Misc5 5 16

The Miscellany News

Volume CXLVIII | Issue 21

May 5, 2016

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Rankine’s Divest VC sit-in influences administration words V resound Eilis Donohue News Editor

Alan Hagins

Assistant Features Editor

cclaimed author Claudia Rankine took the stage and the crowd in Taylor Hall burst into eager applause. An hour later when she stepped off the podium, the excitement and care-free anticipation which had filled the room had vanished. In its place, there entered a profound discomfort. Attendants slowly rose from their seats and soundlessly filtered out of the auditorium.

Professor of English Amitava Kumar believed these feelings of discomfort stemmed from Rankine’s hard-hitting poetry. He said, “Rankine’s writings are meant to jostle us out of our complacency. You felt it in the air that night, the disturbance.” At the lecture, Rankine read from her most recent book of poetry, “Citizen: An American Lyric.”

The work gives voice to the struggle of Black Americans confronted with white supremacy. American writer and theatre critic Hilton Als said of the work, “It’s the best note in the wrong song that is America.

Its various realities, mistaken identity, social racism, the whole fabric of urban and suburban life are alSee RANKINE on page 8

Alec Ferretti/The Miscellany News

A

assar students have proved that they support fossil fuel divestment on paper and in practice. 91 percent of students voted in support of fossil fuel divestment in the recent referendum and more than 400 people showed up to the sit-in conducted by Vassar College Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign last week to lend their presence to the cause.

Student protesters camped out for a week outside of President Catharine Bond Hill’s office, many even staying overnight to ensure that the hall was occupied every moment of each day of the week. According to Vassar College Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign member Sophie Cash ’19, at least 50 people were present every day at meetings with administrators. Member Martin Man See DIVESTMENT on page 3

Student activists take part in a week-long sit-in organized by Vassar College Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign. The demonstration is part of a nationwide student movement urging colleges and universities to divest from fossil fuels.

“Goodnight Moon” adapted for student tastes Matt Stein

Assistant Arts Editor

R

emember when you were a little kid, ready to go to bed, and one of your parents tucked you in. Before you could go to sleep though, you had to hear a story. So as you drifted off to sleep, images of optimistic train engines and wild things filled your head. What if you could return to that place of wonder and imagination with the stories you loved?

Unbound, Vassar’s experimental student theatre group, is producing “Goodnight Moon,” a devised piece inspired by Margaret Wise Brown’s classic 1947 children’s book. Facilitated by Colby Byrne ’18 and Delphine Douglas ’18, this special event will explore the world of that beloved story in the Kenyon Club Room on May 6 at 6:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. The show will be around 30 minutes long and audience members are encour-

aged to bring blankets and pillows.

“The process they went through to adapt a children’s book into a devised piece of theatre was very exploratory, with each member of the production investigating the text closely,” Byrne added in an emailed statement. “It started out by looking through the book, thinking about things that have struck us or are interesting. Then we had projects and assignments for each of the cast

members that people would present that were relating to these topics.

Two weeks ago Delphine and I wrote the final script, and we’ve been cleaning that up and making changes/rehearsing ever since.”

Practically every student theatre organization allows for special event proposals. Different from fulllengths, special events have looser guidelines and a smaller budget. AdSee MOON on page 7

Dance festival celebrates culture Knigge recognized as NCAA All-American W Elena Schultz Arts Editor

Jamie Anderson Guest Reporter

T

Courtesy of Vassar International Services

hile the International Dance Festival is relatively new to campus, the Office of International Services (OIS) has been laying the event’s groundwork for years. The festival celebrated its second annual year in UpC on Friday, April 29.

The idea for the International Dance Festival was born out of the necessity to not only celebrate diversity within campus, as Kaleidoscope— the annual fall festival of culture and cuisine—has done for years, but also within the Poughkeepsie community as well. Director of International Services Andrew Meade remarked, “We actually had the idea for several years, but we didn’t have the courage to act on it right away ... It’s not just international students but it’s everybody in the space, and so we’ve been trying to have a spring counterpart to [Kaleidoscope] for a long time. This is an event around movement...and not just for dance organizations that are on campus, but also dance organizations that are off campus.”

The overarching idea for this year’s International Dance Festival was to bring together both the Vassar and Poughkeepsie communities. As Post-Baccalaureate Fellow for International Services Shàni Cox expressed, “It’s a chance to show Poughkeepsie that there’s more to the people living at Vassar, this little bubble, and there’s more to the people in the community See DANCE on page 17

International Dance Festival highlights campus and community diversity. The event featured dances and performances from various cultural organizations.

Inside this issue

4

NEWS

Asbestos discovered in faculty housing

7

Monkeys fired up for circus FEATURES convention

he Vassar College men’s volleyball team had a banner season this spring. The men capped the year with 24 wins to only seven losses and several wins against not only top-15 teams in the country but also a pair of wins over top-10 nationally-ranked squads. Although their season ended in just the second round of the United Volleyball Conference playoff tournament, the Brewers still lay claim to a high degree of success, including national recognition as No. 8 in the country for Division III. One can look to several standout performers to explain why the Vassar men’s volleyball team had such a successful run this year.

At the close of the season, the UVC recognized four members of the squad as some of the best and most outstanding performers in the UVC, without a doubt one of the most competitive conferences in Division III. Vassar men’s volleyball has never had this many players nab All-UVC in a single season.

Junior Trey Cimorelli earned Libero of the Year for his defensive contributions, while senior rightside Reno Kriz was named to the All-UVC Second Team. Cimorelli notched further accolades as the UVC named gave him an Honorable

14 ARTS

Mention. Sophomore setter Zechariah Lee also received a All-UVC Honorable Mention for his dominant offensive play throughout the course of the season.

The UVC awarded sophomore 6’9” middle-hitter Matthew Knigge with a spot on the All-UVC First Team for his noteworthy play for the Brewers. This recognition was just the start of a litany of awards Knigge would rack up after the conclusion of the season.

In addition to earning a spot on the All-UVC First Team, the New Egypt, NJ native garnered a slot on the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) First Team.

The American Volleyball Coaches Association also selected Knigge as a First-Team All-American for Division III, the highest accolade for an athlete.

Knigge is the 10th Vassar student-athlete to earn this honor. He joins five other men’s volleyball alums, including John Kessenich and Phil Tully, who were named FirstTeam selections in 2008 and 2009.

While the sophomore is the sole All-American on the current team, he downplays the individual nature of his accomplishments and credits this year’s strong play to his teammates. “[B]eing named an All-American See KNIGGE on page 18

Seniors fondly recount their hour on the stage

The Miscellany News

Page 2

May 5, 2016

Editors-in-Chief Rhys Johnson

Senior Editors Zander Bashaw Emma Jones

News Eilis Donohue Opinions Nick Barone Arts Noah Purdy Elena Schultz Sports Hanna McGuire Photography Sam Pianello Design Talya Phelps Charlotte VarcoeWolfson Online Kelsey Quinn Copy Jackson Ingram Humor and Satire Evelyn Frick

Courtesy of Nicole Howell

Nicole Howell ‘17 is making the most of her last few days of studying abroad in Paris. She recently took a trip to Nice, France, where she enjoyed the sunshine and climbed the ruins of an old chateau. To read more about Nicole’s JYA experience, go to farandaway.miscellanynews.org!

The Miscellany News 5

May

Thursday

Late Night at the Loeb 5:00pm | Loeb | Art

Breaking the Silence

6:00pm | Rocky 300 | J Street U

Lecture: Jeff McClusky

6:00pm | Blodgett Auditorium

CAAD Sound of Space

7:00pm | Chapel |Dean of the Faculty

Yom Hashoah Memorial Service

7:00m | Chapel Lawn | Religious and Spiritual Life Office

4.48 Psychosis

8:00pm | Shiva | Philaletheis

Goodnight Moon

12:00am (Friday) | KH 205 | Unbound

Weekender_ 6

May

Friday

Kill Me Tomorrow (but let me live today) 4:00pm | NE 106 | President’s Office

Track (M/W)

4:30pm | Prentiss Track. | Athletics

Do It In The Dark

7:00pm | Blodgett Courtyard | Vassar Greens

Super Sex: Decoding Desire and Orchestrating Orgasms 7:00pm | Rocky 300 | CHOICE

A GET Together

7:00pm | Villard Room | VXF

Vassar College Orchestra

7

May

Saturday

Founder’s Day

All Day | Ballantine | Traditions Committee

Field Hockey (W) vs. Alumni

10:00am | Prentiss Field| Athletics

8

May

Sunday

Baseball (M) VS Union College

1:00pm | Prentiss Field | Athletics

BSU Study Sessions

2:00pm | CCMPR | Black Students Union

Soccer (W) Alumnae Game

10:00am | Prentiss Field | Athletics

Rugby (W) Alumnae XV Game 11:00am | Farm | Athletics

Soccer (M) vs. Alumni

12:00pm | Prentiss Field | Athletics

Crossword Editors Alycia Beattie York Chen Collin KnoppSchwyn Assistant Features Julia Cunningham Alan Hagins Assistant Arts Matt Stein Patrick Tanella Assistant Copy Claire Baker Assistant Social Media Hannah Nice Web Master Andy Carrera Reporters Amreen Bhasin Ashley Hoyle Jeremy Middleman Sieu Nguyen Sabrina Oh Elena Schultz Kris Weber Clark Xu Columnists Jimmy Christon Jillian Elkin Saachi Jain Evelyn Frick Steven Park Penina Remler Josh Sherman Jesser Horowitz Photographers Alec Ferretti Ashley Pecorelli Design Christa Haryanto Klara Kaufman Scarlett Neuberger Samana Shrestha Copy Gabriela Calderon Sophie Deixel Noah Purdy Sophie Slater Talya Phelps Laila Volpe Rebecca Weir Laura Wigginton

Rugby (M) Alumni XV Game 1:00pm | Farm | Athletics

8:00pm | Skinner | Music Dept.

4.48 Psychosis

8:00pm | Shiva | Philaletheis CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only corrections for any misquotes, resentations or factual errors for ticle within the semester it is

Goodnight Moon

8:00pm | KH 205 | Unbound

HEL Mug Show

8:00pm | The Mug | HEL

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

accept misrepan arprinted.

May 5, 2016

NEWS

Page 3

Vassar celebrates three exceptional Truman Scholars Clark Xu Reporter

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in an emailed statement, “Since low income, first generation college students who grew up in immigrant families don’t always know about the wealth of resources and opportunities available in higher education, I make it a point to advise and mentor students from those backgrounds who end up in my classes.” He continued, “I try to do for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds what my mentors have done for me over the years: I make sure they know that they’ve demonstrated promise, I point them in the direction of funding opportunities and programs that will support their academic and professional aspirations, and I do my best to provide the emotional and logistical supports necessary to get students to apply for programs and fellowships that will help them craft a path through college.”

A broad spectrum of students have a fair chance to succeed in competitive research and study programs. Kooperman remarked, “The strongest applicants are those who come in with

particular plans for the future in mind—and then we work together to identify opportunities that could potentially help them realize their goals.

Not the other way around, where someone wants a particular fellowship and is trying to fit the mold. There is no mold—scholars and fellows are natural fits for these opportunities. We work with them to communicate their strengths.”

As for this year’s Truman Scholars, the scholarship ensures that they will have a strong chance to realize their public service vision. Tambree said, “I recognize that the society we live in is fundamentally violent and unequal—and I feel a strong obligation to my community.” Carey agreed, “Vassar students must perceive the privileges we have and the violence embedded in comfortable living.

My personal vision of public service is to give access to non-dominant narratives and histories to marginalized youth through education so that they can make sense of [themselves] and their communities, and imagine different worlds.”

Courtesy of Vassar College Media

n most days, the Office for Fellowships and Pre-Health Advising offers steady and calm advice to students and alumni nominated by faculty to participate in research and study programs. On April 20, Vassar students Kali Tambree ’17, Raymond Magsaysay ’17 and Cecil Carey ’17 were declared winners. They will join 51 other Truman scholars this year in Harry Truman’s hometown of Independence, MI on May 29 for an awards ceremony.

The news came several days before the set announcement date. Tambree recalled, “I was genuinely shocked. I wasn’t expecting to find out then at all.” The students were pleased to discover that their classmates had won. Carey noted, “I was very happy to know my two friends Raymond and Kali won. Put simply, the scholarship is an amazing opportunity and brings me one step closer to my dream of being a high school educator.”

The geographic diversity of Vassar’s finalists this year helped give the school a unique opportunity to celebrate three Truman Scholars. The program usually admits one to three students from each state. Carey’s hometown is Skowhegan, ME, while Tambree lives in Baltimore City, MD and Magsaysay hails from California and the Philippines. The most recent Vassar Truman recipient was Nathan Tauger ’14, who won the scholarship in 2013.

The Truman Scholars program was established by Congress in 1975 to help college juniors pursue public leadership. Each student had their own goals within that sphere. Carey asserted, “I believe that education is the most important site of struggle for marginalized peoples in this country and I furthermore feel that education can be our best route for progressive social change and uplift.” Tambree noted that she wishes to address injustices related to the imprisonment of minority populations, especially young adults and children who contradict the police. She explained, “My policy proposal for the scholarship ad-

dressed mass incarceration. I particularly looked at the school-to-prison pipeline. It’s important because it dispossesses and destroys already underserved communities, and is a part of a larger framework of inequality.” Similarly, Magsaysay plans to attend law school to build a career fighting inequalities at immigration checkpoints, prisons and schools.

In addition to writing letters of recommendation, faculty members had an important role to play in the application process. Kooperman noted, “I rely on faculty to send me the names of students or to send students in to meet with me, even if it is not obvious what the best opportunity is for them.” For example, Professor of Political Science Sidney Plotkin encouraged Carey to apply for the Truman Scholars program. He recalled in an emailed statement, “What impresses me about Cecil Carey beyond the fact of his obvious intelligence, are his keen curiosity, intellectual honesty, his willingness and capacity to look at complicated issues from different angles and, of course, his strong sense of political engagement, particularly in regard to issues of education and inequality.”

Professor of Sociology Carlos Alamo noted, “I’ve had Kali Tambree in several classes and I always came away impressed with the work she does inside and outside the classroom ... I expect Kali will one day go on to graduate school and later do some amazing and transformative research, teaching and writing in critical prison studies.”

Kooperman corroborated the faculty recommendations, emphasizing their importance in the competition. She commented, “Kali came to me on a recommendation from Professor Carlos Alamo; our initial conversation was illuminating and inspiring. I followed up with Carlos to let him know just how grateful I was that he sent her my way because I was sure she had unusual promise.”

The faculty recommendations are also a chance for professors to offer assistance and solidarity to students in whom they see promise.

Professor of Sociology Erendira Rueda, who recommended Magsaysay for the scholarship, wrote

Juniors Cecil Carey, Kali Tambree and Raymond Magsaysay received the Truman Scholarship this spring. They were among 51 students nationwide who were selected for the competitive program.

Divestment protest earns community, campus support DIVESTMENT continued from page 1

with verbal support and monetary donations for the week’s food.

Notably, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) came out in support of fossil fuel divestment at Vassar. The Rockefeller family has a long history of connection to the College, beginning with John D. Rockefeller’s donation of his namesake hall. The RBF itself made the decision to divest from fossil fuels in 2014, despite the fact that its famed patriarch earned his fortune largely from investing in oil companies like ExxonMobil (The Guardian, “Rockefeller family charity to withdraw all investments in fossil fuel companies,” 03.23.2016).

After several meetings throughout the week, Hill agreed to several of Divest’s demands, which included setting up arranging a meeting with Divest before the end of the semester. Man clarified, “What we did get is a commitment from Cappy to organize a meeting between us and the executive committee of the board of trustees, which meets and can decide on things between the regular trustee meetings.”

Hill also agreed to a restructuring of the Campus Investor Responsibility Committee (CIRC), which is to be completed by the end of the Fall 2016 semester. Students adamantly insist that it needs to change. Cash explained, “[A]t this moment in time [CIRC] is technically supposed to be made up of two students, two faculty, two administrators and two alumni, and is just really convoluted and messed up because administrators are serving as faculty and alumni even though they’re still administrators.” Man furthered, “This imbalance led to a preponderance of administrators who not only have an interest in keeping the status quo, but also naturally have more power to begin with, especially over students.”

If representation on the committee, which makes decisions on the school’s investments, is made more fair, students believe there is a better chance that issues like fossil fuel divestment will be considered more seriously.

Although everyone involved in the discussions is aware of the pressing nature of climate change, opinions differ on the best way to confront the issue. Divestment member Vi-

olet Cole ’19 summarized, “[T]he fundamental issue is that...we all know climate change is a problem and [Cappy] thinks that the way to go about it is not divestment and we think it is.”

Hill agreed in an emailed statement, “Our goals are the same–to address climate change. We disagree on the policies to do so. I hope we can find common ground, since we are on the same side of this issue.”

Divest VC members are pleased with the results of the week, but are far from finished fighting for the cause. They believe that after this week, there is great potential for future activist initiatives, both in fossil fuel divestment and other issues. “We can only build on our success from this sit-in, which not only exposed many to the capacity and potential of our campaign, but opened others to the possibility of activism and activist organizing on campus on this scale,” Man declared. “It was as much an exercise of the divestment campaign’s capabili-

ty to mount a week-long protest as the opening up of a space at the center of Main for collective, non-hierarchical and participatory action.”

The activists expressed that they are disappointed but not surprised at Hill’s ultimate refusal to agree outright to divest the College from fossil fuel. Man noted, “I don’t think it was unexpected, given her past opposition, but we had hoped she might be swayed by the showing of broad support from the Vassar community.”

The Divest group hopes to convince Hill and the Board that it is in the institution’s best interest to listen to its constituency and take immediate action. Cash declared, “If we act now, we’ll still be leaders. And Vassar in the past has prided itself for being a socially conscious leader, and we have warned Cappy and the administration that if we fail to act on this issue within the next year or so, likely we will run the risk of losing our chance to be a leader in this aspect... or even a relevant actor.”

Courtesy of VC Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign

’16 reflected in an emailed statement, “I think the week went in many respects better than many of us expected. I anticipated that once we began the sit-in, people would be attracted to come and participate, but it was still very encouraging to see the swell of student, faculty, alumnae/i and staff support (not to mention support from outside Vassar, too) rally around the action we had been planning for weeks.”

The fossil fuel divestment movement is the fastest-growing divestment movement in history. Vassar’s campaign received attention from national and campus media alike, including from the Huffington Post, radio station WAMC and campus magazine Boilerplate.

The sit-in was also the largest climate action event in Vassar’s history and one of a movement of many similar demonstrations at colleges and universities around the world, such as Swarthmore College, Columbia University and Uppsala University in Sweden. Man confirmed, “Campaigns at many institutions have ramped up their action these few weeks and the message is definitely a lot stronger when we all mobilize together like this. An isolated action at one school might be easily ignored or downplayed, but we can point to the fact that we are part of a larger movement.”

Divest VC has held several actions every year of its existence, but this event featured slightly different tactics in addition to the standbys of banner drops and group chants. “[W]ays of impressing the administration with our organization and power were things like the bandanas that told everybody who was the specific liaison for each [visitor], like the media, police and administrators, community liaison and the new person wrangler, and that’s a tactic that professional activists use,” explained Cash.

There were also sundry events taking place throughout each day, including a cappella concerts, spoken word performances and workshops about effective activism. Multiple professors brought their classes to the hallway to learn from the activists and lend their numbers to the group lining the hall. Alumni stopped by throughout the week to buoy student activists

In addition to staging the sit-in outside the President’s office, Divest VC organized banner drops, singalongs and activist workshops, all aimed at spreading climate change awareness.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

NEWS

Page 4

Outside the Bubble Ivory burnings protest poaching On Saturday, April 30, President of Kenya Ururu Kenyatta set more than 105 metric tons of confiscated ivory and 1.5 tons of rhino horn on fire in Nairobi National Park to signal the country’s seriousness about ending illegal ivory trade (NY Times, “Kenya burns elephant ivory worth $105 million to defy poachers,” 04.30.2016). With the street price of ivory at around $1,000 per kilo, the amount of ivory burned was worth around $105 million total. In 1989, when the first ban on ivory was introduced by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, large ivory burnings became more frequent in Kenya. The burning of the ivory is not only to make a statement but also because guarding stockpiles 24/7 becomes expensive over long periods of time.

Elephant poaching has been a longstanding issue in Kenya as well as in many other Central and West African countries, and poachers are using increasingly powerful weapons to hunt. Despite the 30-year ivory ban, Kenya’s wild elephant population has been hunted almost to extinction. Neighboring countries are also facing this problem–an average of 30,000 elephants are killed in Africa each year and it is estimated that the African Elephant will go extinct in 20 years if killings continue at this rate (The Independent, “Kenya stages largest ivory burn in history in call to end illegal wildlife trade,” 05.02.2016).

Several countries have destroyed ivory stockpiles in recent years, including a public ivory crushing event in Times Square last year. While they make a powerful statement against the illegal trade, critics have argued that burning ivory may make poaching more attractive due to the post-burning price increase.

This recent burning destroyed five percent of the world’s stockpiles, creating more incentives for poachers to kill for profit (Quartz, “Kenya is burning 5% of the world’s stockpile of ivory,” 04.30.2016).

Ivory is in high demand in Asian markets where consumers seek to buy ivory trinkets. China and Japan have tried to legalize the ivory trade in order to flood the market and decrease value of ivory and profitability for poachers. However, an increase of ivory in the market only removed the stigma against buying ivory (Deutsche Welle, “To burn or sell ivory: Which can put an end to elephant poaching?”

04.29.2016). Unless the demand for ivory is eliminated, this ivory burning will likely not be the last.

Puerto Rico faces immense debt

—Shelia Hu, Guest Reporter

Faculty housing poses safety questions Noble Ingram and Anika Lanser

Outgoing Editor in Chief and Senior Editor

28

Vassar Lake Drive sits in a mossy cul de sac on the eastern edge of Vassar’s faculty housing. Dark gray siding peeks out through chipping white paint on the exterior and weeds have collected along the property’s perimeter. Some of the top floor windows are buffered by plastic sheets. Inside, dust and debris litter the sinking floorboards and there is visible water damage at the corners of the ceilings. Accessible only through a narrow and creaky staircase, the basement is perhaps the worst-kept area of the house, with insulation spilling out of the walls, a leaky furnace and exposed pipes. The house creaks like a building that has been decaying for years. But in fact, this college-owned residence has been empty for only four months.

Between January 2014 and November 2015, former Grounds Manager Kevin Mercer lived at this address. His time there was marked by a number of trials, but Mercer explains that it wasn’t the uneven floors or the chipping exterior paint that left him with a bitter taste in his mouth. Instead, he claims something more sinister was at play: the presence of asbestos and radon at dangerous levels.

“The floors in the living room were so bent you could actually see the basement between the floorboards in the living room ... And then my neighbor told me that it tested positive for radon,” Mercer said.

Mercer was hired by the College in February 2015. In his time at Vassar, he vastly improved the campus landscape and ultimately won a Grand Award for the College. After arriving, Mercer lived in several different faculty houses including a Watson apartment and a different property at 49 Collegeview Avenue. After six months, according to Mercer, the College moved him and his family to 28 Vassar Lake Drive, despite him never requesting a relocation.

The house was in such a shambled state when Mercer moved in that he was forced to spend his own money on repairs and on basic furniture the College didn’t provide. As he explained, “When I went into the house I had to do a lot of painting myself. The walls were in bad shape. The floor was horrific and it didn’t even have a shower.”

He continued, “I noticed there was a leak in the furnace that was leaking oil all over the floor and I put a work order in for it and it never got repaired.”

According to Mercer, the house he moved into was deteriorating fast. He repeatedly called into question the structural stability and safety of his home. As he testified, “Had the College alerted me in advance to the moldy condition and moisture problems throughout the house at 28 Vassar Lake Drive, I would not have signed the lease.” But what of the allegations of unsafe radon levels?

Vassar’s faculty housing is organized through a leasehold housing program. Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources Marianne Begemann states that the leasehold program is important for maintaining the residential nature of the College. She explained, “The leasehold program was established at a time when housing prices in the area were such that few families could afford to purchase a home without extraordinary means. By purchasing only the home and not the land, as in the leasehold program, home ownership became more feasible with a typical faculty salary.”

According to the faculty handbook, the leasehold program stipulates that the College maintains control of the land on which houses are built and leases the space to homeowners for a set time period. Homeowners may then buy or rent the houses from the College. Residents of faculty housing must communicate with Vassar before making major changes and when they seek to resell, the College approves the process.

In the case of 28 Vassar Lake Drive, the leasehold housing process stipulates that the former owner of the house, Professor Emeritus Robert Fortna, had to have the house appraised. In other words, the College needed to have examined the house and conducted inspections of the property before purchasing it back from Fortna.

If something unsafe was found, either the presence of substances like powder asbestos or high radon levels for example, the previous owner either fixes the problem or foots the bill for the changes in the form of a lower resale price.

But even if the College promises that the money it saves by re-buying properties at lower prices will go towards fixing an issue, Mercer contends, there is no guarantee it will follow through with the necessary repairs. In contrast, Begemann has stated that in her experience, the College has, in fact, implemented repairs for the houses that it acquires. As she testified, “The College has made repairs [addressing harmful toxins] before houses change hands.” However, some disagree. Professor of English Donald Foster disagrees, believing that the College does not conduct these repairs, otherwise it would have addressed the harmful toxins in 28 Vassar Lake Drive after it was acquired from Fortna.

Vassar’s faculty housing website lists inspection information for all houses that are up for sale. After 28 Vassar Lake Drive was purchased, its inspection information was posted. The radon tests, according to Foster, were conspicuously missing. He testified, “Allison O’Brien confirmed to me that she’s gotten inspections for every house and the College legislation… requires the Office of Marianne Begemann to disclose the appraisals and inspections not just to potential buyers but to the faculty housing committee. Their office has refused to do that for some houses including 28 Vassar Lake Drive.”

Foster was Mercer’s neighbor during his time on Vassar Lake Drive. He often spoke with Mercer about the house and has since conducted his own research on its current state. Foster was the first person who encountered difficulty acquiring the housing inspection information. He argues that the possible presence of dangerous toxins like radon is the reason for the purposeful nondisclosure of certain inspections pertaining to faculty houses. “I’m convinced that the College won’t show anyone the Home Inspection, which the College admits that it got. And in the case of the radon in the houses that they were just selling, it appears that they just destroyed one [inspection] because the radon levels were high,” Foster explained.

He continued, “College legislation says that Marianne’s office has to disclose [the records of houses they’re selling] and she has just flatly refused to do it, which is not decent.”

Begemann’s account ran counter to Foster’s, however. She wrote, “We make all reports and information in our possession available to faculty who express interest in the properties and also encourage potential buyers to obtain their own inspections as well.” Email testimony from Foster calls into question Begemann’s account of the College’s disclosure of inspections. It took numerous emails between Begemann, Director of Faculty Housing Allison O’Brien and Foster in order for Foster to gain access to the inspections, despite expressing interest in the house in question. Once Begemann sent the inspections to Foster, he discovered that the radon reports were from 2009 and 2005, making them inconclusive to the current condition of the house.

The Policies Governing College Housing section of the Faculty Handbook states that inspection reports should be made available to any and all potential buyers. Begemann’s statements were consistent with this policy when she refused to share the inspection report for 28 Vassar Lake Drive with The Miscellany News. As

she wrote, “Regarding the inspection you have requested, we do not share such information about specific residences except when those homes are posted for sale and when faculty members interested in them request it.”

Foster’s effort to find more specific information on what appraisers saw in the house proved fruitless. In an attempt to know the truth about the condition of the home, Foster actually administered a radon test in the basement of 28 Lake Drive himself. The test indicated that radon levels in the basement of the Vassar Lake Drive property were measuring an average of 6.3 pCi/L, significantly higher than the maximum safe level of 4.0.

But how do these high radon levels play into the leasehold process? According to the Faculty Handbook, if a buyer or renter moves into a house and then finds a cause for concern, it is the financial responsibility of the leaser to make the repair. The College doesn’t have to pay to repair an unsafe house if the discovery of unsafe conditions is made after move-in. Only a few months after Mercer moved in, radon levels were at dangerous levels and he claimed there was exposed friable asbestos in the basement.

One other complication in Foster’s effort to learn more about the house is its imminent demolition. The house is scheduled to be torn down. Mercer suggests that removing the house could be interpreted as intentional destruction of evidence. Whatever the intentions of the College are, the fact remains that soon, it will be impossible to assess the living conditions and safety concerns at this address.

Given the severity of these problems, Foster and Mercer argue that the College should have been aware of these unsafe conditions before renting. Foster contends the missing radon reports for 28 Vassar Lake Drive only make this exchange more suspicious. He commented, “Almost all of the B&G workers...recognize asbestos when they see it because it’s a known hazard on campus. So I think the burden is really on the College to show that for some reason they lost the inspection.”

After Mercer left his job at the College, under unfortunate circumstances and conflicts with the Administration, he and his family suffered a number of health effects including severe chronic migraines. Whether or not these symptoms were a result of Mercer’s time living at 28 Vassar Lake Drive, the health of his family led him to question more seriously the toxins possibly present in his former house. Mercer’s family vacated the house permanently at different times. His wife left before to take a job in Pittsburgh that would ultimately make it financially feasible for Mercer to leave Vassar and move on to a new job in New Jersey. The family was so desperate to leave Vassar and faculty housing that Mercer and his wife currently live and work in two different states. The house currently stands empty, with cupboards and drawers left open. Various objects remain tucked away in quiet corners: a television remote, a metal water bottle, the signs of a hasty retreat by the Mercer family. Much remains unclear about Mercer’s time living on college property. But no one can deny his claims raise serious questions about housing safety at Vassar.

Anika Lanser/The Miscellany News

Puerto Rico was due to pay $470 million in debt payments by Monday, May 2, but Governor Alejandro Garcia announced on Sunday that the nation will not meet the deadline. Garcia explained that it came down to a difficult choice: making the payments or providing basic necessities for residents. Ultimately, the government chose the latter (USA Today, “Puerto Rico to default further on debts,” 05.02.2016). A bill passed last month allows Garcia to declare a state of emergency and halt payments of their total debt, $72 billion. The bill was enacted so services like schools, hospitals, police and fire safety would not be halted. As of early April 2016, Puerto Rico only had $562 million in the Government Development Bank, which would not leave much money for other services (NY Times, “Puerto Rico passes bill allowing halt to debt payment,” 04.06.2016).

Puerto Rico has had serious economic problems for the past 10 years. Congress faces pressure to create a restructuring plan to deal with the tremendous debt. While there is consensus that a financial control board should be established to watch over spending in Puerto Rico, there is still conflict on whether Chapter 9 of the United States Bankruptcy Code that only allows for declarations of bankruptcies only to municipalities, not territories, could be expanded (NY Times, “Puerto Rico to miss largest payment to date,” 05.01.2016). If Congress does not approve a debt-restructuring plan, then a taxpayer-funded bailout would be the next step.

The fiscal crisis is caused by several factors, one of the biggest being the U.S. federal tax code. Section 936 granted several tax incentives for manufacturers to operate in Puerto Rico, one of the biggest drivers of economic growth for the territory since the 1970s. However, Section 936 expired in 2006, marking the beginning of Puerto Rico’s recession (The New Yorker, “The Puerto Rican Problem,” 04.06.2015). With the tax provisions repealed, companies began to pull out and factories began closing down, causing high rates of unemployment and sudden decrease in economic growth.

Unemployment rates in Puerto Rico are estimated at 12.2 percent, with over 45 percent of the population living under poverty levels. In addition to the decade-long recession, Puerto Rico is dealing with the first U.S. death related to the Zika virus, which is putting a strain on its public health sector and negatively impacting its tourism sector (The Wall Street Journal, “Default set to push Puerto Rico’s debt crisis onto dangerous new ground,” 05.02.2016).

May 5, 2016

In addition to being structurally compromised, 28 Vassar Lake Drive, now uninhabited, was found to contain asbestos and radon. Many faculty houses have similar health concerns.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

May 5, 2016

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Eisikovits challenges traditional theories of war and peace Kris Weber Reporter

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pen between two states anymore, but between a country and an organization?”

Kelly invited Eisikovits to campus to bring a new perspective on armed conflict and peacemaking to the Vassar community. “I hope that his foundational work on truces, combined with his knowledge of the contemporary situation in the Middle East will provide a stimulating new way of thinking about these issues,” Kelly said.

While not focusing in depth on the specific case studies included in “A Theory of Truces,” Eisikovits hopes to discuss more generally the thinking behind war. “Why is our thinking about winding down and ending wars only carried out in terms of war and peace, when many wars don’t actually end completely? We’re missing some category in our thought [about

war and peace].” He will include several examples in which trucemaking has offered a promising alternative to the prolongation of violent conflict, such as the lead up to the Revolutionary War in the United States and the transition to democracy in Spain in the late 1970s.

Elise Ferguson ’17, who plans on attending Friday’s lecture, expressed her interests in learning more about the roots of such narrow-minded thinking: “I think that we get caught up in dichotomous thinking with a lot of issues within society, war and peace being just one example. This kind of framework rarely reflects our reality, I think, and the rigidity of it is never helpful in conflict solving. I’d be interested to see if he [Eisikovits] has a theory as to why such patterns of thinking arise in the first place.”

Courtesy of Jack & Mae Nathanson Centre.jpg

hen considering the outcomes of war, anything but peace is not a solution. On Friday, May 6 in New England 106, Associate Professor Nir Eisikovits of Suffolk University will discuss this problematic binary of war and peace. His lecture, “Kill Me Tomorrow (but let me live today): Truces, Ceasefires, and the Trouble with Peace,” sponsored by the President’s Office, is the last installment of the Dialogue and Engagement Across Differences series for this year.

Eisikovits, a former attorney, is an associate professor of legal and political philosophy, as well as co-founder and director of Suffolk University’s Graduate Program in Ethics and Public Policy. He is the author of several books and numerous articles. Eisikovits’s research covers the political and moral dilemmas after war; specifically, he focuses on how countries recover from war, how they come to terms with their past after war and how they deal with a legacy of human rights abuses.

Eisikovits’s most recently published book and inspiration for his lecture, “A Theory of Truces” challenges the notion that peace is the only legitimate way to control violence and contends that trucemaking has been a misunderstood and underutilized tool in attempts to end conflict.

Among the many case studies included in his book, Eisikovits uses the example of one of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s well-known “fireside chats” to demonstrate the long history of political tunnel vision in regards to conflict resolution. In this example, the former President argued, “Most of them [American soldiers] are fighting for the attainment of peace–not just a truce, not just an armistice–but peace that is as strongly enforced and as durable as mortal man can make it” (“A Theory of Truces,” 2015).

Such a mentality has continued to the present, Eisikovits argues, pointing to several more recent examples of failed peace attempts in the

Israel-Palestine conflict.

Eisikovits asserts that the longstanding binary of war and peace in political discourse has often led to the unnecessary perpetuation of violence. “Part of what I’m arguing is that the way we’re thinking of conflict is oversimplified and can lead to some dead ends that are not necessary,” he said. In other words, a singular focus on achieving permanent peace is not always feasible or desirable. In fact, as demonstrated through numerous examples in his book, Eisikovits argues that trucemaking between belligerents, even if only for the shortterm, may result in fewer deaths than prolonging war with hopes that permanent peace could eventually be achieved.

Professor of Philosophy Jamie Kelly, who invited Eisikovits to campus, concurred. “The concepts of war and peace are so deeply embedded in the way we think about conflict that they usually go unexamined and unquestioned,” he said in an emailed statement. “Professor Eisikovits is...questioning the status of a permanent peace as the only acceptable way of winding down conflict. By rehabilitating the idea of a truce, he requires us to reevaluate the basic conceptual framework we use to understand contemporary conflicts.”

Traditional discourses that emphasize the binary of war and peace have become increasingly irrelevant as the very nature of conflict has transformed over the past several decades.

No longer does war refer exclusively to a conflict between two countries. The rise of guerrilla and other militant organizations such as Al Qaeda and ISIS has transformed the landscape of armed conflict into one increasingly based upon wars between states and organizations.

This concept of “asymmetric warfare”–war occurring between an established military and a rogue movement–has indeed pushed political philosophers to dig deeper and to question such traditional discourses of conflict and conflict resolution. As Eisikovits prompts, “What does it mean to win a war when wars don’t hap-

Associate Professor Nir Eisikovits will present his lecture “Kill Me Tomorrow (but let me live today): Truces, Ceasefires, and the Trouble with Peace” this Friday, May 6 in Taylor Hall.

Sharon ’16 creates space for ritual, reflection behind lake Kaitlynn Vo Reporter

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or many seniors, the spring semester can invoke some pretty stark sentiments. There are feelings of sadness for the last semester of the last year of college ending, the realization that time is moving forward and life is advancing just as quickly, the knowledge of knowing that it’s finally time to use every experience and educational event in a practical sense: a lot is happening.

One of those things, coincidentally, for a lot of seniors is actually their senior thesis. Realized in alternative ways as a paper, project, research or any other approved means of demonstrating acquired skills and knowledge within different departments, many students find in their thesis a space to create and formulate a medium through which their best selves can be determined and demonstrated.

This was precisely the case for Religion ma-

jor Emma Sharon ’16. For her, creating and contributing to a space in which the best aspects of religion could be expressed through her own personal context and understanding was critical. Elaborating on the appeal and enticement of religion within her personal life, Sharon said, “Religion has played a major role in my life, mainly in the form of ritual. With the exception of Vassar, all of the schools I’ve attended have been religious institutions, so I’ve spent many hours sitting in services that I, raised non-religiously, would only be able to participate in marginal ways.”

For Sharon, that marginalized presence was simply insufficient; the idea of religion to her as something formerly unapproachable inspired her major declaration. Sharon explained the impact of her initial exposure to religious rites: “Unsurprisingly, I became fascinated with religion and religious identity and ultimately chose it as my major area of study as

Courtesy of Joey Weiman

Religion major Emma Sharon ’16 made a religious space behind the lake for her thesis. Through this visual experience she hopes that others will appreciate religion as much as she does.

an undergrad.”

Thus, Sharon found herself in the current endeavor of her senior thesis; that is to say, she sought to create a sacred space on campus, one that dually was open and accessible to the public while maintaining significance and sacredness. Seeking to establish her knowledge and understanding of various facets of religion in a way that was still immediately accessible to others, Sharon’s thesis was made manifest in a created space in the woods behind the lake.

Sharon explained her personal connection to her project further: “During my time here, my interest in religion, spirituality and the internal life has intersected with my search, both personally and generally, for ways of truly taking care of myself and others in psychological and emotional capacities. For me, this project was an experiment in creative collaboration and the making of an intentional yet spontaneous space. It’s also about finding and making homes and anchors in the places we find ourselves.”

Abstracting from her individual experience towards the holistic objective of her thesis, Sharon elucidates, “Building this space was a way of opening up a conversation on ritual and the ways in which it can manifest in everyday ‘secular’ life. When I think of this space, I like to imagine people seeking it out for quiet contemplation, creating music or drawing with friends, meeting with orgs, eating lunch or any number of things we do for the well-being of our souls.“ One of Sharon’s colleague and other collaborators, Liliana Sabsowitz-Silverman ’16, also insinuated this distinction of creating contextual space with distinctions: “I think that the process of building the space was also really special because in the academic setting we’re in, it’s rare that we really get outside and work with our hands and for me, not doing any art classes, it was wonderful to use the paint and not feel any pressure to make it ‘fine art’ or anything. It was a very warm and welcoming space where all ideas are good ones.”

Colin Cederna ’16, having visited the space, said, “I don’t think I ‘found’ myself but the space was extremely comfortable and fun for

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

me. Emma opened it up for people to make the space what they wanted, she just provided the tools and the canvas.” Kate Finney ’16 who helped decorate the interior space said, “Material-wise, I found painting to be a great experience, because so many people I know were all together in one space creating something together. If you look at the walls, you can see everybody’s styles and the places where they blended together and were influenced by each other.”

Finney continued, “I don’t know that Emma’s project is the kind of thing that ever really feels finished. I see it as a representation of collaborative and creative processes, which works to create a shared space of possibility. Because it’s outdoors, it’s a new space every time I return to it. But beyond that, the space changes depending on the intentions or the people you bring into it.“ Associate Professor and Chair of Religion Jonathon Kahn, Sharon’s major advisor, expressed a similar satisfaction with Sharon’s enterprise. “Emma’s project is exactly the sort of senior project that the Religion Department loves to see: she’s extended her study of ritual theory into the lived and material world.”

He went on, “Her own expertise and direction in construction and design of the ritual space was central to the work she did. Emma’s experience in joining her academic work to an embodied experience and practice represents a type of academic-based learning that promises to stay with her for years to come.”

As an English major, Finney was surprised by the impression Sharon’s thesis had on her.

“I do find Emma’s more spiritual pursuits quite interesting. I see religion as a system of symbols used to interpret the world and, as an English major, I see these symbols appear over and over because they’re the symbols that people have been interpreting and making use of in their art for thousands of years.” Cederna additionally contemplated the lasting effects of Sharon’s work. Musing, Cederna concluded, “The space was lovely, creating art is one of my favorite ways to spend time. I just hope the paint doesn’t harm the ecosystem.”

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May 5, 2016

Illuminated Hudson Valley: one giant ladybug at a time Julia Cunningham

Assistant Features Editor

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magine yourself surrounded by thousands of glowing orbs in every color imaginable.

You’ve just stepped through a rainbow of light and emerged in another world entirely. The Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson, about an hour from campus, was transformed into a prehistoric, Pandora-esque landscape, more aptly named LIGHTSCAPES, filled with 15-foot-tall “live” Luna Moth creations and a centipede large enough to walk under. Why is it called LIGHTSCAPES in all capital letters you may ask? According to the event page: “Because it’s JUST...THAT...BIG.” If you’re looking for the first signs of spring, LIGHTSCAPES has created them in a largerthan-life fashion. LIGHTSCAPES was con-

ceived by the same team that presents the annual Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze as a nighttime display of sculpture, light, sound and special effects. The illuminated intergalactic flora and fauna are created entirely by hand and made of recycled elements. The event is held over the course of 20 evenings in total: Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in May, plus April 29-30 and Memorial Day Monday.

The entire show takes about 45 minutes to walk through and every second is a fully immersive experience. Before you even get to the historic landscape of the Cortlandt Manor where the show takes place, you encounter an entirely transformed Manor overgrown with giant luminous flowering vines and teeming with glowing ladybugs the size of dogs. Next, you walk through a newly created Bubble Tun-

Courtesy of CNN

LIGHTSCAPES is an over-sized light exhibit created by a team at Historic Hudson Valley to celebrate the coming of spring. It features hundreds of flowers and insects.

nel that surrounds you in the rainbow.

If you want to enter the Colorwheel Castle, you must first navigate a drawbridge to cross the River of Light. After you make your way through Caterpillar Cavern, you will discover a colossal praying mantis and a massive mayfly.

Throughout the display, you encounter over 7,500 tulips, hundreds of butterflies, about 100 giant ladybugs and a giant turtle, to cite a few.

There is also an interactive silhouette wall that allows you to dance with your own shadow.

Creative Director Michael Natiello led a small team of Historic Hudson Valley staff and local artists to create the pieces of art on display and the lighting was designed by professional lighting designer Jay Woods.

As you walk through the display, you are accompanied by music created specially for the event. This year, the Historic Hudson Valley special events team teamed up with Phish collaborator Steve Pollak, also known as The Dude of Life, and Charlie de Saint Phalle. To create all new music and sound effects that you’ll hear throughout the experience. In addition, the event is sponsored by their founding sponsor Entergy, presenting sponsor Westchester Medical Center, seasonal partner Green Mountain Energy and LIGHTSCAPES’s media sponsor WHUD 100.7 FM. LIGHTSCAPES is appropriate for people of all ages and abilities. The interactive landscape is handicap accessible and fun for all. There are even local vendors selling food for satiating those hunger pangs. Spring-themed sweets and baked goods are available from Geordane’s of Irvington and Blue Pig of Croton offers organic sorbet and ice cream sandwiches.

If you’re looking for a good way to remember the event or are just looking for an excuse to pull out your wallet, there is an exciting new selection of LIGHTSCAPES gift items. LIGHTSCAPES has been working with Suzanne Christine, famous for her Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze oil paintings, and will be offering many special gifts featuring her two new LIGHTSCAPES

paintings. All of these great items are manufactured in America: A gorgeous 100 percent cotton throw, magnets, beautiful lined journals, colorful notecards and postcards, bookmarks, t-shirts and caps. In addition, there are delicious themed cookies shaped like fairies and turtles and mushrooms made by Flour and Sun Bakery in Pleasantville, and a strawberry syrup and blueberry lemon topping you can add to your own bakery creations.

There even will be items for cooking your own spring-appropriate meal or starting your own garden such as seeds from the Hudson Valley Seed Library. To decorate your garden, you can find dragonfly and butterfly lanterns, whimsical teapots, ceramic frogs and gnomes, bee-shaped birdhouses, ladybug timers, butterfly paperweights, capiz shell boxes, dragonfly watering cans, peony vases, a fun mushroom bank, a beautiful fairy house and boxwood topiaries to name a few. You can appease children, as well with an array of colorful and fun toys and books that light up, make noises, educate and entertain.

And there is no reason to fear for your wallet. Although you have to buy a ticket, parking at the Van Cortlandt Manor is free and your drive will be well worth it with the breadth of other events in the area. During the day, you can check out tours of Kykuit, the Rockefeller estate, Washington Irving’s Sunnyside and Philipsburg Manor. On May 14, there’s a fun daytime event called Discover Pinkster!, which is an African-American celebration of spring at Philipsburg Manor. If you are more interested in the art scene, it would be worth your time to visit the Union Church of Pocantico Hills. It contains stained glass windows by Marc Chagall and Henri Matisse.

LIGHTSCAPES offers something for people of all ages and interests. Whether you’re in it for the lights, the music, the shopping or even the events offered in the area during the day, there is something for you over by the Van Cortlandt Manor.

Founders Day through the years: an expose on The Look Julia Cunningham and Alan Hagins

What, might you be wondering, is the appropriate way to show up to the event that is happening this Saturday? Not to fear. The Misc Fashion Experts are here to help! Featured below are The Looks (and the best way to wear them) from Founder’s Days of years past.

Features Style Experts

Courtesy of Founder’s Day Merch Committee

Courtesy of Founder’s Day Merch Committee

Courtesy of Founder’s Day Merch Committee

Courtesy of Founder’s Day Merch Committee

In 2013, Alice transported us to Wonderland, maybe in more ways than one. DRINK ME!

MAKE IT RAIN! ‘Cause you know, fish can’t breathe out of the water #Flounder’sDay2k16

Du-du-du-dundundun-dundundun...

DA-DA-DA-DADADA-DADADAAAAAA

Had to dig through the years to find this one.

Founder’s Day 2014 was a blast in the past.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

May 5, 2016

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Barefoot Monkeys’ convention plays out across campus Julia Cunningham and Aditi Chadna Assistant Features Editor and Reporter

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ere you wondering what all of those arrows drawn in chalk were for last Saturday? The Barefoot Monkeys were hosting their sixth annual Monkey See Monkey Do Juggling and Fire Arts Convention, the largest event they hold all year. Grand Monkey of the Barefoot Monkeys Margaret Ginoza ’16 explained, “It was interesting because in previous years we usually use the Walker Bays for our event, but this year we got a little bit creative with our spaces and we used a combination of the Villard room, the Aula and UPC. So we basically distributed workshops across these three venues.”

The Barefoot Monkeys began as a group of five jugglers called the Vassar College Jugglers.

Ginoza said, “Since then, it’s expanded into the Barefoot Monkeys and we do a lot more than juggling. We do fire spins and other circus events. We now have around 60 to 70 active members and our last show had 52 people in it. And there are more active members who aren’t in every show but we’ve grown significantly from the five-person juggling club this started out as.” She went on, “We put on some of the largest college fire shows that exist, as far as we know. We definitely have one of the largest college circus programs of its type. And we’ve been getting a lot of recognition, which is pretty cool.”

The convention, Ginoza went on, consists of workshops and performances spread throughout the weekend. “Basically it’s a series of workshops throughout the two days and we

Courtesy of Jackson Hardin

Last weekend the Barefoot Monkeys hosted their sixth annual Monkey See Monkey Do Juggling and Fire Arts Convention. It is one of the largest conventions of its kind.

also had a performance on Saturday night that happened in the Aula as well as a fire-spinning jam on Noyes circle also on Saturday night,” she said.

This type of convention is not anything new for the Monkeys, since they have attended similar conventions at other schools and hosted their own six years in a row. “It was started before I was here and its grown a lot and it’s become bigger I think. We normally see around 150 people,” Ginoza said. “There’s one at Wesleyan that we’ve been to, we went to one recently at Tufts and there was a brand new one at Hampshire. But ours, as far as we know, is the one that has been running consistently the longest.”

This year was a new experience for Ginoza, as she had to take on an administrative role in organizing the convention. “There’s a team of us, a bunch of people who have been planning this since the beginning of the year,” Ginoza explained. “There are the convention heads, around six of us who handled the logistics.

There are some other people who are the committee heads who took care of certain different aspects of the convention. For instance there’s workshop committee, a performance committee and so on. So all of these people have been working together to contact performers, contact teachers, get all the paperwork filled out get all the logistics and spaces organized. People had been making sure we have volunteers for every space and that the people who came had places to stay and all that.”

She went on, “I was pretty excited to see it happen because in previous years I’ve gotten a chance to participate without having to worry about logistics and preparation,” Ginoza said.

“And this year I’ve been more involved with that kind of thing so I’m really looking forward to it happening.”

The convention featured teachers, students and alumni alike. Lily Carruthers ’19, a member of the Barefoot Monkeys said, “There was a good mix of workshops accessible to begin-

Children’s book reimagined by student performers MOON continued from page 1

ditionally, anybody can submit a proposal for a special event throughout the whole semester, as opposed to the strict deadlines for full-lengths.

Byrne, an executive board member for Unbound, expanded on the organization’s approach to special events. “[The amount of special events] depends really on how many people propose each semester. This semester there have probably been around three or four.

But pretty much you have to fill out the same application and talk to the Unbound board in the same way. One difference though is that you can propose at any point during the semester instead of just the beginning of the year.”

And so Byrne and Douglas seized that opportunity to devise this project. “Unbound was really flexible and easy to work with. We knew they would understand our vision. Unbound really let us do what we wanted, which was great,” Douglas said about how their ideas worked best with Unbound specifically. “This is a very loose adaptation. We tried to take certain elements, including some characters and some elements of the setting from ‘Goodnight Moon,’ but we tried to do something different with the plot.”

Brown wrote “Goodnight Moon” in 1947 and is also known as the author of another wellknown children’s classic, “The Runaway Bunny.” For all of her famous books, her illustrations were by Clement Hurd. Since publication, “Goodnight Moon” has sold over 14 million copies, making it one of the most successful children’s books. Brown and Hurd continued the bunny characters in another book after “Goodnight Moon,” titled “My World,” and the original book has become a staple in pop culture, receiving many parodies and pastiches since publication.

“As for the book itself, I absolutely love ‘Goodnight Moon’ and so I jumped on the opportunity to work on a show based off of a story I have such fond associations with,” cast member Daisy Walker ’18 described what originally interested her to get involved.

Having also been involved with several fulllength productions this semester, working on a devised special event has provided a more lenient process. She elaborated, “The first major difference between this and any full-lengths I’ve worked on has been the fact that it’s devised and we have no script, but I know that doesn’t have much to do with the nature of being a special event. Other than that, the timeline has been similar to a full-length, but with a more relaxed rehearsal schedule at the beginning. And for agency in the devising process, Colby and Delphine have been very inclusive and great facilitators.”

Unbound is known for their devised pieces of works that tend to be very experimental in nature. Other shows this semester included the original show “Hystrion Part 1: The Ink Ossuary,” a design-showcasing play written by Jimmy Pavlick ’18 and “The Poundcake Family Band,” a devised piece written by Elizabeth Snyderman ’17 and Caitlan Moore ’16. Many of the plays have also occurred in unusual settings, like Raymond Basement, where their production “Feed” took place last fall.

All of the student theatre organizations try to get as many people involved as they can.

It’s a chance to develop a piece in an environment where the stakes are relatively low. The application process is very simple and once someone has submitted the form, they will go through a simple interview process to discuss how the production will materialize.

Most organizations are not taking proposals this season, but plans are being made for next semester’s shows. Usually within the first couple weeks of a semester, an organization will send the forms in an email.

Despite it being a shortened production process, the cast and crew have still managed to have a fulfilling experience devising the show.

Douglas elaborated, “All of the people involved are really talented and amazing to work with. I hope the audience can tell that we had a lot of fun creating this.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

ners, but it did feel that there was a lot to be gained this weekend by people at any level. I really love how I encountered so many people who were enthusiastic about teaching new skills to those around them.” Ginoza added, “A lot of Barefoot Monkey students from Vassar are involved, either teaching workshops or doing performances and also just attending workshops and performances, hanging out, having a good time and learning a lot of new things,” Ginoza said. “We have teachers that we’ve invited in from all over the country as well as performers. In previous years, we’ve had people come from as far as Australia.”

Carruthers went on to say that the convention was one of the highlights of her year. “Convention was one of my best weekends so far since being at Vassar. As a freshman who didn’t have much circus-related experience before Vassar, this was an excellent opportunity to try many new things and observe very experienced (and even professional) performers,” she said. “I’m looking forward to next year when I will hopefully have more skills to build off of.”

Ginoza concluded that her first time as an administrator of the event seemed to be successful. “The performance on Saturday night happened at the Aula and we had fire spin on Noyes circle so it was interesting to see how the logistics worked out as far as location and how people find their way around and things like that,” she said. “We got a lot of people who were really excited about coming. It was free and open to the public; we had an online registration for non-Vassar students who attended.”

She added, “The fire jam had really wellknown fire spinners so that was great as well.

We get a lot of alumni to come and participate, and we have a pretty strong involvement from alumni especially people from around the area that live nearby.” For the Monkeys, the convention is not just a chance to showcase their talent, but to reconnect with old alumni as well as learn new techniques from experts around the world.

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Struggles with space in sparking conversation of race unconscious segregation as the basis of modern racism. “How do we decide who to marry, which neighborhood to live in, what jobs are open to us? We are separated. There is a tension and awkwardness in our interactions that leads to hate, and sometimes to violence,” Rankine said.

These comments sparked a perceptible discomfort in the audience which bubbled to the surface when it was time to ask questions. Rankine’s lecture abruptly transitioned to a collection of footage showing racist police brutality.

Unarmed black men and women were asked by white police officers to identify themselves for no other reason than their skin color, to step out of the car with no legal reason. In several videos police officers shot unarmed black men as they held up their hands, reached for their wallets to show identification or ran away.

After the video, Rankine gave brief closing remarks and offered up the floor to questions.

The first person to speak up said, “You showed us misery with no hope.” Whether or not it was a sentiment that was echoed in the minds of many audience members, the speaker had made an impression. Rankine responded diplomatically, saying that while her work was meant to invite conversation, she believed her message was in fact hopeful.

Hannah Matsunaga ’16, who attended the lecture, was dismayed by some of her peers’ response to Rankine, “I think some people used her appearance as an invitation to work through their own feelings on anti-Black racism and demanded she speak as a spokesperson for Black pain and trauma. We never engage with the work of white artists in this way.” Perhaps other members of the audience felt that way too, because the next question asked was about Rankine’s artistic process.

Kumar was caught off-guard by several students’ comments in the Q&A period. He said, “I was surprised at the racially polarized nature

of some of the questions afterward, suggesting that common ground is unreachable between citizens of different races. We read Rankine in two of my classes and felt that the fruitfulness of our discussions depends on our capacity to bridge differences of many kinds, including race, at least in our imaginations.”

One significant impediment to bridging the racial gap on campus seems to be the homogeneous racial makeup of its student body. “You are speaking to a room full of predominately white bodies,” one aggravated audience member told Rankine in the Q&A session.

Yet Vassar’s homogeneous racial makeup is only one obstacle among many for students to hurdle who are interested in bridging the gap

between racial differences. Kumar noted another complication, that politics at Vassar seem to be defined and delineated as the politics of the oppressed. He said, “What has struck me about politics at Vassar is that it is often articulated only as the politics of the aggrieved. And to gain legitimacy for the voicing of such protest, folks–whether they are faculty or students– sometimes think it is necessary to confuse the classroom for the street. That the armed cop on the street i===s the same as another person in the classroom who happens to have a different skin color than you is a politics of performance for which I have very little patience.” Kumar is suggesting that potential dialogue is stifled by students’ reluctance to tame their imaginations.

Sam Pianello/The Miscellany News

RANKINE continued from page 1 most too much to bear, but you bear them, because it’s the truth.”

In his introduction to the author, Kumar commented on Rankine’s successes and noted her unique ability to describe our present moment. “She has laid bare the current rift in time; the moment that stretches between the promise of a dream and its denial; the season that falls between injury and sorrow, or sorrow and its erasure; the time that turns us from mere spectators into mourners; the implausible moment that divides the instant the bullet has left the policeman’s gun and the instant before it enters the body of a 12-year-old. Words will not stop the bullet. Alas, nothing can. But the words that Rankine writes crowd the space as witnesses who will not, cannot, turn away. These words, like us, are citizens,” said Kumar.

Kumar’s analogy of words as witnesses is especially appropriate given that Rankine’s work interlaces visual and verbal art forms. Rankine began her lecture with a reading of her first poem in “Citizen,” “When you are alone and too tired even to turn on any of your devices, you let yourself linger in a past stacked among your pillows.” A photo of David Hammons, “In the Hood” was projected onto the wall behind her.

The photo serves as the cover art for her book, which is an empty black hood cut off at the neck, strung with steel wire and hung on the wall. The top of the hood is pointed, as Rankine said, to be a reminder of the violence of the Klu Klux Klan. Many of the poems which appear in “Citizen” are written in the second person, lending an immediacy and intimacy which makes it hard to look away.

After telling several personal anecdotes explaining some of her poems, Rankine moved to a discuss the roots of micro- and macro-aggressions perpetrated against Black Americans on a daily basis. She pointed to conscious and

Claudia Rankine, acclaimed poet and activist, came to campus last week to discuss her latest book, “Citizen: An American Lyric.” Her talk was met with mixed reviews from students.

Blue Apron saves college students from learning to cook Penina Remler

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Columnist

Penina Remler/The Miscellany News

’ve always been a three-day weekend kind of student. From the minute I stepped onto campus as a freshman, I vowed to never take a class on Friday because I was convinced that’s how college should work.

And for my first three semesters at school, that’s how college did work—until this past spring.

While preregistration seemed to fail me on my “no class Friday” streak, I’m fortunate to still savor the three-day weekend. It may not start on Fridays, but I am happy to announce that “no class Monday” has been nothing but a pleasant surprise.

With no classes to stress over on Monday, I’ve built a great appreciation for Sundays at Vassar. While many of my friends spend their Sunday deep in the dungeons of the library, you can find me frolicking around campus looking for a select few of students who don’t have a heavy workload to worry about and/or tend to.

My rather unique quest to “make Sundays great again” has actually been quite the success. With a little help from my friends, their spacious suite in Cushing and a subscription to Blue Apron, we have managed to replace the stress that is often attached to Sundays with something both sweet and savory.

Blue Apron is a company catered to wide demographic of clients who share a similar intention: to cook like an expert, without the extensive training. How do they do it? Rather than just reading a recipe off a website, Blue Apron saves the trip to the supermarket and instead, sends you exactly what you need to master a manageable, but magnificent meal. Because why would you buy an entire jar of orange marmalade for one dish when all you need is three tablespoons?

Just the other Sunday, myself and four other friends made plans to put our cooking skills to the test. Because we were a rather large group, we chose to challenge ourselves to not one, but two recipes: a zucchini-Parmesan quiche and orange-glazed chicken wings. Each dish arrived with enough ingredients to serve four starving people (which was a perfect amount for the five of us to split). Plus, even without a

subscription, one can access such recipes and follow the instructions on Blue Apron’s site: blueapron.com We didn’t know what we were getting into, but we figured that our ability to read directions and access to the Cushing kitchen would be a good place to start.

We began with the quiche, which featured fresh zucchini, crème fraise egg filling and a hint of pink lemon. A quiche, at college—how fancy! The only ingredient that came prepared was the pie crust which left us chopping, slicing and peeling away at the contributing ingredients: lettuce, garlic, spinach, green leaf, zucchini and some shallot.

This entailed prepping the ingredients, cooking/draining the veggies and assembling every ingredient together, which at the time felt like a lot of work for us already-starved students, but we were confident that the end result would hopefully/eventually be worth all the effort.

As we baked the quiche for a good 18-20 minutes, we moved on to the orange-glazed chicken wings. This recipe not only provided our source of protein but also some side veggies (bok choy and a sweet potato salad—not your average deece dish).

It’s hard to say whether one recipe was more difficult than the other since this dish also involved some preparation: roasting the chicken wings, prepping the ingredients, cooking both the sweet potatoes and bok choy and finally, creating a glaze for the wings before assembling our plates.

Luckily, the oven was pre-heated as a result of the quiche, so it is safe to say that we actually had a smooth experience. Together each recipe required at least 35-40 minutes in cooking time, but with a group of five we managed to master multitasking and meshed the duration of the project together. Plus we were being paid (in food) so inevitably, our anticipation was at an all-time high.

Sunday night ended with a two-course meal, a civilized table setting and great company/ laughter to prepare us for the week to come. It was delicious, delightful and fortunately, only one example of our many attempts to make Sunday the “fun day” again.

Ingredients

Orange-Glazed Chicken Wings

•2 pounds chicken wings

•1 scallion

•1 pound sweet potatoes

•1/2 pound baby bok choy

•3 tablespoons orange marmalade

•2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

•2 tablespoons white miso paste

•1 1-inch piece ginger

•1/4 cup sour cream

•1/4 cup soy glaze

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Zucchini & Parmesan Quiche

•2 farm eggs

•2 pie crusts

•4 cloves garlic

•4 ounces spinach

•1 head green leaf lettuce

•1 pink lemon

•1 zucchini

•3 tablespoons shaved Parmesan

•2 tablespoons crème fraise

•1 shallot

May 5, 2016

OPINIONS

Page 9

The Miscellany News Staff Editorial

Title IX adjudication process needs critical examination [Trigger warning: sexual assault, psychological trauma, administrative neglect]

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t the end of a video made by Brigham Young University to endorse their Honor Code, the words “Choose Honor” are boldly projected against an all-white background.

Any deviance from the code of conduct requires that a student will be subjected to an investigation and a decision ranging from no action to dismissal. However, it has recently come to light that Brigham Young University has repeatedly punished female students for something that has nothing to do with choice.

Last September, BYU student Madi Barney was raped in her apartment and after reporting it to the police, her case was sent to the Brigham Young University Honor Code Office without her consent. She is now being investigated for an Honor Code violation and cannot register for classes at the university pending the decision of the investigation (Here & Now, “Student Who Reported Rape Could Be Punished For Violating BYU Honor Code,” 4.22.2016). Disregarding the Provo Police Department’s blatant violation of Barney’s privacy as a victim; the Honor Code Office’s assumption that she lied; the deeply problematic scenario that had Barney reported the rape to the institution, Brigham Young University would have investigated her rape as an honor code violation; and even setting aside talk of whether or not colleges should be handling investigations of sexual assault at all, there is an even more systemic, internalized problem.

Many institutions, including Vassar College, do not have stifling institutional frameworks as overt as BYU’s honor code. Why, then, is reporting a rape or sexual assault possibly as difficult here as it is at institutions where victims can be explicitly punished for reporting? According to the Campus Climate Survey, 14.8 percent of cisgender women, 5.3 percent of cisgender

men, and 18.8 percent of non-cisgender individuals have experienced a “penetrative incident” since matriculating at Vassar. Furthermore, 37.1 percent of cisgender women, 17.4 percent of cisgender men, and 45.8 percent of non-cisgender people have experienced a “non-penetrative incident” at Vassar. Yet, only 10.3 percent of cisgender women, 6.3 percent of cisgender men, and 25 percent (two of eight) non-cisgender individuals have filed an official report with the College, and no one surveyed has filed an official report with the police (Executive Summary of Data and Findings from the Vassar College Campus Climate Survey regarding Sexual Assault and Misconduct, Dating Violence, Stalking, and Vassar’s Title IX Processes, Conducted Spring, 2015, “Survey-Based Incidence Counts and Rates reported by students at Vassar,” 2015). Students clearly still lack confidence in the system.

This skepticism in administrators’ ability to help victims of sexual assault is not unwarranted. Title IX cases are notorious for their length and administrative costs, creating a bureaucratic atmosphere not conducive to providing solace and justice for survivors. According to the website knowyourix.org, filing a Title IX case with the Office of Civil Rights can take anywhere from one month to a year for processing alone.

The adjudication process can take even longer.

Further complicating the process is the issue of whom is handling these cases. At Vassar, Title IX Coordinator Rachel Pereira started her position this past January. Prior to her time at Vassar Kelly Grab filled the position in an interim role, after former Title IX Coordinator Julian Williams left the position last June. Williams worked at Vassar as Title IX Coordinator for three years (The Miscellany News, “College appoints new Title IX Coordinator, 10.28.2015).

Using Vassar as a case study shows how young administrators who handle these serious and sensitive situations on campuses often do not

stay for very long. This does not provide enough time for trust to be built between the Title IX Coordinator and a student body, making the reporting process more unstable and inconsistent for survivors. Often, the only result of reporting sexual assault is a no-contact order, which does not sufficiently protect and support survivors.

Moreover, the cost of sexual assault mitigation runs high, ranging from $25,000 to $500,000 annually, with some costing upwards of $1 million (The New York Times, “Colleges Spending Millions to Deal With Sexual Misconduct Complaints,” 03.29.2016). After a Title IX complaint is filed, survivors are implicated in a drawnout and bureaucratically complicated process which entails intense accumulation of personal information and the reliving of painful, triggering experiences. Various survivors–within the Vassar community and beyond–have spoken out against how colleges prioritize institutional image over properly sanctioning rapists and preventing sexual assault from occurring. On-campus initiatives such as the CARES hotline and SAVP are first steps to reckoning with the silencing of survivors, but not the entire solution.

While holding perpetrators of gendered violence responsible for their actions and sexual assault prevention should be at the forefront of this discussion, the high costs and lengthiness that Title IX cases entail contribute to barriers in accountability and healing. The environment encourages silence, leading to processes that favor the institution rather than the survivor.

Brigham Young University’s Honor Code is a readily apparent failure of institutional efficacy and sound public policy. The manner in which Title IX is arbitrated at such institutions masks the issue under layers of bureaucratic red tape and roundabout investigative procedures. Often institutions are ill-equipped and inexperienced at handling the investigative procedures concerning sexual assault. Most importantly, the

process leaves survivors feeling like they are reliving their assault, encouraging silence and submission over healing and accountability.

Survivors of sexual assault over the last several years have broken their silence, reckoning with the pervasiveness of institutional dysfunction here at Vassar and in colleges and universities across the country. Such testimonials, largely via Boilerplate, are imperative to demolishing the frameworks of administrative negligence in place that silence survivors in their search for justice and solace and empowering survivors.

We at The Miscellany News acknowledge the systematic failures of Vassar and colleges across the country, with and without honor codes, to prevent sexual assault from occurring and to sanction and rehabilitate rapists. We stand in solidarity with survivors, at Vassar and elsewhere, in the battle for recognizing and preventing the dehumanization that often comes with gendered violence and institutional responses.

We echo, renew and qualify the calls the Editorial Board of The Miscellany News from February 11, 2015, which read, “Senior administrators should seek the counsel of students and faculty who spend their time thinking, researching and discussing these issues. At this time, we do not need panicked solutions for the purposes of merely reducing numbers and saving face.

Vassar students deserve thoughtful work in the realm of transformative justice and communal accountability to create meaningful change.”

(The Miscellany News, “College should do more for sexual assault survivors,” 02.11.2015).

Revisions to Title IX cases must be ensured to be speedy and centered around the lived experiences of survivors, rather than the conveniences of institutions.

—The Staff Editorial expresses the opinion of at least two-thirds of the Miscellany News Editorial Board

PC policing undermines issues in disabled community Jesser Horowitz Columnist

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n high school, I hated the word “retarded.” If anyone said it in my presence, I immediately corrected them, asking that they either stop using the word altogether or at least avoid it while in front of me. It was a word that I recognized was capable of great hurt and offense.

Now, coming to the end of my freshman year of college, my attitude has somewhat changed.

Do not misunderstand me. I do not approve of the use of “retarded” in connection to anyone or anything. It is a slur, and as with most slurs, I believe people should avoid saying it regardless of the circumstance.

But I have noticed that, despite how aware Vassar students may be that certain words and phrases should remain unsaid, it has yet to make individuals any more tolerant or accepting, and has yet to result in any meaningful change for disabled communities.

Moreover, unlike with other forms of activism, I have observed that the fight against ableism ends at word-policing. The same people who post about how we shouldn’t use words like “retarded” or “crazy” or “lunatic” ignore the systemic violence that has disproportionately affected disabled individuals.

While I have seen Vassar students correct others for using objectively offensive phrases, I have yet to see any outrage regarding the high instances of police brutality against disabled individuals, frequent infanticide, the prominence of ableist eugenics, the continued demonization and dehumanization of the disabled in popular media or institutional violence against disabled and autistic bodies (The Daily Beast, “Police Brutality Hidden Victims: The Disabled,” 09.08.14).

For anti-racist movements, change does not end with not saying “negro” in public. For anti-homophobic movements, change does not end with not saying “gay” as a pejorative. Then why is it that, frequently, outside of those within the communities themselves, mainstream disability activism ends with not saying the word “retarded”?

To be completely fair, there exist a fair

amount of disability rights organizations that do meaningful work to better the lives of differently-abled individuals. Groups such as the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities both serve as examples of organizations that do stunning work and have a real impact on millions of individuals.

However, unlike most civil rights movements, disabled individuals have had difficulty achieving intersectionality and receiving outside support. Many of the people who fought for marriage equality were straight and many of the people who fought for integration were white. The struggle for civil rights of disabled citizens has suffered similar setbacks in representation.

But when neurotypical people talk about autism or able-bodied people talk about disability rights, they either ignore the broader, more important issues facing the community or completely disregard the voices of the individuals they supposedly support. Their activism often drowns out or discursively effaces the experiences we live on a day-to-day basis.

“But when neurotypical people talk about autism or able-bodied people talk about disability rights...”

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the organization Autism Speaks and its systematic diminishing of lived experiences. The existence of organizations such as Autism Speaks and their pervasiveness in discourse regarding the autistic community underscores the extent of these issues.

In the article, I wrote, “Autism Speaks is, at best, the most elaborate con ever created. At worst, it is a hate group designed to discredit those with autism. They demonize those they claim to represent in order to steal your money.

And they use that money to cure an imaginary disease, to fix people who don’t need fixing and to spread more ignorance and fear.” (The Miscellany News, “Autism Speaks diminishes lived experience,” 04.06.2016). While I have already discussed the problematic nature of groups such as Autism Speaks in other articles, the issue goes further than that.

For many individuals, this problematic behavior often delves into something that disability activists refer to as “inspiration porn”: feelgood stories often centering around disabled individuals that unintentionally serve to dehumanize the subject as well as the community at large.

I have noticed that many individuals who guilt others for saying certain words, especially neurotypical or able-bodied people, often like or share this kind of content without thinking about it. It is exactly this type of content that requires critical analysis, just like any other piece of problematic literatue or media.

I saw possibly one of the worst cases of inspiration porn in USA Today recently. The article, titled “Cheerleader surprises everyone with prom pick,” is about Kenzi Miller, a high school senior and popular cheerleader who asked Cameron Biagiotti, an 18-year old with Williams Syndrome, to prom.

This piece might appear heartwarming, it might even be based off a genuinely nice story, but I challenge you to read some of these excerpts without raising a few eyebrows.

“They’re not trying to be rude ... They just say, ‘You want to take him to senior prom?’”

“Senior prom is senior prom. And Miller would be any boy’s dream date.”

“She could have picked anyone to go to prom with.”

This story might seem harmless, but I ask you how you would feel if you discovered that someone you’ve known for years, someone you believe to legitimately and genuinely like and enjoy spending time with you, pretended to be your friend because they felt guilty for you. Because they think that you are retarded. Because they don’t see you as more than your condition.

The media has conditioned us to believe

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

that we ought to befriend disabled people out of pity and has conditioned disabled people to believe that their relationships are built upon a lie, that lie being one of mutual respect. It is exactly this strain of communicative brainwashing that effectively erases the lived experiences of the disabled community, while inherently dehumanizing them by simplifying complex issues and day-to-day struggles.

“...they either ignore the broader, more important issues facing the community or completely disregard the voices of the individuals they supposedly support.”

I have grown up fearing that none of my friends like me, that they only pretend to enjoy spending time with me because they can tell I’m on the spectrum and they believe I am disabled. I, along with many differently-abled individuals, have been socialized to believe this.

I understand that it’s irrational. I understand that it is more than likely untrue. But it is what society has taught me to believe.

Inspiration porn has done more damage to disabled people than any one word has ever done. While I don’t like the word “retarded,” I have never felt personally victimized because someone used it.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter. It does matter that every day, disabled people face innumerable indignities, from violence to dehumanization, and very few people pay any attention to this reality.

Political correctness has failed the disabled community. It has failed the disabled community because instead of becoming a method of increasing acceptance, it has become a distraction from the issues that really matter.

OPINIONS

Page 10

May 5, 2016

Public image of Vassar necessitates critical assessment Emma Jones Senior Editor

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s my first year at Vassar draws to a close, I have recently been trying to recollect my first impressions of the College as a prospective student. While in many ways I have found that Vassar exceeded my expectations, it is equally important—if not more so—to examine the ways in which the College does not live up to its public image. Additionally, the differences between the impression that Vassar strives to leave on those outside of Vassar and that which it presents to its own student population necessitate further scrutiny.

While the nature of advertising intimates an exaggeration of positive elements and a concealment of flaws, the institution behind the advertisements has a responsibility to convey a reasonably honest portrayal of itself. Although Vassar is certainly not the only college or university to highlight and overemphasize characteristics that appeal to the general public, it needs to consider the message that this representation conveys. There is plenty that Vassar should be proudly displaying that it instead conceals and there is plenty that it has an ethical duty to disclose to its own population and to the public that it instead suppresses.

Students are drawn to Vassar by a variety of aspects of the College: the wide range of organizations, the beautiful campus and sense of community; its dedication to meeting demonstrated financial need, the diverse student body and the liberal-mindedness of the school; its rigorous academics, vast array of study abroad opportunities and high post-graduation success rates.

While most of this is, to an extent, true, these frequently publicized factors do not paint an entirely accurate picture of Vassar.

Vassar must address the discontinuities between reality and the images that the institution presents to the student body and to the public.

For many prospective students, part of the appeal of Vassar, like of other small liberal arts colleges, is its strong sense of community. To a

large extent, Vassar succeeds on this front: Student fellows and house teams lay the foundation for a cohesive community from the outset of freshman year, and a variety of house- and campus-wide events sustain this overall sense of unity.

“Vassar must address the discontinuities between reality and the images that the institution presents to the student body and to the public.”

Certain boundaries continue to exist within the community, however, which Vassar must acknowledge and strive to overcome.

As everyone at Vassar is undoubtedly aware, the student body is overwhelmingly politically and socially liberal. In a sense, the general political alignment of Vassar students has a unifying effect; it also, however, isolates those who are farther to the right on the political spectrum. Despite the overwhelming liberality of the student population as a whole, Vassar should approach political differences with the same respect and tolerance with which it typically addresses differences of race, class or gender.

Additionally, the Vassar community, as students frequently acknowledge, is fairly isolated from the Poughkeepsie community. While the Career Development Office and Field Work Office have been widely successful in their efforts to get students involved in the community, this involvement is usually contingent on earning course credit. Although this is undoubtedly a significant first step, the Vassar community will not truly be integrated into that of the greater Poughkeepsie area until students are motivated

to participate in off-campus activities without further incentive.

Greater financial assistance, beyond tuition, would ensure that Vassar students would have greater opportunities to immerse themselves in the community of the Hudson Valley. Many students, whether or not they have any interest in exploring the city outside of the “Vassar Bubble,” are unable to afford the added costs of transportation and food that leaving campus necessitates.

While Vassar is more committed to meeting financial need than many of its fellow institutions, it still has a long way to go. While the Vassar Administration, and namely President Catharine Bond Hill, has strived to increase socioeconomic diversity and increase lower-income students’ access to higher education, the student body continues to be significantly skewed toward the upper class. Although the implementation of need-blind admissions marks a notable improvement in the unequal decision process, it does not rectify the socioeconomic inequality of college populations, and Vassar is no exception.

The financial burden of attending Vassar extends beyond the initial tuition cost and continues to hinder students’ daily lives throughout all four years. The College does little to alleviate costs of living, such as books, food (outside of the meal plan) and travel, which underlines class differences within the student population. Additionally, the lack of resources available to students who stay on campus during breaks magnifies the financial strain of those who cannot afford to return home throughout the year.

The disparities in the demographics of the student body reach beyond socioeconomic background. Although in many ways the College is committed to maintaining and increasing diversity, it must additionally focus on racial and cultural diversity. The predominantly white, upperand middle-class demographics of the College contribute to a certain amount of bias and intolerance that continues to permeate the climate of Vassar despite its reputation as a socially liberal institution with a tolerant and diverse communi-

ty. 64.5 percent of the class of 2019 is white and only 69.5 percent previously attended a public school.

In general, some students, faculty and administrators alike are–at least outwardly–accepting of gender nonconformity, but Vassar still has prejudices to overcome in order to create a truly safe community space. In order to progress toward a more tolerant, informed environment, Vassar must first establish a clear, cohesive vision of what this should look like. For instance, while the College tends to exaggerate the effectiveness of its gender-neutral bathroom initiative to its own students, it simultaneously seems reluctant to share this policy with the public. Tour guides do not mention gender-neutral bathrooms to prospective students and their parents, nor does the Vassar website bring their presence to the attention of visitors.

“In order to progress toward a more tolerant, informed environment, Vassar must first establish a clear, cohesive vision of what this should look like.”

To be fair, there are countless ways in which Vassar accurately fulfills its public image. On a basic level, the campus is just as beautiful, if not more so, as it appears in the pictures it displays in brochures and on social media. Vassar is considerably ahead of most of its fellow institutions in terms of financial aid, diverse curricula and acceptance of a multiplicity of identities and the expression of these identities.

It is important to celebrate these victories, but it is equally crucial to continue to question and challenge all aspects of the Vassar community.

Nanopore sequencing research should be encouraged Steven Park Columnist

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n 2003, researchers from all over the world achieved one of the greatest scientific endeavors of their time: identifying and mapping out the entire human genome. With over 20,000 genes analyzed, the scientific community reaped the benefits of the age of genomics, where scientists could identify the thousands of nucleotide base pairs involved with specific genetic diseases like Huntington’s and pinpoint the mutations that underlie different forms of cancer.

But now, a device from Oxford Nanopore Technologies could bring the same power of DNA sequencing from the laboratory into the palm of your hand. It’s called the MinION and it can sequence the DNA of any given sample in a matter of hours.

For decades, conventional DNA sequencing was widely regarded as a tedious, time-consuming process. In order to identify the genome of a particular sample, a researcher would have to create numerous identical copies of the DNA molecules, break each of those copies into tiny pieces for the machine to read, sequence each fragment individually and finally reassemble those pieces together again (The Atlantic, “A DNA Sequencer in Every Pocket,” 04.30.2016).

It’s the equivalent to reading a book by shredding it to read each word separately and then taping the pages back together again. In addition, this cumbersome process involved expensive machines the size of refrigerators and took days or weeks to run.

Due to these practical limitations, many researchers have to rely on the products and services of large corporations to obtain the DNA sequence of their samples. Today, the one that currently dominates the sequencing market is Illumina, Inc., a corporate giant worth billions of dollars. At the moment, Illumina provides machines for almost every large sequencing center in the world and now has an almost complete monopoly in the industry (Science, “Gene sequencing technology sparks a patent fight shrouded in mystery,” 03.02.2016). However, Oxford Nanopore Technologies intends

to bring down this powerful behemoth with a revolutionary new way of reading DNA called nanopore sequencing, which identifies the nucleotide base pairs directly without breaking apart the DNA molecule.

The idea is rather brilliant. A nanopore is simply a very tiny hole, about 2.5 nanometers wide (ScienceDaily, “Fast, accurate DNA sequencing through graphene nanopore,” 01.15.2016). Nanopore sequencing relies on the use of an incredibly thin synthetic membrane with numerous nanopores as well as nanopore sensors. When the membrane is submerged in liquid by itself and a current is ran through, a steady electrical pattern is measured as ions pass through the tiny holes.

These patterns change once a DNA sample is placed on the membrane. When the electrical current pulls a DNA molecule through a nanopore, the nucleotide bases block the pore and stop some of the ions from passing by. This blockage alters the current that the sensor is reading and ultimately causes the electrical pattern to dip (The Atlantic).

What makes this method so effective is that each nucleotide base of DNA blocks the pore in different ways and generates a unique and identifiable change in the current. In other words, one can identify the DNA sequence by simply reading the various spikes in the electrical pattern.

In addition to its speed, easy usage and portability, the MinION also boasts a 99.99 percent accuracy based on a performance of 90 percent without any false positives (ScienceDaily). Not only that, Oxford Nanopore Technologies set the price of their new, revolutionary sequencing gadget to a mere $1,000. When the MinION was first revealed to the world in 2012, one scientist tweeted: “I felt a great disturbance in the force, as if a million Illumina investors cried out in pain” (The Atlantic).

The idea of genetically identifying any organic substance at any place and time has enormous implications. A DNA sequencer like MinION could not only be used in a lab but also in the field with little to no difficulties.

During the Ebola outbreak in 2015, micro-

biologist Nick Loman used his newly-bought MinION to track the progress of the epidemic in real time while other scientists had to wait weeks for the results of their analysis to arrive (The Atlantic).

For something as time-sensitive as a deadly epidemic, nanopore sequencing could save tens of thousands of lives. Not only that, Oxford Nanopore aims to make their product available to everyone everywhere. From NASA astronauts in space to high school students, the company envisions a future where DNA sequencing devices can become like telescopes, a formerly expensive scientific instrument that is now available to the everyday consumer (The Atlantic).

Unsurprisingly, Illumina is trying everything in its power to stop MinION’s momentum. Last February, the sequencing industry monopolist filed several lawsuits against Oxford Nanopore Technologies claiming that the British company committed patent infringement by using bacteria-derived pores known as Mycobacterium smegmatis porin (Msp) to create their synthetic membrane (Science).

At the moment, Illumina holds the patents for any system that use these Msp. Oxford Nanopore responded almost immediately, accusing the corporate giant of acting on unsubstantiated speculation to prevent the MinION from ever reaching the market all so that Illumina can maintain its monopoly (Science, “Amid patent lawsuit, genetic sequencing upstart unveils new technology,” 03.08.2016).

This move by Illumina illustrates just one of numerous legal issues that stand in the way of scientific progress. The scientific community is often plagued by patent aggregators, people or companies who enforce patent rights to make a profit or keep such patents away from those who may pose a threat against them.

Despite not using their patents for research or manufacturing purposes, these entities prey on smaller companies to force them out of business. Never having proven their ability to produce their own nanopore sequencer, Illumina could very well be yet another patent aggregator trying to neutralize the incoming threat

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

to their business.

Even if the MinION does not contain Msp pores, Illumina could still utilize the doctrine of equivalents (Science). This aspect of patent law claims that Oxford Nanopore Technologies could still be liable for patent infringement as long as the product in question performs the same function as the patented invention in the same way. Originally created to cover the difficulty in describing the invention exactly, the doctrine can now be used to back companies like Oxford Nanopore into a corner.

“The scientific community is often plagued by patent aggregators, people or companies who enforce patent rights to make a profit or keep such patents away from those who may pose a threat against them.”

Depending on the outcome of this legal battle, the entire course of scientific progress can be altered. With such great scientific advancements at risk due to capitalistic greed, it’s time to take another look at our patent system to prevent other innovations from becoming similarly obstructed. Overhauling the patent system is essential to taking money and special interests out of scientific research and thereby crafting an atmosphere more conducive to intellectual cohabitation and progress.

According to phylogenomics researcher Joe Parker, nanopore sequencing can bring about a second age of genomics (The Atlantic). If that future can never come to fruition, then the same bleak stasis will certainly sabotage other shining opportunities for society as well.

May 5, 2016

OPINIONS

Perceptions of Cuba in need of evaluation Allegra Kaufman Guest Columnist

O

ver spring break, the Vassar College Choir, Women’s Chorus and Madrigal Singers visited Cuba. We traveled about Havana and Matanzas for choral exchanges with two professional Cuban conductors and their talented choirs. While we were carted around the beautiful areas of the cities, gazed upon artwork in carefully maintained museums and swam in the crystal blue waters of the Florida Strait, Cuban pro-democracy demonstrators were planning protests for President Obama’s visit the very next week. As my classmates and I enjoyed the government-funded façade, the few brave Cuban protesters were planning to speak out for their freedom of speech and assembly. On March 20, they were dragged out of the streets and squares by the Cuban police and hauled off to jail.

I was born in Miami and I have lived there all my life. From a young age, I have listened to my friends’ abuelitos tell of their escape and their triumph of settling in America. All are grateful for the opportunity to live in freedom and pursue success in our country, but wary of the still-existing oppressive regime in the country they left behind. I was too.

My classmates were not and did not see the situation as I did. We were lucky enough to witness no violence while visiting. That said, we did witness the practical applications of the Communist government that Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and the 26th of July Movement instilled upon Cuba.

Of course, our tour guides painted a beautiful picture of Cuba. They named Cuba a “socialist” government, complete with free education and healthcare for all. They claimed that all people are given housing, rations and clothes for work or school. With no income inequality, Cuba sounds like a dream; a dream that many Vassar students seek to realize.

While this sounds lovely, the realities of Cuban life are far more complex. Income inequal-

ity does not exist, likely because there is little income to speak of. The average worker is paid 24 dollars a month by the government (75 percent of jobs are government jobs).

Our guides claimed that the people “did not need the money” because of the provisions of the government. Still, many children attend school with no shoes or never experience even a modicum of luxury. As just one example, Yannay, our guide, said that many children have never known the taste of candy simply because their parents cannot afford it.

As the goods in Cuba are scarce and expensive, many families turn to a black market, in Spanish por la izquierda (“to the left”), to find more affordable options. Often appliances are bought this way, though they require hundreds of dollars that many Cuban people do not have.

Living conditions are substandard. Few Cuban people have access to air conditioning. Like Miami, the heat and humidity in Cuba can be stifling even with air conditioning. In addition, entire families may live in just two or three rooms.

As soon as you step outside of a tourist plaza, it is clear the houses and buildings are in disrepair. As the government’s top officers buy new cars and live in extravagant mansions, the people are left behind in squalor, few lucky enough to own the 1950s cars we foreigners find so charming.

Due to the ration system, items such as toilet paper are in short supply. Every time we went to the bathroom, we would pay to get toilet paper and hand towels. Even our hotel did not have air conditioning in every room, nor did they keep our rooms very clean.

There were bugs everywhere. The showers shut off when too many people are showering and the toilets spit water back at you when you flush. Oftentimes, we were encouraged not to flush at all. No wonder everyone on the trip was ready to leave within the week.

Though the tour guides did not voice much discontent towards their standard of living, the

truth oozes from every crumbling brick, from the tanks and jets outside of the old Presidential Palace (now a Museum of the Revolution) and from the beggars walking the streets. In truth, the Cubans do not appear to be happy and can do nothing about it, for fear of being arrested and silenced.

Most of my fellow travelers did not acknowledge the suffering behind the façade. I had put off writing this article for weeks, simply because of my fear that many will not like what I have to say. I have learned that the truth is difficult to accept when people have been indoctrinated by propaganda.

This is the Cuba that some of my classmates did not want to see. This is the Cuba I saw. Not one person on that trip was from Miami and not one was Cuban. Before we claim that our tourist-oriented, rose-colored choral tour was the real Cuba, we have to step back and see the human rights violations and tragedies of these people.

We have to remember why so many Cubans risked their lives to flee Cuba, and virtually none have ever returned. With the opening of Cuban-American relations, we can only hope that the struggles of Cuban people are not ignored. The political leanings and views of those who leave Cuba have towards their former homeland are informed by the oppressive conditions they once lived under.

I hope that the pro-democracy protesters do not fight in vain, but so long as we praise Cuba, their voices will be silenced by ours. Drowning out the experiences of those actually living under these conditions ignores the complexity of their day-to-day struggles. For six weeks, when people asked how my Cuba trip was, I’ve responded, “Fun, it was fun to bond with other students.”

Now, no matter the reaction, I think that the candid approach will better serve the Cuban people’s cause and reflect their struggles. I am grateful to Vassar for the opportunity to experience this firsthand.

Evaluating BDS in aftermath of referenda J Street U Vassar

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he Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions vote may be over, but its far-reaching effects on our campus are still evident. A particularly disturbing aspect of events surrounding the aftermath of the BDS campaign has been the use of language of victory. Individuals, both in favor of and against BDS, have resorted to terms like “winning” or “losing.” After the results of the BDS referendum went public, we, as the incoming co-chairs of J Street U Vassar, maintain that our organization did not “win.”

By militarizing this issue and using language that refers to the BDS campaign and its opposition as a “fight,” the only thing we accomplish is a diminished sense of empathy towards the real-life consequences felt by Israelis and Palestinians every day.

So long as Israeli soldiers can occupy the home of a Palestinian family in the West Bank and the Israeli government continues to approve and endorse the expansion of settlements on Palestinian land, no one is truly “winning.”

However, it is important for our campus to find ways to move forward after BDS. The Vassar community has spoken and a majority agrees with us when we say that BDS is not the answer.

We cannot know why each individual voted the way they did, but we can speak to how we made our own decisions.

We voted no to BDS because limiting our exchange with the most progressive members of Israeli society through academic boycotts would impede the peace process, not improve it. We voted no because we believe that the only viable solution to the conflict is the formation of two states, for two peoples, each of whom deserves their own right to self-determination.

We voted no because any process that seeks to end the occupation must validate not only the right of the Palestinian people to a homeland, but the Jewish people’s right to a homeland as well. BDS fails to acknowledge that latter narrative.

We hope that our peers who voted against the resolution also made their decision with these reasons in mind, just as we hope those

who voted in favor of it consider these flaws in rethinking their methods of achieving peace in the region.

Much of the framing surrounding the issue has painted a vote against BDS as an anti-Palestinian action; we reject that description. Everything J Street U does, both at Vassar and as a wider movement, is done to enable Palestinians to self-determine, and to ensure Israelis of that right. On a national level, the path towards this goal takes shape through pushing Jewish communal leaders to actualize on progressive values that are truly representative of their constituents and that are not shaped through donor dynamics.

Specifically, this means speaking to the leaders of Jewish philanthropic associations to ensure that donated money isn’t going to any causes over the green line and into the West Bank.

In this way, J Street taps into the vital, structural power and influence the American Jewish establishment on the Israeli government. At Vassar, J Street U not only works towards these larger goals, but also provides programming and education that helps students realize the dire consequences of the occupation and the importance of ending it.

An issue as divisive as BDS brought high tension and emotional exhaustion to our campus climate. Many students on all sides of the issue have felt isolated, afraid to speak up or hurt beyond reconciliation. It’s vitally important, especially in times like these, that we refuse to let despair keep us from doing the work that is important to us.

At the end of the day, we’re all trying to make the world we were given a little better than it was before. Imagine the collective power we would have were we to put aside our differences and work towards a shared goal of ending the occupation. If we don’t support each other in our collective vision of peace, how can we possibly work to achieve it?

Despair keeps us from having these challenging conversations, from being confronted with viewpoints that oppose our own; despair suppresses hope and replaces it with apathy. In

Hebrew, the word “hope” comes from the word “kav,” meaning thread or cord. This is exactly what hope is: a flimsy, frail little string that we must continue to hold onto if we are to turn our dreams into reality, our aspirations into action.

This is exactly what J Street U Vassar intends to do.

“At Vassar, J Street U not only works towards these larger goals, but also provides programming and education that helps students realize the dire consequences of the occupation and the importance of ending it.”

Next year will mark the 50th year of occupation. With BDS no longer at the forefront of the Israel-Palestine conversation, we hope to focus campus dialogue on the one issue most students seem to agree upon: the occupation as the primary obstacle to peace. By shifting our conversations towards anti-occupation work, we can begin to mend our fractured and divided campus.

At J Street U, we want to contribute to this conversation by bringing groups like Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem and the New Israel Fund, who represent just a few of the left-wing Israeli NGO’s who are doing crucial work in raising awareness and ending the conflict.

If you want to be a part of this movement, be it at Vassar or in the wider world, we encourage you to reach out, learn about our ideas and our work and perhaps help us to play a small part in the change we hope to manifest in the world.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Page 11

Word on the street What are you trying on Founder’s Day? “I’m going to try to relax, I’m bad at relaxing” — Elsa Stoff ’17

“I don’t know how much this pertains, but I’m going to try to be a lizard person” — Drew Hardin ’19

“I want to try to figure out if my friend Drew is a lizard person.”

—Ilan Berkman ’19

“Powdered graphite... I’m not going to ingest though... it’s for art.”

— Audrey Keefe ’18

“I’m going to try to go outside, I’m a very boring person.”

— Austin Han ’19

“Do or do not, there is no try.” ­­—Chris Allen ’19

Evelyn Frick, Humor & Satire Editor Sam Pianello, Photo Editor

HUMOR & SATIRE

Page 12

May 5, 2016

Breaking News From the desk of Evelyn Frick, Humor & Satire Editor Students flounder to find a conversation starter other than mentioning the possibility of rain on Founder’s Day Group projects guarantee Former humor editor fondly intense angst and B+, tops reminisces, gets last laugh Lily Horner

Ultimate Groupie

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ray for the teacher to assign groups. You have no friends in this class, unlike everyone else, and you know that if you are forced to choose groups yourself you will just end up with whoever sits nearest to you. Unfortunately for you, you usually sit in between the kid who comes to every class high (even though this is not a philosophy class) and the kid who always “forgets” to do the readings (even though this is an English class). When the teacher lets the students choose their groups, you are stuck with both. Freedom is overrated.

Send out a whenisgood. Send it out again when people do not sign with their names and use names like “Well Hung” and “Bernie 2004.”

It is inevitable that your group will probably not have a time that works for everyone. This is because they all have this thing called “A Life,” which is something you do not possess. The group project is now your life, so embrace it.

While you could be on an exec board of some org, you are instead the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer of this group. Do not remind yourself that orgs do not get grades and try not to get upset when you think about what grade this project will get.

Meet two times to come up with an idea for your poster. These meetings will be before you have completely given up on including your partners in the project. You will know to give up once you’re only met with passive answers like “That sounds good” and “I like your idea, let’s do that.” The first meeting will be in the Retreat, where each member will get distracted by their friends walking by and start conversations about what they did over the weekend (Member #1 got into a fight with their significant other; Member #2 got so high they tried to skinny dip in Noyes Circle). The second meeting will be in the library basement, where no one will walk by, but people will give you dirty looks for talking.

You don’t receive too many dirty looks though, because the other members are not contributing anything. You all have your laptops out, but they are on Facebook and Amazon. They will not help

you look for books or websites.

Share the Google Doc with all of your notes for the project. Trust that your group members will open it and look at it at least once. They probably will not, but you must not nag. Nagging will produce subpar work. If you do not nag, your group members will think you are fine with doing all of the work. You are not fine with doing all of the work, but can silently resent them while they buy a Periodic Table of Cannabis poster for their room during meetings.

Spend two sleepless nights doing all the work.

Do the research, design the poster board, write the outline for your presentation. Email the outline to your group at 3:12 AM with a passive-aggressive “Thanks for all the hard work.” They will not know that you’re being passive-aggressive. They will print the outline 5 minutes before class starts and read their assigned parts when their time comes. They will not be good at reading out loud.

Do not rat out the rest of your group to your teacher. While snitches do indeed receive stitches, this is not what should deter you, for Vassar students are pacifists. They would rather figuratively stab you in the back than literally. Rather, if you complain to your teacher, you will appear weak (because you are weak). The teacher will be able to tell if you do all of the work. If they do not, then they are about as dumb as your group members and nothing can be done. Be like Donnie Brasco and fuhgeddaboudit. I think. I have never seen that movie.

Wait patiently for your grade like everyone else. Grades are not everything to you, but since the project did nothing to build your interpersonal competence or teamwork maximization abilities, you were doing this for the grade. When you get your grade (B+), you will be content, for a B+ is not a bad grade. You will be tempted to go to the teacher now, to have the grades distributed based on effort. If your group members had done more work you would have all gotten an A. However, going to your teacher would only tempt them to lower your grade. Instead, push down that anger just a little more until it explodes in a drunken rage on Founder’s Day.

Zander Bashaw

Important Editor Now

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t seems like so long ago that I wrote my first Humor article, “5 rejected Mug Night themes Vassar should instate.” Unfortunately for me, this sounds exactly like something you would find on the Vassar Odyssey Online. The most clearly thought out part of the article were the puns in the Mug Night titles. Live Anaconda Mug Night was certainly a clever play off the unendurable “Anaconda”-by-Nicki craze that plagued freshman year, right? My family certainly thought so, or maybe they were just sniggering about the blatant sexual imagery that I evidently didn’t see. I’ve been to enough Mug Nights now to know.

As freshman year went on, I definitely matured. I puked less and wrote more, and thus my articles started to marginally improve. I still retained startling levels of cliche in the premise of the articles (writing about my phone breaking or the struggles of preregistration), but each one started to contain bits of gold if you sifted through it for a little while. It wasn’t anything to uproot and move to California for, but there certainly were some precious nuggets in my stream of consciousness.

The spring approached and with it came the realization that our far more talented, far more experienced Humor editor would be graduating soon. This left the position of Humor editor wide open for anyone lanky enough to reach for it. The rest is Misc History. I ran for the position unopposed and when asked in my interview why I was applying for the position, I responded, “Well, I think I’m really funny.” Much like my excessive, overconfident sad boi complex, I’m also confident if the Misc elections were run like VSA elections, the entire editorial board would have voted to have the position appointed instead of voting for me.

If I could personify my humor writing style, it would definitely be wearing light-wash jeans, getting way too invested in youth soccer, while simultaneously writing letters to the editor of Scientific American. The first response to most of my articles is similar to how one might re-

spond to someone of this ilk, not with a “Haha” but “God dammit.” During my time as an editor, I wrote about Pokemon, Einstein, Odysseus, Star Wars and Intramural Athletics. Wow, it looks even lamer listed out.

So the ever-present question remains, if you aren’t funny, then why would you want to spend so much time working on the Humor page? Well, I’ve always said to work at The Miscellany News you need three things: enthusiasm, effort and talent, in that order. I certainly had copious doses of the first two and my immediate family would likely insist that the third was present, the same way that they proudly displayed my macaroni art on the fridge.

Luckily, as an editor I was able to exist in the shadows of my excellent new writers, but I didn’t give up the chance to shamelessly self-promote.

During my time in charge of the least important section of the Misc, somehow I managed to get a picture of me in a tank-top on the front page of the paper. I also oversaw the rumor that convinced many students on campus that Patrick from UpC had been the mysterious admin of the Vassar Missed Connections page. True, I didn’t write the article or take the photo or come up with the idea by myself, but that’s fine. Life is all about collaboration, especially when it comes to spreading rumors that involve love and milkshakes.

The best part of being the Humor editor has been this collaboration with my staff. And this isn’t just because the section would have been on par with popsicle-stick jokes without them.

It’s also not entirely because of the power trip I got from being able to set deadlines and edit their work. We really broke down the professional barrier the gmail app encourages and got to know each other in embarrassing contexts. I’ve seen writers in the TH’s, had classes with a few, and I’m even currently playing (beating) one in Words with Friends. I know what you’re thinking: “2012 wants its Scrabble knockoff back,” and while I do agree with the jab at the timeliness of this app, isn’t the Humor section, and the whole Misc really, just a different way of playing Words with Friends?

Inside the Snapchat revolution, making the app worse for the greater good Evelyn Frick, Polaroid Enthusiast

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n September of 2015, a young woman crashed her car while recording its speed using a filter on the popular app, Snapchat.

As this type of accident has occurred before and Snapchat has made no changes in order to prevent them, a victim of this recent crash is now suing the $20-billion company.

In wake of this lawsuit, Snapchat executives have realized that the three-second “we’re super sorry” video they’ve sent to previous victims during hospital visitation hours probably won’t cut it this time. And so they have revealed plans to redesign their app. However, CEO of Snapchat Evan Spiegel maintains, “But we at Snapchat believe that the problem is not with the app itself, but instead lies with the demographic of people who use Snapchat. Any redesigns are our attempts to drive away the idiots and draw in the respectable type of people who will create beautiful ‘snapsterpieces.’”

Spiegel relayed that the first of these revisions must obviously be in response to the trend of people snapping and driving. Finally they will be removing the controversial speed-measuring filter and will be replacing

it with another face-swapping filter. However, this filter will not allow the user to faceswap with pictures from their camera roll or with someone right next to them. Alternatively, this new filter will allow snappers to swap faces with the faces of a family member they could kill while recklessly driving.

The goal of the update is that it won’t be as fun for those who plan to snap on the roads and will drive them away. This modification to Snapchat will also provide the opportunity for this demographic to commit vehicular homicide not because they’re trying to keep a snap streak alive, but because they are driving under the influence. Like regular terrible people.

Another upcoming change to the app will be using teamsnapchat in effort to oust racists from Snapchat’s usership. In the past, the company’s personal Snapchat has sent messages to users in celebration of super important cultural and religious holidays like Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day. Now, in order to celebrate diversity, teamsnapchat plans to message users on less white holidays. Co-founder of Snapchat Bobby Murphy

commented, “We’re anticipating that a snap during every day of Ramadan or Black History Month will cause a lot of bigots to stop using our app.” When asked about a recent incident involving a Bob Marley filter which some have equated to black face, Murphy did not acknowledge the racist and hypocritical implications of it. Instead, he quoted from “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” a song by Bobby McFerrin, and not, as Murphy seemed to think, a song by Bob Marley.

Glossing over this awkward moment, Evan Spiegel went on to describe the modification that will be made to the Snapchat messenger.

The way the app is now, any message like any picture that is sent through the app, is no longer viewable after the receiver has seen it.

More than just being an issue for people who have normal memory skills, this blank slate messenger makes any morning after far less embarrassing because people can’t see the gross messages they drunkenly sent to their hookup. In an effort to discourage Snapchat’s use as a grimy virtual brothel on par with Kik, the app will now automatically download any messages that use the phrase “lol and then

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

what?” directly onto users’ phones. Once this causes as mass exodus of aggressively straight dude bros from Snapchat, more venerable users will be assured that deleting messages once they are downloaded onto their devices will be a lot easier to get rid of than say, HPV. The last change will not be significant in comparison to the revisions before it, however. Soon, the dog, bunny and cat filters will slowly be phased out. Snapchat’s CEO explained, “For whatever reason people don’t think that Snapchat can see their messages and pictures, but we totally can. I am so tired of seeing unnecessarily long snap stories of the self-obsessed, but seeing weird, furry porn is much, much worse.”

Whether or not these changes will make an impact on Snapchat’s user demographic is unclear. And despite Snapchat’s claims, the problem seems to be more with the app itself than with the people. Perhaps it would help to have a more responsible, less trashy membership, but providing anyone with the unregulated opportunity to seriously fuck up their face without the aid of plastic surgery is bound to wreck havoc, in a snap.

HUMOR & SATIRE

May 5, 2016

Page 13

How to be EMS’d like a champ: some intoxicating tips Amanda Su

Too Blessed to be Ems’D

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ounder’s Day is fast approaching. The manic stress from an accumulation of papers and exams slowly eats away at the sanity of the typical Vassarian. But on May 7, 2016, Vassar students will do what they do best: drown out their responsibilities with illicit substances and forget the hellish arrival of finals.

Students are undoubtedly bracing their bodies for the mess that will become of them on this festive and celebratory day. “Innocent” and “legal” fun is sure to be had, and for the freshmen who have yet to experience Founder’s Day, they have received an array of safety tips from their Student Fellows.

But in reality, these flyers do little to prevent or ameliorate the impending chaos and anarchy that will surely encompass the school on Founder’s Day. We need to accept the fact that students are most likely going to go batshit crazy and thus, I am creating a list of tips and tricks on how to not make a complete and utter fool of yourself when you are being EMS’d.

If you’ve ever been EMS’d for intoxication and embarrassed yourself in a drunken stupor, perhaps this will resonate with you, or perhaps you were so profoundly fucked up you are incapable of remembering. Either way, read on.

if you still have not realized the error in your ways after even more prolonged silence while the EMS staff tries to figure out how you’re still alive, for God’s sake don’t try to justify yourself by saying something like “What’s the big deal?

It’s just Coke.” This will not help .

Tip 2: Brush up on your history.

While EMS is evaluating you, they will ask you some questions because it is well-known that every EMS call comes with a short trivia section. In the 10 minutes it takes for EMS to arrive at your door, grab a laptop or a book

and quickly cram some general knowledge into your intoxicated mind. In a state of inebriation, a simple question such as “Who is the current president of the United States?” may seem as difficult as finding the derivative of an infinite function. Remember, everything is harder when you’re drunk. P.S. The answer to “Who is the current president of the United States?” is not passively aggressively asserting “Joe Biden!” Doing some studying will save you and your friends from embarrassment.

Don’t fight the lovely people who devote their time to EMS. These are volunteer students who have other things to do than put up with your drunken antics. Yes, being EMS’d is burdensome, tiresome and an overall annoying situation to be in, but try not to direct your hostility towards the innocent students working for EMS. Comply with whatever they ask you to do. If they ask you to walk in a straight line towards them, do it without a fuss. If they ask you to perform an Irish jig, it is vital that you cooperate fully. Because in the end, everything they ask of you is for your own good.

Tip 3: EMS are friends, not foes.

Tip 4: Friends are friends, not foes.

It’s always a good idea to have a sober (or at least sober-er) friend accompanying you on your nightly endeavors. Founder’s Day should be no different. Think of your responsible friends as the margarita to your tequila–just as necessary, but not as lethal. In EMS situations, friends play the most important role: They’ll be there to hold your hair up as you vomit your guts out, they’ll be there to give you that glass of water (you’ll thank them for this the next morning) and, perhaps most important of all, they’ll be there to remember all the stupid things you did/said last night.

Tip 5: Thank the EMS staff Even though what got you into this mess wasn’t classy, be classy. Whether it’s with the traditional thank you card, a bouquet of balloons or any number of edible arrangements (sans the kind of edibles you consumed before you needed their assistance), make sure to show some love to the people who fixed your broken body. It takes a special kind of person to willingly assist dangerously intoxicated fools all weekend and they don’t get nearly enough credit. Besides, at least you’ll have a good rapport with them when they find you feeling like a fish out of water on Flounder’s Day.

Samana Shrestha/The Miscellany News

Tip 1: Listen to questions and answer well When EMS comes knocking on your door at whatever hour and sees the mess of a human you have become, they will question you in order to gauge how bad you are. Standard questions such as, “What have you been drinking?” or, “How much have you had to drink?” are expected. However, when they ask you, “What else have you had tonight?” it is crucial to realize that they are not referring to mixers or chasers. They are most likely referring to other illegal substances/alcoholic drinks. So nonchalantly replying “Coke” is not the way to go.

EMS will stare at you, in stunned silence. And

The Miscellany Crossword

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May 5, 2016

Seniors reflect on theatre community, past experiences Matt Stein

Assistant Arts Editor

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ten offer itself as just as much if not more of an educational opportunity in the world of theatre. It creates a playground for the artist to explore their artistic visions with a surplus of organizations willing to fund it and help realize it.

Working with Future Waitstaff of America (Vassar’s musical theatre organization), Unbound (Vassar’s devised theatre organization) and Philaletheis in his four years at Vassar, Collin Knopp-Schwyn ’16 [Full Disclosure: Knopp-Schwyn is a cross­word editor for The Miscellany News] has managed to seize this opportunity to stage many of his creative ideas: “I would say my whole life is just a series of projects and that’s very much something I have found to be true but also that I’ve found that is able to be true with student theatre here. I’ve really loved the chance to do these special projects, all of them I think, because they’re a great chance to fail or succeed in equal measure. And this is very much a place where it’s okay to fail at something and have it be a failure. That’s still alright because in that way it’s more of a learning experience sometimes than academic theatre can be.”

Four years ago, the student theatre scene at Vassar was much different than it is today. Ebony Theatre Ensemble, a student theatre organization dedicated to bringing Black drama to Vassar and providing opportunities for Black actors, had been defunct for several years. Britomartis was still a pre-org, producing most of its shows through Unbound.

Since then, there’s been an influx in original works on campus focusing on the artist’s identity and voice. With social justice movements such as the transgender rights movement and Black Lives Matter, these works are more relevant than ever before. There are still leaps to be made in getting everyone’s interests heard, but that is the direction student theatre is heading, with credit given to many of the seniors for paving the way.

Asia Howard ’16, a member of Woodshed and a key figure in reviving Ebony Theatre Ensemble, has managed to find her artistic voice through participating in the creative outlets of these devised theatre organizations: “Groups like Ebony have been really important to me as a theatremaker for artists of color to carve out spaces because the theatre scene on Vassar campus can be pretty exclusive and I’m happy that I was able to gel with Woodshed and Ebony and have those spaces where we have agency over our work and it’s non-hierarchical. So we all have a say in the narratives being told and our visibility with those projects.”

In such a playground to grow in, everyone gets the chance to create what interests them.

Out in the professional world, there are other factors to worry about, like commercial success and producers to consult with on every decision. The only requirement here is the ambition to pursue this vision and a team to support it.

Rachel Messbauer ’16, a drama major and frequent actor with Merely Players, has auditioned for any production she can, realizing the once-in-a-lifetime possibilities student theatre provides for the artist: “Student theatre at Vassar is an opportunity for us as actors and direc-

Katie de Heras/The Miscellany News

he most essential element of student theatre is the students. They act, they direct, they design. They determine which plays to produce and sometimes they even write the show itself. With the Class of 2016 graduating and moving on to pursue their passions, now more than ever, is a time to reflect.

In preparation for this article, I reached out to more than 40 seniors that have been involved in student theatre at Vassar. In these interviews, we discussed how student theatre has changed during their time, favorite moments during their involvement and the future to come, for both them and this community.

They’ve taken on a multitude of roles and witnessed a community grow stronger and bolder in the topics they’ve tackled. More student theatre has emerged to the point that there’s rarely a weekend where there isn’t a special event or staged reading or full-length production going up. Vassar’s student theatre is thriving and the people to thank are sadly the ones that are going. The seniors have encouraged the community to present new voices, tackle bold ideas and expand on what it means to make great art.

But these seniors didn’t begin there. Many got involved as freshmen. They might have acted in various drama productions in high school, but they hardly had experienced the type of shows they devise today. Freshmen can’t participate in department shows until the spring, so many of the seniors got involved with student theatre.

Board member of Merely Players (Vassar’s classical theatre organization) Hannah Colonnese ’16 took part in student theatre from the very beginning, seizing the chance to make art: “I knew I wanted to do theatre and so first-semester freshmen can’t do drama department, so that was the outlet basically. And first semester, I only did a directing workshop and I think a cabaret and then some crew stuff in the Shiva. Then second semester was when it really took off when I sort of dove into everything.”

One of the benefits in student theatre is the bounty of roles anyone can take. Since every role in a production is filled by a student, that means there’s someone designing the lights or building the sets, not a build crew, which the Drama Department uses. And these have become students’ passions. They might’ve initially gotten involved in student theatre with one role in mind and found their dream job on a casual opportunity.

Carly Katz ’16, one of the main costume designers of student theatre, originally got involved as a freshman with the intent on acting.

Through her involvement with student productions, however, she’s discovered a different field and an even greater passion in costume designing: “It’s changed what it means to me.

I started off like, ‘You’re an actor,’ ‘You’re a director,’ ‘You’re a technician,’ and now I feel like you can do any part of that. You can keep with one and explore different things.”

As a freshman, it’s very difficult to get cast in a production, especially in the fall. However, taking on the roles you can and meeting people involved is a great way to participate. For many of the seniors, once they had started doing shows, they met a tightly-knit group of people set out on making great art.

Former President of Merely Players Rob Leinheiser ’16 has worked with Merely for nearly every show he’s been involved with at Vassar since freshman year. What drew him into continuing working with the organization was the closeness he felt when doing their production of “Henry IV Parts 1 & 2”: “We were in the chapel in fall and I remember absolutely freezing backstage between scenes and worrying about the whole show. But the cast–united by the bubbly presence of our director–was so dedicated to the show and each other. It felt like all of the close theatre relationships I had in high school were suddenly superseded by something real.

A real love between cast mates.”

Not all of the students involved in student theatre are drama majors. People from all sorts of fields, from psychology to media studies to chemistry, have managed to find a home in the student theatre community at Vassar and emerge as artists.

Nora Kaye ’16, a neuroscience major, is a member of Woodshed, Vassar’s non-hierarchi-

cal devised theatre group, and has managed to have her major fuse with her art: “I think it allows me to look at creative projects in different ways potentially. And this semester, a friend, who’s also a neuro major also affiliated with theatre, and I did a theatre-neuroscience independent study looking at the portrayal of madness in theatre. So we’ve tried to integrate it.”

By working in Woodshed, Kaye has been able to take a stab at every role under the sun and grow as a theatremaker during the devising process: “Since Woodshed is non-hierarchical, which is incredibly exciting but also can be difficult–so it’s completely collaborative and there’s no specific directors or really delineated roles–I’ve gotten to try my hand at everything. It’s been directorial but also I’ve done a lot of sound design through it, which has been so much fun. It also just really allows the whole creative process to be in your own hands and that is incredibly rewarding to look back on and feel your voice was heard in so many different elements of the show.”

Because basically anybody can get involved with student theatre, this creates the opportunity to make new friends of different interests and work with collaborators on new ideas. It also provides the chance for you to find a team that you can always stick with.

Sarah Freedman ’16 has taken on a variety of roles, including acting, designing and stage managing, and is one of the most prominent playwrights on campus. Through this exploration of the student theatre community, she’s managed to find a group of artists to work with and trust: “I put a lot less pressure on myself, because I’ve learned to trust my other collaborators. And I’ve also found people who I know I work well with, whom I trust. And that’s like most of being successful in theatre, I think. Just working with people you like and you trust. But it can be hard to find those people, but once you do, you gotta keep working with them.”

Freedman continued, “I’d really encourage people to try out stage managing or designing, even if you’re mainly an actor or a director, because it makes a huge difference in your work if you’ve had experience in a different role.”

Some of the student theatre organizations hold auditions in the fall and spring, allowing people to join the troupes on campus as permanent members. Shakespeare Troupe, Idlewild (Vassar’s all-female student organization), Woodshed and Britomartis (Vassar’s devised student theatre troupe) all hold these auditions and get the rare situation of working consistently with a team to make art.

Special Events Coordinator for Philaletheis (Vassar’s oldest student theatre organization) Patrick Dunning ’16 has been a member of Shakespeare Troupe since the spring of his freshman year, getting the benefit of having frequent collaborators on each show: “Working with a somewhat consistent ensemble of theatremakers for two, three or four years in a row is a rare and special treat, and it’s very much come to feel like a sort of family to me in my time here at Vassar.”

Within this community is a space to discover. While the Drama Department is meant for educational purposes, student theatre can of-

Vassar seniors from theatre orgs reflect on their time in the campus arts. For many of them, this was a formative experience that they hope to carry into their professional lives.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

tors and designers to push creative boundaries and really do things we would not expect to do when we go out into the ‘real world’ and you just get type-cast as ‘Girlfriend #2.’”

Messbauer continued: “I think seizing that opportunity and just being as experimental as possible is important because it allows you to think, ‘What can I do here that I might not be able to do when I get out of college?,’ or ‘These are the ideas [that were important to me as an artist] in college. Now how can I translate them into life after?’ I think the more experimental and political the better, because it allows you to find your own artistic identity.”

For the future, the groundwork is already being laid down to create a more collaborative student theatre community where art can grow and internal disputes are minimized. While there hasn’t been a full-out war, tensions sometimes have arisen between groups, especially for arranging performance spaces or making casting decisions. Despite many productions using alternate spaces, there is still a limitation in the amount of theaters on campus. With more students interested than ever, timing can also be an obstruction.

However, because of the efforts made by many seniors and other students to form the Student Theatre Alliance, a pre-org that was formed earlier this semester, a brighter, more transparent student theatre is on the horizon.

The Student Theatre Alliance will facilitate spaces as well as provide a channel for discourse among the student theatre organizations.

Colonnese expressed great optimism in the future of this community: “I think that the Student Theatre Alliance that’s happening right now is going to be a really exciting thing. I feel like sometimes there’s been a lot of tension between orgs, whether it’s playful or serious.

At various times it’s been both. And so I think the Student Theatre Alliance will be a good peace-keeping. They’ve got a constitution and everything. It’s not an official org but it’s a coalition just to negotiate spaces, negotiate issues that affect all of student theatre so that it’s not just conversations happening between people who happen to know someone on another org’s board. It’s an official outlet to do that.”

Even though student theatre and the Drama Department are separate, they both fall under that tent of great theatre that Vassar has to offer. The Drama Department tends to put on fewer shows in a semester, usually as part of a drama major’s senior project. These shows also rely heavily upon the guidance of Drama Department professors.

Drama Department Chair Gabrielle Cody has been a professor for many of the graduating seniors involved with student theatre, perhaps even from their very first theatre course, Drama 102: Introduction to Theatre. Cody hopes that they have managed to grow as artists in their time here: “Our philosophy and advice from the start is, become a theatremaker, practice all areas and learn to create your own work so that you are not sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring when you leave Vassar.”

Cody doles out some wisdom to the Class of 2016 as they go off into the world: “Keep doing your work and cross over as much as you can from writing to directing to performing, find small venues to showcase your work, see a lot of theatre, intern for artists/theaters whose work you admire–the smaller the theater, the more access to those artists–get a day job and take care of your health because you have only you: eat, sleep and read, and remember to play as well.”

While they may be graduating soon, many of these seniors wish to pursue the arts once they enter the real world. The job market might not be easy and there’s no way to know what will happen, but theatre is and always will be a community of artists supporting each other.

After Vassar, Dunning, like many other seniors, hopes to explore the wide world of this art that he’s come to discover at Vassar: “It’s a bit far-fetched, maybe, but I hope that in the coming years I’m able to roam around as much as I can, doing as many different kinds of theatre in as many different places with as many different communities of artists and people as I can, and yet still be able to develop consistent, long-lasting working relationships with new people and people I already know and love.

Dream big, I guess.”

May 5, 2016

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Group tap, tap, taps into an underappreciated art form Sabrina Oh Reporter

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hile Vassar students are no strangers to stumbling through finals week, Vassar On Tap starts off the end of the year on the right foot—or both.

Vassar On Tap will give its Spring SpecTAPular performance, involving nearly 40 tap dancers of all levels, to celebrate the end of a year. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 11 at 8 p.m. in the Students’ Building 2nd Floor MPR. On Tap President Emma Butensky ’18 anticipates a dynamic show. Butensky gave a brief glimpse into the spring performance: “We have nine pieces of choreography including student works and traditional repertoire choreographed by tap professionals. We are dancing

to a variety of music, [including] jazz, swing and pop as well. We have performers with a variety of experience levels. Ultimately, our goal through all of this is to exhibit our skills and have fun.”

On Tap member Wenjie Xie ’19 explained the structure of the group. “The tap club generally has two major shows per year, one towards the end of each semester,” she said.

“The Spring SpecTAPular is the spring performance that is a cumulation of all the hard work that all tappers, regardless of skill level, have put into the club as well as the product of numerous hours of rehearsal,” Xie continued.

“It showcases the talent of the advanced and intermediate tappers and the dedication of beginners who have acted on and pursued their interest in a new dance form.”

Courtesy of Emma Butensky

The Vassar On Tap spring performance culminates a year of practice. They hope to inspire interest in their craft. Membership has continuously grown since the beginning of the year.

Butensky noted the salience of Spring SpecTAPular and its niche here on campus. She wrote in an emailed statement, “This show is significant because it’s the only tap show at Vassar. Furthermore, Vassar On Tap is one of the few performing arts groups on campus where no prior experience is necessary, so we really showcase dancers of a variety of levels.

The Spring SpecTAPular is On Tap’s longest tap show ever, featuring more performers than years prior. ” Even On Tap’s first-year members have the opportunity to choreograph pieces for the group. Gray Alexander ’19 commented, “It’s just a chance to showcase several student-choreographed dances. I choreographed a dance to the song ‘Feeling Myself’ by Nicki Minaj ft.

Beyonce with Cassidy Nealon and Ellena Nador, as well as some standard tap dances. It’s a fun way for all of us to show off the hard work we’ve put into tap this semester, whether we’ve been tapping our whole lives or just this year like I have.”

However, Butensky commented on the larger picture of tap dance at Vassar and other colleges: “As Vassar On Tap has expanded, more members of the Vassar community have become aware of our presence and, as a result, I believe this club has gained more respect for what we do. Tap dance is a marginalized dance form; European dance styles such as ballet and modern are given priority in all colleges/universities.”

For example, Butensky pointed to the fact that although most colleges have comprehensive modern and ballet programs, only two colleges in the United States feature tap dance programs. “I am really happy that Vassar is embracing tap dance more,” she expressed. “I hope that the popularity of Vassar On Tap will lead the Dance Department to include us more in what they do, such as by allowing us to use their theater and/or working tap dance into their programming.”

On Tap member Lynn Zhang ’18 also hopes

that the group fosters an appreciation for tap on campus. Zhang mentioned, “We’ve been working on the dances from the beginning of the semester and we’re very excited to show the Vassar community how much effort we’ve put in. Also, we hope to raise awareness as to the cultural significance of tap dance. A lot of people might not realize that tap dance is actually older than the jazz music and that a lot of hip hop and breaking culture comes from tap dance.”

At the end of the day, Spring SpecTAPular is a pedal, musical and pyrotechnic gathering of Vassar performers and students alike. Spring SpecTAPular is a time to destress, find some resolve for upcoming exams and simply have a good time.

Xie concluded on a heartwarming note, explaining the goals of the upcoming show as a lighthearted celebration of tap. “In short, it brings together people who have an appreciation of tap and allows us to show off what we’ve learned in a way that’s fun and entertaining to anyone who comes to watch our performance.

Hopefully, it can also inspire other people to step out of their comfort zones to try new things by demonstrating how much you can gain from doing so—a sense of community, a new ear for rhythm and wicked moves to impress your friends with!”

On Tap member Saskia Globig ’19 expressed similar sentiments. “As I see it, our shows aim less to showcase talent and more to share the joy of tap dancing, the intricacy and novelty of rhythm, and the accumulation of hard work,” she explained. “I think no one can tap dance or watch tap without smiling–it makes people happy and gives people a chance to be ridiculous and skillful at the same time. There is a long, racialized history of tap as an American original dance form, and while On Tap doesn’t always draw on that explicitly, it is present and the choreography gives students a chance to extend their tap exploration even beyond traditional steps.”

Opera Workshop unites community of students, media Noah Purdy Arts Editor

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one’s own time nearly counter-productive.

However, Fuerstman commented, the group work has been a fun part of the challenge of preparing for this performance. “Drew always says,” she wrote, “if everyone upstages each other, then we have a show. It’s not just opera, it’s ‘over-the-top-era.’”

Both Minter and Charney also emphasized the differences between acting and performing opera, namely that opera singers not only receive a script to follow, but must also conform to a text set to music. “[A]n opera singer’s timing and pitch are created concretely by the music itself,” Minter explained. “The only parameter that an opera singer has control over is volume.”

Charney concurred, saying, “I always like to talk about deconstructing the piece: Why did the composer set this particular text this way?”

The learning experience of examining firsthand the intricacies of opera is crucial for students, like Pollis, who are pursuing opera after

Vassar in graduate programs and/or professionally. “[Opera] is the only way to make money in the vocal world...” explained Charney. “Everybody wants to do it, and it’s also become a lot sexier in the last few years.” In fact, Charney went on, approximately 80 percent of operas written in the last 100 or so years were written since 1950 and many of these were written by composers in the United States.

This relevance in the present day may be unexpected, but opera continues to bring audiences out in droves. This year’s performance, which will take place during the study period, can serve as a great study break, a temporary trip to another world where drama runs high and beauty is key. “A lot of people think opera is elitist and impossible to understand,” remarked Fuerstman, “but at the end of the day, [it’s] just stories, sometimes in another language, about human emotions set to music ... That’s what opera is really about—storytelling.”

Katie de Heras/The Miscellany News

he term “opera” derives from the Latin word for work or effort, and putting on such an elaborate production certainly entails lot of work. “It’s the most challenging art form,” affirmed Adjunct Artist in Music Miriam Charney.

The fruits of such labor will be presented on Friday, May 13, in Skinner Hall’s Mary Anna Fox Martel Recital Hall in this year’s Opera Workshop performance, the culminating presentation of the Music Department’s Opera Workshop course. The event will also be simulcast on the department’s website. “[This year’s performance] is different because there isn’t really an overarching theme,” explained music major Madeline Pollis ’16. Past performances have included scenes from operas retelling the mythologies of Orpheus and Ariadne or have been full operas, such as Viardot’s “Cendrillon” and Purcell’s “Dido and Aeneas.”

This year’s program, by contrast, will feature excerpts from a wide range of opera styles and periods. “We are doing a scenes program, broadly chosen from operas in French, German and Italian, and one little scene in English as well,” wrote Senior Lecturer in Music and the director of this year’s workshop Drew Minter in an emailed statement.

Minter, a former opera singer, and Charney, the music director and piano accompanist, chose scenes to complement the students’ varying ranges and levels of experience. Thus, the performance will include music by the composers Mozart, Rossini, Bizet and Berlioz, among others, and will comprise duets, trios and ensemble pieces. “...Drew and Miriam picked [the scenes] with each of us in mind, so they really show off our voices and abilities,” wrote singer Rachel Fuerstman ’16.

Such a diverse program will represent a semester’s worth of preparations and preparing an opera is not a simple task. Large-scale operas have their origins in the Italian-Baroque period, an artistic style characterized by high emotion and a union of media. Opera is the ultimate example of such an exuberant amalgamation.

“[It is] this incredible synthesis of music, drama and text, where they all come together in such a way that it feels as if it’s being created at that moment,” said Charney. “It’s rare when that happens, but that’s what we’re aiming for all the time.”

The spontaneous and free-flowing quality of a successful opera belies the incredible amount of multitasking performers must execute. Opera singers are often singing a text in a foreign language—memorized, of course—along with a complex musical score, all while moving around and acting within the scene. The text is also not sung at normal speaking time, and so a depth of emotions must be conveyed at a much slower pace than how one would regularly express them in speech.

On top of all of this, Charney described, “The ultimate goal is to make it sound ‘natural,’ as if people walked around singing to each other all the time.” Minter agreed, adding, “I tell students that it should at all times look like they are creating the music.”

In order to prepare students to accomplish this seemingly impossible task, after frequent rehearsals, Minter and Charney assigned each singer an aria to learn for the final performance program. They all workshopped their respective pieces, mastering not only the music and style, but also studying their histories and contexts.

“I think, in that sense,” said Pollis, “it became more of a learning opportunity and not just a performance.”

To address the added difficulty of singing while moving, Minter has also been instructing the singers in the acting technique Viewpoints, which helps in developing performers’ awareness of their bodies and their surroundings.

The singers will have to move in tandem with their co-performers, and the collaborative nature of the Opera Workshop differs from other voice performances at Vassar. For example, both Fuerstman and Pollis had to switch gears entirely from their senior recitals, in which they were singing a solo set. The Opera Workshop will feature a number of big, rousing ensemble pieces, which require adjustments in order to match everyone else and also make learning them on

Opera Workshop will showcase the dynamic art, which combines theatre, singing and language. The Workshop hopes to expose students to an underappreciated genre of performance.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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May 5, 2016

Deftones album echoes past Gwen Stefani not bad, but hits, will still grow on you tries too hard on new album John DeLeonardis Guest Columnist

Gore Deftones Reprise Records

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he new Deftones album is good, though I was worried it’d be the opposite. I went in expecting to be disappointed (after hearing their two earlier singles, “Prayers/Triangles” and then “Doomed User”), and disappointed I was on first listen. Hearing those tracks before the release, I went in expecting to hear material whose quality was akin to B-sides that didn’t even make it on their previous two albums, 2010’s “Diamond Eyes” and its near-equally-good-but-derivative-feeling brother, “Koi No Yokan” from 2013.

Though those two previously-heard songs felt better in the context of the album, the mindset I had strongly tainted my first listen of the album from this band I’ve loved for years.

I tried the album again that night before bed (while working on the same amount of schoolwork we’re all struggling through). For some reason (maybe the switch from desktop speakers to over-ear headphones?), it felt better immediately. The Deftones cornerstone of contrasting crunchy, metal textures (and not the cheesy, speedy, constantly-noodling kind) with interspersed pretty moments of calm guitars and electronic ambiance is actually apparent on here–perhaps it’s displayed more plainly than ever.

“Prayers/Triangles” starts the album with some good elements: that clean guitar coats the verses in some waterfalling treble, and the very short burst of energy from the choruses sounds like the splash that would come after you follow such a stream down. “Acid Hologram” mostly works with a trudging guitar riff, but there are some special moments where the instrument jumps to include some slides, and frontman Chino Moreno’s vocals move to background to mark these parts with a vocal reminiscent of old cartoon monsters or something. Next track “Doomed User” starts off quite angrily, but the chorus on this song is surprisingly...breezy, for the band. Its reappearance is like going in and out of a car’s sunroof during sunset while driving around the band’s hometown of Sacramento, CA. Sadly, “Geometric Headdress” does nothing to stand out following this. The chorus has a similarly breezy element like the song before,

but the track’s occasional build-ups set us up for a part that should be infinitely more exciting.

Luckily, the second half of the album is generally much more impressive. “Xenon” seems like a better version of the songs on side one, even if it does seem of the same ilk as “Prayers/Triangles” and “Doomed User”. The three tracks right after are certainly the best on the album: “(L)Mirl” opens from inside a well of phased guitars and keeps its powerful brooding energy throughout, yet finds a euphoric breakthrough in the chorus. The title track has a great, sweat-inducing build that releases to an equally-sweaty chorus and the de-evolution in the last minute grinds the song (and the listener’s attention) to a halt.

The next song (“Phantom Bride”) is gorgeous, and reminds me of some of Deftones’s sexier tracks (like “Sextape” or “Teenager”). That guitar solo in the middle is one hell of a surprising moment­–now THAT is a sound I haven’t heard Deftones do in their discography and I’m glad it worked so well! Chino’s vocal melody started the song gorgeously, but that guitar substantially stands out with it (perhaps partly because it’s provided by Alice in Chains’s Jerry Cantrell).

The song’s end was also a pleasant surprise, recalling the non-stop dark riffage of their 2003 self-titled album, albeit in a much lighter context than then (which the band refers to as the beginning of their period of “dark days” that came to a head with 2005’s “Saturday Night Wrist”). “Rubicon” is a pretty gnarly closing track, but does seem weaker than the string of greats before it. However, I really love the lyrics Chino sings here–like he’s describing the relationship with the band and their fans. The message seems to be: “No one person can live entirely alone, so we need to band together to face our communal obstacles. We are here because of your shared love for us and what we can do to help anyone is continue getting better as a band, improving so as to continually offer inspiration.” A lovely sentiment.

To be fair, “Gore” reminds me of each of the band’s other albums at various points throughout it, like a cool capstone after years of figuring out the product they’d make. I’d certainly say that you should give this album a listen if you’re ever in its “mood,” which you can probably figure out if you hear any of its songs. However, I cannot say this album adds very much that is new to their sonic canon and some gems on here are found next to a few forgettables. That being said, “practice makes perfect,” and if Deftones haven’t perfected their formula before, then they certainly have it figured out by this album.

Jillian Elkin Columnist

This Is What The Truth Feels Like

Gwen Stefani Interscope Records

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wen Stefani’s defining album “The Sweet Escape” came out in 2006 and made it to No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Considering that success, it is surprising that Stefani’s next and latest solo album arrived March 18, 2016.

During that window of 10 years, Stefani grew a lot as a person and an artist. But her penchant for Top 40 hits and a distinct voice remains on “This Is What the Truth Feels Like.”

At what point does an artist’s personal life become part of her art and therefore pertinent to the public? After 13 years of marriage, Stefani and Gavin Rossdale filed for divorce 2015. At this point, she scrapped the album that was in progress and decided to begin anew. A month later, Stefani and her co-judge from “The Voice,” Blake Shelton, publicly announced their relationship.

From then to now (and probably until the day they break up or die), the media has closely followed and questioned their relationship. Stefani is a prominent artist in the public’s eye, but she manages not to get consumed in the drama that surrounds her. Instead, she concentrates her thoughts and emotions into her music.

Looking back on Stefani’s work, including her visual imagery with the music itself, she’s usually distinct. There’s plenty of color, trendiness and cultural appropriation. Remember “Harajuku Girls”? I still have a love/hate memory of that.

I just wish a white person had not brought the aesthetic to mainstream America. With “This Is What the Truth Feels Like,” the listeners thankfully get little to none of that. In an age of the visual albums, Stefani focuses on herself as a person rather than a brand and the finished musical product illuminates this.

“This Is What the Truth Feels Like” is a solid, consistent album. Those with expectations for an overly emotional album that reveals secrets set themselves up for disappointment. As always, Gwen Stefani has two personas that manifest with matching lyrics and tones. One is more classically synth pop. She’s bubbly and light.

Personally, I prefer this energy. It comes through very well on songs like “Make Me Like You” and “Misery,” with the latter leading the album as a wonderful song that builds. On the song, Stefani

emotes well to set up the headspace for her and the listener during the rest of the album. She asks someone to “pull me out of misery.”

From the album, it seems clear that music is her savior and she loves it. Perhaps the long break from making music allowed her to sound like she enjoys making music in a way that doesn’t always come through from bigger pop stars who churn out major albums every or every other year.

Stefani’s pop personality is largely impersonal, but I don’t consider autobiographical storytelling imperative to music that makes me smile. Like Carly Rae Jepson’s amazing album “Emotion,” pop music that is produced and sung well has value and comes across as deceptively simple— or, at worst, bland. This alleged blandness could be covered up with costumes, dancing and elaborative marketing, but that feels unnecessary when it’s not pulled off perfectly.

The other voice that comes from Stefani is probably the one she’s more known for. Bratty, squealing and with stronger rock influences.

Voices like this and Charli XCX are very popular right now and increasingly common. I disagree that punkish attitudes in pop songs benefit from these unnatural vocal affectations. “Red Flag” is one of these punky, whiny songs as it has no discernible chorus or typical structure. Those aren’t always necessarily bad things, but they are for this song, which really does not work.

On “Naughty,” this voice works better. The song feels just as fun and catchy as most of the album does, but the tone is slightly out of place in some moments of the song. If you listen to the almost nonsensical lyrics, the song becomes worse, so try not to. That instruction works well for all of the songs that have this voice.

Also, Stefani clearly displays her experience as an artist throughout the album. Her long period of time off from recording gave her a maturity not previously seen in her music. So, an effort to sound younger (not just young adult, but possibly under 18) feels uncomfortable and so obviously forced. Stefani’s voice sounds unique and captivating enough without any added effects.

The album starts and ends with her iconic pop voice. “Rare” closes the album on a lovely, though unmemorable, note. Additionally, the three songs chosen as singles thus far have this lighter voice.

Therefore, the pop attitude feels truer than other artists in the industry that produce music for commercial success. Feelings have little to do with “This Is What the Truth Feels Like,” but that doesn’t take away from this catchy, organized album. Stefani sings her truth in her own ways and listeners need not question the message.

Drake explores humble style in evolving rap persona Jimmy Christon Columnist

Views Drake OVO Sound

C

hange your oil, get your brakes checked and make sure your headlights are working, because this is one of those albums that demands to be listened to while driving at night.

This isn’t an album from the same Drake that dropped “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.”

This is an album that has more in common with his sophomore album “Take Care.” But is this a return to form for Drake? Or is it a desperate grab for a better time?

I honestly thought Drake was completely turning away from his more emotional years with the double-take that was last year’s albums.

Drake seemed to be completely ignoring his old “heartbreak Drake” moniker in favor of an overly-arrogant style of music. This isn’t to say that Drake is completely done with his more braggadocious rap, but Drake is definitely more focused on his more reflective style of music.

And by more reflective, I mainly mean that Drake never strays too far from the subject of girls, and more specifically his ex-girlfriends.

Additionally, in this respect, Drake is at his most sensitive and you have to look no further than the lyrics to find this out. “Cuts too deep

for a band-aid solution” Drake laments on the DMX-sampling “U With Me?” which while typical heartbroken Drake, is ironically my favorite song on the album. One line later, Drake somehow tops that last example by croaking out the line: “LOLOL I’m glad you find this shit amusing.” If you’re wondering, Drake pronounces it EL-OH-EL-OH-EL instead of the suburban mom method, lawlawl, which I find immensely disappointing.

This is not an isolated case on one song. Over the course of this 20(!)-track album, Drake will consistently deliver some lines that are cheesy enough to be served with mac. “Why you gotta fight with me at Cheesecake?” Drake whines on the 14th track “Child’s Play.” The ultimate line on the album before the bonus track, “If I was you, I wouldn’t like me either,” Drake states on the grandiose closer “Views.”

But what about the bangers? Does Drake bring the same level of energy he brought to tracks like “Jumpman” from last year? This would be expected, as the rapper would want to keep the momentum going from last year’s string of hits.

However, this is not found on “Views.”

Sure, there is the Future-featuring “Grammys” and other high-energy songs like “Hype” or “9,” but these songs can’t hold a candle to “Jumpman” or any of the other high-energy tracks from Drake’s previous albums. And while these songs aren’t bad, it’s clear that Drake is focusing on his slower style of music.

So where does that leave the album? Well, it’s cheesy, sappy, 20-songs long and slow. Not

a good combination. So why am I giving it four stars out of five? Mainly because while I acknowledge these faults, I think this album is great. This album, while it certainly isn’t Drake’s hardest album, or even his most diverse album, is probably his best-produced and best-sounding album he has put out.

This album is an absolute pleasure to listen to. Drake has always had an ear for some killer beats, but on “Views,” the production is out of this world. From the falsetto vocals on “Weston Road Flows” to the heavy synths on “Fire and Desire,” the beats on this album are impeccable and Drake meshes with them to great effect.

Not to say that it’s just the beats that makes this album great, but a newfound sense of subtlety that Drake shows off on “Views.” Drake really has never been known for his subtlety, but on this album, Drake delivers some truly beautiful moments musically that I didn’t entirely pick up on until I listened to a track multiple times.

Take the track “U With Me?,” an excellent track about Drake questioning if the relationships around him are genuine. On the first listen, I thought this track was generic and for the most part it is lyrically bland. But now when I listen to it, I notice so many small parts of the song that make it one of my favorites. Small parts such as the violins that bridges the two halves of the song, this weird, quiet computer beeping that plays after the chorus and how these tone-shifted vocals swell in volume as Drake really starts belting out verses on the closer to this track.

This track just has so much going on sonically,

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

especially for an artist such as Drake that usually relies on more simplistic beats.

This newfound sense of subtlety isn’t just contained to a couple tracks either; the album as a whole has a subtle progression to it that I missed on my first listen. The album pulls the whole “progressing through the seasons” shtick that Lupe Fiasco did on his last album. But this season’s theme isn’t overplayed, and the progression from the colder winter tracks to the warm summer tracks like “Too Good” feels natural.

There are some final things I have to bring up before I can consider this review complete.

First is that for as much as Drake plays with his music, his lyrics aren’t exactly special. Sure you have his cheesy lines, then you have some standout bars throughout the album, but for the most part Drake keeps his lyric game lukewarm, which I think is okay if the songs sound as good as they do on this album.

The album also has some tracks that are filler, mainly “Hype” and “Still Here”; but to only have two filler tracks on a 20-track album is a feat.

All being said, I really hope that “Views” doesn’t get written off for the album not being what people thought it would be because this album feels like a step up for Drake. Sure, he doesn’t change his style up much, but he focuses on refining what he does down to an art.

Give this album a try, and don’t write it off after one listen either. After all, if you’re as cheesy as Drake is, it makes sense that you would age well.

ARTS

May 5, 2016

Page 17

Dance, diversity on display Annual in public OIS performance MET Gala Excuse me, outgoing Ed Board, disappoints

DANCE continued from page 1 as well.” Meade agreed with this sentiment as well, explaining, “One of the ways this is different from...anything else that OIS does is that we do market it to the outside community, both in terms of dance groups but also inviting families to come on campus, to actually be here in the space and to mingle and engage with Vassar students.”

Admission to the event was entirely free and campus organizations generously covered the upfront cost of concessions, allowing 100 percent of the profits collected at the event to be donated to charity. “Our idea is that the concessions will raise money for a good cause every year,” Meade described. The funds from this year’s festival went to a very worthy cause, one that has touched international communities both abroad and at Vassar. As Cox explained, “All of the money that we collect will be going to the Nepali Earthquake Relief Fund through a Vassar international alum who’s from Nepal. So we work with her family in getting the funds there and distributed to where it really needs to go.”

While some organizations donated time or money, a variety of groups offered to perform.

Although the lineup was varied, the organizers had to get creative because certain cultures and dances were represented more than once in the show. “We tried to separate the dances so you don’t get the same style of dance one right after the other, or even the same style of dance from the same country in a row,” Cox noted.

The event showcased a variety of multicultural talent. The first act included performances by community members, ranging from Korean springtime dances and a Charleston/Foxtrot hybrid to traditional lion dances and a particularly spectacular routine done on Chinese yo-yo.

Student performances were intermingled with those of community members and vividly showcased the rich diversity on campus. Dances included a tango by the Ballroom Club, a Bachata-Merengue-Cumbia fusion by Poder Latinx, Japanese techno, Waikiki hula, belly dancing, Bollywood and a performance by the Vass Shak-

Campus Canvas

ers. Vassar Sori even contributed a performance of Samul nori, traditional percussion music from Korea.

Audience member Dana Chang ’19 appreciated the uniqueness of the show, comparing it to others at Vassar. “Because I’m so used to going to a lot of the dance shows that happen on campus and a lot of it’s more contemporary things that I’m used to, it’s cool seeing the different cultures represented through dance,” she remarked. “It’s been beautiful.”

Chang’s sentiments were largely echoed by the crowd. Shishi Gachuhi ’19 observed, “I think it’s really interesting, and the [Chinese yo-yo] one was amazing.” Kimmie Nguyen ’19 agreed, “There is such an interesting mix of cultures from around campus and it really showcases how diverse our campus is.”

While the International Dance Festival primarily celebrated diversity, it also practiced inclusivity and unity. Meade reflected, “A lot of the programming that we do out of this office is designed to build community and try to help support the international student community, but we really also want to do things that are about bringing all students together, so we’re hoping that this becomes one of those things.”

The festival definitely reached this goal and successfully brought students (and communities) together. The end of the show featured a surprise performance in which the audience was, to its surprise, the featured guest. Despite age, background or even dancing ability, the audience and the night’s performers danced flash mob-style to Shakira’s “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).”

Cox looks forward to building the sense of unity between Vassar and its community through the International Dance Festival in the future.

“We’re really hoping to make sure that this becomes an annual thing ... We’re trying to make this as much of a collaborative event as possible, so not just OIS, but OIS and student orgs, and I think this year is the most student orgs we’ve worked with,” she remarked. “It shows a lot of promise.”

Connor McIlwain Arts Editor

“T

his gala is like the Grammy’s of style!” tweeted Kanye West, referring to the MET Gala. This year, the theme was “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.”

The theme of fashion and technology seemed fitting for an event that has kept Anna Wintour and Vogue relevant in the 21st Century.

But the clothes didn’t deliver. This year, things got lazy and a bit expected.

First of all, there was so much silver. Kim Kardashian, in a completely silver Balmain dress, was quickly dubbed C-3PKim online–a somewhat deserving moniker given her robotic resemblance. Her better (worse?) half, Kanye, wore a matching silver blazer and, um, blue jeans. He wore silver-colored contacts that reminded me of people who take their Halloween costumes way too seriously.

Taylor Swift also came in silver. Her dress strongly resembled, as one meme put it, “the bottom of a salmon fillet.”

Beyonce, who arrives last every year and is one of the most anticipated guests, arrived in a latex Givenchy gown. “Omg is she wearing Becky’s skin?” wrote one Twitter user, referring to Jay-Z’s alleged mistress.

The night wasn’t a complete disappointment.

Claire Danes came in a modern Cinderella dress that literally lit up. I expected more of this kind of look–the kind that actually integrated technology and didn’t just slap on a little silver and call it a day. Danes’s dress showed some of the potential the theme could have inspired.

But dubbing the night a look into the future of fashion seems a bit premature. With the huge capabilities of modern technology, I’m disappointed that the very best we got was a light-up dress and colored contacts. Maybe Kris Jenner, who sported black horns at the gala, can spend the year growing real ones for next time.

A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists

What are you going to miss about the Misc?

“I’ll misc the Misc puns.”

— Palak Patel ’16

“Production snacks, InDesign...and Charlotte and Twyla...I guess.”

— Sarah Dolan ’18

“Palak, Anika, everyone, and InCopy.”

—Noble Ingram ’16

submit to misc@vassar.edu

“Noble and Palak.”

— Anika Lanser ’18

“The painted wall.”

— Connor McIlwain ’18

“Avoiding staff Ed for almost two years.”

— Sam Pianello ’16 The art of my gap year was largely a series of cathartic exercises done within pages bound in my diary. With both written word and drawing, I explored the different ways emotions can manifest in tangible, creative forms. I used art when words seemed to fail me, and words when art felt insufficient. This work combines acrylic paint, oil pastel, charcoal, and collage. Throughout the year, I became heavily influenced by Menashe Kadishman, an Israeli artist and family friend who was famous for his colorful paintings of sheep.

—Maya Sol Levy ‘19

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Evelyn Frick, Humor & Satire Editor Sam Pianello, Photo Editor

SPORTS

Page 18

May 5, 2016

VC Track shines in star-studded, historic Penn Relays Olivia O’Loughlin Guest Reporter

T

Although the four Brewers in the 4X800 ran hard, Division I and fellow Division III teams claimed the top of the leaderboards. Monmouth University won the event with a time of 8:49.37, while the University of Pennsylvania took second place, and Rutgers University can in third.

In the men’s 4x800 relay, sophomore Jared Freedman ran the first leg for the Brewers in 2:03.97 minutes, while junior Gabe Fishman chalked up Vassar’s fastest leg with a time of 1:56.27. Freshman Luke Arsenault followed with a 2:01.98 time while freshman Ry Blume anchored with 2:00.35. Collectively, the men finished in a solid 8:02.55 minutes to earn 24th place.

“Going to the Penn Relays is always exciting. I had been there in high school to compete

with my team and I remember being absolutely amazed by the number of people in attendance,” says Fishman. “There really is no other track meet in the country that draws so many fans. The meet draws tons of teams from Jamaica and there are always thousands of Jamaicans who make the trip up to watch, usually lining the home stretch waving Jamaican flags and blowing vuvuzelas. You always want to run fast because it’s such an historic event.”

Assistant Coach Ron Stonitsch expressed his pride with his team’s performance and was happy to return to such an iconic race. Coach Stonitsch currently holds the two-mile record with a time of 8:38. The Brewers now looks to continue their success at the Matthew Vassar Twilight meet held at Weinberg Field on Friday, May 6.

Courtesy of Vassar Athletics

his weekend, eight members of the Vassar men’s and women’s track teams competed amongst the 22,000 participants in the renowned Penn Relays. First held on April 21, 1895, the Penn Relay Carnival is one of the most famous track and field events around the world. This historic event takes place at the University of Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field in Philadelphia, and plays host to some of the best young runners on the scene today.

Emerging from humble origins, the Penn Relays only consisted of nine events at its onset over a century ago: four competitions for high school athletes, four for college athletes and one college championship.

Today, the competition includes 314 events and takes place over three days. In fact, the Penn Relays holds the title for the longest uninterrupted collegiate track meet in the United States.

Another impressive feature of the relays is its considerable attendance. Each year, the Carnival hosts approximately 22,000 athletes and hosts over 110,000 spectators throughout the event. The meet’s highest attendance generally occurs on Saturday, with over 48,000 people attending events every year since 2004. These record-breaking numbers have since lent the Penn Relays the respectable position of the most attended track event in the United States every year.

Since 1895, the Penn Relays have garnered worldwide attention and fame, and have hosted many talented athletes, including multiple Olympians. In 1914, the competition reached international status as Oxford University flew athletes across the pond to win the four-mile relay.

The relays then integrated women into the event in 1962, as the womens’ 100-yard dash was added to the race docket.

Today, male and female athletes alike come together to compete at this momentous com-

petition. Eligible athletes include those in high school, college and even Olympians.

In 2010, Usain Bolt zoomed around the track at Franklin Field as he finished the last leg of the 4x100 meter relay in just 8.79 seconds.

This year, four-time Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross finished the 4x400 relay for Team USA in merely 52.63 seconds. Richards-Ross led Team USA to victory over Jamaica and Nigeria, while 2004 Olympian Jeremy Wariner helped USA’s red team earn second place in the 4x400 meter.

Senior Ava Farrell described the energetic atmosphere of the venue, “Saturday was a crazy time to be there, because some of the world’s most elite runners, including Olympian Sonya Richards-Ross, were racing that day. It was very cool, but also extremely intimidating to know that later that afternoon we would be racing on the same track as those incredible athletes.”

This year, the future Olympians that raced in Philadelphia include Vassar’s 4x800 relay team, consisting of Farrell, juniors Lucy Balcezak and Alex Gittens and sophomore Eliana Tyler.

The team earned 22nd place as they finished in 9:29.06 minutes. Tyler ran the first leg of the race and finished with an impressive 2:21.24 minutes. Balcezak led the Brewers with the fastest leg time of 2:19.66. Gittens and Farrell finished the last half of the race as they ran 800 meters in 2:22.06 and 2:26.11 minutes respectively.

“It was really exciting, and a ton of fun to have the opportunity to race with three of my good friends and three of the fastest 800-meter runners Vassar has seen. I hadn’t raced at Penn Relays since high school, so it was my first time back in five years and I had somewhat forgotten what a popular event it is,” Farrell commented on her experience returning to the time-honored track meet. “When we arrived, the stadium was swarming with over forty-four thousand people who had come to watch the races.”

Junior sprinter Alex Gittens races in the 4x800 relay team at the renowned Penn Relays on April 21. She boasted a 2:22.06 in her 800 leg of the race, helping the team finish 22nd overall

Knigge springs into success with All-American nab the 101 sets he played, Knigge had 28 service aces, 224 kills and totaled 310 points throughout the year.

Not to mention he led the Brewers in hitting percentage with a .388 and was fourth in the UVC in blocks per set with an average of 1.01.

Furthermore, he knotched 28 aces, 53 digs, 14 solo blocks and avaeraged 2.22 kills per set.

Knigge contributed 88 assisted blocks, the second most in a single season in Vassar volleyball history. On two separate occations, the middle also posted a career-high of 14 kills in a game.

Knigge’s impressive freshman statistics earned him the UVC Rookie of the Week twice.

Although Knigge excelled as a freshman, his statistics have improved significantly since.

“Matt is a great example of how hard work in the offseason can drastically improve a player’s game,” Cimorelli said, “He finished his freshman year with average national stats and

national recognition. He worked really hard in the offseason to get a lot stronger and more dynamic as a player, which resulted in his outstanding season.”

Knigge’s strong statistical records combined with his cohesive play led him to garner many other awards prior to his All-American recognition. The middle earned the AVCA National Player of the Week once and the UVC Player of the Week accolade twice this season. A Brewer hadn’t won the AVCA award since Phil Tully in 2010.

He first received Player of the Week after his efficient performance at the season-opener Wildcat Invitational. In the tournament, the Brewers went undefeated after besting the then-No. 11 Kean University, RV Wentworth, Wells and host SUNY Polytechnic.

Knigge committed only eight errors, hit at a rate of .593, and racked up 40 kills during the weekend’s play. He also tallied 11 total blocks

Courtesy of Matthew Knigge

KNIGGE continued from page 1 is a great honor and everyone always congratulates me on the accomplishment but I can’t stress enough how much this is a team award.

Volleyball is an extremely team-oriented sport.

Every ball that I touch comes from one of my teammates. So without them, I can’t do much,” the sophomore said.

Achieving this nation-wide recognition wasn’t something that factored into Knigge’s preparation for his training this season. Instead, it was something that came about as a product of these efforts.

“I don’t think I ever really thought about it that way. We always start off our season setting team and personal goals. [E]ach player performed to their own standards and the accolades are just a byproduct of working towards these big-picture targets,” Knigge said.

The team as a whole accomplished many of its goals. The group progressed past the first round of post-season conference play at the UVC tournament and most notably rose significantly in the national rankings. Although Knigge emphasizes his accolades as something that his teammates allowed him to attain, his individual contributions to the team’s successes are undeniable.

Over the course of the season, Knigge distinguished himself as a highly efficient hitter, closing out the season with a percentage of .502, placing him second overall in the UVC behind Steven Woessner of SUNY New Paltz, the NCAA DIII National Champion.

The Brewers defeated many highly ranked teams, including then number-six Nazareth College and former number-nine Elmira College The sophomore stood out in the win over Nazareth with nine kills, six blocks and one ace.

In the latter match, Knigge contributed nine kills, five blocks and two aces.

The sophomore further separated himself from the competition by finishing first in the conference in blocks, averaging 1.25 per sets played and racking up 140 overall blocks in 112 sets played.

The stand-out middle also played an integral role to the Brewer squad his freshman year. In

The American Volleyball Coaches Association names sophomore Matthew Knigge to the First Team All-American for Division III, one of many accolades he received this year.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

throughour the weekend Along with the Player of the Week accolade, Knigge earned co-MVP in the tournament.

The UVC again gave Knigge Player of the Week recognition for his strong performance against Hunter and Baruch Colleges. During the match against Baruch, Knigge contributed 10 blocks, the third most in a single match in Vassar volleyball history. “[Matt] is a dominating force at the net, both on offesive and defensive. His size and athleticism make him a huge factor for our team,” Cimorelli said.

Considering the extensive list of statistical categories Knigge leads or nearly leads, as well as the other conference and national awards he’s compiled this season, it is no surprise the Brewer standout reached All-American status.

Head Coach Robert Wolter is proud of both Knigge’s performance this season and the high recognition he gained as a result. Coach Wolter, who took over for Jonathan Penn as the 11th coach for the team, admires Knigge for his individual skills as well as his team mentality.

“I’m extremely proud of what he accomplished this season and am looking forward to working with him for another two seasons,” Coach Wolter said. “He is a great leader on and off the court and a great representation of Vassar College men’s volleyball on the national stage.”

After achieving all he has for the Brewers this year, Knigge has a lot to mull over and reflect on during the offseason. Again, the sophomore remains humble and prefers to highlight how his team performed around him, instead of how he himself performed.

“After this season and receiving the All-American award I hope that my team and I have brought Vassar men’s volleyball back onto the national stage. We just have to build off of this year’s success and work harder to continue to move through the national rankings and hopefully into the national tournament next year,” Knigge said.

The sophmore hopes to use this recognition as a springboard for continued future success and that his team can do the same.

SPORTS

May 5, 2016

Page 19

Often-overshadowed Mets NFL fanatic reflects on best ready to shine this season and worst of recent draft Zach Rippe

Eternal Sports Editor

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n elementary school, I was one of three Mets fans in my 60-person class. By the time I was in fourth grade, I knew that Mets stood for “My Entire Team Sucks” and that the Yankees had won 26 World Championships compared to the Mets’ two. The Yankees now have 27. The Mets still have two. To the casual Yankee fan with a faded Derek Jeter t-shirt and a tendency to use something arbitrary like a successful local sports team to make themselves feel better than their peers, nothing else mattered. These fans may not have been able to name more than four players on the field or rattle off statistics, recent results and upcoming schedules, but that’s okay. The Yankees weren’t just the best, they were explicitly better than you. Whatever. I’m not bitter.

Last season, things changed. After years of choking and slipping into an embarrassing puddle of mediocrity, the New York Mets reached the World Series. Their season was one for the ages.

The team started off hot but was plagued by injuries as it treaded water throughout the summer.

The young pitching was electric, but the offense was dead. After a dramatic trade deadline, the Mets miraculously were four wins away from a World Series. Of course they “Mets’ed it up” as their hero became the goat with two critical errors, but the Mets were young and star-studded.

The Yankees were just the opposite. The team’s general manager, Brian Cashman (yes his last name is literally “cash man”) must have missed the memo when signing players like Carlos Beltran and Ichiro several years ago. I don’t need to pay 30 bucks to watch a washed-up 37-year-old former All-Star rot in the outfield. Just kidding! I couldn’t go to a Yankees game for 30 bucks. Hell, I probably couldn’t even buy a hot dog.

It’s 2016, not 2008. The steroid era is over. The baseball landscape is changing. You can’t just buy another championship. The Yankees of the 1990s had plenty of home-grown talent. Buying superstars every year only led to one championship (2009) and nobody outside of New York cared.

Now, no one inside the City seems to care.

This year, the Yankees have the worst offense in baseball. They’re old, washed up and boring.

And this criticism doesn’t even address the cold, classist sentiments of their ownership.

This isn’t to say that Mets’ ownership is stellar by any means. The Coupons... *cough* *cough* I mean Wilpons got wrapped up in Bernie Madoff’s ponzi scheme a few years back. They’ve been afraid to spend money for years and according to some fans, have effectively held the team hostage as they refuse to sell. But at least they don’t say things like “And quite frankly, the fan might be someone who has ever sat in a premium location.

So that’s a frustration to our existing fan base” (SB Nation, “The Yankees don’t want their richest fans to have to sit next to poorer fans,” 02.18.2016).

This statement was in response to why the Yankees organization stopped letting fans purchase tickets off of Stubhub. Because, you know, they don’t want their wealthy (ideal) fans sitting next to some gross poor people at games. That would just be frustrating and uncomfortable.

After a slow start that gave me John Mayberry Jr. flashbacks, the Mets have been red hot. And they’re not even firing on all cylinders yet. Their rockstar pitching staff has been slowed by a sluggish Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom’s sore lat and paternity leave, as well as Zack Wheeler’s extended rehab from Tommy John Surgery.

Still they have a 6’6” 23-year-old nicknamed Thor with long blonde locks, a 100-mph fastball and a 97-mph slider, one of the best upcoming hitters in baseball, and an Instagram account where their right fielder Curtis Granderson consistently trolls their starting first baseman Lucas Duda. They’re not just good, they are fun. The Yankees are about as much fun as a soggy waffle.

The Mets are hip like it’s 1986 again. They may inevitably crash down to earth while the Yankees climb their mountain of money back up to the top but these moments will always make being a Mets fan worth it. I’ve always thought this was a “what have you done for me lately” kind of town anyway.

Adam Joseph D’Agostino Sr. Special Guest Columnist

S

o I guess I’m back for one last ride. That’s pretty cool, kind of like the NFL and the media circus it brings with it throughout the year. God, I love a good story and fortunately for me, this is the time of year when the NFL news begins to trickle back in. Yeah, we had the free agency window and all, but now we have things like voluntary workout programs and the draft. The stories go from Darelle Revis signing with a new team (which he does like every year) to Von Miller not wanting to work out with the team this week (which is totally fine because Von has to go out and win “Dancing with the Stars”).

In addition to that, we get the draft! Which is when a bunch of guys make a ton of predictions as to what team is going to pick who and they get maybe three correct a year!It’s the ultimate crapshoot and they grade a team’s draft like they know how good all of these pieces are going to come together. But I don’t want to shit on the league I love more than any other sport, so in order to critique the insanity that is grading a draft based on things that haven’t happened, I want to hand out my own draft grades for some teams.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: A. Why do the Bucs get an A in this draft? Well it’s a really simple answer, they drafted a kicker in the second round.

Not only that, they drafted Roberto Aguayo out of FSU who is the most accurate collegiate kicker in history. So why is this critical to a solid draft?

The field never changes; the quality of the players might, but not the length of a kick. So if Aguayo can hit a 45 yarder every time in college, he’s going to hit it in the NFL and that’s three points every time. Move over, Carolina, there’s a new powerhouse in the South.

New York Giants: C-. I love the Giants, I’ve said it every single article I’ve ever written. Eli Apple is a pretty good corner but we already have two solid vets and needed linebackers and all that jazz to make Tony Romo retire. As I said last week, I wanted Ezekiel Elliot to give us the ultimate pow-

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er trio in Odell, Eli and Zeke, but I guess that’s not happening thanks to Dallas. If we pick up OBJ’s freakishly large cousin who wants to play running back but hasn’t played since high school now, this draft class moves up to an A and Jerry Reese can keep his job. Until then, this was subpar at best.

Dallas Cowboys: F-. Two really quick takes on the Cowboys. They robbed us of Ezekiel Elliot because Jerry Jones thinks he can win a Super Bowl (I should go easier on Jerry, he’s a bit out of touch with the world nowadays). More importantly, Ezekiel Elliot didn’t even wear a full shirt to the draft. Way to go Zeke, we didn’t need to see your abs when you got picked up as the fourth pick, enjoy losing in the first round of the playoffs indefinitely if you ever make it. I used to think the world of you, but now you’re just another player I can shit on.

Cleveland Browns: A++. Way to go Cleveland!

You won the 2016 NFL Draft! With some sly maneuvering by the front office, Browns University has accepted 14 new players for its class of 2020, a high since 1979! I don’t remember where I heard it and I’m too lazy to do any research, but it came out this past year that most players see being drafted to Cleveland as going through college again. You sign your rookie deal and play just well enough to get off the burning trainwreck that is sadness incarnate. This organization is in desperate need of a rebuild, but hey, they are making jobs and that’s what America is all about. You do you, Cleveland.

I would do all 32, but I only get 850 words so I’m going to have to leave it there. Ultimately I give this year’s draft an A for three big reasons. The first is that there were so many trades in the first round it made your head spin as teams jumped all over the board. Second, Goodell got booed relentlessly to the point where he used children as a defense mechanism during one of the announcements he had to make. Third, Laremy Tunsil’s gas mask video was the story the world needed, so shout out to the hacker who is definitely on his 76303 way to prison for making this stud of an athlete drop a whole eight spots to the Dolphins.

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE 5021A0113 Campus News_FULFILLING CAREER_REDISCOVER_C28791_10x7_Various_1.indd Cyan Magenta Yellow Black

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SPORTS

Page 20

May 5, 2016

Despite young teams, Rowing excells in State event Hanna McGuire and Olivia O’Loughlin Sports Editor and Guest Reporter

I

n their final full team event of the season, the Vassar rowing teams participated in the New York State Collegiate Championships at Fish Creek in Saratoga Springs on April 30.

“My thoughts going into NY State Championships were simple as they have been all year. I was hoping that we would perform to the best of our abilities and for the most part, I thought we did that,” Head Coach Shawn Turner said, “Every boat reported solid racing and I am satisfied Vassar Rowing is headed in the right direction due to the hard work of the team.”

After a four-season sabbatical, the women’s collegiate varsity 8+ competed in the Championships and finished 11th overall after posting a time of 7:36.30 in the preliminaries. This time

pushed the women past tough competitors such as New York University, Geneseo and Oswego.

After the preliminaries, the women’s collegiate varsity 8+ raced a 7:37.71 in the petite final, besting Geneseo by one second.

Senior Maya Grunfeld coxed the varsity 8+ boat consisting of freshmen Haley Kardek, Julia Blass, Lauren Osojnak, Setse Bush and Amanda Su, as well as senior Elena Riecke and junior Lianne May. Meanwhile, the women’s collegiate JV 8+ finished fifth in the first heat, rowing a time of 8:19.08. The women’s 2V8+ later rowed in the women’s collegiate JV 8+ petite final, earning a time of 8:40.30. Sophomore Millie Cunningham coxed the 2V8+ squad that includes fellow sophomores Claire Baker, Zofia Siwicka, Clara Arntdsen, Lynn Zhang, seniors Cristina Headrick and

Courtesy of Vassar Athletics

The rowing team competed in the New York State Collegiate Championships Saturday.

The women’s collegiate varsity 8+ finished 11th in the preliminaries with a time of 7:36.30..

Cady Cirbes, and freshmen Taylor Bak and Catherine Hernandez.

“I think the strongest aspect of our team has been that we’ve been able to improve so much in a year, both in terms of individual and group effort,” Hernandez said.

At the Championships, the men’s team competed in the varsity 4+, the novice 4+ and the open 4+ events. The men’s collegiate varsity 4+ finished fifth in their heat with a time of 7:36.57, surpassing rowers from Oswego State and the University of Rochester.

Junior Andrew Wang and sophomore Sam Chiou were led by sophomore coxswain Janet Ortiz in the varsity 4+ boat. The team’s hard work is visible as they improved upon last year’s time of 75:52.68.

“I think the novice and first-year rowers have put out a strong showing in all our regattas. They are an extremely dedicated group of athletes and bring a great dynamic to our team chemistry and a solid foundation for our future. Progress and adapting have definitely been the strongest aspect of the team this year,” said Chiou. “We came in this year with just a handful of returning rowers and an entirely new coaching staff. We’ve been able to adjust to all these structural changes, which has helped us compete and make huge strides in terms of team chemistry and fitness has definitely been the strongest aspect.”

The Brewers took home fourth place in the men’s collegiate novice 4+ with a time of 8:09.54, besting a crew from NYU but falling just seconds behind a boat from U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. Freshman Kirk Testa guided the Vassar boat which included freshmen Devon Wilson and Jackson Christie and sophomore Pat DeYoung.

To round out the day, the men’s open 4+ ended in fifth place with a time of 7:37.93, 12.201 seconds behind Clarkson University. Coxswain Jonathan Snyder fronted the team of senior Clay Wash and freshmen Alex Goff, Vin Brana and Dan Otto.

Christie said, “I’m probably proudest of our team’s determination. No matter the situation,

our rowers always give their everything and come off the water after fighting our hardest.”

This year, the men’s squad only had three upperclassmen return to the roster and added six freshmen. Despite being a young team, the men have remained competitive in each event and continue to improve as a cohesive unit.

The women’s side didn’t face losses like the men but saw huge growth with nine freshmen.

No matter the makeup, both teams have worked tirelessly in practice and competition.

“The team has been strong in many ways.

Three things stand out. The team embraced the concept of accepting change and laid the groundwork for success both this year and in the future,” remarked Coach Turner. “Secondly, the team supported each other both on and off the water in a positive manner. Finally, the team learned to understand the level of work and effort required to be a successful team. All the of these strengths will benefit Vassar Rowing in the future.”

Members of the team share similar sentiments. While many rowers join as complete novices to the sport, rigorous training and the mentorship of more seasoned members help to make up for this initial inexperience. In order to move boats effectively, rowers must develop coordination with each other in the boat, and the entire boat should ideally develop similar levels of technical skills.

“Rowing is really a constant fight to maintain efficient technique while pushing boats with greater power and speed,” explained Baker, “We’ve spent a lot of time working on this balance and particularly building a foundation of good technique so that we can implement our strength most effectively. In my boat, I think that we’ve really made a lot of technical strides this year, and we’re already seeing it positively affect our times.”

The team will next compete at the Dad Vail Regatta, the largest collegiate regatta in the United States, held on Schuylkill River, PA, on May 13 and 14.

Teams stuggle as many seasons come to a bitter end Hanna McGuire Sports Editor

Women’s Tennis:

For its final game of the regular season, the Vassar women’s tennis team traveled to Troy, NY on Saturday April 30 to take on Liberty League foe Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

No. 1 pair seniors Hanna McGuire and Shayna Becker won 8-5, while senior Lauren Stauffer and sophomore Kate Christensen finished 8-3 at two. The Brewers used the early momentum to carry them through singles. Junior Connie Yoo cruised past her opponent 6-1, 6-0 at six while No. 1 Christensen clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-0 double bagel. Vassar, 13-7 overall and 6-1 in conference play, will head to Ithaca, NY on May 7 for the Liberty League Championships. The women, seeded second in the tournament, will play Skidmore College in the semi-final match.

Men’s Tennis:

Women’s Lacrosse:

Over the weekend the Vassar women’s lacrosse team faced two Liberty League competitors on the road, first Union on Friday, April 29 and then William Smith College the following day. The Brewers had a difficult run against the Dutchwomen, falling 9-17. Senior Isabelle Goldstein scored five goals, pushing her to second-most points in Vassar College women’s

Men’s Lacrosse:

besting three runners from Columbia University. In the 400m junior Alex Gittens ended in sixth place after posted a 1:01.19. Freshman Holly Payne also competed excellently, establishing a personal record of 5:12.95 in the 1500m, which made her the top Division III runner in the event. The Brewers will next compete in the Matthew Vassar Twilight Meet on Friday evening for senior day.

Men’s Track:

Despite hard work, the Vassar men’s lacrosse team’s season came to an end on Saturday, April 30. On Wednesday, the Brewers played their final home game of the season against Liberty League challenger Bard College. Senior Noah Parson led the squad with three goals in the 12-4 victory. Juniors Sam Houston-Read and Chris Billups each contributed three goals as well. On Saturday, the men faced off against Union and fell short 13-17 in the tight game. Houston-Read had a team best of three goals and two assists while freshman standout James Thomas earned four goals. Vassar finished the season 8-8 overall and 3-4 in league competition.

A small group of the Vassar men’s track team traveled to Yale for the Springtime Invitational on Sunday May 1. Junior Elijah Winston stood out in the 400 m run. He came in sixth, besting all other Division III competitors and some Division I athletes with a time of 52.15. Senior Taylor Vann also performed excellently, coming in second in the men’s 110 hurdles with a 15.88 time. Fellow senior Kyle Dannenberg accomplished a personal best with a time of 4:38.44 in

the 1500 m run.The Brewers look forward to the Matthew Vassar Twilight Meet on Friday evening where eleven seniors will be recognized.

Baseball:

The Vassar men’s baseball team faced off against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in two double-header games on April 30 and May 1.

On Saturday, the Brewers fell in the first 4-0 but redeemed themselves in the second with a 5-1 win. On Sunday, senior Brooks English solidified the victory with a ground ball to score junior Denis Shanagher and senior Dakota Sagnelli. The men struggled in competition on Sunday, losing both games 10-1 then 6-0 in the second double-header. the Brewers still suffered a 6-0 loss in the second. Now 17-18 overall and 11-9 in league play, Vassar next plays Manhattanville College on Wednesday, May 4. On Saturday and Sunday, the men play Union College in two Liberty League double-headers.

Rowing:

On April 30, the Vassar men’s and women’s rowing teams traveled to Saratoga Springs, NY for the New York State Collegiate Championships at Fish Creek. The women’s collegiate varsity 8+ finished 11th overall with a time of 7:36.30 and later posted a 7:37.71 in the petite final. The women’s team additionally sent out a 2V 8+, novice 8+, and varsity 4+. On the men’s side, the Brewers competed in the varsity 4+, the novice 4+ and the open 4+ events.

The men’s varsity 4+ and open 4+ both finished fifth in their heats while the novice 4+ ended in fourth. Vassar will next compete in the Dad’s Vail’s event May 13-14 in Philadelphia, PA.

Courtesy of Vassar Athletics

The Vassar men’s tennis team played a crucial match on Saturday, April 30 against Hobart College. The fourth spot in the Liberty League Championships was up for grabs and unfortunately, the men failed to nab it. The Statesmen defeated the Brewers 5-4 in the nail biter to end Vassar’s season. Hobart went ahead 2-1 after doubles. No. 2 pair junior Nick Litsky and senior Evan Udine won the sole doubles match 8-6. Litsky and senior Daniel Cooper each took their singles, at one and two respectively, to make the match even. Freshman Jamie Anderson also had an impressive 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory, but it wasn’t enough for the Brewers. The men finished their season 8-14 overall and 4-3 in Liberty League play.

lacrosse history. Throughout her career, Goldstein has accumulated 231 points, which is nine points shy of the all-time record of 240. On Saturday, the Herons proved just as tough as the Dutchwomen, besting the Brewers 5-15. In the game Goldstein posted three points while junior Julia Trudell put two shots in the back of the net. Vassar ends its season with an overall record of 6-9 and a conference record of 2-7.

Women’s Track:

On May 1, the Vassar women’s track team traveled to New Haven, CT for the Yale Springtime Invitational. Junior Molly Crowell was the top Division III runner in the 200m race.

She finished fourth overall with a time of 27.26,

Senior Brooks English attempts a swing in a home game for the Brewers. The baseball team went 1-3 against Liberty League foe Rensselaer Polytechnic Institue over the weekend.

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