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The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVIII | Issue 7

November 6, 2014

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Baskin supports ‘possible’ Senior plans Ugandan book drive two state-solution in talk B Erik Halberg

Features Editor

Rhys Johnson Reporter

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n Nov. 3, J Street U Vassar, a student organization committed to discussing a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within the context of a two state-solution perspective, hosted an event featuring Gershon Baskin, one of the foremost activists on the subject of Israeli-Palestinian peace. Aside from establishing his own research organization and negotiating with Hamas, Baskin recently wrote a book titled, “The Negotiator: Freeing Gilad Schalit

from Hamas.” As a recent high school graduate from Long Island, Baskin was first inspired to learn about Israeli-Palestinian relations while on a study-abroad program in Israel sponsored by Young Judaea, a Zionist youth group he had been involved with in his high school. “It dawned on me,” said Baskin of his Zionist education, “I just spent the whole year in Israel and I didn’t have a single conversation with an Arab the whole time I was there.” See ISRAEL-PALESTINE on page 4

ook drives seemingly happen all of the time. But because most book drives donate their books to something along the lines of a local elementary school or church library or maybe even a children’s shelter, it’s not every day that students are given the opportunity to participate in a book drive for reading centers being built in Uganda. The drive is being organized

and run by Osamagbe Ogbeide ‘15, a neuroscience major. The purpose of the drive is to acquire books that will be sent to Uganda to help stock two reading centers placed in major cities within the country. These reading centers will help ensure that Ugandans have adequate reading material that will help them foster a culture of reading. “For me, it’s about giving these students the same opportunities to learn and engage with ex-

tra-curricular learning that we’ve had [here in America],” Ogbeide explained. According to Ogbeide, the drive is the brainchild of a friend he met while interning with the Ashinaga organization in Japan this past summer. Ashinaga—which translates to Daddy-Long-Legs—is a non-profit organization that got its start helping orphaned children get an education and has since expandSee BOOKS on page 8

Latest NSO theft sparks questions of org. security Bethan Johnson

Contributing Editor

ore than half of a semester after a summertime theft of items totaling hundreds of dollars, No Such Organization (NSO) received funding from the Vassar Student Association (VSA) following a robbery within their group’s headquarters. This robbery marks the second theft in three years of the NSO, and, despite narratives to the contrary, fits within a larger pattern of expensive thefts of student organizations that include Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE), the Vassar Filmmakers and The

Jacob Gorski/The Miscellany News

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Miscellany News in the last few years. Leaders of NSO and representatives within the VSA alike view this most recent robbery as a potential catalyst for larger discussions about administrative and organizational policies around security, and hope that other organization presidents will increase security measures in the face of potential losses. The theft, which occurred over the summer with items being taken from the NSO’s clubroom, included a wide variety of goods, such as role-playing game (RPG) systems, several video games, See THEFT on page 4

Osamagbe Ogbeide ’15 is organizing a book drive on campus to help provide books for new Ugandan reading centers. The reading centers will help establish a Ugandan reading culture and aid the development of intellectualism.

Artist, activist to incite dialogue Samantha Kohl Reporter

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or his most recent performance this October, artist and activist Dread Scott attempted to walk toward a high-pressure water jet gushing out of a fire hose, but was repeatedly knocked down and battered. This powerful piece of performance art is as familiar as it is hard to watch: Scott’s work, titled “On the Impossibility of Freedom

in a Country Founded on Slavery and Genocide” recontextualizes the Civil Rights Movement to cause viewers to connect police brutality in Birmingham, Ala., 1963 to police brutality in Ferguson, Mo., 2014. At 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 11, Scott will deliver a lecture in Rocky about the link between revolutionary art and social issues, to create dialogue on Vassar’s campus. His artistic statement reveals

his innovative style: “Dread Scott makes revolutionary art to propel history forward.” As a student at the Art Institute of Chicago, Scott entered the consciousness of the American public with his installation, “What is the Proper Way to Display a U.S. Flag?” The installation sparked controversy that took over the public conversation, causing President George H. W. Bush, See DREAD SCOTT on page 16

courtesy of Dread Scott

Provoking controversy with politically charged installations, artist Dread Scott draws connections between the police brutality of Birmingham, Ala., 1963 with the events of Ferguson, Mo. in 2014. He will visit Vassar on Nov. 11.

Inside this issue

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NEWS

Republicans gain seats in midterm elections

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Senior offers crucial pre-registration HUMOR survival guide

Devoted Brewers fans chant teams to victory Erik Quinson Reporter

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assar is, on the whole, known neither for its sports teams nor its devoted fans, but, this semester, there is a growing group of Vassar students who show up in force to support the men’s soccer team. Under the leadership of junior Josh Pratt, a group of at least 20 fans finds its way out to Gordon Field, rain, wind or shine, to cheer on the men’s soccer team at every home game. Occasionally sporting face paint, they strive to emulate Premiership-style chants, shouting at the top of their lungs and willing the ball to find the net. Their passion for their team can be heard all the way from the TH path. Although this year Pratt and co. have a consistent turnout for games, the fan club had humble beginnings, starting back in 2012 with Pratt and Ben Glasner, a junior on the men’s varsity team, as its only members. Pratt recalled the first game he and Glasner went to with the intention of starting up some chants, stating, “We were a bit nervous since it was just the two of us, and the first chant we did, people were quiet for a bit and then they started laughing and clapping.” But the idea quickly caught on. The team made it to the Liberty League finals that year, and the fan club rose to the challenge: “...About six of us

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did body paint. Our chants definitely upped the energy a lot, and there was a huge crowd there that day.” Pratt hails from England, and his love for the game and the experience of being a fan for teams there inspired him to create the chants here. “I really enjoyed going to games in England, so I took some chants from there and put Vassar into them.” Pratt is not the only foreigner glad to have the chance to continue cheering for his team. Sophomore Ioannis Filippidis comes from Greece, and, although he misses his home team’s games, he’s glad for the opportunity to get behind Vassar’s soccer team. “When I’m back home, I always go to my team’s games. Even if I have an exam the next day, I’ll go to the game. It’s something that I missed doing and it’s great to have the chance to cheer for a team,” Filippidis said. Yet another fan, junior Dillon Guynup, remembered what it was like to cheer at his high school and found the chance to continue here at Vassar a fantastic opportunity: “I was in our sizable cheering section at high school for the last three years. We were louder but we were also bigger. It’s great to have the chance to support the team; they’re such great guys.” Pratt actually was on the soccer team his freshman year but decided to See FANS on page 18

Notable NYC ballet dancers to perform at VCw


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