The Miscellany News April 20, 2017
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Volume CXLIX | Issue 20
Production Amey to be next VSA President Vassar unravels reconsiders love myths mission Matt Stein
Elena Schultz and Emma Jones
Features Editor
Senior Editors
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V Michael Chung/The Miscellany News
e who are young have years ahead of us to experience what we have yet to achieve. But as we get older, we lose those infinite opportunities. What happens when tomorrow might mean that we’re dead? This is the topic that The Philaletheis Society’s production of “Cross Stitch,”—a performance of Charles Mee’s “First Love”—tackled, following Edith and Harold, two geriatrics falling in love for the first time. Portrayed by Atticus Koizumi ’20 and Sami Hodes ’20, respectively, the couple grasp with the new feelings of love at a time when most of their life has already happened. “Cross Stitch” was performed in Sanders Classroom Auditorium on Friday, April 14, at 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 15, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Directed by Alexandra Hatch ’20 and stage managed by Eilif Rønning ’20, this 45-minute play was both poignant and entertaining. Hatch talked about what first drew her to direct Mee’s play: “I had directed a Charles Mee play in the past. And I’m familiar with a lot of his work because he publishes it for free on his website. Usually to read plays, you See STITCH on page 14
On Thursday, April 13, Chair of Programming Miranda Amey ’19 was elected as the next president of the Vassar Student Association. She and the new executive board will take over in a couple of weeks. Laurel Hennen Vigil News Editor
In a few short weeks, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) will usher in a new administration to serve throughout the 2017-18 school year. As announced last Thursday, April 13, the VSA President-to-be is Miranda Amey ’19. Her executive board will be Vice President Anish Kanoria ’18, Chair of Residential Affairs Takunda Maisva ’19, Chair of Equity and Inclusion Tamar Ballard ’19,
Chair of Finance Robyn Lin ’18, Chair of Organizations Patrick DeYoung ’18 and Chair of Academics Joaquim Goncalves ’18. Amey, who is currently the Chair of Programming, has been involved in VSA since the fall semester of her freshman year, when she was elected as the Class of 2019 President. She reflected, “I decided that I really wanted to be the one to represent my class, because at the time, only six men were running and I
felt like I was a better representative of the school’s diversity.” Since then, proper representation has been an important focus for Amey, who was extremely enthusiastic about the fact that the new executive board is made up almost entirely of students of color and also includes several newcomers to VSA, who she feels will bring a different, less bureaucratic perspective. Amey had originally planned to See ELECTIONS on page 4
assar College, like most educational institutions, has a long history rooted in the exclusion of marginalized and disadvantaged groups. While some work has been done to make Vassar a more equitable and diverse place, many of the same institutional exclusions persist. Earlier this year, it was determined that the mission statement needed to acknowledge Vassar’s efforts to increase diversity. Vassar’s mission statement as it currently stands reads: “The mission of Vassar College is to make accessible ‘the means of a thorough, well-proportioned and liberal education’ that inspires each individual to lead a purposeful life. The college makes possible an education that promotes analytical, informed, and independent thinking and sound judgment; encourages articulate expression; and nurtures intellectual curiosity, creativity, respectful debate and engaged citizenship. Founded in 1861 to provide women an education equal to that once available only to men, the college is now open to all. Vassar supports a high standard of engagement in teaching and learning, scholarship See STATEMENT on page 9
Tennis rallies for third Monkeys’ Spring Show on ‘fire’ Seven Sisters title “T Izzy Braham Reporter
Fiona MacLeod Guest Reporter
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Inside this issue
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Misc Editorial Board honors Judge Sheila OPINIONS Abdus-Salaam
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FEATURES
This org is entrancing! They teach ballroom dancing
Courtesy of Juliana Ventresca
fter winning the two past annual Seven Sisters Tournaments, the Vassar College women’s tennis team set out to defend their title. Earning hard fought battles against Bryn Mawr College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College and Wellesley College, the Brewers took home their third consecutive Seven Sisters Championship title and moved up to the 39th slot of the Division III women’s national tennis ranking. Despite taking home this monumental victory, the Brewers fell to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), ranked 22nd nationally, in a score of 7-2. This loss arrived over a month after the Brewers’ last loss, which occurred against Bowdoin College on March 12. Though this defeat interrupted the team’s nine-game win streak, the Brewers look to bounce back from the matchup in order to improve their play in upcoming Liberty League competition. Sweeping the opening day of the Seven Sisters Tournament, the Brewers posted 5-0 wins against both Bryn Mawr College and Smith College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. The tournament utilizes a modified scoring system, in which players can only compete in either singles or doubles, and are not permitted to repeat in any matches. Though this required the
Brewers to tweak their usual matchups, they were able to overcome this obstacle in order to pull out numerous victories. Head Coach Kathy Campbell attributed a portion of the team’s success to entering the weekend with a strong sense of confidence. “We have demonstrated improvement each week of our season, and had a 10-2 record posted heading into this event,” Coach Campbell explained. “The confidence and positive spirit of our team enhanced our play, just as it always does.” She emphasized the effort of the collective team, rather than a single player, in battling out this win. “We played determined, smart tennis together. It was definitely a huge team effort, with everyone contributing on and off the court. We had many fearless, confident, and gutsy performances.” The Brewers swept their singles matches against Bryn Mawr, racking up three significant victories. In the first match, Vassar College sent out freshman Tara Edwards, senior captain Connie Yoo and junior Lauren DiFazio. Edwards collected her singles victories easily with scores of 6-1 and 6-0, while Yoo followed these efforts easily, winning each of her matches with scores of 6-0. DiFazio continued the successes, earning a 7-5, 6-1 victory. Vassar found similar success in its doubles action, beginning with senior See TENNIS on page 19
he theme is essentially FIREEE,” commented President of the Barefoot Monkeys Christa Ventresca ’17 in an email about the circus troupe’s spring show. On April 15, on the quad, the Monkeys showcased their high-energy repertoire, including hula-hooping, juggling, staff spinning and acrobatic skills. But of course, their Spring Show would not be complete without the Monkeys’ signature incorporation of fire. “This is definitely the most ambitious show I’ve seen yet,” said team member Jaimeson Bukacek Frazier ’19. For this show, the Monkeys fully embraced one of their most dazzling acts, featuring a lot more fire in this show than in their fall performance. With that said, the Spring Show drew a huge crowd, and it was met with a lot of boisterous cheering. With such a big turnout, it is clearly well known that the Barefoot Monkeys’ shows never disappoint. But what goes on behind the scenes in making these enticing performances, and how do the Monkeys stay safe? One thing is for sure—the glamour of the shows comes at a high cost. The Monkeys put in hours of rehearsal in the weeks leading up to it, which is always apparent in their practices on the Quad. Because the show is a culmination of many short acts that feature staff spinning to acrobatics, See MONKEYS on page 15
The Barefoot Monkeys presented their Spring Fire Show this past Saturday, featuring the creativity and diversity of their dynamic acrobatics troupe.
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History in the making: basketball star is SPORTS record-breaking