Misc11 2 17

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.

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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

The Miscellany News

Page 2

November 2, 2017

Editor-in-Chief

Charlotte Varcoe-Wolfson

Senior Editor Noah Purdy

Contributing Editors Sarah Dolan Eilís Donohue Rhys Johnson Anika Lanser

Courtesy of Maria Bell

Courtesy of Maria Bell

Maria Bell ’19 recounts from Exeter, “I was perfectly content with my life and the pod of close friends I’d made those very first weeks at Vassar, and so I rarely went outside of myself to do something radically different or approach someone I didn’t really know. Then I found myself living in a small city in rural southwest England. I became one student in a sea of 20,000, the singular international student in my classes, and ‘the American’ in my building. I knew no one and no one knew me. Realizing I had nothing to lose, I just started talking.” To read more about Maria’s exciting JYA experience and other students’ travels, visit farandaway.miscellanynews.org!

The Miscellany News 2

November

Thursday

International Photo Contest

9:00 a.m. | College Center 2nd Floor | International Services and Special Projects

Music on the Bridge

11:30 a.m. | Bridge Indoor Cafe | Music Dept.

Fuddy Meers

5:00 p.m. | Shiva Theater | Philaletheis

Yuri Imai

6:00 p.m. | CC 223 | Chinese and Japanese Dept.

Weekender_ 3

November

4

Friday

November

International Photo Contest

Saturday

Vassar High School Debate Tournament

9:00 a.m. | College Center 2nd Floor | International Services and Special Projects

7:00 a.m. | RH 200 | Debate Society

Fuddy Meers

Butterbeer Broooers Home Tournament

5:00 p.m. | Shiva Theater | Philaletheis

7:00 a.m. | Outdoor Space Joss Beach | Vassar Quidditch

Jimmy Pavlick Original Play

Squash (M/W) vs. Fordham, BU, Swarthmore, Lafayette, Mt. Holyoke and Bucknell

8:00 p.m. | VCDF 106 | Drama Dept.

10:00 a.m. | Kenyon Hall Squash Court | Athletics

Video Game Night

9:00 p.m. | CC 223 | Big Night In

5

November

Sunday

News Laurel Hennen Vigil Humor and Satire Leah Cates Yesenia Garcia Arts Matt Stein Patrick Tanella Sports Mack Liederman Robert Pinataro Design Yoav Yaron Copy Tanya Kotru Gode Sumiko Neary Assistant News Clark Xu Assistant Features Laila Volpe Assistant Arts Sasha Gopalakrishnan Assistant Online Kayla Holliday Jackson Ingram Abby Lass Assistant Copy Claire Baker Assistant Social Media Hannah Nice Web Master & Technical Advisor George Witteman Reporters Talya Phelps Dylan Smith Columnists Izzy Braham Jimmy Christon Jesser Horowitz Steven Park Sylvan Perlmutter Andrew Solender Blair Webber Design Maya Sterling Copy Isabel Bielat Natalie Bober James Bonanno Gabriela Calderon Teddy Chmyz Jillian Frechette Abigail Knuckles Jessica Moss Anna Wiley Andrea Yang

Squash (M/W) vs. Fordham, BU, Swarthmore, Lafayette, Mt. Holyoke and Bucknell 9:00 a.m. | Kenyon Hall Squash Court | Athletics

The Spirit of All that is Art

3:00 p.m. | Skinner Recital Hall | Music Dept.

Paper Critique

9:00 p.m. | Rose Parlor | The Miscellany News

Senior Recital: Michael Oosterhout, baritone

1:30 p.m. | Skinner Recital Hall | Music Dept.

Soccer (W) Liberty League Championships 2:00 p.m. | Gordon Competition Field | Athletics

Courtesy of Janne Hellsten via Wikimedia Commons

Courtesy of Emily Lavieri-Scull/The Miscellany News

The annual Asian Students’ Alliance (ASA) Night Market includes a number of student orgs offering a diverse array of yummy treats.

Field Hockey (W) Liberty League Championship 2:00 p.m. | Weinberg Field | Athletics

Flea and For Sale

4:00 p.m. | Villard Room | Josselyn House

Night Market

6:00 p.m. | College Center | Asian Students’ Alliance

Vassar Aikido Dinner

7:00 p.m. | CC 223 | Aikido Club

The Vassar Devils Joint Concert with The Nor’easters 8:30 p.m. | Villard Room | Vassar Devils

Josselyn House is sponsoring their annual Flea and For Sale in the Villard Room, a great opportunity to nab low-cost items.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only accept corrections for any misquotes, misrepresentations or factual errors for an article within the semester it is printed.

CORRECTION In last week’s article “Professors discuss memorials in light of Charlottesville” incorrectly claimed that the Black Student Union helped organize the event. The panel was organized by the Vassar History Majors Committees and History Department Academic Intern Maya Sudarkasa ’18.

The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.

November 2, 2017

NEWS

Page 3

Jacobson gives lecture at Vassar amid student opposition LECTURE continued from page 1

happy and thriving here.” In recognition of these needs, a major focus of the VSA this year is supporting the growth of individuals from backgrounds that are often marginalized in the wider social context.

Reflecting on the misunderstanding between the VCLU and the VSA regarding the name of the event, VSA Vice President for Finance Robyn Lin ’18 explaind, “The VCLU has previously gotten in trouble with the VSA regarding malpractice of finances. This year we were assured that the old leadership [responsible for such malpractice] had graduated, and Finance Committee did our best to view their application for funding with an open mind. The initial allocation meeting went fine. However, when it became clear that the name of the event and the description had been changed to the point that it sounded like a different event, Finance was not made aware nor was the VCLU responsive in changing the name and description back to the agreed upon one. President Bradley was able to become involved when she reached out to student leaders from both H2A and the VSA.” In disagreement with a letter the VSA wrote to President Bradley presenting claims that William Jacobson endorses alt-right ideology, Geraci stated, “I have never felt more betrayed by the VSA ... I believe that through these actions, the VSA Executive Board failed to act in the best interest of the student body. The protests and other activities planned for during the lecture are in my opinion ridiculous; nobody was targeted, nobody was threatened and nobody was ever in any danger.”

At the lecture, the room was crowded with a few hundred attendees, some of whom wore all black in protest. In his talk, Jacobson made a case for preserving First Amendment protections for the free expression of ideas and statements, even those that may make individuals who identify with marginalized groups uncomfortable.

He suggested, “By protecting someone’s right to free speech, you are not endorsing their ideas, necessarily ... Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from criticism. A lot of people mistake criticism as an attempt to silence somebody.”

For Jacobson, a strong civil society depends on the agreement of all citizens to hear and tolerate potentially offensive speech and ideas, including statements that target marginalized individuals. This tacit agreement, he contended, also maintains a balanced discussion by allowing for the criticism and protest of potentially offensive speech and ideas. As Jacobson summarized, “We all know what Charlottesville was: Watching those people with the torches was nauseating, it was abominable, but they were on a public campus and under the Constitution they had the right to be abominable and nauseating.”

In the question-and-answer session following the lecture, students argued that an interpretation of the First Amendment excluding speech that violates basic human dignity from such protections would be more appropriate given ongoing controversies over race relations in the United States. Pinpointing Jacobson’s failure to address the abuse of privilege and power in First Amendment protections, a member of the audience asked, “How do you remedy that with the fact that most of the people committing the hate speech are coming from one demographic versus everybody else?”

The topic of the lecture hit uncomfortably close to home for many, as Vassar has experienced several incidents of hate speech in the last year. A Class of 2020 student who attended the event commented anonymously, “People at Vassar are kind of upset about the state of the world right now. We’re very upset by all of the bias reports going on at Vassar.”

Many students feel that the kinds of speech that Jacobson argues should be protected under the First Amendment often have implications of violence and inflict real pain on individuals of marginalized identities. Dea Oviedo ’20 reflected, “I think the administration should have done more to ensure the protection of students and not just expect them to protect themselves.”

In the days following Jacobson’s lecture, the President’s Office convened with the VSA, Safety and Security and the Office of Communications to establish a student support plan in response to the concerns raised by Jacobson’s lecture.

Associate Dean of the College for Campus Life and Diversity Ed Pittman ’82 commented via email, “I think that the Jacobson lecture reflects how ideas and expression have an impact on communities—whether that speech is protected by the First Amendment or not. I believe that students and others were responding to the possibility that some ideas have a way of attracting undesirable elements that often are antithetical to values of inclusion and equity.”

He continued, “Diversity, equity and inclusion are core principles at Vassar, principles that are central to the mission [of the College].

Whether it’s academics, campus life or the work environment, I think that we strive to be inclusive. Acknowledging diversity also means that there will be diverse perspectives, which is both an opportunity and a challenge.”

In a campus-wide email sent on Oct. 24, President Bradley wrote, “Students have expressed fear for their safety and well-being, particularly in the national context of hate speech and divisive language. Many find this time extremely stressful and unsettled ... I want to affirm my commitment to maintaining the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and administration. I hope we can be a campus where we think about how our words will affect others and where principles of equity and inclusion underpin our actions” (President Elizabeth Bradley, “Message from the President,” 10.24.2017).

In an effort to counteract this fear, during the lecture, students held a community gathering in the library in an effort to provide a calmer environment for those who felt uncomfortable or unsafe, as well as to reclaim the space of the library after the hate speech incidents that occurred there last spring.

Back at the lecture, Jacobson supported his viewpoint by considering historical developments in which the First Amendment had a positive impact, as well as times when the lack of such protections contributed to disaster. He elaborated, “I don’t think as a society offensive ideas should be criminalized because that empowers the dominant political group to enforce its way through the criminal laws.”

Examples include Recep Erdogan’s presidency in Turkey that ordered the arrest of academ-

ics, reporters and political dissidents in December 2013 for opposition speech about corruption in the Turkish government, as well as Section 13(1) of the Canadian Human Rights Act that, according to the National Post, admitted hearsay evidence, allowed plaintiffs to choose not to face defendants in court and provided government funds to plaintiffs but not defendants in the prosecution of hate speech crimes until its repeal in June 2013 by the Canadian Senate.

Jacobson continued, “When you empower the people in power to silence their political enemies under criminal laws under the guise that the views you are expressing are hateful, then I think you are running the risk of a dictatorial situation, and that’s not the country I personally want to live in.”

In terms of positive impact, Jacobson described, “The history of the First Amendment is largely the protection—at least in the United States, at least in the last 75 years—of social justice movements that were unpopular with people in power, and probably still are unpopular with the people in power … The history of the First Amendment is the history of protecting communists, civil rights movements, the anti-war movement and other political activities that were deemed at the time hateful by those in power.”

Though the event led to a great deal of strife, Ballard concluded, “I believe that Vassar students are strong. Students, especially students of color, have been through—and will continue to go through—a lot being here, but we’re strong. We’re mighty. But with that, we need to take the time to heal. We’re so used to moving past situations like this very quickly—mostly for the sake of our academic endeavors—that we don’t have or take the time we need to work through what’s at the heart of these situations.

In a broader campus sense, education is key for me. Sitting down, listening and being a part of conversations and doing the work needed to change a campus environment that has caused many people a lot of hurt over the past few weeks of this semester is crucial. We all deserve to be comfortable and feel safe here, and we all have the responsibility to take care of ourselves and each other.”

VC community gathers at Take Back the Night rally Laurel Hennen Vigil News Editor

[Content warning: Mention of sexual violence] [Editor’s Note: Due to the highly personal nature of this event, The Miscellany News chose not to report on the specifics of what speakers shared during the rally. All quotes in this article are from interviews.] n Thursday, Oct. 26, dozens of students gathered on the College Center Circle for this year’s Take Back the Night Rally, the first official event of Halloweekend. This marked the second year of the annual tradition at Vassar, which was started in 2016 by Women’s Center Intern Darci Siegel ’20.

“In September of last year, Brock Turner [a Stanford University student who was convicted of sexual assault] was released from jail after only three months [due to] ‘good behavior.’ As a survivor of sexual assault myself, I was very frustrated by that, and as a first-year student, I didn’t know what communities and conversations existed [at Vassar],” explained Siegel. “So I utilized the Women’s Center and came together with a lot of administrators and other students to create a space where we were able to acknowledge that sexual violence and intimate partner violence happens on this campus, that it happens to people of all identities—all gender, racial and sexual identities—which is not often recognized in the discourse around sexual violence.”

Take Back the Night is an international event that aims to provide a space for survivors to share their stories and work toward ending all forms of sexual violence, including sexual assault, sexual harassment and intimate partner violence, among others. The first rallies were held in the 1970s, and a nonprofit that organizes many of these events, the Take Back the Night Foundation, was established in 2001.

Today, Take Back the Night is a common fix-

Laurel Hennen Vigil/The Miscellany News

O

ture on college campuses, as women between the ages of 18 and 24 are three to four times more likely than women of other ages to experience sexual violence (RAINN, “Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics”).

On Thursday, several student groups tabled before the event began, including YES!, the Feminist Alliance, CHOICE and Vassar Voices for Planned Parenthood.

“CHOICE was really happy to be invited to take part in Take Back the Night,” commented CHOICE co-president Ashley Carey ’18. “People know that we distribute safer sex supplies on campus, but part of safer sex is healthy relationships and consent. People might forget that as part of our mission, but we’re really about sexual health and sexual safety, which is all-encompassing.”

After Siegel and her co-organizer, fellow Women’s Center Intern Cece Bobbitt ’19, made introductory remarks, President Bradley took the stage to commend the students’ hard work in organizing the rally. Other administrators, representing the Women’s Center, the Office of Campus Life and Diversity, the ALANA Center and the Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) also addressed the crowd, telling them about the resources available to survivors on campus. ALANA Center Director Wendy Maragh Taylor led the crowd in a cathartic scream of “No!,” which she said can be a way to take action, even when one feels powerless.

Representatives from YES! and the Traditions Committee also spoke. “We’re trying to be really thoughtful about the work that we’re doing, and we’re open to hearing what other folks think about how [the planning of all-campus events] is going and what they need from us in terms of the way that we cultivate space at these events,” Traditions Committee Co-Chair Ashley Hoyle ’18 said in an interview.

“We wanted to work together with Traditions to make sure that there is a level of acknowledgement of [the increased threat of sexual vi-

At the end of the Take Back the Night rally, organzied by Darci Siegel ’20, attendees walked to the front of Main Building with candles and posed with a “Take Back the Night” banner. olence amid the drinking and drug use of Halloweekend], a level of support and a sense of activism,” added Siegel. “Hopefully it won’t, but should [sexual violence] happen to any students this weekend, or any future weekend—or past weekend—we want them to feel like there is a group of people from various areas of this campus who will come together and support them.”

Isabel Furman ’19 then performed two songs, an original piece entitled “Body of Water” and a cover of Lesley Gore’s 1963 song “You Don’t Own Me,” which was featured in the first episode of the Hulu adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel “The Handmaid’s Tale.”

After the audience was invited to share stories, everyone lit candles and walked with a “Take Back the Night, Break the Silence, End the

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Violence” banner to the front of Main Building, where they posed for a photo.

“There’s no right way to go about combating sexual assault or facilitating these discussions, so I’m really open to having discussions with people from other organizations, with other individuals, on how we can continue to make this conversation more inclusive and more accessible,” said Siegel. “My philosophy around sexual violence is making the response survivor centered, so gathering all the resources and all the knowledge that I have and saying, ‘What do you want? What do you need? How can I help?’

I hope that people share that philosophy and engage with that and take what they need and share what they can. The conversation never ends.”

NEWS

Page 4

November 2, 2017

Famed author Ghosh discusses 19th-century opium trade Dylan Smith Reporter

P

Courtesy of Gage Skidmore

rolific author and thinker Amitav Ghosh visited Vassar on Wednesday, Oct. 25, to give a lecture titled “Chasing the Dragon: Traveling the Opium Route to Qing China.” Ghosh’s lecture was the annual Mahatma Gandhi lecture, held by the Asian Studies Department every year in October, the month of Gandhi’s birth.

Students and professors crowded into the Villard Room to hear Ghosh speak, filling the space to capacity. Several of Ghosh’s books were on sale at the event, as well.

Ghosh is the author of nine novels, including his popular Ibis trilogy. He focused Wednesday’s lecture on the setting of this trilogy—pre-Opium War India and China—as well as the geopolitical details of Britain’s opium export out of India during this time. Ghosh’s lecture was accompanied by a presentation of historical photographs and paintings regarding opium export and trade during the early to mid-19th century.

Jemison Tipler ’20, who hadn’t heard of Ghosh before, attended the lecture with a friend and found it very illuminating. “I originally knew almost nothing about opium in China. I’m glad I’m more aware of such a prevalent issue in society,” she commented.

Ghosh was introduced by Associate Professor of Anthropology Candace Lowe Swift. “Having Amitav Ghosh here is a dream come true,” said Lowe Swift, who teaches Ghosh’s books in her classes. “He is one of my favorite authors of all time,” she added, noting that Ghosh’s work is often anthropologic in nature. Ghosh himself began his career as an anthropologist, earning a Ph.D. in social anthropology from Oxford University. “His writing asks us about who we are in relation to others,” Lowe Swift said.

Professor and Chair of Political Science Himadeep Muppidi also teaches Amitav Ghosh’s work at Vassar. He introduced Ghosh alongside Lowe Swift Wednesday. “Ghosh’s novels reconfigure space and time,” Muppidi reflected.

“They help us think about violence as a pillar

of everyday, global life—they teach us to look and see human responses to such violence and show us how humanity survives and thrives in horrifying violence.”

Following praise and introductions from Lowe and Muppidi, Amitav Ghosh took to the podium to begin his lecture. Ghosh started by contextualizing one of the major elements of his Ibis trilogy—the British opium trade in China.

The trilogy’s main character is an Indian merchant selling opium in Canton. Ghosh explained that opium was a principle export for the British Empire. Opium was illegal in China, and the British essentially monopolized the import of opium into the country during the early 19th century.

Ghosh’s lecture traced the path of the opium trade from India, where it was grown, to China, where it was ultimately sold and consumed.

Ghosh focused on the people of the opium trade route: those who worked in Indian opium factories, the merchants who transported and sold the opium and the capitalists who invented in and organized the opium operations.

Ghosh also highlighted the different opium operations that developed as demand for opium in China grew. While the British aggressively marketed opium in China, independent opium operations arose in Western India, free from British control. Many Parsi merchant families established extremely profitable opium trades, competing with the British market for opium in China.

These historical details were accompanied during the lecture by enlightening paintings, photographs and illustrations. Many of these images were of the Indian opium factories themselves, as well as the poor Indian laborers who operated them. The images emphasized the sheer volume of the opium plants in India; giant palatial buildings generated wealth primarily for colonialists in Great Britain, yet were run almost exclusively on the labor of poor Indian natives and relied on the addiction of Chinese citizens.

Noted author Amitav Ghosh visited Vassar on Oct. 25 to deliver the annual Mahatma Gandhi lecture. Ghosh talked about the opium trade, which plays a role in some of his books.

Regarding this, Ghosh addressed the complicated history of drug use. “Humanity has always had a relationship to drugs,” Ghosh said.

He drew connections between the tide of opium addiction in 19th-century China—fueled by the aggressive British marketing campaign—and the current opioid crisis in the United States.

“America is going through its own opioid epidemic,” Ghosh reflected. “Opium had become a profoundly corrupting factor in China,” he said, adding that perhaps by drawing from China’s ability to overcome its own addiction problem, the United States may be able to overcome its own.

Ghosh also addressed the proliferation of opium money in current American economic structures. “Opium money is built into the fabric of American society,” Ghosh said, pointing

out that influential families such as the Delano and Forbes families were heavily invested in the British opium export. “The only people who don’t seem to realize this [fact] are Americans.”

As Ghosh’s time waned, he took the chance to reflect on his own career. “History has always interested me,” he said, “But I couldn’t be an anthropologist ... What interests me is stories.” Ghosh explained the particularly historical qualities of many of his works. “Narratives, by definition, progress through time. It’s mainly a literary exploration.” He directly addressed what he considers a false notion of history, noting that, “When you’re taught history, you’re automatically presented with an ideological view.

But history is not going anywhere—not anywhere good in any case.” He concluded, “History is a labyrinth.”

News Briefs Opioid crisis a public health emergency

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—Youngju Chang, Guest Reporter

Courtesy of Wikipedia

ast Thursday, Oct. 26, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency and announced that the government would take several actions to address the crisis.

However, experts are concerned about Trump’s nebulous engagement and his failure to show specific plans.

Opioids are a type of medication that ameliorate pain by enhancing a secretion of the feelgood hormone dopamine. Heroin, hydrocodone, oxycodone, fentanyl and morphine are examples of opioids. Some legal opioids are often used as a medical treatment to relieve patients’ pain.

However, because they are extremely addictive, people can easily become dependent on opioids, and overdoses are common (CNN, “Opioid Crisis Fast Facts,” 10.2.2017).

Widespread misuse of opioids began in the late 1990s, when pharmaceutical companies argued that prescription opioid pain relievers are not addictive and safe enough to be used as a treatment. However, when the truth about opioids’ high toxicity was verified, opioids were already being used extensively. In 2015, more than 33,000 Americans died due to an opioid overdose, more than 90 each day (NIH, “Opioid Crisis,” 06.2017).

During the event in the White House on Thursday, attended by families affected by opioid abuse, Trump announced, “No part of our society—not young or old, rich or poor, urban or rural—has been spared this plague of drug addiction and this horrible, horrible situation that’s taken place with opioids.” He added, “This epidemic is a national health emergency” (The New York Times, “Trump Declared Opioid Crisis a ‘Health Emergency’ but Requests No Funds,” 10.26.2017).

To prevent opioid abuse, Trump suggested several future plans. First, prescribers will receive a mandatory training about safe practices of opioid prescriptions. Second, the government will focus on inventing non-addictive painkillers. Third, a prohibition of fentanyl, an illegal opioid imported from China, will be intensified.

Finally, the rule in the Affordable Care Act prohibiting Medicaid from funding drug rehabilitation facilities, will be suspended (The New York Times, “Trump Declared Opioid Crisis a ‘Health Emergency’ but Requests No Funds,” 10.26.2017).

Experts agree that Trump has made a significant first step in dealing with the opioid crisis by classifying it not as a criminal justice problem but rather as a public health emergency. Nevertheless, they are worried that his announcement does not contain a clear blueprint.

Trump did not indicate an increase in funding to address the problem. Without financial aid, professionals say that it is barely possible to make significant changes. He also did not discuss lowering the price of naloxone, a drug that neutralizes the effects of opioid overdoses.

Moreover, many feel it is essential for Trump not only to focus on illegal opioids, but also prescription drug abuse. Some have also criticized the fact that Trump did not nominate central institutions which will supervise all these processes. In an editorial, the Los Angeles Times argued, “[T]here just wasn’t much to his announcement other than vague commitments, troubling insinuations and missed opportunities” (The Los Angeles Times, “Thousands are Dying. The President Needs to Do More than Bluster on the Opioid Crisis,” 10.28.2017).

The opioid crisis has a serious impact locally, as well, as opioid use has increased in upstate New York in recent years. In 2015, Dutchess County had one of the highest rates of drug-related deaths in the state, with 22 deaths per 100,000 people (SUNY Rockefeller Institute of Government, “By the Numbers: The Growing Drug Epidemic in New York,” 04.20.2017). In May, the state government allocated $200 million of its 2018 budget—$19 million of which will go Dutchess County—for opioid addiction treatment and provention (Chappaqua Patch, Opioid Epidemic: Federal, State Funds to Hudson Valley,” 05.04.2017). It remains to be seen whether the federal government will make similar financial contributions.

On Thursday, Oct. 26, President Trump declared the opioid crisis a public health emergency, but he has faced criticism for his lack of a concrete plan of action.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

NEWS

November 2, 2017

Page 5

Updates from the VSA Committee Summaries

in January or other programming for VSA.

Board of Residential Affairs — Chair of Residential Affairs Takunda Maisva ’19 has a meeting with President Bradley to discuss her perceptions about reslife and whether she has a change of plans. She seemed receptive at the Senate meeting to students’ feelings about changing the student fellow positions.

— The ”What to do if... List” is still not finalized for distribution.

— They are trying to get first aid kits into all of the houses.

— Stalls in the Raymond bathrooms are starting to be fixed.

Planning — They have visited several orgs and house study breaks about the Student Discourse Forum. Responses have been positive. They are thinking through the system for moderating the forum.

— The results of Org survey have been reviewed, and they are going to organize a collaboration conference for pre-orgs in the spring and visit orgs that desired having a VSA representative in collaboration with Orgs committee.

— They are starting a free trial of discourse software to see how it runs.

al Roun c i t d li

up

Po

Operations — Operations is trying to get a better idea of the workings of the VSA. A member of Ops will be reaching out to committee chairs to ask about long-term goals, committee vibes and participation status.

— They want to start emailing meeting notes to whole campus, and are working out the logistics.

— Discussions continue for the VSA retreat

Talya Phelps In this week’s headlines...

Updates on the investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election exploded on Oct. 30, beginning when President Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and campaign advisor Rick Gates were indicted and pleaded not guilty on 12 charges of tax evasion, foreign lobbying and laundering millions of dollars through overseas shell companies.

An hour later, Special Counsel Robert S. Muller III announced that the Trump campaign’s former foreign policy advisor George Papadopoulos had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his extensive contacts with Russian intelligence services and was cooperating with investigators. The same day, Democratic lobbyist Tony Podesta quit his firm, the Podesta Group, which was hired to do lobbying work on behalf of Ukraine. Manafort and Gates are now under house arrest; their charges could carry a prison sentence of up to 20 years (The New York Times, “Former Trump Aides Charged as Prosecutors Reveal New Campaign Ties With Russia,” 10.30.17).

On Oct. 26, Trump announced that he would instruct the Department of Health and Human Services to deem the opioid crisis a public health emergency. This action will allocate federal money and ease certain legal restrictions in order to address rising drug abuse in the U.S. Despite the fact that Trump called the crisis a “national emergency” in August, he chose not to declare it as such—even though such a classification would allow for more drastic remedial action (The New York Times, “Trump to Declare Opioid Crisis a ‘Public Health Emergency,’” 10.26.2017).

On Oct. 26, House Republicans approved

Organizations — They distributed the orgs to be audited among members of the Orgs Committee, including the parameters of the audit. The date by which members of the Committee will have reviewed their assigned orgs’ information has been set for Friday, Dec. 1.

— They reviewed results from the Orgs Survey with Planning Committee. The most popular option was the Collaboration Conference.

There was also some interest in having members of the VSA attend orgs’ meetings. They will be working on reaching out to interested orgs and dividing up the work among members from both the Orgs and Planning committee.

— Aside from the Collaboration Conference to be held for all orgs on campus, they will be in contact with the Committee on Equity and Inclusion to work on an identity-orgs-specific collaboration dinner event. Their aim is to promote collaboration between orgs so they can come up with programming that will include intersections of different identities.

Programming — They brainstormed ideas for an all-campus event. They discussed the possibility of having a silent party, where people can wear headphones through which the music will be played. A proposed date for the event is Dec. 2.

— They discussed a Class of 2019 event and different ideas for where it might be held.

Equity and Inclusion — They talked about the reclassification of the Sept. 25 BIRT report, which is now classified as a bias incident.

— The meeting between Chair of Equity and Inclusion Tamar Ballard ’19 and Ed Pittman was

a budget blueprint that would allow a tax bill to pass Congress without any Democratic support (The New York Times, “House Passes Budget Blueprint, Clearing Path for Tax Overhaul,” 10.26.2017).

Senator Jeff Flake (R-AZ) declared on Oct. 24 that he would not seek re-election next year, maintaining that he values his principles over his incumbency and denouncing Trump’s behavior as “reckless, outrageous and undignified” (The New York Times, “Jeff Flake, a Fierce Trump Critic, Will Not Seek Re-election for Senate,” 10.24.2017).

Between Nov. 3 and 14, Trump will visit five Asian countries, including Japan, South Korea and China, all key players in the ongoing tensions between the U.S. and North Korea (The New York Times, “Trump Plans Trip to Asia Amid North Korea Crisis,” 9.29.2017).

On Oct. 24, Vice President Mike Pence broke a 50-50 Senate tie, voting to nix a new rule that would have allowed citizens to join together in class action lawsuits to fight deceptive business practices by financial institutions (The New York Times, “Consumer Bureau Loses Fight to Allow More Class-Action Suits,” 10.24.2017).

Conservative website The Washington Free Beacon admitted to the House Intelligence Committee on Oct. 27 that it had hired the research firm that later produced for Democrats the dossier reporting links between Trump and the Russian government. The Free Beacon recruited the firm, Fusion GPS, in 2015 to investigate damaging information on various Republican candidates, but asked it to cease research in May 2016. Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee started paying Fusion GPS that April for facts that formed the basis for the dossier. Trump interpreted the fact that the Democrats had paid the firm for the research as proof that the dossier was fodder for a political smear campaign (The New York Times, “Conservative Website First Funded Anti-Trump Research by Firm That Later Produced Dossier,” 10.27.2017).

In our backyard...

Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro has urged Dutchess County residents to dispose of unneeded and expired prescription drugs at designated drop-off sites, as part of

brought up, as they discussed the creation of a student core team that will work with the administration in the event of a bias incident.

— Individual contributions to the discussion brought up by members of the committee include: TBD clothes collection survey, French Department and Gender Resources center working together for an event that reexamines the ways the French language is becoming more inclusive towards gender identities that don’t fit the binary, ASA Night Market tabling, the lack of gender neutral bathrooms in academic buildings, H2A meetings and MEChA’s worker appreciation dinner.

Health and Wellness — The Mental Health Fair will be happening on Dec. 7.

— All the Project Period bins are stocked!

— There is a listserv that people can sign up for to get direct updates about what the committee does and goings-on related to health and wellness on campus. Email vsawellness[at]vassar.edu to get committee-specific updates!

Senate Oct. 29 Consensus Agenda: Passed Appointments: — Senior Gift Co-Chair: Alan Gutierrez ’18 — TA Treasurer: Connor Martin ’18 — TA Programming Dir.: Sunny Gaughen ’18 — SoCos Programming Dir.: Alexandria Smalls ’19 Finance allocations: — 1047/1047 to Vassar Bikes (Capital Fund) — 500/3645 to VC Royalty (Annual Budget) — 680/595 to Outing Club Climbing Team (Discretionary)

National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day on Nov. 4. Thanks to funding from the Dutchess County Medication Drop Box Program, which was launched in 2014, there are now 10 permanent disposal locations throughout the county.

Molinaro stated that prescription medication abuse is a significant factor in the country’s addiction crisis and can be a gateway for drugs such as heroin and fentanyl. Since 2010, accidental overdoses have led to the deaths of 413 people in Dutchess County. The county collected and destroyed 2,545 pounds of medication last year and 1,500 pounds so far this year (The Poughkeepsie Journal, “Dutchess asks residents to take part in Prescription Drug Take-Back Day,” 10.27.2017).

As part of Poughkeepsie’s efforts to combat the drug problem, Molinaro will focus on youth development through his “Path to Promise” initiative in the coming fiscal year. The initiative, introduced in February, is expected to be completed by Fall 2018, and a countywide youth summit is set for the end of that year. Molinaro said that the county’s emphasis on youth programming is in response to the recent rise in the number of foster children with parents who are affected by substance abuse.

The initiative will foster partnerships between the Department of Community and Family Services and two area nonprofits, and efforts will be geared towards finding homes for foster children, advocating for children who have left their homes due to substance abuse and other problems and increasing funding for the Boys and Girls Club (The Poughkeepsie Journal, “Youth programs would get boost in Dutchess budget,” 10.27.2017).

On Oct. 26, the three candidates for the new at-large position in the City of Poughkeepsie Common Council presented their cases to become the ninth member of the current eight-person council. The candidates—Mike Young, Ann Finney and Mario Johnson—fielded questions on key issues that will guide the November general election, such as the city’s approximately $13 million deficit and the $1.9 million penalty that Poughkeepsie may face for failing to transfer eight city buses to Dutchess County after the transport consolidation. Johnson is a former council member and Independent who runs the Nubian Directions YouthBuild program and is

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

— 250/250 to Act Out (Annual Budget) — 410/410 to Healing to Action (Annual Budget) — 2900/6402 to Student/Labor Dialogue (Speakers) — 1500/1500 to VISA (Collaboration) — 830/1060 to VUE for Annual Budget (Discretionary) — 1000/1000 to Traditions Committee (Collaboration) — 980/1060 to PHOCUS (Conference) — 570/570 to Equestrian team (Discretionary) — 570/570 to Equestrian team (Discretionary) — 100/200 to Vassar Run (Discretionary) — 174.93/174.93 to GAAP (Capital) — 500/500 to Vassar on Tap (Speakers) Miscellaneous Senate Updates — The VSA Senate passed a letter urging Vassar College to write an amicus curiae brief to the University of California lawsuit regarding the repeal of DACA, as well as encouraging President Bradley to take various other actions to support students affected. This letter will be forthcoming in VSA President Anish Kanoria ’18’s weekly email.

— The VSA held a extensive discussion surrounding the events that happened on campus last week regarding the speaker William Jacobson, whom the VCLU brought to campus. There will be a statement from the VSA forthcoming.

— Next Sunday at 7 p.m. in New England 105, Dean of Students Adriana di Bartolo will be have a forum with VSA Senate. They imagine they will be discussing the Alcohol Task Force, as well as ResLife. Please come if you have questions or comments for her!

— Sarah Jane Muder, General VSA Intern

a self-described “consensus builder.” Young, a Democrat running as a Republican, argued that he has the experience to bring order to a divided council. Finney highlighted her work as an accountant and lawyer, noting that it would aid her in making financial deals (The Poughkeepsie Journal, “Poughkeepsie: At-large council candidates vie for new position,” 10.26.2017).

Keeping up with 2020 hopefuls...

In an Oct. 25 Vanity Fair article, former Vice President Joe Biden confirmed that he is not ruling out the possibility of a 2020 presidential bid, adding that he definitely would have run already had his son Beau Biden not fallen ill and passed away. In an InStyle interview, Biden said, “I’m familiar with the issues, and I think I could bring some talent there. So it’s not that I don’t think I’m equipped to do the job. We’ll just see.” Biden’s book, “Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose,” will be released Nov. 14.

After Trump nixed the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA), Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) announced that she will not support an end-of-year spending bill unless lawmakers are clear on what they will do to protect undocumented immigrants in danger.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo both visited storm-ravaged Puerto Rico last week. On Oct. 27, Sanders met with San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, took a tour and held meetings about how Congress can aid the island. Cuomo tweeted on Oct. 28 expressing New York’s ongoing support for recovery efforts.

On Oct. 28, Sanders visited three Toronto hospitals as part of his single-payer healthcare crusade. The next day, he joined Dr. Danielle Martin of the University of Toronto to speak on the lessons the U.S. can learn from the Canadian healthcare system.

Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer has launched a $10 million advertising campaign calling for Trump’s impeachment, and the media attention has sparked speculation on a potential run by Steyer, whether it be for California governor, a Senate position or president in 2020 (CNN, “#2020Vision: Biden’s wide-open door; Harris takes a DACA stand; Warren opens up to Hill reporters,” 10.27.17).

FEATURES

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November 2, 2017

Vassar Debate Society connects passionate thinkers DEBATE continued from page 1

like the British Parliamentary and American Parliamentary styles most common for VC Debate, but the basics are the same. Debaters are assigned to proposition or opposition sides of a motion. The motions can either be prepared beforehand or impromptu as well. Prepared motions allow teams to research in advance of a competition, whereas impromptu motions are prepared with limited time and resources.

Each side has multiple debaters and is designated as either constructive or rebuttal speakers. Constructive speakers build up their side’s arguments, while the final rebuttal speakers focus solely on arguing why their side should win the overall debate using only the arguments previously presented. The judges score the teams based on content, style and strategy, and they have the final say in deciding the winning team.

Debate, as is apparent, involves many practical skills. Much like former Co-President Ria Altman ’19 explained in an emailed statement, “You learn the art of persuasion. Very good debaters are actually really good at making very simple arguments sound complex, and nuanced.”

Former VC Debate member Josh Kim ’20 elaborated on the intricacies of debate, adding, “You have this fragmented knowledge in your head, but once you debate you’ve got to organize that into a solid argument. You’ve got to connect the dots. It really helps you get organized with your thoughts, your knowledge [and] your argumentative skills.”

The pursuit of knowledge is another appealing aspect of debate. For Debate Society member Madeleine Cavanaugh ’18, debate is a means of learning more about politics and feminism, her main areas of academic and personal interest.

As Altman pointed out in an emailed statement, pursuing knowledge is also about open-mindedness: “A good debater tries to keep up with current events in the world while ac-

tively trying to understand both (or all) of the sides surrounding the issue.”

Naturally, the academic fields that one is inclined toward make for a more pleasurable debate. Kim and Cavanaugh both agreed that such topics are more comfortable for them, and for Cavanaugh this allows her to be confident taking risks and experimenting with new ideas.

Generally speaking, Altman thinks that fun debates are those covering topics that people are invested in and have convincing arguments on both sides, which boosts the competitive drive to beat opponents.

When asked about the best kind of opponent to debate against, Cavanaugh responded by saying, “Even when I lose, I come out feeling as though I’ve learned something and improved.”

Kim agreed, adding, “It’s actually fun to find rebuttals to good arguments. The better the opponent team is, the more fun it is.” Skilled debate does not have to be a zero-sum game or a winner-takes-all; both sides can benefit.

Surprisingly, Altman finds witty and sarcastic debaters most fun. In her words, “Debaters that can make you laugh while also sounding intelligent are the best. It’s easier to stay engaged and gives you something to want to be.” The audiences of satire and political comedy shows certainly agree with her.

But of course, debate has its own conflicts too. The qualities that make the best opponents also make the worst opponents. Kim was more than ready to explain: “The least fun opponents are the ones who are excessively aggressive because all they want to do is just to win ...

[They] don’t have basic manners and are just barraging points of information, for example, or they themselves know what they are saying is b******* but they just have to say b*******.”

In other words, they do not share the mindset that both sides can benefit without being the winner.

Cavanaugh and Altman consider the worst debates to be those where one or both sides miss the main argument of debate. In Cavana-

ugh’s view, as she explained, “[The worst debates are ones where] both sides are talking past each other. Engaging with opposing ideas is such a foundational aspect of debate, so when it feels as though that’s not happening, it can be frustrating.”

In a similar vein, Altman thinks, “The least fun [debaters] are know-it-alls that insensitively state arguments as facts without realizing that they are arguments...meaning you can argue them ... It makes things very frustrating because you’re essentially asked to quietly listen to their nonsense for seven minutes.”

Just like the qualities of the best and worst debaters, where topics of interest inspire interesting arguments, topics like economics for Altman and Cavanaugh make skillful or inventive debate difficult. In Kim’s eyes, any topic that has not been adequately prepared for can be very unenjoyable.

However, according to Altman, “Preparation into debate is not as intense as I imagine people think it is. It just includes having the Guardian app on your phone and being willing to talk to people [about] tough situations.”

On the other hand, others might argue that the time commitment necessary to prepare for debates can be a big downside. Kim singled out time commitment and preparation time as his main motives for not joining VC Debate this year.

Some may look at the coaches, practices, tournaments and the overall competitive nature of debate and draw parallels to sports. However, the interviewees argued across the board that the closest equivalent would actually be theater.

Cavanaugh elaborated, stating, “I think debate is more similar to theatre in that it’s highly performative. A good debate speech isn’t just about strong argumentation, it’s also about presenting your ideas in a way that engages your audience.”

Altman and Kim echoed similar sentiments, particularly in terms of swaying the judge. Altman wrote, “You need to be able to put on a

good show, because even if you entirely disagree with the viewpoint you’ve been randomly assigned to defend, judges look for confidence and sureness in your speeches,” while Kim expressed, “You gotta have some feelings...some emotions...exuding out from you into your argument.” It can be concluded that, just like in real-life politics, winning competitive debate is as much a battle of ideas as it is a battle of appearances.

The main reason Cavanaugh has kept debating with VC Debate is because, as she stated, “[Its community] is filled with people who care about the world and who invest time and intellectual labour engaging with it.” Altman thinks so too: “The people that I have met in the larger debate community are ‘usually’ very well-rounded and thoughtful people who want to actively participate in discourse.”

For prospective debaters or for those whose interests are piqued, Altman wants to clear up some of the misconceptions that she sees applied to debate. “I think that people underestimate the bond that we debaters have with each other.

For example, tournaments are real bonding experiences. We get a huge Airbnb and spend all night talking and getting to know each other... It really is an activity for everyone. I don’t have the ‘sophisticated’ language of some of the debaters that I go against, but I have managed to win rounds and proceed into out-rounds just the same.”

She understands the complicated nature of debating and judging but believes it is worth it, continuing, “The format of debate that Vassar participates in really does care more about the content of speeches than how intelligent-sounding the speaker is.”

Altman concluded, “I honestly think that people have a misconception about the skills that one should have before going to tournaments. That being said, judging can be brutal, but it’s manageable for the average person for sure.”

Take a break from activism with these vegan cookies Imogen Wade

Guest Colunmist

L

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

ast week was difficult. The country was awash with discussions about sexual assault after the Harvey Weinstein scandal, the problematic “I Love You, Daddy” trailer (Google it) was released at a particularly unsuitable time and Vassar faced issues much closer to home last Wednesday.

The state of tension, anger and fear that dominated the campus last week reflected the sentiments of many Americans. Will anybody call CK out on his film? Will Trump help Puerto Rico and has the media already forgotten about the disaster? Will Weinstein be brought to justice? Will institutional sexism in Hollywood be at all undermined by the #MeToo campaign and countless testimonies?

Dear reader, I cannot answer these questions. I can offer you no solutions and little reassurance. I am, however, working hard to retain an optimistic streak in these trying times.

Turning your mind to life’s simple pleasures is not only a distraction but a source of legitimate joy. Rome was not built in a day and neither was a society founded on the principles of equality, compassion and diversity.

So during our breaks from building a fairer world, LET US SNACK. Let us snack on cookies. No, scrap that, let us snack on VEGAN cookies. If you would like an explanation as to why these cookies should be vegan, please attract the nearest vegan to where you are sitting by holding up a lettuce leaf and shouting aggressive PETA slogans (one suggestion includes, “Not your Mom, not your milk!”). I am sure that the vegan, once they have come running, will be more than happy to answer your questions.

Now, moving swiftly on. Time is of the (vanilla) essence, after all. With hands weary from holding protest signs, set your oven to 350°F. Line up your ingredients on the kitchen counter and make sure to have your mixing bowl at the ready.

These will be the easiest cookies you will ever make and the final products, once baked and cooled, will provide you with a deep-seated

satisfaction in your own abilities to make and eat (and perhaps share) delicious sweets. Add the ingredients gradually to the bowl, stirring all the while.

Before you add the coconut oil, don’t forget to melt it. Spoon some out into a microwaveable bowl and give it a whirl for 30 seconds or so in the microwave before measuring it out more precisely.

Once you have the correct amount of melted oil, add it to the mixing bowl along with the granulated sugar and the brown sugar. After mixing these together, gradually stir in the almond milk and vanilla essence; then, once mixed, add the flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir with the vigour of a social justice warrior. Stir like the Vassarian you are.

When the contents of the bowl resembles a dough, throw in the chocolate chips and blend them in until well-distributed throughout the mixture. Place your two ungreased cookie sheets to the side of the mixing bowl and drop equal-sized balls of dough into lines on the sheets. Flatten the balls slightly with your hand and remember to leave a space of two inches around each one so they don’t merge together in the oven.

It won’t be long now before those delicious cookies enter your gob, which is no doubt in need of a rest after challenging so many problematic opinions.

Bake the cookies for 11 to 14 minutes in the oven, and when the edges are slightly brown, take the cookie sheets out and leave them to cool for one minute before moving the cookies onto a rack for them to cool completely.

You don’t want the cookies to burn on the bottom, so you may find it better to take the cookies out before they are completely firm on top (they should still be a bit squidgy). Once cooled, transfer the cookies to a container in the fridge, where you can store them for convenient access to culinary pleasure.

Please feel free to eat all 60 straight away, or perhaps have a small gathering of friends and spread the love. Focus on the good things in life and you will have renewed strength to handle the bad.

Ingredients 2/3 cup refined coconut oil, melted 2/3 cup vegan granulated sugar 2/3 cup packed vegan brown sugar 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 bag (10 oz) vegan semisweet chocolate chips (1 1/2 cups)

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

FEATURES

November 2, 2017

Page 7

Advice from a first-year: Say yes to college experiences Benjamin Kheyfets Guest Columnist

E

Courtesy of Benjamin Kheyfets

Benjamin Kheyfets ’21 believes that students should try new things and they will pay off. know if I really wanted. I was so worried about pre-reqs during course registration that I forgot to look at new courses that just seemed interesting. That’s why I’m no less than grateful that I got only one STEM class, chemistry, to let me explore myself a bit more before I formally declare anything.

I’ve even begun compiling a list of courses that intrigue me for next semester. The list started out with around 20 courses, and I’ve gotten it down to around six by now. How can

the sport, but it’s definitely worth it. And this is coming from someone who hadn’t done any sports in high school at all. I can’t thank my past self enough for deciding to come to the first rowing meet—it was a great experience. It’s these moments that teach the real meaning of the phrase “Say yes more.”

And here I am now, writing for a publication that I’ve just become a part of. So many new experiences have already made their way into my life in only two-thirds of the semester, and college is four years long—imagine all the different chances you or I will get to try new things or find something we love. It definitely sounds clichéd, and I used to think that it was just what people said to make people hopeful, but now I’ve experienced it, and I can say that that cliché expression is as true as ever, and everyone should take it seriously.

If you take away anything from this piece, let it be these two things: explore and say yes. Let these guide you through college, and yes, you’ll get some regrets, but can almost guarantee that you won’t regret that you did.

Courtesy of Max Pixel

ven though people rarely can predict what’s going to happen when they matriculate to college, a lot of students claim that they have their future already planned out. “I’m going straight to medical school after undergrad” or “I plan on majoring in Economics and then getting an MBA.” As a first-year here on campus who thought similar things before coming to Vassar, let me tell you that these students are letting themselves miss out on many different opportunities. After all, it’s only their first year, and they already think they can plan out their entire future—that seems kind of unreasonable. I should know—I’ve been in their shoes.

I hail from Brooklyn, and I went to the largest high school in the country, Brooklyn Technical High School, with over 5,600 students. We had majors– yes, actual majors–just like Vassar has; although, once we were placed, there’s no switching out.

I thought that I had wanted to do pre-med for a while, so I chose the biology major, and in truth, it didn’t help me figure out if I really wanted to do medicine as a career, but it’s what I always thought I would do. So I came into Vassar with four years of thinking “I should probably do medicine” without actually knowing if I like chemistry.

Coming to Vassar, now I regularly tell people that I’m clueless about what I’m even going to major in, much less in what I want to pursue as a career. Along with that revelation, the first time I called my mom from my dorm, she replied with “что с тобой случилось?”, meaning “What happened to you?” in Russian. I told her how I’ve now thought about majoring in biology, political science or in the STS program, and maybe even pursuing a Masters of Public Health.

But this confusion is nothing bad—on the contrary, I think it’s great. I don’t feel pressured so much to achieve something that I didn’t

anyone miss out on the excitement of going to a class that’s genuinely interesting or speaks to your curiosity just because they’re worried about pre-reqs? To all first-years: Don’t worry about pre-reqs! Explore! You can take anything you want right now, and you should take full advantage of that opportunity.

And for those who absolutely insist on staying to almost all STEM courses or humanities courses and don’t want to explore so much, I understand. When you’ve loved a subject or a field for so long and have enjoyed learning about it everyday you had it in high school, it makes sense that you’d want to stay with that subject in college. But even so, remember that even within STEM alone there are so many diverse options.

I loved biology in middle and high school, but my science side hasn’t had a chance to try new things for many years.

Now it’s different. I can take courses on astronomy, cognitive science, earth science and pretty much anything else. And don’t think that there’s any lack of variety in the social sciences and humanities—there are definitely a divergent array of topics! More than the STEM fields have, I’d say.

So even with a burning desire to stay true to one field, remember there are always courses that are at least similar to what you love that still allow you to try out something new. After all, who said a future economics major can’t take a psychology or physics class, or that a future physics major can’t take a chemistry or studio art class?

While my academic explorations really came out of a desire to explore, there was another part of me that really wanted to do something on campus—something new that I would enjoy, and I thought that the club fair was probably going to be the start of where I’d find that something, and it was.

Now, my regular schedule is to wake up at 5 a.m. every day, earlier than I did in high school.

That’s what happens when you join the rowing team. It’s not one of the greatest aspects of

Kheyfets joined the rowing team as part of his “say yes” initiative and loves his experience.

Quiz: Which Vassar stereotype best describes you?

(3) What is your must-have accessory for a night out?

(1) What’s the first thing people notice about you?

A. The fact that you’re walking back to your Deece table with seven chicken breasts while sipping on a protein shake.

B. Your firm handshake and impeccable etiquette. You’re not about to pass up a chance to gain a LinkedIn connection. (Hopefully, the giant dark circles under your eyes will pass unnoticed.)

C. Your pronounced accent, which appears to be an amalgam of various European inflections despite the fact that you’re from New Jersey.

D. Your complex scent of cigs mixed with frangipani incense.

E. Your dazzling smile—orthodonture and veneers may have been pricey, but self-confidence is priceless.

(4) It’s the first day of the semester, and you’re running out the door, ready to make a good impression. You just need a pair of shoes to top off your outfit. Which ones do you grab?

(2) Which extracurricular activity do you devote your free time to?

A. Something that keeps the blood pumping—maybe Ultimate Frisbee or an esoteric sport like fencing.

B. Activity, singular? Your resume is longer than the next Great American Novel and you go through your days in a sleep-deprived haze such that everything blurs together and it’s hard to tell anymore whether you’re leading a club meeting, at swim practice, or parked at a computer working on one of the four campus publications you edit. And what’s the deal with this concept of “free time?” You don’t expect that you’ll be finding out anytime soon.

C. Well, actually, since you got back from Italy and had to end your internship as a personal assistant to the greatest mozzarella maker of the 21st century, extracurriculars back at Vassar have seemed a tad dull. When you’re not in class, you mostly scroll through photos of Venice on Pinterest and count the coins in your “saving up for air fare” jar.

D. You don’t really like to participate in other people’s clubs—starting your own is far more original. So far, you’ve initiated a non-hierarchical zine-making community, a social society for students with hair dyed more than two colors, and an alternative outing club where the members channel a different animal every meeting and go on excursions to practice hibernation or gather nuts for the winter.

E. Keeping up your appearance is a full-time job. Who has room in their schedule for student orgs when you still haven’t nailed down the perfect skincare routine?

Mostly As: Your Vassar look is “Wannabe Adidas Spokesperson”! Adorned with those iconic three stripes from head to toe, you portray an athleisure vibe without having to get all sweaty in the gym. Your aesthetic is focused around comfort, but with an upscale twist, like a celebrity who spent hours preparing a tastefully disheveled look so the paparazzi shots of them toting their Starbucks through the airport would strike just the right chord. If you wear makeup, it’s probably just enough so that you look like you’re not wearing makeup, but you still know you are, in fact, wearing makeup, and if you dye your hair, it’s to a color approximately half a shade lighter or darker than your natural one.

A. Your water bottle—hydration is key, of course.

B. A pillow so you can take a quick (or not-so-quick) power nap in a TH bathroom.

C. Your arsenal of stories about your wild nights out in Barcelona to share with your fellow partiers.

D. Your huge round glasses, but friends trying them on is strictly verboten, lest they realize that you don’t actually have a prescription.

E. A full set of lighting equipment and a DSLR to capture that perfect candid.

Mostly Bs: Your Vassar look is “Regret”!

You were Class President or Yearbook Editor in high school and thought you could get away with tripling your commitment in college. Now you’re trapped in a hellscape of deadlines and are living off of stolen Deece cookies, and your personal style has unfortunately dropped to nonexistent levels.

Sleep deprivation has a powerful effect on a person, but at least 5-Hour Energy does too.

A. Can’t go wrong with your trusty white shelltoes. Those black stripes add the perfect pop to your look.

B. Birkenstocks with fuzzy socks. Who gives a damn that it’s January?

C. Suede Oxfords will do nicely on this bloody cold morning!

D. Metallic jelly sandals with mismatched socks (one featuring classic works of art by Manet and one with works by Monet).

E. You couldn’t possibly choose without taking all factors into account, let alone at the very last minute. In fact, you would have checked the weather last night, figured out whether your shoes would run the risk of getting muddy or snowy, tried on your outfit and looked at it in five different lights and from seven selfie angles, and cycled through until you found the perfect complement. You’re no peasant, after all.

(5) Finally, if you had to describe your style in one word, what would it be?

A. Casual

Mostly Cs: Your Vassar look is “Won’t Shut Up About Your Semester Abroad”!

For four glorious months, you graced all of our Facebook feeds with endless streams of gorgeous locales, historical architecture, insane 5-in-the-morning clubbing videos, and links to your myriad study abroad blogs. You probably went somewhere ohso-posh and European, and not-so-accidentally assimilated the idiosyncrasies of your new culture. Vassar is now utterly boring to a person as cultured as you are, and you have trouble answering a question in class or beginning an anecdote without saying “Well, when I was in Copenhagen…”

B. Comfortable

C. Chic

D. Creative

E. Cool

Created by Talya Phelps

Mostly Ds: Your Vassar look is “Fjällräven Fanatic”! You’d rather be caught dead than admit it, but you’re as much of a trend-follower as the rest of us. You worship at the throne of Wes Anderson, live for sales at Urban Outfitters, have at least 5% of your head shaved and will judge potential romantic partners based on their favorite flavor of La Croix. You are part of a confusing breed of meta-neo-hipsters, who have adopted certain hipster aesthetics ironically, but in doing so have actually ensconced yourselves in another layer of hipster-ness. Your very existence is a paradox. The most serious devotees of this look will own a regular Fjällräven in addition to a laptop sleeve one and a baby-sized one.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Mostly Es: Your Vassar look is “Instagram Model-in-Training”! Sometimes, it seems to your friends like you’re speaking a different language when you prattle on about your “ratio” (both your likes-to-followers ratio and your followers-to-followed ratio) and the subtle differences between the Juno and Ludwig filters. You suspect they might find you horrible to hang out with because you can’t enjoy anything unless it’s documented on camera, but who needs real relationships when you have Internet validation?

FEATURES

Page 8

November 2, 2017

Org of the Week: Iced Brew doesn’t skate over fun Laila Volpe

Depman underlined that Iced Brew is not only for professional skaters. In fact, many peoith the stress of classes and exams, many ple ice skate for the first time with this organistudents want a chance to get off cam- zation. Depman loves watching the progress of pus. Iced Brew provides such an opportunity, beginners who start off nervous, holding onto organizing ice skating trips every Thursday. the wall, but who gradually become more comWhile an organization devoted only to ice fortable. She wanted to highlight that anybody skating may sound daunting to amateur skat- who likes to skate can get involved with the ers, the group is inclusive of all skill levels. group like she did.

For example, participant Paul Cannata ’18 “I feel like all my happiest memories are has only skated a few times, but still enjoys the when I’m skating, because I went so often and experience, stating, “It’s a good way to learn if something so out of the ordinary of what typyou don’t know [how] yet.” ically goes on here.” She continued, “Usually I The organization strives for accessibility, al- don’t leave campus and I don’t get outside my lowing as many students as possible to enjoy routine, and this is a nice way to shake it up.” ice skating regardless of experience or budget.

Co-president Wenjie Xie ’19 agreed, adding The group rents out the local ice skating rink in an emailed statement, “At Vassar, it’s often at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center from 11 p.m. really easy to feel stuck in the Vassar bubble, to midnight. Participants only have to pay the especially for those of us who don’t have any price of renting skates. mode of transportation off campus.”

Vice President of transportation Abigail There is a range of skills, with some skaters Ren ’20 reserves the vans and organizes trans- performing jumps and turns while others hang portation to and from the rink. Because there by the walls or skate with the walkers designed are only three vans, the organization can only to help beginners. Whether someone consistake a certain number of people each week, but tently falls or can execute spins, everyone can Vassar students come to relax and skate at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center every Thursday. they want to get as many people as possible in- enjoy themselves and there is no judgment to- Students don’t have to be professionals, or even have any prior experience, to have fun.

Underwards The Weather Ben Costa volved. those who are just starting out.

Ren got involved by skating every week, Skater Weipeng Xie ’21 has been skating for schedule.” had been waiting for longer, but now the group eventually helping to drive the vans before ap- 11 years, starting when he was seven in China.

Iced Brew meets every Thursday at 10:30 has organized a set of lines that will help them ACROSS 2. Where Roosevelt, Churchill, A flower's stalk plying to join the Executive Board. She stated He joined after the activities fair and enjoys p.m. outside of Main. Because demand is usu- 33. improve the boarding process and help them in an email, “I think it would be nice for more that he can meet new people. Some ask him for ally so high and they have limited spots in the estimate how many people will be able to skate 1. Exercise areas and Stalin met 34. Arcane energy people to know about the option for a fun, tips, and he loves helping. “You can teach them three vans, it is advisable to arrive around 10:15 that night. It also allows students waiting in off-campus skating event on Thursday nights.” and overall just (abbr.) have fun with the group,” he p.m. or sofashion to guarantee a seat. However, any- 35. line to judge allies, the chances that they will get on 5. Without delay 3. Italian center Nazi in WW2 Publicity Chair Annelise Depman ’19 got in- stated. one who can transport themselves is welcome a van, as opposed to previous semesters when 9. A burglar's crime 4. Informal language 36.

A storm's flash volved in her first year when she heard about Some more experienced skaters will give to meet at the rink. people would only find out in the moment. the group at the activities fair. She began 14. skat- Rigid pointers or encouragement, culminating in an There is also no Iced Brew or is making some great improverain 5. Nursemaid or pressure nannyto show up every 37.

Luck chance (abbr.) ing every week, and eventually joined the ex- inclusive, stress-free and low-commitment en- week. Wenjie elaborated, “Because it’s so flex- ments while keeping the inclusive and fun en15. Loose, ankle length dress 6. H. Munro's pentoname A real ecutive board as well. vironment. ible,H. everyone is welcome come have a good 41. vironment thatpea-souper students have come to love. All She explained, “I’m not even good at ice As Wenjie Xie stated, “Our org is non-comtime, while also making sure no one feels presparticipants are the only prerequisite 16. Iliad author 7. A foundational rule 44. Missivewelcome; or dispatch skating but I like [it] a lot.” She has improved a mitment-based, meaning that someone can sured to commit a block of time every single is a desire to skate. As stated by Wenjie Xie, stewpot 8. External ear 46. grass lot since her first time skating, describing17. how Ceramic come skating once a semester or come every week.”

“The Sprout mission ofof this org is to provide fun opshe felt uncomfortable on the ice at the beginweek; it’s very much up to their personal prefIn the past, some students would arrive portunities for students to get off campus with 18. Like, similar to 9. A storm's rumble 50. Kingdom or nation ning but now can do turns. erence depending on how it works with their right before the vans and cut the people that their friends.”

Features Editor

W

Laila Volpe/The Miscellany News

19. A dog's scent marker 10. Fortune based on birthday 20. A red velvet rope 11. An aristocrat, in Arabic 22. Pantheon of Loki and Thor 12. Swamps or mires 23. A dance it takes two to do 13. Maple, beech, or truffula “Under the Weather” 24. Domestic servants 21. Lower temperature

by Benjamin Costa A storm’s flash ACROSS 48. Wildebeest 26. Indigenous Brazilian home 25. 36.

Imprison or incarcerate 37. Luck or chance (abbr.)

1. Exercise areas 49. Romanov rulers 29. Honey ingredient 27. Loud summer insect 41. A real pea-souper 5. Without delay (abbr.)

52. Greek cheeses 33. Fairly little 28. 44.

Volcanic precipitation Missive or dispatch 9. A burglar’s crime 57. K mesons 38. A60.travelling group ofthreesome, epic ____30. 46.

Rotate Sprout of or grasstransform 14. Rigid rain Gruesome twosome, terrible Kingdom or nation 15. Loose, ankle length dress 63. World’s second most-populous country entertainers 31. 50.

Mimicked crudely 51. Holy mountain in Egypt 16. Iliad author 64. Small Indonesian buffalo 39. A yellow car 32. House members (abbr.)

53. A writing assignment 17. Ceramic stewpot 65. Frozen flakes 40. Scrape skin 18. Like, similar to 66. A wasp’sthe weapon 1 2 3 4 5 6 19. A dog’s scent marker 67. A grassy space 42. Get ready (abbr.)

20. A red velvet rope Malarial fever 43. A68.mystery, and a code 14 15 22. Pantheon of Loki and Thor 69. Burn slightly 45.

Predicts, augurs, or foretells 23. A dance it takes two to do 70. Pay attention to 17 18 47. Homogeneous 24. Domestic servants 71. 1% of a football field potato style 26. Indigenous Brazilian home DOWN 48. Wildebeest 20 21 29. Honey ingredient 1. A spectral remnant 49. Romanov rulers 33. Fairly little 2. Where Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin met 23 52. Greek cheeses 38. A travelling group of entertainers 3. Italian fashion center 57. K4. mesons 39. A yellow car Informal language 26 27 28 40. Scrape the skin 5. Nursemaid or nanny 60. Gruesome twosome, terrible 42. Get ready (abbr.)

6. H. H. Munro’s pen name threesome, epic ____ 33 34 35 36 43. A mystery, and a code 7. A foundational rule 63. World's second 45. Predicts, augurs, or foretells 8. External ear 39 40 47. Homogeneous potato style 9. A storm’s rumble most-populous country 10. Fortune based on birthday Answers to last week’s puzzle64. Small Indonesian buffalo 43 44 Spooky Scary Skeletons 11. An aristocrat, in Arabic 65.

Frozen flakes U L N A R E T C H T H I N 12. Swamps or mires 47 G A I N E X I L E H O N E 66. A13.wasp's weapon Maple, beech, or truffula H U G E S T E A M B O A T S Lower temperature A21.grassy space T D E W B E R R Y A R G O 67.

49 50 25. Imprison or incarcerate S P I N E E T A P A R 68. Malarial fever 27. Loud summer insect E E R O N I C E I S N T 57 58 59 60 69. Burn slightly G U A R R A D I O E S 28. Volcanic precipitation O M N I B U S F E D O R A S 30. Rotate or transform 70. Pay attention to 63 64 B O B C A T S P E N N 31. Mimicked crudely 71. 1% of a football field L E I S F A T P H O T O

51. Holy mountain in Egypt 53. A writing assignment 54. Polynesian nation 55. Love, to the French 56. Stitched together 54. Polynesian nation 57.

Smooch 55. Love, to the French 58. Affix for 'against' 56. Stitched together 59.

The Allfather, to 22 across 57. Smooch 61.

An for elegant 58. Affix ‘against’ dress 59. A Theround Allfather, to 62. of22aacross playing card 61. An elegant dress game

The Miscellany Crossword

E V A D E

S P A

M E R R Y

A L K A L O

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I

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N E O N

R U E S

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U N T O

S E T S

A D D L E

2017

A L S

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33. A flower’s stalk

DOWN 34. Arcane energy 35. Nazi allies, remnant in WW2 1. A spectral W

U N G E N E R O U S I

32. House members (abbr.)

62. A round of a playing card game

7

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16 19 22 24

25 29

37

38 41

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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November 2, 2017

OPINIONS

Page 9

The Miscellany News Staff Editorial

Proposed changes to ResLife require student input

I

n a forum with the VSA on Oct. 22, President Bradley discussed ideas for potential changes to the Residential Life system that were met with great resistance from students.

Bradley’s primary motivation for this proposal was to encourage dorm communities to take better care of themselves. Two aspects of her proposal were converting the student fellow position to a paid job and expanding House Team roles to include more juniors and seniors. These plans did not originate with Bradley, as she mentioned having discussed these changes with former Director of Residential Life Luis Inoa before his departure from Vassar (The Miscellany News, “VSA Senate Forum with President Bradley,” 10.27.2017).

The student fellow system is a point of pride for many Vassar students and Residential Life staff members, and although there are certainly issues with the structure of the program, we feel it has been largely successful in providing first-year students with support and second-year students with an opportunity to mentor their peers. While these changes to the Residential Life system are still under discussion, we at The Miscellany News feel compelled to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the current system and how it can be changed while still preserving the aspects that enhance and foster positive student experiences.

One of President Bradley’s suggestion that sparked the most student opposition was making the student fellow position available to juniors and seniors instead of sophomores. Just one day after the forum, a petition was created by students urging Bradley to keep the position open primarily to sophomores. At the time of publication there were over 700 signatures (Hallie Carton, “Save Sophomore Student Fellows,” Change.org), which speaks to how much students value the perspective that sophomores offer in this mentoring position.

As student fellows, sophomores will have

recently completed their first year at Vassar, so they can easily recall and relate to the homesickness, loneliness and other issues that first-year students often encounter. Because they are usually close in age to first-years, they might seem like a more accessible resource than an older student would. While junior and senior students could bring more leadership and life experience into the student fellow role, they might not seem as approachable when fellowees need to reach out for support. Another reason why sophomore student fellows are seen as valuable is that they and their fellowees will continue on at Vassar for three more years together. Upperclassmen student fellows may have more experience at Vassar from which to draw, but, should they become student fellows, they will unfortunately graduate one or two years after getting to know their fellowees, severing this bond. By contrast, since sophomores hold these positions, first-years can establish strong and continuous relationships with their student fellows that span at least three years at Vassar.

Additionally, most juniors and seniors may not want or be able to fully commit to the responsibilities of a student fellow. Many juniors go abroad for one semester, and a majority of seniors are busy working on a thesis or applying for jobs post-graduation.

These hurdles preventing upperclassmen from committing to House Team are illustrated by the apparent lack of interest among juniors and seniors in holding House Team positions.

In recent years, not all of the House Student Advisor positions—which are held by juniors and seniors—were filled because there were not enough applicants. By contrast, the student fellow position is highly sought after; ResLife frequently receives far more student fellow applications than there are open positions.

While we support maintaining the current system of sophomore student fellows for the aforementioned reasons, we believe that student fellows’ pay ought to reflect the import-

ant and intense service they perform for the campus community. That said, we would hope that a monetary incentive would not be the sole reason a rising sophomore would consider becoming a student fellow. Student fellows spend vast amounts of time and emotional energy serving as a resource for their fellowees, valuable work for which they should be compensated. The House Student Advisor, a Residential Life position filled by students, is already a paid work-study position, so it follows that the student fellow position could be a paid job as well.

Student fellows’ campus jobs infringe on the time they have to devote to their fellowees; if they were paid, they would not need to take on another time commitment.

Many student fellows, moreover, have commented on the lack of support they themselves receive in their roles as care providers. While at times highly rewarding, being a student fellow does require emotional energy and work. Student fellows would benefit from having a stronger, official support system, such as dedicated listeners or advisors, whether faculty members or peers.

Current and former student fellows have also expressed how much pressure they have felt to make themselves available at all hours. Setting the expectation that they are can be relied upon to address any and all issues is an added burden for some student fellows. As both students at Vassar and members of House Team, which is a larger commitment than just time spent with fellowees, student fellows carry a lot of responsibility in fostering the well-being of their fellowees. It can be difficult to manage these responsibilities and a leadership position without much support, regardless of how much the student fellow knows and cares about their first-years.

It bears mentioning that first-years, not just student fellows, are affected by the current setup of the House Team system. Orientation is a hectic and exhausting week for first-years and House Team members alike. Because of the

busy schedule, there is limited time for firstyears to spend orienting themselves physically and socially on campus. While student fellows are prepared and excited for this time of the year, first-years are often overwhelmed by the rigor of the schedule. Fellow groups are led by their eager student fellows throughout most of the first week’s activities, including meals, and there is no liberty for first-years to choose how they spend their time and energy.

Amidst all the meetings and scheduled events, it is often difficult for students to meet people outside their own fellow groups. Bonding within the group is prioritized and can be valuable for some students, but it cannot be ignored that other students feel isolated as a result of the fellow group structure, including the lack of diversity. The first week of college is a formative time for first-years, and they should have more agency and ability to form the friendships they choose, rather than those that may seem forced upon them. While we recognize and commend the extensive planning that goes into orientation and the many valuable programs offered, we feel that these must be balanced with time for individual exploration.

Every student on campus has had a student fellow, and some have also taken on roles as student fellows and other House Team officers themselves. Because decisions regarding a change to the ResLife structure heavily affect students’ experiences, students’ viewpoints and ideas should be prioritized when proposing changes to the system. At the VSA Senate forum on Oct. 22, many students expressed that their opinions and voices had not been sought out. As the College considers ideas for altering the Residential Life system, we urge the administration to thoroughly consult students with varying experiences at Vassar and with ResLife before making any decisions.

—The Staff Editorial expresses the opinion of at least 2/3 of The Miscellany News Editorial Board.

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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OPINIONS

Page 10

November 2, 2017

Spacey’s response to allegations damaging, shameful Sarah Dolan

Contributing Editor

[Content warning: This column contains discussion of sexual assault.]

On Oct. 29, Buzzfeed published an interview with actor Anthony Rapp—best known for originating the role of Mark Cohen in “Rent”—in which Rapp said that fellow actor Kevin Spacey had made sexual advances toward him at a party when Rapp was 14 and Spacey was 26.

This was the first time that he publicly came forward with these allegations. In his detailed account of the experience, Rapp stated that he was inspired by the multitudes of women speaking out about their experiences with sexual misconduct in Hollywood and elsewhere, and that after hearing so many stories emerge in the past couple of weeks he felt compelled to share his own story (Buzzfeed, “Actor Anthony Rapp: Kevin Spacey Made A Sexual Advance Toward Me When I Was 14,” 10.29.2017).

I applaud the bravery of Rapp and all the survivors of sexual assault who have made the brave decision to come forward and share their experiences in light of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement and hope that media coverage of sexual misconduct allegations continues to focus on the experiences of survivors.

The night the article went up on Buzzfeed, Spacey published a short statement on his Twitter account. He began by saying that he was “beyond horrified” to hear Rapp’s story, adding that he was deeply sorry despite not remembering the event. He did not outright admit to sexually assaulting a minor, to be clear; he instead wrote that he owed Rapp an apology “if I did behave then as he describes” (The New York Times, “Kevin Spacey Issues Apology to Actor After Sexual Accusation,” 10.30.2017).

It is telling and sad that my first reaction was, admittedly, a sense of surprise that he at least seemed to express remorse about his actions; this is the absolute bare minimum that we as a society should expect from people who are accused of

sexual assault or other sexual misconduct. Spacey did not even take responsibility for his actions, though. Rather, he carefully chose his words to avoid any clear admission of guilt.

Spacey’s statement was lacking at best and actively harmful at worst. In the beginning of his statement, he emphasized that he himself did not recall the event taking place, as it allegedly occurred over 30 years ago. He also called the incident “deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.”

He may very well have been drunk at the time.

Intoxication is not an excuse for assaulting someone, however. These details in no way justify the incident, and in fact they make him look worse in the face of these sexual assault allegations. Rather than attempting to hide or explain away the serious consequences of his alleged actions, Spacey should have simply apologized and expressed genuine sorrow for the continued pain that he has caused and continues to cause Anthony Rapp.

“Spacey’s statement was lacking at best and actively harmful at worst.”

Yet, his remark that he did not remember this event wasn’t even nearly as problematic as the second half of his Twitter statement. In the second paragraph, he changed directions, explaining to his audience that “this story has encouraged me to address other things about my life...I choose now to live as a gay man” (The New York Times).

Since publishing his apology, he has received considerable backlash, particularly from the LGBTQ+ community, for using Rapp’s accusation as an all-too-convenient opportunity to come out (The Washington Post, “‘Kevin Spacey has set gay rights back’: Actor blasted for response to sexual misconduct claim,” 10.30.2017).

These critiques of Spacey are indeed justified,

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for this statement does a great disservice both to survivors of sexual violence and to the LGBTQ+ community. While coming out is certainly brave and deserving of nothing but respect, Spacey’s timing makes it glaringly clear that it was clearly a calculated attempt to distract people from Rapp’s allegations.

Spacey is famously unforthcoming about his personal life, and for many years he refused to respond to frequent rumors and speculation about his unclear sexual orientation (Los Angeles Times, “Kevin Spacey thought that coming out was a good way to respond to a molestation charge. Hollywood did not agree,” 10.31.2017). By coming out in a statement that ought to have been nothing more than an honest response to accusations of sexual misconduct, Spacey blatantly attempted to use the queer community as a shield for his actions. Additionally, his statement may lead many within his audience to buy into harmful stereotypes—conscious or otherwise—that conflate queerness with molestation and sexual violence.

While Spacey’s statement is deeply hurtful both to survivors and to LGBTQ+ people, the industry response to the statement has actually been encouraging. Shortly after the Buzzfeed article and Spacey’s statement were published, Netflix announced that “House of Cards,” in which Spacey stars, would halt production indefinitely and that the upcoming season would be its last (Los Angeles Times, “Netflix halts ‘House of Cards’ Season 6 production in wake of Kevin Spacey accusation,” 10.31.2017).

Likewise, producers on the popular NBC drama “This Is Us” also revealed that, in light of the allegations, they had cut a brief line from their most recent episode in which a character gets cast in a Kevin Spacey film (Entertainment Weekly, “This Is Us removes Kevin Spacey reference from Tuesday’s episode,” 10.31.2017). These swift and decisive responses—accompanied by a massive outpouring of tweets not only supporting Anthony Rapp but criticizing Spacey as well— indicate that Hollywood, finally, might be begin-

ning to take the rampant sexual violence within their community more seriously.

Spacey’s response is not only offensive to LGBTQ+ people, however, but is also harmful to survivors of sexual violence. Because he included a coming-out story as well as supposed justifications for his alleged behavior, the statement sends the message that Spacey is simply trying to save face rather than truly apologize for his actions.

“Survivors deserve far more than a halfhearted apology from an alleged perpetrator.”

Blaming his closeted sexual identity and momentary intoxication for making wholly unjustifiable sexual advances towards a minor is, simply and unequivocally put, shameful and disgusting.

He deserves ample criticism for both his alleged actions and his specious response to Anthony Rapp’s accusations.

Survivors deserve far more than a halfhearted apology from an alleged perpetrator, let alone one giving the impression of trying to do little more than damage control for his own acting career and celebrity status. They deserve a statement that centers their own voices and experiences.

Note: If you have experienced sexual violence at Vassar or elsewhere, a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) advocate can be reached at all times by calling the Campus Response Center at (845) 437-7333 and asking to speak with a SART advocate. You can also call the New York State Domestic and Sexual Violence Hotline at 1-800-942-6906.

[Editor’s note: Additional allegations have surfaced since Rapp’s statement, with multiple men both in the entertainment industry and otherwise claiming sexual harassment incidents perpetrated

by Kevin Spacey.]

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Students at Bard Graduate Center in New York City study the cultural history of the material world from the arts of antiquity to the twenty-first century. Learn more at one of our fall open houses.

Address 38 West 86th Street, NYC

Open Houses October 29, 11 am November 6, 6 pm

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The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Photo: Casey Kelbaugh

Photo: Casey Kelbaugh

MA and PhD in Decorative Arts, Design History, Material Culture

November 2, 2017

OPINIONS

H2A reflects on events of last week Healing to Action (H2A)

T

he following article is Healing to Action’s timeline from Monday, Oct. 23, to Wednesday, Oct. 25, as well as our official statement to Vassar College.

Monday, Oct. 23 10:47 a.m.

An H2A member expresses concern about a lecture being held on Wednesday, Oct. 25, entitled “‘Hate Speech’ Is Still Free Speech, Even After Charlottesville” by William A. Jacobson and the threat that it poses to marginalized identities within our community. It is our understanding that the title of this lecture was approved by VSA under the title “An Examination of Free Speech and Hate Speech in the United States today,” was changed to and publicized as “‘Hate Speech’ Is Still Free Speech, Even After Charlottesville” and was later changed to “An Examination of Hate Speech and Free Speech on College Campuses.”

H2A discusses the need to provide a space for people to connect, ascertain the needs of the community, move forward collectively by supporting each other, prioritize safety and resist a narrative that presents free speech as being under attack.

1:46 p.m.

We decide to host a meeting in UpC at 8:30 p.m. H2A begins publicizing the event, reaching out to students, faculty, staff and administration by calling for the community to come together.

In the initial email, we declare that “Healing to Action will hold space for folks to come together tonight and discuss our concerns specifically regarding the VCLU’s event on Wednesday.”

5:20 p.m.

H2A sends an email acknowledging the oversight in not including the need to center Jewish people in the discussion.

7:00 p.m.

Students interested in facilitating the meeting arrive in UpC early to discuss the event’s structure and how exactly to provide a space for where everyone can share what they need, get on the same page and move forward collectively.

8:30 p.m.

H2A hosts a gathering in UpC, the second floor of the Deece. It is attended by some faculty members, an administrator and over 200 students.

The meeting prioritizes SAFETY surrounding Wednesday’s lecture.

Those in attendance voice specifically what they need from the other people in the room and from the greater Vassar community.

We brainstorm in small groups and then collectively about how we as a community want to respond to the lecture.

We decide to meet on the following Tuesday, Oct. 24, at 7:00 p.m. in UpC again to continue the conversation and focus on working groups.

10:00 p.m.

H2A members meet with VSA Exec, providing compiled research on Jacobson’s past lectures and online presence, as well as the online platforms that the event in question was shared on and why that was cause for concern. H2A requested that this information be shared by the VSA with President Bradley in a letter later titled “William A. Jacobsen Letter.”

Tuesday, Oct. 24 12:00 p.m.

Two members of H2A meet with President Bradley, the Director of Safety and Security, the Director of Media Relations, the Director of EOAA, other administrators and some members of VSA Exec Board to go over the tentative security measures that members of the community discussed the night before. They discuss how student safety teams and security officers could collaborate. Security officers are invited to attend Tuesday night’s meeting.

2:44 p.m.

An email is sent calling everyone back to create a game plan for the day of the lecture. It introduces the working groups that emerged from discussion at Monday’s meeting and once again emphasizes the priority of safety.

6:00 p.m.

A smaller, core group of people including H2A members, students at large and faculty meet and discuss a time frame for the 7:00 p.m. meeting.

7:00 p.m.

The space is opened with norms and then the group of 100+ members of Vassar’s community break up into three working groups. These three working groups include: — Library team — Safety and security/zine team — Rocky team From 7:00 p.m. until around 9:15 p.m. these three groups work diligently to create a game plan for the following day. Group chats are formed which allow people to stay in contact about preparing for the event and during the time of the lecture.

Wednesday, Oct. 25 Morning/Afternoon The zine team formats a zine and prints 600+ copies. Printing is provided by the library. These are distributed by 20+ student volunteers and given to Vassar students, staff and faculty.

The zine includes the need to center and protect marginalized bodies, contact numbers for the Community Response Center (CRC)—including a line to EMS, alternative programming in the library specific for self-care, details concerning safety teams stationed across campus and information for attending the lecture itself—specifically detailing Rocky 304 as a safety room and advice for avoiding potentially violent conflict.

12:19 p.m.

Most of the text of the zine is also emailed out to the H2A mailing list under the subject line “Healing ourselves today.”

6:00 p.m.

The student-led safety teams meet on the Residential Quad along with a few Vassar security guards. Glow stick wristbands are handed out so that safety teams can be easily identified, and organizers go over expectations for the safety members.

The importance of protecting the more vulnerable bodies is reiterated, but above all, emphasis is placed on the fact that no student should put themselves in immediate danger and that serious concerns should be handled by trained Vassar security. The CRC phone numbers were announced again and written down by all safety members. The safety members were split up into even groups to cover the agreed-upon stations.

6:15 p.m.

Students attending the lecture gather in Rocky 304 to go over safety measures. They hand out copies of the zine to arriving students and let them know that (1) the event was being recorded

by Media Resources at the request of the VCLU and (2) there was a safety and self-care room in Rocky 304 with volunteers should anyone feel the need to leave the lecture.

7:00 p.m.

People attend the lecture. Rocky is packed with mostly students and some visitors from off campus.

Vassar’s security checks the bags of the lecture attendees to ensure no weapons are brought into the space.

People on safety teams keep a look out throughout the night and remain in contact about who is coming on and off campus, and suspicious activities are communicated to Vassar security.

The conversation at the library is centered around how communities can be resilient when there is internal conflict. We discuss how a community can come together across differences especially when harm has been done. It is also a space for people to air their frustrations and express their emotional responses to the events of the day.

While we are proud of the work we do, Healing to Action strives to be conscious of and learn from our mistakes. We feel that acknowledging where we went wrong and holding ourselves accountable is an important step towards healing, and allows us the ability to recognize our strengths as well as weaknesses. We would like to first acknowledge the neglect we showed to two very important at-risk communities. In our initial email about Jacobson’s lecture, we wrote “This is a space for grounding ourselves and centering Black & Brown people, Trans and queer folk who will be targeted by this event and will bear the burden of any actions we take.” In this, we failed to mention how white nationalist and neo-Nazi rhetoric also affects Jewish and Muslim

communities. After receiving criticism from our diligent community, we sent an email four hours later recognizing our erasure of Jewish students.

At no point did we publicly recognize our erasure of Muslim students in our conversations, and for this we deeply apologize. We strive to be a part of a community of people that hold themselves and others accountable.

We also recognize that although we connected the event’s legitimization of hate speech to the expected presence of white supremacists and neo-Nazis on our campus, we should have more clearly explained the links between free speech and white supremacy. Demands for the protection of free speech under the First Amendment are based on the assertion that all voices are given equal weight in society and they all need protection from censorship. This is objectively false in our white supremacist, patriarchal, capitalist society. These demands fail to acknowledge systems of oppression that give power to privileged people (those who are white, cisgender, heterosexual, wealthy and/or able-bodied) at the expense of the “others” of society. The Constitution was created to justify genocide of indigenous peoples and institutionalize chattel slavery. It is inherently racist, and is currently used to justify modern day acts of racism. Hate speech is a violent tool used by oppressors to preserve white supremacy, the patriarchy, etc., and any rhetoric that serves to protect it is inherently linked to this violence. We wish to alter the framing of this issue altogether. The issue at hand is not about one’s individual, legal right to free speech, but is instead about the collective well-being of all members of our society. Healing to Action is premised on the idea that what affects one individual affects us all. Speech, whether it is legal or not, can be and is violent. We have a collective responsibility to stand up for those in our communities who are harmed or disenfranchised by speech, whether it is technically legally permissible or not.

It must also be stated that the fact that no physical harm occurred on Wednesday was a best-case scenario. We were incredibly lucky, but it cannot be taken for granted. The work of students and members of Vassar’s community was a response to a very real threat of potential danger and violence. The gravity of the threat is exemplified by the violence that was sparked by the presence of the alt-right, white supremacist and white nationalist leader Richard Spencer at the University of Florida in Gainesville as well as violence that ensued at the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA, this past August.

Last week’s organized campus-wide response to Jacobson’s lecture was not a simple task and the amount of work it required cannot be overstated. Over 200 members of Vassar’s community (including students, staff, faculty and administrators) dedicated hours of labor to collectively outlining what we needed from our campus and how we were going to achieve those goals. For us, this meant mandating the prioritization of safety. Healing to Action may have established the space, but it was thanks to the strategic planning of hundreds of people that a precedent was set for how our school and others in America can and should respond to the threat of white supremacy. These recent events have proved that Vassar does not exist in a bubble and is indeed affected by larger systems like white supremacy.

While we were able to demonstrate to ourselves our capacity for collective action, our work is not yet done just because Jacobson left campus.

Healing to Action is more than just a student organization at Vassar College. Healing to Action is an exploration of how we, as dedicated and conscious individuals, mobilize towards our collective liberation from systemic oppression. We all experience oppression to a degree—even the privileged, even the oppressors. Therefore, we all share a responsibility to reimagine what kind of world we wish to live in—a world that resists the isolation imposed on us by systems of white supremacy, the patriarchy and capitalism. The events of last week have only emphasized the need to reimagine our resistance, to reimagine how we can create a restorative and just society that acknowledges and engages with the repercussions of centuries of trauma.

As we envision what we want for our future, it is necessary to ask what will we, not just as members of Vassar College, but as people, do to strengthen to this collective movement.

Page 11

Word on the street What do you remember from this past weekend?

“I fell down the Davi stairs and sprained my ankle” — Farhia Osman ’20

“I remember getting free sausages and wine at a gallery with my professor” — Gabby Miranda ’18

“Secret rooms in basements” — Nneoma Njoku ’19

“Bits and pieces” — Diego Encarnacion ’18

“Everything; It was a bright night” — Alec Yeaney ’21

“Stuck outside the Noyes tent :(” ­­— Pieter Block ’19

Leah Cates, Humor & Satire Yesenia Garcia, Humor & Satire Hannah Benton, Photography

The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

HUMOR & SATIRE

Page 12

November 2, 2017

Breaking News From the desk of Leah Cates and Yesenia Garcia, Humor & Satire Editors Vassar to unveil cutting-edge fundraising strategy: artisanal bake sale with fresh-squeezed lemonade What to expect when you Entire right side of dorm are expecting (a prospie) room now just silverfish Annie Wang

Sleep-Deprived Parent

H

osting a prospective student is quite the adventure. It’s definitely not for everyone at Vassar, regardless of how nice we are as a collective student body. Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of pros and cons to help you decide if you should host a prospie on campus in the near future.

PRO: You are the cool person hosting a prospie.

Well, being the cool person hosting a prospie is obviously a plus.

CON: Homework still exists. [Insert silent sobbing here.] You could possibly have a boatload of homework in addition to playing the role of a gracious host. Test to cram for? Essay to squeeze out?

Readings to skim? Yep. As they say, there is never enough time in college, no matter how much you try to prioritize and organize.

PRO: Legitimate excuse for procrastination. Oh yeah, all of that homework? Guess what? Now you have a fantastic excuse for an extension on an essay...or just to not do work.

CON: Their schedule is your schedule. Prospies want to check out classes, see the campus and picture themselves at Vassar. You’ll have to take your prospie places, meaning you’ll have to wake up earlier than usual, sacrifice that much-needed nap and/or end up late for class, all because you had to drop off your kid for their first day of school.

PRO: Hah! Take that, pedometer! If walking around campus doesn’t get you that 10,000 steps, I don’t know what will. A hike to Sunset Lake is already pretty far, but if your prospie is interested in science or music, the Bridge and Skinner Hall are also on the opposite end of campus from the quad.

CON: Fire alarms could go off at any second.

Yikes. Let’s just say there’s some addiction to microwavable foods and weed on any college campus. Vassar is no exception. For example, I took my prospie for a trek to the ninth floor of Jewett to look down upon the quad, and we had to walk down endless flights of stairs to avoid the “fire.”

PRO: Wow, an alternative to the coveted tour guide job! If you were rejected from one of the most sought-after jobs on campus (walking around backwards while talking about Vassar),

what better way to get your revenge than to host a prospective student?

CON: Stingy meal swipes! Prospies get a solid three swipes to our beloved Deece: one for dinner, late night, and breakfast. If your prospie intends to stay longer than expected, you’ll have to feed them with your Arlington bucks or a friend’s VCard or let them have at your food stash.

PRO: Change of pace and social charity all at once. You get to mix up your schedule and influence someone’s decision on where they want to spend the next four years of their life.

CON: No partying/drinking/smoking, etc.

You’re a role model for your prospie, so that’ll be a no to immoral behavior.

PRO: You’re planning for parenthood. Your prospie’s well-being is your responsibility. Where they sleep in your humble abode, what they eat and how they dress for the weather depend on your influence as their guardian.

CON: They could be mad annoying...But you can’t say so because, well, human hospitality.

PRO: You like psychology? I like psychology!

Admissions does a spectacular job matching interests, so you won’t struggle to come up with things to talk about or academic buildings to focus on.

CON: I like psychology! You don’t like psychology? Well, that’s awkward. Even though Admissions tries to match interests, sometimes your prospie is interested in so many things that your interest is only 10 percent of their exploration.

PRO: You don’t have to lie to them about Vassar’s awesomeness. Vassar practically sells itself with its breathtaking campus and nice peeps, so hosting is a low-stress gig because everyone at Vassar loves prospies and is lovely toward them.

Your prospie will think you’re super popular and simultaneously feel the nurturing and welcoming atmosphere our student body embodies.

CON: You still have homework. (Sorry.)

Whether you consider hosting a prospective student or not after reading this article, know that it’s a rewarding experience with relatively minor drawbacks. You are essentially a parent for the day without the financial crisis! So get out there and keep being awesome and warm to prospies!

Blair Webber Pest Control

C

ushing House: a beautiful, historical niche tucked into the northern corner of campus between Noyes and the cemetery. This oasis may seem quaint and homey, but beneath its humble surface, Jordan Pollack ’20 has discovered a creeping, crawling dark side with too many legs that break off really easily and regrow freakishly fast. Last Tuesday, the entire right side of Jordan’s room was taken over by silverfish.

DUN-DUN-DUN!!!!

Pollack’s struggle with insects began long before the silverfish invasion came.

“The first wave was just these little flies, like they kept crawling in under my window casing, and it was kind of annoying, I mean, no one wants bugs in their room. I tried not leaving food out and keeping my window closed, but they found a way in anyway. I had no idea what I was getting into,” said Pollack.

The situation deteriorated in a matter of mere days. One of Pollack’s friends discovered the worsening fray.

“I...I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I still shudder when I think about it. Jordan mentioned that there were some flies, but there’s no way these were flies. They all had so many legs. It was gruesome. It was dark, very dark, and I was grabbing a jacket or maybe some socks from Jordan’s room. I don’t really remember. I opened the door and...and they were everywhere. Oh god, they were everywhere. You couldn’t even see the window, or the floor, or the walls. I don’t want to talk about it any more,” said the traumatized friend.

Pollack was horrified upon returning to her room to find it entirely filled with silverfish.

“At that point, I was so done, I was going to move out, I just couldn’t believe it. But then I thought, no, I’m not going to let them win this time. This isn’t the shower or my kindergarten’s snack room. This is my living space, this is my turf. And I’m not looking for a roommate,” said Pollack, eyes glowing with vengeful pride.

Pollack filed a work order requesting that her room be sprayed, but it was never fulfilled. So Pollack had to get creative.

“I got on Free & For Sale to see if anyone had any anti-silverfish stuff that they weren’t going to use all of so that I didn’t have to buy a whole new thing of bug poison, and I didn’t find any poison, but they did have something better,” said Pollack.

Wielding her new flamethrower, Pollack kicked down her door to immolate her enemies.

“I don’t condone violence, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Sometimes you have to bring out the big guns, so that’s what I did,” said Pollack.

After several minutes and countless silverfish casualties, the invading bugs hoisted a white flag of surrender. Pollack, fearing some sort of trick, burned that too. Three flags later, her onslaught finally abated. A surviving silverfish recounted their peace talks.

“In a way, it was kind of merciful. At least she didn’t try to kill us by squishing us or pulling our legs off. So we managed to come to an understanding. Ms. Pollack will remain on the left side of her room, where her bed is. She has explained to us that those are important for humans, and we will remain on the right side,” said the silverfish.

Pollack expressed her hopes that the arrangement would be short lived.

“Well it’s not ideal, but I can live with it for now. At least I have a place to sleep, although my sheets kinda got burned, so I have to fix that. I just hope they won’t try to expand again; I don’t want to burn my Frida Kahlo posters, too.

Sheets you can replace, but Frida, she’s sacred,” said Pollack.

After a few days of tense peace, the silverfish discovered a rogue faction of grizzled survivors living under Pollack’s radiator. They are currently in negotiations with the rebellious faction to maintain the terms of the ceasefire.

Pollack still keeps her flamethrower handy and monitors Free & For Sale on a daily basis to see if anyone is giving away insecticide.

Ten things you’ll hear if you’re a credit card specialist in a call center

By Kimberly Nguyen, Customer Service Expert

O

ver the summer, I had the misfortune of working as a senior specialist at the largest privately owned bank in America. I worked in credit cards, which meant that I managed people’s borrowed money.

To make things even more interesting, my bank had decided to enter a series of very random but profitable brand partnerships, including Yale University’s alumni credit cards and, for whatever reason, the National Rifle Association’s credit cards. (Think of every stereotype of an NRA member, and then imagine picking up the phone to that stereotype hundreds of times a day. You can imagine how that went.) Below are the top 10 things I heard while on the phone at this horrendous summer job.

1. “That’s illegal.” Seriously. There is nothing that I haven’t been told is illegal. From charging interest to late fees and statement layout, nothing is off limits. My most memorable “that’s illegal” moment was when a customer forced me to find and read verbatim section 1026.53 of Regulation Z. 2. “Can I speak to your manager?” Ah, my favorite. People who have worked in retail can relate. You won’t waive a fee or make

their interest charges disappear, so they think you just don’t have the authority to, and they want someone with authority. Here’s a secret: We have the authority. Including the authority to say no.

3. “I’d like to speak to someone in America, please.” This one always makes me laugh

because we actually tell our customers where the call center is located in the beginning of our greeting (either Yankton, SD; Bloomfield, NE; or Omaha, NE), yet we get this too often. I’ve been transferred calls from a mere two rows away because someone requested to speak to someone in America. Once I even picked up the phone to a guy who was convinced he spoke to a terrorist the last time he called in.

4. “*Reader, insert disgusting sexual innuendo here.*” I don’t understand why people

flirt with call center employees. When was the last time you told a call center employee to come live with you and they actually did? When was the last time you were even successful in getting a date with a call center employee? I want answers.

5. “Is this *reader, insert literally anything here*?” Wrong number calls, depending on

the day, can comprise about half your shift, especially when customers insist they have the right number. I once spent a half hour arguing with someone about whether they’d reached Citibank or not.

6. “I will sue you.” Everyone’s always looking for a lawsuit, and they can certainly try if they want to. Eventually you get so many threats of lawsuits that you find your own snarky way to respond. Mine was to remind customers of the law and why they won’t win in court.

7. “*Reader, insert curse word here.*” Customers always forget that they’re on a recorded line, and when they don’t get what they want, verbal harassment is what they’ll resort to next. I’ve been called every curse word I know and then some new ones. But, customers, just remember that what you say can come back and bite you in the butt because we have the authority to hand those recordings over to the legal system should your actions warrant it.

8. “So I know you don’t really care, but...”

Yup, you’re exactly right. I really don’t care.

I take hundreds of calls a day and chances are, I’ve heard it all. And now that you’ve

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

preceded whatever you’re going to say with the assumption that I don’t care, I have extra decided to not care.

9. “Is it okay if I put you on a brief hold while I...?” I hear this one a lot, and I have

to say, I say it a lot, too. People are always doing the weirdest things while calling their bank. I’ve heard toilets in the background, family arguments, parents screaming at their children. Some guy once made me take a trip with him to a pharmacy while on the phone.

Also, while we’re on the topic of holds, due to the inhumanity of call center breaks and lunches, I have put people on hold to eat before. So don’t feel bad.

10. “Pay my bill.” It’s the end of the call.

You ask the scripted “Is there anything else I can help you with today?” At which point the customer inevitably makes a joke about paying their bill. Or giving them a million dollars. Every single one of them. They think they’re so original and hilarious, but little do they know that the person before them made this joke and the person after them also will make this joke. So here’s to me faking a laugh as hard as I’m faking my customer service persona.

HUMOR & SATIRE

November 2, 2017

Page 13

Grand theft vélo: bike stolen despite incredible lock Abby Knuckles

Heartbroken Pedestrian

I

Courtesy of Creative Commons CCO

am no cyclist. Anyone who has witnessed me ride a bike can attest to this.

Nevertheless, my brother (a bicycle mechanic) and my father (once a bicycle mechanic) insisted on sending me off to college with a custom-built bike, lovingly assembled from the junk laying around the garage. In this particular garage, my brother found some aesthetically pleasing pieces to put together with some magic I don’t quite understand to form a functioning machine. He even included pedal retention, which, for the uninitiated, means some strappy things designed to keep the rider’s feet inescapably attached to the pedals, presumably so they can apply upward pressure as well as downward when pedaling.

For me, pedal retention just guaranteed that I would fall with my bike every time I hit a bump in the path, struggling to detach my feet and jump clear of the wreckage all the way down.

Other fun features included a hip ombre-painted frame and a bright, purplish-blue wheelset.

As a final gift before I left, my brother gave me a bike lock. Among its many features, it boasted a hardened manganese steel chain with a Kevlar sleeve around it and a patented, super-secure locking mechanism. Ostensibly, it would be enough to fend off those who might wish to do harm to my best way of commuting between Joss and Skinner Hall.

My dad made getting this bike to Vassar unscathed his mission during our road trip here from Michigan. Every few hours, we’d have to stop, just so he could check on the straps affixing it to the car roof. He couldn’t even wait for someone to need a rest stop; the bike was too precious for us to dawdle.

The very minute the team of enthusiastic, tiedye clad House Team members finished moving

my boxes, Dad needed to make sure my bike got locked up. He needed to check that I had the key, that the seat had been properly adjusted, that I could see its place on the bike rack from my window. The man was seriously projecting his concern for his youngest child going off to college onto this undeserving hunk of metal.

Just as we finished locking up the bike, a kind officer of Safety & Security who had been helping park cars happened to walk by and commented that they usually they suggest U-Locks.

Ah, but did they know my lock was hardened manganese steel? Certainly it could withstand petty theft attempts.

Furthermore, my dad suggested that I put it in indoor storage for the night. Even as my family prepared to embark on the long journey back home, he gave me a parting reminder to take care of the bike, tacking on the afterthought to take care of myself.

During the first three weeks of classes, the bike served me well. I made it between Kenyon and Rocky in record time, and I always remembered to lock it up. When it got dark, I didn’t bother to put it inside. After all, it had a super great lock.

It wouldn’t even be worth the effort of stealing. A thief would expend so much effort to break my lock, only to find the seat lowering incrementally as he pedaled his wares away from the scene of the crime. Then, as he tried to turn a profit on the stolen goods, he’d be unable to sell it because of its bizarrely sized special-order.

That fateful Friday morning, as I walked back from my morning class, I talked with some friends about the benefits of having a bike on campus. Yeah, it’s a bit annoying to take the time to lock it up, but zooming across campus in under five minutes more than compensated for that inconvenience. Over those few days, my

The thief was recently spotted donning high tech bicycling gear and pedaling away at record speeds. bicycle had become an invaluable resource. It allowed me to sleep in 10 whole extra minutes.

An hour and a half before, I’d decided to walk to class instead of riding the bike, so I could drink my coffee on the go.

As Joss came into view, I did a double-take. I didn’t see my bright wheels. I thought to myself that maybe my eyesight was going. After all, it’s been a while since I got new glasses. I tried not to panic.

I got closer, willing my eyes to be wrong.

They weren’t.

HOROSCOPES

Over the next hour or so, I rapidly advanced through the five stages of bicycle loss.

I told myself it couldn’t really be gone, that maybe some friends had thought it would be funny to somehow break my lock and hide my bike. Like just for the jokes. Of course.

I told myself that if I found the thief, I would beat them up and take it back.

I told myself I should’ve listened to my dad and put it inside overnight. This was all my fault.

I told myself that really, me riding around campus on the bike posed a safety hazard not only to myself, but also to anyone who might be walking in my path.

And with that, I accepted that I had to walk all the way to Safety & Security to report the theft.

After a few minutes of waiting in the lobby, an officer emerged.

“Bicycle larceny?” I nodded.

“Did it have a purple Kryptonite Keeper on it?” I nodded more dejectedly.

The kind officer led me into the office, where he took out the desecrated remains of my hardened manganese steel lock. A link had been snapped in two by some very dedicated thief in the night.

Over the next few days, I found myself repeatedly retelling my sad tale of bicycle larceny.

First, I called the architect of the masterpiece, my brother. He lamented his choice of lock, clearly caught up in the bargaining stage. He seemed to think that if only he’d sprung for a slightly more expensive model, all this could’ve been prevented. Dad, on the other hand, took approximately no time at all to remind me that I should’ve locked it up inside. However, even he agreed that the world might be better off with me tripping over my own feet than with me catching a crack in the sidewalk at just the wrong angle and toppling over like a fainting goat.

Theresa Law and Natasha Sanchez amateur astrologists

ARIES

March 21 | April 19

TAURUS

April 20 | May 20

GEMINI

May 21 | June 20

CANCER

June 21 | July 22

LEO

July 23 | August 22

VIRGO

August 23 | September 22

You’ve been settling into a boring routine. You need to do something extreme. It’s time for a new haircut. But not just any haircut. The haircut of all cuts. The Rachel. A choppy, shoulder length hair cut with chunky highlights. If you don’t have enough hair for this, grow it out. Commit.

LIBRA

You’ve been feeling antsy lately, like the Vassar bubble is really suffocating you. Even getting “off campus” to places like Juan Murphy’s or Adam’s doesn’t have the thrill it used to. You’ve gotta get yourself a car. Zoom around freely on the open roads and feel your heart soar.

SCORPIO

It’s time to revamp your skin. Ink it up this week and get a huge, visible tattoo. There’s no need for a meaningful backstory to your body art. Make it absolutely meaningless and dumb. Or get a quote from your favorite John Green novel in Pinyon Script.

SAGITTARIUS

Home is a really important concept to you, Cancer. It’s the place you can escape to, where you feel safest. But your house/suite/dorm might not be feeling like Home lately. Put in a request to ResLife to move. Maybe the THs weren’t the beautiful community you expected them to be. Maybe you’re a SoCo person after all.

September 23 | October 22

October 23 | November 21

November 22 | December 21

CAPRICORN

December 22 | January 19

You’ve been so busy walking around from place to place that you haven’t realized you’ve got holes in your socks. Literally. Get new socks because you’ve been wearing the same ones for way too long. Remember, it’s not just about the destination. It’s about the journey.

AQUARIUS

It’s time to make a bold move. Everything you do is meticulously planned and thought out. And that can be a good thing! But now it’s time for an impulse piercing. Don’t even plan it yourself. Get a friend to make the decision and not tell you until you’re at the piercing place.

PISCES

January 20 | February 18

February 19 | March 20

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Instead of cleaning out your closet and getting a new wardrobe, clean out your social circle and get new friends. You’ll see a much more noticeable difference in your life with a different group than with different pants. If they don’t bring you joy, toss them.

If they don’t fit, toss them, too.

It’s finally Scorpio season. New Scorpio year, new Scorpio you. Ditch your entire old closet for a brandnew wardrobe. It may seem like when Kanye threw out all of Kim’s clothes (which was RUDE), but this will feel cleansing instead of aggressive. Now is the time to let the real you shine.

Who says you have to stand by your commitments? Not us. So switch things up this week—and for the rest of your college career! If you’ve already declared your major, change it. Challenge yourself, and go for something that you would never have considered. It won’t be inconvenient or taxing at all.

Do you want to be employable? Get a catchphrase. Most people do not even realize they need a catchphrase. Well, you do. Make it original and marketable. Then, force it upon people until they find themselves saying it, too. Tattoo it across your chest or airbrush it on your backpack.

You’ve been feeling a bit lonely lately. Like maybe your human companions aren’t giving you enough snuggles. That can sometimes be a lot to constantly ask for from other people, but it’s not a lot to ask of a dog. Look into getting yourself a dog. If you’re not a dog person, other pets work as well.

What you need is a Makeover with a capital M. Channel any preteen movie from the early 2000s for inspiration. Maybe you wear a lot of makeup right now and want to lessen it, or maybe you tend to go au naturel but want to give some funky eyeshadow a try. Don’t be afraid to make bold, glossy choices.

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November 2, 2017

Merely Players’ production poses morality against duty SHAKESPEARE continued from page 1

productions and resources that you can reference to. It is also not like producing an original production, where there will be a lot of space and flexibility for us to adjust the settings and everything.

But for our show, we need to be innovative in a lot of ways, which is a lot of fun but also hard work because the script is not completely the original piece; at the same time, we still need to consider how we can, through a modern setting, also preserve the canons in Shakespeare’s work.”

Besides the unique design aspects, there are eight other students involved in their first production on campus. Yang described what she has enjoyed about being a first-time production manager and costume designer: “The experience in the production team of ‘Caesar Noir’ is quite novel for me. I am lucky that as production manager and costume designer I’m able to get in touch with both the production team and the cast, which give me a more complete picture of what would the play be like.”

For Joe Diez ’21, this will be his first production at Vassar. Despite having a notable amount of experience with Shakespeare before coming to Vassar, student theater at Vassar has been a whole new experience: “The acting company I worked with throughout high school was a very close-knit group of friends. So having to put myself out there, introduce myself to these new people, it’s daunting, but ultimately it pays off because you get this really powerful experience out of it.”

Merely Players aims to be a teaching organization to provide students with the ability to learn about theater through different viewpoints. Diez expanded on the benefit of that element in the rehearsal schedule: “This is my first production at Vassar, and I’ve been able to learn about that process. It’s hectic, it’s fascinating and at the end of the day, it’s exciting.”

One of Wang’s focuses in rehearsals has been to have the actors explore the inner motivations and blurred lines of their composure. Except for those playing Antony, Brutus and Cassius, all of the other actors portray multiple characters.

Explaining the challenge and artistic opportu-

Courtesy of Leon Wang

thought about adapting it for student theater.

Wang wondered, “What if we had a show about Julius Caesar, but we focused on the characters’ individual feelings? What would Brutus be feeling while he’s killing Caesar, and what would Antony feel after he turns up? That’s the idea where the noir element came to me because noir is a very interesting genre. Usually the protagonists in the film do not talk a lot or really share their emotions, but sometimes it’s the silence and other elements that make us human.”

One of the specific films to inspire Wang’s direction was the 2002 Chinese neo-noir “Infernal Affairs,” which was adapted in 2006 into Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed.” As Wang explained, “What inspired me is the feeling that both the protagonists’ greatest struggle is not being understood by anybody else—that is what I envisioned to be the tragic theme on Brutus.”

Wang previously directed Philaletheis’ production “Time Long Past” in the spring. He translated the original Chinese script into English for the production. Bringing the same auteurist flair to his current production, Wang incorporated additional dialogue into Shakespeare’s play to make it fit the setting and style to become “Caesar Noir”.

Portraying Titinius and several other characters, Jesse Horowitz ’19 is not new to Shakespeare, having appeared in Merely Players’ Fall 2016 production of Shakespeare’s “Timon of Athens” [Full Disclosure:: Horowitz is an Opinions columnist for The Miscellany News]. In discussing the modern incorporation of Wang’s new material, Horowitz said, “I think [the production’s script is] good at blending that with new material that helps it fit into the world we’re putting it in. It’s still ‘Julius Caesar.’ It’s still the show that Shakespeare wrote, but I feel we’re doing something very new with it is as well.”

Production manager and costume designer Laura Yang ’21 spoke about how the Wang-Shakespeare hybrid script impacted the production: “It is quite different from working with a finished classical script, where you have a lot of precedent

After revisiting the play following a summer program in Rome, director Leon Wang ’19 wanted to stage Shakespeare’s tragedy in a noir setting to explore the characters’ integrity. nity this task provides, Horowitz said, “It’s interesting because I have to think about a variety of people and what they’re thinking about, rather than committing myself to just one person. This is sort of new for me. Usually when that’s the case, it’s one line at a time. But the characters that I’m playing are not necessarily minor roles in the scene or the background...And so I had to think a lot about these characters, their motivations, what they’re thinking about and what they are.”

Shakespeare’s plays continue to be a mainstay of the theater world at Vassar. Later this semester, Merely Players will be co-producing a production

of Sarah Ruhl’s adaptation of the Greek myth of Eurydice with Unbound.

Acknowledging the universal presence of Shakespeare’s plays, Wang spoke about the realizations in encountering and working with such a rich and multilayered text: “You know the glamour of Shakespeare because it has been performed over and over again. When you watch it, or direct it or try to put it on, you discover new feelings about it. Also, since the actors on my team are really experienced and all love Shakespeare very much, it’s been a really enjoyable process working with them this time.”

Artistic ability sacrificed in pursuit of popular acclaim HALSEY continued from page 1

Courtesy of Flickr

sad Spotify playlist in 2014. This ballad is so powerful that I immediately felt overwhelmed and had to pause the song in order to not break down in public. That night, I listened to her entire discography, which consisted of a five-song EP called “Room 93.” Halsey’s work seemed special, diverging from the norms of alternative pop music with her unique, raspy voice and intimate lyrics.

“And I’ve got my mind made up this time / Go on and light a cigarette / Set a fire in my head / Set a fire in my head tonight” are the closing lines to “Trouble,” which also closes the EP. The track is purposefully stripped down, featuring only vocals and a piano, which evokes a strong emotional response from the listener as Halsey describes an emotionally abusive relationship.

My favorite song on the EP and my third favorite song by Halsey as an artist has to be “Is There Somewhere.” It’s the opening track of the work and it details the narrator’s willingness to go

to the ends of the earth to be with someone despite not being their first choice in love.

“White sheets, bright lights, crooked teeth and the nightlife / You told me this is right where it begins. But your lips hang heavy underneath me / And I promised myself I wouldn’t let you complete me.” “Is There Somewhere” is also extremely intimate live, the one track where Halsey goes into the crowd, standing among them during the final chorus. “Is There Somewhere” is the reason that I fell in love with Halsey.

This infatuation ended quickly. Halsey went from being a small artist that I saw opening for “Imagine Dragons” and playing small New York venues like Rough Trade and Webster Hall to selling out arenas. This newfound fame resulted in a huge following of young teenage girls in addition to plenty of haters on social media.

Most artists are unaffected, but Halsey fought back daily, which I think is profoundly toxic. Acknowledging Twitter hate only results in more hate.

Now, I can understand getting excited about being famous, but this newfound fame resulted in a complete change in her personality and music style. Her debut album “Badlands” is caught

While Halsey had a fantastic deput EP, her sound quickly shifted to help her achieve mainstream musical acclaim, thus resulting in a profound lack of originality and artistic integrity. in the middle between the interesting style of “Room 93” and conventional pop music. It’s definitely not a terrible album, but it does not evoke as strong of a connection between artist and listener as many people felt with her first work.

I’m not going to talk about “New Americana” or “Colors,” her two biggest singles from the “Badlands” era. They’re what helped catapult Halsey into mainstream pop success, and I think they’re mediocre. Also, the “Colors” music video features Halsey lusting after a close friend’s much-older father, which is extremely creepy.

It’s a no from me.

The entire album is not terrible, as the songs “Drive,” “Control” and “Haunting” are actually quite good. In fact, the track “Young God” completely stands out for me, as it is truly brilliant.

I think that in popular culture today there’s a glorification of relationships, with a feeling of invincibility arising out of particularly strong

ones. Thus, these “Young Gods,” the teens of today who feel unstoppable, are who Halsey is speaking to.

“Do you feel like a young god? You know the two of us are just young gods / And we’ll be flying through the streets with the people underneath / And they’re running, running, running again.” The song is spectacular, and it’s one I still feel myself being drawn back to today.

“Young God” was enough to get me to go to the last show of her “Badlands” tour at Madison Square Garden last year, and after “Colors” was performed for the encore, I felt terrible. She didn’t perform the one song I genuinely loved.

But once the intro to “Young God” came on and she came out for a second encore, I lost it and forgot the multitude of reasons that drove me not to like Halsey anymore. The show was really good, and I was back to being a fan.

Now, can I talk about Halsey without bringing

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

up “Closer?” I can try, but this song was huge, staying at the number one spot on iTunes for longer than most people can fathom. Is it good?

No. Are The Chainsmokers actual artists? No, not at all. Your mediocre tune and weak vocals will not in fact stop you from getting older.

That’s all I have to say.

This brings us to 2017, the year that Halsey released her second album, “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.” I didn’t like its promotional singles “Now or Never,” “Eyes Closed” or “Strangers,” so I had profoundly low expectations that were met. The album isn’t good. 15 out of 16 of the songs don’t resemble anything that made me like Halsey to begin with. The track “Bad at Love” is decent but still subpar when considered outside of the context of the album.

Now, you may notice that I said 15 out of 16 songs are bad. Well, the only exception is the last song on “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom,” “Hopeless,” featuring Cashmere Cat. It reminds me of “Trouble” but with an electronically induced melodramatic tone. It’s my absolute favorite song by Halsey, and it details constricting hopelessness to a state of mind in order to overcome the overwhelming feeling. “’Cause you know the truth hurts, but secrets kill / Can’t help thinkin’ that I love it still / Still here, there must be something real. ’Cause you know the good die young / But so did this, and so it must be better than I think it is / Gimme those eyes, it’s easy to forgive.” If you are going to listen to any song by Halsey, it should be “Hopeless.“ Halsey is a victim of an industry that praises generic top-40 hits and social acclaim. By drawing attention to oneself, one can thus sell more music, and the cycle continues to repeat itself.

The music industry should pride itself on those that diverge from the easy path and reward them through musical acclaim. There is a dire need for change.

There is no legitimate reason that artists like The Chainsmokers should be winning Grammys.

The industry needs to do better, or talented artists such as Halsey will continue to be sucked into this cycle of hit, commercial success, monetary gain and repeat. Taylor, I’m looking at you.

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Dark comedy explores distorted journey of amnesiac Sasha Gopalakrishnan Assistant Arts Editor

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Courtesy of Anna Gibson

omedy and tragedy, laughter and despair, humor and mental health issues—one would expect these elements to be intrinsically contradictory, yet the lines between these historically separated genres blend and distort in Philaletheis’ production of “Fuddy Meers,” directed by Sam Peterson ’20 and premiering on Thursday, Nov. 2, in the Shiva at 7 p.m.

A dark comedy by Pulitzer Prize-winning, Tony Award-nominated playwright David Lindsay-Abaire, “Fuddy Meers” explores a day in the life of a woman who suffers from psychogenic amnesia and thus wakes up every morning not knowing who she is.

Likened by Peterson to “a twisted version of Drew Barrymore’s character in ‘50 First Dates,’” the protagonist relies on the rest of the play’s characters to reconstruct her identity for her, and her interactions with these people are then used to inform her own self-perception. As a result, the audience sees the plot unfold through her eyes, and they follow her journey, learning more and more about her as she learns more and more about herself.

Actor Emma LaPlace ’20, who plays the protagonist Claire, highlighted the intricacies of her character development: “It’s interesting to follow her growth through the show because she transitions from being someone completely clueless and confused—because it’s very difficult for her to separate herself from everyone’s varying definitions of her—to someone who’s very strong and is finally able to make her own decisions. I hope that the audience is able to recognize the strength in her character by the end of it and see it as something that’s both triumphant and sad.” The intrinsic sadness is echoed in the fact that no matter how powerful her search for truth is, she is going to wake up the next morning as a blank slate and have to start all over.

Peterson further illuminated the nuances of the show’s message: “It plays with this idea of

truth, that not everyone is exactly who they say they are and how even the protagonist is not quite who everyone is telling her she is. It has a unique psychological perspective, where one starts to question the construction of reality and how the experience of the exact same entity can differ from person to person.” The play draws on the elements of a psychological thriller, as it incorporates a slew of extremely layered characters who have ambiguous aspects to their personalities and backgrounds that leave one unsure of what each person is actually capable of by the end of the show.

While many cast members were reluctant to disclose the meaning behind the ambiguous title, hoping to preserve the gravity of its impact for when one watches the show themself, LaPlace elaborated briefly on its significance: “I don’t want to reveal too much, but I will say this: It’s fitting that the title is so confusing because it acts as a precursor to the twisted and confusing nature of the play itself.”

The play walks the fine line between innocence and darkness, adopting a humorous tone even as it explores somber issues ranging from the struggles of amnesia and stroke victims, to the plights of those who battle drug addiction, domestic abuse and suicidal ideation. LaPlace expanded on their approach to these topics: “We make sure that we don’t laugh at the issues because the actual subject matter is very tragic, but rather we try to find the lighter moments within this heavy premise and balance the seriousness through a comedic exploration of it.”

Actor Matt Stein ’18 [Full Disclosure: Stein is the Arts Editor for The Miscellany News], who plays Claire’s husband Richard, commented, “From the outset, we’re dealing with a character who has amnesia. That in itself is inherently very serious, and as we go deeper in, the plot becomes increasingly complicated and layered.”

He emphasized that they tried to focus the comedy on the aspects of these serious issues that can be satirized without taking away from the weight of the issues themselves.

Premiering on Thursday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. in the Shiva, “Fuddy Meers” follows Claire, a woman with psychogenic amnesia, as she encounters a topsy-turvy day filled with peculiarity.

Ultimately, “Fuddy Meers” balances comedic innocence and dark tragedy, drawing laughs regarding issues that one traditionally feels uncomfortable laughing about. Stein further elaborated on the value of approaching the show in this way: “This play brings up where comedy can be directed and how comedy and tragedy can actually be very smoothly intertwined.

It teaches you how to approach these difficult conversations in a way that also ensures you’re not too overwhelmed by them.”

Beyond the plot and the writing, the sound design also contributes to the contradictory quality of the play. Sound designer Joe Abriatis ’20 explained, “The sound definitely has a funhouse quality to it. From the very start of the show, with the first ringing of the alarm clock, you get the feeling that the sound doesn’t quite

line up with the set, and this only acts as indication for what is to come.”

The contrast between severity and humor that is weaved into the play is ultimately meant to culminate in a surreal sort of discomfort for the audience, drawing almost nervous laughter from onlookers. As Peterson explained, “While watching the show, there are many scenes where, even as you’re laughing, it makes you wonder, ‘Should I be laughing at this?’ and I think that if the audience asks themselves that, then it’ll enhance their experience of the play.

We hope that audiences do laugh with the characters, but that they also take something away from that laughter—a certain degree of insight into the dark struggles of these characters and how these struggles are very real for a lot of people.”

Courtesy of Adam Husted/Office of Alumnae/i Affairs & Development

In loving memory of Linda Nochlin ’51 (1931 – 2017) The Miscellany News expresses our deepest condolences at the loss of a renowned professor emerita of art history and pioneering feminist art historian.

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November 2, 2017

Niall Horan firmly establishes himself as solo artist Hannah Hildebolt Guest Columnist

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Niall Horan Neon Haze Music Ltd

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Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

s a long-time listener of the band, it’s been fascinating to watch the members of One Direction carve out their own paths as solo musicians. Each seems determined to lay claim to his own style: Harry Styles has his soft rock and Zayn Malik has his sex-infused R&B, while Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson seem to be battling it out over who can put out the most slickly produced club jams. All of them are trying to make it clear that they’re doing their own thing now, and there seems to be a vague sort of tension in the air as they settle into their respective niches of the music industry.

I’ve been a One Direction fan since 2013, so I’ve spent more time listening to their music than is reasonable. I was curious to hear Niall Horan’s music in particular because he was one of the least prominent vocalists across One Direction’s discography. Sure, he had a verse per song and maybe a couple of choruses, but I didn’t hear him nearly as much as I did Payne or Styles.

Horan mostly stayed in the background, providing lovely harmonies and playing his guitar.

When he announced that he had signed with Capitol Records, I was intrigued. His transformation into a solo artist meant that his fans would finally get to hear him stripped down to his essence, or so we hoped.

Horan must have gotten the message, because he delivered. His album is a quiet, solid statement of identity, taking up space without any arrogance. The warm folk-pop jams filling the tracklist seem like a natural extension of his jocular personality, providing fans with much more insight into his feelings than any One Direction

record ever has. It feels like he’s been waiting for the chance to take the spotlight for a little bit, and “Flicker” is that chance. Horan presents himself with confidence, fully aware that he has an audience.

“Flicker” is a relaxed record for the most part, a warm whirl of acoustic guitar and easygoing vocals. It makes you wish that you were on a farm somewhere on a crisp fall afternoon, watching the sun filter through the trees. When I look back on the release of this album’s first single, “This Town,” it’s obvious that Horan was setting the tone for his listeners. He rarely strays away from his guitar, which is in the center of his comfort zone. His love of the instrument on One Direction’s tours was not a publicity stunt.

Within this guitar-driven style, however, Horan shows a remarkable range of feeling.

There are emotional ballads like “Paper Houses” and “Too Much To Ask,” the latter of which incorporates soft piano. Towards the end, Horan pays raucous homage to his Irish upbringing in “On My Own,” with a swinging, foot-stomping instrumental. It seems that Horan pulled from many different muses, weaving the final tracklist together with his own creative touch. The album might have a cohesive sound, but its varying emotions keep it from being boring.

Horan’s vocals are just as capable of capturing different feelings as his guitar. When he sings, “I know, yeah, already know that there ain’t no stoppin’ / Your plans and those slow hands,” on the steamy single “Slow Hands,” his voice is low and husky with desire. To the pensiveness on “Since We’re Alone,” he turns soothing, and croons, “I don’t know what made you so afraid / Don’t you know you got the best of me? / Yeah, you’re everything I want.” Then there’s the previously mentioned “On My Own,” which makes it hard to believe that Horan was feeling anything less than ecstasy as he belted it out in the studio.

Part of the reason that Horan’s vocals come across as so genuine is probably that he wrote so much of this record. He has credits on all of the

Although he is a former member of One Direction, the biggest boy band of all-time, Niall Horan didn’t receive as much credit for his writing and artistic ability as he deserves. tracks, with notable help from Julian Bunetta and Jamie Scott, the latter of whom worked previously alongside One Direction. Horan spoke with avid passion about the tracks he wrote for One Direction during his time in the boyband, so it’s no surprise that he spent so much time songwriting for his own album. Some of the lyrics are truly lovely, like the lines, “And our paper houses reached the stars / Till we break and scatter worlds apart” on “Paper Houses.”

If “Flicker” has a standout track, it’s definitely “Seeing Blind,” which features Maren Morris. The presence of Morris pushes this song in more of a country direction than any of the others. It has a rustic, bumpy instrumental, complimented by playful lyrics about unexpected love.

“Oh my, my / You just took me by surprise / And I can’t believe my eyes / Oh, I must be see-

ing blind,” they sing in the chorus, their voices blending together marvelously. They duet and take their own verses in turn, showing off their vocal talents with verve. The track is so much fun; it fills its listener with giddy butterflies. If Horan can come out with more music like this, maybe he should think about going country.

All in all, this is a strong debut from Horan.

It’s heartwarming to see him taking the stage himself for once, unfettered by a group identity. “Flicker” is definitely an album from which Horan can grow—maybe for his next record he’ll move out of his comfort zone and work a little more with other instruments and styles.

For now, however, his fans will be content to sing along to the catchy, poppy folk tunes Horan has presented in this album. He has plenty of time to write, sing and move forward.

Nosaj Thing rises above electronic music stereotypes Jimmy Christon Columnist

Parallels

Nosaj Thing Innovative Leisure Records

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Courtesy of Flickr

wo bothersome monikers that have been attached to electronic music are “video game music” or “rave music.” It’s been labeled, that is, as a type of music that serves a function. It can’t just exist as a piece of art. I’m not sure why, and I don’t have reasons for it, but I’ve noticed it.

It’s probably the same reason that Adult Swim gets labelled “stoner TV.” People are willing to call something weird just for the sake of labeling things to separate and segregate. People aren’t willing to call acts like Brian Eno’s “The Ship” or Aphex Twins’ ambient works electronic in the same sense they’d label C418 (the guy who made the music for Minecraft) or Skrillex electronic music.

Why this is a bad thing is because it gets to a point where people won’t listen to music unless it’s justified. You can’t just like the music, you have to like it because it was in the game you played, the movie you saw or because it’s specifically aimed at a situation you are in. Ta-Ku’s “Music to Break Up To” is an example of this, and one may purport that it’s the musical equivalent of Rupi Kaur’s book “Milk and Honey.” That is, you can listen to this music, but only if you have a reason to do so.

What I like about Nosaj Thing’s album “Parallels” is that it acts a reminder of a counter to the idea of justified music. “Parallels” isn’t a prescriptive album, and it’s beautiful because of its lack of instructions. I’m not saying I have a problem with musicians with a purpose, I just think this idea of justification of creation has gone into absurd territory, territory Nosaj Thing has steered around.

Nosaj Thing is an LA-based musician who has been consistently making some well-honed and well-crafted electronic albums for years. Along with this—on the side—he’s produced tracks for

Electronic music has been targeted by mainstream media for not being as musically credible as other genres. However, the work of Nosaj Thing defies these stipulations. artists such as Chance the Rapper (Chance’s best track ever actually, Nosaj produced the track “Paranoia” from Chance’s album “Acid Rap”) and Kendrick Lamar. But he hasn’t produced much for them. His focus is on his own music.

Nosaj Thing has developed his own musical style independent of other artist’s stamps. This all started with his featureless debut “Drift,” which was an excellent album that distilled a colorfully somber tone in an excellently short format. It wasn’t music for raving, and it wasn’t music for doing something else; it was an album that Nosaj Thing pulled from himself and put out into the world.

Then, Nosaj Thing released two albums, “Home” and “Fated,” that were all right. For me at least, these albums just felt a tad more generic than his debut. Something about them felt more like he was just going through the motions rather than genuine creation; these albums lacked a sort of spark. Nosaj Thing has happily recovered

this spark with “Parallels.”

If I had to compare “Parallels” with another creative endeavor, I’d compare it to David Fincher’s film “Gone Girl.” To me, “Gone Girl” is so great because of how atmospheric it is: It’s as sleek as a foreign car and as grey as a rainy day.

These two artistic modes are something that go incredibly well together. “Parallels” adequately parallels these filmic themes across the medium into music in a way that feel unique and not just “Trent Reznor + Atticus Ross with a beat.”

You get an intense feeling of this alluring melancholy on tracks like Burial-esque “IGYC” or “All Points Back to You,” featuring Steve Spacek.

The synths on “All Points Back to You” are absolutely stellar. They glare like flares and pair so well with the slowly shrieking tones that are interspersed throughout the track. And then Spacek’s vocals come in to bring a great sense of cohesion to the track. It’s a song about deception and blame, and the ghostly production with

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

the equally ghastly vocals create this absolutely dense crystal of sleek musical pleasure.

The reason why I like this so much and why I think this album is well worth your time is that it feels so refreshing despite being relatively unoriginal. I think this whole sort of techno-musicwith-a-soul archetype had its blow-up, like most things, with Daft Punk. There is no denying that Daft Punk’s track “Something About Us” made popular the idea that music with electronic tendencies could have a poetic/soulful/bluesy/ whatever edge to it.

But then Daft Punk released “Random Access Memories” and also proved that they couldn’t just do the same thing twice; “Touch,” “Doing it Right” and “Within” were all tracks where the band placed a pretentious, masturbatory idea of “musicality” before the piece of art as a whole.

And this trend has infected electronic music wholesale.

Electronic musicians have gotten lost within their own heads and created music that, while being inventive, has sacrificed creativity for trite “musicality”: Deadmau5 dabbled with film scores, Flying Lotus started making jazz fusion and acts like Ta-Ku have been pandering to the crowds by making their music painfully blatant in its emotional appeal. Why I am bothered by this is that it feels like we’re supposed to pretend this is new or groundbreaking. It isn’t. It’s been done to death, and there’s been no invention in the field for ages it feels like.

Nosaj Thing and his “Parallels” avoids this.

It doesn’t place musicality before cohesion nor does it place thematic depth above musical IQ. Nosaj Thing is fine with letting tracks develop into a single synth line with some field recordings playing in the background and letting the listener pull out their own meaning on the track “Form” instead of labeling the track something like “Urban Rain” or “Meet in the Middle.”

I’m not saying that “Parallels” is superior to any sort of rave music or music made for a purpose. I’m just saying that “Parallels” is an album that I found refreshing in a really surprising way.

Grey and sleek are by no means new ideas. And yet, Nosaj Thing has put these two concepts together in a way that I find utterly intoxicating.

November 2, 2017

Campus Canvas

ARTS A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists

Page 17 submit to misc@vassar.edu

Excuse me, What do you think other people think of you?

“Whatever image Emily Overman’s Instagram portrays” — Austin Gibbs ’19

“Sometimes I feel like people think that I might be a fake person; Fake as in that I’m not real, that I’m an entity.”

— Daisy Walker ’18

“Gross” — Erik Spangenberg ’21

“I’ve been told I look like a drug dealer” — Merrick Rubinstein ’21

“That I’m shy at first, but once I open up, I am talkative and quirky” — Anna Zucchero ’21

Nick Barone ’19 (he/him/his) is a junior from northern New Jersey pursuing an English and History double major. He has historically served as the Opinions Editor of the Miscellany News and is currently serving as co-Editor-in-Chief of the Vassar Review. He writes poetry to linearize his subjective experience in the interstices between hyper-silliness and hyper-seriousness. It is in the spaces between these collapsible and intertwining categories where he believes trauma and epistemic overload can be properly parsed through. After graduation, he plans on taking a few years off working at an NGO like Human Rights Watch before pursuing a PhD in history or an MFA in poetry.

“I’m a caring and friendly individual” — Emma Koolpe ’21

Leah Cates, Humor & Satire Yesenia Garcia, Humor & Satire Hannah Benton, Photography

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SPORTS

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November 2, 2017

Men’s and women’s soccer seeded well in LL tournament

First-year Megan Saari shows off her foot skills in a game against New Paltz. The women’s soccer team has had a great year and will face RIT in the LL championship semi-final this Saturday.

Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton

also earned five corner kicks, while the Brewers didn’t have any. However, at the half, the Brewers were still up 1-0.

In the second half, Ithaca took another nine shots, converting on two of them. Simply having more opportunities to get the ball in the back of the net proved to be a winning strategy for Ithaca.

In the 79th minute, Ithaca’s Kendall Cirella tied the game at 1-1 on a penalty kick. Eight minutes later, Ithaca’s Shannon McMillan scored a goal from 30 yards out. In the last 13 minutes of the game, the Brewers remained scoreless, securing the win for Ithaca.

“I think our whole team wishes we could have that game back,” said McFarland. “I thought we did a good job individually but didn’t work collectively as a team, which is where Ithaca was able to take advantage of us. Going into the next game, we’re really focusing on moving and working as a collective and organized unit.”

Despite the fact that they lost, several Brewers played quite well. First-year goalkeeper Fiona Walsh tallied seven saves against 18 shots. Firstyear Ally Thayer led the Brewers on offense with three shots, two of which were on goal.

Ferry’s goal improved her point total to 22, the highest on the team and third best in the league.

McFarland now has 16 total points off six goals and four assists.

The Brewers will travel to William Smith College on Nov. 4 for the Liberty League semifinals against RIT. “I plan on helping lead the team this week by leading by example and playing in a way that inspires others to perform at their peak. As a senior, this last Liberty League opportunity is incredibly important to me,” McFarland said. “Every athlete dreams of ending their career on their best season yet, and I think we’re poised to do just that. If we can really show up this weekend, I have no doubt that we will be in the championship game.”

Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton

SOCCER continued from page 1 regards to any tactical adjustments, we always place an emphasis on playing our own style—possessing, maintaining our shape offensively and defensively, etc,” he commented. “We will tweak some areas to address key matchups we expect to see, but a win is dependent upon us persisting with the game plan we’ve developed over the course of the season.”

With this win, the Brewers will have a bye in the first round of the Liberty League tournament.

Hobart, the number one seed, will be hosting. Vassar will play the winner of the Skidmore and St. Lawrence game on Saturday, Nov. 4, in the semifinal round.

Men’s Soccer Coach Andy Jennings was extremely pleased with the way his Brewers performed this past weekend. After the game, Jennings spoke with a Vassar Athletics correspondent.

“It was awesome for us to go out on a win and a really exciting, great game,” he commented. “The attitude was fantastic, they worked hard and we knew what we had to do. We had to go out and win it and we like those situations because we like to attack. They did a great job defensively, held us to just one goal. But I’m very excited for the players because they’ve worked very hard for this. It’s a tough league, and we did very well, so we’re really happy.”

The women’s team had a strong season of their own, finsihing second in the Liberty League despite a 1-2 loss against Ithaca College on Saturday.

The Brewers finished off their regular season with a 5-3-1 record in the league.

Things started off well for the Brewers, with first-year Ashley Ferry connecting on a cross from senior Amanda McFarland in the eighth minute of the game.

Ithaca was dominant throughout the first half, taking nine shots compared to Vassar’s one. Ithaca

First-year Andrew Goldsmith runs down field in a game at Gordon Field earlier this season. The men’s team looks to win their second straight Liberty League championship this weekend at Hobart.

Preliminary scouting reports: NBA season tips off Mack Liederman Sports Editor

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lthough not too many may be paying attention quite yet, the 2017-18 NBA season has tip offed to an exciting start. After a riveting, wildly entertaining offseason, new superteams have begun to prove their worth. However, the NBA has also shown more flashes of parity than years prior, as teams from the top down hold many exciting prospects and potential breakout stars. There’s still fewer than 10 games under any team’s belt, but despite that, let’s do some way-too-early scouting reports to help make sense of how this season might shake out.

The first big headline of the year came in just the first few minutes of the first game, when new Celtics acquisition Gordon Hayward suffered a season-ending broken leg going up for a dunk against Cleveland’s LeBron James. The Hayward injury is a tough blow for the Celtics, who were primed to finally turn the corner into a legitimate championship contender after a massive rebuild. Boston was relying on Hayward to open up the floor as an efficient and athletic second scoring option.

Despite the injury, the Celtics have proven through their play in the early part of the season that they are still thriving. Young prospects Jaylen Brown and Jason Tatum have been playing excellent basketball and have proven that they are several years ahead of their projected development. Brown is an extremely athletic player who is a dangerous scoring option now that he is a reliable mid-range shooter. Tatum is inarguably the most polished first-year player in the league who is a serious contender for Rookie of the Year. Superstar Kyrie Irving has shown that he is capable of leading a championship contending team by adjusting well and willingly into the Brad Steven’s system.

Following the Celtic’s 108-94 win over San Antonio on Monday, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, “I thought the Celtic’s movement was great ... They’re playing with some edge and some physicality and I think they look wonderful” (Steve Bulpett, Twitter, 10.30.2017). Brad Stevens has done an excellent job of taming the team’s vast individual talent into his offensive system, as the Celtics surely rank as one of the passing teams in the league. Even without Hayward, all signs point in the direction of a continued upward climb for Boston, as many different players

have surprisingly stepped up and shown that the Celtics can still hang with the best of them.

While the Celtics push forward hot out of the gates, their Eastern Conference rival, the Cleveland Cavaliers, have shown some cause for concern. The Cavs currently sit at 3-4 on the season after a string of bad losses to the Magic, Nets, Pelicans and Knicks. With the departure of Irving, LeBron James must continue to adjust to being the team’s one and only go-to option.

Cleveland is also struggling with their advanced age. At 35 years, Dwyane Wade has shown that he is not much more than a role player at this point in his career, relinquishing his starting spot to the more stable J.R. Smith.

With most players on the team creeping towards their early and mid-30s, it is going to be hard for all their contributors to stay healthy throughout the course of a grueling 82-game season. However, veteran Derrick Rose has joined Cleveland stronger and healthier than he has been in over five seasons and has played well above his anticipated value with an average of 13.7 points per game. It will be interesting to see how Rose will fare when Isaiah Thomas returns from injury.

Thomas’ ability still remains the biggest question mark for Cleveland, as it is unclear if he can come back as the same player and thrive in a more backseat role than the one he was playing in Boston last season.

Despite their early season struggles, LeBron is far from concerned.

In an interview following the loss to New Orleans, James said, “I’m not getting too high and getting too low. I’m an even-keel guy. I understand this is a long process. There’s going to be some games where we don’t look as good unfortunately, but that’s all part of the process, and we just have to be patient with it until we can become full-strength” (Bleacher Report, “LeBron James Says Cavaliers Are ‘Fine’ Despite Early Season Struggles,” 10.29.2017).

It’s not time to panic in Cleveland, as the Cavs are still heavy favorites to emerge out of the Eastern Conference, as long as their pieces learn to fit and they continue to stay healthy. Take this aging Cleveland teams and drop them in 2010, when their roster was all in their prime, and they would run away with the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Over in the Western Conference, the Warriors continue to pick up right where they left off. The big four of Durant, Curry, Thompson and Green

are all completely healthy and slated to post their typical all-star levels of production. Golden State and head coach Steve Kerr have also done a nice job of retooling their bench. The new pickups of Nick “Swaggy P” Young and Omri Casspi have come in as knock-down shooters that add even more spacing to what is already the best shooting team in the NBA. Young prospects such as Jordan Bell, Kevon Looney and Patrick McCaw are legitimate role players and great athletes.

Golden State management continues to have the knack to find fringe players and turn them into valuable contributors.

Although it is clear that Golden State is primed for yet another trip to the Western Conference Finals, teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers all offer stronger competition than last year.

Oklahoma City’s trade for Carmelo Anthony is paying off in leaps and bounds. Despite the Knick’s destroying all of Anthony’s trade value, it is clear that Anthony can still continue to put up all-star caliber points night in and night out. Despite some preseason chatter, Anthony, Russell Westbrook and Paul George seem to be meshing well together thus far. With three elite shot-creators who are willing to play through each other, OKC could very well be the most talented perimeter team in the league outside of the Warriors.

Moving on from Chris Paul, the Los Angeles Clippers have actually emerged as a more talented team. Blake Griffin has been utilizing his new-found ability to control the offensive to greatly develop his perimeter play. Griffin is a legitimate threat off the dribble and can also knock down shots from both mid-range and outside the arc. With the hyper-athletic Deandre Jordan still in his prime, Patrick Beverley continuing to be a lockdown defender and the super-talented passer Milos Teodosic joining the team, the Clippers have a strong collection of well-fitting pieces.

There are clear frontrunners for title contention this season, yet there are plenty of teams that could very well have breakout seasons. The Minnesota Timberwolves boost two extremely talented scorers in Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins, who are both sneaking into their primes while the rest of the league continues to age.

The New Orleans Pelicans still have their twin towers in Anthony Davis and Demarcus

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Cousins. Cousins has shown immensive promise with his early season play, as he is averaging nearly 30 points a contest and also put up an impressive 41 points against his former team, the Sacramento Kings. Cousins is a deceptively quick player who has developed as a ball-handler and can now score at will off the dribble, while also still being one of the best midrange shooters in the league. It is unclear, however, whenever Davis and Cousins, who play the game with very similar styles and presence, can fit together. New Orleans might be one great guard away from legitimate playoff contention, and the eventual return of a healthy Rajon Rondo could very well be the missing ingredient.

Throughout the rest of the league, many different teams have shown great potential. Bucks guard Giannis Antetokounmpo currently leads the league in points per game and without a doubt could one day be an MVP. Antetokounmpo possesses LeBron James-type strength teamed with KD size. With the development of a more consistent jumpshot, Antetokounmpo could be the most terrifying matchup in the NBA. In Washington, John Wall has really stepped up his game and has proven himself as the league’s most athletic point guard who has finally developed some elite and consistent scoring ability. Teammates Bradley Beal and Otto Porter are great players in their own right, but are not enough to form the big three Wall would need to compete for a championship.

The Los Angeles Lakers are a team that is two or three years away from its prime, but it is beginning to show flashes.

Lonzo Ball is a gifted passer and rebounder, but he is offensively very far away from being more than just an average point guard. Rookie Kyle Kuzma, a lengthy presence and natural scorer, is arguably the better rookie. Altogether, the Lakers have very deep guard play and a bunch of raw, talented athletes. As these players continue to develop, and with the potential arrival of LeBron James for the twilight of his career, Los Angeles basketball could be back very soon.

The NBA is shaping up for the most exciting season in recent memory. With immense talent and very entertaining players on almost every team, there will definitely be many intriguing matchups to look out for.

SPORTS

November 2, 2017

Page 19

Superteam culture sets up NFL: Ravens, Seahawks, fourth Cavs-Warriors Finals Bengals win big in Week 8 Daniel Bonfiglio Guest Columnist

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ast year the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers played each other in the NBA finals for the third consecutive year.

The meeting marked the first time in NBA history that the same two teams had played each other in the finals threetimes in a row. In fact, it has only happened one time each in professional baseball, football and hockey, and has never happened in the WNBA. So why after three years is it not only likely the Cavs and Warriors will play each other again, but all but inevitable? The answer is superteams.

When the Cavs and Warriors first met each other in the NBA finals in 2015, they were already powerhouse teams. Lebron James, fresh off of two NBA championships and four straight trips to the finals with the Miami Heat, had returned to his hometown, while the growing legend of Stephen Curry and the Warriors’ dynamic offense was just beginning. Steph Curry won the MVP, and the Warriors won an NBA best 67 games that regular season, propelling themselves to their first championship in 40 years.

Neither team made too many big moves that off-season. They both knew they had what it takes to make it back to the finals, and Cleveland hoped that with everybody healthy this time they would win.

In the 2015-16 season the Warriors won their first 24 consecutive games, and it became clear that they were not just the best team in the NBA that year, but maybe the best ever. They finished the regular season 73-9, the best record in NBA history, and despite a shaky playoff, ultimately reached the finals to defend their title. The Cavs on the other side faced little opposition reaching the finals and arrived with a vengeance. In seven tight games, the Cavs won the NBA championship, and a rivalry between two superteams had begun.

The 2016 off-season was not anything like the last. Kevin Durant, the 2014 MVP and arguably the second-best player in baskeball, signed with the Warriors, the team that had just come off the most successful regular season campaign in basketball history. The move was shrouded in controversy as the rest of the NBA and its fans realized that an already historically good

Warriors team had just become unstoppable. To respond, the Cavaliers made a number of trades during the season, but when the Warriors won the 2016-17 NBA championship in six games, it seemed inevitable. The Warriors had a superteam.

This offseason the Cavaliers have signed the 2011 MVP Derrick Rose, former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade and the Boston Celtic’s main duo of Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder, more than making up for their loss of Kyrie Irving. There is no other team in the East that even comes close to having that kind of man power. In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder have added all-stars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to go along with the 2017 MVP Russell Westbrook, and the dynamic duo of James Harden and Chris Paul on the Houston Rockets is a deadly offensive threat; and they have no shot at beating the Warriors.

The truth of the NBA today is that one of the teams I have just mentioned will win the championship this year, and in all likelihood it will be either the Cavs or Warriors. Unlike in baseball or football, where every year brings new players, new stars, and exciting twists, basketball will have no such surprises this year. Lebron James will make his record-breaking eighth consecutive finals appearance, and for the fourth year running, they will play the Warriors.

This rivalry is perhaps the most fierce and entertaining in sports today, and the last three years’ finals have had the highest viewership since 1997. The 2016-17 regular season, in contrast, had the lowest ratings since 1995.

Fans are realizing that their teams just won’t make it, and so they stop tuning in. I am a Knicks fan, and I won’t watch the regular season. I know we won’t win this year, and I know fans of 20 other teams who think the same thing.

Players around the league are realizing that if they want to win, they have to join a superteam.

So off they go looking for a title, leaving their teams and their fans without stars or a chance.

I will watch the goliaths battle it out along with the rest of basketball fans this June, but meanwhile, the rest of the NBA might just be wasting away—waiting and watching as they hope that someday, maybe it will be their turn to rule the basketball world.

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nother week of NFL football, another set of riveting games.

The action kicked off Thursday night with the Baltimore Ravens 40-0 rout of the Miami Dolphins. The Ravens improved their record to 4-4 with this game and showed that they are not to be taken lightly, despite not being a top-tier team.

The Baltimore defense was particularly strong, allowing zero points and having two pick-sixes. It wasn’t the most thrilling game of the week, but it was a statement game for the Ravens. This was a must-win game for Baltimore in order to stay relevant in the AFC North, since the Pittsburgh Steelers are leading the division with a 6-2 record. As for the Dolphins, this was a bit of a setback to both their record (now 4-3) and team morale. If they had any hopes of a playoff run, it should be concerning to be dominated by a lackluster Ravens team.

The most exciting game of the weekend by far was between the Seattle Seahawks and the Houston Texans. The Texans got off to a great start, as quarterback Deshaun Watson fired a long touchdown pass to wide receiver Will Fuller V just over two minutes into the game.

On the Texans next drive, Seahawks safety Earl Thomas intercepted one of Watson’s passes and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown, tying the game.

The lead was traded back and forth several times throughout the game, and with 5:37 left to play in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks took a 34-31 lead on a pass from Russell Wilson to tight end Jimmy Graham. The Houston offense answered right back with touchdown of their own, coming on a screen pass to wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Losing 38-34, the Seahawks were down to the final seconds of the game when Wilson connected with Graham for yet another touchdown. They held onto the lead and won 41-38.

This was a big win for the Seahawks, who are currently tied with the Los Angeles Rams for first place in the NFC West. Though they did not win, the Texans played well and are close enough in record to potentially pass the Ten-

nessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South standings.

The Cincinnati Bengals and Indianapolis Colts played a close game on Sunday afternoon.

The Bengals blocked a Colts punt early in the first quarter, giving them a great field position advantage. They capitalized on this and kicked a field goal on that drive. As if one blocked kick was not enough for one game, the Bengals attempted another field goal on their next drive, but it was deflected by the Colts special teams.

Indianapolis went on to take a 13-10 lead, and then both teams traded touchdowns until the Colts took a 23-17 lead, making it a one-posession game.

With their backs against the wall in the fourth quarter, Bengals defensive lineman Carlos Dunlap tipped and intercepted Indianapolis quarterback Jacoby Brisset’s pass and returned it for a touchdown. Bengals kicker Randy Bullock drilled the extra point, giving his team a 2423 lead. They rode this out for the remainder of the game to beat the Colts.

Despite the incredible clutch win, this was not an excellent game for the Bengals. Cincinnati is a team that wants to contend with the best teams in the league, and playing a one-possession game with one of the worst teams in the league is not displaying the level of performance they will need to do so.

Indianapolis has had a tough year to this point, and they should be glad that they were able to play such a tight game with the Bengals, but they desperately needed that win. With upcoming games against the Texans, Steelers, Titans and Jaguars, it is unlikely that the Colts will have very many opportunities to win like they did this week.

Week nine in the NFL has several great matchups, including some big in-conference games. The Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons will square off in an NFC South showdown. Both teams have been very good lately, and this will likely be a very close contest. In the NFC North, the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions will duke it out in Monday Night Football. Watch out for both of these games among all of the exciting action this week in the NFL.

Men’s Soccer

Vassar College 7, Suny New Paltz 3

Vassar College 1, Ithaca 0

October 28, 2017

October 28, 2017

POS

Player

D F M F D F D M F D GK S S S S S S S S S S

Piscitello Caveny More Studnitzer Plante Sideleau Youse Johnston Young Pollotta Rotolo Amell Yacura Poehlein Palma Cubell Rizzo Zawacki Tavakkol Amico Maguire

Totals.......

Amico Rotolo Maguire

Sports Editor

Women’s Field Hockey

Vassar College

Goalie

Robert Pinataro

Minutes 31:25 35:00 3:35

Suny New Paltz

Sh SOG G A 0 3 5 1 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0

0 3 4 1 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

20

15

7

4

POS

Player

GK F F D M M M M F D M

Gangwere Gunter O’ Reilly Mainieri Kim Croteau Cottrell Salerno Capsello Gladstone Ackerman

Vassar College

Sh SOG G A 0 2 1 0 5 3 0 0 6 1 1

0 0 1 0 4 2 0 0 3 0 0

19

Totals.......

0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0

0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0

10 3

2

POS GK D M M M F M D D D F S S S S S S

Player

Ithaca

Sh SOG G A

Marcelino Sands Smith Stansell Snider Novas Van Brewer Karaiskos Lindley Collins Mrlik Goldsmith Olsson Bow Baliat Heitmann Lukasik

Totals.......

0 0 1 2 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0

0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0

11

4

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0

0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1

1

GA

Saves

Goalie

Minutes

GA

Saves

Goalie

Minutes

GA

Saves

1 2 0

2 4 1

Gangwere

70:00

7

8

Marcelino

90:00

0

1

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

POS M D D M F M F D M M GK S S S S

Player Hepler Dillmann Quatresols Michaels Barish Lichtman Mansfield Factor Schnur Schoen Folger Wright Karen Brosnihan Ochs

Sh SOG G 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0

Totals.......

Goalie Folger

Minutes 90:00

0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

6

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

1

GA 1

A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

0

0

Saves 3

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SPORTS

November 2, 2017

Vassar wears pink this week for break cancer awareness

All photos courtesy of Carlisle Stockton

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