exec board member continued, “Although the Executive Board members don’t represent specific constituencies within VSA Council meetings, they are the representatives of the student body as a whole in meetings with administrators, alumnae/i, and trustees.

An election creates a level of accountability that simply isn’t possible in an appointment, especially since the Board of Elections and Appointments only consists of ten people.”

The VSA has not proposed suggestions to try to break the trend of losing members of Council. VSA President Carolina Gustafson ’15 refused to comment on Moncada’s resignation. However, Abbady will consider this with Operations Committee.

Abbady clarified in an emailed statement, “I can’t say definitively if we will be making any changes, but it’s certainly something that Operations Committee can discuss. However, at the moment, the most important thing is to keep everything functioning during the transitional period.”

Willingness to report may factor into stats CRIME continued from page 1

and released by the United States Department of Education. In order to remain in compliance with the law, Vassar released its crime statistics one week ahead of the final day for reporting, including both crimes reported directly to the Safety and Security Department as well as those reported to other campus authorities.

According to the Safety and Security Department website, “To give a broader picture of crime on campus and its immediate environs, this data also includes crimes committed at campus remote facilities, as well as those occurring near the campus.”

According to reports, no aggravated assaults, murders, manslaughters or hate crimes, as defined by the Clery Act, have been officially reported to the College in the last three years.

Vassar defines a hate crime using the uniform crime reporting definition of the Department of Education; as such hate crimes are “crimes involving bodily injury to any person in which the victim is intentionally selected because of the actual or perceived race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity or disability of the victim.” This finding aligns with the reports of almost all other peer institutions, in both Seven Sisters colleges and Marist College; the only college to have reported a hate crime within the last three years was Smith College, which reported one incident of forcible sexual assault as a hate crime based on sexual orientation between 2010 and 2012.

Among the most reported crimes on campus, and one which Vassar reported more of than any of its peer institutions, was arson.

According to the federal mandate, arson is “any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.”

In 2010 there was one reported incident of arson, with six the following year. This number increased to 10 in 2012.

In 2012, there were three incidents of arson in both Noyes House and Raymond House, two in Josselyn House, and one in both Davison and Jewett Houses. According to the De-

partment of Education, during this three-year period, neither Marist College nor the remaining Seven Sisters colleges reported a single incident of arson.

Squillace wrote in an emailed statement, “We actually got a call from the Department of Education on that [asking] ‘You really had that many arsons?’ We explained to them that we hold that [definition] true to what it means, and yes, that was a true reflection.”

She continued, “I would like to believe that person has moved on in their life, graduated or whatever. And I’m happy to say that the numbers have gone down significantly.” According to Vassar’s 2013 crime statistics, the number of incidents dropped to two.

Recently, Vassar’s reports on burglary also stand apart from the rates at most, although not all, other colleges. In 2010, there were 10 reported burglaries. The next year there were 18 incidents, all taking place in residence halls.

These numbers dropped to three and four thefts in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

This year’s report also marks the first time that three new subsets of crime—domestic violence, dating violence and stalking—have been included. She explained, “Colleges and Universities were asked by the Department of Education to show a good-faith effort, in reporting domestic/dating violence and stalking.

We have showed a good-faith effort by adding this information in our statistics for 2013.”

She continued, “This information was not ‘required’ for us to do right now and it was not required on the Department of [Education’s] campus safety survey this year. It will be required next year. Vassar has always been proactive in regarding to reporting requirements.”

The chief difference between Vassar and its counterparts, as well as the area that has seen an increase in reported incidents, is within sexual offenses. While the College has reported no non-forcible sexual offenses, the number of reported forcible sexual offenses has tripled in the last four years. There were six reported forcible sexual encounters in 2010 and 18 in 2013. By comparison, between 2010 and 2012 Marist College reported four forcible sexual

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

offenses, with Smith College reporting a total of 12 within a three-year period. Other colleges reported significantly fewer.

While the numbers clearly set Vassar apart in regards to reported crimes, the College insists that these differences must be placed within an appropriate context and do not reflect a lack of administrative action.

Squillace explained, “If you look at other colleges, our statistics might seem high to some people. The reason our numbers are what they are is because we have such great resources on campus so students feel comfortable coming forward and saying ‘This happened to me and it’s not OK.’” Dean of the College Christopher Roellke echoed this sentiment. He explained in an emailed statement, “Research shows that sexual offenses are universally underreported, so fewer reports at a college are not necessarily reflective of fewer offenses happening there.

In fact beginning in 2010 Vassar expanded its commitment to sexual assault prevention and education, and it wouldn’t surprise us that this heightened effort has contributed to more reports of incidents here.”

While there is no conclusive evidence that administrative policies have influenced this shift, Dean Roellke pointed to specific actions taken by the administration that he believes could be responsible for it. Dean Roellke noted that the 2010 establishment of a full-time Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention Coordination position has contributed to increased education on bystander actions and safety in order to provide safe methods of intervening to prevent sexual violence.

Dean Roellke also noted, “Another significant result since 2010 has been increased training to provide confidential support for students who need to report a sexual offense.

This further training has not only included our student affairs staff, but we’ve also extended efforts to train faculty and other employees who work closely with students.”

Dean Roellke explained, “One should not conclude that an increase in reporting reflects a less safe campus.”

October 2, 2014

FEATURES

Page 5

Islam captures Bangladeshi sea tales through photography Erik Halberg

Assistant Features Editor

F

Courtesy of Imrul Islam

or Imrul Islam ’17, photography is a way to tell stories. While he was home in his native Bangladesh for the summer break, Islam undertook a project to recount the tales of the local fishermen near his home in a blog post featuring a series of photographs that he titled “Songs of the Sea.” The series is slated to appear in a Bangladeshi national daily newspaper within the next few weeks.

“Songs of the Sea” features nine photos of Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar, the longest seabeach in the world, and those who live and work on the beach. Islam spent four days in Cox’s Bazaar. He spent each day traveling to a different part of the beach, talking to everyone he met who might have a story to tell, as he tried to capture their personal tales through his photography.

According to Islam, Cox’s Bazaar and its environs are a very popular tourist location. The local fishermen whom he interviewed live only five miles away from the most frequented spots by tourists. Having heard of them as a kid growing up nearby, Islam decided to take a trip to visit the fishermen and hear their stories.

Islam found the intensely adverse nature of the area so compelling that he made it the subject of his project.

“There’s a sense of drama about the seas and the beaches,” said Islam, who was raised and still lives not far from Cox’s Bazaar. “The area is under constant struggle.”

The fishermen Islam talked to and photographed survive by setting sail every day in ships—which Islam described as awful—to support their families through their fishing.

The crabs and fish they catch bring them barely $0.25 each when they are sold to the local vendors, who turn right around and sell them to tourists and restaurants for a much greater price. Not only are the fishermen barely scraping by on a good day, but they must also contend with the cyclones and tornadoes that

frequent the area, which, when combined with the already questionable ship-worthiness of the fishermen’s boats, leads to many deaths.

The fishermen of Cox’s Bazaar know they are being effectively cheated by their buyers, and they know they work a dangerous job; yet Islam was struck by their perseverance.

“They take it all in their stride, which is humbling to see,” said Islam.

Going into the project, Islam didn’t have a concrete plan as to what story he wanted to tell or how he would go about telling it.

“I feel like [a predetermined plan] limits my ability to take photos for myself,” Islam continued. “My photos have to satisfy myself first.”

After he had taken all the photos he needed, Islam went through them, searching for photos that had strong relations to one another and that fit together. One of the relationships common throughout them was that of the children living, playing and going to school by the sea and how they manage to stay alive. Islam believes that his photos should be able to construct a narrative after he has taken them.

“The idea is to go back to Bangladesh and tell stories that I feel are important and often overlooked,” said Islam.

Islam knew that he wanted to make sure that these accounts were heard, especially after arriving to Vassar. While here, Islam took a political science course and heard his classmates discussing things such as child labor, an issue that he had bore witness to growing up, and was concerned about some of the opinions students expressed.

“We label it ‘ethnocentrism,’ but it’s more a lack of information,” Islam said. “I feel a human perspective helps to comprehend.”

When posting “Songs of the Sea” to his blog, Islam discussed this issue further.

“But in retrospect, I don’t think anyone can be blamed for being ethnocentric (unless it is rampant ignorance)...especially those you can reason with.” Islam wrote. “The flow of information is vital; it is important to understand

One of the photos from Islam’s series “Songs of the Sea.” The photo is of one of Cox’s Bazaar’s fishermen as he rests after sailing his boat into a sheltered canal after a day on the sea. rather than assume.”

During this past spring semester, Islam founded the “Superhumans of Vassar” Tumblr blog. Based upon the popular “Humans of New York” page, “Superhumans of Vassar” is comprised of short quotes from and photos of various members of the Vassar community.

Conceived one cold night in January when Islam struck up a conversation with a janitor in the basement of Josselyn House and got to hear his story, Islam claims that the blog was in part an effort to meet and get to know a lot of people during his freshman year. Now, it has become another way for him to help tell stories.

After graduating high school, Islam took a gap year before beginning at Vassar, during which he moved to New York City to stay with family and intern with a local doctor for nine

months. During that time, he realized that he was very interested in researching various neurological diseases and their cures.

“I took bio classes and learned about all these cool technologies coming out and I realized that I was very interested in them,” Islam explained.

Even though he doesn’t plan to make a career out of his photography, several of his series of photos are beginning to win awards back in Bangladesh, and Islam says that he won’t be giving it up anytime soon.

“It’s a serious hobby. Even though I’m not going to pursue it professionally, I will always do it.” Islam concluded. “The ideal project would be to combine the two. Even if I never use neuroscience to help my photography, it will always help me relate better to people.”

Vassar hosts writing seminar for Hudson Valley teachers Erik Halberg

Assistant Features Editor

A

ll teachers, regardless of the age of the students they instruct, must write to teach writing. This is the goal of the Hudson Valley Writing Project (HVWP), a professional development program for teachers in the Hudson Valley, which held a free seminar this past Saturday in the Aula.

The seminar was attended by almost 70 teachers who teach classes ranging from kindergarten all the way to college courses. The seminar, titled “Inspiring and Engaging Student Writers,” dealt specifically with methods to get students to write more and about topics that interest them.

The event at the Aula was the first seminar in a series of four seminars to be held over the next few months. The next two events will be held at SUNY New Paltz, but will be followed by a much larger event at Vassar on April 18

that will feature Ralph Fletcher as the keynote speaker. Fletcher is a nationally-acclaimed writer and consultant to educators on teaching writing. The spring event, which is being sponsored by the Vassar Department of Education, as this seminar was, will be open to the public and free to attend for anyone who is interested.

This seminar marked the first HVWP event held at Vassar, since the program is typically based out of SUNY New Paltz. According to Dr. Tom Meyer, a professor at New Paltz who is heavily involved with the HVWP’s Invitational Institute, this marks an excellent opportunity for the growth of the program.

“We’re very excited,” said Meyer. “[Having this seminar at Vassar] gives people from the other side of the river the opportunity to attend who might not have been able to make it to sessions at New Paltz.”

Meyer believes that the HVWP’s goal, getting more students and teachers writing, is vitally

Courtesy of Bonnie Kaplan

Steve Masson, a teacher at Highland Central High School, and his student, Hannah Peterson, prepare to be introduced for their lecture at the Hudson Valley Writing Project seminar this past Saturday.

important across the academic board.

“Writing is something we teach and is necessary in all subjects,” said Meyer.

Before breaking off into smaller, more focused workshops, the attendees of Saturday’s seminars sat through a session led by Steve Masson, a teacher at Highland Central High School who has worked with the HVWP in the past, and Hannah Peterson, one of Masson’s students at Highland Central High School.

During his session, Masson discussed an idea he has implemented in his own teaching: the 80/20 principle. Originally developed by Google, the 80/20 principle works on the basis that 20% of the time spent working—or in the HVWP’s case, in the classroom—is time that can be used to pursue the student or worker’s personal interests. One day out of the week, Masson’s students are allowed to research and study anything that interests them, rather than a topic that he assigns the whole class. Later in the semester, the students will write a paper and make a presentation on the subject they have been exploring.

The lecture was very well-received, according to Professor Chris Bjork of the Education department, who worked with Meyer to bring the HVWP seminars to Vassar.

“It was great to hear him speak because this kind of learning is becoming rarer and rarer, as more teachers prepare their kids solely for tests,” said Bjork.

Bjork, who actually went to grad school at Stanford with Meyer, believes that the HVWP is a great way to help train educators and get more students writing.

“This is a really innovative and useful project,” said Bjork. “The objective of this lecture was to create engaging and inspiring learning for kids. Rather than complaining about the lack of attention to writing in schools, I thought I should do something about it.”

Using funds from the Bechtel gift to the Education department, a grant which is dedicated for use only toward writing and literacy-related projects, Bjork worked with Meyer and other HVWP staff to bring the HVWP across the river to Vassar. Not only did it allow teachers from

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

local Poughkeepsie schools to attend, Vassar students who are studying for teaching certifications were able to benefit from the workshop as well.

“It was great to see our student-teachers interact with innovative and inspiring public school teachers in the local area,” Bjork continued. “I was expecting more like 40 people, especially because it was 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning, but it was great to see nearly 70.”

Founded in 2001, HVWP runs many programs for students, in addition to its classes for teachers, throughout the year. The youth events are week-long immersion programs for students to workin in small groups with HVWP teachers.

The students write and revise their own work, which they then share with the other members of the group. Since the youth programs began, nearly 300 students ages 7-17 have attended.

The basic idea behind the HVWP, according to Meyer, is that it is a network of teachers passionate about teaching and learning about teaching. Since 2001, the HVWP has had nearly 200 teachers and educators of all levels go through its programming.

Although the seminars are offered sporadically throughout the year, the HVWP’s Invitational Institute runs accepted teachers through several graduate-level courses that keep teachers involved for an entire year, in a program called “Leadership in the Teaching of Writing.” Meeting on Saturdays and for a week during the summer, the program also provides online forums for discussion and sharing of writing between the participants.

Meyer stated that local schools often hire the HVWP to run workshops for their teachers to supplement the seminars and workshops that the HVWP are running on their own.

“The organization provides opportunities for teachers to come together, do work in the classroom, and share it publicly,” said Meyer.

The focus of many of the workshops is to get the teachers in the programs to write themselves. For, both Meyer and Bjork agree, writing is best improved by doing more writing.

“There is no writing project without writing,” said Meyer.

FEATURES

Page 6

October 2, 2014

Popular site offers limited scope of classroom experience Penina Remler Guest Reporter

T

he deadline is rapidly approaching and you have no other choice but to finally sit down and pre-register for fall courses. But how, among all the many other concerns of preregistration, do you know with which professors to take classes?

Though the course catalogue arrived in your mailbox at the start of summer, you chose to delay this task for as long as possible, considering that each time you decided to sit down and log onto Ask Banner, you were probably inundated by a swarm of concerns: Psychology or Sociology? Four credits or five? Try to fulfill all three of your graduation requirements in the first semester or wait until the spring?

With every attempt you made to get over this obstacle, you were inevitably distracted by an extensive debate over the ranking order of your freshman seminar courses, or the struggle to commit to a class which started earlier than 10:30 a.m.

However, upon arriving to Vassar for freshman orientation, you would soon discover that you were doing it all wrong. As you stressed yourself out over developing a well-balanced schedule, the answer to your madness was only a URL away: RateMyProfessors.com .

Since its debut in 1999, RateMyProfessors. com has stemmed into a world-wide phenomenon for college students. Affiliated with over 8,000 academic institutions, RateMyProfessor is an outlet that invites students to seek out the (sometimes ugly) truth about professors and their teaching methods. The site is formatted so that each professor receives a rating (out of five stars) in addition to a list of posts where students publicize anecdotes and input from their experiences in the classroom.

Many Vassar students consider RateMyProfessors to be a vital aspect of the course registration process; in fact, several students are only willing to commit to a course after they have throughly assessed a professor’s online evaluation.

Now in her third semester at school, Sarah

Roberts ’17 stated, “I use it every time I register for classes, many times it’s a huge factor in my ultimate scheduling decisions.”

The website’s influence has become so prevalent across campus that in some cases these rankings will sway students away from a course despite their interest for the topic.

Paige Auerbach ’18, who just went through the preregistration process herself, admits “Heading into school I intended to take a science course, but my only options were classes taught by teachers with some of the worst ratings, so I opted out.”

The struggle over whether to side with one’s passion for a particular study or the quality of the professor is a two-sided conflict that many Vassar students find themselves stuck between.

While a helpful tool, RateMyProfessors should not be used as a determining factor when choosing courses. Some students report that the rating on RateMyProfessors did not match their own opinion of the professor.

Henry Braun ’15, a senior who has used the site many times in his four years, cautions other students not to take the online rating too seriously.

“While it can be interesting to see what people have to say, most students don’t bother writing reviews, and plenty of experiences are not found on the site.” Braun advises. “Ultimately, no experience is more telling than meeting a professor or sitting in on a class in person.”

Furthermore, a great deal of students have encountered a situation where, to their surprise, they have enjoyed a course despite a poor review. Ariella Rosenthal ’18 agrees with Braun that students should be willing to at least try to take classes that interest them even if the professor has a poor rating.

“The site can give you an overall idea, but at the end of the day, it will always depends on one’s personal preference,” said Rosenthal.

Students might get so wrapped up with their own personalized schedule concerns that we can often neglect the impact which RateMyProfessors sheds upon professors through-

out campus. Because the website encourages anyone and everyone to submit a review, this public domain receives an eclectic range of feedback—some posts which are comical and others that are outright blunt and rude.

Calvin Lamothe ’17 reported that he once encountered a forum dedicated to mocking the professor they were supposed to be reviewing.

“It was a long list of nicknames and inside jokes which poked fun at a professor throughout the entire length of the course,” Lamothe recounted; he didn’t say whether or not he has continued to use the site.

In many cases, as soon as one student takes the initiative to start discussing the elephant in the room (which could be a bad grade or personal dislike of the professor), it sparks a domino effect, which can leads to pages of unfiltered criticism towards the professor in question.

A great deal of students will attest to the fact that after receiving an ambiguous bad grade, many build up an urge to return the favor to their professor with a dramatic online evaluation. Moreover, many students believe that the more they can encourage peers to post about a specific teacher, the more influence they will have over the teacher’s teaching style.

One student—who wished to be quoted anonymously—admits, “I have been in classes where classmates and I have posted about a professor’s rigid grading technique in the hopes that this professor might ease up on upcoming assignments.”

While the website is reliant upon posts created by college students, it ultimately revolves around faculty. This leads one to wonder— what do professors at Vassar think about RateMyProfessors.com?

Professor Jonathon Kahn, Chair of the Department of Religion, said, “My sense is that professors read or have read at some point or another their rankings.”

Although Kahn believes that most of his fellow faculty have probably taken a look at their own RateMyProfessor page at one point or another, he doesn’t think that they take it too seriously or check it very often.

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“I can’t say, though, that I think it is something that professors do too often.” Kahn said.

Furthermore, does Vassar’s faculty find the site to be as beneficial as its students claim?

Professor Kahn continued, “I’m not sure that the site gives a student any more information than a very quick informal poll of his or her peers would. So I don’t think it adds a great deal of value.”

In Kahn’s opinion, not only can students get the same information just by talking with their friends, but the information is also probably more reliable.

“On the other hand, the site can be used for ill: There are tendencies toward unnecessarily hurtful or exaggerated comments. So to the degree that students use it to vent, I think the site can be unhelpful and distorting,” Kahn said.

While RateMyProfessor is controversial, there is no denying its prevalence on college campuses throughout the nation, particularly at Vassar. Since so many students utilize the site in their decision making processes, it’s important to keep all the facts in mind and remain as informed as possible.

As Ellie Amicucci ’18 acknowledges, one must take the site’s reviews with a grain of salt, because you can’t really know who’s posting or what their agenda is.

“The posts are all anonymous, and you don’t necessarily know if someone is posting a poor review because they genuinely didn’t like the professor or simply because they gave them a bad grade or had some sort of personal issue with them,” said Amicucci.

Braun, Kahn and Amicucci all agree: Reading the reviews may help, but it is also important to talk to friends, or introduce yourself to a professor and gauge what taking a class with that person would be like. Most importantly, don’t opt out of a class you really want to take because of one bad review.

Four years go by in the blink of an eye, and you don’t want to look back with regret simply because you trusted a website with the equal credibility (and the potential longevity) of MySpace. With that said, rate (honestly) away!

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October 2, 2014

FEATURES

Page 7

Retreat explores creation of New burger chain touts safe spaces for discussion enviroment-friendly menu Megan Forster Guest Reporter

L

ast Saturday, the Campus Life and Diversity Office sponsored a Social Justice Dialogue Retreat held in the College Center.

The event was publicized as an afternoon to explore the use of critical dialogue across differences through restorative healing and community action.

As described on the posters, the event was created and facilitated to build the capacity for tackling tough issues through dialogue.

The discussion topics focused on the need for space where students could talk freely about topics that they weren’t comfortable discussing in other spaces, and how to create such spaces at Vassar.

In attendance were a variety of representatives and members of the Vassar community, including Campus Life interns from the ALANA Center, International Services, the LGBTQ Center, the Religious and Spiritual Life department, the Women’s Center and administrators from Campus Life.

Among the attendees was Edward Pittmann, Associate Dean of the College for Campus Life and Diversity. Pittmann is a trained facilitator in dialogue processes and was heavily involved in the planning of the event.

Pittmann was joined by 23 students who entered into the space that he helped create.

They were invited to engage in the five-hour dialogue and share their perspectives.

“We focused on how to build that space so that participants feel ‘brave’ enough to be honest and share opinions that may be different than others,” said Pittmann.

Gabriel Dunsmith ’15, an environmental studies major, was in attendance at the event and was available to comment on his experience. He is also a campus life intern with the office of Religious and Spiritual Life. He assisted Pittman in helping to organize and set up the event.

“I was on the small committee that brainstormed various topics and then organized the event and planned it. The dialogue was put on by the campus life office and they drew various interns from the campus life office to be a part of the committee,” Dunsmith said.

The space was designed for students and partially by students. Dunsmith believes this was important considering the sensitive nature of the topics the dialogue aimed to address on Vassar’s campus.

“My personal opinion is that students can find camaraderie in places where they can share their grievances and feel heard,” said Dunsmith. “I feel like discussions such as the one on Saturday are important in order to come to a place of understanding.”

The dialogue began with the participants splitting up into several smaller groups.

Though all the groups discussed how to create safe spaces, their individual topics varied.

“We chose to speak about which issues we felt are hidden or deterred from conversation.

A lot of what people spoke about were issues of mental health, religion & spirituality and trans students on campus.” Dunsmith said.

After a while, the smaller groups congregated to share what they had talked about individually. Dunsmith believes that the smaller groups were more productive.

“Toward the end, there were longer periods of silence and people felt like they could not speak as much,” said Dunsmith.

Pittman thinks that these silences can be eliminated through creation of the appropriate spaces the dialogues discussed, as well as through student efforts to build trust between one another.

“One promising outcome is that participants committed to re-connecting to extend dialogues and make connections with others who might be interested,” said Pittman. “Also, new relationships were started and this is always an important outcome.”

BURGERS continued from page 1 website states, “and includes earth-friendly elements, like chairs that are made from recycled Coke bottles, tables made out of compressed recycled wood and large fans that use 66 percent less electricity. BurgerFi maintains a low carbon footprint, and maintains strict recycling programs for oil, cardboard, bottles and cans.”

BurgerFi came to Poughkeepsie partly due to the strong ties Anthony Kesselmark, the operating partner at BurgerFi, has to the area. “Born and raised. I was here ’til about five years ago.

My father still lives two miles from here. Juliet Theater—I used to go see movies there. Back in the day, I used to play pool here when it was a pool hall,” Kesselmark said, “So it was really exciting when we actually had the opportunity to do this.”

The idea to bring a burger joint to Poughkeepsie was not in lieu of the desire for more diverse food options in his hometown, however. “It just kind of happened, honestly,” Kesselmark said.

“We just went by, we saw the big ‘for rent’ sign out there one day, and we met some BurgerFi corporate people one day. And they’re like, ‘What about that spot?’ And the light bulb went off and they said ‘Yeah, that’d be awesome to be part of the community again.’”

Penny Luksic ’15, whose attended the eatery multiple times since its opening, said, “I wonder about Burgerfi as an eating option for community members. It’s so close to the college and geared towards college aged people. In the few times I’ve been, I have seen people I don’t recognize from campus, but on the whole it’s younger people and working people out to lunch.”

She went on, “I ordered a cheeseburger with mushrooms and bacon and onion rings. Onion rings are planetary and absolutely great. I wish the burger had had more lettuce though; it was a bit soggy.”

Before their grand opening, BurgerFi had a couple of days dedicated just to serving Vassar faculty. Kesselmark said, “Vassar wanted to do

something nice for the faculty, so we did two friends and family days where the faculty came in and ate. It was just something that the College wanted to do for their staff.”

The franchise isn’t looking just to cater to the College, but they do hope to become a part of Vassar life.

“We want to engage the students, have them think of this as their place that they can hang out to enjoy,” said De Lise.

He added, “We don’t want to exclude anyone, obviously. Its not strictly Vassar. You’ve got a couple thousand students across the street: We need to merge with you guys. I mean, we’re sharing a building with your college bookstore. The partnership is important to us.”

BurgerFi has done a lot to support the community, besides just offering jobs. Kesselmark said, “We get five produce deliveries a week, some of it’s local. We use regular companies; we try and go over there when they have the farmer’s market and use what we can over there, but we use local produce companies.”

While their meat comes from out of state, it is never frozen and is instead kept fresh.

“Our meat comes from one farm, but it gets delivered to Cisco. Cisco drops it off to us three days a week,” Kesselmark said. “We use local produce when we can, as far as other stuff, all our meat comes from one ranch in Montana.”

As for future plans, BurgerFi is hoping to take the nation by storm. “The franchise group in the next four years is opening at least eleven of these,” De Lise said. There are no special plans about specific locations yet. De Lise said, “If they’re near colleges, great. Honestly they’re just looking at demographics and looking at location.”

BurgerFi is on its way to becoming an integral part of living in Poughkeepsie and living at Vassar. Kesselmark said, “Business has been great.

The Poughkeepsie and the Vassar community, it has been really well received, and we’re happy to be here.”

Senior’s love of cheese leads to reinvention of the wheel Aja Saalfeld

Contributing Editor

T

Courtesy of runs-with-spatulas.com

he hardest part of senior year thus far, if I don’t count the roughly 5,000 pages of reading I have to do this week, has been struggling to find a good name for my apartment. If I am entirely honest, I feel a little left out when my friends live in apartments with such carefully formulated whimsical names as “Floozy Haus” and “The Retirement Community.” It’s been a struggle, but if I had it my way, we’d be named after the food we have far too much of in the fridge right now—cheese.

We like cheese, maybe a little too much, but when Adam’s Fairacre Farms has inexpensive and high quality cheese, and when one is a part of a cheese share, it is hardly difficult to go a little overboard in the dairy product department.

Recently, however, I decided that I should probably up my cheese game. It was a tough conclusion to reach, but I realized I cannot spend my entire senior year eating plain cheese, dolmas and olives—as easy as that sounds. So, in an effort to expand my palate, I decided to give a baked spinach mac and cheese a try.

Now, I don’t mess around with low quality cheese. I was not going for some mediocre Kraft macaroni and cheese nonsense. Plus, I was having a friend over for dinner, and so I had a reason to eat a teensy bit better than I normally do on my own. One must always feed one’s guests well, after all.

So, I picked up some gouda cheese while I was out at Adam’s for the week’s groceries, along with a box of miniature rotini, and set about finding a recipe that I would like to use.

Because I am picky and horrible, I did not find one, so I made one up.

While my housemate made and tossed a salad, I set about making a white sauce and tasking our dinner guest with probably unhelpfully vague directions about grating cheese or chopping onions.

“How much cheese? “ “I dunno, a lot?”

“How big should the onions be?”

“Probably not huge.”

Since the mac and cheese ended up delicious, I stand by those directions: a lot of cheese, not huge chunks of onions.

I had also never made white sauce before, so that process was a culinary adventure, especially since I continue with my irrational refusal to use recipes for anything but the most complicated of dishes.

Fortunately, my stubbornness has mostly worked out in the past, so I continue to go about my cooking with a rather unhelpfully carefree attitude that makes recreating recipes, or explaining them to others, difficult at best.

After draining the pasta, mixing in the cheese and tossing it all into a baking pan, I realized that I forgot to add the spinach. Because I am an incompetent senior, I just decided to rip it up and mix it in with the still-hot pasta, reasoning that it would wilt there just as well as it would in a pot of water. I was wrong and the finished product had awkward sized pieces of untitled spinach throughout, but, hey, no one is perfect and spinach is always delicious.

Thirty minutes in and the oven was heated up at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was ready: warm and gooey and delicious. Served with a green salad, courtesy of my housemate, and some crusty garlic bread, it was a huge improvement on my normal dinner—some sort of variation on eggs, cheese, rice and olives that gets old about as quickly as one would suspect that it might.

And, ultimately, it was not a particularly difficult dish to make. With only a few staple ingredients—cheese, pasta, milk, flour, greens and anything else one might want to use to spruce up dinner—this macaroni and cheese was a deceptively simple dish that I will certainly be using for every potluck in my foreseeable future.

Now, if only I had measured my ingredients in any meaningful way, then I might be able to faithfully recreate it. For now, I suppose I will just have to continue blissfully making up everything as I go along, and hoping it works out. It has so far.

The Recipe Ingredients: 2 tbs milk 4 tbs butter 3 tbs flour Diced onions Grated Gouda cheese Grated cheddar cheese (optional) Bread crumbs (optional) Fresh spinach 1 box small pasta Spices to taste

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

1.Cook pasta according to box directions in well-salted water, adding spinach during the last half of cooking. Strain and set aside.

2.Heat butter over medium heat in a large skillet. Stir in flour, milk and onions. Stir constantly, not allowing butter to burn, until thick and creamy.

3.Add cheese to white sauce.

4.Combine pasta, spinach and cheese sauce and place in square baking sheet. Sprinkle cheddar and breadcrumbs on top if desired.

5.Bake in preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 30 minutes.

FEATURES

Page 8

Hudson Valley Ventures Megan Forster Guest Reporter

Some of us are brave, fearless souls. We seek our hiking in places where we must do more than walk, and we relish in the handsand-feet experience of a level-eight trek.

These are the strong among us, and they include Lindsay Charlop ’16 and Sean Keller ’16.

This past Sunday, these two brave gods among men braved the Bonticou Crag, located in the scenic Mohunk Preserve. This challenging but incredibly rewarding hike exists not far from Vassar: a hop, skip and a jump

across the Mid-Hudson bridge, a gallivant on 9 West North to 299 West and a jaunt through New Paltz. Travel in the transportation system of your choice until you reach the Preserve.

The park has a public parking lot, and though technically it is paid parking, an inside source has reported that on the weekends, there is rarely anyone around to collect a parking fee: i.e. free parking!

There is about a 20-minute hike through the woods to get to the foot of the crag, not including the time spent climbing the actual rock feature (which is, of course, half the bat-

Courtesy of Locust Lindsay Charlop

The Bonticou Crag, despite requiring a strenuous hike up a rock scramble, is a popular spot for hikes. The crag is part of the Mohonk Preserve, a 20-minute drive from campus.

tle—although in reality, it’s probably a good deal more than half the battle).

The quest to the crag and then to the top is rewarding in more ways than one; however, as the hike back down the crag does not take nearly as long as the hike up.

You can travel both up and down the rock scramble in order to reach the crag, but for those less adventurous or just afraid of heights, there is a winding trail which travels along the back of the crag and leads to the top as well.

So what is this “rock scramble” thing I keep mentioning? Well, a rock scramble is, in simplest terms, a pile of rocks up which you scramble in order to achieve a smashing-good view and/or some personal achievement and/or spiritual fulfillment. Just like the fulfillment you receive after hiking Bonticou Crag!

Be careful, though, rocks have a tendency of being an unstable surface to hike on. The danger of spraining an ankle or tripping is always present.

The crag is a popular sunrise hike spot, due to the incredible views one achieves from what is by all intents and purposes not a terribly awful climb.

However, though the temptation is high to make it a popular sunset spot as well, it is imperative to hike the trail with enough time to get back before dark. Because this valiant point is a crag, and crags have a tendency to be rocky and uneven, it is by definition necessary to see where one is going (see: Breakneck Ridge).

For similar reasons, hiking shoes or other grippy materials on one’s feet are a must. To go up and down the rock scrambling portion and follow the crag trail takes around two hours or so, which included stopping quite a bit to enjoy the scenery.

“It was quite beautiful,” said Charlop.

On the rocks themselves, yellow paint lines blaze the trail for hikers, indication of the safest path for hikers. Take caution if you go in autumn: The leaves on the lower rocks obscure these marks, on occasion.

October 2, 2014

However, receive solace in the fact that these leaves, though a nuisance, are stunningly beautiful, much like the view from the top I keep mentioning.

If you face out over the crag, the view is straight west: If you make the climb in the evening, the sunset can be seen directly ahead. You can see quite a ways on either side, as the top is a sort of platform formed by rocks; because of this, the opposite side of the crag faces due east and frames the sunrise quite beautifully.

In fact, the panorama extends in nearly all directions; some views to the southeast are obscured, but aside from this, you can see all around you.

It is a great place for a picnic at the top, but if you bring anything, be warned: It must be in a backpack. A consequence of the feat of climbing required to reach the literal pinnacle awaiting you at the top, attempting to carry a bag will only make the trek difficult and dangerous.

However, don’t let this deter you from bringing adequate water supplies. The hike is relatively strenuous, so a water bottle or three are an absolute must.

Similarly, it would not be a good place for anyone with knee problems or other ailments of various joints. Be aware that in places, you really need to pull yourselves up the rocks, flexing those muscles and using that upper body strength you never knew you had. It will be a workout—climbing the crag is no easy task, but it is truly something to write home about once you have completed the climb to the top.

So, is all this work worth it? The hike, the climb, the return trip?

Yes, sweet reader. This is easily the most rewarding type of hiking experience one will ever have; by scrambling up rocks, you go from a ground level looking up view to a sweeping landscape of beauty in less than 10 minutes. For an aspiring rock climber or hiking enthusiast who loves a good scenic view, there is no better place than Bonticou Crag to visit on a relaxing autumn day.

Taxpayers respond to fire district’s campus involvement Marie Solis

Editor-in-Chief

G

iven its current relationship with Vassar, the Arlington Fire District (AFD) must respond to every stove-top fire, smoke alarm and EMS call that occurs on campus. So far this school year, these incidents have amounted to 51 calls to the firefighters of Local 2393.

Last semester, in the April 23 edition of The Miscellany News, Arlington firefighter Justin Carlon emphasized the benefits of Vassar utilizing the department’s services (“Arlington firefighters ensure campus safety,” 4.23.14).

“We know the College really well. We know the community, the culture, the campus layout,” said Carlon, going on to underscore that if Vassar were to outsource fire and emergency services, it would be costly to students and EMTs would lack this familiarity. Though he continued to bol-

ster the advantages of the AFD’s collaboration with Vassar, taxpayers in the district are speaking out.

Doreen Tignanelli, a community member whose husband is a fire commissioner for the AFD, said, “Officials including the chief say they use the calls as justification as to why they need more man power, more equipment.”

Part of the added workforce comes in the way of the number of professional firefighters working for the AFD alongside the volunteers. While surrounding fire departments function with only volunteers, the AFD prides itself on its paid professionals. Nonetheless, much of the reasoning for funding comes from Vassar’s call volume, according to Tignanelli.

She continued, “I file Freedom of Information requests every year and, on average, calls are usually somewhere in the 5000 range. They usu-

Courtesy of The Poughkeepsie Journal

The Arlington Fire District serves Vassar and the surrounding community. Ongoing controversy has arisen over the relationship between Vassar and the Department and its consequences for taxpayers.

ally say that about ten percent of those calls are to Vassar. I have seen years where it’s about 500 calls. Just from August 29 of this year to September 28, there’s been 16 intoxication calls, and the vast majority are 18 to 19-year-old students, and there have been 35 calls for automatic fire alarms.

That’s only in a one-month period.”

Tignanelli added that she sits in on every AFD meeting and often witnesses firefighters complain about the number of calls Vassar and other local colleges make in the name of protocol. In response, community member Herb Stoller remarked that while they may complain about attending to drunken students, they benefit from Vassar’s dependency on their services. He stated, “They like to get funds from these tax-exempt institutions directly to the fire district because that’s more money in their till. They’re getting a lot of opposition now from taxpayers because they’re paying the highest taxes in the county, in the state maybe. But if they can get a funding stream directly from local colleges, that makes life easier for them.”

Tignanelli pointed out that in recent years, shifts in representation on the Board of Fire Commissioners have illuminated some of these conflicts. Historically, all five commissioners on the board had also been firefighters; however, in the last couple of years, Tignanelli’s husband and another at-large community member were elected to the board. “In Arlington, the contract that the firefighters have has been voted on by the professionals and firefighters themselves for years. So now there are two commissioners on the board who are looking out for taxpayer interest,” Tignanelli said.

Stoller emphasized that the spending of the AFD isn’t sustainable for the taxpayers of the Arlington and greater Poughkeepsie area. “The tax burden on homeowners, particularly senior citizens, has become very significant and is impacting people’s abilities to stay in their homes,” he said.

He and Tignanelli agreed that Vassar students and administration should be troubled about these implications. “Students should be con-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

cerned about the impact of taxes on residents in the community, especially on elderly people and people on fixed incomes. They should think about how their potential vote for the fire district commissioners elections may really impact someone who isn’t in a good financial situation.

There’s a social responsibility there,” she said.

Taxpayer Gina Klein pointed out, “With the recession we’ve been in, the tax base has shrunk, but the tax levy for the fire district hasn’t. It’s gotten bigger and we’re all trying to deal with that.”

Currently, Vassar contracts out their ambulance services for events such as Halloween weekend when there have been historically high volumes of EMS calls. Stoller suggested that Vassar consider turning this protocol into a blanket policy. He stated, “Other colleges in the communities have taken it upon themselves to contract with private services to provide ambulances and EMS. This reduces the burden on the fire districts. My understanding is that the cost per student could lend itself to that. That could be something for Vassar College to consider. At a very nominal cost to the college and students, they could relieve this burden—the 10 percent of the calls—and take that issue off the table. They should be more proactive in solving this problem.”

Klein echoed Stoller’s proposition, adding, “This sounds like a great short-term solution for the local community. It would also keep the College in control of the services being delivered to their students rather than feeling that they’re making a tax contribution to the fire district without knowing how that money is being spent.

This way, there would be a very direct impact.”

Tignanelli shared that she and Dean of the College Christopher Roellke have exchanged email correspondence and have met in person to discuss these matters.

In conclusion, Klein responded to the firefighters’ plea for students to use their vote to continue the relationship between the College and AFD, stating, “Students should think about how people are trying to manipulate your vote for their personal gain rather than your well-being.”

OPINIONS

October 2, 2014

The Miscellany News Staff Editorial

Arts, sciences collaboration must continue

T

here has been an ongoing drop in creative arts participation at Vassar and a nationwide increase in students choosing to major in the sciences rather than the humanities and arts.

According to Vassar’s 2013/14 Factbook, biology has seen the most growth as a major, while film, art and classics have seen some of the biggest losses in their respective number of majors. However, with the help of a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Vassar is currently attempting to integrate the arts into other fields of study.

At the beginning of this year, a faculty steering committee was created in order to direct the funding. The committee is composed of faculty members from each creative arts department, as well as other departments, including physics, through Professor Cindy Schwarz, and anthropology, through Associate Dean of Strategic Planning and Professor Thomas Porcello.

With the $750,000 grant, the committee established The Creative Arts Across Disciplines initiative and hired a consultant to head the program for three years.

This initiative aims to encourage collaboration in art between departments that might not otherwise incorporate this aspect into their curricula. The grant also aims to provide programming, support the development of new curriculum, and visiting residencies of artists and scholars each year, corresponding to a specific theme; this year’s theme is “Vision.”

Despite the good intentions of this initiative, we at The Miscellany News assert that more action is needed in order to truly establish a symbiotic relationship between the arts and the sciences here at Vassar. The College’s push to enhance its science programs, including but not limited to its construction of the new, stateof-the-art Integrated Science Center, will both strengthen the education of existing students studying the sciences, as well as attract more applicants with an interest in

the natural sciences.

At the same time, however, many art classes at Vassar are capped at 13 students due to underfunding and understaffing.

Due to the prioritization of the enrollment of students with majors or correlates in the arts in these classes, it is difficult for students with interests across disciplines to take an arts class and diversify their academic experiences.

While it is true that space is also currently limited in many laboratory science courses, the new building is expected to relieve that pressure.

Yet, constrictions in the studio arts will remain, unless funds are allocated for new spaces and more staff.

Despite the substantial amount of money provided by donors for the construction of the new science center, there is a pattern of underfunding across many academic departments, including the multidisciplinary programs. These programs already reach across disciplines, and we at The Miscellany News believe that further funding in this area could organically create connections between the more-funded science departments and comparatively less-funded programs, such as some of the interdisciplinary departments in the humanities.

We suggest that the College take the next step when considering provisions for the various departments and provide funding to bolster departments that do not currently receive adequate funds. This would give students further opportunities to branch their academic interests in directions to which they might not have had access previously.

Beyond funding, real thought and work needs to be done to allow both the sciences and the arts to have a truly communicative relationship—one that embodies the balance of the liberal arts and enriches learning on both sides. The sciences and the arts should both be a part of students’ lives.

The developing science quad, or area near the new science “bridge,” isolates students

in the sciences from interacting with arts students and reflects the lack of connection between the two disciplines at Vassar.

While programs like The Creative Arts Across Disciplines initiative will particularly contribute to the extracurricular experiences of students at Vassar with events such as lectures by visiting artists, we at the Miscellany News feel that without further efforts and programs, the disciplines will only move farther apart in students’ academic lives.

A liberal arts education is built on a balance, a symbiotic relationship between arts and sciences. Therefore, these sets of ideas should be in conversation with each other. Building spaces for creative arts in addition to sciences on campus would be a start, but not a solution.

In light of The Creative Arts Across Disciplines initiative, we support an attempt to emphasize the creative arts in response to a larger trend of a push for natural sciences. Further, reduction of humanities faculty must cease if the sciences at Vassar will continue to expand; otherwise, the balance of a broad liberal arts education will only continue to be threatened.

We at The Miscellany News advocate greater cooperation between the arts and sciences at Vassar. We urge students to participate in multiple disciplines, and ask the faculty and administration to foster more interdisciplinary programs like The Creative Arts Across Disciplines initiative.

It is too easy to separate the disciplines into different buildings and, later, into different spheres of students’ lives; we don’t want this over-specialization to change the Vassar experience.

While this creative arts initiative represents the arts reaching out to the sciences, we would like to see more partnership between all disciplines in order to uphold the Vassar tradition of a holistic education.

Opinions Editor

I

’ll preface this by saying that I am a firm believer that the Vassar Student Association (VSA) has the ability to make legitimate change. As the representative body for the students to the Administration, they hold the voices of the students to a high regard, and have helped shaped many positive programs that exist today at Vassar, including the gender neutral bathroom initiative, as well as others.

That is why it saddens me to say that the recent behavior by the VSA board has bordered on absolutely ridiculous.

This past Sunday, at the weekly VSA meeting, there was an issue of how to fill the newly opened VP for Activities position, either by appointment or election. The Board of Elections and Appointments (BOEA), a group of elected representatives tasked with sorting out the Vassar College student election and appointment process, recommended to the board that an election with a more compressed time line be put into effect immediately. While most of the board agreed with this recommendation, a few board members, mainly on the executive board, disagreed, and vocalized their displeasure. Their logic as to why there should be an appointment compared to an election, however, seemed a bit flawed.

To summarize what the dissenters stated, they believe that an appointment would allow the board to pick the most qualified candidate for the position so as to reduce the time it would take to train the incoming representative. They simultaneously said that the Vassar constituency, or at least the majority of the Vassar constituency, did not care about the VSA or the election process, leading to them to push for an appointment so as to not make the election process a popularity contest among the candidates’ friends. While both of these arguments have some merit, I see seri-

ous flaws in how they went about arguing for an appointment.

By arguing that the VSA has the ability to pick the best candidate to represent the Vassar community while at the same time saying that the Vassar community just does not care about the VSA, the Board is putting forth a very hypocritical argument. If the Vassar constituency truly did not care about the VSA, then why have a VSA in the first place? It is quite elitist and very disenfranchising to say that the VSA has the ability to pick the best candidate to represent all Vassar organizations and groups.

“The recent behavior of the VSA board has bordered on absolutely ridiculous...”

But their argument brings up this question: Do Vassar students really not care about the VSA or the decision between an appointment or election? The answer is a wholehearted “no,” contrary to what some board members believe. At this past meeting, according to my personal observations, there was a lot of outrage and displeasure circling among the members at large who attended the meeting.

There was frustration with how things were being discussed and that an appointment was being considered.

There was also outcry among some students on social media. This alone should show the council that students do care. Yes, there is no way to ever get one hundred percent participation in Vassar elections, or maybe even more than fifty percent participation.

Yet, even if only a handful of students show

Coffee culture differs among countries Tomas Guarnizo Guest Columnist

F

passion for these issues, then the VSA serves a purpose, that purpose being to represent those few students voices. That is why the students that do care voted these people in last semester and gave them so much power. They represent hundreds of voices, and, personally, the thought of another representative body in power ignoring voices at Vassar scares me.

I think that currently, there is a lot of elitism circulating within the VSA. There has been a consistent issue of the VSA being a white-dominated board, and this year has been no different. The VSA each year claims that despite their lack of diversity, they wish to make themselves more accessible and approachable for all students and concerned Vassar community members. However, there has been no action taken by the VSA that has shaped legitimate change in the levels of accessibility of the board.

This attitude that the VSA is the only qualified body to pick the next members of the executive board only contributes to further alienation of the VSA to the rest of the student body. There will never be an accessible VSA if these attitudes carry over from year to year. With a high rate of turnover and returning board members within the VSA already, a change in behavior and mindset will be hard to make. I urge returning and new board members alike to rethink their conception of what the VSA is and what the VSA could be. Don’t use your power to silence the voices that you are trying to represent.

The VSA is important, and the student body does care. I am hopeful that the VSA will do amazing things this semester, but I’m worried that they have the potential to do immense damage as well. It all depends on how they handle themselves.

rom a very early age, coffee has been almost an essential part of my life. I would start my day by drinking “café con leche” and end it the same way. On those cold, misty mornings, very particular to the city of Bogota, my father would wake me up by singing “a levantarse y a tomarse una tasita de café,” and, when seven in the afternoon rolled by and I had finished my homework, we would gather around the dinner table to retell our days, eat “pan rollo” and warm up with some coffee in the evening.

There was no mystery about coffee. No coffee “jitters,” no “pick me up,” and definitely no “rush.”

To us, coffee was just what we drank around the dinner table as we told and shared stories. Every weekend, my family would gather for lunch at one in the afternoon. After we had eaten, my aunts and uncles would sit in the living room to tell jokes as they drank their “tintico.” As I grew older, at around 12 I began to take part in these small reunions out of my own interest.

As we drank “tinto,” we talked—or, rather, they talked and I listened. It was a magical time. During those long talks, it seemed as if the only thing that mattered in the world was to retell the happenings of the previous week, and all of this seemed possible thanks to coffee. I wondered if my family members stayed after lunch just to drink coffee and was worried that they would leave if one day were to run out of the warm drink. Yet, at times, some would not drink any tinto and would still stay long after lunch had been served. It was then when I realized the importance of the act of drinking coffee as it created an atmosphere where we would accompany each other for the sake of sharing.

At times, this might be dismissed, yet, more often than not, the act of drinking coffee brings family and friends together. Those who drink alone often do it not out of choice, but circumstance.

Through coffee, I have noticed some interesting cultural differences between my peers, as I often get the sense that, to them, coffee is nothing more than an aid to wake up, get rid of a hangover or pull an all nighter. During the three years that I have spent at Vassar, the number of times I have shared a coffee with a friend has been limited.

Coffee in American culture is perceived as almost another stimulant that the college students have to drink to hand in work on time, or to what frenetic city people get accustomed to. It is often off-limits to children at households and reserved for only adults. Perhaps this is why when I once asked a peer to grab some coffee, she smiled with a mocking gesture of sophistication.

When thinking about coffee in American culture, two scenarios come to mind. In the first, the coffee is brewed at a café by a professional barista in an ambiance of erudition. The walls are covered by miscellaneous books, and old furniture fills the space. Most of the customers seem to be completely consumed by a book or their computers, and the ones who dare to talk barely whisper. In the second scenario, coffee is brewed by a young teenager who is in desperate need for money. Modern wooden tables are slightly pushed against the walls, as customers gather around the bar as they wait for their coffee. Most of them seem anxious and in a hurry; all of them grunt, and some smile as they hear a name that vaguely resembles theirs.

I am aware that I might be exaggerating with these examples. I am also aware that some people do gather to drink coffee and talk, yet I can’t help but think about what the use of coffee says about American culture and the culture at Vassar. A symbol that alludes to quality time in many parts of the world has been morphed to represent an energy drink, measure of status or immediate fix. Perhaps this resembles our impatient culture, where grabbing a coffee with a friend or loved one has become a luxury, or even worse, a bragging social media post. When, in reality, drinking coffee is not all about the rush or likes, the cafés or sophistication, but rather about a talk well-talked and a couple of hours well spent.

—Christopher Brown ’16 is a mathematics and political science double major.

­ Tomas Guarnizo ’16 is a cognitive science and — studio art double major.

—The Staff Editorial represents the opinions of at least 2/3 of the Editorial Board.

VSA actions must reflect accessibility goals Christopher Brown

Page 9

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

OPINIONS

Page 10

HeForShe inherently patriarchal Emily Sayer

Guest Columnist

W

hat Emma Watson’s audience has failed to realize, in the wake of her September 20 UN speech addressing gender inequality, is that the HeForShe campaign is hardly groundbreaking—if anything, the movement is an insult to proponents of the feminist cause. The name, for one, is problematic in itself. HeForShe? The idea of men advocating on behalf of women is a perversion of the truly ideal scenario, which would involve men and women working in tandem to promote equality; after all, Watson states that feminism is as much a defense against male stereotypes as it is a guardian of female roles. Men are to be involved in the discussion, and they are expected to spread support via social media, but the call to action stops short of provoking any plans for change.

The basic idea behind the platform is that men can advertise their backing of women’s rights by connecting online to post pictures or by using the hashtag #HeForShe. Albeit, Watson’s vision of a shift in the mentality towards gender relations is admirable, but, in suggesting a wave of propaganda as a solution to decades of harmful perceptions of feminism, she is ensuring that HeForShe will become no more than a fad.

HeForShe also marginalizes those who do not subscribe to the gender binary but whose issues are nonetheless intertwined in civil rights matters and deserve the support of a global campaign. Watson’s objective may be limited to breaking down prevailing notions regarding men’s responsibilities, but, given the opportunity to broadcast one’s speech to not only the UN but viewers worldwide, shouldn’t a more extensive argument have been put forth?

The power of her platform’s recognition could spur progressive change for issues such as discrimination amongst transgender and agender populations, as well as the egregious state of women’s equality in non-first world countries, but, instead, Watson chooses to echo the concerns that have already been voiced. Granted, the nature of any movement requires that the subject be touched upon incessantly, but, to avoid the likelihood that ignorant parties will tune out discourse by excusing it as a typical feminist rant, it is imperative that the scope of the debate is expanded whenever possible.

Emma Watson’s position as the international figurehead of the feminist cause is a controversial one. Common critiques include the fact that she is blatantly an individual surrounded by privilege and that her background does not lend her the capacity to easily relate to the struggles of the minority groups that she may be representing. However, shaming any individual for an attempt to advocate reform is negative and regressive. Watson notices a fault in the practices existing in her industry, and she is dissatisfied with the restrictive conditions to which both genders are subjected, so she is publicly objecting to these constructs. Why discourage anyone’s ability to discuss their protestations?

Smothering the voices of those who believe that they are too commonplace to harbor genuine complaints is detrimental to progressivism.

The flaws in Watson’s campaign still stand, but the initiative that she displays in asserting her legitimacy as a feminist is laudable.

Until mediocre reiterations of feminist principles subside and all-encompassing civil rights platforms release the tension that causes groups to question their place in a movement, the process for change will be capricious and inadequate. Equality cannot be achieved through the separation of grievances—Watson partially realizes this in imploring men to involve themselves in women’s rights. But the cultural perceptions of the male archetype must be debunked as well, and cognizance of minority troubles must be extended to those who face bigotry for their orientation or gender identification, or else societal growth will come to a standstill, and reactionary groups such as HeForShe will fall by the wayside, joining the ranks of the well-intentioned but forgotten trends that plague the 21st century.

—Emily Sayer ’18 is currently undeclared.

October 2, 2014

Gender equality a larger societal issue Udbhav Agarwal Guest Columnist

I

do not remember exactly when it happened, but somewhere over the last 18 years, I was told—not explicitly, though—that when I grow up, I will take care of my family. When I will marry, my wife will come stay with me in my house. When asked to choose between Auden and hockey or Keats and cricket, I must chose hockey and cricket. When in a moment of weakness, I should get over it. Embrace my personal identity—”be a husband, a son, a boy, a man.”

It did not seem strange back then. Everyone around me was following these embedded social norms. Families all over the world were doing it. Across cultural and social boundaries and economic disparities, these norms had persisted, had been propagated and become generic to almost everybody’s identity. There was a sense of acceptance and a sense of obligation. The choice of an alternate never existed. It was what it was.

But, after 17 long years when I ask myself why, it irks me how ignorant I had been my whole life. Why was I told to follow these norms? When? By whom? Why must I take care of my family, why not my sister? Why must my wife come and stay with me, and not the other way around? Why not her house?

Why not Auden or Keats? Why cricket, why hockey? Why getting over it? Why not being vulnerable, exposed or feel needed?

Why “husband, son, boy and man?” Why not “spouse, child, kid and person?”

It is interesting, therefore, that how in the past 18 years, as I came to realize the sexist and often stereotypical terms to which men were subjected, I saw an aggressive expansion in the feminist movement among many people. For the first time ever, we had an openly queer feminist poetess become Poet Laureate, the pen being criticized as a phallic and therefore anti-feminist symbol, Disney being ridiculed for portraying a false sense of female

beauty and gender-biased perfection, and active debate in public domain on the equality of the sexes. While the feminist movement increased in popularity, it gained a false construct of radical patriotism. Feminism became a pejorative for a movement that catered not only to a sex, but was mistakenly taken to be constituted of that same sex alone.

As both these narratives—that of feminism and one of my own—grew, as time passed, they seemed to contradict each other. While there was no movement that actively recognized problems with the male identity (ever heard of “male-ism?”), the only movement that did promote equality of the sexes had become secluded from the male gender itself, leading to a vacuum, a movement that achieved equality for the sexes but only for one half of the populous of the world.

Therefore, it became both a moment of personal triumph and sociological significance when a much too-nervous Emma Watson, at the meeting of the UN General Assembly on September 20, successfully proclaimed, “Men, I would like to extend you a formal invitation.

Gender equality is your issue too.” In that one sentence, Watson, a Goodwill Ambassador for United Nations Women, bridged a gap that had been prolonged for way too long in this nation and around the world; that recognizing feminism, or any movement that demotes gender bias, is an issue for all the sexes.

As she said, “We don’t talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes, but I can see that they are, and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled,” there seemed an undeniable truth in her words: legitimate change cannot be brought about when only half the world is invited to participate.

Therefore, it is a matter of serious concern

when the campaign for which Watson spoke, HeForShe, falls short of delivering on such tall, necessary and unquestionably urgent thoughts within its discourse.

The truth is that the campaign HeForShe is in itself nothing but a mere petition, a contract, which requires a mere signature to make a person feel happy about what he has done, a guilt-free day for “becoming part of the war against inequality of the sexes.” On a visit to the campaign website, it becomes surprisingly evident how the campaign itself lacks substantive matter to support its moral thrust—how little of it, if any at all, is devoted to providing any solutions to the problems that Watson speaks about in her speech. It asks a person to register and declare his sex.

If male, it gives him a number and a note of gratitude (“Thank you for being a HeForShe. You are man number 158,429 to take the commitment”), and that’s that.

Though Watson’s speech and her mission’s intent carries revolutionary strength, the same integrity is not displayed in the construction of its campaign. While it makes for a nice post on social networking media (“I am man number 158,429”) and a good reason for another self-portrait, it also gives the lazy achievement of feeling helpful by pressing “Like” or clicking an “I Accept”...of receiving a false sense of philanthropic satisfaction by telling people to care for something, but not telling them how to translate their “much appreciated concerns” into productive outcomes.

It was a bitter moment, I now confess, to discover the huge disparity between what Watson spoke and what her campaign proposed to do. As a firm believer of her words, and a HeForShe member, I only hope that early criticisms will ensure a more sure-footed future. As of now, the HeForShe campaign comes across as terribly short of delivering on words that will live infinitely long.

—Udbhav Agarwal ’18 is currently undeclared.

New texting gun aims to make roads safer Delaney Fisher Columnist

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here is a lot of rhetoric surrounding texting while driving and the effects it can potentially have on the lives of those involved in the act. Whether it be from commercials that show possible consequences of texting while driving, friends, family or acquaintances giving advice not to text and drive or an incident with personal experience, texting while driving has been highly frowned upon and is now commonly illegal.

If you can’t relate to any of these statements or stories, let me put it in perspective: A study found that the minimum amount of time your attention is away from the road while texting and driving is five seconds. If you are going 55 mph, you have driven the length of a football field not paying attention to the road. A bit scary, in my opinion, yet 77 percent of young adults are at least somewhat confident that they can safely text while driving (Texting and Driving Safely, “Texting and Driving Statistics,” 2014).

“Texting while driving has been highly frowned upon and is now commonly illegal.”

Why do so many young adults feel confident in their ability? My guess is that they have texted a few times and nothing bad has happened—so, logically, they can text and drive with no issues.

In high school, I had a friend who was pulling out of our high school campus onto the main road, and she was hit by another high school student going 70 in a 35 zone. The student who caused the accident was texting about going to the mall later in the day after school. My friend was hospitalized with a severe neck injury and

had a totaled car. This was the first accident of the texter, who I assume was confident texting while driving. Another fun statistic for you: Texting while driving makes it 23 times more likely you will crash (Texting and Driving Safely, “Texting and Driving Statistics,” 2014).

Texting while driving is currently illegal in 44 states, and, in New York, it is illegal to talk on the phone or text while driving (NCSL, “Cellular Phone Use and Texting While Driving Laws,” 6.30.14). Recently, to combat this act, the state of New York has put up signs for texting rest areas, which act as regular rest areas, but have specific signage to indicate that there will be an upcoming area where people can stop and text. Yet, even with these laws and our knowledge on the dangers of texting while driving, it is still a common event.

Detecting texters can be difficult for police officers, but ComSonics, a Virginia-based company, has a new creation that may allow for easier detection: radar technology. ComSonics has recently designed a detector gun, the Sniffer Sleuth II (SSII). The SSII can detect very specific cellular frequencies, including when someone is in the middle of sending a text (Daily Mail, “The ‘texting gun’ that stops drivers using their mobile behind the wheel,” 9.19.14).

But wait. At first, this seems totally crazy! If I am driving and a friend is sitting in the passenger seat texting, am I going to get a ticket for texting because the SSII will detect the frequency of my cell phone? What about privacy?

Will law enforcement be able to read my texts?

Are officers already using these devices in the streets?

Malcolm McIntyre, a spokesman for the company that created these devices, has made it clear in a statement that ComSonics is aware of privacy concerns and that the SSII cannot access content of any texts or data from cellular devices and that the SSII can simply distinguish between the different frequencies a phone sends out for texting vs. calling vs. using mobile data, such as for searching the Internet (The Independent, “‘Texting Gun’ could help law enforcement,” 9.22.14).

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Continuing on that statement, ComSonics had said that the device can actually figure out which person in the car is using the cell phone that is detected, but there was no clear explanation on how this technology works (Daily Mail, “The ‘texting gun’ that stops drivers using their mobile behind the wheel,” 9.19.14).

“Texting while driving makes it 23 times more likely you will crash...”

While the device is not currently in use by law enforcement, McIntyre says that production will hopefully be happening sooner than later. ComSonics is currently smoothing over some of the legal issues that have been circulating, particularly around privacy concerns and ensuring that content of cell phones cannot be accessed. Even though McIntyre has stated content is safe, many are still doubtful and fearful of this upcoming device. Currently, ComSonics is having lawyers test out the SSII to try and make it clear that, legally, this device is sound (CNET, “Police radar gun that shows if you’re texting?,” 9.17.14).

I am very intrigued to find out more about the SSII and the technology that helped create it: It all sounds cool in theory, but the company is being very vague about how the device actually works. I am still very curious about how this device is able to detect which person in the car is using a cellular device, especially when the car is traveling at high speeds. But, even with my curiosities and small doubts about privacy concerns, I am very against texting and driving, as it can cause serious and life-changing damage to those involved. If this new type of technology helps us reduce the number of people who, even with strict laws set in place, still text and drive despite the obvious risks, I am all for it.

—Delaney Fisher ’15 is a neuroscience major.

October 2, 2014

OPINIONS

Science, religion hold clashing ideologies Christopher Dietz

Assistant Opinions Editor

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here was an article published in The New York Times the other day called “God, Darwin and My Biology Class” by David P. Barash, a Professor of Psychology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Washington. In it, he discusses the cognitive dissonance that occurs when religious students are forced to reconcile faith with the scientific disciplines; often, they become more, rather than less uncomfortable with the tension between the two as time goes on.

His solution is to give a three-step talk at the beginning of the semester at the University, speaking about the foundations of his discipline at the school.

For Barash, “teaching biology without evolution would be like teaching chemistry without molecules, or physics without mass and energy.” In the first part of the introduction, he confronts the argument that living organisms, in their complexity, needed a planner—random variation and natural selection account for this type of discussion.

In the second part of the structured talk, he discusses the illusion of centrality, which is the idea that humans, as rational animals, are distinct from other life forms on the planet. Not quite so—we’re close enough in most respects that we can’t rightly be categorized out of the animal kingdom.

Third, he discussed religion’s much-maligned inability to satisfactorily explain suffering is shown to be an easier question in biology: “Human beings are produced by a natural, totally amoral process, with no indication of a benevolent, controlling creator.” He insists that his students, if adamant in respecting both traditions, will have to do some “challenging mental gymnastic routines” in order to understand biology without evolution.

It is not acceptable for science to be the one doing the gymnastics routines in an effort to reconcile religion, Barash argues. I agree, but

the question does persist: Just because science shouldn’t be attempting to reconcile the two, to what degree do science and a lot of other related topics still have to advocate on their own behalf?

The question, rephrased, is really: Are there more people who believe that science informs their reality than there are people who believe religion does?

It’s clear for those who believe in the merits of the scientific method (i.e. repeatable results, done in unbiased experiments, with explanations that work only if they describe all of the valid data so far) that religion doesn’t so much represent an intellectual obstacle within the disciplines of science as a roadblock toward acceptance of science in the broader community as well as individuals.

In other words, scientists don’t work relentlessly to disprove God while they’re examining the cosmos or climate, but they have historically been running a constant public relations campaign to convince people that religion doesn’t provide answers to questions that are scientific in nature; e.g. the Church’s cosmology doesn’t represent an alternative to mainstream astronomy.

As was made apparent in a viral “Daily Show” segment featured on Comedy Central from the other day, the “debate” on climate change is still raging in the eyes of the public—oft-cited polls put the public split closer to 50-50 on whether or not climate change is an issue (i.e. is real) than they put scientists, who run a consensus somewhere between 97 and 99 percent.

Jon Stewart’s 10-minute segment on “The Daily Show” focused on the observation that the Congressional Committee on Science, Space and Technology was, annoyingly and unsurprisingly, full of climate-change and global warming skeptics and deniers.

During the segment, he described the advisor tasked with responding to the objects, John Holdren (who was the former professor

of environmental policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is the current senior advisor to President Obama on science and technology issues in the United States), as charged with the Sisyphean task of pushing “a million pounds of idiot up a mountain.” The clip shows multiple Republicans challenging climate change and global warming issues, with Holdren responding.

The recent march in New York, one of the largest protests by population of the entire century, was primarily an awareness campaign. “This is real, and we should be doing something about it,” and “we should be slashing emissions with this policy plan,” are two very different and stark statements. But it does seem clear that science still has a lot more public relations and advocacy to be done on its own behalf.

And that’s obviously a vague suggestion, but here’s something that’s often done wrong when advocating: By citing “science” dogmatically, people tend to undo their persuasiveness—in the BuzzFeed era of instant exaggeration (“19 things you’ve never known about Earth… because Science!”), people often cite a study that’s shown up in the news as “proving” something, without consulting the rest of the literature on the topic, which may completely disagree with the “proof.”

In this way, science and issues revolving around the topic of science get talked about like a religion or a theological concept—which they aren’t. Science isn’t really something you “believe” in—some scientists perform bad experiments, and they get corrected by other scientists. “I don’t believe in God because...Science!” isn’t doing anybody any good as a statement or ideology.

So, taking the issue of climate change as an example, science still needs to be advocated.

But when it is, I would hope it’s in the right ways.

—Christopher Dietz ’17 is a political science major.

Freshman Families Weekend panel centers around summer internship opportunities Sarah Sandler

Guest Columnist

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y parents, as well as hundreds of other parents of freshmen, were in town this past weekend for Freshman Families Weekend. Reservations at popular restaurants near campus filled up, and the bookstore was full of students taking advantage of their parents’ credit cards. While I took part in both of these things, my parents also found it important that they attended a few of the scheduled programs available on Saturday, even insisting that I go to one of them.

When it came time for “Vassar Students and How They Spent the Summer,” I willingly went along. I really love traveling, having gone on a few summer trips abroad to countries such as Spain, England, Italy and Greece. I’ve already been to the International Studies office to see what is available to me as soon as the summer after my freshman year. Given this, I was very curious and excited to learn what resources students older than me from Vassar College had utilized to do interesting things over the summer after second semester.

The panel was held in Rocky 200, and even though my parents and I arrived a few minutes late, there were still seats open. There were eight panelists seated in the front of the room: Vassar students ranging from sophomores to seniors. Stacy Bingham, the Director of the Career Development Office, began the panel by introducing herself and the panelists, and quickly handed the rest of the time over to the panelists themselves.

Momentarily, I realized that the panel was not what I had expected, but it was interesting and helpful nonetheless. I was looking forward to hearing where the students had traveled, what programs they had used, what kinds of things they studied and what attractions they visited during their summer.

The panel was not at all study-abroad focused, but what I got was eight perspectives and experiences about something I had not

given much thought: careers. While some students did discuss their travel or study experiences, most of the hour was focused on internships and jobs, some even as close as Poughkeepsie, New York.

The panel offered a great perspective and insight on things most freshmen probably haven’t considered much yet while acclimating to a new campus, such as utilizing the Career Development office, fellowships, grants and alumnae/i networks. The CDO had been mentioned when I attended a Vassar information session a year ago, but it wasn’t made apparent how useful it can really be. The panelists had a huge range of interests and skills and attributed their great experiences to the resources Vassar had to offer.

“Momentarily, I had realized that the panel was not what I had expected...”

To name those that I can remember, there were students interested in multiple disciplines, including but not limited to political science, economics, sociology, Hispanic studies, environmental studies and even Arabic and other languages. This goes to show that Vassar’s resources can cater to and encompass all types of interests and areas of study, even the more obscure ones that involve a lower number of students or participants. From what the panelists discussed at the weekend meeting, it seems like all it takes is a quick visit to the CDO office to jump-start useful experiences outside Vassar’s “bubble.”

One of the most significant reasons I was initially interested in applying to Vassar was its open curriculum, mostly because I have a wide range of interests and I’m not sure which I want to lead to a career. Therefore, I want-

ed a school where I had the appropriate time and circumstances to take classes in a variety of subjects before tailoring to those that suited me and my interests best.

Because of this—not knowing what I want to do or what I wanted to study when I came to college—I jumped to study-abroad for summer possibilities and new experiences during my time at Vassar. After attending this panel, I have realized that while study-abroad is an amazing thing and still definitely something in which I want to take part, there is an extensive assortment of other options in which Vassar students can partake.

I’m thankful I attended this panel to learn more about the resources available to us, but it should be advertised more around campus so that everyone, especially those new to campus, will be aware of it. One panelist had already traveled to Japan over the summer with a company to teach English, and she was only a sophomore. Freshmen should not be afraid to start right now by visiting the CDO and learning about their options.

For some reason, I assumed that the Career Development Office was a place I wouldn’t visit until my junior year and I was looking for an internship or job that would determine my life course. Now, I want to visit the office in the next few weeks to get a grasp on what I can do, where I can go, what connections I will be able to make and who I can work with as soon as the summer of 2015.

There are so many resources available to Vassar students that I had not contemplated yet, like fellowships, grants and stipends that could enable me to travel and work more freely during the summer and after my time at Vassar College. Just from what I heard at this panel, it seems like that CDO is not a resource that should be passed up, and it would be a shame to go through Vassar without utilizing it, even as early as freshman year.

—Sarah Sandler ’18 is currently undeclared.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Page 11

Word on the street How did you celebrate Hilary Duff’s birthday this Sunday?

“I listened to ‘Why Not’ on repeat.”

—Jemma Howlett ’17

“Reminisced about ‘A Cinderella Story.’”

— Jack O’Brien ’15

“I didn’t celebrate it... but I read her debut fan fiction novel five years ago.”

— Maren Thorson ’15

“It was Hilary Duff’s birthday?”

— Chris Sundberg ’16

“I was recovering from Saturday.”

—Dillon Geynup ’16

“I had a party with all of my friends.” ­­— Amanda Horowitz ’17

Christopher Gonzalez, Humor & Satire Editor Jacob Gorski, Assistant Photo Editor

OPINIONS

Page 12

October 2, 2014

All socioeconomic classes not adequately supported at VC Sophia Burns

Guest Columnist

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n the minds of many, the ideas of private education and wealth are inseparable: for the majority of lower- and lower-middle-class Americans, private education is out of the question. In recent years, private colleges have been striving to achieve socioeconomic diversity by employing need-blind admissions and meeting up to 100 percent of demonstrated need. As was highlighted in a previous issue of The Miscellany News, Vassar is very proud of its distinction as the most economically diverse top college in the U.S.—but this title indeed implies a lot that has yet to be attained (“VC tops list of economically diverse elite colleges,” 9.18.14). After completing my first month at Vassar, I can attest that it is still difficult to separate wealth and private education in my own mind, a sentiment which some of my fellow “lower socioeconomic status” peers share with some degree of discomfort.

After spending 18 years in a place where struggling financially is the norm, one becomes accustomed to sharing these issues with their peers—they serve as common ground. Coming to Vassar provides quite the culture shock for such students: Suddenly, money problems are not on everyone’s mind, and students may become extremely conscious of their socioeconomic standing, possibly for the first time in their life.

Hearing people call items one considers exorbitantly priced “affordable” is jarring indeed, as is conversation about regular exotic vacations with someone who has never left the country. Such factors can be alienating, as it is easy to feel uncomfortable and out-of-place in these conversations if one cannot contribute.

In my experience, I have found myself feeling uncultured in these situations—I’ve never spent a month touring Europe, had a summer home or received special access at an event thanks to parents’ connections. I have been met with odd looks when talking about the lack of resources at my high school and in my hometown, and how impressed I am with what we have here at Vassar.

When these conversations arise, I become self-conscious and question my ability to fit in within these types of social settings. Am I at a disadvantage because I have never been able to immerse myself in my chosen foreign language by going abroad? Should I be embarrassed that I have no idea what the prep schools whose names I hear tossed around are? Why do I feel ashamed that I had a job back home not because my parents wanted to instill a work ethic in me but because I actually needed to in order to support myself (and at times, my family)? At Vassar, I have found it difficult so far to find and connect with people to discuss these feelings with and to feel validated in these concerns, and I have learned that I am not the only one with these thoughts and feelings at this privileged institution.

If Vassar wishes to continue to promote itself as such a diverse institution, then it must extend these efforts beyond monetary endowments. While it is true that lower-income students would not be here without Vassar’s generous aid, the College must realize that their being here brings a unique set of challenges that the College should help them face in order to make this an enjoyable experience for all Vassar students.

Surely, not all incoming freshman from these backgrounds are able to attend the Transitions

program for various reasons; I was unable to and felt as though similar programming should have been offered throughout orientation. A freshman’s inability to come to campus earlier should not hinder them from gaining extra support and guidance during this drastic shift in environments. Lectures and seminars about Vassar’s available resources and how to adjust to Vassar’s academic setting should be given throughout orientation, perhaps in a series. These programs would enable students to meet others to whom they can relate on these levels and provide an open forum for them to ask questions of the right people who can quell their worries and offer advice for the future.

This would, in turn, make students more confident going forward and feel less apprehensive in joining the community here.

I also noticed that, during Freshman Families Weekend this past week at Vassar College, there was programming geared towards certain disciplines and areas of study and several events showcasing Vassar’s art, music and sports offerings, but there was no outlet for families to address their concerns regarding socioeconomic background—which is striking, since the esteemed ranking was released and touted across Vassar’s social media just a week before. In years to come, the College should seriously consider offering programming for families from such backgrounds.

These parents and guardians who did not attend college themselves feel afraid that their child will feel overwhelmed, homesick or lonely and, more so, worried that they will not know how to support their child in these situations, since they cannot relate to this experience.

Also, they may need additional guidance or clarification regarding financial aid and how it

can change, how studying abroad works with financial aid and what their packages will and will not cover both now and in the future. For families navigating college for the first time, this experience presents many nervous feelings and brings up a surge of questions that they may not know who to ask. Vassar needs to be more supportive of these families and recognize that their experience is vastly different from those of families for whom college is an anticipated part of life rather than a dream or an unlikely option.

While Vassar will continue to strive for diversity of all types, it is difficult to envision its becoming a place where people of all classes will be perfectly represented, especially as income disparity increases in the U.S. and around the world. However, by taking measures to ensure that these students and their families feel included and accommodated, the College can make greater strides in closing the socioeconomic gap on campus.

By making this conscious effort, Vassar can portray itself as an accepting place for students of low socioeconomic status via current students’ and their families’ recommendations rather than just numbers in charts and statistics from surveys sent around on a less than yearly basis. If Vassar achieves a reputation of being a school that is markedly inclusive, word will spread through mediums to which these students actually pay attention and have access, and will therefore attract greater numbers from backgrounds or areas that currently have no knowledge of Vassar’s existence, let alone its accessibility to students and families from all classes.

—Sophia Burns ’18 is currently undeclared.

The Miscellany Crossword

by Collin Knopp−-Schwyn and York Chen ACROSS

53 Motorcycle diarist 55 Beer in a stein might do this 1 Slow cooker, perhaps 57 Don’t cross them!

5 Drug buster 61 ___ firma 9 Little bugs 62 Procedure to determine composition 14 It’s there to be filled 64 Roaches’ Off! 15 Chummy homeboy 66 Far from far 16 Love 67 “Where?”

17 Into something 68 ___ d’Italia (Italian Tour de France) 18 Scully on “X-Files” 69 Remnant ACROSS 70 Bugs 19 Atkinson who played Mr. Bean 1 2 perhaps 20 Come up again, like themes1orSlow cooker, 71 Last word of a threat 5 Drug buster72 Dumb flatfish from Dover characters 14 9 Little bugs 22 Emulsified Whip

Even Light Brigades Do It

Collin Knopp−Schwyn and York Chen

14 It’s there to be filled 24 Bellyache 15 Chummy DOWN homeboy 25 Gollum, Elsa, or Dobby 26 Hawaiian hickey hider 16 Love 29 Founded (abbr.)

1 Press for murder?

17 Into something 30 Shoveled in, in a way Micromanages, say 18 Scully on2"X−Files" 33 Hides wrinkles. Forever. 19 Atkinson 3who Get aplayed response 36 Hawkeye’s weapon 4 You with this clue, perhaps Mr. Bean 38 Distal portion of the small intestine (2 words) 20 Come up again, like 39 Billed too much...or a description of “It’s chill, siski” themes or5characters this puzzle?

6 22 EmulsifiedArmenian Whip composer 42 Wizards Khachaturian of “Sabre 24 Bellyache 44 18+, in re boinking (2 words) Dance” 25 Gollum, Elsa, or Dobby 45 Rough, in war 7 Like some Norse myth 26 Hawaiian hickey hider 48 The beginning of this clue 8 Press forward 29 Founded (abbr.)

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38 Distal portion 12 Ageof the L A C E R E H A B O V A small intestine 13 Gillibrand or Schumer A P E S I D E E S O W E N 39 Billed too(abbr.) much...or a G A L A F E A R E U N I T description of 21 F5 this C L U B T U N I C N P O S 23 What you do after you’re S P Y E C H O A S S puzzle?

A L O E M B A 42 BWizards L T ready?

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48 The beginning of this A B T S C A N C O S 34 Algeria, vis-à-vis other clue E X E R T S H U T O G L E countries 49 tac nor toein Africa P E A R L A T O P R ANeither C E 35 Not aweather U N T I E T R U E A S"Wowee A P 52 wow!"

36 Declare H A T E Y E S S T E E D © CC-BY 4.0

53 Motorcycle diarist 55 Beer in a stein might do this 57 Don’t cross them!

61 ___ firma 62 Procedure to determine

37 “Me?” 39 Mrs. Shreks 40 Stern 41 Cheerleader syllable 42 High Prius fig.

43 “All in favor, say ___” 46 When doubled, baby?

47 You might take one in the lane 49 Matador 50 Country once led by Sharon

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56 Helps, with a hand 58 Sweetie pie?

59 Brown loaves 60 Isaac Newton and Mix-a-Lot 62 Glycolysis produces a net of 2 63 “___ Loves You” (1963 song) 65 Innocently eyed?

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

7 Like some Norse myth 8 Press forward 9 Spider−Man’s Webb 10 The American one is

43 "All in favor, say ___" 46 When doubled, baby?

47 You might take one in the lane

HUMOR & SATIRE

October 2, 2014

Page 13

Breaking News From the desk of Chris Gonzalez, Humor & Satire Editor Administration adopts new ALL CAPS email policy for campus-wide notifications that are #TooReal, #SoSerious Senior RA observes freshmen The Misc Guide to: taking behavioral patterns in nature the perfect Snapchat selfie Penny Luksic

Freshmen Whisperer

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our freshmen arrive at Sander’s Classroom before their professor. They are on guard, looking for others of their kind. I ask them to sign the attendance sheet. They advance in a single-file line, their leader weaving through the rows of empty seats to the front of the room.

Here we have a classic example of alpha dynamics. The freshman leading the others has lowered shoulders and shiny hair. In most freshman communities, these are expressed traits of the dominant alpha. The alpha signs the attendance sheet with a flourished signature and I cannot read the name. This action reveals an important fact about the species: The “freshman” responds to environmental threats with a fake-it-‘til-youmake-it bravado. This evolutionary response maintains the balance between freshman and upperclassman organisms. If done correctly, this approach camouflages the freshman pack until its new members are fully-developed.

After each has signed the attendance sheet, they explore the auditorium, feeling their way through the rows with their hands out in front of them. The freshmen vocalize with high-pitched giggles, choosing a group of four seats in the third row. Their giggles are a response to another pack that has walked into the room. They position themselves to take a group selfie. Watch as the alpha freshman displays dominance over the herd by turning on the iPhone’s flash. The alpha takes a picture, saying, “Becca, you look so weird in the flash!” The alpha’s job is now complete; it is up to the herd to frantically follow suit. There is a chorus of laughter after, “Becca, this is sooo bad!” and “You look like the Grudge.” A response to the alpha’s challenge will determine Becca’s place in the herd for the coming season. This is nature at its most vulnerable. Becca quickly turns her head away from the alpha, lowering her eyes and flattening her side bangs across her forehead.

A typical response to a challenge from the pack’s alpha, Becca whispers, “Don’t put it on Facebook,” and slouches lower into the seat.

The film’s starting credits are backed by loud choral music. A few freshmen take out notebooks, their eyes glassy from the projector’s glare. Note-taking is a practice specific to the freshmen species. While the species’ fitness does not depend on note-taking, this group seems particularly avid in their examination of the film’s

opening sequence. Observe their movements— some freshmen alternate between scribbling and looking at the screen. Others write hunched over their notebooks. Some have rested their feet on the seats in front of them, an exercise in relaxation. Here we see a fine example of the community simplified. They are engaged or disengaged, acting upon their environments or merely existing within them. Nature’s push and pull on the smallest of creatures. However, this group is especially adept at relaxation. Watch two freshmen in the back row scrolling through Yik Yak. Their posture displays disinterest. They are fringe pack members, likely late-add.

On the other end of the room, we see the beginning of a mating ritual. Two freshmen sit side by side, their eyes darting around the room. The ritual is carried out entirely without eye contact.

They will complete this stage of the ritual without speaking, as well. One tugs at the lanyard around their neck, displaying sexual interest.

The other freshman responds, crossing one leg over the other, drawing attention to the awkward sexual tension. What is important to notice here is each freshman’s refusal to acknowledge the other. The Sanders Classroom freshmen mating ritual plays out over several weeks of film screenings. It is unlikely that the ritual will be consummated in conversation or exchanged phone numbers before at least three screenings, unless the ritual occurs between two alphas. Alpha mating rituals develop more quickly and display more exciting representations of freshmen interaction.

By the middle of the movie, the packs have increased their vocalizations. Some speak in hushed tones. Discussion between packs becomes common and jokes about the film’s costumes are exchanged. Someone cries out for a piece of gum. The freshmen freeze, silence falling over them as the film’s final death scene plays in the background. Now it’s a waiting game. Finally, the alpha gestures to her backpack. She has gum, and gives it to the hungry freshman. Crisis averted, and the freshmen return to relaxed positions.

As the film ends, I at last turn on the lights in the auditorium. The freshmen raise their eyes to the ceiling lamps, stretching their arms and legs. The whole population stampedes through the rows of seats, journeying from Sanders Classroom to the watering hole for Buffalo Chicken wraps and homefries, leaving me to turn off the projector and delight in the richness of Nature.

Kelly Yu

Professional Snapographer

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n Sunday, Sept 28, a young, naive Vassar student clicked the send button on the most important Snapchat in selfie history. This almost un-screenshot-able Snap lasted about one second and caused unsuspecting recipients to experience a spectrum of emotions. “At first, I was appalled,” explained one of her Snapchat friends.

“Then, I began to feel a bit confused. How could someone distort her face so much?”

Many who received the picture, friends and acquaintances alike, initially questioned whether it was Photoshopped. Others wondered if the picture was of someone else. The selfie-taker’s Snapchat best friends began to question if they even really knew her. “I couldn’t recognize her,” her number one best friend said, with tears in his eyes. “Do I even deserve this best friend status?”

After these negative reactions, however, came an overwhelming feeling of joy. The selfie was just weird enough to bring happiness to all who had a chance to view it.

One viewer claimed that it changed her life.

“It brought meaning to my boring, essay-filled days,” she said. “Now, whenever I’m in a bad mood, I remember her selfie, and there is an instant smile on my face.”

Before this selfie was taken, the sender had been a rather boring Snapchatter. Her “My Story” snaps were filled with pictures and videos of womp-womps (groundhogs…? whatever), Mug nights and various locations in the library. Her selfies were either of her smiling face or a casual wide-eyed duck face. In fact, many of her Snapchat friends became bored of her Snaps. “I was so happy when I found out that I could just click through her ‘My Story,’” one of her friends explained. “Instead of sitting through hundreds of seconds of her awful pictures, I only had to deal with them for fractions of seconds.”

That Sunday, she changed her whole Snapchat style, and it made all the difference. When asked for her story, the pro-Snapchatter denied to make any comments. Luckily, I was able to view a screenshot of the legendary photo. After hours of analyzing this picture, I have been able to come up with a foolproof guide to taking the perfect Snapchat selfie.

The first step is to find the perfect background. This could mean anything from blank walls to crazy statues and incomprehensible art.

Some people search the whole world before discovering an adequate background, but I believe in you.

As you search for this background, you must keep the lighting in mind. The best is when the sun or a lamp is shining straight into your face.

This way, the rays make your facial features barely visible. You can tell that you have found the right spot when you can only see your eyes, the outline of your nose and your mouth.

When taking Snapchats on campus, there are many, many prime locations. The aforementioned Snapchatter chose one of my favorite locations: a table by the window on the left side of the Deece, during lunch time. 10/10 would definitely recommend, but everyone has their preferred Snapchat spot. You need to search for yours. However, you cannot rely solely on location for a successful Snap. Facial expression and body language are crucial. The weirder your actions, the better the photo. The screenshot I studied includes many sure-to-please features.

People have said the eyes are the windows to the soul. This rule cannot be forgotten in the Snapchatting world. Some methods to success include “Squint Like I Can’t See Anything Because I’m Most-Likely High” and “Roll Your Eyes to the Back of Your Head” eyes. My favorite is the last one. It’s pretty much my face.

The next step is to distort your mouth. If you are unsure of what motions to make with your yapper, just pretend you are doing just that! Pretend you are saying really disturbing words like “moist,” “phlegm,” “spew,” “Republican” and “panties.” If that makes you too uncomfortable, some safe options are sticking your tongue out or sticking your bottom teeth out farther than you upper teeth.

Lastly, there is one really important thing to remember about Snapchatting. A good-enough picture will need neither a caption nor a filter. The speed and temperature functions may be tempting, but do not let them seduce you.

The combination of face and setting should be enough to get your intended message out, loud and clear. With these amazing tips and tricks, you are sure to up your Snapchat score and become the most screenshotted person in your friend group. Along with that, your level of popularity will go from 0 to 60 in 3.5 (Hey, Rihanna!). Grab your phone, get your face ready and prepare to have your life changed forever.

First-year student disappointed in ‘Mug Culture’ on campus

by Lily Horner, Hot Chocolate Chugger

I

knew Vassar was for me when my overnight-host person told me about “Mug Nights.” I had told her about my extensive mug collection, and she jumped at the chance to inform me of how every few weeks Matthew’s Mug opens and students come from all over campus, containers in hand, and are awarded a hot beverage of their choosing.

When I found out that there was no Mug Night that weekend, I might have cried a few tears to the God of Missed Opportunities. I knew I had to go! I even wrote about it in my college essay, entitled “A Mug’s Life.”

I spent hours trying to pick which mug to bring. Should I go for irony and bring my Sexy Grandpa mug? Or stick to the classics with my mossy green mug? As I browsed through the dozen or so mugs I brought with me to school, I realized I probably shouldn’t have left the rest of my collection at home. Every mug is like a child to me, whether its my personalized handmade mug by Martha Stewart or the one

depicting Calvin lighting up with Hobbes.

As I marched to The Mug in my perfectly-coordinated and comfy flannel jammies, I felt proud that I had picked one of my favorites, a real conversation starter: “Ask me about my extensive collection of novelty mugs!”

With Bart Simpson slippers on my feet and hope in my heart, I knew it was going to be a great night. I met up with the girl who hosted me, and was a little surprised that she was wearing a small black dress instead of pajamas.

She didn’t have any good mugs of her own, so I eagerly supplied her with one similar to mine: “Ask my friend about her extensive collection of novelty mugs!”

In line for The Mug, I noticed that no one else had their mugs in tow, but I just figured they were freshmen who weren’t in the loop. I gave my friend a knowing look and she started giggling out of what I could only assume was pure unadulterated anticipation. As we descended the Spiral Staircase of My Destiny,

I thought of how many cool people were down there with similar mug-centric interests and dreams. Hot chocolate! Coffee! Tea! The hot beverage possibilities were endless. My host never told me, though, that there was music, too! It seemed a little too loud to necessitate mug-centric conversations, and I made a mental note to ask the DJ to turn it down a tad once I got down there.

Of course, it was much too dark for me to find the hot beverage dispensers right away.

After scanning the perimeter intensely for a cappuccino machine, I figured it was in the middle of the huge mass of people who seemed to be enjoying themselves a great deal. I pushed and shoved my way to the middle, mug in the air as to protect it at all costs, and found nothing but a mass of people making out, no mugs in sight. “Where’s the hot chocolate?” I screamed, earning me a few weird looks from people grinding particularly aggressively. With tears in my eyes, I tried

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

to wiggle my way out of the middle, but suddenly felt someone grinding on me. I had no idea who this person was, but I knew that my flannel pajamas were not the ideal outfit for this environment. I started sweating profusely, wriggled away from what apparently was a man, saying, “No, thank you.” He shrugged and started grinding on someone else as I again attempted to remove myself from what I now know was just a yucky make out/dancing party. I’m gonna be honest—I’m more than a little disappointed by the lack of mug lovers at The Mug. It was like the time thousands of muglovers signed up for MugCon only to realize that it was about celebrity mugshots.

I wanted redemption! But in all the grinding and lack of hot beverages, I somehow lost my favorite mug! Who was going to ask me about my extensive mug collection now? Retracing my steps back into the center of the Pit of Despair, I found my mug on the ground...crushed into a million little pieces, just like my soul.

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October 2, 2014

Blum’s film project to reconstruct emotional connections Samantha Kohl Arts Editor

U

Sam Pianello/The Miscellany News

nfortunately for most Vassar students, the dreaded sophomore slump is something that seems inescapable and may take on many forms. Filmmaker Anna Blum ’17 is no stranger to this phenomenon. Her current film project, “Good, You,” seeks to address the concerns that she and many sophomores feel after returning to campus for their second year at Vassar.

After finding happiness and making strong connections with others, Blum returned to campus after her freshman summer excited to pick up from where she left off. But, to Blum’s own dismay, many of those whom she formed connections with in previous semesters began to turn away from friendship and, instead, became very surface-level to her. Instead of feeling disheartened, Blum saw her challenges and channeled them through creative expression in her new film. “What inspired me to do this specific project is coming into my sophomore year at Vassar, I had left my freshman year at Vassar feeling very satisfied with how I stood academically and socially, and I was very ready to come back for my sophomore year. Then I came back, and it was a whole different experience,” Blum said. “People who I thought were really close with me started becoming very stand-offish, and it was bizarre and uncomfortable. I was just confused as to how people I considered to be my good friends suddenly felt as if they didn’t understand me at all.”

Many artists share Blum’s feelings of disconnect with their environment. Harnessing this, she sought to pump raw-emotion and sincerity back into her community: “Whenever I’m trying to make an art piece, it is very dependent upon my state of being,” she said. “At this time, I’m just feeling very misunderstood by my environment. That’s what inspired my project. I wanted to open myself up to others and have others open themselves up to me. That’s sort of what friendship ought to be, and that’s just not how I feel like it has been here recently. That was the initial thing.”

For “Good, You,” Blum has filmed friends, classmates and anyone who is willing to be vulnerable in front of the camera. Her process

was simple: She read off a situation that she had devised—situations that are synonymous with everyday life here at Vassar, like spotting a crush in the Retreat—and filmed her subject as they reacted to said situation.

“Good, You” is the compilation of these raw emotional responses. “I feel like Vassar is an emotional roller coaster, and people aren’t as open about it as they ought to be. It makes going through it so much easier if you can go up to someone and go, ‘Hey, I’m not doing so hot right now. I really could talk to you about this,’ instead of saying, ‘I’m doing good, how are you?’ It’s just false. We’re all feeling it, and it would be a lot healthier in my opinion if we all said something about it, so I wanted to use this project as a way to start the conversation of answering the question that should be so simple, ‘How are you feeling today?’” said Blum.

This current project is not Blum’s first project in her film career at Vassar. Last year, Blum was approached by Isabel Marvel ’17 about putting together a video of a bunch of students dancing at The Mug in order to show that no matter what you’re wearing, how you’re dancing or whom you’re dancing with, you are not asking to be sexually assaulted. The film became known as “Project Not Asking For It,” and is a part of a larger series of videos raising awareness about sexual assault. “I was inspired to make the video by Wesleyan’s ‘Project Not Asking For It’ video, made by a friend of mine from high school. The anti-sexual assault project has blown up and colleges all over the country are making videos addressing the issue of victim blaming,” Marvel said. “Anna Blum helped realize Vassar’s video in all its perfection with her nifty filming and editing skills.

It would be a dream come true to do another collaboration with her soon.”

While in her current project Blum seeks to make her subjects vulnerable on film, Blum sought to make her subjects extremely comfortable and at ease in front of the camera in “Project Not Asking for It.” “I worked with Anna in the ‘Project Not Asking For It’ video and it was an absolute pleasure. Anna was very clear in communicating her vision for the video and how my actions were translating on

When Anna Blum ’17 returned to campus this fall, many of the connections she fostered freshman year became superficial and friends became cold. Her film, “Good, You,” will address this situation. camera. She made me feel totally at ease and comfortable in front of the camera and was generally energetic and fun to work with,” said Paul Younger ’17 who participated in “Project Not Asking for It.” As a filmmaker at Vassar, Blum has made use of the resources provided to her. She currently serves on the executive board of the Vassar Filmmakers as Events Coordinator and makes great use of Vassar’s film department. “Just having that creative community is really useful.

Some people may feel stilted, but if you look for it, it’s very open to you. I’m excited about what that means for the future and am very grateful for this community of film students and film lovers that I’ve encountered at Vassar,” Blum said. “Being in this small, supportive community where you sort-of have to work with your surroundings as opposed to having unlimited options afforded to you, you have to become creative because of the space that you’re in.

You have to create what Vassar means to you

through film, and that has been totally, totally interesting artistically and I feel like it’s inspired some of my better artistic thoughts.”

In addition to her involvement with the Vassar Filmmakers, her film production class has been pivotal to her art form. “[Prof. Shane Slattery-Quintanilla] is really wonderful and inspirational. Before we finish one project he assigns another which is both crazy overwhelming and crazy inspiring. I’m really lucky to have gotten into his class because it’s keeping me on my toes and giving me a place to put my creative thoughts,” Blum said. “I definitely want to continue doing production at Vassar and just be in this film community—I’ve made a bunch of friends who are interested in film, and that’s really how you get inspired because they all approach me as well as each other about doing projects.” Blum looks to saturate the larger Vassar community with the openness and accessibility she found in Vassar’s film community with “Good, You.”

Band ‘Y2K’ to reconfigure sound for acoustic Loeb show Samantha Kohl Arts Editor

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Sam Pianello/The Miscellany News

uring freshman orientation last year, Nicholas Kohombon ’17 and Adriano Rozenthal ’17 were playing Muse in Kohombon’s room in Noyes when Jackson Dammann ’17 walked by and couldn’t help but come in. One year later, Kohombon, Rozenthal and Dammann, with the addition of Noah Risman ’17, now play together as Y2K, thanks to that one fateful evening.

Its members are now all sophomores, but Y2K is a product of the spontaneity and openness synonymous with the freshman experience. “We were known as the freshman band last year, which was a funny experience,” said guitarist and vocalist Kohombon. “We posted ‘Looking for a bassist’ on the Admitted Students Facebook group a little bit after that [night in Noyes], and that’s how we found our bassist, Noah. Since then we’ve gotten to know each other, our musical tastes and musical talents better. I usually do the lead vocals but Adriano and Noah like to sing, so we usually just switch off on the mic.”

While freshman orientation can easily become little more than a distant memory and fall to the wayside as the school year progresses, Y2K continued to churn out music throughout the 2013-2014 school year, during the summer and now, into their sophomore years. Y2K has a couple of gigs booked and are in final stages of putting together their EP. While many bands, such as Muse, have a signature sound, Y2K prides itself on its versatility of sound. Risman, the group’s bassist and vocalist, wrote in an email: “I would describe our sound very vaguely as alternative rock. The reason I’m so vague is that every member of the band has taken on some share of the songwriting burden, so no one person’s style describes the entirety of our sound. As a whole, though, one could describe our music as bold—we all try to push our songwriting choices to extremes.”

Formerly known as “the freshman band,” Y2K, made up of now-sophomores, will be reworking their usual sound—a sound that encompasses many genres— for an acoustic performance at the Loeb.

That being said, Y2K intends to defy genre and deny categorization: for their upcoming performance at this week’s Late Night at the Loeb, the group will experiment with their sound in order to adapt to the calm environment of the art center. “Preparing for the show at the Loeb has been interesting because, due to the largely acoustic setup, we’ve had to make adjustments to our songs to fit the mood of an acoustic guitar. This has led to some really cool ideas, including implementation of violin in a few songs (which is sounding awesome). I’m excited to try it out live,” Risman stated.

For the show at the Loeb, Y2K will be debuting songs from the EP they worked on this past summer. Titled “Outside the Silence,” the EP is comprised of four songs the group worked

on during their freshman year. Although the EP has not yet been released, the group is currently in the finishing stages of production and intends to make their debut compilation available to fans through their Facebook page within the next month.

In addition to performing songs from “Outside the Silence,” the group will premiere a few original songs that did not make it onto their EP as well as covers of hits like Radiohead that promises to work well with both the lax environment of the Loeb and Y2K’s aesthetic. The show at the Loeb, though challenging, encourages the group to push through their comfort level and reach unchartered territory in their music. “They asked us if we would be willing to play an acoustic show, which is something

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

we haven’t done before. We’ve been reworking a lot of the songs we wrote for the EP and songs we’ve been writing since to be played in an acoustic way without electric guitar or distortion,” Kohombon said. “It’s really brought out a lot more emotion in some of what we’ve written. Definitely the earliest songs we wrote can feel sort of sterile in terms of lyrics, but I think taking it back and stripping it into the acoustic territory has really opened it up on some level.”

Beyond their performance at the Loeb, the group is set to play at “Noyes Under the Sky” this Friday evening. The group has many performances lined up as of now, but being a student-based band has not proved itself to be so easy. “The music scene right now is probably geared towards established groups, such as the orchestra and a cappella,” Rozenthal, Y2K’s keyboard player, said. “However, interest in student bands is definitely growing. We always try to promote ourselves, and being a relatively new band, it is nice to know that we get more well-known every show.”

Y2K is just one facet of Vassar’s rich and diverse music scene. It can be hard at times, however, for these bands to find success. While other Y2K members echo Rozenthal’s opinion of the student music scene, there does seem to be some progress: percussionist Dammann said, “Historically, Vassar has unfortunately shown little interest in student rock groups, but lately that’s been changing. Both a new practice space for student bands and a recording studio are in the works, and although we’re one of the few rock groups on campus, there’s still a solid lineup of student bands (jazz, punk, folk, etc.). While the music department still largely favors classical music, the orchestra, individual performers, etc., they’ve shown more interests lately, and most of the student bands know each other—it’s a nice atmosphere.” Hopefully the campus atmosphere will continue to encourage students to create their own bands and find success.

October 2, 2014

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Page 15

Documentary delves into controversies of animal testing Saachi Jain

Guest Writer

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challenging emotionally. I won’t get into the specifics of the investigative work we did, but each part of that involved a great deal of stress. I was personally involved in some of the major work we did, and it was quite rough on me. Investigation always involves a certain amount of subterfuge with people, which I really dislike, as well as often leaving the animals behind once you’ve obtained documentation.”

Despite the difficulties he faced during the making of the film, the end result was exactly how Orzechowski first envisioned the project: “I didn’t have to make any major changes to the film from what I had wanted to do in the first place…the benefit of being your own producer/ director!”

Long before he started working on “Maximum Tolerated Dose,” Orzechowski was involved with animal activism in non-traditional ways: “I got my start in animal activism by being a producer and tech supervisor on the Animal Voices radio based out of Toronto, which at that time

Courtesy of Karol Orzechowski

n his documentary “Maximum Tolerated Dose,” Karol Orzechowski brings a new perspective to the world of animal testing by including the stories of both the animals that have experienced it firsthand and the scientists who performed it.

The film’s title refers to the highest dose of a chemical that will produce the desired result but will not cause unacceptable side effects. The maximum tolerated dose, or MTD, will then be used to determine whether the chemical has any dangerous long-term effects.

According to Orzechowski, the title was meant to signify more than just its scientific meaning.

As he stated in an interview on the Striking at the Roots blog, “I also use it as a title for the film as a kind of metaphor for the former lab workers who are featured in the film: in the same way that the animals they work with have a line between toxicity and death, many lab workers have an ethical line that they walk like a tightrope every day.

In that sense, it is a chilling use of language by the industry, and a perfect title for the film.” The MTD test is incredibly controversial. The film’s website states, “[It is controversial because] of difficulties in extrapolating findings to more realistic doses, and in extrapolating results from animals to humans.” Orzechowski explores the ethical questions it raises in his film, which will be screened in Rockefeller Hall 300 on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7 p.m.. A Skype session with the filmmaker himself will follow the event.

His inspiration for the documentary came from meeting people who had been involved in laboratory work, as the traumatic experiences of a rarely heard part of the animal testing controversy were the driving force of the film. In an emailed statement, Orzechowski wrote, “As a filmmaker, I had done a bunch of short films and I felt I was ready to do a feature length film.

Specifically, I was already an animal rights activist and I had my eyes open for a ‘big story’ that might make for a good feature length documentary about an animal issue. When I met two people who formed the basis for the film through the stories of their experiences working in laboratories, I knew I was on to something significant.”

Alessandra Seiter ’16, Co-President and Event Coordinator of Vassar Animals Rights Coalition, also spoke to the seriousness of education on this issue. “I think it’s important that Vassar students be aware of the implications of animal testing—psychological and physical—on both human experimenters and non-human subjects, as well as the fact that most animal testing is ineffective, because currently at Vassar, we don’t have alternatives to dissection and other uses of non-humans in science classes,” Seiter wrote in an emailed statement. “I think that this film is important to raise the consciousness of students currently taking or planning to take science classes, so that they can develop a fuller understanding of and opinion on what they’re being asked to do.”

The process of making the film itself was long and arduous, and it took an emotional toll on Orzechowski. In the same Striking Roots interview he stated, “Shooting the film involved doing a bunch of investigative work, which was very

‘Maximum Tolerated Dose’ will be screened in Rockefeller Hall 300 on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7

p.m. and will be followed by a Q&A through Skype with filmmaker Orzechowski himself.

CAAD encourages interdisciplinary studies Nicole Schonitzer Guest Writer

T

he Creative Arts Across Disciplines (CAAD) Initiative attempts to break new ground in a field known for innovation. The program takes the form of a three-year program funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation emphasizing programming and events encouraging the insertion of the arts into fields that might not regularly deal with art, as well as intra-art collaboration. The CAAD Initiative focuses on four primary areas: curricular development, guest artists, pedagogy workshops for faculty and preliminary work for summer workshops similar to URSI and Ford but with a focus on the arts.

Each year of the program will take on a different theme, this year’s being “Vision,” with sound to follow in 2015-16, and touch to cap it off in 2016-17. The themes give the programming some cohesion while being broad enough that they aren’t limiting. One upcoming Vision-related event is the visit of John Jennings and Damian Duffy, a team of graphic novelists whose work often deals with underrepresentation of African Americans in comic books and graphic novels. Ariel Nereson, Vassar’s Interdisciplinary Arts Coordinator and overseer of the CAAD initiative, explained that part of the purpose of the initiative is to make the presentations and activities provided by visiting artists more multifaceted and participatory.

“We’re trying to imagine what these guest artists’ visits can look like so there is maximum engagement with students,” she said in an interview. Jennings and Duffy’s visit won’t just consist of a lecture, but a whole series of programming including workshops with the comics course, a public lecture, and other classroom visits. Additionally, their work will be on display in the project gallery of the Loeb prior to their arrival to introduce it to the community and create excitement for their visit.

While there are plenty of exciting events

and visits from the CAAD Initiative to come, they’re currently doing work in the classroom.

Nereson has been collaborating with Visiting Assistant Professor of Education Christine Malsberry’s education class, using creativity to rethink how data is communicated to the audience. The specific project Malsberry is contributing to, a linguistics study, examines “ethnographic methods of data collection but creative arts methods of narrating that data.”

The final product will incorporate three components: soundscapes, exhibition boxes, and visual maps that describe the use of language in this geographical area. The overarching goal for the collaboration is “[to use] the arts in tandem with another methodology to strengthen the whole project,” said Nereson.

She emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration when it comes to reaching people.

Nereson and the CAAD committee are currently deciding upon course development for the 2015-2016 school year to continue bringing the arts into the classroom where their presence can make a difference.

2014-15 is officially the first academic year of the CAAD Initiative, but preliminary programming already began this past summer.

Physics in the Modern School: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Adapting Physics Simulations for Various Curricula was a project funded by URSI, but is viewed as a pilot program for CAAD as well. “[Associate Professor of Art and Art Department Chair] Peter Charlap’s graphic design students and Professor of Physics Cindy Schwarz’s physics students worked together on a] collaboration designed to revise visual models of physics properties and formulas for text books that also have a significant digital component [such as a CDROM],” explained Nereson. The project was presented Oct. 1 at the URSI Symposium and the program will be used as a model for future summer programming. In consideration of the

great success of the physics-graphic design collaboration, Nereson stresses that the grant is intended for experimentation. She says she chose to describe the initiative as a laboratory, adding, “we may do things with this grant that aren’t fabulous huge successes because we’re trying something new. I wanted to describe it with language that encouraged people to take risks and not to be afraid of failing because in every creative endeavor failure is part of the picture.” Nereson also acknowledges that Vassar can be an incredibly high-pressure environment and hopes for the grant to alleviate some of that pressure. “ While Nereson is the primary overseer the CAAD grant, many people contribute to the initiative including a committee and students that are helping to create an audience for the grant through social media. Taylor Nunley ‘16 and Sofia Benitez ‘16 are both CAAD student assistants. Their main duty is, “being on top of what’s happening on campus art-wise and spreading [the] word,” said Benitez. One way that CAAD spreads the word and promotes creativity in general is through their blog, where they post podcasts, “Creativity Breadcrumbs” (short posts intended to inspire people to think creatively), and other arts-related material. Both students became involved in the initiative because of their interest in the arts and firmly believe in the mission of the grant.

“At Vassar there’s a really strong emphasis on the liberal arts, but the interdisciplinary portion seems to be lacking even though it’s something I see fitting in really well at Vassar,” Nunley said. “I think the initiative will help make it more prevalent and seem less weird to be interested in two different subjects, to make it more common and something that people will latch onto.” Benitez agrees and, as she noted, “Creativity is something that’s in people and even if they don’t pursue it directly through this initiative we can bring it to more of the campus.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

was hosted by Lauren Corman.” The radio show was a crucial starting experience for him, and led to many opportunities for his future projects.

“Being a part of that show was very formative in terms of how I understand animal issues, and it also helped me to make connections in the Toronto AR community,” wrote Orzechowski. “Beyond the radio show and the film, I have made a pretty wide range of other animal rights short films, and was also involved with the Toronto animal rights community for a number of years, attending protests, events, and so on.”

Orzechowski’s love of filmmaking started during his time at York University. He said, “I first got into filmmaking through a course called Feminism and Film that I took during my 3rd year of my undergraduate degree.

The professor for that course, Allyson Mitchell, showed a very broad range of material during the course, but I was especially struck by the more ‘punk rock’ productions that we watched.”

Those productions changed his perspective on what was needed to make a great film. “Not only were these women making awesome films about subjects that were important to them, they were doing so without any budgets to speak of,” wrote Orzechowski. “It sounds funny, but until that point I really thought you needed a lot of money to make a film. What you really need is passion.”

That passion for filmmaking only developed from there: “I love filmmaking because it’s a great way to communicate complicated ideas in a way that people can understand.”

That desire to make people understand something complicated certainly came into play while making “Maximum Tolerated Dose,” as he brought in the perspectives of people who aren’t usually included when discussing animal experimentation to paint a more comprehensive picture of the subject: “The reactions that I’ve gotten from audience who have seen MTD tells me that we succeeded in getting our message across and our message was this: if we’re going to see a shift in how scientific research is conducted, and specifically about how animals are used, we need to be willing to hear the stories of people who have and are still currently using animals for research. If we don’t understand the culture of animal research, we’ll never be able to change it.”

Hudson Valley

Arts

Roman Graffiti by Tony Volpe Displayed at Beale Street Barber Shop.

907 South Street Peekskill, NY 10566 Free admission.

Artists’ Collective of Hyde Park Through Oct. 19 “Changes” portrays how change makes its way into daily life.

4338 Albany Post Rd., Hyde Park, NY, 12538.

Free Admission.

Hudson Valley: Buffalo Stack Hudson Valley based Americana Rockers Buffalo Stack will be playing at Keegan Ales.

Tickets are free.

20 St James St Kingston, NY 12401 9:00 pm, Friday, October 24th Dia: Beacon Collection from the 1960’s on, special exhibitions and regular programming.

Open year-round $8 student fee.

3 Beekman Street Beacon, NY 12508 Open 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

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October 2, 2014

Publication ‘Gilmore Girls’ evolves with multiple views merges visual arts, humor Marie Solis

Editor-in-Chief

Gilmore Girls Amy Sherman-Palladino Warner Bros. Television

ZINE continued from page 1

Esposito von Mueffling. She said, “We’ve had some questions about why it’s called The Dialogue, and people have asked if it’s meant to be subversive or a commentary on the school… it’s not. We kind of want to give a light-hearted feel to the publication. It’s just supposed to be a poke at how we can take ourselves too seriously, which is an important thing to do but it’s also good to laugh about it.”

Although the zine isn’t meant to be a commentary on the school, that doesn’t mean that Wilks and Esposito von Mueffling are opposed to including works that discuss and comment upon Vassar. Wilks said, “It’s not meant to stick it to the administration, but if you want to stick it to them, then please do that. Anything that someone, somewhere would laugh at.”

After seeing the publishing of other forms of art around campus, Esposito von Mueffling and Wilks were inspired to bring more attention to print-form comedy. Esposito von Mueffling said, “It’s based on what was formerly known as Helicon, and what’s now known as the Vassar Student Review. There was a formal literary publication so we thought there could be a formal humor publication. We ended up not wanting it to be so formal, just something that makes people chuckle. They can pass it around and leave it on tables at the library or the Deece.”

Each zine will have its own, individual theme as well as look to it. Esposito von Mueffling said, “It’ll be printed in a really informal way, we’re gonna put it together ourselves, and each issue will look physically different.”

Wilks added, “Basically we would like the physical form to reflect the content inside or at least the theme in some way. If we had a social media theme the issue could be the size of an iPhone, and stuff like that.”

In order to make the zine more of a community effort and shared experience, Wilks and Esposito von Mueffling plan to print a small number of zines that can then be circulated throughout the campus. Wilks said, “As long as we can get it out and printed in physical form around campus, just so there’s enough so that people can pass it around would be ideal. I think our plan was that maybe there will be one for every eight to ten students, so we might print 250 for the first publication...There is a lack of written humor and also visual humor. We’ll accept anything that can be printed on to paper.”

Students are encouraged to submit any humorous print work to the zine, and Wilks and Esposito von Mueffling have already received some interesting contributions. Frank James ‘16, a contributor to the zine, said, “I’m not actually that creative or imaginative, so the idea for my piece was inspired by my own experiences. This August, I spent a lot of time watching Jeopardy. Contestants come and go, trivia questions are asked and answered, but the host Alex Trebek remains constant—and over time, I began to develop a love-hate relationship with his on-screen presence. From there, I just began to chronicle my feelings about him, and then submitted that. So really my piece is a window into my mind for those few weeks in August.”

Wilks and Esposito von Mueffling hope to establish the zine around the Vassar campus, but stay away from affiliating it with the VSA to avoid censorship. Esposito von Mueffling said, “Hopefully it will reflect a range of humor and taste in comedy in the student body. We’re not trying to be a pre-org or a VSA org. I think we want it to be more about the student body and what they want. We also don’t want there to be any pressure to censor it. We’re going to make sure not to alienate anyone, but there’s not going to be censorship involved.” Wilks and Esposito von Mueffling strongly encourage anyone to submit to the zine, regardless of their previous experience with comedy. Esposito von Mueffling said, “Even if you’ve never done formal comedy, that’s not what this is about, it’s meant to be anything that will make you chuckle or make someone else chuckle.”

T

here are few things I liked at age 12 that I still like now. Flared jeans, layerable tank tops, the musical stylings of Colbie Callait—I’ve grown out of all of these, literally, in the case of the former. But one of my adolescent favorites that still endures nine years later is “Gilmore Girls:” And lucky for me, all seven seasons will stream on Netflix starting Oct. 1.

Premiering in 2000, the show teeters on the brink of an era wherein much of television could still be described as wholesome sitcom. While “Gilmore Girls” might easily be characterized as such, often running on ABC Family alongside “Full House,” “Boy Meets World” and the like, it stands out in ways these other childhood classics don’t: It centers on the lives of women.

The plot zeroes in on Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, the inseparable mother-daughter pair of the show’s title. Since Lorelai became pregnant with Rory as a teenager, the two are only 16 years apart. Though this closeness in age lends itself to their intense bond, the equality of their relationship sustains it. At times, Lorelai does pull “the mom card” as she calls it, but these moments are always illuminating ones for the characters, as both Rory’s teenageness and Lorelai’s cool-mom status become more believable.

Other times though, the tables are turned and Rory is the one taking care of her mom or being candid about her mistakes. As her best friend, Rory can tell Lorelai when she’s overreacting or when she’s wrong, and Rory is there to take care of her when she’s down.

While “Gilmore Girls” definitely leans toward romanticizing single motherhood, Lorelai and Rory are unarguably human, and their intense loyalty to each other is what makes it so.

Though it is this immeasurable love between the mother-daughter duo that drives the show, Lorelai and Rory thrive because of the support system they find in their friends and neighbors

of Stars Hollow. No minor character merely exists in their microscopic town—they all have their own stories and well thought-out motivations that make it impossible for them to fade into the periphery. Consequently, many of these figures are women, making female solidarity and kinship common threads throughout the series.

Rory and Lorelai’s family, too is traced through mothers. Rory is named after her mother, who is named after her grandmother, establishing a lineage of powerful, independent women. While Lorelai’s relationship with her own mother Emily stands in stark contrast to that of hers and Rory’s, it serves as a reminder of the possible permutations for mother-daughter bonds. Though Emily is often harsh and critical of Lorelai and her lifestyle, leading to a number of altercations and falling-outs throughout the course of the series, we ultimately understand that Emily loves her daughter no less than Lorelai loves Rory.

While it is these relationships that propel the show, over its seven seasons, both Rory and Lorelai are afforded a number of romantic interests. However, at no point does it feel as though “Gilmore Girls” is about boyfriends, finding love or finding ‘the one.’ Though the facets of its feminism are complicated, “Gilmore Girls’” female-centricity is undeniable: The series begins as a story about mother and daughter and it ends on the same note.

These sentimental notes are balanced by Lorelai and Rory’s sharp wit—they are bottomless wells of pop culture references, literary allusions and historical citations that serve as the basis of the show’s humor. Naturally, it was difficult for my uncultured 12-year-old self to keep up with the spitfire dialogue that made the show’s scripts up to 40 pages longer than the average television script, though this never made the show inaccessible or any less enjoyable for me.

It took me until I read “A Tale of Two Cities” in ninth grade to understand why Chris, Rory’s father, calls Lorelai Madame Defarge while she’s preparing for the Stars Hallow Knit-a-thon in the seventh season. In season four, Emily forces her to sit in their basement and watch ballroom dancing competitions with her for hours against her will. Rory calls Lorelai and tells her, “She won’t let me leave ever. This is Iran in ’79 and you are Jimmy Carter. Now what do we do?”

This reference went over my head until American history class.

Every time I watch “Gilmore Girls” I understand one more of these allusions because I’ve read another book, taken another class, seen another movie or watched another television show.

“Gilmore Girls” evolves with its viewers and never loses its freshness, despite the fact that we see Rory and Lorelai using beepers and dial-up Internet in season one.

But beyond tracing the Gilmore girls from pagers to smart phones, growing up alongside Rory Gilmore—something I consider still in the works—is one of the most poignant parts of the series. In the show’s beginning, Rory is an overachieving student and an avid reader with a by-the-rules Type A personality. Though at the show’s conclusion all of these traits still hold true, over the course of the show, Rory’s character undergoes countless developments that complicate and nuance our understanding of her.

While Rory’s quiet, she’s also outspoken, a quality that’s Lorelai through-and-through. Rory loves school, but she drops out of Yale for a semester because her confidence is shaken. Rory always makes a pro-con list, but she doesn’t think it through when she sleeps with her married ex-boyfriend Dean. Rory never breaks the rules, but she steals a yacht with her boyfriend Logan in season five. But this is not to say her characterization is contradictory, or her actions incongruous with her character. Seeing Rory make mistakes and move in and out of her comfort zone is what makes her supremely real.

And the same can be said for Lorelai: The show’s premise depends on her ability to be Rory’s best friend as well as her mother, and it is through navigating those boundaries that we see her human qualities—her fallibility, her quirks and refusal to fail at anything.

Discovering “Gilmore Girls,” then, is to discover the possibilities for relationships, for humor and for a fictional story to become a fully-realized world. While we don’t all have Lorelais for mothers, and we can’t relate to Rory getting accepted to every Ivy League college, the depiction of the characters’ everyday lives gives way to a realistic drama within which viewers of all ages can see themselves.

‘Tusk’ exactly what Kevin Smith wanted Palak Patel

Senior Editor

Tusk Kevin Smith Demarest Films

Kevin Smith’s newest movie this year is definitely a different type of film experience. As a huge fan of horror films, I went into “Tusk” hoping the film ran in the same vein as his 2011 horror-thriller “Red State.” Sitting down in the darkened movie theater, my friend informed me that “Tusk” was going to be like “The Human Centipede,” but less gross. Having never seen “The Human Centipede,” I didn’t really know what to expect.

The film stars Justin Long as offensive and insulting podcaster Wallace Bryton. With his fellow podcaster, Teddy Craft (played by Haley Joel Osment), Wallace finds embarrassing videos online to ridicule. As a part of his job, Wallace travels to Canada to interview a boy from a viral video, only to find the boy had committed suicide a day before Wallace’s arrival. Angry about the boy’s death, Wallace struggles to find a new person to interview in the hopes of bringing back some type of story for his podcast.

It is at this point that Wallace reads a sign in a bar bathroom boasting of a man who claims to have lived an interesting life. Wallace contacts the man and is invited to stay the night in the mysterious man’s home. Upon his arrival in Howard Howe’s (played by Michael Parks) home, Wallace learns that the man was once shipwrecked in the Arctic Ocean, but was saved by a walrus, who Howe named Mr. Tusk.

At this point, Wallace loses consciousness from the drugged tea Howe had given him.

This is where Kevin Smith really goes for

it. It is revealed that Howard Howe plans to surgically turn Wallace into a human walrus, using human skins from various other victims to construct the walrus body. Howe is depicted as a maniacal victim of abuse who hopes to recreate his only true friend, Mr. Tusk. Wallace is, of course, opposed, but is helpless to fight back since he loses his arms, legs and tongue before fulfilling his transformation into human walrus.

“Tusk” has very few moments where it is actually scary. While marketed as a horror film, I spent much of the film laughing out loud at the dialogue and actions of the various characters in the film.

Before his transformation into full walrus, Wallace was able to briefly contact his girlfriend Ally (Genesis Rodriguez) and Teddy to inform them of his plight. They immediately arrive in Canada and inform the authorities, who promptly put them in contact with excop Guy LaPointe (Johnny Depp). LaPointe is able to track down Wallace’s whereabouts at Howe’s home, but the group is too late to save Wallace from his fate as a human walrus.

While not a great movie per se, “Tusk” accomplishes exactly what Smith wanted it to: Smith created a film of such absurd proportions that it was just campily good. It should be noted that Smith created the idea for “Tusk” after discussing on his own podcast, SModcast, an article featured on the website Gumtree, where the advertiser offered free room and board if the lodger agreed to wear a walrus costume.

The conversation posited a rough outline of the plot of “Tusk” before Smith ended the podcast by asking his Twitter followers to tweet #WalrusYes if they wanted the movie to be made and #WalrusNo if they did not. After an overwhelmingly positive response, Smith agreed to write the film and contacted the advertiser from Gumtree to become an associate

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

producer (the walrus ad on Gumtree was actually a fake).

Even though “Tusk[‘s]” storyline is not great, Smith is still a strong director, able to convey much of the horror aspects through strong moments of cinematography. One of the most notable scenes has to be the when Howe is actually turning Wallace into a human walrus. The cinematography within those scenes, specifically the camera pans over bloody surgical instruments and demented charts of human and walrus anatomy, are especially eerie when paired with the music and Howe’s story of his abusive life in a Canadian orphanage. Alongside the strong cinematography, Christopher Drake’s film score worked hard to balance the lighter moments with LaPointe, Ally and Teddy with the dark scenes where Wallace is tortured by Howe.

Unfortunately, that scene and the score throughout the film was not enough for me to really bite the horror marketing. This movie is full pulp. The ending itself is just too ridiculous and unbelievable that you honestly have to watch it yourself to fully understand it.

Michael Parks works hard to portray Howe just on the side of cartoon absurdity, just barely succeeding. Justin Long’s Wallace is so horrible as a character that I was actually happy to see him turned into a human walrus. And Johnny Depp as LaPointe is exactly how Johnny Depp would render that character, completely imbecilic with a dash of reason.

“Tusk” was a filmic experience I never knew I needed in my life, but I truly have no regrets after watching this film. In all honestly, I loved how horrible it was: “Tusk” was so bad it was good. The fact that Smith promised this to be the beginning of his new “True North” trilogy only makes me excited about the future projects, titled “Yoga-Hosers” and “Moose Jaws.” Those titles just tell you everything, don’t they?

ARTS

October 2, 2014

Page 17

‘Gone Girl’ fails to reflect Fincher’s talent Charles Lyons Guest Reporter

Gone Girl David Fincher 20th Century Fox

“G

one Girl” moves fast. David Fincher’s tenth film, in which Ben Affleck plays Nick Dunne, an out-of-work writer and bar owner in Missouri whose wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), goes missing on their fifth wedding anniversary, thereby implicating him in the crime is roughly two and a half hours long but its maker clearly wants us not to feel a second of it. The film’s pace is breakneck from the start: its opening credits sequence flashes its cast, title, and major production players in such quick succession that we can barely read one before the next is visible.

As we move our way through the multitiered, snaking narrative, too, the progression from scene to scene feels choppy and over-edited, indications, perhaps, of a rushed shoot (uncharacteristic of Fincher, a famously laborious, scrupulous director) or of a filmmaker trying to squeeze every last sensationalistic drop of intrigue out of his allegedly disposable, airport-grade source material. (The movie was adapted from a massively popular 2012 thriller novel of the same name by the book’s author, Gillian Flynn.) “Gone Girl” is, despite its genre trappings, oddly devoid of Fincher’s usual penchant for rendering scenes of procedure and professional/artistic process with verve and rhythmic, hypnotic style; the filmmaker is fond of watching his skilled artisans (computer hackers, journalists, criminals) do what they do best, completing their tasks with cunning, obsessive talent, Fincher capturing their dirty work in a way that makes it feel dangerous and urgently important.

Perhaps his newest, rabidly anticipated film lacks for procedural urgency (despite its ultrafast pacing) because it isn’t much of a procedural thriller at all, when you get down to figuring out its plot and making its journeys

Campus Canvas

with its characters, in fact resolving its central “whodunit” question halfway through.

No, “Gone Girl” is, stylistically speaking, more of a failed show of pulpy, phantasmagoric narrative and aesthetic excess whose relationship to reality is just another layer in its aesthetic braveries and surreal sense of deception. Fincher chooses to play it straight, unable to enliven the pulp of the source material with the required visual ambition; this is surely the director’s most boring film to look at, simply put. The cool, industrially-filtered, yellow, grey and blue-dominated color palette that has become Fincher’s custom is not further developed.

However, Fincher hasn’t failed all of our five senses. The film’s aggressive soundscape is notable and effective, and listening to it feels like we’re hearing a war of dissonant technologies. Buzzing, clanking, and screeching pulsate “Gone Girl[’s]” soundtrack as car and house alarms sound their alerts ominously, and the onslaught of the media hunting and, we gather, exploiting Nick and Amy’s lives reaches an abrasive din. These evocative noises insidiously mix with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score, a beautifully abstracted techno freak-out which, even if laid on a bit thick at times, still potently expresses a kind of modernity breaking down in front of us.

Their score also accentuates our understanding of their work as a bold sensory realization of Nick and Amy’s broken, discordant relationship, all of its reactionary emotional (and, we learn, physical) hostility, resentment, and misunderstanding bottled up and then free to rattle around in our ears and haunt our thoughts. Ross and Reznor conceive of eternal union as an unstoppable barreling forth of motion, sometimes docile and lightly plucking, other times distorted, loud, and cutting, always building and increasing, reaching crescendos of heightened intensity.

The elaborate sonic choices of the film, maybe more than any other element, earn “Gone Girl” a place in a directorial oeuvre that’s thick with contemplations of technology and modes of (mal)functioning communication. This is most notable in 2007’s “Zodiac,”

still the director’s crowning achievement, but also in 2011’s “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and 2010’s “The Social Network,” a pair which Reznor and Ross scored and had a hand in shaping.

Much of the film’s attitudes and, especially, its characterizations, fall flat. Its sense of humor and the darkly satirical ways its characters are drawn lack insight and recall Fincher’s 1999 effort, “Fight Club.” The latter film used its exaggerated, almost absurdist characterizations (I think of the opening shot of Edward Norton embracing a fellow member of a support group in a visual statement of knowing grotesquery) to form a coherent perspective on the tendencies of our culture and to ultimately, boldly implicate its audience in its transgressions and satirical observations. The characters in “Gone Girl,” however, feel more like feeble stereotypes positioned more as mean-spirited comic relief than reflexive satirical constructions—I didn’t laugh once at the broadly conceived neighbor character, Ellen (Missi Pyle), a larger-than-life, two-dimensional idea of a gossipy blonde southern woman who exists only so the characters, filmmakers and audience can all dismiss her with a guffaw (the same goes for the fictional children’s book series the film imagines, “Amazing Amy”).

Holding this new work up against “Fight Club” does show us how far we’ve come as a society. If Affleck’s Nick is Norton’s unnamed narrator and Pike’s Amy is Pitt’s Tyler Durden, a very 21st century notion of matriarchal dominance becomes apparent; Amy has control economically and situationally, and her husband is made to feel mopey and emasculated because of the way the post-recession American economy has left him powerless and without agency. Due to the failure of the film’s striving for relevance and larger social commentary, though, the brunt of what arises from “Gone Girl” is the primal scream of the deranged, off-her-meds housewife and the dejection of the bummed-out modern man. One can’t help but wonder if Fincher is feeling the same malaise, or, per the movie’s unconvincing sense of humor, that this isn’t all just a sick joke.

A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists

Excuse me, What is for favorite sitcom theme song?

“Friends. It’s a damn good song.” ­­— Julie Byrnes ’17

“That’s So Raven.”

— Ryan Holguin ’17

“The Barefoot Contessa theme song.”

— Adam Spiegelman ’18

submit to misc@vassar.edu

“The Law and Order theme song.”

— Jimmy Povlick ’18

The Bic and the Fountain Pen She is proud of her hard work and sets the table with her finest vocabulary polished for the occasion.

When he comes home, she waits for him to notice her adjective arrangements.

But instead he expletives on the doorstep and she races to the kitchen for the noun, a distraction from his exclamation points.

She has words and wax paper to wrap them in. She slides them under strangers’ doors hoping that someday they’ll find in them the poem they’ve been practicing but breaking pencils to avoid writing. She hopes they’ll pass them on to neighbors or to nowhere’s where silence is still sacred.

“The one from Gilmore Girls.”

— Carolina Gustafson ’15

In the curves of bold typeface, she is grasping for reflection but instead reaches italics and smudged ink.

She’s searching for a vowel that isn’t I or O or Y or U, She’s writing a new language in hiccups and “how comes?” a soliloquy of simpler sighs and slower sunsets.

She’s fingerpainting her story without a “sorry.”

“Full House.”

—Roman Hlatky ’16

—Kelly Schuster ’15

Jacob Gorski, Assistant Photo Editor Samantha Kohl, Arts Editor MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

SPORTS

Page 18

Masterful pitching defines MLB Eli Vargas Sports Editor

B

aseball may still be in a state of flux after the fallout from the steroid era because there are no longer muscle-bound hitters smashing balls over fences as the earth quakes with every step their abnormally strong bodies take as they round the bases. However, this doesn’t mean that baseball isn’t exciting as ever. The balls may not be sailing over the fences as often as they used to, but in their stead there is now a purer form of baseball. In the ‘90s and early 2000s, we were witnessing a tainted history, but now we are witnessing a historical era of baseball that fans are proud to say is clean.

Those long-balls are now being replaced with pitching performances that leave the batter and viewer stunned; we are now in the era of pitching. Although it may not sound like fun, it’s actually exciting to see pitchers throw shutouts and blow the ball past hitters.

I’ve been at a Dodgers game where two pitchers, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw and the Philadelphia Phillies’ Cliff Lee, carried no-hitters into the seventh inning, and it was one of the most exciting games I’ve ever seen. Instead of hoping for your team’s players to smash baseballs all over the yard in a hitting performance, you’re hoping that the ball makes its way past the opposing batters’ bats or into the gloves of your team’s players so you can see a great pitching performance. Professional baseball today is characterized by pitchers who have mastered control and multiple pitches. Opposing batters have been analyzed sabermetrically and mechanically, to the point where pitchers now make mowing through the other team’s lineup an art form.

No active pitcher exemplifies this mastery more so than the Dodgers’ Kershaw. He has a 94-mph fastball, which is fast, but is definitely not the fastest in the game. He has one of the best curveballs in the game, as well as a devastating slider and a changeup to keep hitters on their toes. What allows Kershaw to dominate, and what defines this era of pitching dominance, is the fact that he can throw any one of these pitches almost exactly where he needs to, at any time during an at bat. Kershaw has had the lowest earned run average (ERA) in the MLB for the past four years along with winning two Cy Young awards (given to the best pitcher in each league of the MLB) so far. Pitchers usually are never in the discussion for the National League MVP award, but with an ERA of 1.77 and a record of 21-3, Kershaw has put up one of the best years for a pitcher in recent memory despite missing a fifth of the season. The Dodgers finished the year 26 games above .500, but without him they are a mediocre team with a record only seven games above .500.

The Los Angeles Angels’ Jered Weaver has the slowest average fastball coming in at 86mph. Despite this, Weaver has managed to remain relevant because of his mastery of offspeed pitches and is the ace of the team with the best record in the MLB. In no way will he be able to blow his fastball by batters like he used to, but now he, like many other pitchers, has an arsenal of pitches with movement and speed change, and will be a major factor in the sport’s postseason.

Weaver and Kershaw are only two of many pitchers who are having dominant years, and this will make this postseason one of the best in recent memory. The postseason is where we see pitchers really buckle-down and pitch their best games. The stakes are high, and usually it’s the pitchers who win teams’ games. The scores will be close. The hits will be minimal, and teams will have to fight get runs across the plate. When they do manage to score it will make for a riveting game.

The World Series’ national TV rating was at it’s highest more than two decades ago, but baseball is just as popular as ever on a local level. Attendance numbers at ballparks, are still just as high as ever. Not only is the MLB popular in the US; it has more international players than the NFL and NBA, proving that the global popularity of baseball hasn’t faltered.

October 2, 2014

CrossFit games provide fitness alternative Sam Hammer Columnist

O

ver the summer, ESPN devoted a lot of their airtime to a new phenomenon known as the CrossFit Games. CrossFit is a fitness craze that has become increasingly popular over the last decade or so. The program consists of a participant following the CrossFit workout of the day (WOD) either at home or in a CrossFit specific gym known as a box (there are currently over 5,000 of these boxes in the U.S.), where a CrossFit-certified trainer leads groups through the workouts. Each workout includes various elements of physical exercise, with the idea being that people who participate in CrossFit should be well-rounded in their fitness levels.

The workouts typically include elements of interval training, Olympic lifting, powerlifting, plyometrics, gymnastics, strongman and calisthenics. CrossFit has faced some criticism due to its intense nature. There have also been negative critiques regarding some boxes where the trainers are less qualified, where participants have injured themselves while performing high reps of technically complex lifts such as power cleans and snatches. Despite the criticism, CrossFit remains wildly popular and new boxes are popping up all around the United States and the world.

In recent years, television and entertainment giant ESPN as well as sports apparel giant Reebok have recognized the potential profit presented by the popularity of CrossFit. Specifically, there has been an increased commercial focus on the annual CrossFit Games, which have been held every summer since 2007. The Games’ rise in popularity has been astounding. In 2007, the prize money for the male and female champions was a paltry $500.

This past year, the male and female champions Rich Froning Jr. and Camille Leblanc-Bazinet each took home $275,000.

Reebok, the primary sponsor of the Games which are known officially as the Reebok

CrossFit Games, has pledged to increase the total every year by $200,000 until 2020. While the first place prize will remain at $275,000, the awards for finishers in the top twenty will expand. This was the first year when prizes were awarded for those who finished eleventh through twentieth (games.crossfit.com).

Previously, only those who finished in the top ten received cash prizes. Since more athletes will be receiving prize money, we can expect a sharp increase in competitors over the next few years as more CrossFit athletes will decide to participate at the Games. This has the potential to increase the quality of the competition.

As in most sports, much of the money athletes receive comes from endorsement deals. Rich Froning Jr has reaped the benefits throughout his extraordinary CrossFit career.

Froning has won the last four CrossFit Games, and as a result he has become the face of CrossFit. Sporting a muscular physique, Froning has found a great deal of success through modeling for his sponsors which include Rogue Fitness (an exercise equipment manufacturer), Reebok and BSN (a sports supplement company). It is estimated that Froning is worth over $2.5 million, making him by far the most successful CrossFit athlete to date (cnetworth.com). Froning’s success has granted him a place in Team USA competing in the CrossFit Team Events against Europe, Australia and Canada in November.

With regard to the Games themselves, athletes must complete a three-step journey. The first stage of the competition is the Open which runs for five weeks beginning in the spring. During this phase, a new CrossFit workout is released each week online. CrossFit athletes will have a week to record themselves performing the workouts in as fast a time as possible. The top performers from the Open round will then compete in Regionals where the best performers from the Open round will compete in one of seventeen regional tourna-

ments over a three-day period. The top three male and female performers from each region will then compete in the Reebok CrossFit Games for cash prizes. CrossFit also has several Masters divisions for CrossFit athletes over forty years old (games.crossfit.com) During the games, the athletes do not learn of the events in which they will compete until just before the competition. The idea behind this rule is what separates the CrossFit Games from other fitness competitions. In powerlifting, Olympic lifting, triathlons and strongman competitions, athletes know what they will have to do and will train accordingly. Since the CrossFit events are somewhat random, athletes must truly demonstrate the basic idea of CrossFit, in that they should be able to excel in all facets of fitness. CrossFit is about training individuals in a holistic manner, rather than having them focus on a specific aspect of fitness.

Clearly, the idea of CrossFit has resonated with many people around the world who are not necessarily trying to compete, but are rather focused on improving their health and increasing their fitness. I do find it somewhat contradictory that an organization that prides itself on not being specific to one sport hosts competitions that are specific to its method of training. This is not to say that the games or CrossFit in general are bad things, in fact I believe that CrossFit is a fantastic way for the average adult to get into fitness. It just seems strange that CrossFit, whose philosophy is to avoid specificity, should have athletes who are specific to CrossFit. Froning may be great at CrossFit, but he would lose a powerlifting competition that measures brute strength.

Similarly, he would most likely lose a marathon, which tests pure endurance. I suppose that for people who enjoy CrossFit, this is acceptable. CrossFit will turn someone into a jack-of-all fitness, rather than a master of any one area. As long as people are trying to get fit, though, that is perfectly fine with me.

ESPN values NFL over productive discourse Robert Carpenter Guest Columnist

L

ast Wednesday, ESPN suspended one of their leading columnists and TV hosts, Bill Simmons, for his harsh criticism of the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell in his handling of the Ray Rice domestic violence incident. The suspension is the third issued to ESPN journalists for speaking on the high-profile domestic violence case. Both ESPN’s Stephan A. Smith (“ESPN First Take”) and Max Kellerman (“Sports Nation”) were suspended this summer for interjecting their experiences and opinions on domestic violence. Simmons did not comment on Rice’s actions directly, but rather criticized Goodell’s handling of the tape of the crime, which showed Rice striking his then-fiancée in an Atlantic City elevator.

Simmons made the disputed statement in his weekly video podcast, The B.S. Report, where he voiced his frustrations at the NFL commissioner and called him a liar with a few choice words, “Goodell, if he didn’t know what was in that tape, he’s a liar. I’m just saying it.

He is lying. I think that dude is lying, if you put him up on a lie-detector test, that guy would fail. And for him to go on that press conference and pretend otherwise, I was so insulted.

I really was.”

Simmons was clearly agitated in his rant and he was not shy or completely professional in his criticism of Goodell. But the video podcast that has since been removed by ESPN was not exactly a professional venue, either. Titled “Bill and Sal’s 2014 NFL Degenerate Gambling Preview,” Simmons’ language in criticizing the Commissioner fits the billing, but just because Simmons’ language was coarse does not mean his point was not relevant. Simmons ends his rant by daring ESPN to punish him for his outspokenness, stating, “I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I’m in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell. Because if one person says that to me, I’m going public. You leave me alone. The Commissioner’s a liar, and I get to talk about that on my podcast.” Of course, ESPN did quickly reprehend Simmons for his comments, taking him

off all journalistic platforms for three weeks.

Tens of millions of Americans turn their TVs onto the NFL every Sunday, and the league acts as a reflection of American society. The Ray Rice case makes it clear that it is time to discuss domestic abuse—not just in the NFL, but nationwide. The NFL’s transparency with this case leaves much to be desired and warrants harsh national criticism that Simmons provides. In the episode, Simmons argues, that during the meeting between Rice and Goodell, “If he told Goodell exactly what happened in the tape and Goodell’s reaction was ‘you are suspended for two games,’ you can’t go back and change the suspension.” Simmons doesn’t touch on the issues of abuse in the case, but rather the NFL’s improper procedure and the double jeopardy in punishing Rice.

When it comes down to it, the NFL should have punished Rice in a much stricter fashion the first time around rather than having to backpedal when TMZ made evidence public in early September. Goodell increased Rice’s suspension from two games (the equivalent of two weeks) to indefinitely after America was able to see the violent video. ESPN suspended Simmons for three weeks for discussing Rice’s domestic violence case, which was one week longer than Rice was initially suspended for committing the crime.

Unfortunately, Simmons’s suspension reveals that the NFL and ESPN are attempting to stifle a national conversation that American society desperately needs to have. Simmons’ suspension reveals a larger problem than one columnist using unprofessional swear words in ESPN content. According to The New York Times, ESPN is contracted to pay the NFL $15.2 billion to broadcast Monday Night Football games. This puts ESPN’s journalists in a position where they can’t accurately report on football in fear that they might interfere with their company’s business. The NFL games and highlights are a large source of revenue for ESPN, and the network is at the mercy of the NFL to provide the content. Yet, ESPN tries to balance quality journalism with its contract interests, playing analysis of Rice’s terrible

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crime right before commercial breaks encouraging the audience to tune in Monday night to watch the NFL, on ESPN. There is already speculation that ESPN reporters have been instructed to steer away from discussing and writing about the misconduct of the NFL in order to ease this audience discomfort and to keep viewers interested in watching Monday Night Football.

If ESPN is going to continue punishing their journalists, like the NFL, they need a transparent system of doing so or bias and inconsistency will surely follow. Simmons is arguably ESPN’s loudest and most influential voice, causing ESPN to make him an example and punishing him with the longest suspension given in recent history. Without a process, ESPN is just as bad the NFL, giving out punishments that seem to fit their business aspirations and in this case appeasing the NFL. Simmons has made his name in sports journalism by playing the part of the sports guy and writing in a conversational yet passionate tone that friends would use to talk about their favorite teams. Unlike the former NBA stars and coaches that Simmons commentates on ESPN’s NBA Countdown, he has never played a minute of professional sports, and his audience connects easily with this attribute. But this regular-guy, laid-back swagger backfires as his honesty and passion on the sports he loves has seemingly gotten the best of him.

As Editor-in-Chief of the ESPN-owned website, Grantland.com, Simmons has created a sports website that is truly great, tackling much more than just sports in a well-written and approachable way. It will be fascinating to see if he comes though on his promise to go public. In the changing world of journalism, a giant network or printed publication is not necessarily needed to reach an audience; all you need is twitter and WiFi. Simmons could thrive independently of ESPN and the sports journalism world would truly benefit from his honest and passionate voice breaking away from ESPN’s monetary biases. Simmons returns Oct. 15 and the ball is in his court, but until than #freesimmons.

SPORTS

October 2, 2014

Page 19

Women’s tennis dominates weekend regional competition Lisa Je Guest Reporter Women’s Tennis

The team started off a strong weekend at the ITA Northeast Regional Tournament with freshman Kate Christensen winning the singles championship with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over The College of New Jersey. She later earned a spot in the championships after winning the morning semifinals 6-2, 6-0. Sophomore Emily Hallewell also won her tournament defeating SUNY Oneonta with a final 8-3. Seniors Samantha Schapiro and Ava Sadeghi were awarded with doubles team of the week. The Brewers in general finished 15-3 in finals and 7-4 in doubles this weekend. They will be competing this Saturday, Oct 4 for a doubleheader of Liberty League dual-meet action. Vassar College women’s tennis

will face Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. in the morning and return to Poughkeepsie for a 4 p.m. match with Bard College in Joss Courts.

Men’s Tennis

Evan Udine, a junior tennis player, won the Liberty League’s singles performer of the week.

He won his No. 2 singles match with a 6-1 6-3 win over Union College to help Vassar College with an 8-1 victory in their first Liberty League dual match of the year. He also won a victory in No.1 doubles over Union. Vassar will be hosting Bard College at the Joss Tennis Courts on Oct 1 at 5 p.m.

Women’s Field Hockey

The Brewers are ready to keep their winning streak as they get ready for Tuesday’s home

game against the Hawks of Hartwick College at Weinburg Field at 4 p.m. The Brewers are on a streak, winning their last three away games and a 6-0 win at home this season.

They are also coming off of a 2-1 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute this recent week in the Liberty League Opener and the team hung on after the first two half goals for the win. Vassar College is getting ready to host a big Liberty League weekend as Williams, Smith College and Rochester arrive for Oct. 10 and 11.

Women’ Rugby

Traveling to Kingston on a balmy Saturday last weekend, the Brewers beat their hosts, SUNY New Paltz, 91-5. With senior Meg Slattery, junior Cierra Thomas and junior Darienne Thomas all scoring hat tricks, and five others scoring one apiece, the game was a practice in offense. This Sunday, Oct. 5, the Brewers will be facing off against University of Albany at 12 p.m. on Vassar Farm.

Men’s Rugby

Courtesy of Vassar Athletics

Junior Bianca Zarrella runs down the field past a Hartwick College defender, at the Sept. 30 game in which she scored within the first two minutes of play to give the Brewers the win.

The Brewers faced off against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at the farm on Sunday.

While RPI went ahead early in the game, Vassar College stuck it out and although they missed a few tackles, they were able to quickly respond with a try from senior Geoff Matthes. Vassar College gained good field position and followed senior Alex Voynow who scored his first hat trick. The Brewers then tied the game at 22-22 when senior Erik Quinson scored a try as he picked and went wide down the blindside. Senior Kenta Hasui also had a great game to add to his great season. Junior Eli Vargas ran strong lines faced with a strong defensive line, while Jesse Myhill played well in his second game at scrum half. Men’s rugby looks to win at Union College 12:00 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 4.

Cross Country

These Brewers traveled to Williams College this Saturday morning, taking eighth at the

Purple Valley Classic at one of the most competitive races for the Vassar College women’s cross country team. As a team, they earned 254 points.

Freshman Meghan Willcoxon finished 23rd at 23.29.0 to finish atop of the Vassar lineup for the fourth straight race. Fellow freshman Olivia Martin finished 68th with a time of 24.34.6 in her first career of a 6k. Sophomore Laura MacDonald finished fourth in the VC lineup and 80th overall with a time of 24.46.5 and sophomore Lucy Balcezak finished 89th at 24:57.4. Senior Cassidy Carpenter also broke 25 minutes and took 91st place for the Brewers. Vassar XC will travel to Westfield, Mass. on Oct. 11 in the Westfield State Invitational.

The men’s cross country team finished 10th place as a team for the with 354 points over the 8k course with three of the top five runners incoming for Vassar XC being freshmen.

Senior Andrew Terenzi was able to run a time of 28.18.8 taking 23rd and first in the VC lineup.

Freshman Noah Trueblood also finished well, crossing the finish second for CV with a time of 28.40.8 and 108th overall. Fellow freshman Jack Yarosky then finished 111th overall with a time of 28.44.6.

Men’s Soccer

This recent Saturday, Sept. 27, Vassar College beat Skidmore in Liberty League Opener with a result of 2-1. With junior Nick Hess kicked the winning goal late in the second half and ending the stagnant tie, the team gains a confidence booster before heading into more road games in the later fall. Freshman Reid Smith also gained his first goal after a cross from fellow freshman teammate Alex Gonzales from the right wing after he cleverly snuck past Skidmore’s defenses. Gonzales also attempted a header which would have doubled their lead had the ball not dropped over the crossbar. Sophomore goalkeeper Adam Warner also recovered four saves. These Brewers will return to action on Gordon Field on Friday, Oct. 3 when the team hosts for RIT at 4 p.m.

Dubois’ strong performance leads golf at invitational is essential to the constant improvement that women’s golf has shown and hopes to continue this success.

The team next competed at the Mount Holyoke Invitational. The Brewers finished eighth overall and were just a stroke behind Cortland’s 699. Sunday’s team score of 335 was the lowest for the Brewers since a 333 in April of 2013, 23 rounds ago. The two-day total of 700 was also the lowest since the final tournament of the 2012-13 season at Williams College. Dubois saw her third-lowest total as a Brewer when she posted 162 overall. She finished tied for 16th, and was only one stroke shy of 11th. Bell was just a stroke off of her personal best of 81, as she shot an 82 to tie for 34th place. Mentel was a few behind her and finished tied for 38th. Hsu beat her personal best from the previous weekend and posted an 85 on Sunday. Dubois performance earned her a place on the Liberty League

Honor Roll for that week. This success seemed to carry over to the next weekend as well.

The Brewers moved on to compete in the Middlebury College Women’s Invitational last weekend, a tournament Mentel cites as one of her favorites. “A specific memory or moment that we’ve had happened this season actually.

Our tournament this past weekend was amazing. Going into a tournament, we always try to take a picture as a team and we always do a team break before we tee off. This weekend, I really felt like our team was into it and it gave us some motivation going into the two days.”

Remembering this tournament, Howland also found it a great weekend for team unity.

“We all get along great as a team. We’re a small team so we’re all very close and have a great time with one another. This weekend we had a really great tournament in terms of competing as well as enjoying being together.”

Courtesy of Vassar Athletics

GOLF continued from page 1 score since scoring 79 last year at the Vassar Invitational. Bell and Mentel both improved their scores from Saturday, finishing 32nd and 39th, respectively. Freshman Annie Hsu made her college debut at the tournament and ended tied for 46th. Sophomore Diana Howland also improved her Saturday score and scored a 99 for her third collegiate round under 100.

Howland found this tournament to be one of her favorites so far and has been impressed with Hsu’s play overall. “I think my most memorable tournament as a Brewer was probably our [first one this year]. [It was] our freshman [Hsu’s] first tournament and she had a really great time which was really nice to see…I really think our freshman Annie Hsu is someone to watch on our team. She’s been putting up great scores and has a very good attitude. She will do great things.”

With a young team, expanded roster and an optimistic attitude, team dynamic has been incredibly important, according to Mentel. “Our team is…growing together each day at every single practice,” she explained. “We are also learning from our tournament experiences and constantly making each other better. Our dynamic is incredible.”

“Everyone has their own playing styles and practice styles, but we come together to form something incredible,” she continued. “I am so happy to see our freshman, Annie Hsu, come into the team dynamic so well. We also welcomed back Caiti Bell this season…and we are so psyched to have her back. Our sophomores bring so much energy and talent to the team as well…[in terms of] their scores as well as attitudes. We are so lucky to have them on the team.”

Howland also sees the dynamic nature of the team as positive. “I think we’re all really hungry this season,” she wrote. “We’ve got a new coach and assistant coach, so it’s all very exciting.

Our team really has a ton of potential, so we’re looking forward to Liberty Leagues. I think if we continue to put in the work, we can definitely win.” This hunger and competitive drive

At the Middlebury College Women’s Invitational this past weekend, junior Aimee Dubois made solid contact and watched the ball as it sailed down the course .The Brewers finished fifth among eleven teams.

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The motivation seemed to have worked as the Brewers managed to finish 26 strokes lower than the weekend before. The Brewers posted a total score of 674 and tied for fourth place overall. Dubois finished tied fifth overall after shooting 158 on the weekend. This tied her personal best for a two-day tournament and was her third career top-five finish. The 674 was also the lowest score for the Brewers since October of 2012. Mentel also had an impressive weekend, as she posted her career best with a 162. She finished 11th overall. Meanwhile, Hsu swung her way to a 22nd place finish with a new overall low of 173, nine better than the weekend before. Bell tied for 29th with a 179. Sophomore Emily Prince played her first round this season and posted an overall score of 190 for the weekend. By leading the Brewers with her strong play, Dubois was named Liberty League Performer of the Week after this tournament.

Howland has been impressed with her team’s competitiveness so far, especially in comparison to other Liberty League golf teams. “We want to be competitive with the top teams in the Liberty League this season and so far, we definitely have.”

In a statement on the Vassar Athletics website, Jennings has mentioned that his goal for the team is to make it back to the NCAA tournament and the first step in that process is winning Liberty Leagues and claiming the automatic tournament bid the Liberty League winner receives. The team knows that it needs to continue to improve overall and individual.

Howland agrees with that. “My individual goal this season is consistency. I know I have the potential but I just need to string those good shots together to make one good round.”

The Brewers are back in action next weekend away at Williams College for the Williams College Fall Invitational before traveling to Wellesley College on Oct. 11 and 12 to compete in the Ann S. Bachelder Invitational to round out their fall schedule. With great team unity and strong competitive drive, the team looks to continue to build on their success and continue their winning ways.

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Page 20

October 2, 2014

Dedicated coaches lead VCXC to continued improvement Ashley Hoyle Guest Reporter

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and he also coached at Springfield University while simultaneously getting his MEd in sports performance. But what had the largest effect on his coaching experience was his time as a student athlete, “I ran here as a college student in the ‘90s with Coach Stonitsch, back before we had a full varsity track program, and had some success. I did always feel like Vassar had the potential to sponsor some truly excellent XC/Track programs, and it has been really rewarding to help build those programs” he said.

“That experience was very valuable to me, very formative and a very vital part of my college education. It feels natural to be on the other side of the stopwatch helping foster that experience for others now.”

McCowan’s assistant coach, Ron Stonitsch, was an employee of the New York State Department of Labor for 33 years before he stumbled upon his coaching career, “A friend saw

Jacob Gorski/The Miscellany News

ames McCowan is the backbone of Vassar’s cross country and track programs. He is the head coach of both men’s and women’s cross country (VCXC) and of men’s and women’s track and his versatility and leadership have brought about good beginnings for all of his teams. Women’s XC is proving one of the fastest in VC’s history and men’s cross country is right on the edge of beginning its competition in earnest. McCowan explained the strategy needed with the fall schedule: “The fall has been off to a great start. For cross country, the main competitive season doesn’t get rolling until the last weekend of September and carries through the end of October. November is Championship season, where we absolutely need to be in top form. This means August and September are more about laying the foundation and preparing for the later half of the season.” Senior Captain Andrew Terenzi concurred, “The season has been great so far. We’re about to transition into a more competitive phase from the season and I think we are going in well prepared.”

VCXC has already participated in three meets. They finished fourth of four in the 6K Marist Invitational in late August. They improved with a ranking of third of six at the Ron Stonitsch Invitational in early September and ended nine of fourteen at the Saratoga Invitational on Sept. 13. McCowan analyzed the men’s performance thus far: “In our early season races, we used the Marist meet as a tempo workout, and the Vassar Ron Stonitsch Invitational and RPI Saratoga Invitational were short races where we could practice competitive skills.”

This team has been putting in the work for a very long time now, having started to prepare before the close of the 2013 season. For the VCXC men, thinking forward is key, “We always encourage the team to have a progressive mindset as well as a degree of competitive urgency. To race well this weekend, you need to have the desire and focus to pour everything you have into it, but the big picture has to include a developmental focus” said McCowan.

But that responsibility for improvement and reevaluation does not only rest upon the athletes, McCowan works hard to uphold these values in his coaching decisions as well. “At the close of the season, there is an extensive review of what was effective and where we could improve,” he explained, “We are always evolving the way we do things to maximize the success of the students, the team, and the program.”

“The bottom line is the coaching staff just knows what they’re doing. They have coached many athletes who have been very successful, and I think those results carry a lot of weight,” said Terenzi, “I like that James has a very structured, thought out training plan that has both a long term vision and short term vision.” McCowan has had some impressive coaching experience. In a volunteer position at Brandeis University in 2001, he assisted in helping their female runners qualify for NCAAs that fall

The Vassar Cross Country coaching staff oversees both men’s and women’s programs as well as coaching the track team. With their guidance, cross country has reached unprecedented success.

an ad in the newspaper and I was hired,” he said. While their paths were vastly different, the cross country coaching staff landed in the same place: Vassar. “Being able to come back to your alma mater and give back is a hard opportunity to pass by,” said McCowan; “I enjoy working at Vassar for the same reasons I chose to come study here as a student: It is a personal place, a place you can really explore and create, a place you can be comfortable enough to take risks and be challenged.” Stonitsch values, “Vassar also has tremendous name recognition and a reputation second to none academically.

That is something to be proud of when wearing a Vassar uniform.”

The coaching staff also is taken by the student body. For McCowan, it’s the importance placed on individuality, “I really enjoy working with intelligent and dedicated students. Vassar students often like to know why, not just how, and that curiosity makes for a dynamic coach-athlete relationship. I also love that the team can be so close knit, friendly, like a real family, while being gritty and competitive. Vassar isn’t a cookie cutter place, and Vassar Student-Athletes aren’t cookie cutter people. That variety is what makes it all so fun and new, season after season.”

The coaching staff believes that these intelligent, unique athletes will put on an impressive showing this season. “The men’s team is looking to improve upon a disappointing 12th place finish at Regionals last season. With nearly half the team being freshmen, my main focus is on setting a solid foundation with them so they know what kind of work it will take for use to be successful in the future as well as in the next meet. As a whole, the guys have done an exceptional job setting their own goals and taking charge of the opportunity we have this season.

As the season unfolds, we will see some big things from them - I know when the big races come these guys will be ready.” Said Assistant Coach Ron Stonitsch, “Our goals are to be the best that we can be, which, if achieved individually will guarantee a successful and record setting team effort too.”

Sophomore tennis star shines in face of tough competition Erik Quinson Guest Reporter

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Sofia Benitez/The Miscellany News

ophomore Nick Litsky has a current record of 5-2 this season. In both matches he lost, the match went into three sets; while in only one of his winning matches did the match extend into a third set. Litsky made it to the semifinals in the ITA Northeast Regionals this year, a stunning achievement that hasn’t been reached by a Vassar player since Andrew Guzick did it two years ago. This weekend, he won his first Liberty League match against Union College’s junior T.J. Moor in a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory.

Litsky has been playing tennis since he was ten. Though he dabbled in baseball and soccer when he was younger, through the influence of his father he was led down the path of tennis.

In an emailed response Litsky wrote, “My dad played in college and a little bit in the lower stages of the pros so I thought this was the one [sport] I could really excel at.” By the time he was a senior in high school, Litsky had reached a state ranking of 37 in Florida, and won two major state doubles tournaments.

Coming from Florida, one of the most competitive centers for tennis in the world, Litsky had his reservations about the standard he would be playing to at a place like Vassar, “ [It’s} much more competitive than I had expected it to be when I was being recruited by the coach.

It’s made me realize that if I want to help our teams win Liberty Leagues I have to train very hard every day of the week whether it is off season or in season.” This is exactly the kind of attitude that Coach Wong points to as one of Litsky’s strongest attributes, “[He] is a pleasure to work with in that he is a hard worker and since he is talented, he can do well with most things we emphasize.”

The hard work he puts in is not only so he can make it past the ITA semis next year but also the match ups with Skidmore College are ones Litsky looks forward to. Last year he lost to Skidmore’s senior Oliver Loutsenko in straight sets, only winning one game the entire match.

Sophomore tennis player Nick Litsky has continued his success from last year as he reached the semifinals of the ITA Northeast Regionals—an achievement that no player has attained in two years.

This year, however, he was able to get his own back beating Skidmore’s Kit Sanderson junior in a three set victory at the ITA Championship.

Though he doesn’t have a personal rival, Litsky writes, “I look forward to playing any matches against Skidmore. They have some very good players on their team, which has helped them keep a national ranking over the years. Every time I have played someone on their team it has always been a very competitive match and I always look forward to the chance to play them.” Despite having lost to Loutsenko last year at the ITA Championship, during the regular season, it was one of only two matches that Vassar won in their match against Skidmore in March.

Litsky has shown himself to be a very competent tennis player. His competitive nature,

particularly when faced with an opponent from Skidmore, comes through even in victory. His teammate and captain, junior Daniel Cooper, in an emailed response outlined one particular instance that has since garnered Litsky with a nickname. “A classic Litsky story is when we played Denison last year. He played a great match against a tough opponent, but complained about his shoes slipping every time he lost a point. He ended up winning the match in 3 tight sets, and after winning the last point, immediately took off his shoes and hurled them toward his tennis bag in frustration. This earned Litsky the nickname, ‘Slipsky.’” Coach Wong writes that Litsky’s competitive nature can get the better of him, “He sometimes lets his anger and temper get to him.” But Wong does go on to comment on his changing temperament, “It is

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

much improved from last year.”

His ability to control his anger is not the only thing that has improved since last year. Coach Wong writes, “With regards to his actual shots I would say his backhand is improved and he is serving a little better as well. I think his confidence is quite high right now and he is doing a better job of executing game plans and strategies against his opponents.”

While aspects of his game are improving, Coach Wong is quick to praise the stronger aspects of his play, those being his forehand and baseline shots, “I would describe Litsky as an aggressive baseliner. He is extremely talented from the baseline and is one of the best ball strikers I have coached. His forehand in particular is a weapon as he is best when he is controlling points with that shot. His shot making ability is also quite remarkable as he can create some outstanding shots in difficult situations.”

Cooper adds to this recommendation, writing, “He has a really tricky game that gives a lot of players trouble (including myself). He likes to go for shots that are reminiscent of when basketball players try to beat the buzzer when they don’t realize they have a bunch of time left.”

Coach Wong describes Litsky as a typical tennis player, “I think many tennis players are quirky and Litsky is definitely another such one.

He has his match rituals which he follows each match.” Cooper adds to this character writing, “In practice, Litsky is pretty goofy. He likes to crack jokes about meatloaf and Stan Marsh.”

Litsky doesn’t seem to have much time to devote outside of his studies due to his intense focus on tennis, “I am not involved in many activities outside of class but wish I was. It’s a lot of work being a student athlete for a great school like Vassar and I need as much time as possible if I want to succeed in the classroom and on the court.” Litsky is currently considering a major in neuroscience. If he brings the same kind of commitment to his studies that he does to the court, then it’s no wonder he has little time for other activities.