The Miscellany News
DONALD
Volume CXLIX | Issue 8
November 10, 2016
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
TRUMP
ELECTED
Student community reeling in wake of shocking decision Says Clinton: “My friends, let us have faith in each other, let us not grow weary and lose heart, for there are more seasons to come and there is more work to do.”
Trump’s decisive victory defies electoral projections Eilis Donohue News Editor
Additional Reporting By
Sarah Evans and Laurel Hennen Vigil
Courtesy of Joey Weiman
ELECTION NIGHT—Students gathered in every dorm, in Main building and on the upper floors of the Students’ Building to see the results of the 58th presidential election. For many students, it was their first time voting in a presidential election, and for some, their first time voting at all. “This is pretty much my whole class’s first election ever, which is very important,” said Colby Morrison ’20. “It’s a pretty cool feeling to really have your voice out there, and some people may say that maybe these elections are rigged, but I would say that our democracy is a very special thing, and I’m very honored to participate in it.” According to an informal poll of stu-
dents in the screening locations, 16.7 percent of those polled voted here in New York, 70.3 percent voted early or absentee in their home states, and 11.5 percent did not vote at all. Students who voted in Poughkeepsie reported that the process was generally smooth, and the assistants friendly and helpful. Explaining their choice, one student remarked, “I like to be involved in local politics and local matters so it made more sense to vote here.” Early on in the night, Clinton had a modest lead. At 8:00 p.m., she was winning with 44 Electoral College votes to Trump’s 31. By 10:00 p.m., fivethirtyeight.com predicted she had a 72 percent chance of winning the election. Just two hours later, however, at 12:15, the same website predicted that her chances had fallen to 21 percent, and set Trump’s See ELECTION on page 4
Many students watched in disbelief as Donald Trump won key swing states on his path to victory in the 58th presidential election. The Republican’s national success was shocking to voters and political experts alike.
ALANA Loeb opens new photo gallery VC Soccer welcomes crowned T new staffer league title Sasha Gopalakrishnan Reporter
Jakob Eckstein Guest Reporter
T
Courtesy of Joey Weiman
here is a new face at Vassar’s ALANA Center. Coral Santos was hired in September as a part-time administrative assistant to the center’s interim director, Wendy Maragh Taylor. Santos is in the office every day from Monday to Friday, but her hours are flexible. This allows the Taylor to employ Santos when the ALANA Center really needs her, especially when there are events on the weekends like student leader brunches. In short, Santos is essentially Taylor’s right hand. She takes phone calls, greets visitors to the center, looks over the center’s budget, keeps track of Taylor’s calendar and generally makes sure everything is running smoothly in one of Vassar’s most important campus resource facilities. Santos grew up in Poughkeepsie, and studied political science and business administration at the University of Albany. Before coming to Vassar, Santos worked as an administrator in multiple departments at the University of Albany, including its student center and residential life office. Santos reports that she has enjoyed her work at the ALANA Center thus See ALANA on page 5
The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center recently debuted the Hoene Hoy Photography Gallery, which will showcase the museum’s large photo collection.
Inside this issue
4
NEWS
Young filmakers view life through diverse lenses
10
Male birth control proves not an effective OPINIONS Plan B
he Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center recently established the Hoene Hoy Photography Gallery on the second floor, courtesy of an endowment by Vassar alumna Anne Hoene Hoy ’63. The first artist being featured in this new gallery is the Brooklyn-based performance artist Martine Gutierrez, whose contemporary works investigate the topics of gender identity and fluidity. The gallery also features experimental photography by Klea McKenna, Ellen Carey and Maria Cosindas. Gutierrez’s work is a progressive exploration of personal and collective identity as well as gender roles through the use of self-portraiture, and her focus on these immensely relevant themes makes for a powerful inaugural exhibit. The photography currently on display is a set of seven black-and-white prints from a series called “Girl Friends,” as well as a color video with sound titled “Clubbing.” Each of the seven photographs in “Girl Friends” depicts the artist herself with a mannequin as a counterpart, where often it’s very difficult to distinguish between the two. Along with this, she also interchanges between using life-size props and created backdrops and actual locations for her setting. By blurring the lines between herself and an inanimate object, and transforming physical space and self-image, Gutierrez plays with See LOEB on page 16
19
Olivia O’Loughlin Sports Editor
O
n Saturday, Nov. 5, Vassar men’s soccer rewrote history. After a long, 90-minute battle, it all came down to a penalty kick with 3.4 seconds left in the game. When junior Alex Gonzales chipped the ball past Skidmore’s goalie Derek Yam, the Vassar men’s soccer team won the Liberty League championship. While the team has reached post-season play in five of the last six seasons, this year’s momentous title is the program’s first since 2011. However, the Brewers did not earn this title without a fight. To get to the championships, the Brewers first had to defeat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the semi-finals on Wednesday, Nov. 2. The team did just that as freshman Mattie Mrlik netted a hat trick to lift the Brewers over the Engineers 3-1. On Wednesday, Vassar took the field with extreme intensity and proved dominance early in the matchup. The team first got on the scoreboard as junior Hayden Van Brewer crossed the ball into the box for Mrlik to head it passed RPI’s goalkeeper Matt LaBranche. See SOCCER on page 19
Harvard women’s soccer seeing crimson over SPORTS objectification
The Miscellany News
Page 2
November 10, 2016
Editor-in-Chief Rhys Johnson
Senior Editors Zander Bashaw Emma Jones
Contributing Editors Elizabeth Dean Yifan Wang
News Features Opinions Humor and Satire Arts
Courtesy of Antigone Delton
Before visiting Amsterdam from Paris, Antigone Delton heard that one of the most striking things about Amsterdam was the light. “There is no way to explain the effect of light on the city of Amsterdam—every corner you turn looks like a painting bathed in golden hues...The canal houses embracing the waterways hide in the shade, their unique façades and personalities waiting to be discovered by passers-by” You can read more about Antigone’s trip to Amsterdam at farandaway.miscellanynews.org!
The Miscellany News 10
November
Thursday
Champanerkar Math Talk
12:30pm | Rocky 310 | Math Dept.
Sex, Religion, and Politics in Eighteenth-Century France 5:30pm | Class of ’ 51 Reading Room | Library
Post-Election Discussion
7:00pm | Rocky 300 | Democracy Matters
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play 7:00pm | Shiva | Philaletheis
Grand Wizard Theodore Lecture
7:00pm | Rocky 200 | Hip Hop 101
Hebrew Movie The Band Visit 8:00pm | Taylor 203 | Jewish Studies
VIEUX CARRE
Weekender_ 11
November
Friday
12
November
Saturday
Huck for Red October
Huck for Red October
“Cosmological Mysteries” Lecture
Swimming & Diving (M/W) vs. Renesslear Polytechnic Institute
Fencing (M/W) Vassar Invitational
12:00pm | Rocky 200 | Career Development Office
4:00pm | Sanders Physics 206 | Physics and Astronomy Department
Kelly Tsai: Lecture and Performance
5:00pm | Sanders Classroom | ASA
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play 7:00pm | Shiva | Philaletheis
VIEUX CARRE
8:00pm | Powerhouse Theater | Drama Dept.
Blood Play
8:00pm | New Hackensack Building 100B | Woodshed
Davi Music Party
Blood Play
Antony & Cleopatra
8:00pm | Aula | Davison House
9:00am | Ballentine Field/Joss Beach/Noyes Circle | Vassar Ultimate Frisbee
1:00pm | Pool | Athletics
Senior Recital: Carlin Purcell, piano
4:00pm | Skinner | Music Dept.
Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play
Vassar College and Community Wind Ensemble 3:00pm | Skinner | Music Dept.
Shabbat on Campus
7:00pm | CCMPR | CJC
Reporters Sasha Gopalakrishnan Saachi Jain Sieu Nguyen Sabrina Oh Laurel Hennen Vigil Clark Xu Andrea Yang Columnists Jimmy Christon Jillian Elkin Jesser Horowitz Steven Park Kirk Testa Design Scarlett Neuberger Maya Sterling Yoav Yaron Copy James Bonanno Gabriela Calderon Leah Cates Diana Henry Sumiko Neary Jessica Roden Laura Wigginton
7:00pm | The Mug | Merely Players
Vassar College Choir
8:00pm | Skinner | Music Dept.
VIEUX CARRE
8:00pm | Powerhouse Theater | Drama Dept.
Blood Play
8:00pm | New Hackensack Building 100B | Woodshed
Big Night In Gathering
Antony & Cleopatra
8:00pm | Rocky 301 | Big Night In
Rocky Horror Picture Show
10:00pm | Sanders Classroom | NSO
10:00am | Walker Bays | Athletics
Assistant Arts Patrick Tanella Assistant Copy Claire Baker Laila Volpe Assistant Social Media Hannah Nice Web Designer George Witteman Web Master Andy Carrera
Antony & Cleopatra
8:00pm | The Mug | Merely Players
Rocky Horror Picture Show
9:00am | Ballentine Field/Joss Beach/Noyes Circle | Vassar Ultimate Frisbee
Online Copy
7:00pm | Shiva | Philaletheis
8:00pm | New Hackensack Building 100B | Woodshed
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Sunday
Lunch & Learn: Tapping into the Hidden Job Market
8:00pm | Powerhouse Theater | Drama Dept.
8:00pm | The Mug | Merely Players
13
November
Sports Design
Eilis Donohue Emily Sayer Nick Barone Evelyn Frick Noah Purdy Elena Schultz Olivia O’Loughlin Talya Phelps Charlotte VarcoeWolfson Kelsey Quinn Jackson Ingram
12:00am | Sanders Classroom | NSO
12:00am | Sanders Classroom | NSO
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only corrections for any misquotes, resentations or factual errors for ticle within the semester it is
accept misrepan arprinted.
November 10, 2016
NEWS
Page 3
Lieutenant Governor encourages campus vigilance Clark Xu Reporter
Trigger warning: sexual assault and violence
C
Courtesy of Vassar College/Karl Rabe
ultural change in the perception and treatment of sexual assault crimes on college campuses continues to lag behind state standards established in 2015 by Senate Bill S5965, commonly referred to as the “Enough Is Enough” legislation. During her visit to campus on Nov. 7, Lieutenant Governor of New York Kathleen Hochul called for administrators and student leaders to fully enact the letter and the spirit of the law by granting greater protections to college students and in particular survivors of sexual assault. Hochul presented sexual assault as the behavior of a criminal minority tolerated by a complicit social milieu, stating, “Assaults are committed by three percent of the college campus men. So it’s a small percentage of people who, on a weekend, rape someone on Saturday, rape someone the next Friday, and keep getting away with it because there’s a culture of silence. Victims think people won’t believe them, or they just don’t want to cause trouble for one of the athletes. Okay, we can get that three percent—we can knock that down to zero percent.” The goals of administrators and students in the community resonated greatly with Hochul’s stance on sexual assault crimes. Women’s Center intern Darci Siegel ’20 reflected, “Encouraging students to be active participants in making their campus a safer place is a great first step to beginning to deconstruct rape culture on campus. Student leadership is important: in order to make change on campus, we need to support one another and encourage each other to stand up, speak out and have zero tolerance for sexual assault and violence.” Speaking about future goals, Director of Safety and Security Arlene Sabo corroborated, “We need to continue to focus on improvements and culture change in this area. We cannot say, ‘Good enough, we’ve complied with the law.’ I, like all those dedicated to this issue, aspire to see a day when our work is complete—the day rapists understand they will not get away with rape at Vassar or anywhere else, the day when people are fully respected and violence is clearly unacceptable.” The Enough Is Enough legislation itself mandated the distribution of Students’ Bill of Rights on college campuses, redefined consent as an affirmative and knowing speech act, created specialized police units to help local law enforcement with handling sexual assault incidents and instituted survivor-centered reporting for the prosecution of sexual assault crimes. Despite the wide scope of these legislative changes, Hochul pointed out, there are still an inadequate number of existing programs on many college campuses. “I know that
we’re required to do orientation training at the beginning of the year. That’s great. But I want to go beyond check-the-box policies,” she said. “This has to go on, and this has to be constantly in front of students almost every weekend.” According to Hochul, social change generated by local leadership on each campus is necessary to give force to the legislation. She posited, “Can there be something set by the students? ... Is it a text that goes out 10 or 11 o’clock every Friday or Saturday night? Hey, text a copy of this [bill of rights], or remember to watch out for your friends and don’t overdo it.” Hochul emphasized the unique role played by students in this effort, going on to remark, “I encourage you to be creative, be creative on social media, through conversations, about what goes on here because you can do that far better than we can in Albany.” At the administrative level, Sabo noted, “We have invested time, money and resources into this extremely important issue. The [Interim] President [Jonathan Chenette] has put together a multidisciplinary Advisory Group which will help us to coordinate our efforts. It’s important that offices are working off the same page, knowledgeable of all resources on campus and the issues all are facing in forwarding culture change.” Similarly, Director of Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention Charlotte Strauss Swanson said, “In SAVP we have been working to improve and expand the workshops and trainings that we offer. Additionally, we want to continue to collaborate with diverse communities in our programming efforts, grow our support and advocacy services, and most importantly listen to the student body in regards to what improvements they want to see on our campus.” Hochul’s legislative efforts and general awareness campaign has paved the way for future leaders and advocates for the survivors of sexual violence. Siegel declared, “I am a strong believer that voices and stories inspire change. The work that Lt. Gov. Hochul has done pushing for legislative and administrative change has shown us exactly why having women in politics is so crucial to making statewide—and hopefully nationwide—change. The work that she does acts as a driving force of inspiration for students like us who are working to ignite change on our individual campuses.” Describing the kind of student-led initiative that Hochul finds crucial to the ultimate success of the Enough Is Enough legislation and eliminating sexual violence on campus more broadly, Siegel continued, “Our recent Take Back the Night Rally was held in October, which was Domestic/Intimate Partner Violence Awareness month. We had student guest speakers share their own stories and truths as well as poems, songs and words of encouragement and solidarity ... By coming together as a community and raising our voices, we aim to spread awareness and take a stand against sexual
New York State Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Hochul spoke at Vassar, urging students and administrators alike to be vigilant in eliminating sexual assault and violence on college campuses. assault, rape, domestic/intimate partner violence and any other form of sexual violence. We ended with a candlelight vigil in solidarity and support of victims of sexual violence, and as a community dedicated to ending rape and abuse on campus.” Over the course of her address to the campus community, Hochul situated the general awareness campaign on sexual assault in the context of the first few campaigns against domestic violence about 40 years ago. She recalled, “Ultimately, I’m hoping that by the awareness that we’re creating around this, that we shift the attitudes about campus assault. And I’m telling you why I’m convinced that this can happen. Back in the 1970s, there was something called wife-beating. That was what it was called back then. My mother was one of the first advocates for victims of wife-beating and it morphed into the phrase domestic violence. It was a time in our state when we did not have laws to protect the wives because basically women were viewed as the property of a man.” Hochul continued, “If a woman was being beaten by her husband, picked up the phone and called 911, when the police came to the door, the husband could answer and say, ‘Don’t worry, everything is okay here, she’s just a little out of control and I had to take care of things.’ They would say, ‘Oh okay, that’s understandable,’ and move on.” Considering intergenerational change, Hochul summarized, “That was the culture we had in our country when I was growing up. I don’t think anyone would think that’s acceptable today ... People who commit these crimes are now ostracized. I want that to happen
with respect to sexual assault on campuses.” Looking forward to advocacy in the near future, Siegel described, “I am starting a series of discussion based workshops called the ‘Real Talk Series’ where students of all races, genders and sexual identities can come together and discuss issues of sexual assault, sexism and inequality, among many other topics. We will be working closely with YES [Yes for Equality and Safety of All Bodies] to explore next steps we can take to raise our voices and inspire change on campus. As a community, we need to continue an open conversation about what safe, consensual and positive sex looks like.” Chenette agreed in an email, “The College will benefit greatly from their ideas and dedicated partnership with campus offices to improve our policies, communications and practices.” Siegel concluded, “There are still many discussions to be had about the axis and intersections of race, class, gender and sexual identity and how they play into acts of sexual aggression and violence. I recognize that these are not easy conversations to have, but with the bravery and passion of the students we have here on campus, I know anything’s possible!” Reiterating her stance of zero tolerance, Hochul urged, “Let Vassar be known as the ones who did not just check the box off on the first day of orientation, as the ones who kept this going, who brought it to people’s collective consciousness to such a point where nobody engage in [sexual assault] because it is not accepted on this campus any longer.”
Religious, secular groups unite in refugee solidarity Eilis Donohue News Editor
O
n Oct. 7, the second floor of the Students’ Building overflowed with community members gathered for a meeting of the Mid-Hudson Refugee Solidarity Alliance. The programming, which began with an introduction by Interim President Jonathan Chenette, included speeches by Vassar faculty and students as well as leaders of faith-based groups and representatives of resettlement agency Church World Services (CWS). CWS is a national refugee resettlement agency founded in 1946 that, following recent approval by the Department of State, will be opening a new office in Poughkeepsie. According to their mission statement, “Church World Service is a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster.” CWS has 34 offices across the United States, and is one of nine resettlement agencies partnered with the Department of State; there are a total of 350 resettlement offices in the country. Through these agencies, 84,995 refugees were settled in the United States last year, only five short of the ceiling set by the President. In response to the current crisis, the threshold for next year is set at 110,000. Chair of History and Faculty Mentor to Vassar College Refugee Solidarity Maria Hoehn, along with a dedicated group of students, spearheaded the College’s refugee movement last year. At the insistence of Christopher George, a representative of the Scholars at Risk network and the Executive
Director of Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services, who visited Vassar, Höhn and her allies at Vassar reached out to the faith communities in the area, beginning with Vassar Temple and spreading to include the mosque in Wappingers Falls and Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie. At first they zealously pursued the idea of resettlement in Poughkeepsie, but soon realized how difficult it might be. “We were very, very naive of course. It’s not that easy. We soon learned of course that in order to resettle refugees you need...an agency that resettles refugees,” recalled Höhn. Last spring they began collaborating with CWS. “I really want to stress here that is was really our college and our local congregations that started this process,” she remarked. “This was not something imposed on us by the State Department....This initiative is a wholly homegrown, bottom-up, grassroots effort from our students and the good people of Poughkeepsie and the mid-Hudson region, who could no longer turn their eyes from all the suffering.” VC Solidarity Student Coordinator for Refugee Resettlement Patrick DeYoung ’18, an army veteran, spoke about his experiences in Afghanistan, and shed light on those who served as army translators and who dreamt of brigning their families to America to pursue better education and employment. “Being involved with this project, for me, was a chance to help welcome people like that, to fulfill those promises we gave overseas to people who had helped us, to share the American dream with them. CWS opening an office is really the first step in fulfilling that promise and sharing our
country with hopefully many many new Americans,” he remarked. One of the themes of the gathering was the importance of cooperation between faith-based and secular groups to smoothly resettle refugees. Rabbi Leah Berkowitz of Vassar Temple, Reverend Susan Fortunato of Christ Episcopal Church in Poughkeepsie and Dr. Umar Ahmed of the Mid-Hudson Islamic Association each spoke about their religious affiliations and urged their constituents to take responsibility for the physical and spiritual care of the refugees. Some offered prayers, and Vassar’s Assistant Dean for Campus Life and Diversity Reverend Samuel Speers read a relevant poem. Speers wrote in an email after the meeting, “I’m inspired by the leaders of this collaboration— students and faculty at Vassar, along with our neighboring campuses in the Hudson Valley, working together with synagogues, mosques, churches and any other interested congregations and community organizations. This hands-on hospitality initiative is demonstrating what local communities can do to address one of the key social justice crises of our time–the worldwide displacement of peoples. The initiative is showing the way for what democratic social change can look like that is both fully secular and fully inter-religious.” Senior Director for Programs, Immigration and Refugee Program at CWS Sarah Krause described the process that refugees will go through when arriving in the United States for resettlement. She emphasized that the process is rigorous and complicated, and that this country only accepts 0.5 per-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
cent of all refugees worldwide. She noted, “I think we have this perception that the United States and other, European countries are taking in the vast majority of the world’s refugees, and that simply isn’t the case. Most of the refugees from Syria are actually remaining in the region. In Lebanon, one out of every five individuals now is a refugee, and in Jordan, it’s one out of every four.” The first refugee families are expected to arrive by the beginning of 2017. They will be settled within 100 miles of the Poughkeepsie office, in order to make the best use of the community support and resources available. According to Director of Eastern Region of CWS Roisin Ford, “The countries where most refugees that have been resettled in the US in the last year and that we anticipate over the next coming year [are from] are Syria, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, also known as Myanmar, Somalia, and we expect that the population that will be settled in Poughkeepsie will be from these nationalities as well.” One concern which a particularly vocal and outlying handful of community members voiced was that refugee support would redirect resources away from Poughkeepsie citizens. However, Krause and others assured, this will not be the case. “All of our members agree that we must be mindful not to abandon those who are already here, as we try to make a welcoming home to refugees fleeing war and violence,” said Höhn. Pastor Deborah Hafner de Winter left a message for all. “What can you do? What people have always done for people here in this country: provide a welcome.”
NEWS
Page 4
November 10, 2016
Film festival celebrates young creativity, enterprise Laurel Hennen Vigil Reporter
H
sissippi, and the Indigo Moon Film Festival in North Carolina, among others. Though Vassar is not directly involved with the film festival, Spark Media Project is a recipient of Vassar’s Good Neighbors Grant. The Good Neighbors Grant was founded in 2001 by Vassar President Emeritus Frances D. Fergusson in order to support collaborations between the College and community organizations in the City and Town of Poughkeepsie. The Grant is funded by a gift from an anonymous donor. Grants are awarded up to $500 for Vassar students, up to $1,000 for faculty, and up to $5,000 for long-term, three-year grants. All grants that are not specified as long-term are semester-based. In 2014, Elizabeth Dunn, a former administrative assistant in the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, applied for a three-year grant for a stop-motion animation workshop run by Spark Media Project for campers at the Christ Church Camp run by Poughkeepsie’s Christ Episcopal Church. Athena Wyatt ’17, a student intern with the Good Neighbors Committee and a former counselor at the Christ Church Camp, commented in an email, “[The Good Neighbors Committee was] excited to fund a project that aimed to encourage local youth’s creativity and technological skill development. Spark Media Project uses arts education to encourage local children’s creative storytelling and to bring together all sorts of community members to hear and learn from their stories.” Fenichel-Hewitt added that the work Spark Media Project does matter, explaining, “Today’s primary form of communication is through media. It’s how we get information, how we share information, how we express how we feel about things. Giving young people the opportunity to create and share their ideas—their perspective—provides a much-needed venue for young people’s voices.” Spark Media Project students’ videos can be viewed on YouTube or Vimeo.
Lauren Hennen Vigil/The Miscellany News
ailing from cities and towns across the tristate area, young filmmakers aged 13-19 gathered at the historic Bardavon Opera House in Poughkeepsie on Friday, Nov. 4, to participate in Spark Media Project’s Reel Expressions International Youth Film Festival, an event held annually since 2013. Spark Media Project–formerly Children’s Media Project–curated the youth component of the Hamptons International Film Festival for almost a decade, until that program was cut from the festival in 2008. A few years later, the organization decided to start its own youth film festival right here in Poughkeepsie. Spark Media Project Executive Director Nicole Fenichel-Hewitt said of the yearly event, “We were looking for a way to promote the work that our youth—and youth working in media in general—were creating, and to give young people a voice [so they could] share their creative perspective and talent with the community.” At 4:45 p.m. on Friday, City of Poughkeepsie Mayor Robert Rolison introduced the festival as part of the city’s monthly First Friday event, which also featured a silent auction fundraiser for the Poughkeepsie Skate Park, a pop-up shop mixer at the Mid-Hudson Heritage Center, and special discounts at several downtown restaurants. In his speech, Rolison highlighted another of Spark Media Project’s programs, in which students each created a unique media project using aerial drone footage filmed by the Walkway Over the Hudson, a nonprofit that works to support and improve the eponymous bridge. These works were part of a contest judged by Walkway Over the Hudson, Scenic Hudson and the City of Poughkeepsie. At the opening of the festival, Rolison presented certificates to the participants. A few minutes later, at 5:00, the festival began with an interactive media reception, which involved several exhibits for guests to visit. These
included a virtual reality film that the Spark Media students produced last spring, as well as a station where guests could play around with Adobe Character Animator, a software program that allows users to build an animated character that mimics his or her movements and facial expressions. This year, the festival received about 130 submissions from all over the world, including India, France, Canada and Australia. Only 10 percent of the submissions made the final cut, including two shorts produced by teenagers in Spark Media’s local programs. Though no international submissions were chosen for the festival this year, previous winners include young filmmakers from India and Belgium. Fenichel-Hewitt said of the international nature of the festival, “It gives the local youth in our program perspective about what other youth are creating in the world.” At 6:00, the film screenings began: 13 youth-produced short films, all under 10 minutes, of various genres: music video, experimental, animation, documentary and narrative. The films featured important themes and topics such as the Black Lives Matter movement, water purity and gay rights, to name a few. “The film festival gives [these young filmmakers] a platform to see their films on a big screen. I think there’s a magic that comes in a theater, in a crowd full of people, where everyone’s focus is on the film,” commented Spark Media Project’s Head of Production Kyle Bahl. “[The experience] gives them a renewed sense of credibility to the work they’re doing, to the art form. It helps them realize that they can do this in the future, as a career, and as a way of life.” After the screening, 16-year-old South Carolinian filmmaker Azure Allen’s short, “One Day on Carver St.,” was awarded the prize for best film. “One Day on Carver St.” has also been shown at the Newport Beach Film Festival in California, the Woodstock Film Festival upstate, the Grenada Afterglow Film Festival in Mis-
The annual youth film festival, held last Friday at the historic Bardavon Opera House in downtown Poughkeepsie, featured short films by local and international children and teens.
Clinton, Obama remind blue voters not to give up hope were kind of scared Trump would win but they didn’t think it was actually going to happen.” Another remarked, “I don’t think we had a plan for what would happen if Trump actually won.” Obama recorded a video on Tuesday, before the results were announced, voicing his support for the nation during this time and his belief that everything would turn out alright, despite the grim outlook. “Remember, no matter what happens, the sun will rise in the morning and America will still be the greatest nation on Earth.” Wednesday dawned rainy and grey, as people across the nation and the world awoke to discover that Trump had been named president-elect. The Vassar student body, and liberals across America, seem largely to be caught off guard. Feelings of powerlessness and vulnerability were palpable on campus and throughout the country as the 2016 election cycle drew to a shocking close. Many Vassar students reacted with outrage; on Wednesday morning and into the early afternoon, a group gathered downtown to protest the results.
Other, larger protests are being assembled for the coming days, in cities across the nation. Some young voters believe that even Trump himself didn’t see this coming. One student theorized, “I honestly don’t even think he wanted to be president and really just wanted to prove a point that he could come in and win with power and money and ignorance.” Another added grimly, “I think this is one of those elections that you think people in the back country in the middle of nowhere are voting for Trump. But there are regular people walking around voting for Trump.” Clinton reportedly called Trump late Tuesday night to concede the race. According to NPR, Trump passed the mark of 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency at 2:31 a.m. ET, and media outlets around the world began to declare Trump the victor. As of 3 a.m., Trump had 279 electoral votes to Clinton’s 218. However, Clinton won 59,299,381 popular votes, surpassing Trump’s 59,135,740—47.7 percent to 47.5. She is the fifth presidential candidate in history to lose the
Courtesy of Joey Weiman
ELECTION continued from page 1 chance for success at 75 percent. Around 9:30, when results were trickling in, and the online counters wavering between candidates, students began to get nervous. Trump had 129 votes, and Clinton, 104. On the third floor of Main Building, students talked and watched the television anxiously. “I’m basically really nervous because they’re really close,” said Allie Pilkington ’20. “I’m optimistic for Hillary, but crazier things have happened.” Trump ended up winning important swing states like Florida, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Wisconsin, all of which Mitt Romney lost in the 2012 race. The Vassar Democrats hosted a well-attended screening in the old UpC space. President Conor Flanagan ’17 remarked, “We figured it would be a good idea to bring everyone together for this, no matter who was going to win, it was going to be a very stressful night for a lot of people, given everything that’s happened in this campaign. Clearly things have not gone as we wanted them to; Donald Trump has done much better than we thought, and he has a good chance of becoming president at this moment.” Towards the end of the night, around 1:30 a.m., when Trump was leading with 244 electoral votes but newscasters still called it “too early to tell,” the screening rooms were still full of students, but by this time it was nearly silent. One student remarked, “It’s important to stay optimistic. As much as we joke about running off to Canada, we can’t. We’ve got to stay here and hold down the fort.” Flanagan noted, “I think it’s very important that in the wake of something like this, we come together and we recognize that the whole country is not Trump.” As the night wore on into the small hours and a fraught Tuesday night turned to a weary Wednesday morning, people everywhere poured out their emotions on social media. Vassar students wrote about their frustration, anger and disgust, but many also voiced their determination to support their friends and peers whom this presidency will impact the most. Students still watching the events unfold on television expressed their profound disbelief. One spectator noted, “People
Students gathered in the Students’ Building to watch the votes stream in Tuesday night. The race lasted well into the early morning hours, with Trump reaching the 270 -vote threshold just before 3 a.m.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
electoral vote but win the popular vote (National Public Radio, “Shades Of 2000? Clinton Surpasses Trump In Popular Vote Tally,” 11.09.2016). Clinton was expected to make her concession speech at 10:30 a.m. ET, and ended up ascending the podium in New York to address the American people at around 11 a.m. She gave a gracious speech, asking her supporters to keep hoping and continue striving to achieve the goals that her campaign established. Her remarks focused mostly on the future of the country, but she began by acknowledging her opponent, saying, “I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for, and I’m sorry that we did not win this election, for the values we share and the visions we hold for our country.” She continued, “This is painful, and it will be for a long time. But I want you to remember this: our campaign was never about one person, or even one election. It was about the country we love, and about building an America that’s hopeful, inclusive and big-hearted. We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than I thought, but I still believe in America, and I always will. And if you do, then we need to accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our President. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power, and we don’t just respect that, we cherish it.” Obama took the podium at 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday to voice his thoughts on the results of the election. He expressed his intent to effect a smooth segue between his and Trump’s administrations, recalling how President Bush did the same for him eight years ago, and has since invited him to the White House to discuss the transition in detail. Both Clinton and Obama beseeched young people to take heart and not give up on political activism. The outgoing president remarked, “To the young people, who got into politics for the first time, and may be disappointed by the results, I just want you to know, you have to stay encouraged. Don’t get cynical. Don’t ever think you can’t make a difference. As Secretary Clinton said this morning, fighting for what’s right is worth it.”
November 10, 2016
FEATURES
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NYC musician reflects on youth, voices hopes for career Yifan Wang
Contributing Editor
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nother train roared past the crowd on the platform. Martin Flores took a breath, and picked up his electric bass again. Low, metallic-sounding notes began to flow out of a mini amplifier at his feet, merging into a mellow, comforting melody. His voice was soft and breathy, like those folk singers in the movies. Music filled the space. It soothed the noisy, humid subway platform, as a mother gently stroked her child’s hair. In front of himself, the 40-something, thin, bald musician put a small black bucket to collect tips from passengers. There were a few singles and some coins in the bucket. Flores has been a subway busker in New York City for more than 15 years. Every day from around 4 p.m. to midnight, he sets up his gear at a midtown subway station, and tries to turn the platform into his stage. Subway platforms make up part of every New Yorkers’ life, and people like Flores make up part of the platforms. Flores’s busking career started in Boston, as soon as he graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1996. “There was a very active busking scene in Boston,” Flores said. “At the time there was a musician called Mary Lou Lord, who was doing really well for herself and signed a major record deal. So if she could do it, then of course I naively thought I could do it too... I thought if I started playing, people would notice.” His performance in Boston’s subway and streets allowed him to further develop his skills, and did in fact help him get an artist residency at the Middle East, a club in Cambridge with multiple stages for local acts, and as the name suggests, Middle-Eastern dining. There, he played every Tuesday night for two years. “I did well locally in Boston,” Flores recounted. “I played at a very popular club, and I had a following. But after a while, it wasn’t going anywhere further ... So for the New Millennium...I literally moved here on Jan. 1, 2000, just to try
something new. And I had to start all over.” In the city, Flores attempted to find an opportunity to play at clubs, but realized quickly that he didn’t have the management and marketing skills necessary for making such arrangements. He told me that sometimes one would just end up playing in an empty room, and that’s what forced some musicians to pick up day jobs eventually. So after coming to New York, he decided to go back to the streets, and play to the world. Flores’s life has been very much about music for as long as he remembers. Born in Santiago, Chile, he moved with his family to the Boston area when he was seven. “I fell in love with music before I understood English,” Flores said. After coming to the U.S., MTV Bands like The Police began to make their mark on his young, impressionable mind. In middle school, he started playing the classical upright bass in the school’s orchestra. He also played the electric guitar on the side. “Well, I was excelling at music in high school. It was my passion ... By my junior and senior year, I was doing every ensemble with electric bass and acoustic bass. I didn’t want to study anything else but music. And I had enough of a pedigree of music in high school that I got admitted to Berklee, which was near where my family was.” He told me about his dream of sweeping commercial success. “When I was in my ’20s, it was like chasing a carrot on the stick. I gotta be famous, I gotta be a rock star. I gotta be on the MTV. All that.” Flores’s adolescent dream is yet to be achieved, now at the age of 43. Living in Brooklyn these days, he said he has to play seven days a week in order to make enough money. He tells me he can pay his rent. I don’t know how much is left after that. But he keeps going, perhaps for the magical moments of the job. “The best part is that knowing when I’m in the zone, and knowing I play the best I can play, and at that moment in time, I get multiple tips, that
reflect that. It’s magic. It’s magic. Oh you tap into the thing, and you can feel it coming back at you. And that’s when you feel like a rock star.” His eyes brightened as he talked. Ultimately, Flores said, it is a matter of intuition. “I, for better or for worse, am an artist, and I make money because people get it, and I don’t make money because people don’t get it and don’t appreciate it And enough people like me for me to keep doing it. ... Some people say that it’s a fool’s errand; why are you doing that? Well, I ask myself that everyday. But as any artist, I do what compels me ... I feel it, I just feel it, I just do.” But what’s the most compelling isn’t always the easiest. “You have to have a very thick skin to do this. And for a long time I didn’t, and it would just drive me to drink, literally. I was just vibrating with insecurity. “But I don’t do that anymore ... It doesn’t matter what I do, it’s about anybody’s life. People are happy when they accept whatever that is they do. No matter you’re a janitor or a millionaire.” And it took Flores years to be able to accept whatever it is that he does. “It’s hard to explain ... I’ve always been spiritual. But I’ve always had one foot in, and one foot out. Because we are human; we have an ego; we fear. Yeah well, what if my life doesn’t work out, what if I’m gonna be doing this for the rest of my life, what if I need to get a job...” he said. “After years and years I got so exhausted with the whatifs that I put both feet in and just say I believe I’m gonna be successful.” Two days after our conversation, Flores texted me when he was playing, hoping to add some information to his account. “One of the most gratifying things I’ve learned and earned after doing this for a living for so many years, is finally getting to that point where I genuinely don’t care what anybody thinks of me and my music. I touched upon it, but as I play right now, it’s so true.” But at the same time, he told me that at the end of his life, he hopes to have created “a timeless
work,” or more specifically as he envisions for himself, “a hit.” “I want respect as an artist,” he admitted, “and I may never get that because I’m not in the public awareness.” I guess the taste of approval and admiration is too hard to resist, even for the most enlightened. Flores’s progress in making peace with his struggles doesn’t mean others can appreciate it as well. “I used to get mad, like my parents would not understand why I’m subjecting myself to this...” He teared up, and tried to change his tone by making a cheerful remark. “I mean it’s getting really psychoanalytical. Wow! My dad’s approval and all that. You know. He’s a doctor.” None of these, however, stopped Flores from making and playing music. When I asked him if he’d ever had second thoughts about what he does, he said no immediately. Never. Straight face. He said it’s the only thing he knows how to do, and it’s something he knows he is good at. “I know in my heart that I’m gonna find the right people when I’m in the right mind set... I’m not young, I’m not gonna be a pop star, but I have a lot of songs and experiences. Well...look all it takes is to sell license for a song and you could be set for life. What I do is very different; I play the bass, not the guitar. So until somebody else plays the bass solo better than me and gets the spotlight, there’s some fighting and hope for me.” He spoke quickly and with emotion, as if something was stirred up in him. There was a catch in his voice. He then reminded me, or perhaps himself, of blues and jazz musicians, who don’t reach their commercial success until in their ’40s or ’50s. We sat at the lower level of Grand Central. Flores wore a dark blue T-shirt and a pair of gray jeans. The story he told me probably seems a bit sad. He struggles to make a living. He has experienced many pains. But despite this, he derives a unique kind of happiness from his music, a pleasure beyond ordinary, everyday life. I began to realize my envy or admiration for him.
Newest ALANA member benefits staff, students alike ALANA continued from page 1
the hiring process, but acknowledged the advantages of having an administrative assistant who is a Poughkeepsie native: “[Santos] being from Poughkeepsie absolutely adds to [her value] because we certainly have students here who are really interested in continuing to engage with the Poughkeepsie community. So [Santos is] able to be a resource, if needed, to see what kind of connections she has in the community for some sort of social justice work that students want to do. And [she] just sort of has a sense of what the concerns are in the community.” Santos has since affirmed that her connections to Poughkeepsie have given her a distinct edge when helping students. “I would say it helps that I know some local areas or places that community service initiatives could be taking place in,” she remarked. “I [also] speak Spanish so I can bridge that in the community. There have been times when I’ve had to make some phone calls in Spanish so [people] feel more comfortable.” Taylor is herself also a new addition to the Vassar faculty; she joined the campus community in August. Immediately upon her arrival, Taylor entreated Dean of the College Christopher Roellke to let her hire an assistant. According to Taylor, Roellke agreed, but only to a part-time position. The ALANA Center has gone without an administrative assistant for almost 10 years, since the most recent one retired during an era of budget cuts. Taylor hopes to eventually bump this new position to full-time status, however. She explained, “It would be great to have an administrative assistant who was full time. This is a center, right? So in addition to [managing] things that are much more about programming; answering phones, working on documents for us, welcoming anyone who comes into the center, there’s also just the business of managing the actual building! So some of the things that our administrative assistant is helping with are things like the water in the bathroom downstairs isn’t turning on. So someone who’s following up on that ... I have found that Facilities Operations have been very responsive, but for them to respond you need
Courtesy of Vassar College
far. She noted that she was aware of Vassar’s outreach programs while growing up in Poughkeepsie, and is thrilled to be working for the College now: “I really enjoy Vassar. Everyone in general is extremely friendly and welcoming, which is one thing I hope that I can reciprocate as well ... Vassar is spoken of very highly around here, and since I’ve come here I can say the same ... I know that Vassar’s involved with Poughkeepsie high school, which I didn’t attend, but I have many family members who did. I have a friend that, through the program that Vassar has with Poughkeepsie, graduated from Poughkeepsie High School and decided to come here when she was accepted.” Although she has only been here for a short time, Santos has already begun creating bonds with Vassar students, “I’ve been very welcoming with students. Students are usually busy so if they need any extra help with anything at the ALANA Center in general, I help alleviate some of the stress. Some kids will just come in when they need help with some flyers, I can get some creative juices flowing. I’ve been making a lot of posters, signs and flyers [for them].” There were over 20 applicants to the position Santos now occupies. According to Taylor, Santos stood out because of her warm personality and administrative experience. “I think Coral brings an incredible amount of experience in terms of the work she’s done previous to this. The kind of teamwork she’s done, the kind of social justice work she’s done, her support of young people and of students in particular, and of groups that have had experiences with bias and oppression,” Taylor noted. “Also, her administrative skills are also phenomenal.” The ALANA Center’s final test before hiring someone new is a group interview with student interns, which Santos passed with flying colors. “Students also really enjoyed talking with her and meeting her during that group interview. They felt really good about her presence and how she would represent the office being that welcoming person,” said Taylor. She also stressed that the center focused on Santos’s experience and temperament during
Coral Santos has already created ties with students in her short time here, and hopes to continue building a bias-free safe space for all identities. Pictured above, a student attends an ALANA event. to have someone who has the time to keep putting in those requests...it would be wonderful to have someone who could work more hours, and we hope to get there.” For now, Taylor’s main focus is Vassar students. She’s taken with how bright and hard-working students are, and she knows that hiring Santos will allow her to focus her energy on the more impactful parts of her job, like meeting with students one on one and helping them facilitate events. She also noted, “I’m also protective of making sure [the interns] get to be
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
students. It’s important to be that their work as interns is around leadership and building leadership skills and being involved in programming and not doing administrative tasks.” With any luck, the ALANA Center will soon have a full time administrative assistant. Perhaps there will one day be room in the Vassar budget for additional administrators like coordinators and assistant directors. That’s what Santos and Taylor are working towards. Ultimately, their goal is simply to let “students be students.”
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November 10, 2016
Alum, chemistry professor discusses transition to teaching Elizabeth Dean
Contributing Editor
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hristine Phillips-Piro is a Class of ’04 alum with a degree in Chemistry and Mathematics. We caught up with her to see what she’s been doing post graduation. Q: Where are you living now and what are you up to?
A: I teach at Franklin and Marshall College where I’m an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. It’s another small liberal arts college, and I always wanted to go back and teach at a small liberal arts college after being at Vassar, so I was just very fortunate to get a job here. Q: How did you get into that field?
Q: How do you feel your Vassar education has affected your life?
A: It affected me incredibly. I think Vassar has
inspired me and it really changed who it was ... I really wanted to go to Vassar, and the schools that I applied to were pretty diverse. There was another Seven Sisters in the mix but there were also a polytechnic institute so it was a very interesting mix but when I finally did come to Vassar I was super excited. I just found a great community. I was in Noyes my first two years. I just remember my first year on campus one night sitting around and playing cards and just talking with all of my newfound friends and it was amazing to have these experiences. I think I was always incredibly open to a lot of ideas but at Vassar I got to experiences so many different points of view and my points of view were challenged. I had
Q: Were you involved with any activities or orgs on campus?
A: In addition to doing the math and chemistry I really enjoyed being able to have such a diverse undergraduate experience, and I think that’s what really drew me back to wanting to be in that environment now, that and being able to mentor undergraduates at Franklin and Marshall. When I was at Vassar I took advantage
to really think about who I wanted to be both scientifically and more broadly than that. I was very much engaged in a lot of relationships with different peers on campus that just really made me feel like I was able to grow as an individual and that was just a wonderful experience. I think the friendships that I formed at Vassar were incredibly important to me and still are. I know I don’t see my Vassar friends or talk to them as often as I wish I did, but they’re very near and dear to my heart. Q: Do you have any specific favorite memories at Vassar?
A: Oh man, so many! I think I still have a very special place in my heart for Founder’s Day. I just felt like you could completely unwind and it’s just such a great day that the whole community can come together. I have a very specific memory of my first Founder’s Day and watching a movie over the hill overlooking sunset lake...it was an awesome experience. I remember feeling like, “Yes, this is home, this is where I belong.” I have so many other memories like that but that’s the one that stands out. It’s such a happy memory. Q: Do you have any words of wisdom for current Vassar students?
Courtesy of Christine Phillips-Piro
A: I was kind of an oddball for Vassar because I came to Vassar knowing I wanted to major in chemistry and I ended up double majoring in chemistry and mathematics. I was fortunate enough in my first year that my academic advisor, who was semi-randomly assigned, was Miriam Rossi from the Chemistry Department and I actually started doing research with her in the second semester of my freshman year and I worked with her through my senior year. During my senior year I also got to work with Joseph Tanski because [Rossi] was on sabbatical at that time. It was just a fantastic experience, I was able to publish papers with her and travel to Italy to do research, which was fantastic. From there I actually went to MIT to get my PhD in biochemistry and there I worked with Catherine Drennan, who is actually also a Vassar alum!
of being able to take a lot of different classes. I took two different women’s studies classes during my time there, I took two full years of studio art, both painting and drawing, which I absolutely loved. I also did a few theater productions. I was actually in “The Vagina Monologues,” and I did some things backstage as well as some other productions around campus. I also was the Noyes house treasurer my sophomore year and then my junior year I ended up being the house intern for Lathrop. I was a little bit involved with the house team stuff so that was really fun.
Christine Phillips-Piro ’04 poses with her family, pictured above. Phillips-Piro is the Assistant Professor of Chemisty at Franklin and Marshall College. Not pictured is her new baby.
A: Follow your passions and actually work for it. I think as a faculty member at another small liberal arts college this probably sounds like something students hear a lot, but I really have to say that you should really do what you love and work hard for it. It’s not going to come right away, you just need to work for these things. If you really enjoy it, the whole process of actually getting there is going to be enjoyable as well. Take chances. You never know what class you’re going to take that you’re just going to fall in love with, or what research you’re going to do that’s going to be really exciting for you, what play you’re going to see that is going to inspire you. Do different things and really enjoy your Vassar time because it’s going to go fast.
Shakespeare’s deathaversary celebrated by panel of alums Emily Sayer
Features Editor
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meant for them, how much Shakespeare has to say about the world we live in now, and how many different forms and meanings ‘doing Shakespeare’ can take in that world. The faculty who organized the panel—Zoltan Markus, Denise Walen, Hamit Arvas, and myself—deliberately kept the questions very open so that the panelists could speak from their individual perspectives as scholars and practitioners and have an impromptu conversation among themselves. We also wanted to leave plenty of time for questions, particularly from students. All the panelists told me afterwards how impressed they were by the students’ questions. And the professors were all very, very proud of their students, current and former.” Students in attendance agreed that the panelists’ stories inspired hope that a life dedicated to Shakespearean studies can be maintained
Emily Sayer/The Miscellany News
am back at Vassar, so I’m going to answer with passion more than knowledge,” panelist Bill Barclay ’03 quips. The question is “Why Shakespeare?” and as the alums ponder their respective career paths, they begin to reflect on their decisions as starry-eyed undergrads to sell their souls to The Bard. The alums address students and faculty at an event in the Rose Parlor commemorating the 400-year anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. With impassioned scholars of English and Drama listening, the panelists reflect back on how their undergraduate experiences emboldened them to pursue a career in the world of Shakespearean theatre and prose. One panelist remembers his British literature class, and how one groundbreaking evening spent holed up in the Vassar library devouring Twelfth Night would forever redirect his hopes and ambitions. Another describes her devotion to Elizabethan theatre to be life-long. The differences in their experiences are distinct, but all express similar sentiments regarding Shakespeare’s impact on their lives. Gwen Ellis ’08 is an actor, Bill Barclay ’03 works as the Director of Music at Shakespeare’s Globe, Matt Hunter, ’08 is a visiting assistant professor of English at St. Joseph’s University and Elizabeth Rivlin ’92 is the Associate Professor of English at Clemson University. Each career path was carved out by an infatuation with the canonical texts, and each alum now devotes his or her life to the analysis of Shakespeare’s written and spoken word. In response to “Why Shakespeare?” the consensus among panelists is this: in reading his works, one learns more about themselves than one does about him. Reading and studying the Bard is, as they explain, an introspective process, and one that encompasses the range of human emotions, shortcomings and lived experiences. As such, they urge students to not be gentle with his works, to not revere them as unchangeable or sacred. The most insightful adaptations of Shakespeare, they maintain, are the ones that play with interpretation, space and
delivery. On her reasons for bringing this talk to campus, coordinator and Professor of English Leslie Dunn provided, “I don’t remember whose idea it was to organize an alumnae/i panel, but we were all really enthusiastic about it. We wanted a panel that include both scholars and performers who could speak to how Vassar had prepared them for the work they are doing now, as well as to the place of Shakespeare in today’s world. We were very lucky that the stars aligned and they were all come to campus on Monday, November 7th and Tuesday, November 8th. They also visited drama and English classes, met informally with students, and caught up with their old professors. I’ve attached their bios if you want to include more information about them in the article. “They spoke about what Shakespeare has
The panelists, pictured above, are, pictured left to right: Matt Hunter ’08, Gwen Ellis d’08, Bill Barclay d’03 and Elizabeth Rivlin ’92. They pose with Professor Leslie Dunn, far left.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
outside of Vassar. Yvette Sagan ’19 said, “I’m a drama major and a computer science correlate. I thought the resumes of the panelists were very impressive, which is encouraging because if they can do it, so can I! The organizers of the event did a great job of getting people with varying experiences and applications of Shakespeare in their lives. It was great to see how differently shakespeare can be used and interpreted and applied in life both academically and for theatrical purposes.” Drama and Sociology double major Karli Bentley ’17 added, “As someone who hopes to perform Shakespeare professionally in the future, I was really interested to hear from the panelists and how their experiences with Shakespeare at Vassar have informed their work with the Bard in their lives since they graduated. In particular it was really reaffirming to hear them talk about Shakespeare’s plays as living documents that can be reshaped and adapted, because that’s really what I hope to do. I have a lot of respect for traditional productions of Shakespeare plays, but there’s just something really satisfying about tearing up his work and putting it back together in new ways. The panelists weren’t precious with Shakespeare, and that was really refreshing to hear.” Jay Leichtman ’18 is a Biology Major whose interest doesn’t extend as far as that of the panelists or the aforementioned students, but even so they found the talk to be enjoyable. They said, “The panelists all seem like people who really know their stuff when it comes to Shakespeare, and it was great to see people talking about something they have a passion for. It was also sort of a career fair, in that it showed just how many different jobs there are that you might not guess even existed, but that Vassar grads have had.” Of the outcome of the event in general, Dunn concludes, “For me, the best part of all the ‘Shakespeare at Vassar’ events was that they gave us a chance to celebrate the creativity of our students and faculty, to make visible (and audible) the connections across generations. To everyone who participated, including our audience, much thanks.”
November 10, 2016
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VC Indie Brew fosters creative space for gamers, enthusiasts Andrea Yang Reporter
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This year, Indie Brew transitioned into a more “process over product” mindset and promotes an environment of productivity. Members now meet three times a week, collaborating and working through each other’s ideas. “Myself and Ernie offer guidance and assistance, and there are tutorials on how to start making a game located on our website, but the golden rule of the org is: if you can find use of this group, you are a part of the team.” Suarez shared that he enjoys bouncing ideas off his friends and helping sketch something up. He called himself “a kind positive reinforcement” for other members of the group. He described, “Our group is small but amazing, and I’ve grown to be good friends with all of them while being able to keep things professional and focused. “The initial intention when Tom and I made this group was to give people a place to make and talk about video games, but to actually create things, rather than the discussion just trailing off into playing video games.”
As a psychology major, Suarez tries to employ his studies to craft intriguing, attention-grabbing games. He found that despite his relative inexperience with programming, he still contributes valuable insight to the group. His experience is a reminder that students of all backgrounds and expertise can find their niche in the org. New member Beatrix Jones ’20 affirmed this, saying, “The really cool thing about Indie Brew is being part of a group of such enthusiastic, open-minded people all trying out different ideas and just seeing what works–it’s so much fun!” Lum concluded, “Some days the org looks like a band brainstorming ideas in the studio as we pitch and draw and deconstruct and build the concepts and mechanics of a game, and other times the org looks like we’re holding a midterm with the way we’re glued to our work. But in both cases, it remains exactly what myself and Ernie had hoped for: a place for people who love games to share their passions and collaborate to make awesome, awesome things.”
Courtesy of Indie Brew
ndie Brew is Vassar’s first independent game design and development organization, offering programmers, writers and designers alike a haven where they can bring their projects to life. Co-founder and lead programmer Thomas Lum ’17, a double major in computer science and cognitive science, said he came to Vassar to study English and theatre, and that the discovery of his interest in coding was almost incidental. He reflected on his freshman year, saying that he took CS101 with Associate Professor of Computer Science Jenny Walters per his mother’s request. From that semester on, comp sci clicked with him. Whereas English and theatre allowed him to create, CS gave him the opportunity to flesh out his ideas in a new way. Lum observed, “CS is really the science of information, how you manipulate it, how you store it and the limits and behavior of it. It’s really just puzzles, except knowing the answers and reasons why lets you build incredible things, from graphic marvels to intelligent machines to tools and systems that everyone can use. It’s world building in its truest sense, and because of that, it’s also fundamentally interdisciplinary. Games are such vitally equal parts math/CS, art, music, design and writing, and no game can stand as great without all of them supporting it. So in a way, having that background in theatre and literature was much more a necessity than a regret, and something I use constantly, rather than abandoned.” Although Lum had never learned programming before, video games have always been of personal importance to him. He recounted, “Being a second-generation American kid meant being around other kids and families who literally did not speak the same language. But the moment someone put on Super Smash Bros, none of that mattered and my parents would have to pry me away.” Lum’s first project was a game called “Ada,” which took him two years to complete. He had created the design, programming, music and art for the game himself. During his period of personal development, though, the roots of what would later become Indie Brew began to evolve within Vassar’s web and app development org, VC++. Game enthusiasts had an outlet in the group’s game development section, but Lum felt that
his game programming ideas couldn’t subsist as something shoehorning into another club. He decided to establish a separate org himself, with the help of a partner, Ernesto Suarez ’18. Co-founder, designer and editor of Indie Brew, Suarez described his experiences in designing and writing as “a rocky road.” “I don’t really have as much of a background for coding or art, and really intensive writing is only used in super involved games that take years to make. So for a while, I didn’t really know what I could do, and honestly I didn’t even think of making games as an option. I always considered myself as a psychologist with a passion for gaming on the side. I never really had anyone to share my passion with...but then I met Tom.” Lum and Suarez met through a mutual friend last year and clicked right away. Lum characterized Suarez as “an essential catalyst for the birth of Indie Brew because he loves video games, and even though he had zero experience in making them, he wanted to, and he wanted to learn, just as much as I did freshman year.” Suarez commented, “Making games wasn’t just a dream to [Lum], it was a very achievable reality. Seeing him and the ideas he had really kind of pushed me on to want to actually make games.” Lum continued, “After hours of whiteboarding ideas and excitedly sharing plans, Indie Brew was born...[The names is a] reminder that we are sort of a ragtag independent group and the imagery of steeping and crafting our ideas from their raw components to something people will enjoy. “In the spring semester of 2016, Indie Brew was meeting weekly. We had a handful of key goals that we still hold today, and a lot of heart, but I was mistakenly directing the group in the wrong direction.” Aiming to become a game development team, Indie Brew focused working on one project together. But Lum soon discovered that a single project cannot accommodate so much diversity of opinion and style within this group. He reflected, “This seemed productive, and every week I could sleep well on the laurels of bureaucracy, knowing we had done all the check boxes for that week and had a blueprint for more checkboxes next week but we were artificially constraining two important things: individual passion and work.”
Founded in February of this year, Indie Brew provides an outlet for aspiring video game developers to make their projects a reality with the help of artists and writers.
A protein-filled scramble for all the tofu haters out there Brooke Thomas Guest Reporter
A
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Courtesy of Brooke Thomas
lthough I don’t think it is hard to get enough protein as a vegan for most people, it can be a little hard to eat a meal that is mostly protein and feel that heavy protein feel afterward. While fried tofu, chili, a good veggie burger, any form of seitan and any of the many delicious vegan chicken substitutes available at most grocery stores can fulfill this need for protein for me, tofu scramble is one of my favorite ways to achieve this full feeling. Tofu scramble is a vegan staple that is often underappreciated and underutilized. Tofu in general can have a pretty bad reputation, but it isn’t tofu’s fault so much as people who do not know how to prepare it. It is largely flavorless, so in order for it not to taste like a sponge you have to add ample flavor for it to soak up. The texture can also be off-putting to some, but this can also be altered through the way in which the tofu is cooked. Preparing tofu in some ways can be hard to get a grip on right away, but if you follow these tips, tofu scramble is a very easy dish to master. First, let’s talk about the different types of tofu. At most grocery stores you will find silken, firm and extra firm to name a few. Silken is used for some vegan desserts, an egg replacer and some fried tofu dishes. This kind is definitely hard to work with unless you have some experience or if you are just throwing it in a blender to make some pudding or something. Firm and extra firm are nearly the same, but I would choose extra firm over firm for a scramble. The key to making firmer tofu taste good is to squeeze out the water it is packed in before you cook it. You can buy a tofu press, craft one out of towels and books, or just kind of gently squeeze the block over the sink until water stops coming out. To make the scramble, fire up your stove to
medium-high and put a large nonstick or cast iron pan, preferably not with very shallow sides, over the heat. Add two to four tablespoons of a vegan butter such as Earth Balance or the original Smart Balance. You can also use olive oil, if you prefer. Once the pan is hot and the butter has melted, dice a small onion and add it to the mix. Stir occasionally until the onion is soft and translucent. Next, add the spices: turmeric, garlic powder and nutritional yeast if you’d like, and stir the mixture well. If you like things a bit spicier, this is a good time to add a bit of cayenne or some red chili flakes. If you’re feeling bold, try experimenting with spices you like to add more flavor! If you want to add any vegetables that would need to cook, like mushrooms or peppers, this is the time to do it. Then, crumble your squeezed/pressed tofu into the pan with your hands. As for the size, use your own discretion; the chunks can be as small or as large as you want them. Allow the scramble to cook until all the liquid is out of the pan and the tofu chunks have browned slightly. This will take at least five minutes. If your tofu isn’t browning, increase the heat to high. If you don’t let the scramble cook long enough, it will be soggy, so as long as the tofu isn’t burning, the longer you cook it, the better the texture, not to mention the overall flavor, will be. If you want to add any greens or vegetables that don’t need to cook much, like tomatoes or spinach, add them right at the end. And there you have it: a relatively easy tofu dish that doesn’t suck! Don’t listen to the tofu haters. My favorite way to eat this scramble as a meal is to drizzle hot sauce over it, stick a generous portion of vegan cheese on it, stir in some cubed, cooked potatoes and put it in a tortilla for a delicious, nutritious breakfast burrito.
Ingredients
1 small onion 2-4 tablespoons of vegan butter or olive oil 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
OPINIONS
Page 8
November 10, 2016
The Miscellany News Staff Editorial
College must redouble efforts to support voter participation
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or students who recently navigated the multiple routes to the polls to cast their ballot in the 2016 presidential election, it is no secret that the process of voting in this country can often be convoluted and confusing. From policies on early voting to those regulating online registration, each state varies wildly in voting legislation. In New York, for instance, an eligible voter is able to register online to vote, as well as cast their vote without being required to present identification. However, same-day registration to vote and early voting are not allowed in the state—unless specific criteria are met such as absence from the county on Election Day or illness, in which case a person may participate in a process called in-person absentee voting. Voting is even more complicated for Vassar students, as the thousand-acre campus is divided into three separate voting districts. Students in Cushing, Noyes and the Terrace Apartments are in one district, with the rest of the campus split between two additional districts, requiring students from Main and Noyes, for instance, to travel to different off-campus polling stations to cast their vote. Dutchess County, whose county executives and legislature have historically trended to the right, has also leaned Republican in 10 out of the past 14 presidential elections. By splintering a liberal-leaning campus into three separate districts through a troublesome history of gerrymandering, the student vote is effectively diluted. Furthermore, when faculty members run for office, some of their students are inevitably not their constituents based on their dorm and therefore cannot support them. While attempts to suppress and manipulate the student vote are by no means a new issue, they are indicative of a larger problem of voter suppression. In one instance, a Florida state representative admitted to trying to
keep students from voting with a 2011 election reform bill that he sponsored, which primarily aimed to shorten early voting, disproportionately affecting younger voters and minorities (Huffington Post, “Rep. Dennis Baxley Says He Targeted College Students With Florida Election Reform Law,” 12.20.12). Likewise, Maine Republican Party Chairman Charlie Webster insisted upon an investigation of college students for alleged voter fraud, citing no tangible evidence, while Indiana State Representative Peggy Mayfield fought for legislation that would prevent students that paid out-of-state tuition from voting in Indiana (Bangor Daily News, “GOP chairman says university students behind voter fraud,” 7.25.11; Huffington Post, “Indiana GOP Lawmaker Wants To Block Out-Of-State Students From Voting,” 2.06.13). Most instances of student voter suppression stem from frustrations that the students are transitory members of the community. Here at Vassar, during our four short years as Poughkeepsie residents, we are often isolated from interactions with permanent town and city residents. In fact, for some students, leaving campus to vote may be the only time in the week or month that they manage to break out of the “Vassar Bubble.” However, as long as we recognize our responsibility to educate ourselves, there is no reason we should not have the power to effect change from our temporary home. Even students who choose to vote in their hometown via absentee ballot are liable to run into a range of challenges. Ohio’s strict absentee rules mean that voters who make mistakes, such as writing a name in cursive rather than print, may be disenfranchised (The Columbus Dispatch, “U.S. Supreme Court rejects final challenge to Ohio voting laws,” 10.31.16). In fact, in 2012, more than a quarter of a mil-
lion absentee ballots were rejected across the country, either for arriving too late or for issues such as the voter’s signature not matching the signature on file closely enough (NPR, “Want Your Absentee Ballot to Count? Don’t Make These Mistakes,” 10.22.14). Furthermore, absentee ballot application and mail-in deadlines vary state-to-state, leading to the question of whether Vassar should publicize important dates in the voting process or notify the community when deadlines are approaching—and the larger query of what the institution should be providing to help students vote. Under the Higher Education Act, colleges and universities are required to make a “good faith effort” to distribute information and materials on voter registration, but beyond this, actively engaging students in the voting process is imperative to fostering higher voter turnout and promoting a more informed electorate. Currently, Vassar supplies shuttles to Poughkeepsie polling places on election days, typically running back and forth every 30 minutes. On Nov. 4, Dean of Students Adriana di Bartolo sent an email encouraging students to vote and supplying information on polling places and shuttles. For students with busy academic schedules, however, even getting off campus for half an hour could be a challenge. Nearby at Bard College, students have called for a polling place to be located on campus, noting that not only should on-campus voters not have to deal with the inconvenience of shuttles, but also that the school should not have to incur the cost (Bard Free Press, “We Are the 68%, 4.15). Bard administrators also champion active institutional engagement: the College provides administrative support to students affected by voter suppression efforts (The Huffington Post, “Colleges Should Promote and Defend Student Voting,” 08.12.16).
In contrast, much of the support Vassar students receive in the quest to cast our ballots comes from student organizations. Democracy Matters assists with absentee voting and Dutchess County registration and provides pamphlets on Election Day with facts on candidates (The Miscellany News, “Student organizations work to improve voter registration,” 10.05.16). While the work done by such orgs is important not only in practical matters but also in nurturing political discourse on campus, students lack the legislative power held by the College—power Vassar may well need to utilize if students again experience the type of voter suppression that occurred in 2009, when chairman of the Poughkeepsie Republican Committee Thomas Martinelli challenged 60 students’ votes on a residency basis (Times Herald-Record, “Bard, Vassar students’ right to vote supported by NYCLU,” 11.02.10). Increased efforts from the institution to support voting, as well as continued efforts from the student body to educate ourselves and do our civic duty, will certainly create positive effects in future elections—especially for first-generation students, some of whom may not be as familiar with the intricacies of registration and voting. We are privileged to be here at Vassar, and in many ways, we are already aided in exercising our democratic right. But the fact that voting can be such a challenge even here in a voting-supportive community speaks to the obstacles faced by voters, young and old, across the country— problems that must be addressed if we are ever to have a democracy that truly represents the interests and desires of the people. — The Staff Editorial expresses the opinion of at least 2/3 of The Miscellany News Editorial Board
Discussing trauma openly, Vassar campus needs open candidly can help save lives carry policy for protection Maxim Jahns
Josselyn House President
Trigger warning: suicide, self-harm, homophobia
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ave you ever had to convince a friend not to end their life? For some, this scenario may seem impossible to fathom, but don’t be fooled. Friends among us on this campus are struggling with that seemingly impossible question: whether to even exist. In fact, according to the College’s statistics, 13.6 percent of students have seriously considered suicide. During House Team training, one is taught how to handle a student who may be considering taking their own life. These statistics are a jarring reality check for many. To put that in perspective, that means more than 300 friends, roommates, teammates and classmates have seriously considered ending their life. I am one of them. I was in my first year, fresh from the Midwest, full of internalized homophobia and excitement for the prospect of protecting myself with Vassar’s liberal bubble and a few close friends, like many others. I went into my college experience with rose-colored glasses. I was called a faggot multiple times within a week of stepping foot on campus. And the stress of a new place combined with the feeling I wasn’t welcome here lead to some dark thoughts that returned me to a place I remember grimly, burning and cutting myself on occasion, but more often wondering whether my life was even worth living or if anyone would care when I was gone. It was a group of kind-minded individuals with a passion for helping others that saved my life, albeit inadvertently. Critical work like this is often done inadvertently. A group of people that I now call friends
talked openly about mental illness and wellbeing, and were supportive of the struggles people like me face. Mental illness is deadly because it is stigmatized, both on Vassar’s campus and beyond the confines of our community. Many will say I am weak, that I should have been able to get over the transition like everybody else, and be mostly okay like everybody else. I know this because I said those things to myself. Believe it or not a group of people talking about what I was experiencing was enough for me. I didn’t share my own personal experience, but some did, and their stories saved my life. That’s why I’m sharing this right now. I’m pleading with you to make mental hygiene a part of your daily conversation. Say what you will about the Counseling Center and the other resources available on and off campus. They are important, but I’d argue that equally important is the community Vassar students have built together. It is precisely because we talk, because we are aware and engaged, because we are willing to be vulnerable and discuss the uncomfortable issues, that the rate of suicidal ideation continues to climb, but also we continue to save one another everyday. These crucial conversations that must continue. Carving out spaces for sharing one’s narrative can be incredibly transformative, revelatory, and powerful. There are heroes out there who have legitimately saved lives, some who don’t even know what they did. And there are the brave ones who struggle everyday with that terrifying question, and still manage to live another 24 hours. I know both. And I know I continue to exist but for the kindness of people that were mostly strangers. Keep talking to save a life. You have saved mine.
Pietro Geraci
Guest Columnist
Trigger warning: gun violence, sexual assault
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here has been a rash of crime on Vassar’s campus over the last month. Someone was robbed of their cell phone after one of the thieves threatened to use a handgun, reports have come in about the firing of BB or pellet guns in front of the Deece and a student was shot with a BB gun after discovering intruders in their TA. Additionally, there was a slew of crimes on campus last semester, including several TH break-ins and thefts. Imagine the outcome if the victims had guns on their persons. The Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that people as individuals have the right to keep and bear arms. In Texas, students are allowed to possess firearms on public college and university campuses, affording them protection in the face of danger. Currently no one has died from gun violence on these campuses since the law went into effect over the summer and any other incidences of gun violence have not increased, so any fears of constant shootings on campuses are thereby unrealized. An armed citizenry is a protected citizenry. People who own firearms and know how to use them can stop crime and save lives, as well as prevent mass shootings and even saving their own lives. Statistics show an inverse relationship between gun ownership and gun violence. Guns are also a great defense against sexual assault, something that Vassar is working hard to eliminate. Why not allow vulnerable students to alter the power dynamic through firearms? This is a much more effective way to counter sexual violence than Bystander Intervention Training– bystanders won’t have to intervene because the potential victim will be able to resolve the situation by his or herself. Now, this is not to say that the training is useless and a failure; it is quite the opposite. Rather, I am saying that it would be more effective to use firearms for self-defense.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Indeed, these two things could be used in conjunction with each other to even further reduce incidences of sexual assault and other crimes. Vassar College’s restrictions on firearms puts its students at risk, especially those whose identities are socially marginalized, who are statistically more likely to experience violence. Downtown Poughkeepsie, like most cities, including my hometown of Newburgh, NY, experiences higher rates of criminal activity, especially violence, including stabbings, shootings, rape and murders than the surrounding area. Vassar is not far from downtown, so that violence could easily strike here, which may very well end in tragedy. We’ve already seen violence on this campus with the BB gun shootings; should we wait for actual bullets to fly before taking action? The College Administration has a responsibility to ensure the safety of students on campus. The VSA Senate has a responsibility to promote the welfare of the students it governs. Safety and Security cannot be everywhere at one time, and many students walk considerable distances at night, especially from the residence halls to Skinner Hall, and sometimes in poorly lit areas of campus. We should be allowed to possess firearms in case the sudden need to protect ourselves arises. I hereby ask the College Administration to amend its policy and allow students to carry guns on campus. The VSA and the Administration should then work together to come up with training sessions so that students can learn how to effectively use their firearms. After all, their presence only increases the danger if their owner is incompetent. A lack of training defeats the purpose of owning guns and could have fatal consequences. Therefore I have no problem with the College requiring firearms training before permission to carry guns on campus, but I do have a problem with the current restrictions that potentially place students in grave danger. These restrictions must be changed immediately, lest we risk inviting avoidable tragedy to campus.
November 10, 2016
OPINIONS
Page 9
UNESCO must acknowledge Jewish ties to Western Wall Jesser Horowitz Columnist
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n Oct. 13, 2016, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passed a resolution denying Jewish cultural connections to the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, referring to both solely by their Arabic names, without mentioning the importance of the site to the Jewish people. This distinction may appear petty to some. After all, the Jewish people are not the only ones who feel a spiritual connection to these spaces. All three of the Abrahamic religions claim these sites–and Israel in general–to be holy and sacred.
“For Jews, the Western Wall is the holiest place in which we are permitted to pray.” For Jews, the Western Wall is the holiest place in which we are permitted to pray. The last wall standing from the second Jewish temple, it’s a space of great cultural significance. The Temple Mount, which lies behind the Western Wall, is considered the holiest spot in Judaism. Many believe the foundation stone, which lays inside it, to be the place from which God created the entirety of the Earth. However, Jews are forbidden from praying there. Therefore, in denying Jewish cultural heritage to these holy sites, UNESCO engaged in vile antisemitism and did a considerable disservice to the United Nations as a whole. Not content to marginalize Israeli citizens and the Zionist movement, the organization felt the need to demean all of the Jewish people on Earth by denying their claims to their own religious monuments. UNESCO’s decision symbolizes everything that is wrong with the United Nations’ and the international community’s treatment of the Jew-
ish state. It defies not only history, but also basic human decency. While many may, and do, defend it as nothing more than a symbolic action meant to strike at the Israeli government, the very nature of the decision is so great as to preclude any righteous moral justification. Hidden behind criticism of the Israeli government, this resolution had very little to do with disagreements over policy, but rather used dissatisfaction with the Israeli government as an excuse to delegitimize the state of Israel and Jewish people’s historic and cultural ties to the land of Israel. This becomes increasingly apparent when the discourse around Israel is compared to the discourse around any other country. Even nations with horrid human rights records are not subject to this kind of attention. I’ve yet to hear any activist claim that the solution to the Chinese government’s occupation of Tibet is the elimination of China. I have yet to hear activists respond to the Russian occupation of the Ukraine by discrediting Russian historical claims to Moscow. I have yet to hear critics of Turkey’s human rights records claim that the solution is to dissolve the country. Only the Jewish state is criticized in this fashion, only the Jewish state’s right to exist is subject to question. This decision has been made especially ludicrous as, the same day as this resolution, a rare artifact, known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, dated to the seventh century B.C.E., around the end of the First Temple period, was discovered that specifically connects the Jewish people to the Temple Mount. It is believed to be the oldest non-biblical evidence of Jewish connection to the holy site (The Jerusalem Post, “Rare First Temple-era scroll exposes earliest Hebrew mention of Jerusalem,” 10.26.2016). Yet even in the face of insurmountable evidence, the forces that seek to delegitimize Israel roll onward. The Palestinian government has gone on to attempt to claim the Dead Sea Scrolls, a series of holy Jewish artifacts, as its own, a clear attempt at historical revisionism that ignores facts and
demonstrates a desire not to criticize policy, but to delegitimize the state (The Jerusalem Post, “Palestinians make a play for Dead Sea Scrolls at UNESCO,” 11.06.2016). Acknowledging the connection that the Jewish people have to the Temple Mount does not diminish Muslim claims to the same holy site. Were UNESCO to make a similar resolution that refused to acknowledge Islam’s ties to these sites, outrage would be equally warranted.
“By reducing the situation to Palestine is good and Israel is bad, the United Nations reduces the chances for peace.” If by doing this, UNESCO hoped to promote peace in any sense, its leaders should know and understand that through their actions, they have set back the peace process by potentially instigating tensions between Palestinians and Israelis. The resolution, by lending credence to the idea that Israel’s existence is illegitimate, discourages the Palestinian government from negotiating. And, by aggravating the Israeli government through a resolution that does nothing to help the Palestinian people, UNESCO closes an avenue that could have been used to further cooperation and bring the two sides closer to peace. While there have for a long time been incidents of anti-Israel activists denying Israel’s right to exist, never has an international institution gone so far as to deny that Jews have any connection to the region. And yet, while undeniably on the fringe, this viewpoint is not as uncommon as some might be inclined to believe. I have, on multiple occasions, always by a person who is not Jewish,
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been told that modern Jews have no historical connection with Israel and that I am not actually Jewish. While this view is far from mainstream, UNESCO channels this sentiment in its denial of Jewish connection to the Temple Mount, at the very least among pro-Palestinian activists in the United States. This is but one in a long line of bad decisions by the United Nations that reveal a bias against the Jewish state. This bias, often referenced and well documented, discredits the organization’s ability to seek peace in the region. The epitome of this clear bias can be found in a 1975 decision by the United Nations General Assembly, in which, through a vote of 72 to 35, it declared that Zionism is racism, prompting widespread condemnation and outrage. Although the resolution was later revoked in 1991, it remains emblematic of the widespread anti-Zionist, anti-Israel sentiment in the United Nations. Claims of anti-Israel bias are supported by a large number of resolutions targeting the Israeli government while its neighbors, all of whom have objectively worse human rights records, have received little to no attention from the international body. Saudi Arabia even serves on the Human Rights council despite being one of the worst human rights violators in the world. The Israeli people and government have good reason to be suspicious of the United Nations, and the UNESCO decision does little to rebuild a sense of trust. The United Nations’ unfair treatment of Israel, as exemplified by UNESCO, not only exposes its hypocrisy, but also results in a situation that inhibits peace by discouraging the Israeli government from turning to international institutions for help, and by disincentivizing diplomacy on both sides. The United Nations has taught the Israelis to fear diplomats and has taught Palestinians that they should not need to negotiate. By reducing the situation to Palestine is good and Israel is bad, the United Nations reduces the chances for peace.
OPINIONS
Page 10
November 10, 2016
Spurious reports on contraception pervade social media Steven Park Columnist
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everal days ago, you may have seen a handful of news articles float around on the internet that made a lot of people, especially women, angry and upset. According to these articles, scientists were making progress in creating a male contraceptive that was 96 percent effective in preventing pregnancy in female partners. This was wonderful news for many women who have long carried the burden of birth control and its side effects–some extraordinarily harmful. A male contraceptive would finally shift some of that responsibility onto men. However, the study came to halt after, according to one news article, “Men taking it reported negative side effects including mood swings, an altered libido and acne” (USA Today, “Male birth control study nixed after men can’t handle side effects women face daily,” 11.02.2016). Naturally, the sheer hypocrisy of the situation outraged many women who had to suffer those symptoms every day. Their outrage, from headlines and social media posts alone, was completely justified. Countless Facebook and Twitter posts denounced the blatant double standard in halting the study for safety concerns when women were expected to endure the same side effects without complaining. As the news spread, the onslaught of criticism grew, and rightfully so. This news serves as another reminder of how women face unfair treatment and societal pressures that men don’t have to think about. However, the media coverage on this study has been disturbingly misleading. Although the people’s outrage against the men in the study is very understandable, the media is still undeniably guilty for leaving out several significant details and grossly oversimplifying the results in exchange for brief sensationalism. The male contraceptive in question is an injected hormonal drug that reversibly suppresses the sperm count in men (The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism [JCEM], “Ef-
ficacy and Safety of an Injectable Combination Hormonal Contraceptive for Men,” 10.27.2016). In order to test the drug’s effectiveness, the researchers enlisted a total of 320 healthy male volunteers and repeatedly administered the drug into the person’s arm for an entire year. Just like those articles on Facebook claim, the male participants did experience mood swings, muscle pain and acne as part of the side effects of the drug throughout the experiment (JCEM).
“[W]hat popular media coverage failed to report on was the sheer scope of these side effects.” However, what popular media coverage failed to report on was the sheer scope of these side effects. Over the course of the trial, the 320 male participants reported a total 1,491 adverse events and researchers determined that 900 of those events were caused by the hormonal drug (JCEM). “These side effect rate is pretty high with this new study of men when compared with contraception studies for women ... For example and perspective, a study comparing the birth control patch with the pill found a serious adverse event rate of 2%. The pill reduces acne for 70% of women and in studies with the Mirena IUD the rate of acne is 6.8%,” explained obstetrician and gynecologist Dr. Jen Gunter (Vox, “We still don’t have male birth control — but no, it’s not because men are wimps,” 11.02.2016). In the male contraceptive study, more than 45 percent of the men got acne as a verifiable result of the drug (JCEM). In addition, a total of eight men out of the 320 participants were not back to “normal sperm counts” a year after they stopped receiving the drug. One male volunteer was rendered infertile due to the treatment, because his sperm count
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failed to return to normal even after four years had passed since his last injection. Now here’s what the majority of the news outlets didn’t mention in their report: the study wasn’t halted because the male participants couldn’t handle the side effects. In reality, an independent, third-party peer-review committee found that it didn’t make sense to continue the study, because “the risks the study participants outweighed the potential benefits to the study participants” (JCEM). The actual male participants involved in the study had no power or authority to shut down the entire experiment. Not only that, only 20 of the 320 men discontinued the study, one of whom had to stop due to a dangerous increase in blood pressure (JCEM). Despite the various adverse events and the clinically intensive regimen of the study, more than 75 percent of the participants stated that they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the outcome of the experiment. About 24 percent felt neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and only 1.3 percent of the men in the study answered that they were unsatisfied (JCEM). Similarly, the survey showed that over 80 percent of the men answered that they would continue to use a similar male contraceptive and only 1.3 percent of the participants said no. The researchers themselves concluded that “male participants and their partners found this [birth control method] to be highly acceptable at the end of the trial, even after being made aware of the early termination of the study intervention” (JCEM). Despite this information, news outlets everywhere failed to cover the entire study truthfully and instead chose to run incendiary headlines that made the male volunteers appear spineless and pathetic: “Men Abandon Groundbreaking Study on Male Birth Control, Citing ‘Mood Changes’” (Broadly, 10.29.2016), “Male contraceptive pill works—but side effects halt trial” (New Scientist, 10.27.2016), “Male Contraceptive Injection Halted For Same Side Effects Women Have Suffered For Years” (Elle, 10.28.2016), “Yes,
contraceptives have side effects—and it’s time for men to put up with them too” (Independent, 10.28.2016), “Men Quit Male Birth Control Study Because It Was Giving Them Mood Swings. Welcome to the club, dudes. Also: WOMAN UP” (Cosmopolitan, 10.30.2016).
“I do think that this sort of public outrage might be a good way to finally start the conversation of fixing a broken system.” Personally, I don’t blame the Internet for being misled. The fault lies on the news outlets for either not paying attention to what they were reporting on or purposefully twisting the facts in the study to create a sensationalist headline. It goes to show how important it is for newspapers and magazines to write a headline and an article that accurately represents the content of the original source. On the bright side, a lot of the resulting complaints are right. Scientists should put more effort into reducing the side effects of female birth control. As I mentioned earlier, women are unfairly burdened with the pain and suffering that accompanies birth control. In addition, the possible side effects of the female birth control definitely shouldn’t be brushed aside and ignored. Research indicates that birth control pills increase the risk of blood clots by about three or four times. That is terrifying. I am certain that the public wouldn’t care as much if the participants in the male contraceptive research study were women instead of men. While I do not condone the blatant inaccuracy and misleading nature of the articles covering the male contraceptive study, I do think that this sort of public outrage might be a good way to finally start the conversation of fixing a broken system.
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November 10, 2016
OPINIONS
U.S. must temper Putin’s unstable reign Sylvan Calko Perlmutter Guest Columnist
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ince Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its subsequent invasion of the Donbass region of Ukraine, the U.S.A. and its allies have expressed increasing alarm at Russia’s unpredictability and new willingness to throw its weight around. Not only has Russia violently intervened in its immediate sphere of influence, but it has engaged in hacking to influence the U.S. presidential election (thankfully over, for better or for worse), assists Bashar al-Assad in the massacre of Syrian civilians and has suspended its process of nuclear disarmament. The reaction of large swaths of the global press, and many people on social media, has been to interpret these developments as the resumption of the Cold War. This view massively exaggerates the threat Russia poses to the U.S.A. led liberal democratic world order, and in doing so gives the Kremlin an unnecessary psychological advantage. The reality is this: Russia is at its weakest point since its chaotic emergence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Economically, the Putin presidency has been a disaster. Living standards rose in the first decade of the 21st century due to high oil prices, but the Russian government failed to properly reinvest its oil wealth and diversify its economy to have viable system in the long term. This fiscal mismanagement was dramatically compounded by an all pervasive culture of corruption and a class of oligarchs that perpetuated graft, rent seeking and inefficiency. Now, after the dramatic fall in oil prices, in addition to the sanctions placed on Russia for its violations of international law, the Russian economy can best be described as a blazing trash fire. Between 2013-2015, Russia’s GDP fell by 40 percent. Half of a Russian household’s earnings go towards food, which puts it in the company of many Sub-Saharan African nations in that respect. It is not in spite of these weaknesses that Russia pursues aggressive policies, but rather precisely because of them. The Putin regime needs
to engage in adventurism abroad to bolster its popularity at home. By seizing Crimea, a place of great importance in Russian history, Putin was able to boost the self esteem of a people that for 25 years had shouldered the embarrassment of losing their empire. Putin’s constituency was more willing to endure economic hardship when it could view it as a patriotic duty in defiance of the “West,” More importantly, by stoking chauvinistic nationalism in a broad segment of the Russian population through foreign interventionism, Putin has restricted dissidents’ room to maneuver. Anybody who critiques Putin’s policies is seen as not only anti-Putin, but also anti-Russian.
“It is not in spite of these weaknesses that Russia pursues aggressive policies, but rather precisely because of them. “ Indeed it is through engaging in war that Putin has consistently been able to accrue enough political capital to pursue his domestic goals. This pattern started in Putin’s first term with an unnecessarily brutal squashing of the secessionist Chechen Republic of Ichkeria (19992000), and continued through the Russo-Georgian war of 2008 to the present day conflicts in Ukraine and Syria. The responsible course of action would be to stop distracting the populace through foreign adventurism and instead to focus on the dramatic political and economic restructuring at home that is needed to stop the progressive decline of Russia. However, this would be against the interests of the current regime because any move towards economic reform would weaken the patronage
system through which Putin exercises power and because any move towards political reform would probably spin out of control and dethrone Putin à la Gorbachev. Therefore, it is unlikely that concrete steps to alleviate Russia’s plight will happen during Putin’s tenure. To put it in a simply: Russia is weak because Putin is strong. And yet the death or deposition of Putin might not free Russia of its present woes. Regime change has proven problematic in many other nations, both domestically and in terms of international standing. Without a deeply rooted democratic tradition and strong institutions to draw on, Putin might leave only for a new neo-authoritarian figure to arise in his place. So what should the U.S.A. and its allies do in the face of this aggressive yet gravely debilitated Russia? What course of action should Western powers take, especially with growing domestic discord? The U.S.A. should double down on supporting the trans-national organizations like the EU and NATO that can keep Europe in a united front. Russia is constantly looking to sow divisions in these structures, as evidenced by its cordial relationship to Hungary’s increasingly undemocratic Viktor Orban and by the Russian bank loans Marine Le Pen’s National Front has received. Further trust must be placed in these kinds of organizations. In addition, lifting of sanctions could be made conditional on whether or not Russia recommits to nuclear disarmament. Eventually, Russia’s contradictions will cause it to collapse in upon itself on its own accord. With this in mind, the policy of the U.S.A. and its allies should be to stubbornly limit Russia’s ability to spread instability outside its own borders until such a day that it has an opening to provide capital and expertise in the political and economic reform of Russia once it cruelly awakens to disastrous consequences of Putinism.
Electoral college must be democratized Dylan Smith
Guest Columnist
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alf an hour into watching live election-night coverage, I already have an ulcer. If I continue to watch, I may develop more psychosomatic symptoms; perhaps by the time I’m sitting in class at 9:00 tomorrow morning my face and chest will be covered in hives. I’ll be exhausted, my bloodshot eyes will blink only occasionally as I contemplate the future of this great nation of ours, rather than contemplating how groups of Early Christian readers in the Mediterranean circulated their texts. If called on I might give an answer about how Jesus preached egalitarianism (though the real story is much less black and white), about how one of the core beliefs of Early Christians, Jew and Gentile alike, was to challenge the existing way of life and the concentration of power that had built up even in the farthest reaches of the Roman Empire. The average life span of a man in the Roman Empire was 20 years of age. And, though perhaps groggily, I may argue tomorrow morning that ideologies began to change because those living in Rome began to realized that the way of life that had been imposed on them wasn’t working. Now that everyone has voted, I don’t have to pretend anymore: I don’t like Hillary Clinton. No, I don’t merely think she’s a worse candidate than Bernie Sanders. I truly feel that as a candidate she does not reflect my values. Clearly, though liberals across the board have been wary to say so in fear of inciting a nearby Trump supporter, Hillary Clinton represents the ideologies of establishment Democrats, which have apparently shifted from what Bill Clinton stood for a mere 20 years ago, and works for and answers to large corporate interests like Goldman Sachs. I can’t speak for the average American, or even the average Vassar student, but I certainly don’t want the CEOs of GS, Wells Fargo and other large financial intermediaries governing my country by proxy. At least the industrialists can give us jobs, right? This leads me to ask, as a registered Democrat, whether or not the Democratic Party’s platform contains even the specter of what I’m looking
for as a voter. Mainstream American politics has shifted so far to the right that a candidate embodying–at least to his voters–a white nationalist ideology can run as a candidate for President of the United States under the banner of one of the two historically centrist political parties. Going along with this unfortunate phenomenon, though liberals haven’t been very vocal in calling attention to it, is a clear and deliberate movement of the traditionally left-leaning Democratic Party to the right as well, leaving Bernie Sanders, who objectively is only trying to continue a lengthy tradition of large government, progressive statist Democrat-ism, rather than overthrow the free market or advocate for central planning as an extreme leftist whose policies are understood as unrealistic by a majority of Americans. No, American progressives weren’t abandoning their ideals when they voted for Hillary Clinton. They were, as the first-past-the-post system forces them to do, choosing between the lesser of two evils. It’s natural, when faced with two awful choices, to choose that which is closer to you on the political spectrum. However, now that the election is said and done, Leftists across America must acknowledge just what Hillary Clinton is: an awful choice. She’s not an awful choice because of her emails, or because of Benghazi, or because of her health, or even because of her pants suits. She’s an awful choice because her tax plan will lead to virtually no increase in taxes, because her foreign policy has failed miserably in the past and because her interests, much like Donald Trump’s, lie in the hearts of the top one percent of Americans. That being said, I didn’t write this piece to emphasize my left-leaning views about taxes or economic policy. Liberals and Conservatives alike need to come to terms with the question of whether or not their respective party’s candidate actually stands for what they believe in, or instead be forced to acknowledge the reality that each former candidate is some right-shifted caricature of their own ideals. Republicans can’t argue with the fact that a party that once advocated for deregulation, small government and entitlement reform has now embraced a largely anti-immigrant, anti-politically-correct stance that promises little
to no actual policy regarding traditionally Republican issues. Now that we’re past the drama of Election Day, Liberals need to challenge Hillary Clinton every step of the way. If traditional Conservatives want their voices heard, they should do the same. The only way to enact any form of progressive change will be constant and aggressive activism. It has become clear that our electoral process favors large corporate interests of the private sector. The interests of the voting populous are transformed into estuaries that, at the top of each mountain, are crystal clear, but as they flow they become muddied, combining again and again to eventually form two raging rivers that bear no resemblance to the streams of their origin. The lay of the land seems to have forced each of the rivers to divert their water to the political right before joining the great ocean of dark and terrifying interests. How can we fix this? The first step is acknowledging the clear flaws in our voting system, known as the first-past-the-post voting system. In first-past-the-post, majority wins. While this is the simple approach, it leads to voters picking a candidate they don’t love (see: voting for Bill Clinton instead of Perot) for fear of the election of a candidate they truly hate. An attractive alternative is Instant Runoff Voting. In a field of candidates, voters cast their vote by ranking the candidates in order of preference. If their first choice does not receive the majority, their votes are allocated to the candidate with the next lowest amount. The process is repeated until one candidate remains. The Instant Runoff voting system would ensure that everyone votes for the candidate they most agree with without taking into consideration the likelihood of that candidate’s victory. If they don’t win, the vote just goes to the next choice. This system would result in a much more representative democracy and hopefully, if implemented, would contribute to avoiding a disaster like that of the 2016 election cycle. Hopefully with the future will come an opportunity to stop voting for generalities and nominating ideologues and move this country forward rather than exclusively to the right.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Page 11
Word on the street What is your favorite Twitter feud? “Skai Jackson and Azealia Banks.” — Jaimeson Bukacek Frazier ’19
“Neil deGrasse Tyson and Republicans.” — Justas Rodarte ’19
“Kim and anybody, really.” — Lily Horner ’18
“Me and Judge Judy.” — Aaron Shaffer ’18
“Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris.” — Caroline Coleman ’17
“Donald Trump and Jon Stewart.” — Rainah Umlauf ’17
Evelyn Frick, Humor & Satire Editor
HUMOR & SATIRE
Page 12
November 10, 2016
Breaking News From the desk of Evelyn Frick, Humor & Satire Editor NY Times fact checks confirm that Vassar’s three-hour primal scream duration, Trump presidency, are not typos No more November: humor VC junior debunks faulty writer ready for Christmas myth of collegiate progress Yesenia Garcia Rude Olph
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ossibility of time travel confirmed, Christmas preparations already underway As you know, the sorcery that is Daylight Savings came to an end this weekend, providing us with a much needed extra hour of sleep. I’m not exactly sure how the mechanics of this concept work, but if one day someone decided that we can travel back and forth an hour in time, then by that logic, we should be allowed to skip ahead a month. That’s right everyone, you heard it here first: November is officially cancelled. Halloween has come and gone, leaving us disoriented and in need of a sense of wholesomeness to erase the memories of our sins and the Christmas season holds the perfect solution. It’s nothing personal, but I think November is a social construct. If you look forward to a feast every year on Thanksgiving, there is nothing stopping you from gorging yourself with food any other day. Instead of blindly following an arbitrary tradition of eating turkey on a Thursday and pretending that those European settlers didn’t commit genocide, you should strive to be more progressive, and refuse to acknowledge the existence of November all together. Making the transition from October to December is easy because signs that Christmas is near are all around campus. Mother Nature herself has picked up on these cues and has recently provided us with a delicate dusting of snow (before it turned to rain and sludge), momentarily transforming the campus into a magnificent winter wonderland. If you cannot contain your excitement for the impending arrival of the Christmas season and all the mirth that it brings, you should take matters further into your own hands. Here are some tips that will help you get into the holiday spirit in no time. Feel free to indulge in the unfettered capitalism that is the Christmas season. Seriously, don’t hold back! Take the shuttle to the mall and purchase gifts for all of your closest acquaintances. Your roommate, the guy from the Dollar Yard, your professors, that one guy who held the door open for you at the Deece last semester... everyone deserves a nice gift. Alternatively, if venturing out into the world isn’t really your thing (I don’t blame you), Am-
azon Prime exists for this reason, and is always just a few clicks away, ready to speedily ship out whatever product your materialistic heart desires. Upon close inspection, you may notice that this campus has a lot of trees. Too many, in fact. Vassar trees have gotten far too comfortable. Some might even say they are privileged; I mean, some of them even have their own name tags! It’s time to put them in their place, and “their place” happens to be in your dorm room. I’m sure that no one will notice if you cut down a tree or two and repurpose them as holiday decor. After all, nothing adds more holiday flare than a rustic tree decaying in the middle of your room! It’s a proven fact that no matter where you are on campus, you are never more than 10 feet away from a Steinway piano. So if you are musically inclined and even if you are not, you should huddle around the nearest piano and put on a show for everyone around you to enjoy. Ring in the holiday season by belting out your best rendition of Mariah Carey’s timeless classic “All I Want for Christmas is You” or if you are even more daring, recreate the iconic scene from the “Mean Girls” talent show, camcorder-wielding mother and all. Your angelic voice and fresh moves will send shivers down the spines of all those around you and spread Christmas joy for all to hear. Here at Vassar, the opportunity to have close encounters with wildlife is abundant. You should think of this campus as your own personal petting zoo. There are plenty of deer frolicking throughout campus and since they don’t pay tuition, you might as well put them to good use. Invite your friends to join you in your reindeer games and play a festive game of pin the nose on tick-carrying Rudolph. This classic game is sure to provide an enjoyable experience for all parties involved. If you are looking to take things a step further, you could also partake in the equally absurd activity known as “hunting season.” I know it always feels like you never have enough time to fully enjoy the Christmas season, so this year, take control for once in your life by following these simple tips. Make sure to savor every minute of this self-imposed Christmas marathon and have fun jingle bell rockin’ the night away!
Kayla Lightner
Reverse Butterfly
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ot every metamorphosis makes a beautiful butterfly out of a vile caterpillar; sometimes the process works in reverse. To prove this, I give you my metamorphoses from an eager freshman to a hot-mess junior Drinking Freshman year: Excuse me! I don’t need to get drunk to have a good time. Unlike these idiots that are tripping all over themselves, I like to be in control of my body! Junior year: Last night I downed an entire Four Loko in five minutes and chased that with three shots of tequila. Two hours later, I was lying face down in the Joss bathroom handicap stall wearing nothing but a gold rain poncho and some Doc Martins. It was a Thursday. Wardrobe Freshman year: Hmm, what should I wear tomorrow? What about that cute purple skirt and some tights? And I’ll make sure to get up a couple of minutes early to straighten my hair. Oh, and it would be so cute if I coordinated my nail polish to match my shoes! Junior year: I know that I should throw these jeans in the hamper since I wore them on Monday...and again on Wednesday. But are they technically dirty if the people in my Tuesday/ Thursday classes haven’t seen me wear them yet? Eating habits Freshman year: I think I’ll just have some chicken and salad for dinner at the Deece tonight. I mean, I did have those three slices of pizza the night before and if I’m not careful, I’ll gain the freshman 15! Junior Year: I didn’t have enough money for groceries this week so I’ve literally just been living off of Twizzlers, Cheez-its and a jar of Duncan Hines vanilla frosting. Emailing Professors Freshman year: Dear Professor Graham, Hello! I hope you are well, and I apologize for disturbing your evening. If you could spare a moment out of your undoubtedly busy sched-
ule, would you mind telling me if our research paper proposal is due tomorrow? Once again, I am sincerely sorry for troubling you. Your help is greatly appreciated! Junior year: Yo Wendy, research proposal due tomorrow or nah? -Sent from my iphone The Mug Freshman year: I can’t wait to go The Mug tonight. It’ll be so fun to just dance and blow off some steam!
Junior year: This evening, my friends and I once again took on the barbaric, godless cesspit that is The Mug. It was so cripplingly dark. Such sweltering heat. Not even five minutes in, casualty struck. My roommate got sucked into the middle of the dance floor. The last thing I remember is her beautiful face receding into a ravenous mass of salty, sweaty bodies. I wanted to grab her hand, to save her. But she was already gone. Such fools we were... Party Hookups Freshman year: I can’t believe I just made out with that guy! What if I see him around campus? Should I ask for his number or is that too weird? Junior year: Who the fuck was that? ...He kinda tasted like garlic knots...maybe I’ll order some Bacio’s when I get home. Again. Making Friends Freshman year: I am going to become best friends with everyone in my fellow group, all the people who live on my floor and each and every person that I made eye contact with during orientation week. Junior year: Out of the 50 people that I know, I genuinely like maybe five of them and merely tolerate the rest. Being hungover Freshman year: Jesus, my head is pounding! I need to take a Tylenol and get something to eat. Next time, I’ll be sure to rotate between my alcoholic beverages, water, and holy water. Junior year: Hello darkness, my old friend.
Ask Banner: the Misc’s “weekly” “advice” column by Zander Bashaw, Mansplainer
Yo Banner,
I declared my major recently, and I lost my “Hooray, I’m Declared” pin within minutes of leaving the registrar. I got around not including the button in my obligatory “I declared” post, but I can’t fathom not having it on my backpack. Should I go back to the Registrar and ask for another one? Sincerely, Life is RegistrHard Dear Pinhead,
There is no greater shame than returning to where you made a momentous decision about your academic future to to admit your own pettiness and lack of responsibility. If you feel dedicated enough to getting that pin in such a pathetic way, you might as well earn it and declare a second major. Love from, Banner
Dearest Banner,
Hi Ask Banner,
The absentee ballot process has caused me to feel extremely insecure about my childish signature. I always assumed that when I became an adult, I would suddenly have an official and fancy signature, not something that looks like I’m part of a generation that didn’t learn cursive. Advice? Clumslily, (Insecure about my signature) Dear Jonathan Hancock,
The best response to insecurities is blatant overcompensation, which is why I called you Jonathan Hancock. Instead of subtly adding his unprofessional and phallic name on our countries critically important independence document, John Hancock signed a bulbous signature. Go big or go home! Best, Banner
Can you please explain to me the phenomenon known as “the Mannequin Challenge?” I really want to get involved, but I want to make sure I do so in a responsible, socially concious way. Is this trend worth having a say in? As far as I can tell, it’s merely a more nuanced and social version of planking. Dabbing profusely, Trendy Trendster Dear Bandwagon hopper,
Aristotle always said that it is unwise to get involved in a vine trend too early. Though your analysis of the Mannequin Challenge as a type of postmodern planking is astute, I fear that there is no responsible way to engage in a trend like this. Maybe you could write a poem instead? Sarcastically, Banner
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Hello Professor Banner,
All my friends have entered into horcrux like relationships with their orgs, their majors or both. As of now, I get a healthy amount of sleep, finish most of my homwork, and have not drank coffee at college yet. Any reccomendations about how to go down this road of dark magic? Let me know, Thomas Riddle Dear Voldy,
To make a Vassar horcrux, you must be prepared for murder. You will have to kill the version of you that spends time sleeping, or does the reading or watches Mannequin Challenges so that you rip your soul. You then can bind it to something -like the Misc- to have an immortal albeit cursed life on campus. Choose Wisely, Banner
HUMOR & SATIRE
November 10, 2016
Page 13
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“X-Word Puzzle”
The Miscellany Crossword by Kim Carlson and Mackenzie Little
ACROSS
1. Trades, like TLC wives 6. Mid-day exhaustion treat 10. Places gently 14. Manic dream girl 15. “___ _____ willikers” - quote from me, around children 16. Part of the ship sheltered from wind 17. Jungian archetype of the unconscious 18. Cool! but like, in the 50s 19. High quality & expensive 20. Save energy by putting them on your house 22. Cheese from the Netherlands 23. Mr. ____ Beat - Alexandra Stan 24. Stay stuck on something 26. Dried, split pulse 30. Techies 31. 30-Across ____ unusual, according to Tom Jones 32. Third largest Hawaiian island 33. Grating whisper 35. Present active of 33-Across 39. The bending of fingers or limbs 41. Todd from Bojack Horseman or Voodoo from Sirens 43. The biggest bone in your body 44. Dessert baked in a pastry shell
Answers to puzzle from 10/27/16
46. Fancy therefore 47. The oldest independent air force in the world (abbr.) 49. The person reading this right now (goodbye 4th wall) 50. Leak, like through a wall 51. Place with Deal or No Deal slot machines 54. The Ferris Wheel was premiered at one 56. Place 57. Under appreciated moms (3 words) 63. 64-Across 64. A bunch of beans 65. Poison or venom 66. Pre67. Citation referring to a previously mentioned work 68. How to fix online friendships 69. A Scottish gal 70. 4 panel .jpg meme 71. Cool slang for parents!
37. If books were onions, this would be one of the layers 38. Pig dinner 40. Home of Tehran 42. Contains relics and used as a place of meditation 45. What we all said to Cap’n at the start of Spongebob 48. Dinosaur as we know it now 51. Artificial waterway
DOWN
1. Places to get a massage 2. Mom who really likes grape juice ;) 3. The leaf stalk part of a plant 4. Native American group in Arizona 5. Where to buy your washing machine 6. No longer existing 7. Benjamin Button’s whole schtick 8. Loud bell sound 9. Local man __ self __ fire (2 words) 10. Pay a lil extra on these for goods and services (2 words) 11. Narrowly escape 12. The cowboy state, probably 13. It appears… 21. Egypt capital 25. A regular snooze fest 26. Remove an item of clothing 27. Free from disease 28. Attention getting phrase 29. Treats yo’ self 34. Sudden attacks of emotion 36. Mild agreement word
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
52. Fight zone with seats! 53. “hey babe you up?” and “pics pls” 55. They hold hands when they sleep 58. List of things to accomplish (2 words) 59. Where your heart is? 60. Big male cows 61. Refreshing and tingly leaf 62. Sad hair has these split Note: Last week’s answers were erroneously printed. We have included answers from 10/27.
ARTS
Page 14
November 10, 2016
Contemporary artist gives dynamic, performative talk Sam O’Keefe
Guest Reporter
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Courtesy of Sam O’Keefe
During her talk, contemporary artist Martine Syms overlayed GIFs and text from her computer to demonstrate to the audience how she approaches her subjects, which include race and identity.
Courtesy of Tobias Rodriguez-Wynwood via Vimeo
aylor Hall 203 was full on the evening of Tuesday, Nov. 1 as contemporary artist Martine Syms shared her ideas and projects with both aspiring Vassar artists and several art professors. Thanks to the Agnes Rindge Claflin Fund and Frances Loebman Art Center, which has consistently brought exceptional artists to Vassar for decades, Syms was able to showcase herself and her artistic processes to Vassar. Adjunct Assistant Professor of Art Patrick McElnea, who has taught at Vassar since 2012, was the faculty member responsible for bringing Syms to Vassar. It was Syms’s peculiar style which caught McElnea’s attention in video of hers that he happened upon online, an eclectic style that would pique the artistic attention of Vassar students and faculty intrigued by the world of contemporary art. Born in 1988, Syms grew up with her family in Los Angeles, then migrating to Illinois, where she graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2009. For a few years after graduating, Syms ran her own artist space and exhibition titled Golden Age, which consisted of over 50 experimental projects, including films and interactive, online exhibitions. She then went on to found her own company called Dominica Publishing, which recognizes and publishes books and works surrounding Black culture and identity in visual and contemporary art. Young for her field, Syms’s unusual and pensive pieces and ideas have been circulated around the world, screened and exhibited at places such as The Studio Museum in Harlem, Index Stockholm and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. McElnea describes Syms as a “conceptually multifaceted artist.” This is accurate in that she makes use of several different media and technological elements such as the screen and social media. She finds inspiration from these pieces of the online world while also from her race, history and certain figures that she has met or observed. Syms has collaborated with artists such as Paul Chan and Theaster Gates, finding and sharing inspiration with them and others to produce her works. Engaging in research surrounding Queer Theory and African Americanism in the American Film Industry, she has also published her own book titled “Implications and Distinctions: Format, Content, and Context of Contemporary Race Film.” Yet in her lecture, Syms decided to focus less on her achievements and more on her own concepts and thoughts, while elaborating on the often overlooked ingredients that feed into particular projects. Indeed, audience members were walked through the artist’s deep and fascinating thought processes, thus following her consciousness and the roots of her creative output. As McElnea explained, “Martine Syms works at the intersection of video, graphic design, performance culture and education.” But she refers to herself as a “conceptual entrepreneur,” engaging in the area of business in her publishing ventures, while also pursuing art and creative form. What distinguished her lecture was that instead of regurgitating her works and accomplishments, she rationalized and demonstrated how her work is indelibly reflective of herself, her experiences and her original ideas. Matthew McCardwell ’17, an Art History major, noted how Syms’s flow of ideas did not fol-
low the traditional order of an artist’s lecture: “It was refreshing...to have an artist on campus give a performative lecture.” Syms strove to provide a presentation of her ideas in an organic rather than superficial manner, revealing parts of herself that contributed to an ongoing stream of individual images and thoughts. Syms assumed a relaxed and relatable tone as she presented the audience with her ideas in a colloquial rather than official tone, taking the audience through her familial past and her own thinking process to provide a deeper understanding of her work. This method of presentation is indicative of her style. She explained, “When I look at a single project it’s easier to see how that manifests objectively, so [I want to] sort of just walk through my process.” She seeks to demonstrate the manifold elements of her process that culminate in her products and exhibitions, what McCardwell referred to as an “assemblage” in its own sense. She discusses the power of photographs, the memory in art and the perception of ourselves, explaining how she began to collect photographs of people whom she did not know. One of these photographs was of a little girl aged around six or seven, whose identity was unknown to her, but whose image and demeanor reminded her of herself when she was that age. In this vein, Syms devoted a significant section of her lecture to speaking about her family and personal history, emphasizing her aunt, with whom she spent most of her childhood and adolescent years. Nostalgically looking back on her aunt’s home in Los Angeles, she reveals how important her aunt’s story and presence in her life was to her identity. She began to study her aunt’s old photographs in an effort to better understand her; her aunt was a widely independent entrepreneur who exhibited characteristics that Syms now fulfills. As Karin Halverson ’20 wrote in an email, “I really liked how she used things from all aspects of her life in her art—like the old photographs she found.” It was through her examinations of these photos that contributed to her pursuance of Alison Landsberg’s concept of prosthetic memory, which is the act of taking on someone else’s memories from the images, sounds and other senses derived from photos. In her lecture and works, Syms addresses themes such as racism, female degradation and prowess, democracy, the implications of today’s technology on perspectives of gender and race, and several other related subjects. In addressing these important and often sensitive topics, she introduces figures and ideals in her life that have helped her piece together her work, giving it an eclectic nature. She became fixated on the phrase “how she moves” as it bears associations with feminism and body movement. She charts her exploration of this phrase through its presence in the James Taylor song “Something in the Way She Moves” and the “How She Move” (2007) and “The Way She Moves” (2001). This phrase also infiltrates music in the contemporary rap world, and Syms yearned to decondense the phrase to better comprehend its meaning—she wanted to find out who this hypothetical “she” was, and not only how she moves, but why she moves, what she moves and in what specific way she moves. This particular project is just one of many examples of how Syms sought to consolidate several separate sources and make sense out of their commonal-
“Conceptual entrepreneur” Martine Syms gave a talk about her process and work on Tuesday. In her work, Syms combines ideas about both the Internet and race and how they interact. ities. Racism and Black culture in America and the American film industry prove as fundamental themes in her works, as she recognizes her ethnicity as something critical and associated with an unconscionable past. In the lecture, she made eye-opening connections between the realities of Black Americans in the 20th-century United States with the film industry, pointing out the parallels between the Great Migration to more urban areas in the 1920s with the simultaneous production of the racist film “Birth of a Nation.” She ensuingly describes the ironic relationship between being captured as a slave and being captured on film. Her documentary titled “The Mundane Afrofuturist Manifesto” poses the question of how a race that has been persistently disenfranchised and beaten down by racism and violence can imagine a possible, realistic future. As McCardwell stated, “[T]he presentation was jarring...she eloquently represented American politics, identity politics and the recognition of our own identities.” A more refined cognizance of racial stereotypes and the issue of race developed for her after attending a youth mentor camp during her adolescent years. From these experiences, Syms wove complex and critical concepts like racism into her “performative” lecture, topics that she reveals are relevant to her and her identity. The conceptual entrepreneur made recurring statements about body movement and position, and how these ideas retain conceptual elements such as racism, feminism, self-esteem and autonomy. Syms continued her stream of ideas about the body when she recalled her desire as a young child to be able to move and conduct her body in the same ways that her brothers were doing so— she grew tired of always being told to minimize her body and body movements. Here is where she broaches subjects like feminine oppression and female stereotypes that are rooted in history and virtually latent in all time periods. Her quoting of Claudia Rankine connected this bodily suppression of women to that of African Americans of all genders, linking feminine oppression and racism: “I couldn’t quite shake the feeling, and I still can’t quite shake it, that my body is frail to me not because of the cancer but at the depth of my exhaustion, brought on by a constant onslaught of racism...the daily grind of...being attacked physically or verbally.” Syms then shared personal insight into her own perception of her body as a manifestation of physical space. She confessed, “I’ve realized the idea of the body as a document of experiences...I started thinking about the instances in which the assertion of presence and space, which people use to kind of counter invisibility is crushed. All the confrontations that I myself have gotten into pertain to taking up space because it gets read as anger or attitude.” Given today’s fraught political and social landscape, exploring representations of the Black body—especially those proliferated by the media—is particularly important. “One thing I was really interested in was the differences between how I appear on my screen and in person,” Syms offered. Here she introduced the screen as a medium that has the power to alter one’s physical appearance. The GIF and the meme are elements of today’s technology that Syms highlights; they are associative, in that they present images or short,
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
looping videos that represent feelings and phenomena to which everyone can relate. Yet Syms is more interested in how the Black, female body has been portrayed in the media through GIFs and memes, and what power of these portrayals has. “As we become more alive, we are more valued as a human, it’s because [one is] becoming a thing, an image,” explained Syms. The GIF, a symbolic moment amplified, thus serves as an affiliation that is recognizable by everyone. As Samantha Kohl ’17, who attended the talk, reflected, “I’ve never really thought about how these images of black women go viral, and why they do so.” Syms stated, “I’m interested in the role of virality as a contemporary means of survival.” The artist speaks to technology’s potency in impacting individual’s lives, and providing a scaffold off of which people can achieve fame or recognition. This has spurred her focus on social media and the world of online sharing in her art. McCardwell was overwhelmed with Syms’s lecture in that there was so much to unpack. As he remembered, “[It was] a simultaneous presentation of current, 21st century technology and ideas, that also paid homage to this country’s past oppression and other various issues.” The multifaceted proclivities of Syms as an artist are apparent in the way that she structured her lecture. The talk, replete with refreshing combinations of ideas and proposals, collectively served as a performance within a lecture, as her presentation appeared more viscerally expressive rather than preplanned. What made it so effective was its aesthetic aspect, which Syms achieved through her use of the screen. Showing the audience multiple videos either created by her or by artists from whom she found inspiration, she never closed a window on her screen, letting each video continue to play as she sequentially layered one video on top of another, creating a mosaic of moving pixels. Antoine Robinson ’18 commented, “[T]he method of [layering] the images made the presentation into a work of its own.” Indeed, the accumulating, moving pictures on the screen rendered Syms and her talk more of an active exhibition of her art than as a passive presentation of her works. Kohl shared, “it was fascinating to see how she transformed her desktop into a platform and canvas...she did an amazing job of lecturing and creating simultaneously.” Syms’s presentation was irrefutably eclectic, incorporating numerous stories, quotes, images, videos and messages, resembling the journey that an artist takes in observing, collecting and creating. Kohl mentions the artists Deleuze and Guattari, whom Syms briefly discussed for their advancement of the Rhizome theory. This theory is founded on the idea that art can be represented as a vessel, with no clear beginning or ending, and no original source or final state. Art, in Syms’s case, is more of a fluid process of ideas and elements, with no clear-cut beginning or end, and this amorphous style was reflected in the nature of her lecture. Robinson remembered when she turned on her computer’s webcam, “I thought it was a great move, it created a sort of transparency and further punctuated that it was not a presentation but rather art about art making.” Thus was the effect that Syms evoked in her performative lecture, reflective of herself, while shedding light on the tools by which she creates and understands her work in her own way.
November 10, 2016
ARTS
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‘Atlanta’ thoughtfully balances comedy, commentary Jimmy Christon Columnist
Atlanta
Donald Glover FX Productions
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just focused on race in the modern day; it’s about what it’s like to live in the modern day. The show tackles issues such as poverty, inner-city schooling, family planning, music and the media’s role in day-to-day life, and handles them all with a deft hand. One episode in particular, “B.A.N.” tackled a number of these issues in a really unique way that I won’t spoil. While the episode isn’t exactly the first to play with television form like this, it might be the most successful in how it plays with form. There were some really funny jokes throughout the episode and the ending had me rolling in laughter. That’s another fantastic thing about this show; it’s really funny. I don’t know what it is about FX and comedies, but they’ve struck gold again. The
Courtesy of NASA/Bill Ingalls via Wikimedia
hat a trip. “Atlanta” is proof that a TV show can juggle a serious subject, comedic writing and great characters in 30 minutes or less. “Atlanta” is the passion project of entertainment mogul Donald Glover. If you haven’t heard of Glover before, you’ve probably watched or heard something he has been involved with. He was a writer for the fantastic “30 Rock,” was Troy on the show “Community” and makes music under the stage name Childish Gambino. In short, the dude gets around. “Atlanta” is about a lot of things, but mainly centers around the fictional up-and-coming rapper Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles (played by Brian Tyree Henry) and his cousin/manager Earn (played by Donald Glover) in the city of Atlanta. Along with these two characters, there is also Paper Boi’s friend Darius (played by Keith Stanfield) and Earn’s baby momma Van (played by Zazie Beetz). “Atlanta” is a procedural show, so each episode is its own self-contained story, like a sitcom. At the same time, each episode doesn’t reset everything about the world around the characters. Over the course of the season, the relationships between characters develops naturally. Van and Earn’s in particular is one that gets a lot of focus over this 10-episode season. One of my favorite parts of the show was the cinematography. The majority of the episodes were directed by Hiro Murai (who directed many of Childish Gambino’s music videos), and he brings a consistency to the cinematography that is sorely lacking in television today. Murai applied a filter to the show that gives everything this really subtle bloom and casts everything in a soft sort of glow. Not only is it very
pretty to look at, but it really sets the show apart visually from everything else on television. Along with this, the way the show is shot works wonders for the comedy. Shots are always held to the perfect length for a joke to have a full effect. There is a fantastic use of pans, long takes and zooms throughout the season that only add to the comedy in the show. Then there is the serious side of the show. Despite being a comedy, this show can turn on a dime. Don’t be surprised if your laughter stops abruptly in the middle of a scene. I haven’t seen a show to be so concerned with social commentary, and do it so successfully, since HBO’s “The Wire.” I’m not just talking about how this show deals with race, because it is limiting towards the show to label it as only being about race. “Atlanta” isn’t
The new show “Atlanta,” starring Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Keith Stanfield and Zazie Beetz, explores the rap scene and masterfully combines a comedic and serious tone.
jokes are rarely flat, delivered in a hilarious deadpan style and are always perfectly timed. Some of the jokes are just meant to get some laughs, but others are pretty biting satires of today’s world. The show doesn’t limit its satire to anything in particular either. It calls out everything from YouTube celebrities to extreme cases of white guilt. I don’t want to go too in-depth about what the show brings up, but I have to say that there is one gag halfway through the season involving face paint that is one of the funniest things I have ever seen on TV. The comedy is not restricted to jokes or gags either; the characters in this show are wonderfully realized and wonderfully comedic. Paper Boi as a character strikes a great balance between soft and caring while still having a skewed sense of pride and justice, and then there is Darius. Darius is the oddball of the group, is usually stoned for most of his appearance and almost always drops some knowledge when he opens his mouth. Put simply, he’s a joy to watch on screen. I have to end the review with the two main characters: Earn and Van. I have to applaud Glover for his writing in this department. First off, Glover has gained some self-awareness. One thing that has constantly bothered me about Glover’s works is just how self-centered they are, but this show goes to great lengths to belittle Glover’s character and it works greatly. Along with this, the writing for the character Van is nothing short of amazing. She gets an entire episode devoted to her character, and while it has some hilarious moments, the episode is one of the more somber ones. We really see what drives this character and it helps to add dimensions to a character that could have easily been written into cliches. Although I’ve been calling this show a comedy, somber is a really good word to describe this show. “Atlanta” is funny, but a big part of the comedy comes from pointing out just how absurd some of the things around us are. Somber is a good word to describe this. Yes, the show is funny and heartfelt, but there is a bittersweetness to this happiness.
Irish music group exhibits growth on ‘Gameshow’ Patrick Tanella
Assistant Arts Editor
Gameshow
Two Door Cinema Club Parlophone
will be the first to admit that I was late to the Two Door Cinema Club party. I had only heard their most popular song, “What You Know,” and I was not a fan. However, after persistence from a friend, I caved and listened to their other tracks over the summer, and I became obsessed. Their third fulllength album, “Gameshow,” was just released, and while it diverges from the characteristic Two Door sound, it is important that artists continue to show growth. Two Door Cinema Club is an Irish band that blends indie rock and pop. Its members include Alex Trimble, Sam Halliday and Kevin Baird, and each member sings and plays a motley of instruments. Their first album, “Tourist History,” was released in 2010 and contains some of their most popular tracks. “What You Know,” “Undercover Martyn” and “Something Good Can Work” launched the group into the indie scene. Their second album, “Beacon,” was released in 2012 and has a similar sound to their debut. The record contains personal favorites of mine, “Next Year” and “Sleep Alone.” After the release of an EP entitled “Changing of the Seasons” in 2013, the band went quiet for a while. In early 2016, though, they announced that new music would be coming and played a string of festivals over the summer. I started listening at this time, and couldn’t wait for more music. However, after the release of the album’s promotional single, “Are We Ready (Wreck),” I was confused. The sound was completely different and resembled nothing that I had grown accustomed to listening to. Two Door is a band that continues to progress rather than produce repetitive hits like other bands in the industry. They have cited Prince,
Courtesy of whenheaveninvased via DeviantArt
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The Irish band Two Door Cinema Club tries something new with their third album “Gameshow.” Though it does not live up to the hype of previous releases, it demonstrates an attempt at the new. David Bowie, Miguel and Kanye West as influences on the record, and it can definitely be heard in “Are We Ready.” The band’s frontman, Alex Trimble, discussed how he felt dissatisfied from this generation, which can definitely be heard in the track’s lyrics. Trimble sings, “Oh we’ve made a mistake. We’ve lost our minds. We’ve lost our memory. Oh, what’s it gonna take? There’s always something else / Waiting on the shelf.” Trimble is rebelling against the materialistic nature of people in this generation and their reliance on consumerism. A lack of connection with this generation is a continual theme on “Gameshow.” The album sounds like a late ’70s disco record with accompanying guitar solos and rock sounds. I don’t believe that any artists in the alternative industry have done anything close to this, and I respect
the band for diverging from mainstream culture. While the change may not pay off in “Are We Ready,” the band’s newfound sound works well in “Bad Decisions.” The track appears to sound disco, yet I could also see it as a rock version of Daft Punk’s style. The synth-pop sound in combination with rock instrumentals contributes to making the track one of the best songs on the record. Trimble utilizes his upper vocal register much more often in “Gameshow” than in any previous work. When he sings “I’m addicted to you / I make bad decisions,” it sounds like he is screeching, but, in a way, that works for the song. While it can come off as sinousy on the song and on other parts of the record, I think it is a worthwhile risk and shows how talented the singer truly is. Personally, the song I enjoy the most and I could see becoming a single is “Ordinary.” It has
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a similar sound to past albums while also expressing its late-’70s influences that are featured throughout the record. The song highlights the band’s new direction and details attempting to cover up excessive behavior. In a way, they are pretending that they are not celebrities, or at least in the alternative community. In the chorus, Trimble urges, “Go ahead, just cover it up. Let’s pretend we’re ordinary. We could be in heaven but it’s never enough. It’s mine. If the world’s so mysterious, how can we be ordinary?” “Je Viens De La,” which translates to “I come from there,” is another track that successfully combines the band’s previous sound with its new influences. Trimble uses his upper register throughout the chorus and it is reinforced with synth-pop instrumentals. He cries out, “So tell me something / Show me the world I’m searching for and take me home. I saw just one thing / All that I could say before I’m gone.” The rest of the album fails to achieve what “Bad Decisions,” “Ordinary” and “Je Viens De La” do so successfully. The tracks are repetitive, forgetful and sometimes even uncomfortable to listen to. “Gameshow” feels like it is moving too fast and lacks the substance that usually accompanies a Two Door Cinema Club song. Trimble sounds like he is screaming throughout the track, and I find listening to it to be unbearable. Tracks like “Fever” are not nearly as bad, but the song sounds like a derivative of “Bad Decisions” in a lower register. While “Gameshow” does not live up to the hype of past albums, I believe that it shows that the band is not afraid to be different and try something new. In a time where many bands continue to produce repetitive, top-40 hits, I am ecstatic that one of the most prevalent bands in the alternative industry continues to attempt to reshape themselves. I hope that, in the future, they learn to better combine their older influences with the alternative pop/rock vibes that have established them as mainstays in the music industry.
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ARTS
November 10, 2016
Art Center dedicates new space to photo collection LOEB continued from page 1
like the exploration of gender which are more relevant and understandable, particularly to Vassar students. Usually art museums are so intimidating, and often it’s more difficult for students to relate to the work on display. But with contemporary issues dealt with in the medium of photography, it’s far more accessible to them.” The gallery also features a photogram by San Francisco-based artist Klea McKenna, titled “Rain Study #19.” Using light-sensitive gelatin silver fiber paper, this experimental work of camera-less photography reveals the unexpected wonders of the natural world, transforming familiar elements of rain into abstractions of light and form, through a novel and innovative approach. This particular rain study photogram integrates and reflects aspects of the artist’s own life, as it was taken during a rain storm in her childhood home Hawaii, capturing raindrops as they fall and collect in the lower part of the composition. The acclaimed Ellen Carey’s “MultiChrome Pull,” a color Polaroid print made with a large-format, Polaroid 20x24 camera, also hangs in the gallery. This work is a fine example of the experimental, process-driven photography for which she has become known. By exposing color film to a flash of pure light, and then pulling the paper out of the camera’s rollers past the prescribed length, Carey obtains a beautifully strange parabola. Last but most definitely not least, Marie Cosindas’s photo “Yves St. Laurent, Paris,” which is a part of a larger series depicting various artistic and cultural icons, is featured as well. As one of the first photographers to experiment with Polacolor film, Cosindas is a pioneering artist in color technology, and having her work displayed naturally completes this contemporary exhibition. Her masterful portrait of the French designer draws attention to her interest and background in both painting and textile design, reveals her marked attention to visual detail and demonstrates exceptional color saturation. Smallens underscored that this particular focus of the gallery on modern and experimental forms was of the utmost significance: “When the Loeb first opened, the Board was very interested in showcasing contemporary art from the Hudson Valley, and so the gallery’s emphasis on contemporary art and artists truly ties in with Vassar’s long standing values.” Curator of Photography and Assistant Director of Strategic Planning Mary-Kay Lombino also discussed the college’s long traditions, specifically those of collecting and exhibiting photography: “The Art Center has over 4000 works of photography in its collection, and we hold a photography exhibition every year to showcase parts of it. It is the fastest growing area of the art museum, and we are constantly thinking of ways to make it better. The idea of a new photography gallery has been in the works for a long time because visitors often come ask what photos are on view, and sometimes we wouldn’t have any if the annual exhibition was not on.” Lombino has wanted a permanent space for photography for a long time. So, when Hoy, a former curator herself as well as a member of
Courtesy of Klea McKenna via the Loeb
realism and examines the fluidity of gender, relationships and intimacy. Her creation of tension between the authentic and the fabricated is reminiscent of Cindy Sherman’s early work, but with an interesting twist that defies gender stereotypes. “Clubbing,” created by the artist for her thesis while she was at RISD, depicts six individuals dancing together in an alternative style to a rhythmic staccato beat. With large, bulging pupils painted under their real eyes and grandiose clothing, the characters in the three-minute video are a stark, captivating presence. The artist designed all the costumes and make-up, choreographed the dance and played all six roles. In this work, Gutierrez provokes the viewers to question their own perceptions of sex, gender and social interaction. By acting as subject, artist and muse, and making use of eclectic media, Gutierrez documents her personal transformation into various imagined roles. The power of using this exhibition as the commencement of what will be a long tradition of showcasing photography at the Loeb particularly lies in its relevance to Vassar curricula. As a teaching museum, the Art Center is more than just a passive structure where artwork is available to be viewed. Rather, it strives to make full use of its location in a college, allowing students to learn from the art as much as possible. In her Freshman Writing Seminar “Art and Social Change in the U.S.,” Professor Lisa Collins discussed this particular exhibit extensively, and even assigned an essay on Gutierrez’s displayed work. Samantha Hodes ’20, a student taking this class, explicated how Gutierrez’s photography was covered as a part of their syllabus: “We spent a lot of the first half of the semester considering what photographs can convey and their importance in impacting society and changing peoples’ perspectives. Martine Gutierrez’s work focused on bending and changing gender norms in social interactions. Her ‘Girl Friends’ series spoke a great deal about female relationships, and each picture embodied a different aspect of friendship. The relevance of Gutierrez’s work loops back to how film and photography are mediums that are rampantly being used today to make social statements or change social and cultural norms.” With regard to how the students interacted with the works, Hodes continued, “We all had to examine the photographs individually and come up with our own interpretations. We first had to dissect them in a purely visual sense, then infer meaning from what we saw, and finally, ask questions–either what questions the photograph itself raises or what questions we may have had about it. Student interpretations of what was depicted varied from the dynamics of female relationships, to the vulnerability and fragility of women, to how gender roles are fulfilled by women in accordance with certain societal standards where women must live up to the perfect ideal.” Yasemin Smallens ’20, a student docent, commented on this as well and how it relates to the approachability of art: “I really like how Martine Gutierrez’s work comments on issues
Pictured above is Klea McKenna’s “Rain Study #19,” an photo made without a camera. This work is one of the pieces featured in the inaugural exhibition of the Loeb’s new photo gallery. the Art Center’s Advisory Council for Photography, decided that she wanted to donate funds specifically to put photography on the walls, a dream was fulfilled for Lombino, and a plan was put into place. It was much easier to push for a gallery once the endowment was made, because almost everyone recognized that photography is something that a lot of viewers are interested in seeing, and the gallery would be satisfying a real demand. In the same vein as Smallens, Lombino explained, “This gallery is going to bring awareness to the museum’s strength in photography, which is really important considering that it is a more accessible medium, especially when it comes to contemporary art.” As she expanded, “With the direction that the world is moving in, everyone has a camera phone, everyone takes photographs and so naturally, everyone can relate to photography. We all see the world through the images we capture, and so photography is really a tremendously powerful access point into art.” In terms of accessibility to students of photography, President of PHOCUS Zoe Lemelson ’17 elucidated, “I’m really happy that there is a space permanently dedicated to photography in
the Loeb, because the Art Center actually has a massive and mind-boggling collection of photography in storage which is very useful for students to learn from, but is not always displayed. As a result, PHOCUS students at least, have not interacted much with the Art Center except at the annual photography exhibition. But the gallery opening is definitely going to prompt us to visit this space more. It’s certainly an important step, and I hope to see it progress, with an even larger space being dedicated to photography in the future, so that more of the Loeb’s extensive collection can be exhibited, because it really deserves to be seen.” The current exhibition will run until January, at which point a new one will be introduced and will then run until April. The Art Center plans to change the works displayed in the area fairly often, perhaps four or five times a year, so that they can show a larger variety of the extensive collection that they own. They do not plan to follow any specific theme in the work displayed, but rather plan to keep the only parameter as photography, which includes analog and digital photos, film and video, thus opening up the possibilities of showcasing myriad messages and mediums.
Courtesy of Martine Gutierrez and Ryan Lee via the Loeb
Courtesy of Martine Gutierrez and Ryan Lee via the Loeb
Photos from Martine Gutierrez’s photo series “Girl Friends,” including the one pictured above entitled “Anita & Marie 2,” make up a large part of the Hoene Hoy photo gallery’s first show.
Martine Gutierrez’s work demonstrates an exploration of various identities, indicative of the depth and inquisitive nature of photography that the new gallery hopes to convey.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
ARTS
November 10, 2016
Page 17
Indecent Exposure performs with pals Kaitlin Prado
Guest Reporter
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f you’ve never tried to tell a joke to a Sanders Classroom-sized group of people, I would highly recommend it. This past weekend, Vassar’s only all women’s comedy group Indecent Exposure presented: “Rush Weekend—A Gals N’ Pals Stand-Up Show.” Each year this comedy group invites non-members to submit stand-up sets, and from these submissions, the Gals from Indecent Exposure are able to choose Pals to perform alongside them. This year the event spread across two comedy-filled nights. If you’ve never tried to send a google doc of your own jokes to a talented group of comedians, I would highly recommend it. First years and seniors alike participated, and many of us pals were completely new to the comedy scene. Yase Smallens ’20 performed as a Pal and shared, “I submitted a set for Gals N’ Pals because a friend in the group told me to give it a shot. I had never done comedy or any performance art before, but I’ve written in a lot of different styles before and decided to give stand-up comedy a shot.” Smallens was not the only one to succumb to some positive peer pressure. Rachel Elson ’19 also took some advice and inspiration from friends that are involved with comedy groups on campus. This long-time rugby player, first-time Pal explained why she wanted to be a part of
Gals N’ Pals in the first place: “I really love telling stories with friends...and I started to realize that comedy in general, and stand-up in particular is a great way to do that. So I figured that this was as good a chance as any to try it out with some really great people.” After the first group introduction meeting, the rush of being chosen to perform began to wear off and the reality of the situation set in: us Pals had just signed up to perform alongside these talented and experienced women. The next week or so was filled with pained wonderings of “Why did we decide to do this?” Luckily for us, we were not just thrown to the critical sharks. The members of Indecent Exposure organized multiple workshop sessions where we were able to practice our sets and get feedback from current members as well as our fellow Pals. This process helped to ease our fears right up to the day that we had to perform. Looking back on that blur of a day, Smallens recalled, “I spent the entire day reciting my set over and over again in front of mirrors, house mates and strangers...” If you’ve never tried to memorize five minutes worth of your own personal stories and jokes for a live performance, I would highly recommend it. An hour before the performance, Pals were pacing in every available corner of Sanders Classroom. We were nervously using chalkboards, bathroom mirrors and dingy walls as faux audiences. I am almost sure that watching us prepare
Courtesy of Kaitlin Prado
Pictured above are members of Indecent Exposure Evelyn Frick ’19 and Lily Kitfield ’18 mingling with invitees to their annual Gals N’ Pals stand-up showcase prior to the show.
Campus Canvas
for the performance would have been a comedy show in itself. As nervous as we were, it would have been worlds worse if the members of Indecent Exposure hadn’t been so good to us. There was hand-holding, body-hugging and validation-giving, and then there was a performance. For Smallens, one of the night’s highlights came from the group’s co-president Elizabeth Snyderman’s set. Smallens recounted, “Leading up to the show Snyderman was a great source of motivation and support for the whole group, especially us Pals, but I didn’t actually hear any of her routine until that night. Needless to say, I was laughing the whole time.” She continued by saying, “My favorite part of the night was being able to sit down beside a group of unbelievably talented gals and pals after.” Performing means different things to different people, but a lot of us find it rewarding and even cathartic. Patrice Scott ’19 is a member of Vassar sketch comedy group Happily Ever Laughter, and when asked why she initially wanted to be a part of the Gals N’ Pals event, she answered, “There’s a voice in every mouth and everyone needs to GET it out! Stand-up feels like screaming into the pillow.” Some of the simplest details were sources of joy for those of us offstage. Scott recalled some high points of one evening saying, “Miranda ate fruits and Gabby had Victorian cufflinks—what can I say? Such yummy chums.” Preparing for and performing stand up was a learning experience of sorts for all of us, especially those who were new to performing. Elson affirmed this by saying, “I learned a lot about the ‘science’ of storytelling, and what makes a good joke. I’m proud of myself for trying something new and kind of scary!” After a successful show Smallens decided, “I think I would like to perform again because it made me really happy.” Reflecting on the experience as a whole she continued, “A guy I once backpacked with told me the best kind of happiness is the one you feel after doing something utterly terrifying, the happiness that an action or event is over—stand-up was certainly that for me.” If you’ve never had the chance to try something that scares you, I would highly recommend it. Looking back at her first-ever stand-up set, Elson decided, “I think the best parts for me were the moments in my performance where I tried something new and people still laughed. I also loved hearing people respond so well to Yase’s because I really love her set and sense of humor.” If you’ve never had a conversation with any of these hilarious and compassionate people, I would highly recommend it.
A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists
Excuse me, How are you preparing to move to Canada?
“I’m stocking up on non-perishables.” — Christa Ventresca ’17
“I can’t afford to, but I’m improving my underground bunker at home.” — Hollace Francy ’15
“I’m currently switching to an elk diet.” — Kimmie Ross ’17
“I’m going to run through the woods and find a cave to live in.” — Leif Lyon-Miller ’20
submit to misc@vassar.edu
Stephen Kovari ’19 is an Environmental Studies major. He is interested in studying ecology, and has been photographing wildlife at Vassar since coming here last August. Stephen currently works at the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve researching wildlife and working on ways the Preserve can engage the Vassar and Poughkeepsie communities by sharing his research and photography, and by teaching people about wild animals at the preserve. A sample of his photos, all taken on the Vassar Campus, are currently displayed at the Warthin Museum of Natural History in Ely Hall.
“I’m moving to Mexico, then there might be a wall between me and everything.” — Mia Geiduschek ’20
“Sweden is more my speed.” — Tieren Costello ’20
Evelyn Frick, Humor & Satire Editor
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
SPORTS
Page 18
November 10, 2016
Clarkson served loss to VC in league championships Fiona MacLeod Guest Reporter
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Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton
his past weekend, with the bleachers more packed than ever before, the women’s volleyball team set out to win both rounds of the Liberty League playoffs. The team fought aggressively for their win in five sets against the Rochester Institute of Technology, but fell short to Clarkson University, losing in the fourth set. Against RIT, the Brewers won with set scores of 25-17, 19-25, 25-21, 25-27 and 15-11. Freshman hitter Jane McLeod led the team with 22 kills, her career best, while sophomore Devan Gallagher followed with 18. Vassar’s players took the first and third sets, but were given a run for their money by RIT in the second and fourth sets. The fifth set was led by Vassar’s defensive efforts, earning several points off blocks from senior hitter Gabby Miller and junior hitter Bria Corham. The team’s hitters thrived off of assists from sophomore setter Annie MacMillan, who ranks first in the Liberty League for assists and second for service aces. Miller, set up by MacMillan, won the final point on of the game, securing the team’s opportunity to advance to the championship game. Fellow Brewers who packed into Kenyon Hall supported the team in large. Gallagher told, “It was great to see the stands so crowded on Friday. It showed a lot of unity between the sports at Vassar.” The following day, the players entered their match against Clarkson with enthusiasm and poise. Though Vassar beat the Golden Knights for both regular season matches, the Brewers fell in the championships as Clarkson pulled out the win with set scores of 25-19, 23-25, 25-21 and 25-22. Regardless of its ultimate loss, this season’s team has been a standout crew, ending the regular season as the No. 1 seed and taking hold of the league in kills, assists, hitting percentage and service aces. The Brewers headed into their Liberty League Championship weekend undefeated on their home court in the regular sea-
son, with an 11-0 record. After defeating a couple of highly ranked teams, the team made its way up to a ranking of sixth in the New York region. They beat SUNY New Paltz, ranked 10th, as well as Ramapo College, ranked even higher than Vassar at third. Head Coach Jonathan Penn, who has collected the most wins in program history, secured his 500th win in this victory over Ramapo. Vassar’s victory broke the 19-match winning streak that Ramapo was working to maintain as the thirdranked team in the New York region, showing the Brewers’ potential for success moving forward. The team dynamic was one of the most crucial factors in aiding the team’s victories. Without the trust and support existing between its members, the team would not have been able to continue as far into the season as it did. “This team is one of the most confident I’ve played on in a very long time,” Miller commented on team attitudes. “The reasons behind our few losses are not that we ever doubted ourselves, but rather we got out-played. This group’s confidence and belief in each other and in ourselves was the reason we got as far as we did, to the Liberty League Championship game this weekend.” As the season comes to a close, the squad will say its goodbyes to three influential seniors, Gabby Miller, Sierra Tobin and Sarah Roberts. All three have been instrumental to the team’s success throughout the past four years. On and off the court, they have provided the support and encouragement for the rest of the players to succeed at great levels. “All of them have helped lead our team through the past years,” Gallagher explained. “They all have extremely different leadership styles, and I think that was a really helpful aspect for taking care of our team. While Gabby’s confidence influences the rest of us to be confident in our play, Sierra helps us to keep our cool by never wavering from her calm, consistent surface. Sarah is able to keep the energy throughout our entire team and keep us psyched
Senior Gabby Miller serves in recent home match. After the team’s upset in the Liberty League finals, Vassar will have to say goodbye to crucial seniors, Sierra Tobin, Sarah Roberts and Miller. even in tough games.” In terms of next season, the six freshmen and four sophomores look to learn and grow with the support of one another, furthering their accomplishments each year. “I think the freshmen far exceeded expectations any of us had for them and even what they probably had for themselves,” Miller said, praising the newcomers. “It’s no question that Jane McLeod and Jorden Schreeder played a consistently crucial role on the court this season. All you have to do is look at statistics to see that.” McLeod ranks second both on the team and in the conference for kills and sixth for hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Schreeder ranks ninth in the conference for service aces, racking up a total of 41. While the team is pleased with its great success, the players are also disappointed with their
season close against Clarkson. “It would be a huge lie to say that we aren’t all disappointed about the final outcome of our season,” Miller shared. “But to have originally tied for fourth in the Liberty League pre-season poll with Saint Lawrence, and then win the entire league put things into perspective.” Though Miller will be leaving the team after this season, she and the other seniors have high hopes for the seasons that the Brewers have to come. “We’ve left a good foundation so that next year this team can continue to grow,” she said, determined. “I have no doubt that they will make it to the championship again next year. Many of them are already thinking about next season. That’s how competitive these girls are, and I’ll be on sidelines supporting them every step of the way.”
After playoffs upset, field hockey smiles upon performance Kelly Pushie
Guest Reporter
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and off the field, really set the tone for this season.” She explained, “The five of them created an atmosphere of love and respect for the game and, even more so, each other. This is something that has become the core of the Vassar field hockey program, and something we, as a team, are dedicated to continuing.” Finding a group of seniors who are able to lead by example and set the tone for a dedicated and enthusiastic team is hard to come by and it was truly a blessing for this team. One of these five seniors is captain Emma Bracken. Bracken has been a strong midfielder for the Brewers over her past four years here at Vassar. She finished off her final season with two goals and six assists, summing up her career stats to a total 25 points. Bracken reflected on her senior season as one for the books. Although the team failed to make it to the Liberty League championship, she is elated with the way the season went. Bracken
Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton
he women’s field hockey team wrapped up another successful season this past week. Its season came to an end on Wednesday, Nov. 2 with a tough 1-3 loss to Skidmore College. Although the team did not end up in the Liberty League championship game as they had hoped, they still had a particularly noteworthy season. The Brewers finished up 14-4 overall and 4-2 in the Liberty League, sustaining losses to only William Smith and RPI. Coach Michael Warari, in his fourth season, helped lead the team to several successful seasons and is especially excited about the way this year unfolded. While Warari was pleased with the team’s early performances, he stated that the team has continued to grow and improve throughout the season. “Our progress was steady from the beginning, and we showed continued improvement, which was positive to see on a weekly basis,” Coach Warari noted. This steady growth throughout the season was key in helping the Brewers finish as the winningest team in Vassar history. Warari pointed out that the team’s records, in both league and non-conference play, are the program’s best ever and a first of all-time. During the season, Warari especially focuses on making sure the team is sticking together through the losses as well as through the wins. He mentioned, “We worked hard for each victory, and our most exciting wins were caused by an exceptional overall team effort, and our toughest losses were because we didn’t play well as a unit.” In terms of senior leadership and how he thinks the team will shape up next season, Warari is appreciative but also wary of speaking too soon. “We are grateful for the seniors and all their time and commitment to this team and program. It’s too early to talk about next year, since we still have a chance to keep playing in the post season,” he pointed out. Sophomore Alyssa More returned for her second season as an influential playmaker on the midfield and defensive end. She finished off the
season with seven goals and five assists for a total of 19 points, one of the highest on the team. More is impressed with how much the team improved as the season progressed. “It’s great to look back to preseason and really appreciate the upward trajectory our season took. From our scrimmages to our Liberty League semi-final, we truly grew in every category,” More stated. Another standout contributor was sophomore goalkeeper Paige Amico, who was a strong performer on the field and a major component of the team morale, according to More. “Paige, our goalie, was the helm of our team. Having a goalie you can depend on and trust is such a privilege, but even more so, having a goalie that can communicate with the field players and guide the game with her leadership is an honor,” More elated. This strong leadership was also carried through the class of five seniors. More mentioned, “The seniors, with their leadership on
Seniors Hayley Beach, Emma Bracken, Sophie Arnold, Flora Crichton-Stuart and Lauren Schmate flash smiles before last collegiate game on Weinberg Field against Skidmore College.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
noted, “Even though the season didn’t end how any of us anticipated or wanted it to, I think the team performed beautifully. I am unbelievably proud of this team, our ability to rise and how far we’ve come through the course of the season.” Bracken also noted that the team success was not brought on by any one player but as a unit as a whole. “Every single person on this team brings their own sense of heart, passion and drive,” Bracken stated. “Having 22 leaders who each bring something to the table is what makes this team so special.” The respect for each and every player, regardless of age or position is what makes the team so tight knit and, in turn, leads to success. Bracken feels she has fulfilled her duty as captain this season. She commented, “I’d like to think that I led by example and helped create a balance between pushing ourselves and having fun.” Although Bracken is upset to leave the program, she is optimistic for success next season. She pointed out, “I know that all of the underclassmen will step up beautifully and are well equipped to take over the reins. I have the utmost faith in them and am excited to see them do big things.” Although their regular season and run at a Liberty League title came to an end, the field hockey team had a substantial chance at receiving a large bid for the NCAA tournament due to its great success. Over the weekend, the team was unsure about the fate of their season, and therefore, continued practicing to prepare for NCAAs, provided that they received the bid into the tournament. Bracken explained, “Waiting to hear about an at large bid is definitely an odd position to be in. Now it’s a waiting game, and feeling virtually removed from the process is hard.” However, she insisted, “[The team] would be ecstatic if we got a bid, because we feel as if we have unfinished business.” Although the team did not receive the bid into the NCAA tournament, this Brewer squad truly proved themselves as a force to be reckoned with and should be proud of all they accomplished this fall.
November 10, 2016
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Harvard cancels season for Cubs finally clench World demeaning ‘scouting report’ Series title in extra innings Mack Liederman Guest Reporter
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t what is notably one of the most elite, liberal, forward-thinking institutions in the world, a disturbing, objectifying tradition has finally caught up with a few of the school’s athletic teams. As first reported by the Harvard Crimson on Oct. 24, a member of the 2012 Harvard’s men soccer team created a document that rated women’s soccer freshman recruits by their perceived physical and sexual appearance. This document was considered a “scouting report” and on it, each female freshman recruit was given numerical rankings and a paragraph-long assessment, along with a nickname and a hypothetical preferred sexual “position.” Photos of each women, taken off of websites such as Facebook, were included. The emergence of the “scouting reports” resulted in the termination of the men’s soccer team’s season on Nov. 3. Harvard Athletics Director Robert L. Scalsie wrote that the decision was made after further evidence suggested that the tradition had been continued since 2012. At the time of their suspension, the Crimson were seeded at first place in the Ivy League, and vying for a spot in the NCAA tournament New reports, published Nov. 6, now show the trend is not limited to just men’s soccer. The Crimson reported that Harvard’s men’s cross country kept a yearly spreadsheet in which the team wrote “sexually explicit” comments about the women’s team. However, as of now, no disciplinary action has been taken against the cross country team. The comments were publicly available through Google, and only taken down recently. Such comments included, “She seems relatively simple and probably inexperienced sexually, so I decided missionary would be her preferred position,” and “She seems to be very strong, tall
and manly so I gave her a 3 because I felt bad. Not much needs to be said on this one folks.” In a statement to the Boston Globe, Harvard President Drew Faust wrote, “The decision to cancel a season is serious and consequential, and reflects Harvard’s view that both the team’s behavior and the failure to be forthcoming when initially questioned are completely unacceptable, have no place at Harvard and run counter to the mutual respect that is a core value of our community.” The six members of Harvard women’s soccer’s 2012 recruiting class, seniors Brooke Dickens, Kelsey Clayman, Alika Keene, Emily Mosbacher, Lauren Varela and Haley Washburn ’16, who have read the “scouting reports” in their entirety, also responded in an op-ed for the Harvard Crimson on Oct. 29. “We are these women, we are not anonymous, and rather than having our comments taken, spun, and published behind the guise of a fake anonymity offered to us by numerous news outlets, we have decided to speak for ourselves,” they wrote. “The sad reality is that we have come to expect this kind of behavior from so many men, that it is so ‘normal’ to us we often decide it is not worth our time or effort to dwell on... This document attempts to pit us against one another, as if the judgment of a few men is sufficient to determine our worth. But, men, we know better than that. ” The emergence of scouting report has reignited the growing debate on “locker room talk.” “‘Locker room talk’ is not an excuse because this is not limited to athletic teams. The whole world is the locker room,” the women wrote in their op-ed. “Yet in it we feel blessed to know many men who do not and would never participate in this behavior out of respect for us—out of respect for women. To them we are grateful, and with them we strive to share a mutual respect through our own actions and words.”
Robert Pinataro Guest Reporter
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fter celebrating a thrilling NLCS championship, the Chicago Cubs got off to a lessthan-stellar start to the World Series. In Game 1, they were dominated by Cleveland Indians ace Corey Kluber. They lost the game 6-0, and Kluber set a World Series record, striking out eight batters in the first three innings. The Cubs won the next game, but lost games three and four. Behind in the series three games to one, there was little hope for the Cubs. All it would take was one more win, and the Cleveland Indians would be the 2016 World Series Champions. With their backs against the wall, the Cubs battled their way to two more victories, tying the series at three games apiece. In an epic Game 7, the Cubs faced Kluber again. This time, the Cubs scored early and pitcher Kyle Hendricks had a strong outing. With a commanding 6-3 lead in the seventh inning, it appeared the Cubs’ fate was set. When Indians relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman entered the game, however, something went wrong. Chapman gave up one run early in the eighth inning and could not finish the inning before giving up a game-tying, two-run home run. The ninth inning passed with no scoring on either side, sending the game into extra innings. In the top of the 10th inning, the Cubs scored two runs, making the score 8-6. In the bottom half of the inning, the Indians put up a valiant effort, scoring one more run. With two outs in the frame, a ground ball was hit to Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant. Knowing that this would be the final play of the game, Bryant fielded the ball and threw it to first base, all with a smile on his face. The Cubs emerged victorious, marking their first World Series title since 1908. Two notable Cubs performances were by designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and catcher
David Ross. Schwarber suffered an injury in the third game of the regular season and came back just in time for the World Series. He had just been cleared to play and was not yet prepared to face live pitching. Throwing Schwarber into the World Series, against some of the best pitching that baseball has to offer, was a gutsy move by Cubs manager Joe Maddon. The designated hitter looked a bit rusty in his first few at bats, but ended up playing extremely well the rest of the series. David Ross also had an outstanding showing, especially in Game 7, which was the last game of his career. In a flare for the dramatic, Ross hit a home run in the last at bat of his career. Also, the win meant that he was able to end his career with a championship. It was a fantastic end to a long, successful MLB career. When the game ended, Chicago fans everywhere erupted in cheers. Even though the game was played at Cleveland’s stadium, thousands of fans stood in the streets outside of Wrigley Field, cheering and celebrating in the streets. This victory means so much to the city of Chicago, after going so long without a title. In the days following, social media exploded with memes and congratulatory posts. Even President Obama, who is from the South Side of Chicago and thus is a White Sox fan, tweeted to congratulate them on their big win. The posts that best showed what the championship meant to the city of Chicago were the videos of older fans, who had been awaiting this day for so many years. The Chicago Cubs World Series victory was exciting for all baseball fans, not just those of the Cubs. It was the most evenly matched World Series in several years, so much so that the final game went into extra innings. The dramatic finish and the storybook ending to the Cubs’ 108-year World Series Champion drought made this Series a pleasure.
Soccer’s monumental season continues with league title SOCCER continued from page 1
a mere 59 seconds later with a goal from sophomore defender Tyler Gilmore. After Van Brewer threw in a sideline pass, RPI defenders struggled with the ball until Gilmore took control and zipped the ball past Yam. Nevertheless, the Thoroughbreds capitalized once more and forced Vassar to enter halftime down 1-2. Coming out of the break, the Brewers took the field ready to equalize the score once more. At 54:31, Skidmore fouled inside the box to give junior Tanner Sands a penalty kick and a golden opportunity. As Sands faked out Yam, he evened the score to 2-2. A 35-minute period of nail-biting, scoreless deadlock then followed. But this all changed as Skidmore fouled for a second time inside the box to put Gonzales on the line. As Gonzales then knocked the ball passed Yam, Vassar took its first lead of the championship. With a score of 3-2, there were only 3.4 seconds left until VC clenched the Liberty League title. As the clock ticked to zero, around 100 Vassar fans stormed the field to huddle the new champions. A ceremony soon followed, where Vassar was then awarded with the Liberty League plaque as well as t-shirts. Nevertheless, these were not the only souvenirs of the historic win. With a multitude of fouls from the Thoroughbreds, Warner, Gilmore and Sands all exited the field with resulting injuries. While Gilmore suffered a broken nose, Warner dislocated his shoulder and Sands endured an injured knee. But even with these injuries, the men were victorious and are officially the best men’s soccer team in the Liberty League. Senior captain Stephen Jennings smiled, “It feels amazing, a Liberty League championship was my goal from the beginning of the year, and we got it done. We definitely deserve it, and I am so happy we closed out the Liberty League with a win.” Like Jennings, Gonzales was overjoyed with the win, as well as his contribution to the team’s victory. “It was a surreal experience. It was a feeling and moment that I’ll remember forever,” Gonzales beamed. “The fact that it came down to the final few seconds made it even more spe-
cial. I was so excited that our team was able to accomplish the goal we set for ourselves, and to do so in that fashion was truly amazing.” With the league title, Vassar’s season will continue as the Brewers head to the NCAA tournament. For the first round of play, the team will travel to Newark, NJ to face Elizabethtown College on Saturday, Nov. 12. The Elizabethtown Blue Jays earned a spot in the NCAA tournament due to their impressive season record of 13-3-2. But how does this record compare to the Brewer’s 14-3-2? In terms of competition overlap, both teams played against Hobart College earlier this season. While VC fell to Hobart 2-3 in overtime, Elizabethtown earned the win with a score of 3-0. With this in mind, the men will train endlessly over the next few days to prepare for the battle. Gonzales explained, “We had our time to celebrate, and now it’s time to get back to work. With this feeling still being very fresh, we will try to build off of it in order to continue to win.” While Elizabethtown has proved to be tough
competition, they are not unbeatable. In fact, the Blue Jays will enter the tournament coming off of their most recent loss to the University of Scranton in the Landmark conference championships. Jennings continued, “We just have to keep playing our game. If we can play like we did against RPI, we can beat anybody. We have to keep our focus this week and hone in on what we do best.” Regardless of Saturday’s result, the men have had a tremendous season and set a precedent for continued success. In addition to capturing a Liberty League title, this year’s squad finished with the program’s strongest record in over a decade. “I can’t stress how excited we all are about being part of such a historical season for the program,” Jennings said. “It is a huge accomplishment that every single player worked hard for. Winning the league with such a phenomenal group of kids that displayed an incredible work ethic all season is awesome.”
Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton
Junior Jose Novas assisted Mrlik’s second goal as he gave Mrlik a leading pass to then take on LaBranche for a second time. Next up, none other than senior goalie Adam Warner assisted the Brewer’s final goal. After a great save, Warner punted the ball into RPI’s box, where Mrlik capitalized to make the score 3-0 going into halftime. “The first half against RPI was one of the best we have played this season–we connected offensively and finished on a number of the opportunities,” shared Head Coach Andy Jennings. “Defensively, we were good, but when a team possesses the ball as much as we did, we were not really tested in the defensive third. A great performance and a really good result.” Early in the second half, the Engineers then got on the scoreboard with a goal from Austin Betterly. Nonetheless, Warner and the rest of the squad held RPI for the rest of the match to clinch a spot in the league championships. With smiles on their faces, the men then headed to the locker room to watch the remainder of the semi-final match between top-seeded Hobart and No. 4 Skidmore. Even with two rounds of overtime, Skidmore and Hobart were in a stalemate with a score of 2-2. As the game then turned to penalty kicks, Skidmore finally claimed the win and its spot in the finals. With Vassar holding the higher seed, the Brewers were officially set to host the Liberty League Championships. Coach Jennings stated, “Hosting any championship is a privilege, so we are excited about that. We also play a lot better at home because of the quality of the pitch, not having to travel, etc. so that is a big plus–but Skidmore is a very good team and we will need to repeat Wednesday’s performance to be successful.” The finals between the Brewers and the Skidmore Thoroughbreds then took place on the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. Early in the game, Vassar received a bit of a wake-up call as Skidmore scored the first goal at 13:45. With a sideline throw-in, Skidmore’s Ben Caples reached teammate Robbie Heumann, who headed the ball past Warner. Ready for revenge, VC then evened the score
Players and coaches alike could not stop smiling as they defeated Skidmore 3-2 in the Liberty League finals. With this win, the team will next play Elizabethtown on Nov. 12 in the NCAA tournament.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
SPORTS
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November 10, 2016
As fall sports close, winter sports are just beginning Jamie Anderson Guest Reproter
Men’s Soccer
Men’s Swim and Dive
In their second Liberty League meet of the new season, VC men’s swimming and diving came out on top of Skidmore College at home with a score of 170-122. Freshman Jordan Kalina picked up two key victories for the Brewers, convincingly winning in the 1000 free with a 10:37.52, and nabbing the win in the 500 free with a 5:05.96. In the 500 free, Kalina was followed by junior Ian LaBash and senior Walter Gabriel. Senior Anthony Walker impressed in the 200 free, winning the event with a time of 1:49.10. In his next event out, Walker won the 200 fly, clocking a 2:02.48. Vassar put Lukas Harries (22.99) and Matthew Imiolek (23.61) first and second respectively in the 50 free, while junior Jonah Strand took the 200 IM. The Brewers will return to Kresge Pool on Nov. 12 at, when they will face another league opponent, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Women’s Swim and Dive
Women’s swimming and diving also found success over their first Liberty League opponent of the season, taking down Skidmore 159-125. VC got a first and third place finish in the 200 medley to kick things off, followed by a win by sophomore Sammy Stone in the 1000 free, finishing with a 11:04.90. Stone also finished first in the 100 free, followed by sophomore Meg Harrington and senior Julia Wieczorek. Senior Julia Cunningham took first in the 200 fly, while freshman Laura Vidano took first place in the 100 fly with a 1:05.45. The Brewers finished with first place finishes in five straight events, with Cunningham taking the 200 IM, sophomore Kael Ragnini winning the 500 yard, Cunningham winning the 200 breast as well, and a decisive win in the 400 relay. The Brewers are back in Kresge Pool on Nov. 12 against RPI. Field Hockey
No. 17 Skidmore defeated VC 1-3 in the semifinals of the Liberty League Tournament, giving the Brewers their first home loss of the season. The team went down 1-0 in the first half and would surrender another goal off a corner not too far into the second half. Freshman Sam Plante then tipped a shot from sophomore Megan Caveny for her first career goal and to the score to 1-2. Skidmore would score again to make it 1-3 and would hold this lead through the remainer of the game. Without a bid into the NCAA tournament, the team will end its season after this loss. Vassar will graduate its winningest senior class, losing Sophie Arnold, Lauren Shumate, Emma Bracken, Flora Crichton-Stuart and Hayley Beach. Women’s Soccer
The second-seeded women’s soccer team closed its record-breaking season in the semifinals of the Liberty League Championships, as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute eked out a 1-0 win over the Brewers. After a scoreless first half, which featured more than a few chances for Vassar, RPI broke
Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton
The Brewers came out of the weekend with the Liberty League title after beating RPI 3-1 and Skidmore College 3-2, both at home. Against RPI, a first-half hat trick from freshman Mattie Mrlik provided all the scoring the men needed to advance to the Liberty League finals. In the finals, Skidmore got on the board first, heading in a goal following a throw-in, but the Brewers countered just under a minute later, as sophomore Tyler Gilmore sent home a loose ball in the box off junior Hayden Van Brewer’s throw-in. Skidmore then scored from just inside the box and went into halftime leading 2-1. In the second half, it took VC 10 minutes to find the equalizer as junior Tanner Sands made good on a PK attempt. With just four seconds remaining and the game deadlocked at 2-2, Vassar drew a foul in the box and on the ensuing penalty kick, junior Alex Gonzales chipped it to the top right, beating the Skidmore keeper and earning VC the Liberty League title. Vassar will next play Elizabethtown College in the NCAA Tournament Saturday, Nov. 12.
Sohomore Rachel Elson breaks away from Marist opponent to help the Brewers clench the 38-5 win. Women’s rugby will next play on Saturday, Nov. 12 against SUNY Geneseo. through as a 65th minute shot from near the top of the box found the bottom of the crossbar and went in. Despite getting off a number of shots as time ticked down, the women were unable to find the back of the net. All the while, senior keeper Stephanie Tapolsky made four stops for the Brewers against the visiting Engineers. Seven seniors played their last game as Brewers on Tuesday, including Rory Chipman, Phoebe Reuben, Kelsey Hamm, Emily Krebs, Rachel Marklyn, Jordyn Matthews and Tapolsky. Women’s Cross Country
Vassar women’s cross country received second place at the ECAC Championships, hosted at the Hudson Valley Sports Dome. Senior Alex Gittens garnered All-ECAC honors after posting a time of 25:31.2 to finish in ninth overall. Junior Savannah Wiman earned All-ECAC recognition herself, courtesy of a 14th place finish, coming across the line in 15:46.2.Other results include senior Jemma Howlett’s finish in 19th with a time of 26:12.3 while sophomores Meghan Horn and Emma Kline finished with times of 26:20.9 and 26:33.8, good for 22nd and 24th respectively. The Brewers will next compete at NCAA Atlantic Regionals next weekend, traveling to Glassboro, NJ and Rowan University. Men’s Cross Country
Men’s cross country brought five runners to the Hudson Valley Sports Dome Saturday to compete in the ECAC Championships. Junior Jared Freedman crossed the line first for VC with a time of 28:41.9, putting him 24th overall. Sophomore Sam Kobrin finished next in 26th overall clocking a 28:49.4. Freshman Alex Dennis finished 33rd overall with a time of 29:13.7, while sophomore Jake Kobrin finished three spots back from Dennis with a 29:18.6. Freshman Will Dwyer was the last Brewer to cross the line on Saturday, finishing with a 30:41.0 in 56th overall place. Vassar will head back to Rowan University for the third time this season next weekend, running in the NCAA Atlantic Region Regional in Glassboro, NJ. Men’s Rugby
The Brewers competed in the Tri-State Conference finals over the weekend, taking on SUNY New Paltz. The first half was competitive, as Vassar was able to perform much better than the first game this season. New Paltz opened the scoring, taking advantage of a gap in the Brewer defense. Trevor Kennish made it 5-3 for VC though, after striking a penalty through the uprights. However, the Hawks countered soon after to make it 12-3 and would score twice more in the first half. Though Vassar was able to score once more, as Dawkin Erceg found his way in, the Brewers were not able to get much of a foothold, ultimately losing 55 to 13 to New Paltz. VC Rugby will continue play in the spring. Women’s Rugby
The women’s rugby team came out with intensity, as tries from sophomore Rachel Elson,
senior Lauren Workman and her fellow senior Laila Blumenthal-Rothchild helped put the Brewers up over UAlbany 19-0 within the first 20 minutes. While Blumenthal-Rothchild and Elson scored again, seniors Mariah Ghant and Mary-Margaret McElduff went over the line, as did sophomore Kate Sworden and junior Amanda Saich. Vassar continued to press, and the result was never in doubt as the Brewers came out on top 46 to 10. With the win, the women claimed their third Tri-State Conference title in four years and booked its place in the round of 32 at Nationals. Next up, on Saturday Nov. 12, the women will compete against SUNY-Geneseo at the Vassar College Farm. Men’s Fencing
The men opened their season with a trip to Smith College for The Big One, put on by the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference. The Brewers had a strong showing across the board on Saturday. In epee, junior Jonathan Alperstein kicked off his season by finishing fifth overall, going undefeated in pool play and reaching the quarterfinals in the elimination bracket. Fellow junior Daniel Swerzenski and seniors Ry Farley and Jackson Dammann all finished in the top 15 as well. In foil, freshman Noe Berger, junior Tom Racek, freshman Jack Holmes and sophomore Michael Skolnick also all finished in the top 15. In sabre, VC put five fencers in the top 25, as freshmen Ethan Levine and Graeme Mills, junior Eli Polston, senior Campbell Woods and junior Eric Lee had strong showings. Vassar is back in action next weekend with its first home meet of the season, hosting the Vassar Invitational Sunday, Nov. 13.
cotti made short work of Siena’s Faizan Rahim in straights 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 before losing to Fordham’s Peter Yuen 11-9, 11-7, 11-8. At the two spot, freshman Viraj Nadkarni beat Siena’s Jack McQuade 11-4, 11-3, 11-3 and Fordham’s Bruce Czachor 11-8, 11-9, 11-8. Sitting at the third spot, senior Samuel Hammer dropped two tight matches to Siena’s Tyler Tsang 12-10, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4 and to Fordham’s John Lennon 11-5, 11-2, 11-1. Freshman Ankit Khosla got past Siena’s Jimmy Wimer 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 and won by default against Fordham’s Jimmy Shinnick 11-1, 8-0. At five, senior Richard Bryenton beat Siena’s John Keenan 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 12-10 before winning in four over Fordham’s George Mead 11-2, 6-11, 11-1, 11-4. Junior Alex Riccio won against Siena’s Russel Santos 11-1, 11-3, 11-5 and Fordham’s Neil Patel 11-1, 10-12, 11-3, 11-7 at the six spot. In women’s action, junior Hannah Nice swept through in three sets twice, beating Fordham’s Emily Bak 11-0, 11-2, 11-1 and MHC’s Brandy Williamson 11-5, 11-8, 11-5. At two sophomore Jiamin Wu won against Fordham’s Julia Seebode 11-1, 116, 11-4 before losing to MHC’s Ragini Ghose 114, 11-8, 11-2. Meanwhile, Senior Isabelle Bertram topped Fordham’s Lauren McGowan 11-2, 11-3, 11-2 and MHC’s Lessly Portillo in a tough match, 8-11, 9-11, 14-12, 11-4, 13-11. Up next, the VC women will travel to Hamilton, NY to take on William Smith College and Colgate University on Saturday. The men’s squad will also travel this Saturday to compete against Boston College and Lafayette College.
Weekend Scoreboard WOMEN’S SOCCER VASSAR
RPI
VS
0
1 MEN’S RUGBY
VASSAR
VS
13
NEW PALTZ
55
Women’s Fencing
Women’s fencing also started its season at the Big One over the weekend. Sophomore Rose Hulsey-Vincent and senior Olivia Weiss proved standouts for the Brewers, both going far in the elimination bracket for the epee competition. Weiss earned the top seed, going six for six in pool play, and Hulsey-Vincent went 5-1 to get the No. 2 seed. Weiss made it to the quarterfinals, where she was upset 15-13, while Hulsey-Vincent upset the 5 seed en route to the semis, where she lost to eventual champion Sucheta Tamragouri 15-10. Three Brewers got top 25 spots in foil, as sophomore Mirit Rutishauser’s finished in 11th, while senior Elsa Stoff finished 17th and sophomore Sophie Blumenstock picked up 24th. In sabre, freshman Stephanie Gull finished tenth overall Vassar will now look forward to its first home meet of the season next Sunday, hosting the Vassar Invitational Nov. 13 in Walker Field House.
WOMEN’S RUGBY VASSAR
46
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
UALBANY
10
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING VASSAR
Men and Women’s Squash
Both squash teams swept their season openers at home in Kenyon Hall on Saturday. Men’s squash bested Siena College and Fordham University by the identical 7-2 scores, while the women swept Fordham 9-0 and took down Mount Holyoke College 7-2. At the top seed for the Brewers, Vincent Men-
VS
170
VS
SKIDMORE
122