The Miscellany News
Volume CXLIX | Issue 11
December 8, 2016
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
VCVI splits sides at finale
Trigger warnings questioned
Andrea Yang
Emily Sayer
Reporter
n the night of Dec. 2, student comedy troupe Vassar Improv presented their last show of the fall semester. The event’s description read, “For 99 Nights of improv by the Class of ’99. We have 99 nights left for improvising.” As to the idea for the show, Co-President Albert Muzquiz ’17 acknowledged, “[It] was partially dedicated to the seniors like myself, maybe we thought that we could confuse the seniors into coming to our show instead of the actual 99 Nights event.” Co-President Carinn Candelaria ’18 jokingly admitted, “The title is mostly silliness and a little bit capitalizing on an event probably more popular than ours.” The show carried special meanings to each and every member of the group. As the last event they will collaboratively perform, Muzquiz dedicated a warm farewell speech to Candelaria at the end of the show. Muzquiz said of their relationship through the org and friendship, “Carinn and I have been in this group together since the beginning. I didn’t get into improv my freshman year, but they convinced me to re-audition as a sophomore (the same year we took Carinn). I’m so grateful I re-auditioned, I’m so grateful for what she’s taught me and I See IMPROV on page 7
Features Editor
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n Friday, Dec. 2, the Vassar Conservative Libertarian Union hosted a discussion in Rockefeller Hall on trigger warnings and their implications for free speech. Before the presentation began, Treasurer of the VCLU Pietro Geraci ’18 gestured to a stack of pocket constitutions piled at the front of the room and recommended that all in attendance pick one up, either to reference over the course of the conversation or perhaps in other crusades on the First Amendment. Geraci said of the event, “The main talking points centered around trigger At each event in the “We Got You, Too” discussion series, the student organizers handed out buttons and had warnings, safe spaces and their impact attendees write their names on paper hearts. Organizer Tamar Ballard ’19 hopes to eventually display all the hearts. on free speech. The argument was, ‘Does it hinder it, does it promote it?’ It was a very healthy discussion.” The conversation was facilitated by President of the Long Island University Laurel Hennen Vigil process, last week dorm house teams organized by the Noyes House Team CW Post Young Americans for Liberty News Editor continued August’s “We Got You” at the start of the semester, was pri- chapter and YAL New York State Chair t Vassar—an institution founded discussion with “We Got You, Too,” a marily focused on the experiences Pooja Bachani. by and for (and in many ways, series of six conversations about as- of students of color on campus. NoyBachani screened a video clip lamstill dominated by) the wealthy, white, pects of identity such as race, gender, es Student Fellow and host of both basting the behavior of the proponents able-bodied and cisgender—students class/socioeconomic status, ability, events Tamar Ballard ’19 explained of trigger warnings at Brown University, who fall outside these categories of- sexuality and religion. The talks will the rationale for creating a new series: which has come to symbolize the free ten need to make a considerable ef- culminate with a dinner at 6 p.m. on “Talking to people who have had the speech debate for institutions of higher fort to find others who understand Sunday, Dec. 11 in the Aula. same experiences as you and who can learning. their experiences. To help ease this The original “We Got You” event, See WE GOT YOU on page 4 See VCLU on page 7 Laurel Hennen Vigil/The Miscellany News
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Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Students broaden identity talks A
Drama Dept. modernizes classic Swim and Dive thrive in League Championships A Elena Schultz Senior Editor
Fiona MacLeod Guest Reporter
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Courtesy of Leo Hilton
lthough “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” remains an unwavering staple to the theatrical canon after four centuries, the Experimental Theater was undaunted in its quest to uniquely reinterpret the classic play in nearly every way imaginable. Directed by Christopher Grabowski, Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was presented to members of the Drama Department in a hidden part of the Martel Theater from Dec. 1 to 3. Designed for a limited audience, the play began as a small crowd of people were led into the main stage of the Martel—the props were sparse, a lighting crew was in plain sight and, most notably, the majority of the stage itself had been removed, revealing an unlit pit that seemed to descend indefinitely. While the story was told through the original text, nothing else about the production was traditional: audience members were quickly roused from their seats and led through a hallway, in which another scene was performed, and were then brought to the “trap room,” or the space underneath the stage, where the rest of the production took place. Mimicking the original story in which characters escape to a magical forest, the trap room felt like an alternate reality in which magic might really exist. Cast member Jacqui Anders ’19 elaborated, saying, “The most See MIDSUMMER on page 15
Pictured above is Emily Burke ’18 in the role of the fairy queen Titania in the Drama Department’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Inside this issue
4
NEWS
Professor’s oration reveals fugitive slave situation
9
Vassar fashion culture’s effects can be harmful, OPINIONS complex
his past Saturday, Dec. 3, both the men and women of Vassar’s swimming and diving program ventured to Rochester, NY to compete in the Liberty League Championships. The men held a constant ranking from their performance last year and finished in sixth place, while the women took home seventh place. During the opening session on Friday, the men finished sixth out of nine teams after winning 167 points altogether. These points were accrued by a multitude of the Brewers. “Everyone had at least one solid performance of which they can be proud of,” shared Head Coach Lisl Prater-Lee, who has been leading the Brewers since 1993. The men’s team started off by finishing in sixth place in the 200-yard freestyle relay, with participation from senior Anthony Walker, junior Jonah Strand, sophomore Ian LaBash and freshman Matthew Imiolek. “We were very happy about our 200-yard freestyle relay race,” relayed Strand. “We all finished close to our best splits in the relay.” This crew embodied much experience and talent from upperclassmen Walker and Strand. Heading into the championships, Strand was ranked third in the Liberty League and 62nd in the nation for the 100-yard breaststroke, with a time of 59.49. Meanwhile, Walker was ranked
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in the top six places of three different swimming events. He was ranked third in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 53.19 and second in the 200yard butterfly with 1:58.73. A time of 2:02.13 in the individual medley ranked him sixth in the Liberty League. Both Strand and Walker competed and earned success in the 200-yard individual medleys, finishing in the top 11 spots. Strand finished with a season best of 2:00.21, which earned sixth place and 24 points for the Brewers. A bit over two seconds behind Strand, Walker completed the race in 2:02.35. Coming in 11th place, he snagged 16 points for the team, which, combined with Strand’s, totaled up to 40 Vassar points. In the individual medleys, freshman Jordan Kalina finished in 13th place with his best time on the season thus far, 5:01.40. A point from LaBash, who earned a time of 5:10.29, joined the 14 points earned from this performance. The Brewers next placed in sixth in the last relay of the session, the 400yard medley, as senior Chris Cerutti, sophomore Lukas Harries, Strand and Walker finished with a time of 3:56.64. These impressive finishes accumulated major points for the squad and granted Vassar a sixth-place finish for day one. Though the Vassar men had impressive performances in the followSee DIVING on page 19
Athletic admissions raise student suspicions