Misc11 13 14

The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVIII | Issue 8

November 13, 2014

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

VC buyout program Majors lead sustainability initiative to decrease staff by 68 M Erik Halberg

Features Editor

CWA, SLD students criticize plan, pledge to fight position eliminations Bethan Johnson

I

n just over one month, Vassar College will witness the final wave of employee departures that began this summer as part of a voluntary resignation or early retirement program.

According to Vice President for Finance & Administration Robert Walton, at the end of the fall semester, 68 eligible employees will have left, and a total of 30 positions will be permanently eliminated. The remaining 38 positions will likely remain unfilled for anywhere between 12 to 18 months.

While no determinations have been announced about which positions will be cut, the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union has stated that it will challenge all permanent job eliminations or downgrades.

The program, titled the Voluntary Retirement Incentive Offer, was announced to eligible employees in June, with employees receiving 60 days to determine whether they wanted to opt into the program. The task of determining eligibility, while highly regulated by the state and federal government to prevent any preferential treatment, fell to Vassar’s Office of Human Resources. Walton explained in an emailed statement, “The Human

Resources office established a threshold of ’75’ which was [to] be the combined value of the years of services at Vassar and the age of the employee.

The offer was made to all employees who met the threshold of 75.” Associate Vice President for Human Resources Ruth Spencer stated that another eligibility requirement was that employees must have worked at least five continuous years for the College.

According to Walton, 230 employees were eligible for the voluntary program, of which 68 took incentive offers. The senior offices to experience the largest reductions will be Office of the Dean of the College and the Finance and Administration Office, which have seen 21 and 23 employees opt in to the program, respectively.

Walton noted that all employees were informed of the program on the same day and provided identical information packages. He also asserted that workers were not granted different packages on the basis of experience.

“The College did not provide any special incentives to some employees and not others as this would have been a violation of the law...[N]o encouragement or discouragement efforts were made and would not be permitted See BUYOUT on page 4

Emily Lavieri-Scull/The Miscellany News

Contributing Editor

ost meals at the Retreat are characterized by a last-minute frantic dilemma of which bin to put your waste in, followed by a quick dumping of everything into one bin.

When a bag of compost is delivered to the composting companies, it is examined to ensure that everything in the bag is compostable. If just one item isn’t, the entire bag must be thrown in the trash. Despite having designated bins for compostable items spread throughout the Retreat, the Office of Sustainability has been finding that nearly all of the bags of compost have been contaminated.

To counteract this, Sustainability has been working with students to help educate their peers about what waste goes into which bins. In addiSee COMPOST on page 6

Volunteer staffers sit near the Retreat waste bins that they have gathered together.

They hope to increase composting on campus by educating students about composting.

NLMH combats city foreclosures Alex Trunnell

Guest Reporter

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hen residents face eviction and a home is foreclosed, a family becomes homeless and a home becomes empty. Currently, there are over 700 vacant buildings in Poughkeepsie, hundreds of these being residences. A Poughkeepsie-based organization, Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson (NLMH), is trying to change this.

“Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson is… an anti-foreclosure and eviction, largely anti-displacement organization group based in Poughkeepsie,” explained Sarah Slichter ’15.

The group has been able to grow through their volunteers, becoming a member-led organization which calls upon collective action as the solution to the growing problem of foreclosure. Striving for change on both on the smaller scale through

individual families and on the large scale through city legislature.

“Our organizing model is one that frames foreclosure as a collective problem that needs a collective solution,” Slichter said.

This collective effort has reaped substantive results: Vassar students, in collaboration with community members, have recently succeeded in pushing for a bond orSee NLMH on page 7

Britomartis creates novel pastiche Swimming and Diving makes early splash T Emma Rosenthal Reporter

oo many cooks may spoil the broth, but for the Britomartis Devised Theatre Ensemble, ten directors can produce a cohesive

pastiche. Combining materials from novels and stories with their own content and ideas, on Nov. 21 and 22, the troupe will stage their first show of the year at 8 p.m. on Friday and 5 and 8 p.m. on Saturday.

Kevin Ritter ’15 has been working with Britomartis since the beginning of his freshman year and wrote in an emailed statement about the theatre organization.

See BRITOMARTIS on page 15

courtesy of David Mentuccia

Britomartis’ cast of actor-directors will present their fall production, “Vile Bodies,” at the end of November.

The members devised the show, adding their own flare and interpretation to the themes of Evelyn Waugh’s novel.

Inside this issue

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Faculty discuss gender inequity FEATURES in STEM fields

9

Buyout program fails to account for OPINIONS empty positions

Ashley Hoyle

Guest Reporter

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assar’s swimming and diving team saw its first Liberty League matchup against Skidmore on Nov. 7, at home in the Kresge Pool, where both the men and women came out on top 167-114 and 175-109. Last season, the Brewers clinched a victory over Skidmore, pulling out a narrow win in the final event. Earlier this season, the Brewers faced their first opponent, a large NYU team, and both the men’s and women’s teams fell to the powerhouse. The women lost 199-87 and the men 204-64. However, the losses came not with strong performances, including two wins by sophomore Julia Cunningham in the 200 yard butterfly and 200 yard individual medley, and two strong times posted by sophomore Ian Quinn in the 100 yard butterfly and 50 yard freestyle races.

As both teams are getting their seasons going, there is much discussion of goals for 2015 VC swimming and diving. Senior women’s captain Lizzy Balter said in a written statement, “As a senior, I can honestly say that the team dynamic of this group is the best it’s been since I’ve been on the team. Our goal is to keep the momentum we’ve been building, and have this be a really exceptional season.” It seems that both the men and women

15 ARTS

are poised to do just that. Both teams are coming off of successful seasons.

Quinn explained the Brewers’ success in 2014; “Last year we placed ninth, which was the highest we’ve ever placed. Last year, we had the best year we’ve ever had, definitely the best year we’ve ever had...We broke more than ten records on the men’s side and we got a lot of guys into the finals. So if we could place seventh or sixth this year, that would be huge.”

Madison Carroll, a freshman from New Paltz, N.Y., shared similar hopes for the Brewers’ ability to continue the legacy of the program, saying in a written statement, “I hope that this year, VC swimming and diving will continue to build on the success of last season. As a freshman, I am really proud to be joining a program that last year broke numerous records and saw great success both in and out of the pool.” The Brewers hope to continue to build the momentum as the season progresses, “Traditionally, we have crescendoed into our last meet of the year, States,” said Balter, “This year, 6 weeks in, we have already seen broken records, lifetime bests, incredible swims and we’re only going to keep building from here. We are trying to approach Liberty Leagues as a championship meet, and really emphasize our efforts at this midway See SWIMMING on page 20

Fashion show brings art collection to life with student collab.

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The Miscellany News

November 13, 2014

Editor-in-Chief Marie Solis

Senior Editors

Stuck in the darkroom?

Give your photos some exposure and submit to our photography blog!

Email Sam Pianello at sapianello@vassar.edu.

Visit us at exposure.miscellanynews.org

The following Executive Board positions of The Miscellany News are now open for the Spring 2015 semester: Editor-in-Chief, Senior Editor and Contributing Editor.

Send inquiries to misc@vassar.edu. Applications are due by Nov. 16 by 9 p.m.

Executive Staff positions are open to students who have served on the Editorial Board of The Miscellany News.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Meaghan Hughes Palak Patel

Contributing Editors Bethan Johnson Aja Saalfeld

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

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

Crossword Editors Collin Knopp-Schwyn York Chen Assistant Photo Jacob Gorski Reporters Amreen Bhasin Julia Cunningham Emily Hoffman Rhys Johnson Erik Quinson Columnists Emma Rosenthal Sophia Burns Delaney Fischer Sam Hammer Sarah Sandler Design Sarah Dolan Sixing Xu Photography Alec Ferretti Emily Lavieri-Scull Social Media Kayla Holliday Hannah Nice Copy Hallie Ayres Claire Baker Kristiana Bowman Anika Lanser Cody Duane-Mcglashen Macall McQueen Kelsey Quinn Jessica Roden Emma Roellke Sophia Slater CORRECTION Rebecca Weir

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

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

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

November 13, 2014

NEWS

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Palestinian and Israeli speakers recount violence, activism Emily Hoffman Reporter

J

courtesy of The Russell Tribunal

ewish Voice for Peace at Vassar (JVP), a group whose members support the movement for peace and justice in historic Palestine, hosted a lecture on Nov. 7 entitled, “Militarism and Refusal in Israel.” Two activists, Ivan Karakashian and Danielle Yaor, led discussions of the effects of militarism on young people in Israel, the status of conscientious objection and the work being done to counteract militarism. The speakers presented a non-normalized frame around the violence that young people involved in the conflict experience. The event was co-sponsored by the Grassroots Alliance for Alternative Politics (GAAP), the Feminist Alliance, Geography Department, Political Science Department, Africana Studies and International Studies.

The first speaker, Ivan Karakashian, works with Defense for Children International-Palestine, an independent children’s rights organization. He leads the organization’s advocacy and communications to expose and document grave violations against Palestinian children and hold their abusers accountable. Karakashian shed light on the impacts of militarism in the West Bank on children. He began by giving context and acknowledging that, since 1967, all Palestinians in the West Bank have been living under military law that does not apply to the Israeli Jewish settlers inhabiting the same space. Thus, there are two legal systems, one being the Israeli military system, which applies only to Palestinians, and the other being the Israeli criminal system that applies only to Israelis. Karakashian went on to highlight the consequences of having two systems in the same territory that are applied based on ethnicity.

According to Karakashian, Palestinian children who are subjected to the Israeli military system of law face dire consequences if accused of committing a crime. He used the example that, if a Palestinian child throws a stone at a military Jeep, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. He pointed out that almost all of the children being arrested are males be-

Ivan Karakashian and Danielle Yaor visited Vassar on Nov. 7 to illuminate and criticize the role of militarism in Israeli life. The two approached the topic from both Israeli and Palestinian perspectives. tween the ages of 12 and 18. Karakashian went on to explain the conditions of arrest, stating that 55 percent of all children arrested are arrested between midnight and 5:00 a.m. Soldiers often show up at children’s homes, the parents are not given an arrest warrant, the children are not read their rights and they are put in the back of a military vehicle and blindfolded.

Karakashian noted the unsettling nature of the situation. He said, “As a child the privacy and safety of your bedroom is destroyed when you wake up to a soldier pointing his gun at you.”

Karakashian showed images and footage of children being arrested by soldiers, including one 11-year-old boy with an intellectual disability. The speaker also showed footage of two Palestinian youths being killed by Israeli soldiers in what he argued was an unprovoked manner.

He went on to talk about the verbal and phys-

ical abuse that occur at military bases where children are often held for questioning. He asserted that children can disappear for 24 to 96 hours when no one knows where they are or what is happening to them, and, in 75 percent of all cases, physical and verbal abuse occur. After children are abused, denied food and water and sometimes subjected to solitary confinement, they are interrogated by soldiers, often resulting in forced confessions.

Karakashian related these struggles to the organization Defense for the Children International-Palestine, as he said that it is hard for the lawyers to help the children without negotiating. Oftentimes, lawyers enter a plea bargain for how long the child spends in military prison, which usually amounts to three to five months.

He claimed, “The organization is faced with the situation where we don’t think that children

should ever be tried in military courts, so we don’t want to work with the system at all, but if we don’t, then we can’t help children and they can spend years in prison.”

Karakashian concluded that Israel is the only country that arrests, prosecutes and convicts around 700 children in military courts each year. He also spoke about soldiers utilizing their crowd control weaponry brutally and excessively. Furthermore, he noted that Israel is the fourth biggest spender in the world on buying and importing weapons and is the number one country to export weapons per capita.

The second activist, Danielle Yaor, is an active member of Shministim, an organization of young Israelis who refuse compulsory service in the Israeli military. In addition to Shministim, Danielle participates with other human rights organizations and is active in weekly popular protests against the separation wall.

Yaor is only 19-years-old and spoke about her life in Israel as being overwhelmed by a military presence. She claimed that everywhere she went, on the train and on trips, she saw over 50 soldiers, and that in her daily life she saw M16s.

She spoke about being taught by soldiers and going on school field trips to military bases. Yaor elaborated on her decision to refuse service in the military and exclaimed, “When I became a refuser, I became an outsider.” Yaor frequently referenced the fact that many Israeli youths are unaware of the possibility to refuse service, and that she wanted to spread awareness of this option.

Lecture facilitator Henry Rosen ’17 spoke about the importance of the two speakers for young activists. He said, “I think these two specific activists offered clear insight into the place of youths—Palestinian and Israeli—in ongoing resistance to occupation and apartheid between the river and the sea.”

He continued, “I hope folks continue to show up in support of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and JVP as well as all students on campus pushing the school to be more accountable…and towards a position ‘against’ power.”

NY State prisoner-turned-activist chronicles experiences Rhys Johnson Reporter

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n Nov. 6, the Vassar Prison Initiative (VPI), a student organization committed to raising awareness about issues related to the prison-industrial complex, hosted an event featuring educator and counselor Dr. Kathy Boudin. The speaker, who works as an adjunct professor at the Columbia University School of Social Work, spoke about her experiences in prison and offered her opinions on how to create a more effective justice system.

Boudin, raised in Greenwich Village, N.Y., had become heavily involved in the Weather Underground, a far-left, anti-Vietnam War movement in the 1960s and 1970s. She was 38-years-old when she was arrested, along with several other Weathermen, in connection with the 1981 Brink’s robbery, when Weathermen and members of the Black Liberation Army stole $1.6 million from

a Brink’s armored vehicle at a mall in Nanuet, N.Y., killing two police officers in the process.

Boudin was incarcerated in the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women, the only maximum security prison in N.Y., for 22 years of a 20-years-to-life sentence for robbery and felony murder. During her time in prison, the HIV/ AIDS scare in the United States had become particularly frightening for women in prisons, many of whom either had HIV/AIDS and were scared to spread it, or were unsure because of the lack of HIV/AIDS testing allowed in correctional facilities.

Boudin and some of her fellow inmates organized a support group for those affected by the disease, trying to create a safe space for the prison’s women to discuss the matter and rally around each other without fear of judgment, an idea that soon spread to many other prisons.

“In that room, with black, white, Latino, gay,

courtesy of Fox News

Kathy Boudin, Columbia University Professor and Social Activist, speaks to Vassar students about her time before and after her imprisonment and about her ideas for a more effective prison system.

heterosexual, college-educated, GED, only basic education, we were a microcosm of the people of the prison,” said Boudin. “It took what was a secret and what was not spoken into something that you could then begin to talk about, and then you could have a community of people who could grieve, who could express their fears and who could be brought into a community in which they could take care of each other.”

Boudin and those inmates with whom she forged this alliance began to push for educational allowances for the prisoners as a step not only to better themselves then, but also to take control of their futures. Each One Teach One class showed prisoners how to teach others, and Boudin recounted that serving as mentors to children gave hope to many of the women who were unable to be with their own children on the outside.

“My son was 14 months old when I was arrested, and the guilt that I felt, the grief that I felt, I shared with the other women there. We all felt that,” remarked Boudin. “But to have a way to transcend that by believing that you could make a difference in your child’s life was a very, very important thing.”

Boudin also championed the need for higher educational opportunities for the women of the prison. Building upon the successes of other appeals, she was able to bring college professors to teach at Bedford Hills.

Boudin explained, “One of the things that was amazing about that experience was [that] we watched people go home from prison and, based on the experience that they had in the prison, be able to build lives at home.”

This program parallels that of two offered

by Vassar College in years past. For 30 years, the Africana Studies Program participated in an joint academic endeavor with Green Haven Prison, a maximum security facility for male inmates. The program also inspired a similar program at the Otisville medium security prison for men nine years ago.

According to a statement by the Africana Studies Program, “Over the years, the groups have discussed a variety of topics, including:

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

domestic violence, fatherhood, family, communication skills, victim awareness, current events awareness, housing and jobs in the outside community, and community reentry” (“The Green Haven Prison Program will celebrate its 30th anniversary with a conference and reunion on April 4, 2009,” 3.27.09).

It continued, “One of the main goals of the program is to prepare incarcerated men to reenter the outside community.”

Since being released in 2003, Boudin has advocated for greater public awareness of prison life and the unjust treatment of prisoners. She argued that a wrongful paradigm of punishment guides the American criminal justice system, which she argues should be rehabilitating rather than punitive. “It may seem counterintuitive, but the way that people change is by having some control over their lives,” Boudin posited.

The 71-year-old radical-turned-social worker has, however, garnered significant opposition, particularly with regards to Columbia University’s decision to hire her in 2008. Critics have labeled Boudin a murderer, a terrorist and unworthy of her professorship at an Ivy League university. A New York Daily News article entitled “Convicted killer Kathy Boudin accorded celebrity treatment at NYU Law School” wrote that “Some crimes are too heinous to be allowed to slip from memory” (4.12.13). Fox News’ Jesse Watters, who went to the university to gauge students’ reactions to the institution’s decision to hire her, criticized the 70 percent who reacted in support of the appointment, one of whom commented on the decision.

The student stated, “I think it’s a positive thing for someone to come and go through a situation like she’s been through and make something positive out of it” (Patheos, “Nine Columbia Students Interviewed About Kathy Boudin I,” 4.18.13).

Yet Boudin has shown no signs of succumbing to her media gadflies’ calls for her resignation, continuing to teach and develop programs for the support of HIV patients and their families at the Center for Comprehensive Care, HIV AIDS Center, at St. Luke’s and Roosevelt Hospital.

Page 4

Outside the Bubble

Pope Francis Demotes Top U.S. Bishop On Nov. 9, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis has again reassigned Cardinal Raymond Burke, the highest-ranking and extremely conservative American bishop within the Catholic Church. This is not the first demotion for the cardinal, who has now been moved from the position as the head of the Church’s highest court to the position of Patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a ceremonial position managing charity work to the elderly. While no reasons were given by Church officials for the reassignment, many attribute the demotion to Cardinal Burke’s open criticisms of Pope Francis’ progressive agenda. This is the cardinal’s second reassignment in two years. Last year, Cardinal Burke was transferred from the Congregation of Bishops, a group within the Church responsible for appointing bishops.

Cardinal Burke has earned notoriety for his conservative stances on a wide variety of social issues. The cardinal has long asserted that Communion should be denied to all Catholic politicians supporting abortion. Recently, when responding to a hypothetical situation posed by believers in which Catholic parents must decide whether to invite homosexual family members to holiday gatherings where children are present, he asserted his stance on homosexuality. He questioned, “If homosexual relations are intrinsically disordered, which indeed they are—reason teaches us that and also our faith—then, what would it mean to grandchildren to have present at a family gathering a family member who is living [in] a disordered relationship with another person?” (Lifesite, “Exclusive: Cardinal Burke responds to Australian couple’s Synod presentation on family’s gay son,” 10.9.14).

The cardinal has also been directly critical of the Pope, telling Buzzfeed last month that “The Pope is not free to change the church’s teachings with regard to the immorality of homosexual acts or the insolubility of marriage or any other doctrine of the faith” (CNN, “Pope Francis reassigns conservative American cardinal,” 11.10.14).

Last week, he said, “Many have expressed their concern to me ... There is a strong sense that the church is like a ship without a rudder” (USA Today, “Pope Francis again demotes hard-line U.S. cardinal,” 11.9.14).

This demotion has been linked with the Pope’s perceived liberalism. Apparently, the original draft of a text by the Pope discussed the “gifts and qualities” gay believers add to the faith, only to have these statements cut before the final publication (CNN). The Pope has also been frequently quoted as asking, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge?” (BBC, “Pope Francis: Who am I to judge gay people,” 7.29.14).

Bethan Johnson, Contributing Editor

November 13, 2014

30 jobs to be permanently eliminated BUYOUT continued from page 1 under the program,” Walton explained. “The program was completely voluntary and the College, after making to offer to all eligible employees, was completely neutral as to who took the offer, as required by law.”

This is not the first time that the College has utilized a buyout program. Spencer wrote in an emailed statement, “There have been buyouts before at Vassar. They have been structured differently depending on how broad or how narrow the population is to be impacted.

When offered, they are many years apart.”

The program will reduce the College’s annual operating budget and align it with the financial goals of the Board of Trustees-mandated Integrated Financial Model.

The program was also enacted based on a desire to better align with peer institutions.

Walton explained that previous employment figures for non-faculty employees notably exceeded those of other colleges. He said, “The staffing of Vassar College varies slightly, even after the buyout, from those of peer institutions, but the reduction in staffing as a result of the program will result in a closer alignment.”

The College asserts that it opted for a buyout program—which is voluntary­—instead of firing employees in order to maintain a healthy relationship between the administration and employees. Walton explained in a separate emailed statement, “Without the program, it would have been necessary to achieve the reduced staffing levels by a forced reduction in force (terminations) which the administration believed would be an out of character and corporate technique less suitable to the higher education culture, would have a very negative and lasting toxic effect on the Vassar community, and would hurt employee morale.”

Walton also stated that this method of staff reductions preserved other critical aspects of the College’s finances. He noted, “Once the Program has been fully implemented, the College will have achieved the financial goals set by the Board of Trustees without a layoff and without changes to the extremely important need-blind admissions and financial aid priority of Vassar College.”

Walton has received positive responses to the buyout program. He remarked, “The Program is completely voluntary, offered to all eligible employees (as required by state and federal regulations), and was very positively received by the participating employees.”

Spencer echoed this sentiment. She explained, “Those who took the buyout seemed to be very satisfied with their decisions and acknowledge that the buyout package was very generous.”

Despite Walton’s assertions that this program marks the best option for all parties involved and is emblematic of a respectful relationship between the College and its employees, this opinion is not shared by all.

While Science Support Technician and CWA Business Agent Carl Bertsche acknowledged the support of the program by some, he noted that the program’s positive reception may have been driven by factors beyond the financial incentives of the program. He wrote in an emailed statement, “For those members who are 64 years of age and up the response has been favorable. For the last few years most [workers’] opinion of the employer have dropped off. This College was once a community where all thrived now only those on top can live comfortably. The environment no longer supports or wants...an experienced staff.”

Bertsche also challenged the College’s motives with regards to the buyout program.

He said, “The ‘Program’ has certainly put a strain on the relationship between CWA and the College. CWA wants what is right for our members and the College wants what is good for them financially. The College can spin it anyway that want but they are balancing the Operating Expenses budget on the backs of the employees. The Endowment is doing very well at nearly 1 billion. The [drain] on the endowment is the issue and the 2.5 million per year is said to be [too] much.”

The CWA worker also criticized the motives of mirroring peer institutions. Bertsche explained, “The part that is often overlooked is the thought process of the Trustees when they dictate to the senior officers that Vassar College should be [in line] with other Colleges in

Katie de Heras/The Miscellany News

President Pushes FCC On Net Neutrality On Nov. 10, President Obama shifted focus after the midterm elections to an issue he has campaigned on for years: net neutrality. Releasing a video and a written statement, the President requested the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) uphold net neutrality. This request is due to a court ruling in January that the previous set of Internet regulations was rendered void.

The President proposed the FCC adopt a fourpronged plan. First, the President has asked that the FCC reclassify Internet service as a utility. In his written statement, Obama explained, “If a consumer requests access to a website or service, and the content is legal, your ISP should not be permitted to block it” (Office of the White House, “Statement on Net Neutrality,” 11.10.14).

Aside from requesting an increase in transparency by Internet providers, the President also attacked practices of throttling and paid priority. The President argued, “Simply put: No service should be stuck in a ‘slow lane’ because it does not pay a fee ... I am asking for an explicit ban on paid prioritization and any other restriction that has a similar effect” (Office of the White House).

These policies have become increasingly significant recently as Netflix has made deals with Comcast and Verizon to allow users faster streaming.

Obama’s appeal for net neutrality fits into a larger pattern, as he is one of millions of people offering opinions.

The FCC held a public commenting period in which approximately 3.7 million users posted comments, with The New York Times alleging the majority favoring net neutrality. As the FCC is an independent agency, the President’s request has limited weight. According to The New York Times, “Tom Wheeler, chairman of the [FCC], on Monday said he welcomed the President’s input ... But he did not say whether he would fully support reclassifying broadband as a utility” (“Obama Calls for Strict Net Neutrality Policy,” 11.10.14).

A decision will not soon be reached, as the FCC considers its next steps, though this did not stop others from weighing in on the President’s proposal. In a tweet written within hours of the President’s statements, Senator Ted Cruz wrote, “‘Net Neutrality’ is Obamacare for the Internet; the Internet should not operate at the speed of government” (@SenTedCruz, 11.10.14).

NEWS

Approximately 30 percent of non-faculty employees accepted the early retirement program.

The program is a fiscal measure the College has taken to reduce its annual operating budget. staffing requirements. One should not look at the number of carpenters working at another college and use that as a staffing requirement.”

He continued, “The Vassar I came to work for in 1989 didn’t care about other schools we only cared about what we could do to better serve the student body. The Vassar [I] came to work for in 1989 cared about its workers and the relationship being built with CWA. None of these things matter anymore, just the bottom line on a ledger sheet. That is wrong.”

According to Bertsche, whose union currently knows of 23 union employees taking retirement packages, another point of contention is the lack of discussion about the program between the College and the union before it was offered to employees. He said, “From CWA position the College should have sat down with us prior to implementing the ‘Program’. We used to be partners and now that has changed. The College has disrespected CWA and all their members.”

Members of the Student-Labor Dialogue (SLD), which seeks to join Vassar students and employees in solidarity for workers’ rights, also asserted that they believe this is an attempt to hinder unions on campus. Students of SLD wrote in a joint emailed statement, “The SLD sees the buyouts as part of a concerted effort by the administration to downsize Vassar’s workforce, systematically understaff the campus, and weaken the collective bargaining units on campus.”

They also cast doubt on the positive presentation made by the College. They said, “The SLD believes that the administration’s lack of communication and consideration for workers at Vassar not only speaks to a culture of disrespect, but also points to a larger strategy of problematizing working conditions on campus. The compounded workload that is an inevitable consequence of the buyouts serves to push too much work on too few people.”

As contracts have already been signed and resignations began as early as July, the College and the CWA alike face new challenges related to the voluntary retirement program. Spencer explained, “The design, offering and implementation of the buyout is the easiest part of the plan. Re-engineering, reviewing, resetting priorities in some cases, deciding what may not be done in the future or how to do it differently takes much longer.”

Among the first actions the College will take is to determine which vacant positions will be filled and which will be eliminated. According to Walton, “To plan for and meet these staffing change challenges, the senior officers participated in a mini-retreat in early August following the final enrollment deadline of the Program and have prepared an initial tactical plan for how the 68 positions will be evaluated and re-engineered to meet the financial goals established for the Program.”

He continued, “Understanding that planning work is not yet complete, approximately 12 positions for example have been identified, to date, for reassignment to a new or adjusted set of duties or service responsibilities including the possible merger of some service units designed to yield a lower cost basis and/or an expanded service value.”

Walton emphasized that while the College had known about the voluntary retirement program for months, it could not begin making staffing decisions until after August 1­and that such decisions require careful consideration.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

However, Bertsche asserted his belief that the College already knows which positions they want to eliminate. He noted, “At this time, the College has yet to discuss any positions that are to be eliminated. They keep telling us they have yet to decide what positions will be eliminated. We all know that is untrue.”

Another critical area of focus for the College will be adjusting to a reduced workforce, acknowledging that it places added strain on remaining workers. Walton remarked, “Until [all positions are filled], staffing in a few areas will be under pressure and the College will need to adjust and respond as best as possible within the rules and guidelines of the bargaining unit agreements and policies and procedures of the College.”

In an attempt to ensure the quality of services are not significantly reduced, Walton also noted a series of alterations to the procedure will occur. “As positions are vacated, there will be reassignment of tasks and reporting lines and some department reorganizations due to the changes in personnel. In some cases, service levels will be altered, or services will be provided using a different technique,” he said. “Some positions will be reclassified (usually to a higher level) as tasks are shifted.

Some duties may be completed by offering more overtime pay to selected employees.”

Due to the reductions, the College may not return to its old standards in some areas. “In other cases, work is simply being eliminated and some services may be reduced to reflect the smaller employee resource,” said Walton.

Walton also expressly stated that student employment will not change amidst the staffing reductions. He asserted, “No student labor will be used to back fill for any of the positions as this would be a violation of the bargaining unit agreements with CWA and SEIU.” Meanwhile, the CWA has vowed to combat any permanent reductions in the workforce.

“CWA will challenge each and every position that is to be downgraded or eliminated. CWA believes that we are already short staffed. The CWA members are here to support the education of each and every student,” Bertsche asserted. “We are in the service business as we provide a service to the students education.

You lessen the quality of the service and you lessen the quality of the education.”

Students of the SLD fear the larger implications of the program. They said, “We are concerned that the ultimate goal of the administration is to weaken labor on campus to the point that they attempt to bring in sub-contracted labor from outside contractors. We’re concerned that the buyouts are only one facet of a larger strategy to overload and undermine workers, and we’re concerned about what strategies may come next.”

They also called on other students to prepare themselves to stand behind unions like CWA. They said, “The top-level officials of Vassar are counting on the fact that students will not notice or care about the injustices that are occurring on campus. It is imperative that we show administration that students care about the kind of culture that is being created on Vassar’s campus.”

Even when the positions are filled, some within the administration believe that this program will have lasting and unforeseen consequences. Spencer said, “We may not see the full impact of these decisions for the next two to three years.”

November 13, 2014

FEATURES

Page 5

Burnham to speak on stigmas surrounding mental health Penina Remler Guest Reporter

T

courtesy of The Saxon Scope

o someone who had just met him, there was no doubt that Jordan Burnham was the ideal high school student. Peers of all ages admired his ability to seemingly have it all— ranging from his outgoing personality, to his athletic ability, to his impressive academic record. Although Burnham’s high school self was identical to the perfect teenage prototype, there was one trait which went unseen by the public’s knowledge: Burnham’s struggle with severe depression. On Nov. 19 at 6 p.m., Jordan Burnham will be making his way to Rocky 200 where Vassar students will have the chance to hear this moving story first hand.

Like so many other victims of depression, Burnham appeared perfectly happy on the outside, but internally he was far from happy.

When Burnham’s older sister, who he always considered his confidante, left their childhood home and went off to college, Burnham’s depression flared up. Without a familiar face to regularly seek advice from, Burnham truly felt alone. This loneliness later transformed into depression. “Certain things felt numb to me. It was difficult to do certain tasks,” said Burnham in an interview with NBC. “I felt like I had these weights that were on my shoulder that made it ten times harder for me than for anyone else.”

Like many individuals who experience feelings of depression, Burnham feared that anyone he spoke to “just wouldn’t understand”— especially when so many of his close family and friends always viewed him as a happy, positive and carefree teenage boy.

As his emotions continued to bottle up inside, Burnham came to rely heavily on alcohol to temporarily ease the unspoken feelings that plagued him. His depression finally culminated

Jordan Burnham speaks about his struggles with depression and attempt to take his own life. Burnham, who has spoken on shows and at events across the nation, is coming to Vassar to offer his experiences. when, during his senior year, Burnham jumped out of a nine story window.

After surviving the tragic incident that nearly took his life but left him with severe injuries, Burnham sought a new path. Following his incident, Burnham became embedded in his role as an educator and speaker who aspires to prevent and assist those from falling into the same trouble that he did.

“If there’s one thing I try to explain to people so that they understand is that I wasn’t suicidal. I didn’t plan my suicide attempt,” Burnham said. “I wasn’t drunk or under another sub-

stance when I went out my window, but I don’t remember going out of my window.”

Since recovering from his fall, Burnham has teamed up with the nationwide mental health organization Active Minds. Active Minds is a nonprofit organization devoted to helping educate students on mental health issues and encouraging them to self-help and seek aid if needed. Furthermore, the program emphasizes and takes a particular interest in mental health on college campuses. Through Active Minds, Burnham has begun to travel and share his personal story with the public by giving speech-

es, going on TV shows and attending lectures.

Through these events, he hopes to encourage positivity in others who struggle with the same issues he does.

“Although I’m speaking out on this subject and helping others, it’s important to understand that I still have depression.” Burnham said on his personal blog. “I live with it every day. It’s not something you can just get over, like a cold; it’s a daily process.”

Hoping to reduce the stigma around depression, the Office of Health Education contacted Burnham and anticipate that his presence will not only benefit individuals with the physical and mental health recovery process, but also inspire students to shape healthier and supportive communities. Roxanne Ringer ’15 works with Vassar’s Office of Health Education, and has been involved in bringing Burnham to Vassar. “Health Education believes that this is a topic that needs more attention on campus,” said Ringer. “This talk will not only make a difference in the lives of people currently struggling with depression, but also foster an open dialogue around mental health.”

The lecture is open to any and all guests— free of admission—and fellow student Jonah Williams ’16, who is working alongside Ringer on this program, believes that this is necessary.

“Talking openly about issues such as depression will be very beneficial to the College community,” said Williams. “I hope that it will not only help those struggling with depression, but will also encourage other students to become advocates of mental health on campus.”

According to Ringer and Williams, Burnham’s speech will stress issues such as depression, suicide and stigma reduction. Following the lecture, Health Education will be providing food and counseling for all who desire it.

Female STEM faculty negotiates personal, professional Meaghan Hughes Senior Editor

Marie Solis contributed reporting.

H

istorically, men have dominated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, but women have started to catch up in recent years. On Nov. 8, Strong House hosted an event titled “Conversations with Women of Physics and Math” to explore this gender inequality from the perspectives of Vassar faculty.

The event was the second in a series of conversations organized by the Strong Floor Fellows. This year’s Strong House Fellow, Professor of Biology Kelli Duncan, came up with the idea as a way to add meaningful programming to the house and the rest of the Vassar community. Duncan based the events on conversation formats often used to educate younger students about the sciences. “I decided that these types of conversations could be expanded to include college students as they start to focus on which major they choose, what they can do with that major, and what life after Vassar may look like with a STEM degree,” Duncan wrote in an emailed statement.

“Females in STEM can have a difficult path ahead of them, and I believe mentorship is key,” she added.

Duncan cited current statistics recently released from the White House, which attribute 41 percent of all PhDs in STEM fields to women, who then go on to make up about 28 percent of all tenure-track faculty teaching in those same disciplines.

Duncan continued, “We are very lucky to have many female faculty in the STEM field here at Vassar, many with varied career paths and life choices, and these conversations can help to better inform Vassar students about the future that lies ahead of them.”

To organize the event, Duncan worked with the Strong House post-baccalaureate fellow, Elizabeth Ruiz ’14, who coordinates programming. Ruiz explained that the event is meant to reach not only Strong residents, but the entire Vassar community. “[W]e try to get the word out to as large an audience as we can,” she wrote.

“In this way, we connect these conversations to others happening elsewhere on campus, while opening Strong up to the Vassar community as a space where these conversations can be held

in a comfortable and somewhat informal way.”

Ruiz and Duncan also work with the Strong Floor Fellows to gather student input and promote the event to as many students as possible.

One of the Floor Fellows, Julianne Johnson ’16, discussed the importance of the event, even for those who might not be considering careers in the sciences. “Personally, my current interests don’t lie within the STEM umbrella, but I’ve loved going to these conversations not only to get a better picture of what it’s like out there for fellow female students and educators, but also just to get a chance to listen to someone talk about their life for a little bit,” Johnson wrote in an emailed statement.

She continued to describe her positive experience witht the event. “I think my favorite part of these conversations comes at the very beginning when the professors talk unprompted about their personal and academic lives—it’s a type of storytelling experience that I haven’t had many other chances to participate with on campus,” Johnson wrote.

The organization of the event itself consisted of small group presentations and subsequent conversations. Five female-identified professors from Vassar’s Physics and Math Departments presented their experiences and opinions on the issues at hand. Each professor introduced herself, after which students were allowed to ask any questions they had.

At Saturday’s event, Duncan opened the conversation with an introduction of the conversation series and the professors present, who each spoke on their experiences before and during their time at Vassar.

Professor of Physics Cindy Schwartz remembered the inequality she encountered while getting her bachelor’s at SUNY Binghamton. “I double majored in math and physics,” she said.

“No one ever suggested I go to grad school, even though I got straight As and had won the physics prize ... At graduation, I saw my male peers graduating with honors because they had written a thesis. No one had ever told me that you needed to write a thesis to graduate with honors.”

On the topic of the expectations of women to raise families, Visiting Assistant Professor Lynn Scow recalled the gender inequality she witnessed in her time in graduate school. “In UC Berkeley, there weren’t a lot of women who had a family or kids, so I didn’t see it as a recipe

for success ... As a woman, your personal choices are always up to scrutiny in the professional world in a way that men’s aren’t.”

In their years spent at Vassar, not all of the professors reported having bad experiences.

Assistant Professor of Mathematics Ming-Wen An Wissmann noted that her field of statistics is generally more evenly split along gender lines, and this was reflected in her reception at the College. “In our department at Vassar, I think it is a supportive department in general and my experience has been positive,” she said.

For Scow, participating in the event was a chance to engage with female students who might face unequal gender expectations about their career choices. “I’m really interested in events that encourage women to see themselves working in fields that use mathematics,” she wrote.

Scow continued, “It is such a shame when anyone self-selects out of a math-based career because they feel they don’t belong, and maybe they could have really enjoyed it and done great work...Because there are fewer of us [female mathematicians], I think it is important to try to be more visible.”

Strong Floor Fellow Ruby Pierce ’16 noted that despite Vassar’s forward-thinking reputation, issues of inequality in academia are important to discuss on campus. “I think that Vassar likes to believe, collectively, that it is a place where issues of sexism and gender inequality are non-existent,” she wrote, “So much so, these things are considered a non-issue, and we hardly ever talk about them as conflicts pertaining to our own community. We have to keep talking about these inequalities, because they are real, and they are actively damaging our chances of success—even at an institution founded for women.”

Ruiz echoed Pierce’s sentiment, noting that her time at Vassar did not provide sufficient discussion of the issue of female underrepresentation. “This event, and others like it, are important to hold because the women in STEM experience is largely unrepresented on Vassar’s campus,” Ruiz wrote. “As a biology major here, never once in my four years did I feel as though there was a space to have these conversations, to share experiences and deconstruct assumptions.”

She continued, “Individual STEM fields and their subdisciplines have different expecta-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

tions and cultures, which is why we host different departments each time. It’s important to have these events to foster solidarity between faculty and students on campus, and it’s vital that students entering a career in science, science education or education, be aware of the assumptions that they will face, and how to deconstruct negative expectations or respond to specific negative challenges regarding being in an underrepresented group in a STEM field.”

Regarding the future of the conversation series, Duncan hopes that the collaborations this semester will continue throughout the academic year. “We plan to continue the department discussions as well as at least one presentation on the history of STEM research and accomplishments from female VC faculty,” she wrote.

“We’ve also started talks with the Women’s Center to bring in outside speakers and to expand the conversations to the faculty as a whole (i.e. not just female faculty).”

As for the future of mathematics, Scow noted that some progress is being made. “In my own field, I think that the number of women has been growing,” she wrote. “There is still work to be done, and work is being done, on issues of implicit bias in hiring and family-friendly policies in the workplace. I don’t want to say these issues affect all women, but they will affect some women very negatively, and it just isn’t necessary to be losing people from the field for these reasons.”

She continued, “I always found the hierarchical or competitive aspects about math culture off-putting.” Scow stated, “I think you can feel this regardless of gender identification...But math is math! See what your relationship is to math before you let someone else define it.”

Pierce concurred with Scow’s sentiments, noting that careers in STEM fields have begun to seem more approachable. “And as for female-identified individuals who wish to have careers, this kind of conversation opens up a whole world of possibilities,” she wrote.

“I, for one, have always subconsciously felt that the key to success was to emulate the white businessmen,” she continued. “Being in a room with such wise and accomplished women has introduced a new possibility—to emulate them would be to synthesize my female identity with my ambition ... Success, in STEM or in any career, does not have to be white and male. Success can be a woman, and I can be success.”

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November 13, 2014

Students raise awareness about compost contamination COMPOST continued from page 1

tion to a composting night at the ACDC last week, two weeks ago, Sustainability took all of the trash, recycling and compost bins in the Retreat and the College Center and put them in one centralized place. Students interacted with anyone who needed to throw out their trash, so as to guarantee everything was going to the right place. One of the students staffing this area was Saskia Comess ’17, the Office of Sustainability’s Waste Intern.

“The goal of the event was to raise awareness regarding how to properly sort compost, trash and recycle so that we can start composting in the Retreat again,” said Comess.

Comess and her fellow students, many of whom were members of the environmental studies senior seminar, took turns staffing the station set up around the waste receptacles.

Though they were the campus’ resident experts for the day, Comess admitted that figuring out what goes where can be tricky.

“The Retreat sells food in a variety of packaging types and thus knowing what is and isn’t compostable is sometimes confusing. Of course, composting is optional; however, we would prefer that students who don’t want to sort their waste just throw it all in the garbage rather than ruin an entire batch of compost,” said Comess, who helped organize and staff the station.

According to the Office of Sustainability’s statistics, the campus generates over 700 pounds of food waste and other compostables every day, much of which is often placed into the wrong containers.

The staffers at the event told students which Retreat packages were compostable, which were recyclable and which needed to be trashed. Comess believes that educating other students on what they can and cannot compost or recycle is important for Vassar to maintain a healthy environmental presence.

“Since Vassar produces so much waste in general, it seems like we should do as much as possible to make sure everything that we can compost is composted,” Comess stated.

Alongside Sustainability’s initiative at the Retreat, members of the environmental studies major seminar organized a night at the ACDC where they stood by the exits and asked all students to place their napkins and other compostables into trash bins. This event was originally the brainchild of Evie Toland ’15, a member of the seminar like all of her fellow environmental studies majors. “It was a way to actively include Vassar students in our study so they’re more aware of how much food they waste,” Toland explained. “Also, I was genuinely interested in how much food students waste at the DC because I didn’t think we had data on that.”

Similarly to the Retreat event, the members of the seminar all signed up for different time slots to be at the ACDC staffing the event and encouraging students to dispose of their compost in the proper bin. By Toland’s count, the event was a success.

“As students, we were able to talk to other students about why we’re studying food waste and make visible how much Vassar wastes in a buffet-style dining hall,” Toland said.

Sarah Yanuck ’15 is another member of the majors’ seminar who also serves as the Environmental Studies’ Department Intern. Yanuck reiterated that the event was a great way to help increase environmental awareness on Vassar’s campus.

“The food at the Deece is always composted as long as it’s not contaminated by wrappers and other things,” said Yanuck. “This was an opportunity for us to show people how much waste we actually produce and to weigh it.”

At the end of the night, the members of the class took all the waste that they had collected in the trash bins during the meal and bagged it to be weighed. Although they haven’t yet received the final tally for how much weight was actually collected, Yanuck believes that they will get it soon and distribute it to students.

“This event wasn’t aimed to try and reduce food waste or make a long-term huge change at the DC,” Toland said, looking back on the event. “It was more to have students realize

how much they throw away by physically having to remove it themselves.”

In addition to their efforts at the ACDC, the members of the seminar also created the new signs that can be seen on and around the waste bins in the Retreat, reading “I am trash!” or “I am compost!” Many of the Retreat’s containers and cutlery are compostable, but there are some that are not, and that has caused a great deal of confusion among students as well.

“It was really interesting because we were trying to figure out what was and wasn’t compostable and recyclable,” Yanuck recalled. “We ended up calling some of the companies to ask [which of their products were compostable]. I think it says a lot if we environmental studies majors had to resort to that to find out what was compostable.”

The signs, which are already planned to be updated and improved, detail which bin it is acceptable for a given package or waste to go in. The Retreat has made a shift in recent years to use more and more compostable utensils and dishware, and Comess feels that not taking advantage of this is a waste in and of itself.

“Providing compostable utensils, cups and dishware represents a significant monetary investment for the Retreat,” said Comess. “It is also representative of how ambitious the composting program is at Vassar; many institutions limit composting to just food waste, while we are also trying to make packaging compostable. However, when the compost bins are contaminated with non-compostable items, it all ends up in the trash and the advantages of such an ambitious program are diminished.”

Now that the signs are up, other methods of increasing awareness are being considered.

Yanuck stated that her class is hoping to improve the bulletin board in the Retreat. They hope to use it as a space to post information not only on composting but also on Vassar’s “waste stream”—the route that the waste coming out of Vassar takes.

Most of Vassar’s waste eventually ends up

in an incinerator, which causes its own problems for the environment. Most incinerators are in poorer, more marginalized areas where their noxious emissions don’t affect those who produce the majority of the garbage. But it can seriously affect those who live nearby.

“We want to help students realize that when we produce waste it does affect other people, and not always in the same way,” Yanuck said of the incinerators.

Yanuck and Toland agreed that the decrease of waste on campus is a gradual process that won’t be completed right away, and maybe not for a long time, but they have already seen encouraging results coming out of the events.

“It’s definitely an ongoing project,” said Yanuck. “And so far the people at Sustainability have been doing a great job.”

“It’s doubtful that this one event will change their habits­—but you never know. We did have one student come to the Enviro Department interested in majoring because she liked what we were doing so just reaching one person is successful in my mind,” Toland said.

Likewise, Comess reported that the event in the Retreat has gone a long way toward helping students to be more conscious about the disposal of their waste. “[Vassar’s composting companies] have seen a huge improvement in compost contamination levels since our event in the Retreat,” Comess explained. “That compost is now usable as compost and does not have to go in the garbage.”

Though Sustainability and the members of the seminar have not yet planned any specific events for the future, they are all pleased and encouraged by the campus’s reception of these first two events. “The fact that these initial efforts resulted in such a reduction in contamination indicates that it is important to continue this educational work,” Comess said.

Comess eventually hopes to see the continuing improvement of campus waste disposal. “My goal is to have continuous composting in the Retreat, without having to halt composting due to excessive contamination.”

Classic cheesecake perennial token of Kentucky hospitality Alex Trunnell

Guest Reporter

I

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

courtesy of eat-yourself-skinny.com

like cheese. I also really, really like cake. Let’s be real: who doesn’t? Where I come from, not liking cheese or cake is akin to not liking Scarlett O’Hara’s curtain dress: It simply isn’t done. Now, considering everyone in Kentucky likes cheese, and everyone in Kentucky likes cake, there is clearly only one logical conclusion that we can reach: Everyone in Kentucky loves cheesecake.

Ah, yes. Cheesecake. The David of cheeses, the Pieta of cakes, it is deserving of only the Michelangelo of bakers: My grandmother, who passed on her famous recipe to my mother and entrusted her to carry on the family tradition of never crossing a threshold without a cheesecake. Wedding? Bring a cheesecake.

Christening? Bring a cheesecake. Funeral?

Bring two cheesecakes and wear black.

Now, the key to a good cheesecake is a good pan, believe it or not. Without a spring-form pan, forget about it—you can’t flip a cheesecake out of a normal cake pan, so if the pan doesn’t come off on its own then you’re pretty much up the crick without a paddle. Your other option is digging the cake out of the pan with a fork, which, though effective, is quite sad in comparison to a perfect flip out of a pan.

So. You have the proper pan. But just because you have the pan doesn’t mean you can cook with that pan. Now, you must prepare the proper pan. Take a fistful of shortening and smear it all over the inside of the springform pan. Don’t be shy; use too little and the cake won’t spring free of the pan (pun totally intended). Sprinkle some white sugar on top of the shortening to seal it all in.

Now, with your pan prepared, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Take out a package of graham crackers and a melted stick of butter. Seal the graham crackers into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and passionately pulverize them with a rolling pin like they just tried to run off with your man.

Dump the crumbs into a bowl and add some

of the butter, mixing with your hands. It is totally up to you as to how buttery you want the crust, so add as much or as little as you think you’ll want. When the crumbs are all thoroughly moistened, squish them firmly into the bottom of the spring-form pan.

Take out a stand mixer (or, alternatively, a bowl and a wooden spoon, though they are significantly less cool). Cream together five packages of cream cheese and two cups of sugar. Yes, you heard me: five packages. Forty ounces of creamy, cheesy goodness. I can feel the heart attack now, and it feels awful similar to the feeling I get when my favorite horse wins the derby. Oh, wait, that feeling isn’t a heart attack: It’s love.

Add two whole eggs into the mixer, followed by three egg whites. Just the whites. You can tell this recipe is super because it calls for both whole eggs and non-whole eggs.

Beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy (well, as light and fluffy as forty ounces of cream cheese can be, which is indeed surprisingly light and fluffy). With the mixer running, add in a teaspoon of vanilla, three tablespoons of flour, and the juice of just one small lemon (about a tablespoon or so). Add in about a teaspoon of the zest as well. Finally, add a quarter of a cup of heavy whipping cream and beat well.

Pour the batter over the graham cracker crust and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Then, turn the heat down to 250 degrees and bake for another half hour to 45 minutes. Once the cake is just beginning to set, turn off the oven and leave it in until cool, preferably overnight.

Be sure to cut the cake into small slices, because each one is as rich as a child of old money. And, if you cut them too large, you won’t have enough to go around and then you’ll have a family feud on your floury hands. But boy, are they delicious.

This cake is best served with a caveat of diabetes and, if you would like, a nice light fruit topping to offset the intense amount of love weighing down the cake.

The Ingredients 2 whole eggs 3 egg whites 5 packages (40 oz) of cream cheese 2 cups of sugar 1 stick of butter 1 package of graham crackers, pulverized 1 tsp of vanilla extract 1 tbsp of flour 1 tbsp of lemon juice 1/4 cup of whip cream

FEATURES

November 13, 2014

Page 7

New legislation holds banks accountable for evictions homelessness, blight and all housing issues as that our housing system is based on producing massive profits for banks and other huge corporations rather than on meeting all people’s need for a home,” he explained in a written statement.

Bix went on to note that corporate ideology is at odds with the rights for which NLMH fights. “The biggest obstacles to winning affordable housing are from the banks and other corporations that profit immensely from the status quo of housing being a commodity and not a right.”

He continued, “I use the word ‘winning’ because we have to fight them to make affordable housing a reality, their interests of massive profits are directly opposed to the vast majority of people’s interest in making housing affordable to all.”

NLMH is dedicated to eradicating this issue though their public action and through raising awareness of the issue of foreclosure.

In addition, the group proposes legislature which, if passed, will help the homeowners retain their homes and regulate banks. The bond ordinance is one such case where they have succeeded in producing legal change.

The ordinance will simultaneously penalize the banks for evicting a homeowner while also providing the city of Poughkeepsie with compensation for the empty home.

“The bond ordinance will save the city millions and bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue through administrative fees and fines,” Slichter said, continuing, “It will help prevent anticipated cuts to jobs and public transportation in the city. With the foreclosure bond, we were able to say that at the very least, the banks should be responsible for what they’re doing to these communities, and that the city should not be supporting private profit with public money.”

One of the major issues addressed by the ordinance is the cost of keeping up a foreclosed home, a cost that is placed upon the city of Poughkeepsie. The city must pay for all upkeep, maintenance, inspections and any

Emily Lavieri-Scull/The Miscellany News

NMLH continued from page 1 dinance that requires banks to pay $10,000 for each foreclosed or vacant property. On Nov. 4, the Poughkeepsie Common Council voted unanimously for this legislation, making it the first of its kind in New York and the seventh in the nation. Putting this pressure on banks will bolster the work the organization has already been doing, they maintained.

“For the first time in the history of the foreclosure crisis in the Hudson Valley, public pressure has not only reversed a foreclosure, but has won a permanent loan modification on our terms,” reads the NLMH website.

This statement refers to the case of Flavia Perry, a woman whose home was set to be foreclosed. Through petition-signing, letter-writing and public protest, NLMH helped Perry negotiate with Bank of America to keep her home. A family keeps its home. A home keeps its family.

The NLMH advocates a method of collective action, which calls together community members going through similar experiences as well as other volunteers for the organization. “It’s about coming together in solidarity to support each other and condemn the banks together,” said Slichter.

Continuing, she noted that banks are at the focus of NLMH. “We believe that the big banks should be held accountable for the massive discharge of communities they are causing through foreclosure and eviction, which result in homelessness and vacant properties: homes without people and people without homes,” she added.

There are a number of ways in which a homeowner can find themselves facing foreclosure, but Slichter believe they all trace back to the bank. Through predatory loaning practices, the banks target the most vulnerable people of our society and set them up for eviction from the get-go, she explained.

Jonathan Bix ’14, who has continued to work with the organization after graduating, echoed this sentiment. “I think it’s important to point to the root cause for foreclosure,

A home up for foreclosure in Poughkeepsie has been a sight that is very common for many years. The Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson movement hopes to eliminate this by helping homeowners keep their homes. other costs associated with maintaining the property. Over time, this can be extremely costly, explained Slichter.

“According to one study,” she claimed, “foreclosures and vacant properties can cost municipalities up to $34,000.”

Though money is a prominent factor of this issue, at its center is that people’s lives are uprooted when their homes are foreclosed.

She added that, for families, part of the impact can be finding that the distinctive American narrative of success proves false. “One of the things we try to do at Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson is flip the script that causes people a lot of pain and suffering: that they just weren’t good enough to make the cut of the American Dream,” Slichter said.

With this in mind, NLMH is raising money to help as many residents as possible to secure housing. Bix explained, “We need the

money in order to be able to reach thousands more Poughkeepsie residents who don’t have affordable housing and are either at risk of losing their home or giving up other basic necessities they need, like food or child care, in order to keep their home.”

Beyond the monetary boundaries of the issue is the emotional trauma caused by being denied access to shelter. “It is vital to reframe foreclosure as not an individual problem. It is a collective problem. It is a problem that is the symptom of a system that devalues human life and human rights in the interest the name of corporate profit for the few,” said Slichter.

Though red tape can make NLMH advocates’ work quite complicated at times, ultimately, said Slichter, their goal is a simple and concise one. “We are fighting for a society in which housing is treated as a human right,” she concluded.

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

FEATURES

Page 8

November 13, 2014

Tours expose city’s historic struggle for food sovereignty Julia Cunningham Reporter

O

courtesy of The Main Circle Initiative

ut of context, the phrase “Middle Main” probably spurs images of trying to push through the College Center on Tasty Tuesday, or perhaps walking down the aisle where the Retreat and the College Center intersect.

But on Nov. 5, Middle Main gained new meaning in the Vassar imagination as students and faculty took a walking tour through Main Street in Poughkeepsie, surveying the restaurants in the city’s central hub.

As part of the annual Food Day celebration, which attempts to get students to step outside of their comfort zones, this year’s celebration also added the tour as a way for students to learn more about what goes on in Poughkeepsie beyond the Vassar community.

Although National Food Day is celebrated on Oct. 4, Sustainability Coordinator Alistair Hall explained that he and his office wanted to delay the event to coincide with the indoor farmer’s market. Hall believes that matters of food are far more complicated than making personal diet changes in our own lives. He stated, “It’s also more systemically around food justice or workers’ rights or factory farming or any number of issues. It’s supposed to bring all those movements together under one umbrella.”

The walking tour of Middle Main in honor of Food Day was led by Department of Sociology Chair Leonard Nevarez on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Kayla Abe ’14, the Local Foods Intern with the College Committee on Sustainability, wrote in an emailed statement, “We had about 40 attendees for the Walking Tour, with a good mix of students, teachers, alums and individuals from the community.” As they walked between the 400 to 500 address blocks that used to be the heart and soul of Poughkeepsie, a discussion arose about the food insecurity that so plagues the city.

“In addition to the walking tour, other Food Day events included an apple pie making workshop, a dessert and swing dance in the Aula with live jazz at which we served the homemade pies, the first day of the indoor market this season, and Local Foods Night at ACDC,” wrote Abe. The tour was organized in part alongside the Hudson Valley Middle Main initiative. Hall explained that Middle Main is a collaborative effort of people in the community. “So it’s these business owners and these restaurateurs and community residents all coming together

The Underwear Factory lies right in the center of Middle Main, where the walking tour led by Professor Leonard Nevarez passed through as they visited several restaurants and stores in and around the area. and saying, this is where the heart and soul of Poughkeepsie is, and we want to invest in it and conserve our community around here,” he said.

The idea of the tour, Hall added, was to get out into the community to really understand what’s going on outside Vassar. “There’s a lot of great work happening around Poughkeepsie around food insecurity and hunger, as well as we wanted to try and expand the community’s awareness of these issues while also trying to get students off campus more.”

Nevarez explained the sites that the walking tour focused on were also the focus of the Middle Main Initiative. Their starting point was at the Poughkeepsie Underwear Factory, which has been out of commission since the nineteenth century. Middle Main hopes to reinvent it, however. “It’s going to be a mixed residential commercial building,” Nevarez said. “The residential units will be affordable housing, the commercial units will be given with emphasis to creative industries.”

He added that the commercial units will hopefully be able to incorporate food awareness. “And the goal is that they’ll build a sort of open cafe and a kitchen that can be used for not just business and entrepreneurial activity, but can be used for cooking demonstrations and

Hudson Valley Ventures Julia Cunningham

I

Reporter

f you often find yourself with too much time on your hands and have a hankering for exercise, climbing the trails at Mohonk Preserve might just solve all of your problems.

It’s located only about forty minutes away in New Paltz, and features an exciting amount of carriage roads and trails. Your hard work will be rewarded, as well.

Along the way, Mohonk is home to some of the most beautiful natural scenery and diverse wildlife. In fact, it was named one of the five best city escapes nationwide by Outside magazine, according to its website.

Mohonk has all sorts of different trails for running, horseback riding, climbing, hiking or

biking and, once it gets a little colder (and stays that way), skiing or snowshoeing. Its trails are accessible even to those with mobile impairment or in wheelchairs. The trails are also catered to a range of hiking ability, featuring trails ranked from “easy” all the way up to “strenuous.”

If you’re set on taking a leisurely hike, Mohonk’s easiest trails range from a quarter of a mile to five miles round-trip where you can make your way through the woods, exploring the sights, sounds, smells and textures that nature has to offer. For the more adventurous hikers, there are longer routes that could include an optional rock scramble-up.

If hiking isn’t your favorite thing to do, and you’ve been dying to ride your bike somewhere other than from your dorm to the Deece and

Courtesy of twintravelconcepts.com

Mohonk Lake is surrounded by high cliffs, atop which lie the Mohonk Preserve and the Mohonk Mountain House resort. There are tons of things to do in and around the lake for the adventurous.

things like that.”

The next few stops along the tour focused on cultural restaurants that serve to the immigrant community, including Pat’s Kitchen, a Jamaican restaurant, and El Patron, a Mexican restaurant. Nevarez said, “The big story there is that for many years, until very recently, the city of Poughkeepsie has had no grocery stores.

No full scale, large grocery stores with a lot of products and a lot of range in prices. The kinds of grocery stores that we take for granted out in the suburbs.”

Tropical Fresh is the second grocery store to come to the area, and the first run by local businesses. It was opened in an area identified as a food desert, which is an area with a specific concentration of low-income households that are more than half a mile away from a local grocery store. “It’s now much closer to those food deserts, and in fact that designation almost certainly needs to be revised.” Nevarez said.

Nevarez said that some of the ways people cope with food insecurity reduces them to scavenging and stealing. Nevarez recalled a moment during the tour when the topic of culturally appropriate food was broached, which is part of what Nevarez calls “food sovereignty.” “This is a new idea that is a change from

back, Mohonk has over 80 miles of carriage roads which link to bike routes adjacent to Minnewaska State Park Preserve and the Mohonk Mountain House resort.

For those who like traveling a little more vertically, and really have faith in their upper body strength, Mohonk also provides access to over five miles of cliff face, across which spread upwards of 1000 different routes, with which to test your skill at rock climbing.

Don’t worry if you’re an experienced climber and you think the distinctive white cliffs of the Gunks won’t offer enough challenge. Mohonk’s website reassuringly states that the cliffs are as tough as they look, and maybe even tougher.

If your horse is getting fidgety from the lack of view outside the MLC Farm, you can take it to Mohonk’s 19th century carriage roads where you can enjoy nature without the distractions and potential hazards of intermittent car traffic.

Instead, it will be just you, a horse, nature and possibly some other riders.

If you don’t believe anything could be such a perfect solution to the tedium of daily studyblues, take it from Vassar’s very own swimming and diving team. Over October Break, the least coordinated people on land took the trip to the Preserve, where they hiked the Lemon Squeeze from the Mohonk Mountain House resort up to Skytop Tower. The Squeeze quite literally lived up to its name, as they encountered a very narrow portion of the climb where they were forced to abandon the bags and water bottles they were carrying in order to be able to fit through. Not only were they surrounded by rock, but also confronted with a rock scramble. Once at the top, however, they were gifted a beautiful view of the valley below.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

the government cheese model of food pantries of old. Where people who needed food would be given big blocks of American cheese, the so called ‘government cheese,’” Nevarez said.

“And a lot of people don’t know how to cook with that, but nevertheless, it used to be that food pantries would say, well, you know, hunger has been solved here.”

Nevarez applauded Tropical Fresh for helping to increase food diversity in the area. “It really has a wide range of ethnic products, and the owners are really interested in serving the community in terms of the specific foods they want,” Nevarez said. “And it’s got just an absolutely remarkable fish counter.”

Access to fresh food is an important part of the food security of a community. “We also just talked about the retail landscape and the commercial on Main Street, and how that’s been a problem for people’s food security in terms of access to grocery stores. [There is] prevalence of corner stores that sell snack foods and high sugar unhealthy foods,” Nevarez said. “Stores that have a tough time keeping fresh food.”

One of the reasons Nevarez was approached about the tour was his involvement in the 2010 Poughkeepsie food investigation. Nevarez was heavily involved in a survey and investigation of Poughkeepsie food conducted in 2010. In this survey, he found that one in four households is food insecure. “Food insecurity specifically means lacking the financial resources to be able to provide a household regular access to nutritious healthy food,” Nevarez said. “It’s a financial indicator but it has direct correlations with eating related disorders like heart disease, diabetes, obesity. It can also include hunger.”

Nevarez and Hall both felt that this was the first time for many students traveling into this three-block part of Main. Abe wrote, “In my time at Vassar, I have come to learn about the issues of food insecurity in Poughkeepsie, and have studied the concept in classes and through internship experience; however, getting into the area we live and study in, and seeing the anxieties of food access at play is eye opening.”

Nevarez added that just knowing the facts and going and visiting the area was the best way to get involved in some sort of non-charitable or non-classroom experience.

“Food can bring people together,” said Hall.

“Whether that’s in learning how to bake or learning how to cook or seeing how food is a powerful influence on the city of Poughkeepsie, or how it can just be fun.”

There are fees to be able to enjoy such great activities, but if you would rather pay for indoor luxury than an exciting adventure, or if you just want to stay at Mohonk for a bit longer, the Mohonk Mountain House resort is your best bet. While they are not affiliated with Mohonk Preserve, they are close by. They have an award-winning spa and, if you pay to use the spa, you also receive a pass to use the hiking trail at Mohonk Preserve, complimentary of the spa itself. Additionally, and without mentioning the resort’s own view overlooking Lake Mohonk, the resort sports tennis courts and paddle boards to take out on the lake.

Mohonk has everything that Poughkeepsie, being a city, doesn’t have. It provides a chance to remove yourself from the craziness of everyday life and admire nature up close. It not only has plenty of chances to engage in physical activities, but it also provides opportunities to engage in things that require less physical exertion. You can take a vacation with friends and family in the local campgrounds, go find a tree blind in the Preserve’s hunting grounds and even, if you’re really into it, make use of the resort’s wedding grounds. No matter who you are or what you enjoy, you’d be hard pressed not to find something that you’d enjoy doing here.

As the largest non-profit preserve in New York State, Mohonk’s mission statement is “saving the land for life.” As a preserve, they hope to not only protect the environment, but also to raise awareness about land protection and conservation. Even if you don’t feel the need to do an intense rock scramble or to relax in the resort, you could simply relax at Mohonk, knowing that it is a part of New York that won’t be changing any time soon.

November 13, 2014

OPINIONS

Page 9

BurgerFi Buyout program excludes student voices ethics need T second look The Miscellany News Staff Editorial

his past July, Vassar College began the first phase of the Voluntary Retirement Program, an initiative which provided certain non-faculty employees with the opportunity to take a buyout that would allow them to retire early in exchange for financial incentives.

In a statement from the office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration Robert Walton, “[The program] was designed to offer eligible non-faculty employees a financial incentive to voluntarily choose to retire (or resign) from the College during the summer break or the Fall 2014 semester.” The statement further notes that the program’s purpose is partly to maintain the financial health of the College, to create open positions to facilitate the re-engineering of some service and staff roles and to more closely resemble the staffing sizes and structures of Vassar’s peer institutions. The program is also geared toward offering promotional opportunities to early- and mid-career employees and to fill the resulting open positions with staff in an earlier stage of their career so the College is not paying a high number of tenure salaries.

In total, 68 employees in the senior officer offices accepted the voluntary buyout, with the distribution as follows: seven from the Dean of Faculty Office, 21 from the Dean of the College Office, two from the Communications Office, four from the Development & Alumnae/i Office, 11 from the Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources Office and 23 from the Finance & Administration Office. In addition to these employees, many staff members in the library, mailroom and International Studies Office, to name a few, have opted for early retirement. All of these positions will be officially vacated by the end of December.

Walton’s statement about the program reads, “In some cases, the work performed by the departing employee is now being performed in a new structure by merging service functions together and allowing for cross training of staff.

In other cases, work is simply being eliminated and some services may be reduced to reflect the smaller employee resource. Some tasks are to be accomplished more efficiently by the use of technology.”

Of these remaining open positions, more than 30 of them will be permanently eliminated, while the Administration works to fill the others. The complete re-staffing of these remaining positions will be completed until Fall of 2015 Until then, the affected departments will need to function at the same level as they were before the vacancies took hold, despite now being understaffed.

We at The Miscellany News have recently been approached by a number of staff members affected by this program as well as a number of concerned students. We believe that this phenomenon is indicative of a clear lack of communication and transparency among Vassar administration, faculty, staff and students.

While it is noted that the College’s senior officers attended a “mini-retreat” in early August to discuss the logistics and strategies for this program, no information about this initiative was disseminated to the student body at large.

While we do not doubt that these decisions were taken seriously and considered quite carefully, we at The Miscellany News question why student voices were not included in these conversations, especially as members of the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Executive Board historically sit on committees for hiring.

Though students may not necessarily be able to speak for what is best for the College’s finances, they can provide helpful insights concerning how their peers will be impacted by these dramatic staffing changes.

For example, an anonymous source disclosed that Director of International Programs and Associate Dean of Studies Susan Correll Kennet is one of the employees accepting the buyout. We believe this represents one instance in which students’ perspectives could have proven valuable. On Vassar’s Admissions website, it is touted that roughly 45 percent of students will spend at least one semester at another institution in the U.S. or abroad. Though we at The Miscellany News feel it was Kennett’s prerogative to accept the buyout, with 45 percent of the student body interacting with this office at some point during their time at Vassar, we believe the decision to institute this program in this office will prove stressful to the

other faculty in this office as well as students.

Similarly, many other crucial positions— most notably that of the library director and the SAVP coordinator—have yet to have their vacancies filled. We at The Miscellany News question the Administration’s decision to create more vacancies through this program seemingly without ensuring that the vacancies could feasibly be filled. According to Walton’s statement, the program will be over by the end of December. This makes the program seem very rushed and ill-timed, as so many positions are being opened up in the middle of an academic year. Additionally, the speed with which the program has been implemented and the lack of information circulated to students has made it impossible for dialogue and discussion with those members of the greater Vassar community who are impacted by these vacancies.

With the retirement of so many workers across so many departments, we at The Miscellany News believe that the staff who remain will be put under great strain to accomplish their vital roles on campus, until such a time as the vacancies can be filled by new staff members. We also believe that the student body will be directly affected by the nearly 30 positions that are being eliminated which, according to Walton, will not be filled for up to 12 to 18 months. Without these positions, other staff members, who already feel that they are understaffed, will be unable to maintain the same level of service. This may result in the closing down or elimination of other services.

We at The Miscellany News believe that the staff and administration should have publicized the program, as its implications affect not only the staff and the students, but the entire campus. Unfortunately, we do not have any proposed solution to this issue, as the program is already well underway and the results are now inevitable.

However, we hope that the College will do its utmost to fill these new vacancies as well as outstanding open positions so that the campus can continue to function at its best.

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

Assisted suicide merits must be examined Sarah Sandler Columnist

Trigger warning: This piece contains discussion of assisted suicide.

M

arijuana, same-sex marriage and abortion are just some of the more controversial issues about which Americans frequently debate whether are not they should be legal.

One that is discussed much less regularly, or at least less publicly, is euthanasia, the right to die. Euthanasia is legal only in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, while assisted suicide is legal in Switzerland, Germany, Colombia, Albania, Japan and in the United States of Vermont, Oregon, Washington and Montana.

The only difference between the two actions is “in assisted suicide, the patient is in complete control of the process that leads to death because he/she is the person who performs the act of suicide,” while in euthanasia, one is “intentionally causing the death of a person, the motive being to benefit that person or protect him/her from further suffering” (Drexel, “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide,” 9.5.91). There is no wondering why this issue poses a huge moral conflict for many, as it seems gruesome for the willing death of a human being to be facilitated. Regardless, having the right to die can be extremely beneficial both physically and mentally for someone who is suffering.

At least in the United States, assisted suicide is only legal when the patient has a terminal illness and a limited time left to live, usually six months or less. The process comes with many rules and regulations, such as having to be a legal resident of the state, having witnesses and being deemed mentally healthy (other than having to deal with the overwhelming issue of their imminent death).

The most recently publicized case of assisted suicide is of Brittany Maynard. This

29-year-old woman from Northern California was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumor and six months left to live. There are existing methods of treatment for her condition, but they would have altered her life negatively as a result of the extreme radiation. She thought about just letting her tumor run its course until she died, but this too would have meant having her family watch her die a painful death, including extreme pain and mental losses of many kinds. Because assisted suicide is not legal in the state of California, Brittany and her husband left their home and uprooted their lives to move to Oregon, proving how important this decision was to them.

Brittany was provided with a medication from a physician that she could take at any time she wanted in order to end her own life.

In a sort of farewell letter, which was shown on CNN, Brittany stated how just having the medication in her possession took a huge weight off of her shoulders because she knew that if at any time the suffering from her disease became too much to bear, she had the ability to end it.

In this letter, she also posed the following questions: “Who has the right to tell me that I don’t deserve this choice? That I deserve to suffer for weeks or months in tremendous amounts of physical and emotional pain? Why should anyone have the right to make that choice for me?”

I personally agree with Brittany that anyone should have the right to end their life if they are suffering greatly and don’t want to be subjected to the detrimental effects of whatever disease they may have. It is important to point out how different this process is from many other suicides we often hear about. In almost all cases, suicides are extremely emotional, sensitive, tragic and heartbreaking. Worst of all, in most cases of suicide, the victim is very

lonely and without support. Also, it is possible that their decision was impulsive. Assisted suicide and euthanasia allow for the patient to be happy, despite their situation. They take time to contemplate their decision and can subsequently end their life in the supportive company of loved ones.

Some members of the opposition of the legalization of assisted suicide argue that legalization will harm others more than those who are terminally ill. For example, it is possible that an insurance company could deny coverage for an expensive chemotherapy treatment, but will support assisted suicide, which usually costs less than three hundred dollars.

Therefore, people who do not necessarily have a limited time left to live will turn to ending their life. While this argument is valid, I think it reveals a bigger issue in our healthcare system rather than a disadvantage of assisted suicide and euthanasia.

In thinking about this issue, I began to wonder why it is less prevalent than discussions about issues like the legalization of marijuana or same-sex marriage. I think it is because the idea of suicide is so disturbing and worrisome to think about, and rightfully so. As the Internet and social media grow, suicide due to cyberbullying or online harassment are tremendously sensitive topics. Because of this, it is difficult for people to picture suicide in a positive light.

Therefore, the benefits that assisted suicide can provide to victims of terminal illness are shrouded. I think it will take a very long time for legalization of assisted suicide to become widespread because in contrast to a matter such as same-sex marriage, it seems harmful rather than advantageous. However, if or when it does happen, it could prevent the mental and physical pain and discomfort of many.

—Sarah Sandler ’18 is currently undeclared.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Vassar Animal Rights Coalition Guest Columnist

T

he opening of BurgerFi has initially been exciting for many in our community. The Vassar Animal Rights Coalition (VARC) invites readers of The Miscellany News to take a second look at the BurgerFi franchise and the new wave of restaurants it is located within; doing so reveals that companies like BurgerFi present great harms obscured by marketing and often overlooked both by society as a whole and also by the self-described socially aware members of Vassar College’s community.

In recent years, the marketplace has seen a rush of companies and products that, like BurgerFi, can be described as green-washed or humane-washed. Recognizing that consumers care about the environment and about nonhuman animals, marketers have worked to present their clients as the ideal choice for conscientious consumers, regardless of actual practices put in place.

The food sector has been a prime site for green- and humane-washing because of its ties to environmentally disastrous and inherently cruel animal agribusiness. This rhetoric has been incredibly successful, allowing corporations like Chipotle to see their profits soar, while the products they sell continue to wreak havoc on the planet and its inhabitants. BurgerFi is a prime example of the success of this tactic even among the sharp and skeptical Vassar College community.

Visiting the BurgerFi website, one is greeted by a banner boasting buzzwords like “natural,” “fresh,” “organic” and “local,” all partially obscured by a large burger. The irony of this image should not go unseen. The burger is there to distract us, remind us that we don’t have to think about the implications of our food as long as marketers tell us it is a-okay. As long as our taste buds are happy, they tell us we needn’t worry that much.

These buzzwords are not only misleading, but also blatantly inaccurate. BurgerFi has revealed that the animals killed for its burgers and hot dogs are actually raised in Montana and Idaho. How BurgerFi defines local is unclear, but surely 2,000 miles from Poughkeepsie is not local to Vassar.

These feel-good words also mask the mass violence from which BurgerFi profits. Thousands of individuals are murdered for BurgerFi’s burgers and hotdogs and no buzzwords can make their needless deaths acceptable. It does not matter to these individuals what they ate during their lives or where they were located at the time of their slaughter: They were still bred and born to live short lives imprisoned before they were finally killed in fear. Restaurants like BurgerFi claim to be sustainable and call their products “natural” to normalize and make us feel good about eating them. But we should not. VARC firmly holds the position that there is no “humane” way to breed, confine and kill others and that for those with access to alternative food options, these practices are a choice in support of violence.

While VARC recognizes that BurgerFi is not alone in its exploitation of non-human animals, we also see Vassar as in a unique position to have an impact on what BurgerFi does and what they sell. VARC Co-President Alessandra Seiter ’16 has created a Change.org petition asking BurgerFi to add its first vegan option to its menu. The petition can be found at the following address: www.Change.org/p/burgerfi-puta-vegan-option-on-the-menu.

One vegan option at one restaurant is certainly not enough to change the entire animal-industrial complex, ending the annual killing of over 150 billion individuals worldwide.

But it is a first step in encouraging people to reexamine their consumption and in making less harmful choices accessible. We hope Vassar College will accept our challenge to both consider the implications of food choices and ask restaurants like BurgerFi to do the same.

—The Vassar Animal Rights Coalition is an organization at Vassar College.

OPINIONS

Page 10

November 13, 2014

Black Friday behavior reveals disregard for workforce Sophia Burns Columnist

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s soon as November began, college students began the countdown to Thanksgiving break—a short but much-needed respite from classes and a chance to eat a homecooked meal in a familiar place. Even for those not celebrating the holiday this year or who are unable to go home for the break, it is at the very least a moment to breathe in the middle of a busy semester.

Sadly, many retail workers will be having quite the opposite experience this holiday, as more stores decide to open up their doors to the onslaught of Black Friday shoppers on the 27th. Just a few years ago, people were taken aback when stores were opening at 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day—now, that seems like child’s play, as Kmart announces its 42hour sale and JCPenney its 5 p.m. opening.

For these employees, there will be no sitting (for 10-14 hours on end), let alone sitting down to a meal and dozing off while watching the football game.

They will be restocking shelves and breaking up fights over video game consoles and Uggs, and being paid criminally low wages to do so. As this issue makes headlines, the perspectives of the workers are often sacrificed for that of the consumer, hiding the real problem from all of us.

In this country, retail jobs are seen as menial, simple and temporary. However, the growing reality is that many Americans are forced to make a living out of them, as they have no other choice. Retail employees are no longer teenagers or young adults working through college, but adults of all ages with families to support, bills to pay and households to run. Although the demographics of those occupying these positions has changed, the industry seems to work against them on issues such as this.

Most retailers will make absolutely no concessions for a person’s family life. If a single mother wishes to schedule a day off to take

her child trick-or-treating on Halloween, her request will likely be denied. If a father wants to attend his child’s school play and schedule around it, he will likely find no changes to his schedule no matter how far in advance he asked for this one, small change, even if he offers to work a less-desirable shift in exchange. Although these employees at these stores are treated as part-time workers while being overscheduled without benefits, they are expected to treat the job as a full-time position or job.

These employees do not request vacation time to vacation in the Hamptons or backpack through Europe—they don’t even request vacation time—they only ask that their schedule be slightly more accommodating to their family life that already suffers from their irregular work hours and lack of benefits in many aspects.

“In this country, retail jobs are seen as menial, simple and temporary..”

The little things that would allow them and their families a sliver of normalcy and would not interfere with the productivity of their employers are treated as huge demands, as if they have no right to ask for such frivolities.

The public’s failure to recognize the injustices suffered by those who check out their purchases and bag their groceries every day only hurts their situation.

The argument that “Doctors, police and firefighters have to work on holidays, so what are these people complaining about?” often— disturbingly—arises in this discussion. However, those who purport that the situation faced by retail workers who on average make $21,410 a year is akin to that of doctors who had the privilege of an excellent education

which led them to a career (career, not job) that affords them a six-figure-salary and a prestigious job title is absurd. These people chose their career, knowing exactly what to expect, and trained for it for years. Conversely, retail workers are not living their dream, or any semblance of it. They could not afford to go to college, or just were not interested.

Nonetheless, they, too, have the same amount of responsibilities to keep themselves and their families alive with some degree of comfort and financial safety.

Even police and firemen and women make more than double the average salary of a retail worker—note the word salary, as they are guaranteed to make this amount by the end of the year, while retail workers must log every hour in order to receive their wage. Ultimately, these arguments are nullified because doctors, medics, police and fire personnel work to save lives in dire situations that are, unfortunately, bound to happen. Does our society really equate providing consumers with discounted iPhones and toys with saving a family from a burning house or performing surgery on a human being?

The perceived necessity of these extreme practices is perhaps the most unsettling part of the issue. Retailers often force workers to work these days—no, they are not holding a gun to their heads, but for those with no other options, threatening to fire them if they do not work during Thanksgiving is practically the same. Walmart employees are required to sign a contract agreeing to work a 12 to 14 hour shift on Thanksgiving or be written up—something that many employees cannot afford. If they instead decide to call out on the holiday, they are told not to come back to their job.

As a result, not only is the employee overworked and missing precious time with loved ones, but their families also might miss out altogether if no one is able to prepare a meal besides the employed family member. Consumers only add fuel to the flame by taking

part in these sales and therein demonstrating a desire to shop on Thanksgiving. If people would just stay home and actually spend time with their families—which only grows rarer—and held off their apparently insuppressible urge to shop, retailers would get the message that the “Black Friday creep” is unwanted, and change may occur.

“The perceived necessity of these extreme practices is perhaps the most unsettling... ” Thanksgiving itself (counting Black Friday as its own) is one holiday not entirely overtaken by consumerism like Christmas, Halloween and Easter. There are no Thanksgiving candies, gifts or CDs—it is centered around a home-cooked meal and time with family, and it is often the one and only time when entire families get together. But by letting Black Friday overtake Thanksgiving, Americans are letting this holiday slip away and become just another opportunity for retailers to make a profit.

Yes, consumerism is almost as American as Thanksgiving itself, but it is up to consumers to decide where their priorities lie. As it is, they are showing utter disregard for a large part of the workforce that will not get to enjoy this special time. Holidays and the ensuing relaxation, whether one has a family to spend them with or not, should not be a privilege. A single day off would certainly give their employees a reason to be thankful to them, and could show that Americans do, in fact, value the hard work of our entire labor force, much in the spirit of Thanksgiving.

—Sophia Burns ’18 is currently undeclared.

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

November 13, 2014

OPINIONS

Justice denied for citizens of Bhopal, India Udbhav Agarwal Guest Columnist

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succession of warrants and civil subpoenas followed over the years, but the U.S. Government refused to contemplate his extradition. Anderson remained almost invisible at secluded homes in Greenwich, the Hamptons and Vero Beach, Florida, where he was said to enjoy fishing, gardening and baking Swedish bread. His recent death at Vero Beach on September 29 was not announced by his family.”

On the night of Dec. 2, 1984, 40 metric tons of Methyl Isocyanate was released by an over-capacitated pesticide plant in the town of Bhopal, India. One cup of the gas, when inhaled, clogs the lungs, creating a sense of breathlessness—as if someone is desperately trying to swim to the surface, even when a surface does not exist. As the town was slowly filled by the gas, people were caught off-guard—unaware of what was happening around them.

Accounts of the incidents by those who somehow managed to swim out remember a scared anguish in the air. Disoriented masses trying to walk around with closed eyes, unable to bear the itch of the gas. But sadly so, these accounts are rare to come across. Not many have survived to tell the tale. In fact, around 10,000 people died instantaneously (though reported numbers are far less) and 30,000 have died since.

30 years and 3000 deaths per year later, the people of Bhopal, still search for the man behind the leak—Warren Anderson, a rich businessman. No one knows where Anderson is, what is he doing with his life, why hasn’t he been tried in a criminal court? Theoretically, Anderson should be 92 by now, but is he even alive?

The truth is that the man behind the Union Carbide plant died a month ago. His family decided to keep his death a secret till the time a Telegraph article (printed barely six days ago) let the cat out of the bag. Warren Anderson, the face of a corrupt system,

passed away peacefully at 92. He divided his time between the Hamptons and Vero Beach, Florida and, according to his obituary, he was said to enjoy fishing, gardening and baking Swedish bread. Swedish bread! Well, sorry to put it so bluntly, but that sure as hell makes me angry.

I’m angry because while Anderson was enjoying his Swedish bread on the beach, every day, a child was born in Bhopal with severe physical deformities. I’m angry because as he enjoyed protection from the U.S. Government, a whole chapter in the history of environmental disasters thirsted for justice, unable to grant themselves closure from this horrible, horrible incident. I’m angry because despite all the evidence and visible social pressure, the system had failed the people. It showed, yet again, that morality was not decided by the masses, but was dictated by corporate greed augmented by corrupt bureaucratic support. It showed, yet again, that no matter what you and I think, how right or wrong our opinions, we have nothing to show for them.

The system does what it wants to do and the system wins. The failure to convict the culprits of Bhopal Gas Tragedy exalts its relevance to a new level of universality. Not only does it expose the hypocrisy that United States and many other countries silently practice, it also shows that sometimes the systems that we have created fail even common sense.

Social activism is present in the town of Bhopal since the tragedy. On the streets of Bhopal, posters of Anderson hang from walls, just to remind people that justice has not yet been served. The generation that directly suffered by the tragedy have almost all passed away, but their children continue the struggle. Many of them are not even aware that Anderson has passed away without being punished. There is no easy way to tell the citizens of Bhopal. Incidents like these are what create the division between the public and the bureaucracy. It almost sounds too ab-

surd to be true.

Everyone knew that Anderson was guilty.

Everyone knew that it was his signature which lead to the tanks being over-capacitated. That it was under his guidance and supervision the town of Bhopal was enveloped by that scared anguish.

Everyone knew that, but still, it wasn’t enough to bring Anderson down. As soon as the people of Bhopal know the truth, their perceptions of their government, their rights and their opinions are bound to shatter. How will these people reaffirm their belief in these systems ever again? What is the purpose of having these systems in place, when every now and then we are reminded that they don’t mean anything?

Why were the people of Bhopal not given justice? We have no answer for this. International relations and political strong-arming by the United States might be one way to explain this. Poor bureaucratic administration might be another. But these are all excuses.

They cannot be used to justify anything.

With the death of Warren Anderson, will the people of Bhopal ever get justice? No, they will never. Who will take responsibility for the tragedy after his death? He will remain, like many others, a deceased file in some judicial warehouse in India, a case closed— even when it is far from that.

The sad part is that this is not the first time we find ourselves in such a position, and I know this won’t be the last time. Yes, I am angry, but at the same time, I am disappointed. The Bhopal Gas Tragedy did stand for the moral degeneration that we had suffered, but by convicting the right people at the right time, it could have stood for much more. It could have sent the message, loud and clear, that if one commits a crime, no matter how influential, powerful or big he or she might be, justice will be served. It could have, but it didn’t. And now there is nothing we can do about it.

—Udbhav Agarwal ’18 is currently undeclared.

Media portrayal of diseases inflates truth Delaney Fischer Columnist

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s we continue to read reports on Ebola, another disease, Chagas, is starting to gain national attention. Chagas, a tropical parasitic disease that is also sometimes referred to as the disease transferred by “the kissing bug,” has infiltrated Texas and other possible southern states. It is called the kissing bug because the bugs that carry the disease typically feed on people’s faces and skin during the night (MedicalNewsToday, “Chagas disease—a new public health threat for Americans?” 11.5.14).

In reports from the World Health Organization, Chagas occurs in two phases. During the first phase, which lasts about two months after initial infection, no signs of having the disease are usually present. It is in this phase that parasites simply circulate the blood, with occasional swelling or pain in certain parts of the body. In phase two, the parasites enter into the heart and digestive track, and about 30 percent of patients will end up suffering from cardiac disorders which may later lead to sudden death or heart failure [WHO, “Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis),” 3.2014].

Large news sources have claimed that at least 300,000 U.S. citizens have now been diagnosed with the disease, and most don’t even know it (DailyMail, “Kissing bug’s disease infects OVER 300,000 people in the U.S.,” 11.9.14; Fox News, “300,000 people in U.S. have Chagas disease as country unsure how to deal with growing threat,” 10.21.14).

Along with that the CDC recently reported that researchers at Baylor University found that one in every 6,500 blood donors in Texas tested positive for exposure to the parasite—about 50 times higher than Centers for Disease Control and Prevention originally estimated before testing (Business Insider, “A Disease Doctors Call A ‘Silent Killer’ Is Spread By Bugs That Bite Your Face In The Night—And It’s Emerging In The U.S.,” 11.7.14).

Chagas has been in the background of the news for a while, but over the past week it has started making more prominent waves into news headlines. With that being said, I wonder how much coverage Chagas will receive, and if national news outlets should even be covering it. With so many diseases circulating, I ask which ones should receive attention? On top of that, when news sources report on diseases, are they providing the rest of society with accurate and important information or are they inflating truths and trying to scare us?

“With so many diseases circulating, I ask which ones should receive attention?”

In reports on Chagas, a lot of numbers are being thrown around without a lot of backing. With stating that at least 300,000 U.S. citizens have been infected, I had to go through four news articles and read them thoroughly to find out who originally put out that statistic. Furthermore, multiple articles explain how symptoms of this disease go unnoticed and how your doctor probably won’t test you for this disease, essentially causing panic in many individuals.

Melissa Nolan Garcia, a research associate at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, made a statement about Chagas stating, “the disease can be fatal if not treated. You are normally asymptomatic until disease has progressed at which time treatment is not helpful. We call this the silent disease” (DailyMail, “Kissing bug’s disease infects OVER 300,000 people in the U.S.,” 11.9.14).

While Garcia’s statement may be true, the

context in which it is placed within news stories seems to be used to scare people .

In reality, Chagas has only recently been on the rise in the U.S. but has been prominent for many years in other countries. Because it has not been prominent in the U.S., screening has not occurred as a standard when visiting the doctor. Chagas is diagnosed with blood tests, which are not cheap for many people in society. However, patients are allowed to request for these kinds of tests and keep in mind that with blood tests, one is able to search for multiple diseases with one sample; so if one wanted an “annual check-up,” it is an option. It just might cost you.

Also, I think it is important to consider other major diseases that one may be exposed to and the symptoms of many of these diseases are not very prominent at first. I suppose what I am asking is: When is the right time to test for Chagas, and is it fair to say that doctors aren’t doing anything about it and that we are doomed?

News outlets have made it appear as though you need tested as soon as possible, but I personally believe that is a little overboard. I would hope most doctors are aware if Chagas is on the rise in their area (because CDC has most likely notified them) and to screen if a patient is coming back from a trip from an area where the disease is prominent (which has been the standard suggestion for testing for years) (AdoptMed, “Testing for Chagas?,” 5.2010).

You have the right to be tested if you want to be. But instead of freaking out from a news source, I suggest speaking to a medical professional if you have a real concern about any sort of disease. While it can be useful to look up information online, news sources often inflate facts or try to frame things to get reactions from the audience.

Be smart and look for reliable sources that cite from where information is coming.

—Delaney Fischer ’15 is a neuroscience major.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Page 11

Word on the street If you were a cocktail, what cocktail would you be?

“A beer with two shots of whiskey and strawberry sprinkles.”

—Madeline Bankson ‘18

“A Deece coffee cocktail.”

— Zack Wilks ’17

“Budlight lime, flat.”

— Tati Esposito von Mueffling ’17

“Mojito.”

— Noah Bloch ’17

“Irish car bomb.”

—Jordan Palmer ’16

“Flaming Dr. Pepper.” ­­— Kelsey Hamm ’17

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

OPINIONS

Page 12

November 13, 2014

Alumna expresses discontent with Vassar BDS movement Laurie Josephs Guest Columnist

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magine five Vassar departments and two programs co-sponsoring a speech by a Ku Klux Klan supporter. Or Vassar giving its imprimatur to a rant against members of the LGBTQ community by a member of the Westboro Baptist Church. Such things would not happen here, of course (and I am grateful for it). But what about hate speech against Jews in the guise of anti-Zionism? Never, right?

Yet, when Ali Abunimah and Max Blumenthal spoke at Vassar last April, that is what happened.

Obviously, it was not billed as an anti-Semitic event. Rather, these two leaders of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement were promoting their Israel-bashing books in a talk arranged by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and co-sponsored by Religion, Political Science, Sociology, English, Geography, Jewish Studies and International Studies (not to mention a few local BDS community groups). Among other “facts,” Abunimah and Blumenthal assured their audience that Jewish Israelis take their children to Auschwitz in order to condition them to kill Palestinians, and that Israelis are the new Nazis (“Judeo-Nazis”). Recently, German’s main opposition party (a leftist group) disinvited Blumenthal after learning of his anti-Semitic writings (The Algemeiner, “German Opposition Party Cancels Event Featuring American Anti-Semite Max Blumenthal,” 11.6.14). Yet somehow, Vassar overlooked or ignored what the German progressive party was able to easily discern.

Why bring this up now? Apart from my dismay that no one involved in this despicable event ever expressed regret, I was struck by a recent article in The Miscellany News, which said that the BDS movement has “proven central to conceptions of

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Vassar’s relationship to the [Israel/Palestinian] conflict” (“Baskin ‘Supports’ Possible Two-State Solution in Talk,” Rhys Johnson, 11.5.14). The article quoted a letter by 39 Vassar professors last semester, in which they linked the struggle against South African apartheid to the BDS movement against Israel.

Given the relentlessly one-sided way in which certain Vassar faculty have taught Middle East courses, it is not surprising that students would see that region through the BDS lens. Those who value critical thought and common sense, however, should make the effort to learn the true nature of this movement. BDS is not about human rights for Palestinians but about isolating, demonizing and delegitimizing Israel, implemented through such tactics as “anti-normalization”—i.e, the refusal to engage in any civil interaction or dialogue with those who do not share BDS’ anti-Zionist beliefs. The goal is eliminating the sole Jewish state in the world. While BDS supporters often claim to want a fair and peaceful solution to the Israel/ Palestinian conflict, they oppose the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.

As BDS leader Omar Barghouti has declared, “I do not buy into the two state solution. It is not just pragmatically impossible, it was never a moral solution” (The Jerusalem Post, “BDS opposes the two state solution of the Arab-Israel conflict,” 12.5.13). Apparently, in a world with dozens of Muslim nations and well over one hundred that identify as Christian, one tiny Jewish state is simply too many.

To promote its agenda of destruction, BDS practices what the Nazis perfected, and Communist Russia taught Yasser Arafat—the “Big Lie.” Say it loudly and often enough, and no matter how demonstrably wrong it is, people begin to accept it. Thus BDS supporters smear Israel as

“apartheid” and “racist,” and deny the Jewish people’s historical connection to the land. No matter that Arab Israelis and all other citizens enjoy full legal rights in Israel, that Israel is the only nation that invited African immigrants in order to better their lives, and that archaeological evidence shows that Jews have lived continuously in Israel for thousands of years. So noisy and assertive are those promoting the big lies, that even members of the LGBTQ community, women and religious minorities, who have rights in Israel that they dare not dream of in any of its neighboring countries, will join the chorus (at least so long as they don’t actually have to live in those other places).

In addition to lies, BDS is rife with hypocrisy.

Barghouti demands the boycott of Israeli academic institutions, but obtained a degree at Tel Aviv University. The American Studies Association (ASA) claims that Israel restricts the academic freedom of Palestinians, yet it refused to allow a free and open debate among its members prior to its vote on an academic boycott resolution. That resolution passed last December with only 20% of the ASA members voting. Notably, ASA already has had to backtrack on it; to avoid litigation over its discriminatory policies, it has done an aboutface and proclaimed that Israeli academics are now welcome to attend the 2014 ASA conference (The Washington Post, “ASA policy reversal delegitimizes BDS, but does not reverse past discrimination,” 10.21.14). As over 250 universities and colleges recognized when rejecting the ASA’s resolution, the promotion of an Israeli academic boycott is flawed—ideologically, morally and practically.

This summer, the vitriol of BDS and other anti-Israel movements achieved a frightening and openly anti-Semitic intensity. Although Israel was defending itself from a terrorist regime

—Laurie Josephs ’78 was a political science major.

The Miscellany Crossword

by Collin Knopp−-Schwyn and York Chen

ACROSS 45 Poison sometimes sent via 33 Release, as radiation 1 Bristled, as grass USPS 35 Feared IRS appointment 6 Get it together?

46 Sex worker boss 36 Kind of mom, or wolf, or like 11 Picnic ruiner 48 Put it back maybe both I guess 14 Polyphemus’s enemy 49 Taped (2 words) 38 Army bed 15 Cow cash?

54 “Well, good golly me!”

42 Pilaf cousin 16 Interpet visible light 55 UN pro-workers grp.

44 Max Bialystock’s job before he 17 Direction of force in uniform 56 The only thing you need to have became a producer circular motion fun!

Make again, maybe to some Collin Knopp−Schwyn and York Chen45 19 Dreamy doll 61 A more stoic hobbit than Frodo morning browns?

20 Wilde’s was rapier 62 Snoozy 46 A must under pressure 21 Lucrative cabin quality ACROSS 63 Word with hearth or Sharon 47 Kind of mother or father 23 Doughnuts 64 Lamb’s mom 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 Bristled, as 25 Immediate (abbr.)

65grass Rapunzel’s locks 6 Get it together?

26 King’s homeland?

66 Doctor for whom it’s 14 15 11 Picnic ruiner 27 Apparently, it’s synonymous (almost) never lupus 14 Polyphemus’s enemy with sharing 31 Sea eagle DOWN 15 Cow cash?

17 18 32 What to do to Bill Withers Party light with Mandela 16 Interpet 1visible when you’re not It’sforce me, they 17 Direction2 of in say 20 21 strong (2 words) 3 Nice declination uniform circular motion 34 What to do to the bunny when 4 Coil 19 Dreamy 5doll you’re young Ridicule 23 24 20 Wilde’s 6was 37 Dome topper Refrapier 21circled Lucrative7 Famous cabin quality 38 With 29-Down, what the Coward 23 Doughnuts letters make 8 Smidge 26 27 28 39 “You’ll ___ the day you25 crossed 9 Term from German Immediate (abbr.) me!”

Flugzeugabwehrkanone 26 King’s homeland?

31 32 33 40 Acid 10 School 27 Apparently, it’s for nerds that 41 Brooks Robinson or Cal Ripken, nearly merged with synonymous with Jr. Vassar 37 38 sharing 42 Roller coaster or bumper cars 11 Where we start the 31 Sea eaglenegotiation 43 Groups of 8 bits 41 32 What to 12 do Food to Billand shelter are 40 Answers to last week’s puzzle Withers when you’re not basic ones You Got This in the Bag! Dictum strong (213words) 43 44 S E C I T S A R B O R Small World” to 18 do “___ to theAbunny C A R O O H I What A I B E R 34 22 Sloth, for one U T E W O O D R E S O L when you’re young 47 23 Clothing often found 46 B U W H A T W H A T T T 37 Dome topper in Southern Asia E Y E A P S E S H I V A 38 With 29−Down, what 24 Phrase thatthe precedes R E S T E D A R T 49 50 51 52 53 circled letters make “thy will be done” S K E E T P A W A L K R K 39 "You’ll ___ the daylil you 26 Hungry kitty’s plea E N T R A P S T O L U E N E 27 Guitar fretboard me!"

55 56 57 E N D crossed E D W A H O L E L L apparatus (pl.)

E V E R Y E U S A 40 Acid 28 Type oforchem.

C 41 R E R A N G A P U Brooks L L Robinson Cal 61 62 29 M I D M O N K E Y D Ripken, L E Jr. See 38-Across 30 Workings, with D A D K E A A C A C I A 42 Roller coaster “outs”or bumper E M U H E S D O Z E N S 64 65 cars 32 Mythos D Y E R S S P Y R A P

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© CC-BY 4.0

whose charter explicitly calls for its destruction (as well as the killing of all Jews, wherever found), Israel was repeatedly accused of genocide. The disparity in casualties was cited as evidence that Israel was using disproportionate force; apparently, morality required that Israel suffer an equal number of deaths at the hands of Hamas’ indiscriminately-launched rockets and terror tunnels.

Israel’s extraordinary efforts to warn Gazans to leave areas before Israeli air strikes were ignored or derided. (Yet so exceptional were these efforts that the Pentagon just sent a team to Israel to study them). Inflamed by extreme rhetoric on social media, protesters took to the streets to denounce not only Israel, but Jews. Jewish stores were torched, persons wearing Jewish garb were assaulted. As the New York Times put it, “[f]rom the immigrant enclaves of the Parisian suburbs to the drizzly bureaucratic city of Brussels to the industrial heartland of Germany, Europe’s old demon returned this summer. ‘Death to the Jews!’ shouted protesters at pro-Palestinian rallies in Belgium and France. ‘Gas the Jews!’ yelled marchers at a similar protest in Germany” (The New York Times, “Europe’s Anti-Semitism Comes Out of the Shadows,” 9.23.14).

Which brings me back to the Abunimah/Blumenthal event at Vassar. This sort of showmanship (hate speech and the big lie) is not aberrant for the BDS movement; to the contrary, BDS thrives on it. If BDS is indeed central to Vassar’s connection to the Israel/Palestinian conflict, as the Miscellany article noted, then responsible faculty and students should make it a priority to expose the true nature of this anti-Semitic movement. It is not about human rights for Palestinians but about destroying the world’s only Jewish homeland.

43 Groups of 8 bits 45 Poison sometimes sent via USPS 46 Sex worker boss 48 Put it back 49 Taped (2 words)

© CC−BY 4.0

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

7 Famous Coward 8 Smidge 9 Term from German Flugzeugabwehrkanone

48 Fred and George’s chumpy lil brother 50 Glove, or Romney 51 Arabic leader 52 Pink meat, or the frequency with which it is ordered 53 Opposite of youthanizes?

57 “You guys over 21? Lemme see your ___” 58 “Yo lemme pay you back.”

59 Japanese verse units 60 Birth name 9

10

11

12

13

35

36

59

60

16 19 22 25 29

30 34 39 42 45

48 54

33 Release, as radiation 35 Feared IRS appointment 36 Kind of mom, or wolf, or like maybe both I guess

58 63 66

59 Japanese verse units 60 Birth name

HUMOR & SATIRE

November 13, 2014

Page 13

Breaking News From the desk of Chris Gonzalez, Humor & Satire Editor Professors’ intake of alcohol correlates to number of students who exclaim something is ‘interesting’ in class Breaking that problem set Late Night at the Retreat lest it break you: a guide spurs ‘Late Night’ frenzy Kelly Yu

you’re searching for validation (face it, you are), go ahead and copy the contents of that post into a new Yak. The other sad Vassar students in the 24-hour room will probably sympathize. If not, at least no one will know you posted it. Then, once you’ve lost hope entirely, write down a random assortment of your favorite symbols, numbers and capital letters. When this is finished, reward yourself with leftover take-out and a Natty Ice. The last question or two will most likely ask you to explain the space-time continuum and the logic behind infinity in Old English, Latin and Japanese. At this point, your paper has probably been crumpled and uncrumpled a million times, and your trash can is probably filled with the tissues you used to dry your tears. Strands of your hair are probably strewn all over your floor or the 24-hour space rolly chair, and you are starting to crash from your recent caffeine high. It will be okay (haha). Check your last Yak one more time. Remember that even though your professors and social media followers hate you, your anonymous fellow Yakkers all feel your pain.

Everyone in class understood this, you’ll think, but the answer will haunt you on your deathbed.

You begin to question not only why you took this course but also your existence on this planet. The best move is to steal bits and pieces of solutions off of Google. Copy them verbatim. If caught plagiarizing, you may be expelled, but at least your troubles will be gone!

Don’t get too excited when you finish. Happiness is not meant for you. You still have to turn the damn thing in, so double check your work.

Everything’s wrong and you have to start from scratch? Hey, you accomplished something.

Given your mental state, it won’t hit you until right before the assignment is collected that your work is a mess. But, hey! It has character.

Who cares that your letters don’t line up on the blue lines? Blue lines are just limiting our freedom of expression, and we should not let them confine us. There may be coffee or grease stains, but those only point to your can’t-stopwon’t-stop work ethic.

And there it goes. You can finally rest easy.

Take a nap (even if you’re in class), order some breakfast at the Retreat and latch onto your Netflix for the next week. You did it!

Basically Einstein

P

roblem set got you down? Integrating got you procrastinating? Deriving got you barely surviving? Chemical equations got you wanting a vacation? Are you constantly wanting to pull your hair out one strand at a time because the supply and demand graphs do not make sense? Well, worry no more! After many long nights of struggling with many multi-page problem sets over an array of different subjects, I have finally completed the ultimate guide to conquering a difficult problem set.

I refuse to tell you not to wait until the night before the assignment is due. It is impractical with the copious amount of reading, coding and/or other problem sets you’re also avoiding.

Will you really be any more productive if you start your work early anyway? So, if it is 12 a.m., and you still haven’t opened your textbook, just tell yourself this is what God intended.

The questions will almost always be in order of difficulty. Don’t think that the first one, “Name_____,” is a trick question. If you answer this correctly, reward yourself with a Nilda’s brownie cookie or a two-hour nap.

Next, get in the habit of writing the assignment name on the top of your paper. It makes it look like you put effort into your work. Furthermore, when you’ve finished the first few ridiculously and unfairly easy questions, it’ll serve as a reminder of how many more you have left.

Then come the moderately challenging questions. At this point, you’ll start biting the end of your pen and sinking your teeth into your bottom lip. You could start answering the question, but I recommend opening Yik Yak and scrolling through some Yaks instead. You may also try tweeting or posting a Facebook status that says, “Ugh [insert subject here] is killing me [sobbing emoji].” Then, when you feel up for it, continue on with the problems. If that time never comes, remind yourself that failing is never an option.

Now, get ready for the really difficult problems that you know you can’t solve (even with the help of Google or WolframAlpha). You will probably read the solution sets online, tears falling ever so gently on your paper. This is a really good time to check on your recent social media posts that definitely got no love. Don’t feel degraded, there is a delete button for a reason. If

Frank Hoffman

Up All night to Get Some

O

n the night before Halloween, Late Night at the Retreat debuted to critical acclaim from sober students, other students and one Poughkeepsie resident who thought he was in a McDonald’s. The fanfare was at such a fervor by the end of Halloweekend that college administrators wasted no time in debuting a number of other late-night demos over the course of the next few days, encouraging students to give more money to the school at a faster rate.

Evening Deece-goers found themselves treated to Late Night at the Deece, whose name has been used in the past but never as permanently as now. At the stroke of 8:30 p.m., the Deece workers locked the food up and left the premises, while state-of-the-art metal bars locked in all the students who had already swiped in for the next five hours. One student described the experience simply as “horrifying.” Another student said of the night, “A few sophomores got the frozen yogurt machine to work, which for me made it different than all the other times I’ve been in the Deece. A lot of us kept eating that for the five hours we were trapped there.

Hey, would you happen to know what a stomach ulcer is supposed to feel like?” A third student had a more positive reaction, stating, “I feel like I’m still there,” before bursting into what looked like tears of joy. Vassar students can expect Late Night at the Deece immediately following dinner hours every Monday, Tuesday and on random surprise nights.

Late Night at the Kiosk, which is now open on weeknights from 1:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m., also came into effect. The lone student standing in line at the grand opening said, “I needed to see if this was real.” I laughed hysterically at her comment without saying anything, turned around, and was exposed to a new atmosphere not available during regular Kiosk hours. Students can expect cold to lukewarm coffee and water from the previous day’s activities, as well as 16 variations of pumpkin spice beverages all year round from Kiosk overlord Starbucks, and no other beverage options. Late Night at the Kiosk is additionally sponsored by Barnes & Noble, feeling left out after its split from the College Store, whose contributions are offering students black-market textbooks at “low, low

prices,” free gift-wrapping and advance prototypes of the new Nook Paperweight Edition.

A disheartened but hopeful Barnes & Noble spokesperson at the opening had this to slur: “What’s so wrong about wanting to stare at what used to be? They can call it a science lab, but many happy years of marriage happened down there. We’re allowed to see the kids every once in a while still. What, you don’t think so?

Give me my fucking bottle back.”

Late Night at the Kiosk is joined in its operating hours by Late Night at Express Lunch, which serves only Code Red Mountain Dew with its sandwiches and has made the exciting decision to slip a cold beer into the bag of any student servers believe “doesn’t suck.”

The most fun this reporter had during the demo week, however, took place at Late Night at Matthew’s Bean, happening on Sundays at 2 a.m. until sunrise for any students in the library’s After Hours Study Space. While working on a group project for a class I wasn’t in, I witnessed a crew of Matthew’s Bean baristas offering adrenaline shots to the heart for those present, a welcome alternative to boring espresso. After writing an opera and ordering 27 items on Amazon, I interviewed one of the baristas, who gave me a strange look when asked why he thought Vassar initiated this particular latenight option. He replied, “We do this every week. What are you, a freshman? Wait, this isn’t going in the newspaper or something, is it?”

College administrators are looking into expanding the late-night motif into more than campus dining, with Late Night at Baldwin coming onto the scene at the end of last week.

Students can now, from the hours of 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., consult, at no immediate charge, three “physicians” and one trained physician regarding any stomach illness brought about by Late Night at the Retreat. I’m now locked out of my final pre-registration because of the delayed Late Night at Baldwin balance on my student account, but now I know that eating 30 buffalo wings isn’t a good idea, boneless or not. Other future undertakings will include Late Night at the Farm (it’s deer culling season!), Late Night at the Old Laundry Building, and Late Night at Cappy’s, which I hear will be an alternative for students (and those one or two professors) tired of the Mug.

Lightner Lays it Down: five people to avoid at the gym

by Kayla Lightner, Employee of the Month

W

orking in the gym has been a pretty sweet deal. Besides picking up sweaty towels and dealing with machinery that “mysteriously” gets broken, the job is pretty low-key.

The types of people that come through here, however, never cease to amaze me. And because there really is no one in here as I write this (no one with an inkling of sense works out before 7:00 a.m.), I’ve decided to compile a list of different gym personalities based on bullshit statistics I made up just now.

The Mall-Walkers

These are the more, shall I say, mature gym members who pop in two or three times a week. As they shuffle in with their fanny pack, florescent ’90s track suit and white Reeboks, your inner boy/girl scout kicks in, and you feel this immense urge to help them. Like, hold their arm as they walk on the treadmill or pick up the dumbbells for them so they don’t get a hernia.

But then you turn around and see these same old people bench-pressing 195 lbs., and you realize that they outlived the Great Depression, the Vietnam War, ’80s hairstyles and Y2k, and the last thing they need is help from your scrawny ass who pops a blood vessel whenever Tumblr is down for more than two hours.

The Locals

These are the folks who come to the gym every day, seven times a week, and they pride themselves on it. I mean, I would consider watching Netflix and eating leftover chicken nuggets a much better way to spend my Saturday morning, but hey, to each their own.

But sometimes, that pride becomes smugness, which can turn any local from a familiar face into a gargantuan pain in the ass. When they come to pick up their ID card from the table, they just stare at you like you should automatically know who they are. Yeah, I know who

you are! You’re the one who left that puddle of sweat under the elliptical machine yesterday and didn’t wipe it up. If you’re here so much, you should know that it’s a gym, not fucking SeaWorld!

The Grunters

Yes, they are exactly what they sound like.

Eighty percent of the grunters I have encountered are male. Female grunters are not impossible, they are just extremely rare, like an EMSfree Halloweekend. Grunters always work out in pairs. I mean that’s cool and all, I’m sure the whole workout experience is less painful when you suffer through it with someone else. It’s just that they obnoxiously grunt phrases like “Yeah!” and “Whoo!” and “Get it!” so that you can hear them from anywhere in the gym. I swear to God, if you close your eyes and forget that you are in a gym, you would think that you are listening to a former child star’s sex tape.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

The Overly Ambitious

These poor souls strut in convinced they are the descendants of the Hulk, when in reality they more resemble Steve Urkel from “Family Matters.” As they gasp, groan and nearly kill themselves trying to squat-lift 300 lbs., all you can think is, “Oh God, this kid’s eyes are going to pop out of his sockets,” or, “Jesus, please don’t let this kid accidentally void his bowels all over the floor.”

The Over-Achiever

This person is so ripped that they have muscles on their uvula. Unlike the Overly Ambitious gym-goer who is about to rupture their aorta trying to pick up a medicine ball, the Over-Achiever makes the gym equipment look like their personal jungle gym. Everyone else marvels at them as they work out, like they are some supernatural phenomenon—like the flying spaghetti monster or a double rainbow.

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November 13, 2014

Newman organizes department, creates cinematic stories Charles Lyons Guest Reporter

D

avid Newman ’15 can often be seen traversing Vassar’s campus, messenger bag on his shoulder, going from location to location but always orbiting the Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film. He may be quiet and thoughtful, but you can be sure what’s on his mind.

“He’s always talking about movies,” wrote Adam Ninyo ’16 in an emailed statement, co-treasurer of Vassar Filmmakers Club with Newman.

David is a film major with artistry in his blood.

His mom is an art historian and his dad is a photography and film enthusiast, and the budding filmmaker cites his upbringing as being flushed with art in its many forms. His love of film, however, was decisive from the start—a cohesion of

his many artistic influences.

“I actually got into filmmaking in middle school through theater. I was really into it in elementary and middle school and wanted to be an actor or director. The summer after 8th grade, I wanted to go to this acting program at the New York Film Academy, but my mom suggested that I take their two week movie program,” wrote Newman in an emailed statement, adding, “It was one week of acting and one week of filmmaking. I went in thinking I would love the acting classes and tolerate the filmmaking classes. Two weeks later, I was in love with filmmaking.”

The film lover arrived at Vassar knowing he wanted to study film, and was quick to declare his major before the end of freshman year. What he didn’t know was that he would not only deepen

Jacob Gorski/The Miscellany News

David Newman ’15 is a film major with a concentration in sound design and is co-treasurer of the VC Filmmakers Club. During his four years at Vassar, he has expanded his cinematic palate.

his understanding and expertise in the subject throughout the years, but specifically develop an interest in film sound design. “Over the past couple years, I’ve gotten really into doing film sound…I would say [I find] creating and designing the soundtrack [most rewarding and enjoyable]. It’s something that is not taught much (not much in film schools outside of sound programs/ concentrations), so trying to look at a film, even at the screenplay stage, and help figure out how sound could improve the film can be exhilarating.

Also, since audiences don’t pay conscious attention to the sound in the same way they do the visuals, I can work in ways that the visuals couldn’t, especially in a narrative film,” wrote Newman.

Sam Plotkin ’15, one of David’s closest friends and his housemate this year, spoke to his friend’s interest in sound technique. “If you want David in a nutshell, all you need to know is that he’s extremely dedicated and passionate about the art of sound in film, and all that that encompasses,” wrote Plotkin in an emailed statement.

Nicole Glantz ’15, a fellow member of Vassar’s Filmmakers Club’s executive board, pointed out the creative home space Newman currently inhabits, which is comparable in tenor to his artistically-driven early home life. “He lives in a very creative TA. Two of his housemates are also filmmakers, and one [Plotkin] is a musician,” Glantz wrote in an emailed statement.

In terms of David’s larger approach to film and filmmaking, he finds interest at the intersection of technology and creativity; besides film, he says he has always sought out the exploration of a variety of subjects, including disparate majors like math and anthropology, and even considered double-majoring in art history or anthropology along with film. However, he feels the concentrated focus on a single pursuit has opened up a wider range of intellectual possibilities.

“On the production side, film lives at the intersection between artistic creativity, technical knowledge and business. I’ve always found myself drawn to the STEM fields as well as the creative

arts, so the idea that one can’t exist without the other interests me. In film, you have to be able to know how to achieve the result you want (technology), but you also need to know what it is you want to get (creativity),” wrote Newman.

The primary challenge of filmmaking for Newman is something unexpected, coming from the pains of collaborative creation and the search for true ingenuity when beginning a project. “While most filmmakers I’ve heard praise collaboration, for me working extremely closely with other people, all with their own agendas, clashing ideas about the project, ways of working, personalities and levels of experience, is probably the most challenging aspect of filmmaking. And while the act of creation is exhilarating, it’s hard. I’ve found that I don’t like screenwriting, partially because I find that just can’t create something from nothing,” wrote Newman. Nonetheless, David is seen as occupying a key role in the film department at Vassar, perceived as an influential and central force in several organizations, and as a voice for promoting the celebration of cinema.

“As a member of Vassar Filmmakers’ Exec board and the Film Majors Committee, David plays an integral leadership role in Vassar’s film community. He truly cares about providing more film opportunities for Vassar students, and dedicates his time to make this possible. [He] is positive, hardworking, a great team member, and takes initiative,” wrote Glantz. At the base of David’s studies and wide knowledge—he counts directors as diverse as Luis Buñuel, Martin Scorsese and Czech surrealist Jan Švankmajer as being among his favorites—is a desire to tell stories and shape narratives that people can connect with, and views his position as an artist as secondary.

“While film (and storytelling) does definitely hold a place within the more traditional modes of art like painting and sculpture, I would call myself a storyteller before calling myself an artist. That is not to say that I never consider myself an artist, it just usually comes second and all depends on the film I am working on,” wrote Newman.

Xylography exhibition examines trauma in urban settings Yifan Wang

Guest Reporter

“I can’t say I’ve ever looked at it closely. I guess it’s kind of scarce and it doesn’t take much space within the glass. And it looks like blending into the space because there are books and we are in a library,” said Isabel Schnake ’18.

An art history senior who frequents the second floor of the Art Library had similar experiences with the exhibition and found it easy to pass by accidentally.

Megna Da ’15, a recent viewer of the exhibition, reacted to the art by saying, “It was so much smaller than I expected. And there are usually books or illustrations on display here, just like at the main library. But if you’re not paying attention, you might not know that it is an exhibition. You might think that it’s a decoration or things like that.”

However, Hill notes that a display of images could have important effects on viewers subconsciously even if they aren’t paying careful attention, and hopes that this exhibition has done such a job.

“I hope that it at least communicates subconscious things by virtue of the exhibition being there. From it, I hope people get the sense that a book on the shelf book is a book, something you study from, but it’s also a work of art. Ideally the show also communicates that books are physical things and they are doing something physical,” said Hill.

Furthermore, he thinks that a display of artworks in a library could have desirable and special functions to the specific space.

Hill talked about what he sees as the main goal of library exhibitions like “Xylography.”

“Any work of art activates space in a way. Even if when you’re in an Art Library, you’re not looking at the works at all except for peripherally. You know they are there; you know they are art. And it does something to the whole space: it brings in a sense of life and light with something happening,” he explained.

And maybe this is why art plays a bigger role in our lives than we might have thought.

Alec Ferretti/The Miscellany News

If you make your way to the second floor of the Art Library, you will see a central glass display case with black and white images carefully arranged inside. “Tongues in Trees: Xylography and the Uses of Adversity” is a small exhibition currently on display in the Art Library conceived as a special memorial for the 13-year anniversary of Sept. 11.

It is presented as a modern and contemporary complement to two exhibitions concurrently hosted this semester at Vassar featuring early modern wood block printing: “Never Before Has Your Like Been Printed: the Nuremberg Chronicle of 1493,” on view in the library and “Imperial Augsburg” at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center.

The exhibition explores the way three artists, Frans Masereel, Werner Pfeiffer and Stanley Donwood, employ the medium of xylography—the making of printed images from carved wooden or linoleum blocks—to represent urban experience, and particularly traumatic events of urban history.

Highlights include Masereel’s wordless novel and masterpiece “La Ville,” Werner Pfeiffer’s five-foot-high artist’s book commemorating the events of Sept. 11, “Out of the Sky: Remembering 9/11,” and Stanley Donwood’s “Lost Angeles,” a multiple printed on laser-cut board as a jigsaw puzzle, a copy of which can be borrowed for in-house use at the Art Library circulation desk.

Noticing a tension between texts and woodblock illustrations in the Chronicle on display at the main library, Thomas Hill, the Art Library librarian who curated the show, seeks to provide a different narrative of time with contemporary imageries in “Tongues in Trees.”

“The fact that the self-same images of cities, events and people are often repeated for different subjects throughout the book undermines the historical claim for the uniqueness of the places, events and individuals represented,” Hill said.

He continued, “These are images that rather express a sense of recurrence, of the cyclical succession of seasons ingrained in the materi-

al they are carved from, impeding and unravelling the linearity, lineage, beginnings, and endings they are supposed to illustrate. They provide, perhaps, an alternative to the singular constraints and catastrophes of scripted history by suggesting a denser, more enduring sense of the presence of the past borne in the medium itself.” Hill wrote in the show’s catalog.

Moreover, Hill seeks to convey a sense of the pastoral described in a play by Shakespeare, 'As You Like It,” with these images of urban life and adversities.

“The ‘Tongues in Trees’ is a phrase from the second act of ‘As You Like It,’” Hill explained.

“And it’s about the notion of the pastoral. It’s almost a genre in western literature about a counterculture in the natural world. Also it’s an important metaphor for Shakespeare and many renaissance artists in that it represents the world of art. Also it has some reference to adversity. In Shakespeare’s work, it’s adversity of the harsh weather and things like that. But it can always be understood as the falsity and harshness of urban life as well.”

Materials and works on display include Vassar archives and collections, and Hill’s personal processions. And the idea and theme of this exhibition gradually took shape as he was looking for and putting together various pieces.

“Looking at the materials I had available, I finally decided to do something about how woodblock artists depict urban life, because I had three artists who do that, and especially depictions of tragedy and trauma. ” Hill reflected on his experiences to curate and organize the show.

As the librarian, Hill spends much time in the space where the exhibition is on display.

And he notices that people don’t seem to pay as much close attention to the exhibit as a curator would like their viewers to do.

“You can’t work in the library and not see it at all. Students come to the library because they want a space to work. So books and things around them aren’t necessarily calling their attention. On the other hand, you do want them to engage with the materials.”

A student assistant working right near the display case confirmed this observation.

The exhibition “Tongues in Trees: Xylography and the Uses of Adversity” is curated by Art Librarian Thomas Hill. The exhibit is part of a larger series emphasizing woodblock printing.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

November 13, 2014

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Art for fashion’s sake: Loeb becomes runway in Embodied Emma Rosenthal Reporter

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courtesy of Rachel Garbade

hen you’re running late for class and trying to throw an outfit together, creating an artful masterpiece is the last thing on your mind. However, for the members of Contrast Magazine and the Student Committee of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, a fashion ensemble can have the same resonance as Dega’s ballerinas or Monet’s water lilies. On Thursday, Nov. 13 these organizations will collaborate to host its 4th annual fashion show, Embodied.

The show, based off of the current Art Center collections, will take place at 7 p.m. in the Loeb.

Rachel Garbade ’15, the Editor-in-Chief of Contrast, wrote about the event in an emailed statement, “For the first time in Contrast history, we have finally decided to use the art in the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center to inspire our style choices. The style committee selected seventeen pieces, paintings and sculptures alike, to create 22 outfits. The idea is that the models are ‘embodying’ the art, thus the models are the Loeb ‘Embodied,’ if you will.”

One of the models in the show, Sean Chang ’15 found the collaboration between the Student Loeb Committee and Contrast to be novel. “It’s exciting that this year, shifting from the usual collaboration between Contrast and the Drama department’s Costume Shop, Contrast is focusing on the art in the Loeb. It’s a change befitting Contrast’s growth as a Vassar culture & style magazine, showcasing just another one of the amazing resources we have here,” wrote Chang. He continued, “I was Contrast’s Style Editor my sophomore year, but haven’t been involved since then, so I’m really excited to be able to be part of the org again, especially under the direction of my friend, Rachel [Garbade].”

While for Chang this year’s event will be a kind of homecoming, it will be Christie Honore’s ’18 first time walking the Loeb catwalk. In an emailed statement she wrote, “This is my first time being involved in a Contrast fashion show and I’ve really enjoyed the entire process. This weekend I was

Contrast is collaborating with the Student Committee of the Loeb Art Center to create the 4th annual fashion show. The show will combine different art forms with models wearing art-inspired outfits. able to see the completed look I will be modeling for the first time. I’m still amazed at how much detail and creativity was put into these looks that complement the specific pieces in the Loeb.”

Like Honore, Chang was excited about the styling of the costumes the models get to show off on the runway. “The Style Committee’s creativity is evident in the unique outfits they’ve styled for this show. It’s not simply a costume–like recreation of the art–it’s not playing Halloween. They’ve done a great job of abstracting the art in really innovative ways,” he wrote. Though the clothing items will get a fresh look, all pieces come from students’ closets or The Bearded Lady.

The event is structured differently than a normal fashion show, including an added element to incorporate the actual art collection into the show.

Garbade wrote, “The show is two parts. One part is a classic runway with the models elegantly walking to the beat of music. The second part, however, will involve the models standing next to the art that their look was inspired by. I’m excited for the second part mostly. I think the looks do stand on their own as beautiful artistic creations, but I think the audience will really feel a powerful connection between the model and the painting/ sculpture in the second half of the show.”

In these final days leading up to the show, Garbade has been working on logistics and boosting morale. She wrote, “I’ve been the liaison between Contrast and the Advisory Committee of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, without whom this show would not have been possible... I attempted to convince the style committee that all their hard

All actors serve as directors in ‘Vile Bodies’ BRITOMARTIS continued from page 1

He wrote, “Working in a devising context is always a pleasure, and it’s been really exciting to work with this group... I often blend sound design, performing and writing in my solo work, and Britomartis is similarly structured. I love that Britomartis allows its members the freedom to work in multiple modes.”

He continued, “My other theatrical projects...can be seen as continuations of the questions that I ask in rehearsal with Britomartis: ‘How can we push ourselves and our performances?’ ‘What haven’t I seen on a stage?’ ‘What seems impossible?’ Britomartis has created a great space for collective theatrical risk.”

Some of the ensemble’s original shows in the recent past include “HEAR HERE,” “A Totally Real True-to-Life Play” and “Game Night: A Three-Act Tragedy.” Ritter expanded on Britomartis’ most recent show, emphasizing the breadth of their form and content.

“Last semester, we attempted an adaptation of Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost,’ which seemed fairly daunting,” he wrote. “After all, it is one of the most canonical pieces of English literature, in addition to parts of it, let’s be frank, being quite boring.”

Echoing Ritter’s sentiments, Sofia Benitez ’18 added that the deviation from the definitive roles of a cast member, director or stage manager make for a nontraditional first theatrical experience at Vassar.

She wrote in an emailed statement, “I love that the [actor/director] roles are outlined but not restrictive, so leadership is in a constant flux. We started from reading a text and throwing around ideas, exploring a narrative that really spoke to us.”

She continued, stating that the cooperative nature of the show makes it both belong to everyone while having personal significance. Benitez wrote, “It’s gotten to a point where I feel that this story is truly ours, We’ve put so much of ourselves into it, and the elements in the show embody strong messages that have taken different meanings as the story evolves.”

The non-hierarchical and collaborative group has been producing shows in the Vassar theater community since spring 2011.

The organization’s first show was “Letters in the Pink and Grey.” Their upcoming performance will be Britomartis’s eighth show since their conception.

One of the cast members, who will also double as a director, Derek Butterton ’15, described the show in an emailed statement, explaining, “The show is a loose adaptation of/reaction to Evelyn Waugh’s 1930 novel, ‘Vile Bodies.’ The show addresses diverse topics, including party culture, the nature of authorship, the horrors of war and the failures of romance in the modern age. We chose to write a show around ‘Vile Bodies’ because we felt that the novel, though set in the 1920s, bears revealing similarities to our world today. We wanted to look for the parallels between London’s Bright Young Things and contemporary Vassar students.”

Ritter wrote about the goal of the show as well: “This semester... we’ve decided to push ourselves in another way: by performing the piece simultaneously in three different spaces on the third floor of Rocky. We hope that the fast-paced, frenetic experience that the audience has will evoke the sensation of reading Waugh’s amazing novel.”

Butterton added, “Every Britomartis show is like nothing we’ve ever done before. For this production, the most striking difference is probably the structure of the show, which is radically unlike anything we’ve previously attempted.”

He continued, “Without giving too much away, I think it’s safe to say that watching this show will be an extremely novel experience.” This novel experience for the audience applies to the cast members’ involvement in this new and different show as well.

“It’s been like nothing and everything I’ve done before because it’s about bringing together the thoughts, images, passages, words and feelings from our experiences and crafting them into something meaningful. Our bodies and minds become the tools we use to devise a piece. We keep building upon

concepts, find motifs and weave the stories of characters that I’ve come to care about immensely,” wrote Benitez.

Even for Ritter, a veteran of the ensemble, “Vile Bodies” is a production which has forced him out of his comfort zone.

Ritter stated, “I’m personally trying to push myself with this show, taking on several artistic genres that I don’t quite feel comfortable in. I don’t want to give it all away, but you will definitely see me dancing!”

“Vile Bodies,” the only student-devised show on campus this fall, was designed to be not only exciting to watch, but also thought-provoking.

“I wouldn’t say that the show has any one message that it’s trying to get across. Instead, it’s an exploration of various issues that bear some relation to our lives today. We want to make our audience members think–not just during the performance, but afterward, the next time they pick up a novel, go to a TH party or check the news on their phones,” Butterton wrote.

Benitez commented as well on the aspect of their show that she most wants the audience to take away.

“I’m most excited about the way the audience will interpret something we have become so familiar with, and the ways in which our discourse directly addresses modern-day Vassar. It hits so close to home in every way, so it’s exciting as much as it is deeply personal,” she said in an emailed statement.

As the show is very much a hodgepodge of topics and interests, Butterton maintained that there will be something for everyone, noting that he and his fellow cast members are looking forward to their performance and to presenting Vassar with their work.

Butterton commented, “It’s a fun show and you should come see it! There are waterfalls, jokes, zeppelins, broken hearts, Kit Kat bars and parties. Lots and lots of parties.”

Nonetheless, each actor has a different part of the show, they are particularly excited about. With a hint of mystery, Benitez wrote, “[The audience] should be incredibly excited about chairs.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

work, all the craziness and anxiety would soon be over and watching the show will be an extremely gratifying experience.”

Jack O’Brien ’15, on behalf of the Student Committee of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, and co-head of the committee, worked with Garbade and the other members of Contrast to make the event happen. He wrote in an emailed statement, “The Student Advisory Committee at the Frances Lehman Loeb works to develop unique programming for Thursday Late Nights. For ‘Embodied,’ we have worked with Contrast to develop a cohesive, engaging show for our student and community audiences.”

Garbade commented on the central focus of the show as an engagement between students and the art, stating, “The main goal of the show is to entertain the student body in a unique way, to engage them on an unusual level. No other organization, to my knowledge, hosts a fashion show–except for ProHealth’s Condom Couture.”

She continued, “But, it’s also a celebration of the artistic skills our campus has; none of this would be possible without students’ clothing, their passion for styling, their ability to creatively apply make up, their enthusiasm for modeling, and their ability to synthesize a multi-layered outfit from either a two-dimensional abstract painting or an ancient Greek statue.”

Chang reiterated Garbade’s testament to Embodied’s aim to bring the Loeb’s art to a larger platform on campus, “I also think it’s a great chance for both Art History students and those who aren’t familiar with the incredible work we have in the Loeb alike to see the art in a different way. Fashion can be, after all, a form of wearable art, and even when it’s not in the form of a fashion show, the fine arts can greatly inspire how you might comport yourself everyday.”

This first-of-its-kind event ultimately aims to explore the possibilities of the marriage of fashion and art. Honore finished, “Embodied really is a great exploration of how art and fashion intertwine. This show is definitely not to be missed.”

Hudson Valley

Arts

Hudson Valley Hullabaloo

Andy Murphy Midtown Neighborhood Center 467 Broadway Kingston, N.Y. Nov. 22 to Nov. 23 10 a.m.

Free Admission

Standing in Two Worlds: Iroquois in 2014 Iroquois Indian Museum 324 Caverns Road Howes Cave, N.Y. Through Nov. 28 5 p.m. $8 Admission

Carrie Haddad Gallery Presents Landscapes & Bodyscapes Carrie Haddad Gallery 22 Warren St. Hudson, N.Y. Nov. 14 to Dec. 14 5 p.m.

Exposures Gallery Zungoli: Cuba Exposures Gallery 1357 Kings Hwy. Sugar Loaf, N.Y. Through Dec. 1 11 a.m. to 5 a.m.

Presents

Nick

ARTS

Page 16

November 13, 2014

Nolan’s continuation of detached visual style disappoints Charles Lyons Guest Reporter

Interstellar Christopher Nolan Paramount Pictures

“V

ery graceful.”

“No...but very efficient.”

So goes an interaction between two characters midway through Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” a film which manages neither grace nor efficiency in its practical-minded staidness and oblong, nearly three-hour running time. The film follows a family sometime in the near future: patriarch Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) lives with his two children, superstitious and earnest daddy’s girl Murph (Mackenzie Foy) and well-meaning but academically struggling Tom (Timothée Chalamet), and their maternal grandfather Donald (John Lithgow).

The children’s mother died years before the film begins of the heavy, Dust Bowl-esque waves of wheeze-inducing dust that coat every surface of the family’s small Texas farmhouse and rears its head in enormous storms that shake the foundations of buildings and halt the progress of baseball games.

The world is in dire straits, it becomes clear, afflicted by extreme shifts in weather, overpopulation and depletion of resources, though Nolan is inept enough of a director that we don’t truly grasp the widespread panic or supposed trenchant impact of our planet’s current situation from his flat visual storytelling or scant contextualization, coming off as a dash of speculative fantasy contained to the trivial, hermetically-sealed world of our central characters.

“Interstellar” is a movie that is somehow able to feel rushed in pace—especially in its first and third acts—despite its crushing 169-minute existence; before we know it, Cooper has stumbled upon a secret NASA headquarters/launchpad and, in light of his past occupation as a former engineer and aspiring astronaut, is tapped by mastermind and lead

physicist Professor Brand (Michael Caine) to spearhead an all-important mission to the great beyond with Brand’s daughter (Anne Hathaway, whose character doesn’t even receive a first name), and fellow ‘nauts Doyle (Wes Bentley) and Romilly (David Gyasi) as crew-mates. Tasked with entering a black hole that bends time and space and with the promise of discovering a new planet fit for life, tension thereby arises between the desire of Cooper to return to his family and his mission to save humanity.

Nolan’s films strike a discomfiting tonal imbalance. His screenplays—usually, as with his new film, written with his brother Jonathan— are prone to goofy one-liners, cheesy swells in emotion and overly coincidental narrative turns. These aren’t damning qualities on their own; plenty of evocative and thrilling entries in genre cinema abound in the suspension of disbelief, but the major hang-up of Nolan’s cinema is that his tone, outside of the dialogue being spoken and narrative construction, is grimly self-serious and reveals a fetish for the prosaic and the inanimate.

He doesn’t have the looseness or lived-in vividness that would allow the cliché words to feel fresh or the manipulative, highly designed narrative trajectory to come off as anything but restrictive and dull. Likewise, “Interstellar” painfully attempts sweeping familial melodrama on the grand scale of an intergalactic space odyssey. His images are indeed large, especially if you see the movie, as I did, on an IMAX screen, but their impressiveness is a very distancing, coldly apathetic appreciation of mere gargantuan grandeur.

The images aren’t complimented by the necessary seething emotional textures or any uniting meaning, and their goal seems more to wow us with their literal size and the immensity of the stack of money that ensured the filmmaker was able to bring his unimaginative creations to the screen.

This pattern of a concern for steel and metal trumping a sensitivity to the human soul is exemplified by the sequence in which Coop makes his exit from earth. As Hans Zimmer’s spastic score pushes the proceedings forward, the man bids his screaming, devastated daugh-

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ter goodbye on their porch and drives away in his truck, and, perhaps by sheer force of the actors’ wills or the conviction on the filmmakers’ part, the movie briefly accumulates some melodramatic impact.

However, Nolan is sure to obliterate this progress by hurrying the scene along and immediately cutting to shots of the rocket’s launching mechanisms and the vessel’s flames roaring in our faces, not a trace of feeling to be found, spending far more time on the sleek surfaces of technological objects than McConaughey or Foy’s faces.

Not only preoccupied with a fixation on the inhuman, Nolan is a clunky literalist, in this film using a wristwatch as a symbolic connector between moments in, yes, time. His thudding sensibilities also present a film largely about faith, awash in the biblical imagery of water, ice and fire, without poeticism. Even if he’s become partially aware of his scientific anti-emotionalism, as evidenced by the faux-documentary interviews that bookend the film, his self-awareness, unlike that of Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain,” doesn’t excuse his hypocrisy.

Maybe the most interesting aspect of Nolan’s work is that, in spite of the increasing budgets and scales of his projects, it’s unabashedly personal and points to a fascination with the idea of cinema. 2010’s “Inception” is a fitting example—it’s a story of a man played by a Nolan lookalike (Leonardo DiCaprio) who orchestrates the very mental and metaphysical extraction and placement of ideas using rotating, multi-tiered levels of dreamlike fantasy. It’s a prismatic vision of cinema and its artists certainly inhibited by the director’s said literalism but that nonetheless demonstrates a level of self-representation and the blending of the director’s self into his work, which is also about itself. “Inception[’s]” actual execution is spotty at best, but it at least offers a conflicted and flawed Nolan doppelegänger in DiCaprio’s troubled, grieving lead character.

“Interstellar” has many of the same personal qualities but the execution of its ideas is not only more flawed than in the earlier effort, it’s downright offensive. Nolan has said he intend-

Rom-coms too formulaic for long-term TV success Palak Patel

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ed the new work as a tribute to his daughter, and thus the film’s ostensible centering on the connection between Cooper and Murph (played as an adult by Jessica Chastain, and in her later years by Ellen Burstyn) appears to be a direct representation of the filmmaker and his child. Which makes the treatment of their relationship all the more troublesome—the film’s tagline is “Go further,” an encompassing of the exploration-themed plot and the filmmaker’s ever-expanding desire for excess.

The catchphrase and narrative both pompously position Nolan as near-flawless pioneer, a man of brawn and fearlessness who has the hyper masculine technical skills and knowledge to reinforce his laudability.

The fact that Murph receives appallingly little screen time, shafted, like all of the female characters, in favor of lionizing Cooper’s heroism is proof that Nolan has dived headfirst into his own narcissism. “Interstellar[’s]” premise may ultimately be equally as cinematic in nature as “Inception[’s],” but it, too, is folded neatly into its sanctified lead character’s long list of noble accomplishments.

The film’s politics are a clear indication of its missteps and indirection. Where “The Dark Knight Rises,” Nolan’s last picture before “Interstellar,” was a cartoonish and inconsistently conceived libertarian fantasy, the latter broadly romanticizes a certain archaic all-Americanness with its weirdly out-of-place beers shared between old men on porches, baseball games, farm culture and rusty gender politics, and including about five too many conversations that tediously bemoan the greatness of what once was while paying lip service to progressiveness. (It’s been reported that the director himself is something of a luddite and is still without a cell phone or email address.)

Nolan doesn’t have the gall to implicate humanity as being responsible for the environmental crises that are rapidly making earth uninhabitable—in its second, and most compelling, act the movie briefly hints at a truly dark worldview, a study of the folly and deflation of “great” men, but it shortly regresses into its harried finale, ending on a note of false optimism that is indicative of the failure of “Interstellar” to live up to its convictions.

ith the extreme success of Mindy Kaling’s brainchild “The Mindy Project” last season, TV producers decided to finally jump onto the bandwagon I personally have been riding for my entire life: the often underappreciated rom-com. While everybody knows the typical sequence of events for a successful (and unsuccessful) rom-com, the idea of taking that stereotypical formula and spanning it out into a multi-season television show is daunting.

Of course, that didn’t stop the industry from trying to inundate its viewers with not one, not two, but a total of four new shows that marketed themselves as TV rom-coms: “Selfie,” “Manhattan Love Story,” “A to Z” and “Marry Me.” At the publication of this issue, at least three of these shows, “A to Z,” “Selfie” and “Manhattan Love Story,” have been cancelled. Of course, all three shows will continue to air their filmed and produced episodes, so they aren’t quite out of the game yet, but their networks have given up hope on them, so we should, too.

On the other hand, “Marry Me” is still up and running. In fact, NBC recently ordered five more episodes for the show, bringing its numbers to a solid 18 episode season, with room for more episodes to be ordered in the future if need be.

While “A to Z,” “Manhattan Love Story” and “Selfie” all boasted strong casts, the writing

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

failed to be strong enough to continue to bring in viewers on a weekly basis. One of the lures of a rom-com is the fact that you know the couple is going to end up together in the end, but “A to Z” fought against that structure with their premise, which emphasized the fact that the two love-birds the audience was supposed to root for were eventually going to break up. “Selfie” was marketed as a modern day “Pygmalion” but its quirky characters never really found their stride amidst the bright colors and flashy world of Eliza Dooley. And “Manhattan Love Story” was just so bogged down in its almost insulting internal monologues that I personally couldn’t care less if the leads ended up together and really just wanted to smack them both and tell them to get over themselves.

Which leaves us with “Marry Me.” With plenty of potential for improvement, the show really puts a lot of pressure on its two leads: Casey Wilson (of “Happy Endings” fame) and Ken Marino (of “Party Down” fame). The writing is sometimes stiff, but both Wilson and Marino have such great chemistry that I am willing to overlook the overwrought language. “Marry Me” also took a new approach to the typical rom-com: instead of focusing on the beginning of the relationship, we are thrown right into the middle, with Wilson’s character being frustrated by the lack of commitment by her boyfriend of six years. What’s great about “Marry Me” is the fact that we are seeing a couple in the midst of the relationship, after the typical happily-ever-after we stop at in the movie theater. The show has a strong foundation set up and I’m excited to see how it works through its kinks throughout the rest of the season. Suffice to say, NBC did a good job by committing to this rom-com.

ARTS

November 13, 2014

Page 17

‘AHS’ implicates audience in voyeurism Samantha Kohl Reporter

AHS: Freakshow Ryan Murphy FX

W

hile in reality I would never attend a freak show, given the gross commoditization and fetishization of people with disabilities, I went into the fourth season of “American Horror Story” (AHS) with an open mind—that was until I realized how I, by merely tuning in, am more than just a run-ofthe-mill television viewer but am actually implicated in a sickening system of ableism and fetishization.

Created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuck, the fourth installment of “American Horror Story: Freak Show” is set in 1950s Jupiter, Fla. and centers around a group of carnies at one of the last remaining freak shows in America.

The series begins with Elsa Mars (Jessica Lange) sneaking her way into a hospital—by befriending a candy striper, Penny, played by Vassar alumna Grace Gummer ’08—to see for herself a “something extraordinary” that had recently been admitted to the hospital. That something is conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tatler (Sarah Paulson). From there on out, the show follows Mars, the conjoined twins and a whole other cast of misfits and carnies as they interact with the Jupiter townies and combat the socially constructed obstacles that surround them.

While the show’s promos and opening credits initially set up the carnies as being freaks and providing the horror of this season of “AHS,” it becomes increasingly evident that the real monsters are not those at the freak show (although, as with all “AHS” characters, no one character can be accounted as fully good or innocent) but, rather, forces that lie outside the carnival tent.

And while a man with a monster-claw (Evan Peters) or even a killer clown (John Carroll Lynch) may be frightening, there is noth-

Campus Canvas

ing more terrifying than Dandy Mott (Finn Wittrock), a bratty 20-something who sips cognac out of a crystal baby’s bottle and exhibits homicidal, absolutely sadistic tendencies.

FX’s horror anthology boasts a highly impressive cast list: In addition to Lange and Paulson, the main cast includes Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Frances Conroy, Emma Roberts, Denis O’Hare and Finn Wittrock, with guest appearances to be made throughout the season by Gabourey Sidibe, Patti LaBelle and Matt Bomer—just to name a few.

Although the lure of big names like Jessica Lange and Angela Bassett initially assured my viewership, I was nonetheless made uncomfortable by the notion of freak shows and the inevitable fetishization and exploitation of people with disabilities the show was sure to exhibit. The lines are constantly crossed and blurred between when one is watching “American Horror Story: Freak Show” and when one is simply watching an actual freak show, as the viewers of “AHS” are given the same experience as those who paid Mars to watch and fetishize her show.

“I was nonetheless made uncomfortable by... the fetishization and exploitation of people with disabilities.”

Furthermore, the casting of “AHS: Freak Show” raises serious questions of ableism and voyeurism. In addition to an array of accomplished actors playing characters with serious social disabilities—none of whom exhibit these disabilities in real life—the show’s ensemble includes the real-life smallest woman alive (Jyoti Amge), a woman whose condition left her as Legless Suzi (Rose Siggins) and other people with real-life disabilities.

Although it is wonderful that Murphy and Falchuck’s show offers acting opportunities

for differently-abled people, the sole objective of these roles thus far is to be fetishized or made a spectacle of for their disabilities. Perhaps it is still early on in the season but if the goal of “AHS: Freak Show” is to remove a sense of otherness from those with disabilities, Murphy and Falchuck still have a long way to go in terms of creating characters whose complexities lie beyond their social disabilities.

That being said, like with past seasons of “AHS,” one can expect to view top-notch acting. Paulson in particular offers stand-out scenes with her depiction of both Tatler twins.

Although they share a body, Bette and Dot Tatler are two entirely separate characters, and Paulson plays both with finesse. The twins are so distinct that it is frightening to even imagine them inhabiting a single body, and the dialogue between the two is chilling and moving.

Furthermore, the camerawork and editing of Paulson’s scenes are artfully rendered and even walk the line of ingenuity. The cutting between twin to twin is both tactful and bold and adds a lot to the overall viewing experience of each episode.

Finn Wittrock, whose resume lies heavily in theater and is rather unknown to major audiences, exhibits serious artistry when it comes to portraying childish, wicked, vindictive and psychopathic Dandy Mott. Wittrock switches from playing vindictive and murderous to wide-eyed and callow with such skill, his scenes are like candy to the viewers (definitely of the sour-patch variety): first Mott’s sweet, than he’s sour, and he definitely leaves viewers craving more.

In addition to powerful camerawork and acting, there are powerful themes that permeate throughout each episode and add much-needed levels of complexity to each episode beyond their exhibitionist tendencies.

Serious questions are raised regarding freedom and captivity and beauty and freakishness and what it means to be human.

The real monsters in “AHS: Freak Show[’s]” world are not those advertised as such but are inside that horrible boy, perhaps a product of his privileged upbringing, who looks unsuspecting and even beautiful, but is clearly the most menacing of all.

A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists

Excuse me, What is your favorite Peanuts holiday special?

“The Christmas special.” ­­— Cheyenne Goss ’18

“The Christmas special.”

— Laena Haagsen ’18

“‘Summer Camp.’”

— Chris Sundberg ’16

submit to misc@vassar.edu

“Halloween.”

— Morgan LeBlanc ’17

“I don’t eat peanuts.”

— Jose Erazo ’16

courtesy of Paige Auerback

I drew this door in Cushing (the door to my dorm room) from five different perspectives using graphite sticks on 24x36 inch paper for my Drawing I class. The assignment was to draw an object larger than yourself five different times from five different perspectives, so I chose my dorm room door because it was easily manipulated to produce a variety angles, was in a well-lit area, and contained simple, large patterned detail that reflected the light nicely. Personally, I find Cushing’s 1920s architectural details enchanting and charming, with the dark, beveled wooden doors and trim creating a classic appearance, so I wanted to try to honor the old-timey elegance of the woodwork with the graphite at different angles by lightly layering the graphite over and over to create soft texture. I felt that this, which is the nature of the assignment in itself, captured the door’s full appearance, while also blending the line between whether the doors were different, or the same one portrayed from different angles. I used the straight-on perspective of the door as a sort of frame at the top of the page by providing horizontal lines in a majorly vertically-drawn piece.

—Glynnis Olin ’18

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

“‘The Great Pumpkin.’”

— Kimmie Ross ’16

Jacob Gorski, Assistant Photo Editor Emma Rosenthal, Reporter

SPORTS

Page 18

November 13, 2014

Women’s basketball looks to build off historic season Claire Standaert Guest Reporter

A

lifting twice a week, which is vital to team success according to Pemberton, “We have done a lot of conditioning drills, so we will be in good shape come the first game which is important because we have low numbers.” However, these low numbers will work to the Brewer’s advantage.

In an emailed statement, junior forward Colleen O’Connell said, “This year, I think we realize we are going to face some challenges, as we are a small, young team, but this group has already realized the power of the group over the individual.

This is an 8-man show, and the only way we are going to be successful is by pulling together when we are challenged, rather than apart.”

The team showed their resilience during a preseason scrimmage this semester against William Patterson when they came back from being

courtesy of Vassar Athletics

fter hours of strenuous pre-season conditioning and training, the Vassar women’s basketball team look to set the tone for a winning season in their opener against Babson College on Nov. 15. Having already won both of their scrimmage games in preseason against William Patterson on Oct. 31 and Sage on Nov. 7, the team looks ready to make their mark on the Liberty League.

After achieving a record-setting 23 wins and an appearance at the NCAA Tournament Second Round last season, the Brewers will look to cope with the loss of three-time All-American Cydni Masuoka and All-Liberty League forward Hannah Senftleber through its teamwork and fresh talent. With the loss of these individuals, every player on the team will look to step up and contribute more to the team.

The Brewers have prepared for these departures, as Head Coach Candice Brown noted, “The asset that we have this season is that the scoring will be spread amongst several people, not among individual people. We have multiple people on the team that will end up with double figures.

This is going to be huge for us.” This positive change from last season will create a good balance between individuality and teamwork.

The addition of three new freshmen will prove significant to the team’s success. Coach Brown stated, “The freshmen will add athleticism to the team. They also will add a basketball I.Q. because they have knowledge of the game and the right competitive attitude. All of them come from high school programs where they were extremely successful.” And with a small squad of only nine players, these three freshmen will be a crucial addition to the team in terms of skill and athleticism. Senior captain Allyson Pemberton is confident in the new player’s ability “They are a quick and athletic group. They will transition into the speed of a college basketball game easily.”

In an emailed statement, freshman Kimberly Romanoff elaborated on her aspirations for this season. “We have older girls on the team that re-

ally know how to score, so in addition to scoring some points of my own, I am hoping to be able to distribute the ball and average a solid number of assists per game.” This unselfish team-oriented attitude is spread throughout the team and stands them in good stead moving forward into this year.

For the Brewers, this season is all about reaching their potential. Romanoff explained; “After our first scrimmage against William Patterson, our coach told us that we played at about a 5 on a 10 point scale—10 being where she hopes that we are when we reach our full potential. Even at a 5 we were playing intensely, so I can’t wait to see how fun it will be to play together as a team when we reach that 10.”

In terms of preparation for the season, the team has been practicing six days a week and

Junior guard Caitlin Drakeley uses her superior ball handling skills to quickly get past a defender in a recent game for the Brewers. VCWB hopes to match last season’s success as the season draws closer.

down at halftime to win the game. Coach Brown explained, “The scrimmage really excited me about the upcoming season. We went into the locker room down by 11 points at halftime and to see their perseverance to come back and win was huge. It’s exciting to see what is to come. They showed great character.”

This character will likely be needed when the Brewers play powerhouses No. 11 Montclair State and No. 17 Williams College this season, both listed in the Top 25 nationally. However, Vassar women’s basketball has risen to the challenge over the years and will look to do the same this season. The Brewers defeated Williams in the NCAA first round last year, before losing a close game to Scranton in the second round, and there’s little doubt that they’re looking to do the same this year.

The team ended their 2009-2010 season by placing 5th in the Liberty League and have since slowly worked their way up to finishing 2nd this past season. If the upward trend continues, the Brewers will find themselves once again vying for the League’s coveted title. Coach Brown showed the team’s eagerness to win, saying, “I would love for us to win the Liberty League championship and give ourselves an opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament. We have the skill set to get that done and we are hoping to peak at the right time.”

The team’s youth and small size has the potential for them to falter when faced by more experienced and larger teams. However, the Brewers will try to use it to their advantage. O’Connell believes that the team’s small numbers offer an advantage over these larger teams. “We are a small group, I think we can be very special this year because of how tight-knit we are,” she explained.

With everyone understanding their roles and having worked hard in the off-season and pre-season, the Brewers are looking to have a very successful season. Coach Brown was more than confident about the team’s aspirations for this season, “What don’t I hope to accomplish?” So who knows, maybe a national championship is in the team’s sights.

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November 13, 2014

SPORTS

Young talent boosts league popularity Robert Carpenter Guest Columnist

I

t is that time of year again. Days are getting shorter, stores are selling Christmas lights and pumpkin spice lattes have infiltrated every coffee shop in the country. All of these events signal the moment we have all been waiting for. Nope, not the holidays, but the 2014-2015 NBA season. The basketball season officially kicked off two weeks ago and, as is typical of their nature, the games thus far have been completely unpredictable. The LeBron James-led Cavaliers, who were predicted to be titans, are hovering around a .500 winning percentage. Meanwhile the Golden State Warriors have taken the league by storm with one of the best records, led by sharpshooters Klay Thompson and Stephan Curry. About the only thing you can predict about an NBA season is it is extremely unpredictable—which is exactly the case for the NBA’s rookies. The first year players have to compete against top talent all the while fighting lofty expectations, acclimating to new teams and living the insanely busy life a professional athlete. But in the end, the rookie who plays the best on the court will win Rookie of the Year (ROY).

The Milwaukee Buck’s small forward, Jabari Parker, is not sneaking up on anyone in the Rookie of the Year race. The 6’8” former Duke Blue Devil is leading all rookies in scoring by averaging close to 8 rebounds a game. Unlike some other first years, the Bucks are in need of an offensive boost and they are ready to dish the ball to Parker inside. Parker’s scoring numbers might be inflated as he is one of the only weapons on an nonthreatening offense, but if he can play strong defense, the Bucks will certainly be a team to watch.

In the middle of the off-season’s trades, it is easy to forget that Andrew Wiggins was the top pick in the NBA draft. Originally drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Wiggins was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love in order for LeBron James

to complete his new and improve Big 3. In the move from the Cavs to the T’wolves, Wiggins lost the chance to play with some of the league’s best in all-stars Kyrie Irving and LeBron James, but the Canadian strong forward now has the opportunity to start in Minnesota, where as in Cleveland, he would have always been an afterthought. Wiggins can hurt an opposing team in many ways besides just scoring, and his surprisingly strong defense is a valuable asset for the developing T’Wolves. Wiggins joins a fellow rookie, Zach LaVine, to create one the youngest and most athletic teams in the league, making the Timberwolves vulnerable to inconsistency but also making them a threat.

Technically, Nerlens Noel joined the league in 2013 but as injury kept him on the sidelines last season, the 6’11” power forward will start his NBA career this year. It is commonly held that the Philadelphia 76ers are the worst team in the league, but with a bank of young talent including Noel and last season’s ROY winner Michael Carter Williams, the team will surely improve from last year’s campaign which boasted a 26 game losing streak. Noel’s immense value primarily comes from his strong defense and long arms that are perfect for shot blocking. Noel’s offense game needs development, but if he can stay in double digit rebound numbers in most games then his defense will make him a huge threat for the 76ers. The biggest concern for Noel is his tendency to get injured, and staying healthy will have to be a big focus for the shot blocker if he wants to make a ROY run. The Massachusetts native has already missed a few games this season with an ankle injury.

Doug McDermott is a shooting threat who has yet to get comfortable behind the three point arc in his rookie season. The Chicago Bulls’ rookie has shot 5-15 behind the line as of Nov. 9 and has seen limited minutes so far as he competes for playing time in Chicago’s talent-dense lineup. As McDermott’s shooting hand warms up to the NBA, he will

certainly benefit from kickout passes off of rebounds from Chicago’s big men Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah. McDermott has a tendency to really get into a scoring zone, and when this happens, the Bulls will be happy to get out of the way and see their rookie drain shots. The Bulls are committed to succeed in the playoffs this year and McDermott is evidence of this as the team traded two late first-round picks to the Denver Nuggets for the sharp shooter. With the outside shooting of McDermott and the inside dominance of Gasol and Noah, the Bulls are balanced and ready to make a run this season with or without their star Derrick Rose.

It is too early to make any confident ROY picks as many excellent first year players have yet to reach their peak and many currently peaking players will surely crash and burn. Both Julius Randle of the Lakers and Marcus Smart of the Celtics along with Joel Embiid have suffered injuries that will give the rookies a late start to their playing careers. But if Marcus Smart is able to overcome his ankle injury, a Boston team in need of talent will be the perfect spot for him to succeed as a rookie.

My sleeper pick goes to Elfrid Payton, point guard of the Orlando Magic. The Louisiana product has averaged 6.5 assists per game, an above average number that pairs well with his respectable 9 points per game.

The metric that stands out most in Payton’s stat line is his 2.7 turnover average per game, which is stellar even when compared to the cream of the NBA (Chris Paul averages 2.6 turnovers a game). If Payton and fellow rookie Aaron Gordon continue their success, the Magic could grab a low playoff seeding.

These rookies are unpredictable, a factor that is extremely exciting. They are rejuvenating the league and for that, I welcome the NBA class of 2014 to the league. It is true that at this time of year, the only thing sweeter than a pumpkin spice latte is the return of the NBA season and the new rookie faces on the court.

Rookie contracts help small market teams O

Sam Hammer Columnist

ver the last few weeks, several young NBA stars, including Kenneth Faried, Ricky Rubio and Klay Thompson, were all signed to large contract extensions with their current teams. Oct. 31 is the deadline to re-sign fourth-year players before they hit restricted free agency next summer. Under the current rules, players drafted in the first round sign four-year contracts where the team that drafts them has the option to resign the player for the third and fourth season, which teams almost always do since rookie contracts are relatively inexpensive compared to veterans. Teams are able to sign their rookies to long-term extensions after a rookie’s third year with the team between July 1 and Oct. 31.

If a rookie performs well in his first few seasons then it is highly likely that his current team will sign him to a long-term extension. When a player is signed for the fourth and final year of their rookie deal, they can choose to either sign a long-term extension with their current team, accept an offer from a different team or take a one-year qualifying offer with their current team. Now here is where it gets complicated: If a player signs a qualifying offer with their current team, they enter the next summer as an unrestricted free agent.

If a team decides not to exercise the qualifying offer and simply lets the contract expire after the player’s fourth year in the league, then he will enter the next summer as a restricted free agent. The difference between a restricted and an unrestricted free agent is that when a player who is restricted receives an offer from another team, their current team has the option to match that offer and if they do the player must re-sign with their current team. An unrestricted free agent can sign a contract with any team and has no obligation to remain with their current team.

Players generally choose to re-sign as soon

as possible with their current team because it provides them with financial security if they suffer an injury or start to perform poorly on the court. Teams can sign early extensions with their players for up to four years, and they also have the option to sign one of their players for five years if they label him as the designated player.

Knowledge of NBA contract regulations helps to understand some of the moves that teams made (or did not make) over the last few weeks. The most notable contract extension recently came just before the Halloween deadline when the Golden State Warriors signed guard Thompson to a four-year $69 million deal. With the rise of data analytics and advanced metrics in the NBA, coaches have noticed that three-point scoring is the most efficient means of offense. Unfortunately, many of the league’s best three-point shooters are not great two-way players, so their teams suffer on defense when they are on the court.

Over his first three years in the league, Thompson has demonstrated his ability to be both a prolific three-point shooter as well as a solid defender. He and fellow star guard and three-point shooter Stephen Curry combine to form the Warriors’ “splash brothers.”

While both players are known for their offensive abilities, Thompson is able to make up for Curry’s defensive weaknesses. The Warriors made the right move by resigning Thompson since if he had chose to sign a one-year qualifying offer and become a free-agent two years from now, another team could have offered him a five-year max contract and Thompson would have had no incentive to remain with the Warriors.

The Minnesota Timberwolves recently signed twenty-four-year-old point guard Rubio to a four-year $55 million extension. Signing Rubio to this deal was virtually a must for Minnesota since they are unlikely to sign any other big-name free agents in the coming seasons. The issue for small-market teams is

that it is extremely difficult for them to attract star free agents who would rather play in Los Angeles, New York or in a Florida or Texas city since those states have no income tax. For the teams in small, less attractive markets, the draft is the only viable option to acquire star players.

Three years ago, when it was time for Minnesota to offer Kevin Love a contract extension, the team refused to offer him a fiveyear max contract and to label him as their designated player since they were waiting to use that option on Rubio. A disappointed Kevin Love ultimately agreed to a four-year extension where Love had the right to exercise a player option if he was not satisfied with the direction of the Timberwolves. This past May, Love made it clear to Minnesota that he did not plan on picking up his player option after the 2014-2015 season and that he would then enter free agency. That decision on Love’s part led to Minnesota deciding to trade him to the Cleveland Cavaliers this past August for the 2013 first overall draft pick Anthony Bennett and this past year’s first pick Andrew Wiggins.

Minnesota chose to play it smart with contract extensions this time around, and managed to sign Rubio to a four-year sub maximum contract. This move will give the Timberwolves more financial flexibility over the next few seasons, and it also gives them the option to label Andrew Wiggins as the team’s designated player and sign him to a five-year max contract extension, if his performance lives up to the hype surrounding him before the draft. After losing Kevin Love, Minnesota is banking on the trio of Anthony Bennett, Rubio and Wiggins turning into the NBA’s next big three.

It will be interesting to see what happens next summer to the young stars who did not end up signing extensions before the deadline including the Bulls’ Jimmy Butler, the Thunder’s Reggie Jackson and the 2014 finals MVP Kawhi Leonard.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Page 19

Kobe Bryant attempts to defy age Eli J. Vargas I Sports Editor

T

he NBA regular season is finally under way, and from the new-look-Cleveland Cavaliers to the great teams in the West, there are plenty of reasons to watch basketball this season. But, as a fan of the Lakers, there doesn’t seem to be much to be currently excited about. The Los Angeles Lakers are off to their worst start since 1957, when they were still playing in Minneapolis, and when their name actually made sense. Amidst this terrible start has been speculation that Kobe Bryant, the Lakers’ franchise player, is to blame. Apparently, Bryant’s continued presence in the Lakers’ organization has been fending off potential free agents because of his salty attitude, which used to be one of the Lakers’ strong suits. Many people point to Dwight Howard’s decision to sign for less money somewhere else than to re-sign with the Lakers as an example of this. Along with the Lakers trading away all of their draft picks in trades for All-Star players, the Lakers are currently in dire straits.

Bryant is entering his 19th season on the Lakers, and he is currently the highest-paid player in the league, even though some believe that his best days are behind him. Critics have pointed to his massive contract as yet another reason that Bryant has hamstrung the Lakers because the team’s payroll is largely swallowed up by him.

Regardless of whose fault it is that the Lakers are struggling, Bryant remains the Lakers’ only bright spot in a season that only seems to be getting darker. The Lakers prized first round pick, 19-year-old Kentucky standout Julius Randle broke his leg in the first regular season of his career. He scored two points in less than fourteen minutes, and it seems that those are the only stats that will be under his name for the season, because he is likely out for the remainder of the year. As one of the Lakers’ only young talents, it was even more devastating because he was supposed to develop into a cornerstone for the franchise in the coming years. The Lakers will have to wait and see how he heals and hope that he continues to develop into the player that they hope he will become.

On the opposite end of the age spectrum lies the Lakers’ future Hall of Fame point guard, Steve Nash. In his 19th year in the NBA he seemed to be set to struggle through another injury-plagued season, but no one would have expected that he would have injured his back carrying bags. Those pesky bags must have been quite heavy because they sadly knocked him out for what is looking to be his last season playing professionally. Upper management was hoping that Nash would have one last great season to herald his amazing career, but sadly, that will not happen. Now, the Lakers are led by Jeremy Lin at point guard. Lin has come a long way from his days of Linsanity on the Knicks, but the Lakers are hoping that he will show a glimmer of that exciting talent as he controls the ball this season.

Due to the lack of quality depth on the Lakers’ bench and the fact that the season is basically a wash, I can’t wait to see what numbers Bryant puts up in the twilight of his career. He’s on a team that is lottery bound in the draft, everyone is doubting his abilities and blaming him for the success of the Lakers and he just missed almost all of last season; this is perfect fuel for Bryant to put up video-game numbers. The doubts are completely understandable though. He’s 36 now, and he just came off of two serious surgeries on his Achilles tendon and on his leg, so there is ample reason to expect his numbers to drop off. People forget that this is Kobe though. He has always proved people wrong. So, with the Lakers’ playoff outlook in mind, and Bryant’s career winding down, I hope he hogs the ball every night, takes the most difficult shots possible and drains them. I want to be awed by Bryant while he remains playing, and the Lakers’ struggles provide the perfect environment for him to show us vintage Bryant. It would be a great send off as he nears the end of his exciting career. I don’t want to see Bryant floating around the league with sub-20 stat lines, and I doubt he would feel differently. One thing that we can trust about Bryant is that he’s going to make great plays, even if it hurts his team sometimes. Luckily for him, and for us, the Lakers are bad, so he might as well shoot as much as his heart desires.

SPORTS

Page 20

November 13, 2014

VC athletes earn All-Liberty League team recognition Amreen Bhasin Reporter Women’s Soccer

The Brewers did not qualify for the Liberty League Tournament this year; however, two women’s soccer players were honored by the Liberty League. Senior Chloe Wheeler earned First Team All-Liberty League honors for the second season in a row. Freshman Jessica Schwed was named to the Second Team.

Wheeler finishes her season tying fourth for overall goals in the league, and seventh for points. The forward has led the team in goals scored for the third straight season. She completes her career at Vassar fifth in all time goals for the Brewers and number one for game winning goals. Schwed ends her first season anchoring a back line that achieved eight shutouts in the 2014 season. She has also been an integral part of Vassar being undefeated at home for the first time since 2004.

Volleyball

Women’s volleyball’s season is over. but three players placed on the All-Liberty League teams. Seniors Clara Cardillo and Taylor Mosley both received All-Liberty League Second Team honors. Cardillo was an honorable mention last year and Mosley was selected to the Second Team for last season as well. Mosley was also an Honorable Mention two years ago.

Junior Libero Chloe Hallum was an Honorable Mention for the third year in a row.

Men’s Soccer

Last Wednesday, the men’s team fell in the Semi-Finals of the Liberty League Tournament to No. 20 RPI. The Engineers took a 3-1 victory over the Brewers. Junior Jordan Palmer assisted senior Zach Nasipak for Vassar’s only goal. The men finished with an 11-6-2 record overall and were 9-2 at home. The men placed four players on All-Liberty League teams. Junior Gavin Jennings was a Second Team selection after finishing the season with a total of 9 assists. Nasipak was also named to the Second Team and was named a CoSIDA Academic All-District selec-

tion earlier in the season. Juniors Nick Hess and Jordan Palmer both received their first ever selections to the All-Liberty League Team as Honorable Mentions.

Seniors Cara Bennet and Nicole Woodworth also competed and Bennet placed 157th. Junior Sarah King was 109th.

Men’s Squash

Field Hockey

The women’s field hockey team ended their historic season losing 4-1 to No. 12 Skidmore in the Liberty League Tournament Semi-Final.

The team finished with an overall record of 11-7 and were the No. 3 seed in the Tournament.

This was just the second time the Brewers had made the tournament and the highest seeding they’d ever received. Freshman Storm Sideleau scored the Brewers’ first ever goal in the postseason. Four members of the team were named to All Conference Teams. Junior Bianca Zarrella was an All-Liberty League First Team selection as was senior Enya Cunningham.

Cunningham was also selected to play in the D-III Senior Game. Junior Lauren Wiebe and sophomore Lauren Shumate both earned Second Team honors.

Men’s Cross Country

The men’s team sent four runners to the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships this past Saturday. The team did not record a score but all four Brewers ran strong.

Freshman Garsevan Bekuari was the top finisher clocking a 28:53.09. Kyle Estrada, also a freshman, placed 185th overall and sophomore Logan Serp was 173rd after beating his personal best by 25 seconds. Junior Kyle Dannenberg just missed his personal best and finished in 30:18.51.

Women’s Cross Country

The women finished 17th out of 48 schools competing at the Championships. Vassar did not start their top seven women but still had an impressive outing. Freshman Olivia Martin was 33rd overall out of 338 runners. She was the Liberty League’s fastest finisher and was named Liberty League Performer of the Week.

Senior Viviane Ford was 57th overall and ran a personal best for the season with a 24:09.37.

Vassar hosted NYU and Haverford College on Saturday Afternoon in Kenyon Hall. The Brewers dropped both matches against two very strong teams. Against No. 36 Haverford, the Brewers fell 8-1. The only victory of the day came from sophomore Vincent Mencotti. Mencotti defeated Haverford’s Noah Vestrich-Shade in five sets. Mencotti was named Liberty League Performer of the Week for his play this weekend. Sophomore Manav Dalmiya earned a win in his exhibition match. The No. 42 NYU Violets swept the Brewers 9-0, but the Brewers played some very close matches.

Women’s Squash

The women went 2-0 on the weekend. They first defeated No. 32 Haverford 8-1. The women won seven out of the eight contested matches, as they had a default victory in the No. 9 spot.

Senior Ellie Opdahl upped her season record to 4-0 in the match. The Brewers then defeated No. 36 NYU 9-0. Freshman Hannah Nice surrendered just four total points in her victory at the No. 1 spot.

Women’s Rugby

The women’s rugby team defeated Buffalo State University 39-12 in the Round of 32.

The women scored 7 tries and will advance to the Round of 16 next Saturday with a chance to compete at the Quarter Finals on Sunday.

The women sit at 8-2 and will be hosting the U.S.A. Rugby Fall Championship for Division I and II both at the farm and Prentiss Field. The women will compete in the Division II Bracket.

The bracket includes Vassar College, Kutztown University, Stonehill College and University of Vermont. The Brewers face University of Vermont first in the finals.

Men’s Rugby

The Vassar men fell in a hard match up in the

Tri-State Conference Championship 14-50. The Brewers played Fairfield University in Fairfield but managed to cool down a team that had been averaging 63 points a game. Fairfield will advance to the Wildcard Round of the U.S.A. Rugby Division II Men’s Collegiate Championship.

Vassar finished the season with an 8-2 record and will look to regroup before their spring season begins.

Men’s Fencing

The Men’s Fencing Team opened up their season at the Vassar College Invitational this Sunday at Walker Field House. The Brewers had a strong day and went 5-2. The Brewers had wins against Yeshiva University, Hunter College, Haverford College, Lafayette College and Army. They narrowly lost to Stevens Institute of Technology 14-13 and No. 12 Sacred Heart University 15-12. Senior Captain Tre Artis was 14-7 at foil and managed an impressive win against Sacred Heart’s Andrew Holmes, who finished 11th in the nation last year. Freshman Eli Polston had 11 victories in sabre. Freshmen Tom Racek in foil and Jon Alperstein in épée both earned a team best 15 wins as did sophomore Campbell Woods in sabre. Sophomore Ry Farley finished with 13 wins in épée and freshman George Whiteside had 12. The sabre squad was 46-17 overall and épée was 43-20. Foil was 35-28.

Women’s Fencing

The Brewer women finished the day 4-4.

The women got a win over Haverford College, Queens College, Hunter College and Army.

They were bested by Sacred Heart University 16-11, No. 13 Cornell University 22-5, Stevens 15-12 and Farleigh Dickinson University 15-12.

Freshman sabre Fencer Annie Innes-Gold ’18 had a banner day going 21-3. Freshman foil fencer Kirsten Denman ’18 had 18 wins and sophomore épéeist Olivia Weiss had a 15-5 record.

Senior Megan Weiss and junior Rachel Messbauer both had 12 wins in épée. The épée squad went a combined 44-28 on the day, sabre was 40-32, and the foil squad was 36-36.

Aquatic teams look to avoid floundering in Liberty League SWIMMING continued from page 1

point in our season.”

As far as individual athletes are concerned, both teams are in exciting positions according to Quinn; “Another big goal we have for the season is for everybody to swim fast and break all their best times, pretty much. We definitely are better than we were last year. Last year, we only lost one senior. This year, we picked up three freshmen and two new seniors who decided to come back. And we have a diver, which is great, because last year we only had one, this year we have one as well.”

This year, freshman Daniel Choi, a native of North Hollywood, Calif. and fly and breast swimmer, will join the team. VC has also scooped up freshman Kyle Gray from Cresco, Pa. who swims free, back and mid distance, as well as freshman Jonah Strand, a breaststroke

swimmer from Woodstock, N.Y. Rafael Ricaurte, a senior from Astoria, N.Y., will serve as the men’s team diver. The women’s rookie lineup looks strong as well. In addition to Carroll, freshman Cali Corbett from Warrinton, Pa. will swim the free, as will fellow freshman teammate Teresa Stout from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Freshman Emily McDaniels will join the IM/back swimmers, coming out of Chapel Hill, N.C. Freshman and women’s diver Nora Kyrkjebo hails from Singapore.

VC swimming and diving knows exactly what it will take to find success in 2015: hard work. Carroll said, “These goals will be achieved by a continuation of the hard work and great attitudes that we have started the season with. We’ve been putting in a lot of time both in the pool and the weight room, and it’s exciting to have already seen some really

Emily Lavieri-Scull/The Miscellany News

Vassar’s swimming and diving teams seek to continue their winning ways after both men’s and women’s team beat Skidmore College this past Saturday at Kresge Pool in front of the home crowd.

great swims, and we are going to continue getting better and better.” Carroll continued on to explain that focus seems to be key for Brewer success. “The focus of training so far this year has been on details. Every practice we are encouraged to latch onto a couple of race pieces, and make them exceptional for the whole practice. This sets us up well when we then transition from practice to competition.”

Quinn’s noted that the focus this season will be on competition. “Well, we’ve taken a much more serious approach to our training, I think,” he wrote. “And also our meets as well. For every meet we get ourselves pretty psyched up, we put the other team’s times up on the wall and around the pool. See what they can do, see what we can do. We think about races during practice,” he continued, saying, “We have really good competition, we’re in a really competitive league, so that drives us a lot. We always check the times of other schools, what they’ve been doing at their meets and stuff compared to what we do.”

Having healthy athletes will be essential to a good showing this year. Quinn elaborated, “We’ve been focusing a lot on recovery, so icing afterwards and heating before. A lot of making sure people who are injured get the proper rehab from the trainers. Last year, we got a lot of injuries throughout the season and it didn’t really let us pick up steam during the season; at the end we were all good, but in season we want to have a good record. We have to be able to stay healthy.” Gregory Cristina, a junior from Suffield, Conn., hopes to be able to persevere through injury. He commented, “I plan to achieve these goals by staying focused during practice and in the weight room and also maintain a positive attitude, despite any small injuries that may occur during the season.”

Another strength that VC swimming and diving will use to their advantage is the team chemistry they’ve built. Carroll said, “One of the strongest things that I think VC swim and dive has is our team dynamic. We all genuinely enjoy being around each other, and the support

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network that I already feel that I have is incredible. I think that dynamic has really contributed to the success of this program, because we push each other to give our best no matter what and that is so valuable.” Cristina agreed, noting that the incoming swimmers seem promising so far.

“They all have great attitudes during meets and practices and fit in very well,” he wrote. Not only is the special team dynamic this season apparent to incoming athletes, but team leadership is also noticing. “Our greatest strength is the cohesive, motivated, and fun team we have this season,” said Balter. “A great team dynamic just makes every obstacle, be it a hard practice, tough opposition, etc. that much more manageable and rewarding.”

In the past, and this year is no exception, both teams have been undersized. “A weakness is that we are historically a smaller team than a lot of teams we swim [against],” said Balter, “Sometimes we simply don’t have the numbers to make us as competitive as some of our competition.” Vassar has to go toe to toe with teams of 30 or more athletes. With the women clocking in at only 17 and the men still lower at 13, their size can and has gotten them into trouble according to Quinn. “When we go up against a team with 30 or 40 guys, they can just fill guys into events that we don’t even have the manpower to put in. So they’re going to pick up points for that. Like last year, at our championship meet, we beat all the teams that we could beat, that we were capable of beating. So all the teams that were around our size, we beat. We couldn’t beat the other teams that had 30, 40 guys. We just can’t compete with them yet.”

The Brewers will see RPI on Nov. 15, followed by New Paltz on the 22, then they have a lull until they match up with Trinity in January.

“Our next three Saturdays are going to be really exciting, with match-ups against Skidmore, RPI and New Paltz,” Madison said, “We’re going to have some tough races, but I am confident that we will be really well prepared for each of these meets, and there are definitely going to be some great swims and exciting outcomes.”