The Miscellany News
Volume CXLVII | Issue 19
April 10, 2014
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Historic tree reduced to stump 50 Nights damages incur costs for Class of 2014 Ruth Bolster
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courtesy of The Chance
Emily Lavieri-Scull/The Miscellany News
Last week, one of Vassar’s most iconic trees was cut down due to its steady decay since 2006. The Class of 1939 Sugar Maple once stood on Convocation Hill.
n Saturday, March 28, a photograph of a single tree stump on Convocation Hill circulated on Facebook, inspiring critical and disappointed comments from students. “This looks like a scene from The Lorax,” wrote Caroline Stanton ’14. Erin Murray ’15 commented, “Edna St. Vincent Millay took an amazing photo there that I treasure. I can’t believe this piece of history has been taken [from] us, and with no information!” The iconic Sugar Maple, which was also the Class of 1939 tree, had been scheduled to come down since early March when an outside arborist from the landscape consulting company SaveATree determined that it was in declining health. In a March 4 letter to Director of Special Projects at Buildings and Grounds Jeff Horst, the arborist described the central trunk as being “badly decayed,” and stated that “active woodpecker activity confirms the presence of decay in the central limbs.” However, Horst said the College knew that the tree would have to be removed since 2006. “At that time, it was assessed as a tree that should be removed due to safety considerations, but we had many that were in far worse condition. We are pretty conscious about See TIMBER on page 7
50 Nights is the only all-campus event Vassar offers off campus, and it is held The Chance. This year, students’ rowdy behavior amounted to property damages and assaults on security. Noble Ingram neWs editoR
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n Saturday, April 5, the Class of 2014, in collaboration with Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE), hosted the event “50 Nights at The Chance,” the annual
event meant to commemorate the date that marks 50 nights until Commencement. The event was held at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie. Buses shuttled students to and from campus and The See WILD SENIORS on page 4
Talk bridges gap Basement no more for VC band between athletes, peers M Samantha Kohl ARts editoR
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his past weekend, Vassar College’s Campus Life Resource Group sponsored a dialogue entitled “Who Really Plays for Team Vassar?: A Gathering of Athletes, Non Athletes, and those who exist In-Between.” Sophomore Alejandro McGhee and senior women’s rugby player Dallas Robinson spearheaded the formation of the discussion. Robinson was unable to make it to
the Jade Parlor this Saturday, but McGhee led the discussion along with senior and former men’s tennis player Wilson Platt. The discussion took place over the course of an hour and a half. The first portion involved a reminder to maintain civil and appropriate discourse. The group then broke into smaller groups of two, and partners introduced themselves to one another. The small groups focused on See DIALOGUE on page 18
ost jam sessions rarely make it out of a basement. But for the members of Vishnu Basement, time spent riffing and jamming amounted to something larger than any of them had anticipated. Since its inception, the band has accumulated a massive following on campus, has gotten signed to a label, has recently finished recording their EP and are set to go on tour
with SUPERTEEN, another campus band, at the end of May. Musicians Max Goldstein ’15, Sam Fritzschel ’15, Ben Parra ’15 and Sam Judkis ’14, compose Vishnu Basement. They refer to themselves as “the lowest level of Rock at Vassar College,” but that may not be the case. Vishnu Basement achieved a cult following on campus and host shows that are always widely attended. Members of Vishnu Base-
ment are indispensable to their fans, but the group was not always a foursome. The three met when Fritzschel, guitarist and occasional vocalist for the band, was practicing in Skinner. “I was practicing in Skinner when Sam Judkis, the band’s drummer, came in and said, ‘Hey! I’m going to be playing with this guy,’” said Fritzschel. “This guy” ended up being Max Goldstein, guitarist and vocalist See VISHNU BASEMENT on page 14
Social media a glimpse into professors’ lives Chris Gonzalez
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efore the creation of sites like Facebook and Twitter, a professor’s life outside of the classroom remained a mystery for students. Interactions between students and faculty were limited to face-to-face conversations, and emails served as one of the few digital bridges extending discussions beyond office hours. Although their existence is nothing new in the year 2014, social media’s rise has removed a wall of privacy by providing a portal into the personal lives of stu-
dents and professors alike, nuancing the way in which they must navigate their online association with students. Last month, a student reported a Facebook comment made by Associate Professor of English Kiese Laymon to the Dean of Faculty. Laymon—who has over 2,000 Facebook friends and nearly 3,000 Twitter followers—is not friends with this particular student on the social media site. In an emailed statement, Laymon restated the comment, writing, “Some kid...tried to turn something I wrote— See SOCIAL MEDIA on page 8
Inside this issue
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Students must consider results of OPINIONS 50 Nights behavior
15 ARTS
Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News
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Vishnu Basement is signed by student-run record label, Sad Cactus Records. Sad Cactus recorded their album and organized the group’s tour. “It’s sumultaneously super legit and super DIY at the same time,” said bassist Ben Parra ‘15.
Lehman Loeb’s cascading fabric swath inspires awe
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Annual student-faculty game SPORTS sees waning turnout