The Miscellany News November 2, 2017
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Volume CL | Issue 8
What VCLU lecture creates campus controversy happened to Halsey? T Clark Xu
Assistant News Editor
Additional Reporting By
Yoav Yaron
Patrick Tanella Arts Editor
W
hether you’re scrolling through your Twitter feed, Instagram or even The New York Times, you can find the name Halsey. This mesmerizing artist seems to have emerged out of nowhere, attaining one of the largest first-week sales for a female singer last year. But does that mean her music is good? In just three years, Halsey has gone from one of my favorite artists to one that is producing boring top-40 pop music and fighting with the world on Twitter. I first discovered Halsey after hearing her song “Trouble” on a random See HALSEY on page 14
he tension between the open expression of ideas that contribute to a just society and the preservation of human dignity by limiting certain forms of hate speech continues to sustain debates at Vassar College and on the broader national political stage. Drawing attention to this tension, the Vassar Conservative Libertarian Union (VCLU) invited Clinical Professor of Law William Jacobson of Cornell University to speak on Oct. 25 about the First Amendment as it applies to political protests and discourse on college campuses. The lecture quickly became controversial and sparked dissenting protests led
VSA and H2A for changing the name. Furthermore, the content and following of Jacobson’s conservative blog, Legal Insurrection, led some students to raise concerns that he might be a white supremacist, though these claims have not been proven. The VSA Senate approved funding for the event under the title originally submitted by the VCLU, who hoped to give visibility to a point of view that is often overlooked on left-leaning liberal arts campuses. VCLU President Pietro Geraci ’18 expanded, “Many at Vassar believe that hate speech isn’t free speech, and that offensive and hateful language should be banned. I wanted to bring a different viewpoint on the topic to Vassar, so Vassar students and other attendees could gain a better understanding of free speech
and the First Amendment.” However, many feel that Vassar has more serious issues with diversity than a lack of political diversity. VSA Chair of Equity and Inclusion Tamar Ballard ’19 explained, “I think, a lot of times, diversity—a concept we, as an institution, need to hone in more on what we mean by it—and inclusion are concepts that look good on paper, but are not always fully realized in practice. Our college’s mission statement points to the importance of these two concepts, but oftentimes, we forget what it means to not only bring to campus students of color, trans and non-binary students, students with differing abilities, low-income or first-generation students, etc., but also make sure they’re safe, See LECTURE on page 3
Debate combines competition, community Duncan Aronson Guest Reporter
F
ew extracurriculars can boast the same rich history as debate societies. Their roots reach as far back as the political and philosophical debates of Ancient Greece. The earliest prototypes of modern-day debate societies were founded in the 1700s during the Age of Enlightenment. Debate has grown in popularity and is now commonplace in colleges and high schools, however, unlike other extracurriculars such as sports or arts, it is relatively unknown to
those who do not participate in it themselves. To help educate the Vassar community more about debate, the Vassar Debate Society, or VC Debate for short, explains more about the nuts and bolts of competitive debate and offer the members’ own personal insights. These current and former members have debated since high school and middle school and are sharing their vast stores of experience and expertise. Debate comes in various forms, See DEBATE on page 6
Courtesy of Duncan Aronson
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Halsey is a prime example of the toxicity of the pop music industry.
by student organization Healing to Action (H2A) and prompted President of the College Elizabeth Bradley to organize support staff and plans for student safety. The lead-up to the event was complicated by several misunderstandings between student groups about Jacobson’s lecture. In its application to the Vassar Student Association (VSA) speakers fund, the VCLU titled the lecture “An Examination of Hate Speech and Free Speech on College Campuses.” However, the VCLU later publicized the lecture under the unapproved title “Hate Speech is Still Free Speech, Even After Charlottesville,” sparking fierce opposition from many students. Jacobson delivered the lecture under the original title, and the VCLU issued a formal apology to the
Debate is complicated in nature, but every participant of VC Debate appreciates the mental workout and the community the org provides.
Show adds noir style to classic play Soccer sets sights on Liberty League trophy O Matt Stein Arts Editor
Inside this issue
4
NEWS
Famed author Amitav Ghosh lectures on opium trade
Kelly Pushie
Guest Reporter
T
Courtesy of Merely Players via Facebook
ver the summer, The Public Theater staged a production of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” in Central Park for their Shakespeare in the Park program. Morphing the character of Julius Caesar into Donald Trump proved divisive, causing several conservative protesters to disrupt performances. Regardless of the production’s controversy, the play’s themes of power and corruption, good and evil, and duty and morality still remain iconic, reminding the world why Shakespeare’s plays deserve to be called universal. While not a fully contemporary adaptation, Merely Players’ upcoming production of “Caesar Noir” transports the play into the world of film noir, illuminating themes that the Public’s production addressed but in a world teeming with ominous silence and ambiguous morality. The lights go dim, and the Venetian blinds go up in the Aula this Thursday, Friday and Saturday night as Merely Players presents “Caesar Noir.” Directed by Leon Wang ’19 and stage managed by Annie Hu ’21, this film noir adaptation transforms William Shakespeare’s classic tragedy “Julius Caesar” into the seedy underbelly of crime world. In this setting, modeled after 1940s Chicago, the characters are no longer Roman senators but detectives, with Julius Caesar as a corrupt police officer. After studying over the summer in Rome in a Latin-immersive program, Wang revisited Shakespeare’s play and See SHAKESPEARE on page 14
Trading senators in togas for detectives in trenchcoats, Merely Players’ production of “Caesar Noir” adapts Shakesepeare’s tragedy into a noir world.
10
OPINIONS
Spacey’s response to harassment allegations disgraceful
he men’s and women’s soccer teams both faced off against Ithaca College to close out their regular season schedules this past weekend. The men’s soccer team clinched a number-two seed in the Liberty League tournament with an exciting win 1-0 over Ithaca on Saturday. Although the women lost, they were still able to secure the number-two seed. The men’s team set program history with their win on Saturday. This season is the first time the Brewers put up six wins in the Liberty League. Statistically, the Brewers dominated the game. Vassar took 11 shots compared to Ithaca’s six, and the Brewers earned two more corner kicks than their opponent. In a well-fought first half, both sides remained scoreless. It wasn’t until the 67th minute that sophomore Kevin Baliat found the back of the net. Senior Hayden Van Brewer sent in a ball from the sideline, and Baliat found it at the far right post and knocked it in. The Brewers maintained the lead for the last 20 minutes of the game and walked away with the win. Senior goalkeeper Matt Marcelino saved one of Ithaca’s six shots. Marcelino has been dominant in the net for the Brewers this season, posting 24 saves in the season and helping secure six wins for the Brewers. He was also named
15 ARTS
Liberty League defensive player of the week for his performance in the last two games of the regular season, shutting out both RIT and Ithaca. He was very impressed with how the team came out and battled throughout the entire game. “It was a great game on Saturday. From the kickoff, we undoubtedly controlled the game, out-possessing, shooting and frankly outplaying our opponent,” Marcelino stated. “Despite the low scoreline, we maintained our dominant performance throughout the entirety of the match. Amidst some tough injuries, it’s awesome to have such a convincing game with players stepping up and smoothly transitioning into the starting rotation.” In terms of what the team is going to do to prepare for their next game, Marcelino stressed getting the team rested and recovered. “Cliché as it sounds, playing soccer nearly every day since Aug. 18 is tremendously tiresome. Thankfully, we were able to clinch a top spot in the regular season, allowing us to take a full week to recuperate and reinvigorate ourselves for what will hopefully be a long and fruitful post-season run,” he explained. Marcelino also mentioned that the team isn’t really looking to change too much before they play their next game. They are going to focus on just playing their game, a style that has clearly worked well for them this season. “In See SOCCER on page 18
Philaletheis presents psychological dramedy