The Miscellany News
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Volume CL | Issue 5
October 5, 2017
VC routed in field hockey
Comedy conjured from HEL
Kelly Pushie
Matt Stein
Guest Reporter
Arts Editor
he women’s field hockey team put up a valiant effort against their Liberty League foe, the University of Rochester, but fell short in a 2-0 loss this past Saturday, Sept. 30. Rochester (7-2) moves to 2-0, while this loss puts Vassar (6-4) at 1-1 in the Liberty League. The University of Rochester’s Claire Dickerson scored on a cross from teammate Jennifer Lee within the first five minutes of the game. Dickerson almost had a second goal in the 14th minute, but first-year Nikki Pallotta made a defensive save after the ball passed sophomore goalkeeper Liz Rotolo. The Brewers struck back with 15 minutes remaining in the first half but were unable to find the back of the net. Junior midfielder Alyssa More released a hard shot off a pass from fellow junior Megan Caveny, but the shot flew wide. At the half, the Brewers were trailing in both shots and corners. The University of Rochester took five shots and had three corners in the first half. The Brewers took just one shot, which came from More, and had no corners. See FIELD HOCKEY on page 18
Laurel Hennen Vigil/The Miscellany News
T
On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the ACDC served an all-local meal featuring turkey, husk cherry chutney, potatoes, zucchini, young ginger, garlic, squash, broccoli rabe, cheese curds, apple crisp, ice cream, cider and donuts.
One meal’s path from farm to fork Laurel Hennen Vigil News Editor
T
he average American meal travels roughly 1,500 miles before reaching your plate, criss-crossing the nation’s innumerable highways and railroads to be processed, packaged, distributed and sold. That means the corn you had for dinner last night could have sprouted in the sunny fields of western Nebraska, the beans for the coffee you rely on to get through that 9 a.m. class might have been harvested on the slopes of Jamai-
ca’s misty Blue Mountains and the cod in your fish and chips pulled, perhaps, from the icy Atlantic waters off the shores of Newfoundland. Now, however, Vassar is endeavoring to source some of its food from closer to home. In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint and improve food quality, Vassar recently changed dining service providers from Aramark to Bon Appétit, which prides itself on its Farm-to-Fork initiative, an effort to source 20 percent of ingredients from within a 150-mile ra-
dius. Last Tuesday, Sept. 26, lunch at the All Campus Dining Center (ACDC) celebrated a Bon Appétit Farm-to-Fork tradition—the Eat Local Challenge, an entire meal made from local ingredients. “You don’t want a plastic tomato,” said ACDC Executive Chef Carmen Allen. “If you can keep food on the vine [or on the tree or in the ground] until it’s ripened, it’s got much better flavor and more nutritional value.” “Increasing the use of local food is See FARM on page 6
D
esignated splash zones are commonly found at attractions such as Splash Mountain at Disney World or the Big Kahuna at Hurricane Harbor. Last Saturday, you could find this amusement-park staple at Happily Ever Laughter’s (HEL’s) first sketch show of the semester.. In their fall show in the Susan Stein Shiva Theater, titled “HEL: Now in 4D!,” the comedy group presented a wide variety of sketches that included the likes of losing chess games with toad spirits, Sprite as a laundry detergent and a French chain-smoking character à la “Dora the Explorer.” As well as being their first sketch comedy show of the semester, this was also the debut performance for HEL’s new members, Jeff Montoya ’21, Breanna Piercy ’21 and Tino Valentino ’21. Besides differentiating in form (sketch, stand-up and improv), each comedy group has its own general aesthetic that makes their ensemble unique. Explaining what drew him to audition specifically to HEL this year, Valentino said, “Everyone was just so funny and entertaining; I didn’t know it was possible to laugh for an See COMEDY on page 14
Fall Fest unites student orgs, music Candidates for county legislature visit VC T Sasha Gopalakrishnan Assistant Arts Editor
This past weekend, students and house fellows attended Fall Fest, Main House team’s annual event celebrating the beginning of the season.
Inside this issue
4
NEWS
Braham ’20 [Full Disclosure: Braham is a columnist for The Miscellany News] further described the vibe: “We wanted the orgs to present interactive, engaging activities and games, so that the different stalls, the live music and the bouncy house all kind of fell in line with what a carnival or a fest is supposed to feel like.” This was certainly the case, with stalls like Magic the Gathering offering card games, and student groups related to Religious and Spiritual Life such as See FALL FEST on page 14
Courtesy of Hannah Benton
he leaves are starting to take on an orange tint, and everyone’s switching to warm amber sweaters and cozy denim jackets. In the space of a day, the temperature has dropped drastically, and there’s a fresh chill in the air. It’s October, and fall is finally here. And what better way to inaugurate the onset of New England’s quintessential season than Fall Fest? Held on Oct. 1 this year, Fall Fest is Main House’s signature all-campus event. Last Sunday, the Library Lawn was teeming with flannel-clad students as they lounged on picnic blankets and munched on popcorn, watched a string of musical performances, hovered between tables set up by several different student orgs and delved into the depths of the colossal Batman bouncy house. Fall Fest is a long-standing Vassar tradition that is intended to bring people together as autumn rolls around. Main House President Simone Karuga ’20 explained, “We wanted to emphasize the feeling of amicability and ease at this event. We really liked that people were able to sit, talk, eat and just have a good time with their friends. It was great to see people use it as a space for community building.” This year, Main House invited an eclectic mix of student groups and organizations from a variety of areas of interest to participate in the event. From mini-pumpkin decorating by Lathrop House Team to Vassar International Students Association’s (VISA) bake
sale offering delectable student-made treats like cheesecake and brownies, several orgs contributed to the festive fall theme. Davison House Team had a free popcorn bar that was a major attractor, while Main House provided free apple cider donuts, 600 of them no less. This, combined with the “Flannel Fest” dress code of the event, ensured that everyone was in high spirits over the commencement of this cinnamon-scented time of year. Main House Team member Izzy
West Point prof reflects on Charlottesville response and effects
10
Climate change movement requires holistic OPINIONS improvements
Clark Xu
Assistant News Editor
I
n preparation for the general elections in New York State on Nov. 7, candidates for state and local offices initiated door-to-door campaigns to increase voter participation rates from a historical average of 60 percent on election day. The Democratic Party candidates for the Dutchess County legislature, which includes Professor of History Rebecca Edwards for District 6, contest the Republican majority with strong objections to recent social and financial policies. Edwards, along with Giancarlo Llaverias for District 1 and Craig Brendli for District 8, formed a panel discussion titled Meet the Candidates hosted in Rockefeller Hall by the Vassar Democrats on Sept. 25. As the number of jobs and residents in Dutchess County continued to fall from last year’s levels, Democratic candidates for the county legislature pointed out loopholes and design flaws in recent legislation. Edwards explained, “I disagree with what the county is doing for economic development. They’re trying to create jobs by giving big tax breaks to big corporations, and they aren’t even creating drawback provisions. So when the companies don’t do that, they keep the tax break for 30 years. They gave a 10 million dollar tax break to IBM two years ago.”
18 SPORTS
In the absence of a drawback provision, IBM may retain the tax break without any obligation to increase or keep employees at the Poughkeepsie campus. The number of employees at the Poughkeepsie and East Fishkill campuses has steadily declined from a combined total of 13,800 staff in 1993 to 6,105 staff in 2014, when GlobalFoundries acquired the East Fishkill campus from IBM and continued the job cuts. On a related aspect of financial policy, Brendli elaborated, “Dutchess County is in a situation where the job growth isn’t happening. We can start by addressing sales taxes.” Brendli went on to suggest that shifting the emphasis from tax breaks for large corporations to a lower sales tax rate would encourage local business to provide more services and set up shop in the area. The primary focus of financial policy proposed by Democratic candidates is economic growth and revival at the local level. Edwards outlined, “I believe in a model of economic development called community wealth building, articulated by the Democracy Collaborative, among other groups. One of its strategies is anchor-based procurement: asking anchor institutions—colleges, hospitals—to take the lead on buying local and supporting nearby See CANDIDATES on page 3
“Take a Knee” demonstration challenges our unjust nation