The Miscellany News
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Volume CL | Issue 4
September 28, 2017
Notable instructor honored
Kelly Pushie
Jimmy Christon
Courtesy of Vassar Communications Office
XC team gets in formation Guest Reporter
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he Vassar men’s and women’s cross country teams have a lot to credit for their success this season, as many different runners have stepped up to post great times. This past weekend, the men’s squad finished 11th and the women’s crew finished 13th out of the 26 teams that participated in the Williams Purple Valley Classic this past weekend. Both teams had strong finishers, with the men’s team averaging a time of 27:52.5 over the 8k course and the women’s team averaging 24:46.7 over the 6k course. On the men’s side, Michael Scarlett came across the finish line first for the Brewers, with fellow senior Phillip Brown, junior Luke Arsenault and sophomore Will Dwyer coming in close behind. For the women, it was senior Savannah Wiman who came in first with a speedy time of 24:38.2, with junior Elise Matera trailing only a few seconds behind Wiman and junior Christiana Prater-Lee finishing only a few seconds after Matera. The women left the race this weekend feeling confident with their performance and eager to build on their momentum in upcoming races. AlSee CROSS COUNTRY on page 20
President Elizabeth Bradley, who started at Vassar in July, was officially inaugurated in a ceremony in the Chapel on Sunday, Sept. 24. Alums and representatives from other colleges came from far and wide to attend.
President Bradley inaugurated Laurel Hennen Vigil News Editor
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undreds of members of the Vassar community—students, faculty, staff, parents, alumae/i and trustees—gathered on the weekend of Sept. 23 and 24 to celebrate an event that occurs only once every 10 or 20 years: a Presidential Inauguration. “The inauguration of a new president is a joyous time in the life of a college, and one that provides us with the opportunity to come together as a community to celebrate our history,”
Courtesy of Olivia Feltus
The newest Palmer Gallery exhibit features pictures, clothing, newspaper clippings and more from the first women who enrolled at Vassar in 1865.
Palmer exhibits relics of first Vassar students Sasha Gopalakrishnan Assistant Arts Editor
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Inside this issue
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NEWS
Professor under attack for advocating diversity in field of study
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The lavish weekend was rumored among students to cost upwards of $1 million—though the College declined to disclose the cost beyond the fact that it was “considerably less” than $1 million, according to Baer. Along with Vassar affiliates, a number of attendees were faculty, staff and students from Bradley’s former institution, Yale University. This included a contingent of students from Branford College, one of Yale’s 14 residential colleges, of which Bradley served as See BRADLEY on page 3
Ford scholars dive into humanities research Laila Volpe
Assistant Features Editor
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ecause most students leave Vassar for the summer, they may be unaware of some programs and activities taking place on campus while they’re away. One notable example, The Ford Scholars Program, was founded in 1988 with a grant from the Ford Foundation and aims to pair professors and students to give students research experience in their chosen field. As Ford Scholar Kaitlin Prado ’19 [Disclaimer: Prado is a reporter for The Miscellany News] described in an emailed statement, “For the students it’s often about being introduced to focused research in their prospective field for the first time, and for the professor it’s a chance to continue projects that largely get put on hold during the rush of each semester.” In February, an email goes out to the student body inviting students to apply. The potential scholars can see a list of proposed projects that professors are working on and can apply to two, listing them in order of preference. Then an interview process with the professor takes place to determine if the student fits the project, and the chosen students begin work after school ends. According to Ford Scholar Matthew Au ’19, the projects span multiple disciplines and departments, and they range from a minimum of four weeks to the entire summer; most are gener-
Usage of term “differently abled” raises OPINIONS serious concerns
ally around eight weeks long. No two projects are similar, and they vary in terms of professor involvement as well. Stephanie Coons ’19, while her project was relatively independent in nature, still met consistently with her mentor, Associate Professor of Economics Benjamin Ho. Coons, who researched the degree of partisanship of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), described their working relationship, stating, “A lot of [the inspiration] would come from him and either I would add to it or figure out how to make it work in practice.” They would then regroup to discuss what worked and how to move on from there. Coons and her mentor used existing research to help her structure her own project, referencing a previous study in which two researchers looked at the Congressional Record, the official transcription of all congressional sessions. They found the words that Democrats and Republicans used most often, and noted how many of those words specific newspapers used in order to measure the partisanship in each paper. They applied this same idea to NGOs using CharityNavigator, a database of charities that conveniently provides mission statements for each organization. The question Coons and Ho wanted to answer was as follows: “Given a mission statement, what is the probability See FORD SCHOLARS on page 6
19 SPORTS
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t Vassar’s Thompson Memorial Library, there is currently an exhibit displaying a collection of children’s books by the late Nancy Willard, who, along with being a faculty member at Vassar for almost half a century, was also a prolific author. She wrote children’s books, poetry and novels, and a selection of these popular books are now commemorated in this exhibition. The collection of Willard’s books spans decades and hints at the author’s tireless work ethic behind the books. In conjunction with a memorial service held previously following her passing, this exhibit serves as an open memorial for one of Vassar’s central community members. Willard retired in 2013 but had been teaching on campus since 1965. She died in February of this year, a grave loss for Vassar and the generations of students she instructed. This exhibit, planned before Willard’s passing, is not just a showcase of some of her works, but it is also a testament to how the community here at Vassar engages with itself through both remembrance of a person and through exploration of the works they left behind. Willard reached international acclaim and popularity with her breakthrough book “A Visit to William Blake’s Inn,” which won the Newbery Medal in 1982. This book, which is on display in the library, transposes Poet WilliamBlake’s “Songs of Innocence and Experience” into a form for children. This is not to say that the book dumbs down any of the themes brought up by Blake;Willard deftly parses the works of Blake into a form that preserves the fantastical quality of his works without getting bogged down in details. This is to say that Willard shed new light on one of England’s foremost figures. Additionally, the works on display illustrate the theme of Nancy Willard’s role as both a teacher and artist. The exhibition style is a very understatSee BOOKS on page 14
Courtesy of Olivia Feltus
n Sept. 23, 1865, along with four women from Canada and one from Hawaii, 348 women between the ages of 15 and 27 from across the United States became the first students at Vassar College,” wrote academic intern Heather Kettlewell ’18, explaining the Vassar College Historian Colton Johnson’s recent project and the James W. Palmer III Gallery’s current exhibition, “The First Students.” This project maps the stories of 18 students from among the original 353 who graduated in the College’s first official collegiate year, 1868. Aiming to study these women in all their complexity as Vassar scholars, “The First Students” traces information about
their families and backgrounds, their pration to make their way to Vassar, their activities while they were at the college and their lives and careers after graduation. Currently on display at the Palmer Gallery are pictures, facts and anecdotes about these students, in addition to news clippings. These echo questions and responses raised by the college’s progressive ideals and will be on display for all to see through Oct. 5. This informative exhibit is paired with clothing displays that indicate the kind of attire these students sported in that time period, which differs drastically from what the average Vassar student would wear today. Thousands of women from all over See FIRST STUDENTS on page 14
said Vice President for Alumnae/i Affairs and Development Catherine Baer in an interview. Though President Elizabeth Bradley started at Vassar on July 1, inaugurations traditionally take place in the fall. The occasion featured two panel discussions liberal arts education and health care on Saturday; a celebration for students at the All Campus Dining Center on Saturday night, featuring music and a special menu; and, of course, President Bradley’s formal Inauguration ceremony on Sunday.
Reporter
Vassar engages with its own through both remembrance of past community members and through exploration of the works they left behind.
NFL roundup recalls an exciting week in football
The Miscellany News
Page 2
September 28, 2017
Editor-in-Chief
Charlotte Varcoe-Wolfson
Senior Editor Noah Purdy
Contributing Editors Sarah Dolan Eilís Donohue Rhys Johnson Anika Lanser
News Laurel Hennen Vigil Humor and Satire Leah Cates Yesenia Garcia Arts Matt Stein Patrick Tanella Sports Mack Liederman Robert Pinataro Design Yoav Yaron Copy Tanya Kotru Gode Sumiko Neary Courtesy of Evelyn Frick
In St. Petersburg, Evelyn Frick ’19 snapped a photo of The Bronze Horseman, one of the city’s most notable monuments, honoring Russia’s first emperor, Peter the Great. This sculpture stands in Senate Square and faces out towards the Palace embankment. The inscription on the base reads “Petro Primo, Catharina Seconda” or “Peter first, Catherine second,” delineating a clear power dynamic for the monarchs. The name is this statue is derived from a poem of the same name by Alexander Pushkin. To read more about Evelyn’s exciting JYA experience and read more about other student’s travels, visit farandaway.miscellanynews.org!
The Miscellany News 28
September
Thursday
LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Fall Reception 4:30pm | College Center 223 | LGBTQ Programs
History and Memory After Charlottesville
5:30pm | RH 200 | History Dept.
Wordsmiths’ Open Mic
6:00pm | RH 300 | Wordsmiths
Student Music Showcase
7:00pm | College Center Mug | Vassar Students Musicians Union
Weekender_ 29
September
30
Friday
September
Saturday
Rugby Practice M/W
Lacrosse (W) Scrimmage Day
Fall Fest
Tennis (W) vs. Union
4:00pm | Library Lawn | Main House
9:30am | Joss. Tennis Courts | Athletics
Volleyball (W) Quad vs. WCSU
Volleyball (W) Geneseo vs. WCSU
9:00am | Weinberg Field | Athletics
2:00pm | Rugby Field | Athletics
5:00pm | Kenyon Hall Gym | Athletics
12:00pm | KH Gym| Athletics
Volleyball (W) Geneseo vs. Nazareth
3:00pm | Gordon Field | Athletics
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October
Lacrosse (M) Alumni Game 11:30am | Old Practice Field | Athletics
Rugby (M) vs. Drew University
2:30pm | Rugby Field | Athletics
Faculty Recital: Sophie Shao, Cello 3:00pm | Skinner Recital Hall | Music Dept.
7:00pm | Kenyon Hall Gym | Athletics
Volleyball (W) vs. Geneseo
Climate Change Theatre Festival
BNI Baking Night
SEAFest
6:00pm | Villard Room | SEASA
9:00pm | College Center 223 | Big Night In
Vassar College Orchestra
3:00pm | SC 212 | Philaletheis
Paper Critique
9:00pm | Rose Parlor | The Miscellany News
9:00pm | SC 212 | No Offense
Courtesy of Vassar Music Dept.
8:00pm | Skinner Recital Hall | Music Dept.
No Offense
Under the Stars
6:00pm | Blodgett Courtyard | Raymond House Courtesy of Flickr
Yum! Bake some treats for you and your friends this Friday with Big Night In in the College Center! You’ll certainly satisfy your sweet tooth!
HEL Show
8:00pm | Shiva Theater | Happily Ever Laughter
Board Game Night
9:00pm | College Center 223 | Big Night In
Reporters Talya Phelps Kaitlin Prado Dylan Smith Columnists Izzy Braham Jimmy Christon Jesser Horowitz Steven Park Sylvan Perlmutter Andrew Solender Design Maya Sterling Copy Isabel Bielat James Bonanno Gabriela Calderon Jillian Frechette Anna Wiley Andrea Yang
Sunday
Soccer (W) vs. Union College
4:00pm | KH Gym | Athletics
Assistant News Clark Xu Assistant Features Laila Volpe Assistant Arts Sasha Gopalakrishnan Assistant Online Kayla Holliday Jackson Ingram Abby Lass Assistant Copy Claire Baker Assistant Social Media Hannah Nice Web Master & Technical Advisor George Witteman
Enjoy classical music at the Vassar College orchestra’s first performance this Saturday night.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only accept corrections for any misquotes, misrepresentations or factual errors for an article within the semester it is printed.
The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.
September 28, 2017
NEWS
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VC community congregates to celebrate Inauguration BRADLEY continued from page 1
On Sunday, Sept. 24, President Bradley posed with several other professors and inaugural speakers on the steps of her house. These attendees were joined by student representatives.
Courtesy of Vassar Communications Office
Presidential Search Committee member and Student Assistant to the President Ellie Winter ’18 shared some of the things she’s learned during her time at Vassar, including the fact that, “Everyone here has a riveting story, an impressive mind, from the professors to the gardeners to the security guards.” She added, “We hope to see in [President Bradley] Vassar’s potential to be a beacon of hope in troubled times, an experiment in what the best minds can unearth together.” Trustee and President of the Alumnae and Alumni of Vassar College Missie Rennie Taylor ’68 spoke of the trailblazing nature of the Vassar alumnae/i community, of which living members represent the Class of 1934 to the Class of 2017. She invoked Matthew Vassar’s remarks to the Board of Trustees in 1868, “My motto is progress,” and commented, “And so, by every indication, is yours, President Bradley.” L.B. Dale and A. Lichtenstein Professor of Chinese and Japanese and Presidential Search Committee member Peipei Qiu discussed Bradley’s commitment to engaging with the Vassar faculty long before she arrived on campus, noting that she had met with some 80 faculty members prior to this semester and had read many of their published works. Wellesley College president Paula Johnson explained the connection between Greek mythology and the Seven Sisters, the association of seven historically all-female institutions of higher education that comprises Vassar, Wellesley, Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, Mount Holyoke College, Radcliffe College and Smith College. “[The Seven Sisters] refers to Atlas and Pleione’s seven daughters, changed into stars by Zeus. In the night sky, they live on as the star cluster known as the Pleiades. On Earth, they live on as seven great lights of liberal arts education ... Like our namesakes, we, too, shine brightest in the darkest of times.” Though some wonder why Vassar remains a part of the Seven Sisters since it became co-ed in 1969, Johnson remarked that the coalition’s connection has always been about making higher education accessible to those who ordinarily don’t have the means to attain it. Just as Vassar allowed women to be educated in the 19th century, so too does it now show leadership in accessibility for low-income students. “I have no doubt that Vassar will continue to show us the way forward,” Johnson said. Finally, Yale President Peter Salovey took the stage. He said that although Vassar—Yale’s former sister school—chose to go co-ed rather than merge the two colleges in the 1960s, as Radcliffe and Harvard did, “Vassar is special to Yale.” He also praised his former colleague, saying, “[Bradley] attacks problems with a fierce commitment to their solution, and through it all, her commitment to her principles, to balancing what should be with what is possible and to the integrity of the educational process, reigns supreme.” Next, Yale’s Francis Writer-in-Residence Anne Fadiman recalled a discussion over dinner with Bradley and Yale students about the importance of a liberal arts education. “A liberal arts education allows us to meander,” they decided,
Courtesy of Vassar Communications Office
Head for the past several years. Representatives from 49 colleges and universities as close as Marist College across town and as far as the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece, were also in attendance. Among these representatives were the presidents or acting presidents of Yale, Transylvania University, SUNY New Paltz, New York University, Mount Holyoke College, Lawrence University, Wellesley College, Sarah Lawrence College and Mount Saint Mary’s College. Wellesley and Yale’s presidents also served as inaugural speakers. At 1:00 p.m., after most of the audience had been seated in the College’s stately Chapel, hundreds of student representatives—members of the Vassar Student Association and leaders of student organizations—faculty, the aforementioned delegates from other schools and distinguished visitors like former Vassar President Catharine Bond Hill, walked in procession into the Chapel in caps and gowns and were greeted with the first of five standing ovations during the ceremony. Chair of the Board of Trustees William Plapinger ’74, P’10 delivered the opening remarks. He recalled the previous inauguration, President Hill’s in 2006, when most attendees had no idea that they were about to experience the worst economic downturn since the 1930s, a recession that would test both Vassar and the nation as a whole. “Vassar has come through that and has continued to strive to live up to our founder’s ideal to expand access to a first-rate liberal arts education to students who previously were denied that opportunity,” he said. “While there is still much work to be done, today’s Vassar is more representative of the diversity of our nation than it has ever been.” He noted that while the current political climate is turbulent, Vassar has survived difficult times before. In fact, workers broke ground on Main Building the same day that the first shots of the Civil War were fired. Through it all, he said, “There remains no better preparation for this uncertain world than a Vassar education.” Plapinger also declared that Bradley will add to Vassar’s many strengths, saying, “In all areas, Elizabeth Bradley has shown extraordinary leadership, combining intellectual commitment and rigor with vision, energy and administrative talent.” Director of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life Reverend Samuel H. Speers then gave a short invocation on the promise of new beginnings, and the Vassar College Choir performed Anton Bruckner’s “Os Justi.” Next, representatives of the Hudson Valley community, Vassar students and faculty, alumnae/i, the Seven Sisters and the Ivy League took the stage to offer welcomes on behalf of their respective communities. Dyson Foundation President Robert Dyson remarked, “Without any question, Vassar is one of the jewels in the crown of the Hudson Valley,” noting that the College is the eighth largest employer in Dutchess County, with an annual payroll of $140 million and about 1,100 employees.
At President Bradley’s inaugural ceremony on Sunday, Sept. 24, attendees filled Vassar’s 1100-seat Chapel—the largest event venue on campus—near to capacity. and perhaps “liberating education” would be a better term, due to its ability to free students from the narrow path of a pre-professional degree. “Under the leadership of Elizabeth Howe Bradley,” she added, “Vassar will give you everything you need, but it will not tell you which route you should follow.” Plapinger then officially inaugurated Bradley, who, appearing to wipe away a few tears, took the podium to deliver her inaugural address. After expressing the humility she feels to have been chosen to lead Vassar and to continue learning and growing in her new position, Bradley spoke of her plan for the school. “My vision is that Vassar retains and strengthens its position as a national model of liberal arts edu-
Courtesy of Vassar Communications Office
Courtesy of Vassar Communications Office
Vassar livestreamed the Inauguration for those who couldn’t attend. The livestream was MC’d by Audrey Pillsbury ’19 (left), Emmett O’Malley ’19 (center) and Rachel Jones ’18 (right).
Bradley delivered her inaugural address on Sept. 24, speaking of her vision for the College.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
cation.” She noted three key priorities to achieve this goal: To do more to support Vassar’s renowned faculty, to create an inclusive campus culture for students of all backgrounds and to strengthen Vassar’s ties to the community of Poughkeepsie and the mid-Hudson Valley. In addition, Bradley promised that Main Building, Raymond House, Blodgett Hall and Chicago Hall will be renovated, and that Vassar will be carbon-neutral by 2030. She also mentioned her hope to start a summer education institute here. Like Plapinger, Bradley noted the uncertain future Vassar’s students are facing. “At this time in our history, some may capitalize on fear and discontent and anti-intellectualism,” she said. “But Vassar will be resilient, an anchor in tough, turbulent times. Together, we’ll rediscover trust—our trust in people and the institutions that serve them. As the president of Vassar, I am committed to strengthening this institution to stand as a place of optimism, of integrity, in the time ahead.” Bradley concluded, “I want to ask each of us to reflect. Look around. We are the beneficiaries of the learning and leadership that has come before us and we are the stewards for future generations. Let us draw on the strength from each other and take on the challenge of ensuring that Vassar remains the unique higher education institution that it has been for our nation, our world and for the tens of thousands of students who have walked on this campus. Breathe in, and think. The future is open, and unknown. We have everything we need. Let us be free in our curiosity, responsible in our community and full of hope for our collective future.” The ceremony closed with a choral rendition of Barnum’s “I cannot hold thee close enough!” and a benediction from Yale University’s Chaplain Reverend Sharon Kugler before the hundreds of attendees and speakers filed out of the Chapel, looking ahead to see how Bradley will fulfill the vision she has laid out.
NEWS
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September 28, 2017
Vassar medievalist harassed for advocating diversity Clark Xu
Assistant News Editor
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ost of the time, debates between medievalists model an orderly and careful conversation. But a war of words erupted between medieval historian Rachel Brown of the University of Chicago and literary medievalist Dorothy Kim of Vassar College when Brown published polemics on Sept. 14 and 17 that took issue with Kim’s outspoken position on inclusiveness in medieval studies. In her articles, Brown resorted to ad hominem attacks bolstered on Facebook by alternative right political commentator Milo Yiannopoulos and his community of 2.3 million followers. After the attacks on Kim by Brown in her Sept. 17 polemic, President of the College Elizabeth Bradley declared in a community message, “At times, faculty and students are maligned because of views they have expressed on social media and in other communications channels [...] In my role as President, I condemn any expressions that incite violence or lawlessness, and stand behind the right of all members of the community to speak out on issues of importance to them.” A subsequent report in the Huffington Post by Professor of Philosophy Bryan Van Norden agreed that harassment and exclusion are ongoing concerns in many academic circles beyond medieval studies and criticized Brown’s unscholarly response to the debate. A petition presented by the international community of academics and another by the English Majors Committee at Vassar are currently circulating among students in support of Kim. The diatribes represented the flash point of several months of tension between groups of various ideological persuasions in medieval studies. As Kim explained, “After the U.S. election, a group of medievalists of color began to organize in order to try to address some of this in our field.” Beginning in May, these scholars brought concerns over inclusiveness in medieval studies to the International Medieval Congress at Kalamazoo, the Leeds International
Medieval Congress and the International Society for Anglo-Saxon Studies Conference. The debate coincided with the Charlottesville riots. Kim noted, “The summer has been called by many in medieval studies ‘the dumpster fire summer of racism.’ We are having our ‘medievalfail’ moment. And Charlottesville—the images, rhetoric, cosplay that happened there on a college campus—was a major part of this ‘medievalfail’ moment.” Conservative news outlets ranging from professional publications American Spectator and The Commentary to student publications College Fix and Campus Reform vigorously objected to Kim’s articles on keeping accountability of harassment at conferences and on respecting scholars of diversity. The viewpoints in these articles often hold that Kim’s concerns are not justified by the actual state of medieval studies or are motivated by political concerns that are not based on scholarship. In addition to hostile rhetoric from the Gamergate movement and unmoderated communities on the dark web, the polemics by Brown concentrated criticism from multiple angles on concerns raised by medievalists of color. Kim reflected, “I think it’s clear there is an investment in imagining the Middle Ages as a pure white medieval past and ‘heritage.’ Any discussion that debunks these ideas, especially coming from a woman of color who is a medieval literature professor, is going to cause issues.” Behind her public statements on inclusiveness in medieval studies, Kim has produced several academic works that examine contemporary medievalism from the perspective of critical theory. Forthcoming in the Arc Humanities Press, her book “Digital Whiteness and Medieval Studies” proposes to examine how the development of whiteness as a historical and theoretical concept in medieval studies renews white supremacist movements in contemporary society. Kim has also published feminist criticism related to the issue of harassment in a series of papers in Public Philosophy Journal and
Model View Culture. Kim summarized her responsibility as an academic, saying, “I think the elections in the U.K. and U.S. have really pushed me and others to begin organizing because the ‘alt-right’ onslaught and targeting of spaces and bodies who are fighting for inclusiveness has increased.” As a recent example of the contemporary relevance of medieval studies to the U.S. political context, Kim suggested, “The ‘alt-right’ love the Middle Ages. These include Trump voters who have used crusader material in their memes and discussions during and after both the U.S. elections and Brexit in the U.K.” Kim’s research interests complement her teaching. As English Majors Committee President Rachel Ludwig ’18 described, “As a professor, Dorothy Kim brings infectious levels of enthusiasm and energy to the classroom. The way she approaches Medieval Literature is singular, and she is very invested in the Digital Humanities. What this means is that she engages her students across multimedia platforms in teaching medieval studies, bridging the gap between centuries-old material and modern-day technology.” Kim structures the curricula of her classes and seminars so that students learn to communicate through many media, including standard text summaries and critical papers, creative novels, live performance, web archive projects, academic blogs and documentary video. Ludwig considered the multidimensionality of Kim’s work and elaborated, “For instance, our seminar took a field trip to an actual tannery and learned how to make vellum. We worked with hides and stretching tools and went through the entire historical process.” Brown’s ad hominem attacks and release of personal information to Milo Yiannopoulous’ community have presented security issues for Vassar faculty and students. Kim recalled, “I have had a meeting with the president and several college administrators and they have worked to get logistical support so that certain
issues are addressed quickly in relation to my safety.” From a student perspective, Ludwig indicated, “I think Professor Kim is very transparent concerning all that is happening to her right now. Her students are aware of the issue and I think Professor Kim is making the best of a difficult situation; for instance, she is teaching her first-year students about cybersecurity, in light of recent hacking attempts on her web-based content. Overall, I think students would be more likely to want to work with a professor who publicly stands against hate and white supremacy in her field.” Kim remains worried about repeated attacks and encourages members of the Vassar community to stay informed. Based on historical patterns of alt-right activity, Kim advised, “I do not know if there is such a thing as a resolution in the sense that potential doxxing and threats, once these groups have you in their sight line, are going to be iterative and ongoing [...] I think future faculty, students, staff people will be attacked by the ‘alt-right’ and their media engines. It’s happening right now to other faculty across the country even at liberal arts colleges such as Linfield College in Oregon and Richard Stockton College in New Jersey.” Kim recommends resources such as the Center for Solutions for Online Violence, Data and Society, and Crash Override to individuals who are subjected to a doxxing attack. In the ongoing debate, Kim said, “I would say that people should talk about these issues: How does white supremacy work and how does it surface in our educational institutions? I think they should resist and fight back against white supremacy and the ‘alt-right’ in any and every way they can.” Ludwig concluded, “I think it’s important that students are aware that this is happening to a Vassar professor, one of our own. Professor Kim embodies what all Vassar students should strive to be: Someone who refuses to remain silent and takes a vocal stance against injustices that they see in their community.”
Bradley hosts panels on education and health care Dylan Smith Reporter
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ascend socially and economically through education, eventually becoming a physics professor. The lesson from this, Kumykov emphasised, was the transformative power of education to rescue his family from their previously dire situation. “One thing that no one can take away from you,” he said, “is your education.” After presenting individually, the panelists took questions from the audience. The second of Saturday’s panels tackled the complex and pertinent issues of health and healthcare. This panel consisted of four speakers as well. Patrick Geoghegan, O.B.E., was the first speaker as well as the panel’s moderator. A former National Health Service executive in the U.K., Geoghegan spoke about his charity, The Silver Line. The Silver Line is a phone line available to elderly individuals in the U.K. suffering from loneliness. During the panel, Geoghegan cited a study that suggests that loneliness can be as damaging to someone’s health as smoking 25 cigarettes a day.
Following Geoghegan was Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Professor of Environmental Health Services Ellen Silbergeld ’67. Silbergeld’s focus Saturday afternoon was that of prevention. She posed the question, “What are we doing to keep people healthy?” “Health is not just the absence of disease,” she asserted, arguing that prevention is a necessary, yet often overlooked, aspect of health and healthcare. Next was Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers founder and director Jeffrey Brenner ’90. Brenner talked about the imbalance in the U.S. healthcare system. Last was Angela Ofori-Atta, a clinical psychologist out of Ghana. Angela remarked on the importance of mental health, especially in the developing world, where it is often ignored. She emphasized the necessity of task-shifting, telling the story of Ghana’s “psych corps,” young mental health professionals who employ cognitive behavioral intervention preemptively to citizens of the country.
Courtesy of Vassar Communications Office
s part of the weekend’s inauguration programing, President Elizabeth Bradley moderated two panels on Saturday, Sept. 23. The first of the two panels commenced at 1:30 p.m. and was titled “Liberal Education in a Globalized World.” The second panel, at 3:00 p.m., was called “Health and Health Care: Where are we going?.” Both events featured prominent thinkers from both the U.S. and the international community. As President Bradley took to the lectern Saturday afternoon, she was greeted with warm and lengthy applause. The audience consisted both of members of the Vassar community, as well as friends and fans of Vassar’s new president. She began by addressing the central question of the panel. “What’s the project we have here [at Vassar]?” she asked. “What are we standing on?” Bradley introduced the members of the first panel. First was President Emerita of the University of Chicago Hanna Gray. Gray focused primarily on the history of liberal education and humanism—how a so-called liberal education has evolved over her 65 years in the field. Also on the panel was Executive Director of the American Association of Colleges and Universities Lynn Pasquerella. Pasquerella focused primarily on accessibility to education . Minister of Finance of the Republic of Ghana Ken Ofori-Atta participated in Saturday’s first panel as well. Ofori-Atta focused on the economic and political challenges of a liberal education, particularly in the developing world. Azamat Kumykov, the panel’s final member, is a businessman from Russia and a Yale graduate. Kumykov spoke on the often overlooked relationship between liberal education and the private sector. Once the speakers were introduced, each had the opportunity to speak on the topic of the afternoon. Gray went first, reflecting on the conflicts, both modern and historic, over the practice and practicality of multidisciplinariansim in higher education. Practicing the liberal arts, according to Gray, is commonly seen as a kind of dilettantism—a frivolous and aimless practice undertaken without commitment.
In contrast, Gray stressed that a liberal arts education must be seen as an important form of preparation for the entire being. The liberal arts, she noted, help a student learn how to evaluate evidence, how to deal with complexity and how to facilitate individual thought. The solutions to the current struggle of the liberal arts, she noted, are not merely curricular. “The practice of the liberal arts is only as effective as the animating spirit behind it,” she said, identifying the need for broad, ideological change. Pasquerella spoke next, telling her own story of accessing education. She talked about a liberal arts education not just as a practical commodity, but as a life-changing factor in many people’s lives. She considered what she sees as a growing economic and racial segregation in the liberal arts, remarking that a radical reckoning with current structures is necessary for closing that divide. After Pasquerella was Minister Ofori-Atta. Ofori-Atta spoke of the economic impact of the changing demographics in his home country, Ghana. Specifically, he regarded the question of sharing educational resources in a place where they are relatively scarce, in order to get young people educated and employed. Many people in Ghana, he said, view a liberal arts education as a luxury. However, in light of the current educational system of Ghana, which is seen as a more practical, vocational education, Ofori-Atta can’t help but wonder, “Is there something more we should be doing?” Ofori-Atta lamented the widespread corruption in Ghana and the toll it takes on the country and its population. A liberal education, Ofori-Atta argued, is necessary to create citizens rather than just people who are living in a country. “It’s a question of teaching leadership and responsibility as part of a student’s training,” he said. Finally, Kumykov spoke. He told the audience about “Grand Strategy Russia,” a program that exposed established and wealthy Russian businesspeople to a diverse liberal arts pedagogy, including history, philosophy and politics. Regarding the importance of such an education, Kumykov reflected on his own family’s history. He shared that his family was severely affected by the Russian Revolution, when his grandfather was deemed as an enemy of the people. His father was able to
On Saturday, Sept. 23, President Bradley moderated a panel titled “Liberal Education in a Globalized World,” which featured several distinguished figures in that field.
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NEWS
September 28, 2017
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News Briefs Ethnic cleansing in Myanmar
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he Rohingya—an Islamic ethnic minority group in Myanmar—is suffering from the government’s military crackdown. The violent clash between the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and Myanmar’s government army on Aug. 25 has produced more than 429,000 Rohingya refugees (The Guardian, “Myanmar: images show Rohingya villages still being burned, says Amnesty,” 09.22.2017). The conflict between these two groups is not a new occurrence, but has in fact been ongoing for more than a half-century. Unlike the majority Buddhist population in Myanmar, the Rohingya are an ethnic group that have practiced Sunni Islam since the 15th century. For generations, one million Rohingya have lived in Rakhine, a state in western Myanmar, developing their own language and cultural practices (The New York Times, “The Rohingya in Myanmar: How Years of Strife Grew Into a Crisis.” 09.13.2017), Despite the scale and history of the Rohingya, the Myanmar government has not embraced them as citizens, even passing a law in 1982 restricting the Rohingya from holding citizenship. Rather, the government has treated them as an illegal immigrant group from Bangladesh under British rule. As a result, the Rohingya have become “one of the largest stateless groups in the world” (The New York Times, “The Rohingya in Myanmar: How Years of Strife Grew Into a Crisis.” 09.13.2017). In addition to losing their nationality, the Rohingya have been denied resources like basic education and health care and cannot freely move across boarders. These obstructions from social rights have untimately made Rakhine extremely poor and underdeveloped. The long tension between the Rohingya and Myanmar Buddhists has provoked violent collisions several times in the past. However, the most recent clash on Aug. 25 resulted in such severe casualties and brutal violations of human rights that it has brought international attention.
Talya Phelps In this week’s headlines... President Trump criticized NFL players who kneel in protest during the National Anthem and said that they should be fired. This inspired players across the country to demonstrate in defiance during the anthem on Sept. 24. Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam stated, “We must not let misguided, uninformed and divisive comments from the President or anyone else deter us from our efforts to unify” (The New York Times, “N.F.L.: Seahawks and Titans Skip National Anthem After Trump Comments,” 09.24.17). Iran announced on Sept. 23 that it had successfully tested a new ballistic missile, raising concerns that the country’s activities violated a United Nations resolution endorsing the 2015 deal that restricts the country’s nuclear program (The New York Times, “Iran Tests Ballistic Missile and Rejects ‘Threats,’ ” 09.23.17). Trump is replacing his travel ban, which barred visitors from seven Muslim-majority countries, with restrictions on visitors from nations he has determined do not do enough to prevent terrorists and criminals from entering the States (The New York Times, “Trump’s Travel Ban to Be Replaced by Restrictions Tailored to Certain Countries,” 09.22.17). Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III has requested documents relating to controversial actions by Trump, including the dismissals of former FBI Director James B. Comey and former National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn and an Oval Office meeting between the President and Russian officials (The New York Times, “Mueller Seeks White House Documents Related to Trump’s Actions as President,” 09.20.17).
In August, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army first started a provocation toward police posts and army base. The Myanmar government responded by carrying out “clearance operations” in order to eradicate every root of rebels. The result of the collision was disastrous. “Killing, raping, burning villages and shooting civilians from helicopters” ceaselessly occurred (The New York Times, “The Rohingya in Myanmar: How Years of Strife Grew Into a Crisis.” 09.13.2017). Moreover, the Myanmar government has halted any humanitarian aid to the Rohingya which has increased casualties even more. More than 400,000 refugees have gone over the border and ended up in camps in the Bangladeshi district of Cox’s Bazar. However, the camps’ conditions are extremely poor, and Bangladesh cannot support an excessive amount of refugees. Robert Onus, an emergency coordinator for the medical relief agency Médecins Sans Frontières (also known as Doctors Without Borders), pointed out, “The situation in the camps is so incredibly fragile, especially with regard to shelter, food and water, and sanitation, that one small event could lead to an outbreak that may be the tipping point between a crisis and a catastrophe” (The Guardian, “Myanmar: images show Rohingya villages still being burned, says Amnesty,” 09.22.2017). People around the world are now focusing on the action of Myanmar’s de facto leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. In addition to international human rights organizations such as the United Nations and Human Rights Watch, other countries including the United States and several Muslim nations have urged her to protect the Rohingya and stop the violence between two groups. However, Aung San Suu Kyi cannot currently fully practice her authority, as “the flawed constitution has allowed the military to remain politically powerful and guarantees it control of key ministries including those related to security and defense” (The Guardian, “Myanmar: images show Rohingya villages still being
Retaliating against Trump’s threats to destroy North Korea at the United Nations’ General Assembly, Kim Jong-un called the President a “mentally deranged U.S. dotard” on Sept. 22. The next day, the Air Force flew warplanes close to North Korea’s coast, prompting the country’s foreign minister to say on Sept. 25 that the North has the right to shoot down American warplanes, even those outside of its airspace (The New York Times, “North Korea Calls Trump’s Comments a ‘Declaration of War,’” 09.25.17). Senate Republican leaders found themselves short of votes to pass the farthest-reaching health-care proposal yet, written by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) effectively doomed the bill by declaring opposition on Sept. 25, and it was scrapped the next day (The New York Times, “McConnell Says Republicans Are Giving Up on Health Bill,’” 09.26.17). In our backyard... Trump’s professed desire to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts hits close to home in Dutchess County, where $125,000 in annual NEA funding feeds arts initiatives such as the Jazz in the Valley festival, the Bard Music Festival and Spark Media Project’s DROP Studios. The arts are a crucial aspect of the Dutchess tourism industry, bringing in 600,000 visitors and generating $62 million annually. Should the NEA be nixed, arts organizations would face steep competition for grants; some, like the dance troupe Vanaver Caravan, say they would utilize online fundraising platforms such as Kickstarter. NEA funding is currently guaranteed only until Dec. 8 (Poughkeepsie Journal, “Trump threat to arts resonates loudly in Dutchess,” 09.22.17). Fourth-grader MoNahjae Dickens celebrated the beginning of her term as first president of Poughkeepsie’s Morse Elementary School on Sept. 21. Along with her best friend and vice president Emani Ferzan, Dickens was sworn in at Poughkeepsie City Hall by Judge Thomas O’Neill. The election process was facilitated by Morse Elementary School teaching assistant Carol Melton and her Young Citizens after-school program, funded by a 21st Centu-
burned, says Amnesty,” 09.22.2017). Nevertheless, last Tuesday, she decided to speak publicly about the genocide. The world is looking forward to the next step toward ending this tragedy. —Youngju Chang, Guest Reporter Mexico hit by multiple earthquakes
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n Sunday, Sept. 24, Mexico’s coast was shaken by yet another earthquake, this time with a magnitude of 5.9 (out of 12) according to the Mercalli scale. The earthquake struck 99 kilometers southwest of Tonalá. It occurred only one day after the third earthquake in the past two weeks, which had a magnitude of 6.1, and before that a deadly earthquake on Sept. 19 and another on Sept. 7 with magnitude of 8.2, which resulted in almost 100 deaths. The earthquake on Tuesday, Sept. 19, which hit Mexico City around 1:00 p.m., was one of the strongest and most devastating earthquakes the area has seen in the past 30 years. The earthquake’s epicenter was 123 kilometers from Mexico City, seven kilometers to the west of Chiautla de Tapia in the Mexican province of Puebla. The earthquake shocks could also be felt in the provinces of Morelos, Puebla, México, Guerrero and Oaxaca. Seismologists estimate that the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1 and was followed by at least 11 aftershocks, the strongest of which had a magnitude of 4. So far it has claimed more than 300 lives. In the capital alone, the most recent earthquake destroyed at least 38 major buildings. Many others were severely damaged, and streets were filled with dust and the smell of gas (Reuters, “Mexico in three-day countdown to search for earthquake survivors,” 09.26.2017). The city was left in chaos, with many fires and 3.4 million left without power. More than 200 people died under the ruins, the majority in the capital and its vacinities. South of Mexico City, a 13-story primary school collapsed,
ry Community Learning Centers grant. “I want more children to be involved in improving not just the school, but the entire community,” remarked Dickens during the ceremony. “I have so many goals and dreams I want to complete.” This school year, the Poughkeepsie district stopped receiving the $1.2 million annual funding that supported the after-school program, and is searching for other grants to keep it afloat (Poughkeepsie Journal, “Poughkeepsie’s first elementary school president, VP, sworn in at City Hall,” 09.22.17). Keeping up with 2020 hopefuls... Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) New Jersey native Booker began his political career as senior class president at Stanford University, and went on to attend Yale Law School, where he operated free legal clinics for low-income residents of New Haven. In his first NJ political role on the Newark City Council, he lived in a tent and went on a 10day hunger strike to bring light to the city’s drug and violence problems. Booker lost his mayoral bid in 2002, but after working to better the community by establishing nonprofit organizations, he ran again in 2006 and won. As mayor of Newark, Booker overhauled the police department, fixed Newark’s financial deficit, lowered the crime rate, implemented pay cuts for top earners (including himself) and earned a reputation as an overachieving leader with a remarkable dedication to his constituents. In 2013, Booker became New Jersey’s first Black senator, and in 2016, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton considered selecting him as her running mate (Biography, “Cory Booker”). Recently, Booker co-sponsored the universal health care bill presented by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT). On Sept. 24, asked by MSNBC’s Al Sharpton about the possibility of a 2020 run, Booker demurred, saying, “I’ve got to focus on what New Jersey elected me to do. That’s three years away. I’m going to be the best senator I can be and not be afraid to call out injustice when I see it, no matter what happens” (The Washington Free Beacon, “Booker Dodges Question on Whether He’s Running for President: ‘That’s Three Years Away,’” 09.24.17).
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
resulting in the deaths of at least 21 children and five adults, though the rescue workers managed to save 11 schoolchildren. Authorities estimated that there were about 40 more people trapped under the ruins (CNN, “Fears of building’s collapse as rescuers race to reach girl trapped under rubble in Mexico,” 09.21.2017) The streets were filled with people, as many Mexicans did not dare to return to heavily damaged buildings, fearing another earthquake. Mexican authorities called on the residents to use public transport instead of cars, as they wished to empty the roads for easier and faster transportation of wounded people to hospitals. A number of ad hoc emergency hospitals were set up. Among the survivors, the most common injuries were fractures due to the falling objects. There are thousands of volunteers, Red Cross workers, police officers, soldiers, firefighters and rescuers on the ground who are continuously searching for more people under the ruins. Sept. 19 was the 32nd anniversary of another catastrophic earthquake in the Mexican capital (Reuters, “Mexico in three-day countdown to search for earthquake survivors,” 09.26.2017). In 1985, Mexico City was hit by an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.0. The earthquake claimed more than 10,000 lives, and almost 30,000 buildings collapsed. Due to the high number of fatalities and material damage of $4 billion, the 1985 earthquake is considered one of the worst in the history of Mexico. On Sept. 19 of this year, many people were reminded of the fatal earthquake of 1985. The European Union has already offered assistance and expressed condolences to the victims of the earthquake. German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her condolences and solidarity with Mexico, while Pope Francis prayed for Mexicans on St. Mark’s Square. Meanwhile, the Israeli army has announced that it will send 70 soldiers to Mexico, including engineers and search-andrescue specialists. —Marusa Rus, Guest Reporter
Updates from the VSA — The Health and Wellness Committee is looking into discounts for Project Period supplies and are trying to purchase things sustainably and from ethical producers. — If your org would like to be a part of the Mental Health Fair, please email vsawellness[at] vassar.edu. — We will be checking in with dorms and senior housing to insure that they each have proper first aid supplies and basic medicines, while also coming up with a plan to make sure these resources are not misused. — VSA will be having a forum with Dean of the College Chris Roellke on Sunday at 7:00 p.m. in New England 106. Come with questions or to listen to what the VSA has to say and ask him! — The Board of Activities is working with the College to purchase a new sound system that will be accessible to students for a variety of events. They will consult with orgs to purchase the equipment that will benefit the most people. — We are looking for more all-campus programming events for Vassar students. If your org is interested please send an email to vsaorgs[at] vassar.edu. — NYC Shuttle options are being considered. The first one will be in November. If you have feedback or ideas, reach out to vsaresidential[at] vassar.edu or vsaprogramming[at]vassar.edu. — A survey will be sent out (working in coordination with Planning Committee) to orgs to get feedback on ways in which the VSA—specifically the orgs committee—can help orgs reach their potential. If you are on the leadership board of an org, please look out for this survey and fill it out! — BSU, ASA and UJIMA are collaborating with ViCE Weekly to bring an event to campus that would bring PoC together to share their love for hip-hop and music related to this genre. — Sarah Jane Muder, General VSA Intern
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September 28, 2017
Professors, students collaborate on immersive projects FORD SCHOLARS continued from page 1
about played such a large role in podcasting. Like Au, some scholars occasionally leave Vassar’s campus for their projects. For example, Gabriela Mandeville ’19, who worked with Professor of Hispanic Studies and Environmental Studies Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert, traveled with her mentor to Cuba and other nearby Caribbean islands to research native parrots and macaws. Mandeville described her project in an email. “The research we conducted will serve as the foundation for Professor Lizabeth’s newest book, an environmental biography of the parrots and macaws of the Caribbean.” They focused on Cuba, St. Lucia and Dominica, conducting interviews and observing the animals there. They performed the rest of the research once they returned. Mandeville enjoyed this interesting project, adding, “Many of [the macaws] are considered to be ‘hypothetical,’ which means that there isn’t any scientific evidence to support their existence (eg. fossils, skins, bones).” Although the projects varied greatly among disciplines and topics, each was relevant to the students’ courses of study as well as contemporary issues. Prado also found her research with Assistant Professor of Political Science Taneisha Means extremely timely. As Prado described, “[Our research] focused on the surveying of black state-level justices and questions of what representation can do and has done for the bench.” Her work included creating a survey instrument, drafting an interview form, transcribing interviews and beginning a database of judges and their contact information. While some might view this as busywork, Prado disagrees. “It never felt like I was just another [research assistant] performing menial tasks. From the very first days of our work I felt like a collaborator— that not only did she value my contributions, but that they were welcome, and it made the whole program that much richer.” Students are chosen to participate in Ford projects based on how well their skills and interests fit what the professor and the project itself
Courtesy of Matthew Au
that it’s conservative?” They coded a program that generated this probability and applied it. It worked well, although they had nothing with which to compare this data. As Coons explained, “People haven’t really studied or researched this.” Therefore, it was difficult to verify her work objectively; they had to work based solely on subjective logic and took steps back to decide whether the data they had actually made sense. As the work was complicated, her professor gave her advice, such as to look into certain theories and incorporate it into their investigation. However, not all professors worked as closely with their scholars. For example, Au worked on Season 2 of Associate Professor of Philosophy Barry Lam’s podcast, called Hi-Phi Nation. Au’s main responsibilities included transcribing hours of tapes, something that could be done mostly independent of his mentor. Au elaborated, “My work was taking generated audio transcription that [Professor Lam] ran through a software and taking that giant block of mangled text and labeling it, correcting some grammar and time stamping it.” He also added speakers’ names and found sections he thought Lam could use for future episodes. He then summarized what the audio included and how it could fit into the story. Sometimes, if his mentor needed interviews, Au would find the contact information and send out an invitation for an interview that Lam would later conduct. Au’s work also sometimes involved travel, including a trip to Boston to interview an MIT professor. There Au learned about finding the perfect room for a podcast, how to ask interview questions and how to cut and split audio. He explained that if they had to remove random noises or filler words like “um,” the resulting absence of audio could not sound natural. Therefore, they recorded the “room tone” before and after the interview, 10 seconds of what the room sounded like when no one spoke. He marveled at how something so simple that people never thought
Ford Scholar Matthew Au ’19 and co-workers pose at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he traveled with his mentor to interview a professor for their project. demand. Coons chose her project because she had always been interested in the classes that Professor Ho taught, and she knew that his project would be a perfect match for her previous experience. Since the project continues to uncover more paths that they are keen to explore, Ho and Coons will continue their work this semester, with Coons serving as Ho’s research assistant. Au decided to apply because, after working with a YouTube channel during his sophomore year, he wanted to experience how other forms of entertainment worked. Mandeville, a pre-med student, stated, “The project proposal was an amazing mix of environmental science, sociology, history and biology. I was completely fascinated by it.” Prado had taken a political science class with her professor, and wanted to get more involved with the subject during summer, fearing, “When would I ever get a chance at undergraduate humanities-based research again?” She also works for her mentor as a research assistant, performing normal assistant tasks for her professor’s classes as well as continuing the research from the summer. The scholars lived in Noyes or in the Town
Houses over the summer. While this separated them, there were still opportunities to interact. Au stated, “I think the Office of Res Life makes a really good effort to try to get [the scholars] to hang out, so we have bi-weekly barbeques in the Bridge.” This initiative also brought the Ford Scholars into contact with other students at Vassar, for example URSI participants or people who were working at other on-campus jobs. Au also expressed that it was a good way to meet and talk to other professors who attended the barbeques as well. A symposium of the different projects took place on Thursday, Sept. 21, in which all participants presented their projects. All 20 scholars completed highly interesting work with their professors; write-ups of each can be found at http://pages.vassar.edu/fordscholars/newsupdates/. Scholars seem to have loved their research and want to continue it, which was exactly why the Ford Scholarship Program was created. As Mandeville concluded, “I felt so inspired by the end of my summer by the success stories I heard and from having been a part of such a monumental piece of research.”
Climate Change Play Festival fuses art and environment Matt Stein Arts Editor
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Courtesy of Tonya Ingerson
his past weekend, the weather was sweltering in the high 80s. In August, this would feel normal, but with Halloween almost a month away, it was unnatural. To deny that climate change doesn’t have an influence on this heatwave is a ridiculous claim. We know that climate change is a problem. We’ve seen the statistics and the animals whose homes are being destroyed, and yet what does it take for more people to finally act? Maybe it’s theatre. On Sunday, Oct. 1, Sanders Classroom will be the habitat for The Climate Change Play Festival. For one hour starting at 2 p.m., eight student-acted and directed works will reflect on climate change and various other environmental issues. Sponsored by Philaletheis and with support from The Vassar Animal Rights Coalition (VARC) and The Vassar Greens, the festival will also include vegan food catered by Kamini’s Love Feast. Tonya Ingerson ’18 is on the executive board of The Vassar Greens and is both facilitating this festival and directing one of the pieces. As a drama major with a sustainability correlate, Ingerson was exploring the environmental initiatives within the theatre community: “Back in May, I learned about a theatre company that was based in New York City called Superhero Clubhouse, which is an eco-theatre company. I got really excited about the work that they were doing. I was looking through their website and came across something called the Broadway Green Alliance, which is an organization that partners with theatres across the country that tries to implement more sustainable practices in their production and their performers. I became more involved with the Broadway Green Alliance but I found out through their Facebook page about Climate Change Theatre Action. I clicked on it and was very excited about the idea of bringing it to Vassar.” Climate Change Theatre Action is an international series of 50 environmentally focused plays. Occurring biannually, this series is a collaboration of artistic organizations like the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, Theatre Without Borders and The Arctic Cycle. Participants
Actors rehearse Tonya Ingerson ’18’s play that will take place on Sunday, Oct. 1, in Sanders Classroom. Eight works will be performed, all of which are acted and directed by students. have the option to pick as many plays from the original 50 as they want and perform them in any setting between Oct. 1 and Nov. 18, staging them everywhere from a minimalist reading in a living room to a full production like Vassar’s Climate Change Play Festival. The aim is to begin a dialogue for this imminent and looming environmental concern. Emlyn Doolittle ’20 will be directing a scene as well as acting in the piece that Ingerson is directing. Regarding the environmental parameters, he stated in an email, “We’ve talked about how going paperless in terms of scripts, advertisement, etc., as well as using found objects instead of new materials or reusing old materials from previous shows for design materials. Doolittle expanded on the environmental measures he hopes other theatre productions adopt: “Paper is used a lot for design meetings, so we’ve been working on making sure printed images are small so that multiple images can be printed on
a page–small things like that, but which add up. I know Tonya has been working as the liaison for Vassar’s chapter of the Broadway Green Alliance on projects such as making it a point that actors should bring reusable water bottles to rehearsal. Reusable bottles are definitely something Vassar as a whole could work on as well, especially at org meetings where there are often drinks in non-reusable containers.” In addition to having the plays and production embrace this green mindset, the festival also allowed many of the participants to learn more about these prevalent issues. Marc Milone ’20, who will be acting in the piece “Homo Sapiens,” originally got involved with the festival because of the intersection between theatre and environment in this project. As Milone commented in an email, “It’s been great to get to meet new people and work together through a project that brings awareness to such huge global issues.”
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Milone continued, “The show I’m in is essentially how humans caused their own demise, reflecting [on] the huge problem that is the impact pollution has on the climate and on ourselves.” In addition to the festival, there are many other environmental initiatives led by the various student orgs on campus. VARC, for one, advocates the environmental benefits of a vegan-friendly environment. The Vassar Greens are a student-led org that pursue environmental and social justice through activism, one of their most significant and continuous initiatives being the Divestment campaign. President of The Vassar Greens Ashley Hoyle ’18 discussed the various environmental projects that the org is currently developing, saying via email, “This year, we will continue to run our Divestment Campaign as well as our Free Market campaign. The Free Market also hosts the Textbook Exchange, which is our collaboration effort with Students Against Class Issues Alliance. We will be kicking off a number of new endeavors this year as well including working to get Diva cups to students who want them, investigating the impacts of the new dining system on our communities, and collaborating with some LGBTQ+ rights orgs on some very exciting programming!” Students hoping to learn more about environmental issues can also take a course in the Environmental Studies Program. The program offers a variety of courses that address sustainability and the dangers that the environment is currently facing. Ingerson believes the dialogue that The Climate Change Play Festival ignites will hopefully encourage more Vassar students to get involved with the various environmental causes: “One thing I identify with is that climate change is really, really scary. I’m absolutely petrified of what the world is going to look like in 10, 20 or 50 years. I am hoping that this event will give people the space to feel that fear for a moment and acknowledge that it’s there and that we do have the right to have an emotional response to climate change, which is something I think art can help us tap into. I think that once people can acknowledge that fear, they’ll feel empowered to act on it.”
September 28, 2017
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Org of the Week: Archery targets stress, clears mind Imogen Wade Guest Reporter
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Courtesy of Cooper Ross
s college students, we know that tackling mounds of work can be daunting. In fact, tackling any big challenge can be daunting. That is why micromastery has been suggested as the key to happiness; we should all become gods of small things. If you’re not a fan of orgs with lots of pressure to attend regularly and perform highly, Archery Club has the solution to your woes. In the words of the Org President Robert Louis ’18 in an emailed statement, “I really can’t overstate the levels of chill we have.” The club provides a relaxed, friendly atmosphere for first-timers and seasoned archers alike. The board consists of president Robert Louis ’18 and vice-president Haydn Wall ’18. You will find them at practice on the field just past Kenyon Hall, blasting music and correcting newcomers’ grip. The club practices on Saturdays between one and four p.m., and on Monday and Wednesday between two and four p.m. Archery, like any technique sport, is easy to learn but hard to master. Archery Club member Maret Gable ’18 pointed out that archery is not so much difficult as just outright different than other sports: “I don’t know of any other sport that requires you to pull your shoulder blades together against 20+ pounds of resistance.” After all, archery is an Olympic sport! Louis and Wall will run over essentials for first-timers, but as you get more practice in, the sport reveals its nuances, which the presidents, both seasoned archers, dispense in the form of little pointers throughout practice. Louis also clarified in an email, “Everything I teach is from the standards used by the U.S. organization that includes the Olympic team, but there are numerous other disciplines used at all levels.” Archery is not just about follow-
ing the rules, and there is plenty of room for individual flair. Louis believes, “[My personal style] is a little divergent from this standard, relying more on instinct and using a somewhat unconventional draw that...mirrors, accidentally, some Russian archers.” Archery may provide a stress-free alternative or accompaniment to your existing hobbies, but that does not mean it is without its challenges. Gable commented in an emailed statement, “[I like the challenge,] the skill it takes to hit what you want and the fact that there’s always another level of skill to gain.” For a non-athlete, archery provides a nice, non-demanding amount of physical work. The actions of drawing, aiming and shooting require her to use her body in a satisfying way, but, she added, “[It] doesn’t require any great strength or speed or agility.” Louis draws satisfaction from the fact that archery has remained unchanged throughout recorded history. There’s a level of focus present in the moment of the shot that clears the mind as very few other things can, which is perhaps why the basic formula has never changed. Archery can provide meditative calm and a moment of total comfortable emptiness that Louis finds very advantageous for stress relief. Wall agreed and elaborated on its soothing aspect, stating over email, “[It’s the repetition] of nocking an arrow and then firing over and over again,” Any experienced meditators may find the Archery Club a real benefit to their practice. In some branches of Kyudo, traditional Japanese archery, Zen and archery are intertwined. In Kyudo, the archer’s goal is achieved through both their shooting technique and their spirit, which contributes towards a thoughtless state. Speaking on what keeps drawing him back again and again, Gable stated, “[It’s] the satisfying thud of an arrow sinking into the tar-
Cooper Ross ’19, an Archery Club veteran, takes aim at a target during their practice. get.” Building up your skill level is important, but it is not necessary to obtain a high level of performance or in order to have a good time. You don’t have to attend every session and you don’t have to take it too seriously. Gable can hit the bullseye from 10 yards, while Wall can do the same from 20 yards. For Louis, 30 yards is achievable after a warm-up. For some members, they may never hit the bullseye at all! Archery Club, in all its incarnations, understands the value of novelty. Louis commented, “Halloween had meant zombie targets for as long as I’ve been around,” and it is a tradition he intends to continue. Weekend practices can include target balloons, colored powder and exploding targets. As he put it, “[It all] makes for a very satisfying bang!” Although zombie practice has been around for a long time, the board is keen to change
things up. In the history of the club, this semester is the first time a new practice schedule has been introduced. It’s a great time to be involved, as this semester has been called one of change by members of the club. Even without the innovations on the horizon, Archery Club provides an opportunity to learn or refresh a skill with limitless possibilities. Wouldn’t it be nice to master something without any pressure to perform? If your eyes are strained from staring at the pages of an over-priced textbook, or studying on your computer, a spot of micromastery in the great outdoors may be the solution. As well as socializing during practices, the club also holds dinners and parties. Everyone is welcome to these, as membership of the Archery Club is informal. If you have attended a session once, you are automatically a member; there is no requirement and certainly no expectation. Mastery of your new-found hobby can occur at your own pace. You can shoot every round with the precision of the assassin in “Seven Samurai,” or you can take a step back and simply watch. Gable was keen to provide a few words of friendly advice for aspiring archers: “Wear sunscreen and bring plenty of water. There is not a lot of shade and it gets very hot. Also, if you haven’t shot before or haven’t shot in a long time, pick a lower poundage bow and take it easy the first time. Your fingers and back need a chance to get used to what you’re asking them to do.” Louis may have shot his first arrow at the age of 10, but that doesn’t mean you need to have had any practice. Wall didn’t start practising until college, although they had shot a few times at a summer camp. Sound familiar? If you also have fond memories of holding your bow and pulling an arrow from your quiver, it may be time to dust off those closed-toe shoes and join Archery Club.
When life gives you rotten bananas, make banana bread! Charles Hobbs
Guest Colunmist
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Courtesy of Charles Hobbs
LEASE bring me bananas!” read a text sent from me to my mother on Sept. 15, just days before she was set to drive up for Families Weekend. As a lifelong banana fiend, it was a natural request, one which she had likely been expecting for some time. Being the enabler that she is, my mom asked how many I would like. Before now, I had gotten my fix of bananas from the Deece, often smuggling five or six out at a time in my backpack. Despite the fact that this was very much within my rights, life as a small-time criminal did not suit me, and I wasn’t sure how much longer I could go on. I decided that 10 bananas, all equal in ripeness, was a perfectly reasonable amount for me to consume before they all browned. Because I personally believe that bananas are best consumed when brown spots first appear, I asked that they already be plenty ripe. Big mistake. Fast forward five days. I had eaten four of the bananas, one every day since my parents had left. This was typical behavior. However, because bananas are not wont to ripen at my convenience, I had six remaining bananas so ripe that their peels burst at the slightest touch. As I mentioned, bananas are the light of my life, and the prospect of having to throw six of them away was too much for me to bear. They were beginning to attract flies, I was beginning to spiral and it all felt like I was Jennifer Lawrence in the third act of “Mother!” Then, as a banana lover, I remembered that my fruit of choice could be enjoyed in a wide variety of mediums in accordance with their ripeness. I was in a perfect position to make some killer banana bread. For the first and probably last time ever, Chrissy Tiegen would’ve killed to be me. Knowing the limitations of cooking in a dinky dorm kitchen, I set out to find a recipe that required minimal equipment. The internet (ohsheglows.com) delivered a miraculous (vegan!) recipe that required only a mixing bowl and a baking tray. I was intimidated at first by the sophistication of the ingredients, especially coconut sugar and ground flaxseed meal—who am I, Gwyneth Paltrow? Every ingredient, how-
ever, was present on the shelf at Target, proving their attainability. I even managed to find cacao chips. Although getting my mom to buy me bananas was a ploy to save my own money, I kind of went ham at Target, buying the 9x5 bread pan the recipe called for, as well as some measuring cups. For those unwilling to drop the same dollars on those items, you can definitely find someone with measuring cups, and you can borrow my pan in exchange for a slice of the final product. Let me tell you, making this banana bread constituted the most heavenly hour of my life. Literally all that you have to do is throw the ingredients into the one bowl in the order listed, mix them together and put it in the oven. Because it’s vegan, you can eat the batter–or undercook it–without worry. To mess this up, you have to go out of your way. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly spray a 9x5-inch loaf pan with oil and set aside. In a large bowl, mash the banana until almost smooth, and make sure you have 1 1/3 cups. Stir the wet ingredients (ground flax, milk, melted oil, maple syrup and vanilla) into the banana until combined. Stir the dry ingredients (sugar, oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour) into the wet mixture, one by one, in the order listed. Stop stirring when there are no flour patches at the bottom of the bowl. Spoon the dough into the loaf pan and spread out evenly. Add your desired toppings and gently press them into the dough to adhere. Bake the loaf, uncovered, for 45 to 50 minutes (I undercooked it, about 40 minutes), until lightly golden and firm on top. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack for 30 minutes. Then, slide a knife around the loaf to loosen it and gently remove it from the pan, placing it directly onto the cooling rack until completely cooled. (Or to hasten the cooling process, transfer to the fridge for 45 minutes.) Or, eat it immediately! Slice the loaf once cooled. I love to spread it with vegan butter or coconut oil. The loaf will keep in the fridge tightly wrapped for three to four days, or it can be frozen four to six weeks.
Ingredients 4 very ripe medium bananas, mashed 2 tablespoons (15 g) ground flaxseed 1/3 cup (80 mL) unsweetened vanilla almond milk 1/3 cup (80 mL) coconut oil, melted 2 tablespoons (30 mL) pure maple syrup 2 teaspoons (10 mL) pure vanilla extract 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (60 g) coconut sugar 1/2 cup (50 g) rolled oats 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt 1 1/2 cups (210 g) flour (any kind) Cacao chips
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September 28, 2017
Skip Vassar midterm talk, go for soothing nature walk Talya Phelps Reporter
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f you’ve already run through the gorgeous hiking locations recommended in our last issue, fear not: We have three more suggestions from Vassar Outing Club Co-President Charles Hooghkirk ’19, plus a fourth recommendation from the author, each an ideal location for leisure and leaf-peeping. 1. Bash Bish Falls
Dutchess Rail Trail”). At its northern end, the trail shares a parking lot with Walkway Over the Hudson, which is also well worth a visit, especially if your dorm room is in a decrepit state, and you need somewhere pretty to take your parents. From here, the trail heads east, passing a golf course and Morgan Lake Park; turning south, it continues through Arlington and LaGrange via a mix of new bridges and converted railroad trestles and tunnels. Finally, the trail ends just past Hopewell Depot, where you can stop in to soak up some local railroad history and info about the trail you’ve just completed. Given the Rail Trail’s length and flat terrain, the ways you can utilize it are limited only by your imagination: Perhaps now is the time to dig out your rollerblades and give them a whirl (TrailLink, “William R. Steinhaus Dutchess Rail Trail Facts”).
19. Local Area Network (abbr.) 20. Delays due to wariness 22. Boxer Muhammad “Famous Pairs” 23. Asked desperately by 24. Scottish Gaelic ACROSS 44. Arrange letters to be inked 25. 47. Ohio's Glass City or Spain's 1. Batman and _____ Matilda’s Roald Imperial Citysomeone 6. Cut to ribbons 49. Guillotine 11. Nominative feminine pronoun 51. Tokyo, formerly 28. Covered in grease 14. Giant robots and magical girls 52. Perfectly opposed 30. Hellenic war god 15. Wary 57. Refusals 31. 58. Cruel, mercy 16. Over (abbr.) A turn ofwithout phrase 17. Clots Hot peppers 36. 59. Boy 18. Small film 60. Before long 37. Creaked under weight 19. Local Area Network (abbr.) 61. A river’s end 39. 62. Trouble someone 20. Delays due to wariness One who consumes 40. 63. Antony 22. Boxer Muhammad _____ andand Jerry’s_____ 23. Asked desperately Desert pondspasta 42. 64. Rice-like 24. Scottish Gaelic 65. Bonnie and _____ 43. DOWN A mob or ruckus 25. Ohio’s Glass City or Spain’s Imperial City 44. 1.Arrange 28. Covered in grease Over-eager letters to be inked 30. Hellenic war god 2. Only a single time 47. Matilda's Roald 31. Cruel, without mercy 3. Prejudice 49. Guillotine someone 36. Boy 4. Drinks 51. 5.Tokyo, formerly 37. Creaked under weight Russian dolls 52. 6.Perfectly opposed 39. Trouble someone Rubber-band weapon 40. Antony and _____ 7. Therefore or ‘in 57. Refusals the future’ 42. Rice-like pasta 8. Completed again 58. 9.ASpooky turnGreat of phrase 43. A mob or ruckus Lake 59. Hot peppers 10. Colors fabric Answers to last week’s puzzle Meddling Kids 11. Revolutions around a sun 60. Before long C L A S P L A W A H A 12. Recovers 61. A river's end O D E L A P P I R A N H A 13. Bert and _____ B R I S T L E 62. One who consumes I D A H O A N 21. Far in the past D E N T I N A G H A G E M 24. A student being Jerry's taught English (abbr.) 63. _____ and S C O O B Y G A L S A P S 25. Baby powder H E W W A Y N E 64. Desert ponds D E M I F R E D A M B E R 26. Speech-based exam C A R A M E L A P O L O G Y 65. Bonnie and _____ 27. Leather breeches from Germany
12. Recovers 13. Bert and _____ 21. Far in the past 24. A student being taught Benjamin Costa English (abbr.) 35. A narrow opening 25.37.Baby powder General Post Office (abbr.) 26.38.Speech-based The smell of treachery exam 41. Petrol 27. Leather breeches from 42. About Sophocles’ tragic king Germany 45. Not quite ____ 28.46.Impure mined metal One twelfth of the Kessel Run star in Cygnus 29.47.ItBrightest had (abbr.)
Talya Phelps/The Miscellany News
If impending midterms are getting you down, make tracks to Bash Bish. Sometimes all you need to feel refreshed is a peaceful moment perched on a rock, watching a waterfall crash endlessly down into a clear blue pool and feeling its gentle spray. Don’t worry if you’re physically burnt out, too; this hike is less than two miles round-trip. If you begin your journey at the parking lot on the New York side, which is off NY-344, you will enjoy a leisurely, fairly 3. Breakneck Ridge flat walk to the Falls, clocking in at one and a Hike this one while you can! The Breakneck half miles both ways. If you choose to continue Ridge trail, a rock scramble offering incredible down the road a mile to the parking lot off Falls views of the Valley, is scheduled to close at the Road on the Massachusetts side, your trek will beginning of 2018 for a full year of restorations be steeper but shorter (one mile round trip), and and improvements. Starting in January, efforts you will be offered the chance to take a quick will begin to repair the existing four-mile trail detour up to a scenic view of Bash Bish Gorge. as well as to build a half-mile walking path More Duoand create new Exercise caution as you descend the staircaseName to fromAthe nearbyIconic train platform the Falls and choose your viewing spot, as the parking areas to accommodate the hike’s skyrocks can be slippery, and then settle in for a high popularity (Lohud, “Breakneck Ridge hikpicnic, a snooze and a break from reality in this ing trail to close for restoration,” 09.21.17). As 3. Prejudice ACROSS magical spot (Hike the Hudson Valley, “Bash you follow the White Trail up the hill, the first 1. Batman anda _____ Bish Falls”). overlook offers view of Storm King Mountain,4. Drinks 2. Dutchess Rail Trail Pollepel Island, Bannerman’s Castle and the 5. Russian dolls 6. Cut to ribbons Calling all bikers who are tired of riding the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge. After a steep climb 4. Poets’ Walk route from Main to the Deece: It’s time to branch a mile in feminine length, you will at last reach6. Rubber-band Named for Washington Irving and other litweapon 11. totaling Nominative pronoun out, and the 13-mile Rail Trail is the perfect place the summit. From here, you can enjoy the more erary greats who reportedly hiked its grounds, Therefore or'in the future' 14. leisurely Giant robots andbymagical girls to do so. This lengthy trail—which runs along loop descent following the White7. Poets’ Walk was fashioned into its current itwhat was once the Maybrook Rail corridor Trail to a left on the Red Trail, also known as eration in the mid-1800s 8. Completed again by German landscape 15. Wary through Poughkeepsie, LaGrange, Wappinger the “Breakneck Bypass.” You can then turn left architect Hans Jacob Ehlers (Scenic Hudson, Spooky Lake Overonto (abbr.) and East Fishkill—is ideal for either biking 16. or again the Yellow Trail and head back to9. “Poets’ WalkGreat Park). The two-mile stroll, located hiking. In fact, it was named Best Hiking Trail17. in your car, exhausted but hopefully exhilarated, in Red Hook, offers views of the Catskills and 10. Colors fabric Clots the Hudson Valley by Hudson Valley magazine via Route 9D (Hike the Hudson Valley, “Break- the Kingston-Rhinecliff bridge without the chal11.lenge Revolutions around a sun 18. neck Small film in 2015 (DutchessNY.gov, “William R. Steinhaus Ridge”). of a steep mountain hike. The initial grav-
Ben Costa
32. Aural organ 33. Objects of hatred 34. Scale el trail passes an ornate gazebo before looping along river andopening through the woods, studded 35. Athe narrow with bridges, benches and cedar pavilions (Hike 37. Post Office (abbr.) the General Hudson Valley, “Poets’ Walk”). Given that the park is secluded from civilization 38. The smell of treachery by 780 surrounding acres of protected land, it’s no sur41. Petrol prise that Irving reportedly had the idea for “Rip Van Winkle” Sophocles' there (Scenic Hudson). 42. About tragicDon’t kingdelay—head to this peaceful spot today, and wait 45. Not quite for inspiration for ____ your overdue essay to strike. 46. One twelfth of the Kessel Run 47. Brightest star in Cygnus 48. Love devotedly 49. Gives up on 50. Express feeling 48. Love devotedly 52. Aeneas and _____ 49. Gives up on 53. A concrete thought 50. Express feeling 52. Aeneas and _____ 54. A large town 53. A concrete thought 55. Served perfectly, in tennis 54. A large town 56. A small harp 55. Served perfectly, in tennis
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FEATURES
Page 9
Vassar welcomes Bradley as eleventh college president
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*All photos are courtesy of Vassar Communications Office
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OPINIONS
Page 10
September 28, 2017
The Miscellany News Staff Editorial
SSDP models student-led approach to drug literacy
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egardless of their schools’ strict drug and alcohol policies, a number of college students at Vassar and across the country do use drugs. Therefore, campus efforts ought to be focused on educating students objectively on the realities of drug use and abuse, rather than reprimanding them for the act of using. After noticing students taking drugs during events such as Founder’s Day without the knowledge to use them safely, President of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) Ann Tartakoff ’19 was inspired in the spring of 2016 to begin a student organization that neither encouraged nor condemmed drug use, but rather sought to educate and protect individuals participating in drug culture. SSDP was recently promoted to full org status by the Vassar Student Association (VSA) on Sept. 17 in recognition of its work educating students about drug safety. SSDP at Vassar is a chapter of an international organization that is based in Washington, D.C. However, as Tartakoff specified, each chapter has its own projects unique to its campus, with the only overarching structure being a yearly conference. SSDP holds meetings every Wednesday at 9 p.m. in Rockefeller Hall where students come together to plan initiatives to make Vassar a safer and more comfortable space for students who want to understand drug culture and policy. Tartakoff commented, “[There is a] gap in knowledge that we as students have the resources to fill,” and she highlighted that education is key. She cited the large number of Wesleyan students hospitalized for Molly overdoses in 2015 as a prime example, noting that they could have been prevented if there had been more access to education on drug abuse available on campus. SSDP plans to provide safety education, especially regarding stimulants and psychedelics, which are both frequently abused on Vassar’s
campus. SSDP also intends to conduct safety presentations before Halloweekend and set up a tent at the event to provide a space for people reacting badly to drugs. SSDP also seeks to find crossovers with other forms of activism on campus—as well as in Poughkeepsie and New York in general—and collaborate with other orgs in order to promote harm reduction education in conversation about public health, drug use and ineffective drug policies. As a result of SSDP’s full org status, it has received funding that will allow it to access more resources than they had with their budget as a pre-org. Tartakoff explained, “[We want] to make testing kits a consistent presence because thus far we’ve really only been able to do them on Founder’s Day and Halloween.” SSDP’s increased funding should give them the means to implement such projects. Additionally, SSDP seeks to work with the administration, from which they have previously faced resistance, especially when they sought to combat the new party rules that were put into place last semester. Despite these administrative hurdles, SSDP has worked with the Office of Health Education to draft and publish information concerning safe alcohol/ drug use, and the resulting posters are distributed before Halloween and Founder’s Day. SSDP plans to continue this collaboration this year. Moreover, members of SSDP attend the Alcohol Task Force meetings, furthering their engagement with the Vassar administration. Of course, the administration’s role in maintaining a safe, healthy and informed environment for students should not be understated. As the College’s Drug and Alcohol Policy states, “Vassar would like to emphasize that its primary goal is to educate students on the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.” Students like those in SSDP are committed to this goal as well.
While we acknowledge the positive effects of administration-implemented programs such as the online drug and alcohol safety and bystander intervention trainings required for all incoming students, we recognize that ongoing campus discussion and education is indispensable. We feel that though the administration’s involvement is essential, student-led initiatives like SSDP are often the best means by which to educate our peers on making healthy and safe decisions. Orgs, for one, generally maintain greater visibility than the administration does among students. There is also great potential for collaboration among different orgs, which combines their individual knowledge and resources for the benefit of students. Finally, since orgs are comprised of and work mainly with students, a more comprehensive view of campus culture is more readily available to them. This crucial perspective is often lacking with regards to the administration. Despite their declared dedication to education on the topic, the College’s approach to drug and alcohol use often comes off as reactionary in nature, rather than in the form of sustained support and helpful information for safer choices. Reactionary policies and their often hasty and obscure implementation—such as the inadequate and unsatisfactory party rules put in place last fall that prohibited hard liquor at registered parties—do not promote a climate of safety and support. What we believe is more effective is the collaboration between the College and the student body in creating a safe environment without furthering a disciplinary tone or reducing student agency. We believe that student orgs that dedicate their time to promoting informed and healthy behaviors on our campus are an ideal conduit through which to encourage such valuable collaboration. We at The Miscellany News would thus like
to champion the work of SSDP and the VSA’s decision to fast-track the group’s promotion to full org status. SSDP’s increased budget will afford them more agency in implementing their ideas, and we believe that the College should support these initiatives and the goals of other similarly beneficial orgs in any way that it can. One such org is Big Night In (BNI), and we commend the VSA for recognizing the importance of BNI’s substance-free programming and for the Senate’s commitment in general to incentivizing additional and more inclusive programming on campus. We are hopeful that the administration, led by President Bradley—a public health policy expert—will commit to both amending existing drug and alcohol policies for the better and to uplifting the important work of dedicated students and orgs in making our campus safer and more informed about its health. Protecting the best interests of the College with regard to student safety should not stand in contradiction to students’ own best interests. The solutions are out there, and students themselves should be at the forefront of informing one another about their health and of establishing policies that promote a safer campus. Orgs such as SSDP are already doing important work in promoting safer and more informed practices and in addressing the intersections between health, politics, activism and identity. It is imperative that the College support these and other such orgs’ initiatives, and make an active effort to gain a realistic view of student concerns and campus conditions to avoid implementing harmful or counterproductive policies that address substance use. —The Staff Editorial expresses the opinion of at least 2/3 of The Miscellany News Editorial Board.
Terminology reveals co-opting of disability activism Jesser Horowitz Columnist
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ever in my life have I met a differently abled person. Despite running a disability rights group and attending a training session on disability rights activism in Washington D.C. and publicly speaking about disability for years, I have never met a person who has willingly and proudly referred to themselves as “differently abled.” And although I am certain that there are some people who fully and wholeheartedly embrace this term, I have never met them nor do I have any particular desire to. I do, of course, believe that anyone has the right to identify using whatever term they feel best describes them personally. Although I may disagree philosophically with someone who chooses to refer to themselves as differently abled—for reasons I will soon explain—they have every right to do so without being ostracized. They are not the subject of my ire. Instead, my ire is directed at those non-disabled people who either impose the word on others without proper regard for disabled people or, even worse, outright attack disabled people who choose to refer to themselves as disabled. If the real goal of such tone policing is to fight ableism and empower disabled voices, they are doing quite a poor job. In fact, it is having the opposite effect in practice: It is strengthening ableism and empowering non-disabled voices over those of people most affected by these conversations. For disabled people, the word “disability” connects us to a broader movement and its history. It connects us to our own civil and human rights movements and a brave community of people fighting for dignity and human rights across the world. It truly is a grand unifier that gives us a sense of community that many among us have lacked for the entirety of our lives, and it frames our activism within a broader historical context. The word “disability” is written into the law and it protects my rights. That is precisely the point of using it. The word “disability” is what protects us from being discriminated against even more than we already are, from going homeless, from starving, from being refused an education. The Americans
with Disabilities Act was not won in 1990 by people who insisted that maybe we should be calling ourselves differently abled. By stigmatizing the word “disability,” non-disabled people deprive us of that sense of community and that larger historical context, both of which are fundamental components of many of our identities as well as the fight for equity and justice. Rather than signaling understanding and tolerance, it serves as a means by which non-disabled people isolate disabled people in order to jettison our advocacy so that they can selfishly use it to call attention to themselves. The term “differently abled” isn’t about better serving the needs of the disabled community, but rather is an attempt to make non-disabled people feel more comfortable at the expense of many disabled people.
“The word disability is what protects us from being discriminated against, from going homeless, from starving, from being refused an education.” And this nonsense distracts from more important issues, no less. I, for one, am tired of non-disabled activists who take it upon themselves to police others on issues that simply do not concern them, all the while ignoring the very real atrocities being committed against disabled people every day. Having devoted myself to the cause for some time now, I can always tell if a person engaging in disability rights activism is actually disabled, because the activists who are disabled are more often focused on passing actual policy proposals or addressing significant human rights violations that demand attention. Meanwhile, the non-disabled activists are generally satisfied with throw-away Facebook posts about how “special” differently abled people are—posts that all too
often give the impression that their authors believe the precise language with which we discuss issues pertinent to disability rights is of unrivaled importance. This is not to mention, of course, that these people miss the point entirely because they subscribe to a long outdated idea of disability. The logic behind “differently abled” is that the word “disabled” implies that I am unable to do things, and that the word “differently abled” acknowledges that I can do things, just different things from other people. But I am disabled. I am disabled because I live in a society that was not built for disabled people, and thus I am disabled by society. A person who is unable to walk is disabled because they are living in a society in which everyone around them can walk and thus has not valued crafting a society for those who cannot. If no person could walk, being unable to do so would not be considered a disability because the world would be built for people like them—why wouldn’t we be building ramps if everyone on earth needed to use one? The term “differently abled,” however, enforces the idea that disability is bad and shameful, and that it should be covered up in some way. It therefore runs afoul of the terms in which many disability rights activists view and refer to ourselves. This term understands disability as meaning that we cannot do certain things, and that obviously we should be embarrassed that we cannot do things other people can do. It precludes disability pride or the existence of a larger disabled community. Furthermore, it’s dangerous. If we’re differently abled and not disabled, why do we need help or services? The term “differently abled” dismisses the idea that being disabled can be a negative experience in any way. Being disabled is not always pleasant. I do not always like being in a world that wasn’t built for me, and that’s okay. It’s okay to be unhappy sometimes. It’s okay to acknowledge that there are unique challenges that disabled people face that others don’t. But I wouldn’t want to change who I am. I like being me. I couldn’t imagine not being me. I don’t want to be changed, I don’t want to be saved, I don’t want to be the same as every other person.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
I want to be treated with the understanding that I’m different, but not condescended to like a child. And the non-disabled activists who regularly use and enforce the use of terms like “differently abled” are treating us like children. We can’t handle deciding what we get to be called. We can’t handle deciding that we don’t think disability is a bad thing. We can’t even handle being in charge of our own advocacy. Non-disabled people have to do it for us.
“The term ‘differently abled,’ however, enforces the idea that disability is bad and shameful, and that it should be covered up in some way.” There is no other social justice movement on Earth in which this would be acceptable. Imagine, for example, that heterosexual people started insisting that non-heterosexual people all refer to themselves as “differently oriented” and then attacked non-heterosexual people who refer to themselves as anything else. Now imagine that this was such a popular trend that it became accepted, politically correct language. That is not significantly different than what is being done here. A social movement is being co-opted by outsiders who have no business dictating its language, and then the left is largely embracing this as a decent, acceptable practice. Enough is enough. It is time for disabled people to be allowed control of our own social movement. This is about more than just a word; it is about an idea. It is about using the word that protects us. It is about disabled people being allowed agency within our own social movement. It is about disabled people deciding for ourselves what terms work best for us. Not least of all, it is about non-disabled people being good allies and listening for once.
September 28, 2017
OPINIONS
Left must be wary of single-payer support Rhys Johnson
Contributing Editor
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he fight for universal health care has long been a core issue of the progressive movement in the United States, and those of us who believe in its rightful place here have argued for years that it is an unavoidable stepping stone in the fight against economic disenfranchisement and injustice. As other issues have come and gone over years, here we remain, embittered by the failures of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and fearful of the possibility of what could replace it just as the rest of the left is. Yet we still seem to waste our breath advocating for what appears to us—not to mention the rest of the industrialized world—as the most sensible solution. The cause was undoubtedly emboldened last year by the momentary candidacy of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), whose treatment of the issue not only echoed points made by those fighting on the ground for single-payer health care, but also rallied voters nationwide around the issue. It was a refreshing moment to be sure, and without it Sanders’ recently proposed “Medicare for All” bill would almost certainly be a nonstarter, much like its short-lived predecessors. Likewise, much is owed to the disastrous attempts to repeal and replace the ACA by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress. For those of us on the left and even in the center, the Trump presidency has been a rude awakening that progress can erode far more quickly than it compounds; indeed, if Americans ever forgot that the health care debate in America is a life-or-death issue, the events of this year have been a stark reminder. Until now, Senate Democrats—with the exception of Sanders and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)— have stuck to the script given to them by party leadership in 2016, defending the ACA and thereby playing the long game, supposedly. Yet, the response of several of Sanders’ colleagues to the “Medicare for All” Act has been surprisingly less dismissive than expected, and
16 them have even gone as far as to co-sponsor the bill. In fact, among them are party superstars, including Kamala Harris (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Al Franken (D-MN) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) (Bloomberg, “Sanders Offers Medicare-for-All Plan Backed by 16 Senate Democrats, 09.13.17). Hold on. Where did this development come from, and why? Last year, Bernie Sanders’ legislative agenda could hardly make it out the doors of his office without immediately being crushed under the weight of the political establishment, but now one of the issues for which he was most mocked in the 2016 primaries boasts significant minority support within the Democratic Party? How is this possible? While anything seems possible now in the Trump era, the aforementioned co-sponsors have certainly shocked and delighted progressives, myself included. Yet, the answer that Kamala Harris offered to these questions, that “it’s just the right thing to do” (Twitter, 09.13.2017), is suspicious. Before now, the rhetoric among mainstream Democrats has centered around compromise with Republicans, around reforming the exchanges and around protecting the essential protections of the ACA. Until now, the Democratic Party has been playing a defensive game, and progressives are rightly skeptical of the sudden change of heart. Of course, a vote is a vote is a vote, and make no mistake—any support is good support. We must, however, be wary of these Democrats’ motivations, for among those 16 senators there could be, and likely is, a future president. While their support for a single-payer system is unquestionably a step in the right direction, those of us who are new to the issue must not forget the larger context. That is to say, there is still a significant amount of time between now and when any of these candidates-in-waiting will have their chance to prove their supposed convictions. The “Medicare for All” Act will not pass, and its co-sponsors will inevitably be back to square one in due course, meaning that whatever support it receives will be purely notional. Thus, when Harris remarked, “[T]here’s
certainly momentum and energy around [the idea of a single-payer system],” less cynical minds than mine were all but affirmed in their suspicions that this could be little more than a matter of political posturing (CommonDreams, “‘The Right Thing to Do’: Kamala Harris to Co-Sponsor Bernie’s Medicare for All Bill,” 06.31.17). This skepticism is not unwarranted, for much of the Democratic support for Sanders’ bill has come from further out in left field than progressives could have reasonably predicted. All too recently, Cory Booker was broadsided for voting against a bill—also proposed by Bernie Sanders—that would have allowed the importation of pharmaceuticals from Canada and, at least in theory, resulted in cheaper drug prices for Americans (USAToday, “Slammed by left, Booker to join Sanders on drug imports, 02.27.17). Al Franken, for all his viral takedowns of conservatives in committee, has hardly thrown any of his weight behind even his own proposal of a public option, let alone for a single-payer system. Most importantly, where were these senators this time last year? To be fair, the health care debate has evolved recently, and popular support for a “Medicare for All” system has grown. Of course, in a properly functioning democracy, flip-flopping would be a non-issue, and this change of pace would seem perfectly genuine. However, our democracy is far from perfect, so when candidates— or would-be candidates, in this case—suddenly begin to follow the votes, we must be cautious. Let me be adamantly clear, if not trite: Health care is a right, not a privilege. The movement to make this sentiment a reality cannot afford to pick its allies, and the co-sponsors of the “Medicare for All” Act are no exceptions. Nonetheless, before eager Democratic voters like myself finally get their next crack at the voting booths, we must remember the promise those 16 senators made and demand that they stay true to what they supposedly believe. For them, this is no longer a litmus test, but a test of authenticity. There is no time to wait on this issue, and these are promises that the American people cannot afford to have broken.
Kurdish referendum deserves U.S. support Sylvan Perlmutter Columnist
O
n Monday, Sept. 25, the people of Iraqi Kurdistan voted in a referendum on whether or not to pursue independence from Iraq, and by all indications the result will be a resounding “yes.” However, all of Iraqi Kurdistan’s neighbors are deeply hostile towards the prospect of an independent Kurdish state on their borders. If Iraqi Kurdistan decides to pursue independence, it could face a debilitating economic embargo and perhaps even a military invasion. Although the American government has also publicly stated its opposition to the referendum, it must recognize that the Iraqi Kurdish drive for independence will continue with or without its support. The United States must act as a mediator between the interested parties to ensure that the Iraqi Kurds transition to independence—or at the very minimum to greater autonomy— without the Middle East plunging into yet another catastrophic regional war.
“The U.S. government is denying Iraqi Kurdistan such a chance by opposing its independence referendum...” The Kurds are the largest stateless group in the world, with a population of 30 to 45 million spread out over a contiguous area spanning through Turkey, Syria, Iran and Iraq. The Kurds have suffered greatly in every country they occupy. For example, the Kurdish language was banned in Turkey for decades, and recently the country’s major Pro-Kurdish party has seen many of its leaders jailed. However, the Iraqi Kurds, concentrated largley in the north of the country, have endured particularly horrendous repression. Saddam Hussein’s regime killed hundreds of thousands of Kurds and employed
devastating chemical weapons against their villages—a war crime committed more recently by Bashar al-Assad in chemical weapon attacks against Syrian civilians. After the otherwise disastrous American invasion of Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist government, the Kurds enthusiastically supported the formation of a new constitution that granted them greater autonomy within a united Iraq. This was to be a model federal solution for the problem of ethnic tensions in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the promises made to the Kurds in the constitutional process were violated by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his successor Haider al-Abadi, as they fostered a Shi’ite Arab majoritarianism that excluded Kurds and Sunni Arabs from the political process. The Iraqi Kurds would have been happy to remain a part of Iraq, but their hand has been forced by a federal government unwilling to follow the word of its own constitution. There is sound reason to think that Iraqi Kurdistan could be a viable state. The Iraqi Kurdish militia, the Peshmerga, have distinguished themselves in the war against ISIS, and Iraqi Kurdistan has served as a refuge for hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians and Yezidis fleeing mass persecution and genocide. Although its economy and democratic structures suffer from a dangerous oligarchic streak, and it has sought to keep certain strategic non-Kurdish areas for itself, Iraqi Kurdistan has a far more open society and cleaner record than its immediate neighbors do. Iraqi Kurdistan will be, if given the chance, a welcome addition to the community of nations. The U.S. government is denying Iraqi Kurdistan such a chance by opposing its independence referendum out of concerns that it will destabilize the region and will consume resources that must be directed to fighting ISIS. Furthermore, Syria, Turkey and Iran all oppose Iraqi Kurdish independence out of fear that their respective Kurdish regions will be galvanized to break off and join the new Kurdish state. To this point, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made explicitly clear his willingness to intervene militarily in Iraqi Kurdistan, and the Iranian military staged extensive drills along its
border with Iraqi Kurdistan in an eerie show of force.
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Word on the street What is the meaning of life?
“Those Deece chocolate cookies with the white chocolate chips in them” — Sarah Allen ’20
“Isn’t it like 42?” — Emily Frank ’21
“Strong House Team” — Helen Magowan ’20
“A refusal to support the Kurds would be another act of hypocrisy on the part of a power that styles itself as the global guardian of democracy...” The surest way to prevent the Iraqi Kurdish bid for independence from devolving into a collective assault on Iraqi Kurdistan through economic and military means is for the U.S. government to firmly support Kurdish independence and act as a mediator between the relevant regional powers. Crucially, the United States should guarantee that Iraqi Kurdistan will not seek to claim Kurdish areas outside its borders. If the United States does not undertake this diplomatic role, the ensuing conflict will perpetuate the very instability that the U.S. is currently trying to avoid by not supporting the referendum. Now is the ideal time for Iraqi Kurdistan to pursue independence, precisely because Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Iran currently have so many resources devoted to fighting ISIS. There is a brief window of geopolitical time that must be exploited before Iraqi Kurdistan’s neighbors can bring their full might to bear against them. A refusal to support the Kurds would come as yet another act of hypocrisy on the part of a superpower that styles itself as the global defender of democracy yet props up scores of corrupt dictatorships all the same. Supporting the independence of a democratic, religiously pluralist Iraqi Kurdistan is a chance for the U.S. to finally stand up for the values it claims to champion. The Kurdish people have resolutely stood by the U.S. military in its ongoing battle against ISIS, and it is high time that the United States stands by them.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
“It varies from day to day; It could be to help others get by” — Emmanuel Mitchell ’20
“Controlla” — Ari Le ’17
“It doesn’t have meaning, but we construct our own meaning from the relationships we create with other people” — Amy Miller ’20
Leah Cates, Humor & Satire Yesenia Garcia, Humor & Satire Hannah Benton, Photographer
HUMOR & SATIRE
Page 12
September 28, 2017
Breaking News From the desk of Leah Cates and Yesenia Garcia, Humor & Satire Editors Thompson Memorial Library to offer sleeping bags, energy drinks to students cramming for midterms Student makes Prague-ress First-year unsure what to despite cultural confusion protest, starts Tumblr blog Talya Phelps
Perplexed in Prague
A
s of press time, I will have been in the Czech Republic for five weeks. Which is long enough to finally learn how to cook rice, but not long enough to wash my sheets more than once (yes, I am disgusting) and by far the longest I have ever spent outside of the United States. In honor of this milestone, I present a few cultural differences that took me by surprise. Unlike Prague’s famous Charles Bridge at sunset, they’re not all pretty. 1. Terrifying food service
Having been a barista and server for four years, I understand how the job can instill a hatred for humanity in even those graced with the sunniest of dispositions. Still, I was ill-prepared for my first experience in a traditional Czech pub, where it was clear that the waitress despised us as soon as she realized we only spoke English. She looked at my friend like she had committed a murder when she had the nerve to order tap water rather than beer. During my own time as a server, I was constantly plagued with guilt; my natural clumsiness made me a bad fit for the job, and I felt like I was disappointing each new customer. How the tables have turned here in Prague! Now I feel guilty the moment I step into a restaurant, and the rest of my experience is defined by trying to make it up to the waitstaff for being an uncouth American. A dose of humility is probably good for me, but don’t be surprised if you come to visit and encounter me huddled outside a pub, weeping softly onto my unfinished one-star Yelp review. 2. PDA all day
Back at Vassar, public displays of affection tend to remain pretty low-key during the daylight hours, but anyone who has stuck out a Mug Night or Villard Room party to the bitter end knows that by the time the evening is finally winding down, it’s difficult to move an inch without being spattered by the flying saliva of couples frantically making out on all sides (no judgment here, by the way—I have been one of those sloppy people, and I have no shame. Okay, maybe a healthy amount of shame). Here in Prague, however, PDA can be spotted day or night and rain or shine. One evening, as my friends and I were en route home on the tram, we spied a couple sucking face; what was unusual was how she had her hand stuck all the way up his sleeve and was rooting around in the
vicinity of his biceps. What was she expecting to find up there? Was she exploring the possibilities of the armpit as an erogenous zone? Perhaps the Czechs are just more sexually innovative than we Americans. They are certainly less sexually repressed, as I’ve gathered from the “Erotic City” superstore across from my gym and the sex shop in the metro station boasting a giant dildo in the window. I must be growing accustomed to it because I naturally assumed the “Loving Hut” by my apartment was a sensual massage establishment until I looked closer and realized that it was a vegan restaurant chain. 3. Political tone-deafness
One of my professors here in Prague is fond of prefacing his off-color anecdotes with “Girls, don’t listen!” This is undoubtedly a red flag on its own, but it gets worse. One such story concerned the time he got a phone call from a friend who claimed he was at a bar with a couple of gorgeous women. Naturally, my esteemed professor made tracks to the bar. Upon arriving and seeing the women, however, he exclaimed, “What, you mean these witches!?” Mind you, this was all to illustrate the fact that what we see through our camera’s viewfinder can’t always be trusted because someone else might see it differently. While I respect the technical knowledge my professors, many of whom are seasoned professionals in their fields, have to impart, I miss being in classrooms where I’m not periodically invited to cover my ears. 4. Ending on a positive note…
If you happen to have read my first post for The Miscelanny News’ Far and Away blog, then you already have heard of the wonders of Vzorkovna, or “Dog Bar,” an off-beat underground hangout that’s home to a gigantic and aged wolfhound. The dog obsession does not end there. Prague is chock-full of adorable pups of all shapes and sizes. According to the CIA’s World Factbook, Czechia ranks at the bottom of the world’s nations for fertility rate. Therefore, I have concluded that the denizens of Prague have swapped children for canines. This is a choice that I ardently applaud I expect to be seriously dog-deprived upon my return to the States, and I’ll be flying in right around the holidays. So, to my family members, please do take note if you’re still searching for the perfect gift. My favorite dog breeds are basset hounds and corgis, and I will accept kibble in lieu of cash.
Blair Webber
Social Justice Reporter
V
assar prides itself on broadening the horizons of its students’ minds. Before coming to Vassar, few students had had sufficient exposure to the various systems of oppression operating in our world, nor recourse against the injustices they encountered. Arriving at Vassar free from the strictures of secondary education, students can now leverage their liberal arts savvy to right the wrongs of centuries. For some students, however, knowing just what to take up arms against can be overwhelming. Firstyear Kate Declan shares her awakening to social justice. “So, like, before Vassar I’d seen some stuff on the internet. There was this group of girls at my prep school, they talked about intersectionality a lot, but I thought that was just something that had to do with really short bangs. Maybe denim, too, I was never really sure. I just knew they were all really into Tumblr. After coming here, though, like, wow; I can’t believe I’d never noticed all this around me. I mean, I knew about, like, racism and whatnot, but did you know that women experience discrimination too? Like, wow. At first, I wasn’t sure what I could do. I’m just one sprout in a big world; what difference can I make?” said Declan. After visiting a women’s studies class during the add/drop period, Declan had an epiphany. “The professor, she was talking, I think, and I was like: I know what I can do. Martin Luther King Jr. protested. I can protest. I can take to the streets,” said Declan. Declan soon hit another roadblock: figuring out exactly which issues to address. “I talked to some of my social justice-minded peers about my idea to protest, and they totally shot me down. They said I didn’t have any idea what I was talking about. They said my aims ‘lacked focus.’ That’s complacency for you though. All talk and no action. I’m a human of action,” said Declan. One of Declan’s wet blanket friends gave her opinion. “Kate said she wanted to protest, so I asked her about what. She said injustice. I asked her what injustice she wanted to protest. She told me I needed to check my privilege, and that injustice exists all around us, and that I need to pay attention to the bigger picture. I asked her if she had a specific injustice in mind, and she
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said she wanted to protest ‘things like pronouns and racial constructs.’ I volunteer as an ESL tutor with immigrant children every afternoon, so I didn’t exactly have time for...that,” said the total buzzkill. Declan realized that she wasn’t the only person pushing for change on campus. “I started asking around, and it turns out a lot of people are protesting things. I guess that’s a good thing, but I don’t know. They were taking on things on campus, like unsanitary working conditions in the dorm buildings. If I want to make things better for maintenance workers on campus, I’ll just clean my own hair out of the drain. I think bigger picture, like the country, the world,” said Declan. When asked about Declan’s interest in the big picture, her feminist friend offered further commentary. “Jesus Christ. I really don’t have time to talk about this. I’m going to a city council meeting on hazardous waste disposal. I swear to God, though, if I hear one more thing Kate says about ‘the large scale’ or ‘if you’re not outraged you’re not paying attention,’ I will scream,” said the total snowflake. Despite claims that her efforts are too broad to be effective in any way, Declan has formed an org that meets twice a week to make signs for protests. Declan shared her vision for her new org. “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention. My goal with this org is to show that we’re constantly outraged. That way, someone’s paying attention to us,” said Declan. Declan’s org is sure to keep its efforts in line with constantly evolvingmainstream technology. “I went ahead and started a Tumblr, and I think I’ve been enacting a lot of change on there. I’ve reblogged like five gifs of Ilana Glazer saying ‘Yas Queen,’ so that checks women off the list. But there’s still a lot of work to do. There are all these people commenting mean things. I guess there will always be haters. Some of those dudes make some hilarious jokes, though. Or maybe I just think they’re funny because I’m not like other girls,” said Declan. While Declan’s org plans to occupy the College Center in a protest advocating for “Change,” her loser friend is volunteering with a community effort to clean trash out of the local watershed.
HUMOR & SATIRE
September 28, 2017
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How to work out at Vassar without stepping foot in AFC Abby Lass
may be, schlepping around your filled-to-the-brim backpack from dawn ‘til dusk is sure to strengthen those core and shoulder muscles, even if it does leave you with a slight hunch.
Personal Trainer
I
f you’re anything like me, your attention might be a bit scattered right now: classes, extracurricular activities and the new Vassar dogspotting Instagram are all vying for your attention to the point where it’s impossible to get anything done. And yet somehow, in the midst of all this internal madness, we’re supposed to find the time to care about our physical well-being? Yeah, not likely. Still, I know I sometimes long to gain the self-confidence that only comes with being able to run five miles or bench press a small child. On the other hand, french fries are delicious and the gym is simply too far away to be considered a viable option. But lucky for all of us, I was guilted enough about the Freshman 15 during Families Weekend that I devised a brand new, totally kick-ass workout for athletes of all levels of talent and commitment. Together we can use these tips to fit exercise into our daily routines and hopefully get those “helpful” relatives off our backs.
Thursday: “Kenyon Climb”
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Monday: “Skinner Sprints”
Turn your weekly trek to Skinner into the best cardio workout of your life. The beauty of this exercise is that you can tailor it to meet whatever your personal goals may be. If you’re just interested in a light jog, give yourself eight minutes to get there from the Deece. Or, if you’re feeling like a real daredevil (or should I say Flash?), you can entirely forget about your 5 p.m. choir rehearsal until 4:58, and then sprint like a demon to make it on time. Plus, in this version, you get the added bonus of your grade being on the line! You can also adjust the degree of difficulty by choosing to cut through the Bridge Building or winding your way down by the greenhouse. Tuesday: “Jewett Jam”
Do you live on the ninth floor of Jewett in a bunk bed? Do you often contemplate letting yourself succumb to the flames every time a fire alarm
Students are able to channel their inner Olympic athletes by conveniently forgetting about their scheduled events in Skinner until two minutes before those events take place. goes off? Trust me, we’ve all been there, but let’s turn this nightmare into an endurance-training dream! Every time that fire alarm goes off at some ungodly hour of the night, you’re presented with an incredibly unique athletic opportunity. Running up and down nine flights of stairs is a surefire way to strengthen your legs, even if you’re still in your pajamas and are barely conscious while doing so (plus, this training element is sporadic, so there’s no need to find time for it during the rest of your busy hours). And just think, the sooner you get down and up all those stairs, the sooner you get to go back to sleep. What’s more motivating than that?
Wednesday: “Backpack Bash”
Every morning, all of us face myriad small decisions: how much are we willing to carry around in our bags? For how long are we able to carry it? How many times can we reluctantly return to our dorms during the day if we aren’t willing to tote everything we own around with us for 12 straight hours? This newest workout will simplify all of those decisions for you: just bring it all, even the textbooks for classes you don’t have that day! Body weights can be expensive and awkward, so why bother with them when you’ve got what is essentially a 30-pound weight in the form of your backpack? No matter how near or far away your classes
HOROSCOPES
A lot of people find the gym intimidating, and I totally get it: who wants to get all sweaty and gross in front of a bunch of people who are apparently better than you at everything, including purchasing really cute workout attire? If you’re feeling like you want to work out in a more discrete location, we’ve got the perfect challenge for you. Now, I would never encourage any unsafe or improper use of building spaces, but I have been informed that climbing is a great way to increase your strength and stamina. So, if you happen to get the urge on a brisk Thursday evening to hop through a window and shimmy your way up to the roof of Kenyon (while safely avoiding all those intimidating athletes), I promise your newly toned arms will thank you, even if campus security doesn’t. Friday: “Arbor Amble”
Physical exercise is important, but we mustn’t forget to flex the most important muscle in our body: the brain. As an almost-weekend treat, this workout combines both mental and physical aspects. Take a break from your strenuous academic schedule and wander around campus with a friend, trying to name all of the different types of trees you come across (there are upwards of 300, so good luck). You might have some trouble initially, but sooner or later your sulci will start to bulge and the patterns will become clearer. And, as an added bonus, this activity will probably help you tan and avoid a Vitamin D deficiency. Creating a strong body and mind might seem impossible in a fast-paced college lifestyle like ours, but making small adjustments to daily routines can get us one step closer to achieving our dream bodies, or at least make us feel less guilty about that late-night Deece ice cream we consume.
Theresa Law and Natasha Sanchez amateur astrologists
ARIES
March 21 | April 19
TAURUS
April 20 | May 20
GEMINI
May 21 | June 20
CANCER
June 21 | July 22
LEO
July 23 | August 22
VIRGO
August 23 | September 22
You have a tendency to be headstrong and passionate about your ideas, Aries. And you should be! Standing your ground is an admirable trait. But don’t let yourself get too cocky or arrogant; know when to back down from a fight. Come to terms with the mistakes you’ve made, and use them to grow and be better.
LIBRA
Taureans are known to be pretty set in their ways, so this week we challenge y’all to refashion your style. Try incorporating a tasteful pearl necklace and sensible heels like fashion icon President Bradley. Or you can go for the traditional ceremonial garb: caps, gowns, hoods and all.
SCORPIO
Geminis sure do love to gossip, which is actually super important for societal developments, but you should be extra careful about spreading rumors this week. If you come across an especially juicy piece of information, confirm its validity before talking to your squad. A Vassar Gemini knows to go to the source.
SAGITTARIUS
Always a sucker for romance, you Cancers probably came close to tears when Elizabeth Bradley mentioned in her inauguration address that she met her husband John 33 years ago to the day. Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance at your own love story written by destiny.
September 23 | October 22
October 23 | November 21
November 22 | December 21
CAPRICORN
December 22 | January 19
As a confident person and natural leader, you have no problem calling security when your local bros are being rowdy in your neighborhood. If calling security doesn’t produce results, call President Bradley. With her communication skills, everyone will walk away as friends.
AQUARIUS
Did you know that the list of President Bradley’s many accomplishments includes publishing over 300 journal articles and co-authoring three books? Remember that go-getter attitude when the thought of upcoming midterms gets you down. A blossoming academic career can start at the undergrad level.
PISCES
January 20 | February 18
February 19 | March 20
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Libras, you’re always looking out for your friends. Take some time this week to focus on you. Don’t be afraid to center yourself and your needs. Let your friends know how to care for you. And Happy Birthday to our darling Libra, Sarah Ann Quiat! All Libras should strive to be more like Sarah. Scorpios, take your cue from “cousin Maria” (class of ’91, cousin of Anne Fadiman of Yale University) and learn to appreciate the little wonders of the fall season. Collect autumn leaves and send them to your family in seasonless California. Sit on your window ledge and lure in squirrels with your cereal from the Deece. You know how to make yourself look GOOD, Sagittarius. You know your angles, and you know how to contour. But some contours are more important than others. As Yale Reverend Sharon Kugler says, be conscious of the contours of understanding. Knowing that there are nuances to every situation will help you better communicate with others. You sometimes like to be a lone wolf, Capricorn, but the start of autumn is a great opportunity for some fun group activities. Try going apple picking or going on a hay ride. Make sure to invite Elizabeth Bradley. If she can’t make it, carve her face into a jack o’lantern to keep her warm and kind spirit close. As the 11th sign, you’ve got a special connection with the 11th president of Vassar College, Elizabeth Bradley. Join President Bradley in honoring the thousands of Vassar students who have come before you. Really breathe in the ghosts of Vassar past. A good place to try that would be Main, which I’m pretty sure is haunted. Pisces are known for their thorough decision-making processes, and at times this can slow you down. Remember to use this trait in a productive way. Keep pushing yourself to see multiple perspectives, but if you find yourself dwelling for too long on any particular problem, consult your Aries friend.
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ARTS
September 28, 2017
First Vassar graduates commemorated in exhibition FIRST STUDENTS continued from page 1
Courtesy of Olivia Feltus
the United States and as far off as Canada and Hawaii applied to be a part of Vassar’s first incoming class, despite the fact that the immediate aftershocks of the Civil War were still reverberating through the country. The first president of the College Milo P. Jewett chose 353 women, out of which 63 were eventually awarded a bachelor’s degree in arts.. While this would not be called a fantastic yield in today’s day and age of college admissions, it was quite a revelation in the 1860s, considering that Vassar was the United States’first degree-granting institution of higher education for women. These women were making history just by attending Vassar. For Matthew Vassar to take the initiative of handing out degrees to women that were equivalent to those awarded to men was a groundbreaking and risky step, and there was a great deal of doubt at the time surrounding its feasibility. As a result, the College came to be thought of as Matthew Vassar’s experiment, and an experiment for the country itself. The exhibition displays a news clipping from the January 1864 issue of Godey’s Lady’s Book quoting our forward-thinking founder who asserted, “It occurred to me that woman, having received from her Creator the same intellectual constitution as man, has the same right as man to intellectual culture and development.” It is striking to know that Vassar’s progressive values have been a part of the College’s culture from the outset. Vassar College Historian, Dean Emeritus of the College and Professor Emeritus of English Colton Johnson began working on this fascinating project in 2014 with a student academic intern. He mentioned that, during research, they had a deep curiosity regarding which women in the aftermath of the Civil War had successfully convinced their parents to let them travel across the country in pursuit of higher education. “For example,” explained Johnson, “some women came all the way from California, and
A landmark in higher education for women, Vassar’s first 1865 class faced challenges and triumphs. These first students’ journeys are memorialized in a new Palmer Gallery exhibit. the Transcontinental Railroad hadn’t been built yet, so we have no idea how they got here... it’s remarkable that they were so motivated to come.” He continued, “We wanted to know more about these women who were taking the bold step to participate in what was very clearly an experiment. In fact, many people of significant prestige at the time commented on how this was the absolute wrong move for American motherhood. There was a belief that if women worked too hard and exerted too much mental exercise on getting a degree—considering that the curriculum in the College was exactly the same rigor as those of Harvard and Yale—that the women would not only become weakened, they might become infertile.” A great deal of historical significance lies in
the bravery of these women to break the mold and take their education into their own hands at a time when they were so severely doubted. Johnson elaborated on the governing principle behind his project: “What we wanted to do was present these pioneer people as they were and as they seemingly became, with all the vicissitudes that came with being young and eager women in a country that was just recovering itself from the Civil War.” This project has been brought to life in the form of panels dedicated to the stories of each of the 18 students hanging on the walls of the Palmer Gallery. They’ve been artfully arranged, inviting viewers to read up on their academic predecessors. In addition, the gallery contains two life-size mannequins adorned in attire from the mid-19th
century.One depicts a teal taffeta dress, while the other showcases a brown plaid dress. Both of these are paradigms of what the students who walked through this campus 150 years ago would wear day in and day out. The exhibition also contains a miniature model of a crinoline to depict what supported those elaborate dresses, various types of underclothes and a large trunk filled with an assortment of hats, gloves, shoes and other accessories that these groundbreaking women would most likely have traveled with. Palmer Gallery curator Monica Church explained that the space didn’t have much color or texture initially. “To make the exhibit come alive, we collaborated with the costume shop of the Drama Department. They loaned us some clothing from the time period,” explained Church. Lecturer in Drama and Director of the Costume Shop Kenisha Kelly expanded on the Costume Shop’s role: “We wanted to provide a feel of the time period, as well as an idea of what the women looked like and dressed like, from the inside out. Conversely, we also wanted to flesh out what the campus might have looked and felt like, housing these women.” The gallery now exudes the project’s historical relevance in a space infused with artifacts that reflect what it originally meant to be a Vassar student, and it’s noteworthy and important to reflect on how far this institution has come. While this is not usually talked about by the student body, understanding that this institution is grounded on the ideals of intellectual freedom and educational opportunities for all is as important now as it was then. Church, in a striking parallel, remarked, “When you read the stories of the women, and you see the portraits, you find that Vassar’s always attracted very intrepid, independent thinkers. When I see the incoming freshmen every year, I feel like there’s connections to that first class. It validates the fact that you all belong to a really long tradition of interesting, strong leaders.”
Children’s book exhibition fondly remembers novelist
Beloved by students and faculty alike, Nancy Willard is commemorated in this exhibition, which documents the years she spent at Vassar through the numerous novels she published.
Courtesy of Olivia Feltus
tween Vassar’s library, the community on campus and the books that happily give life to this community. What makes this collection special is how much is not on display, and in this sense, the exhibit serves as an effective memorial. This exhibit is understated and sparse. This is not because of a lack of works to exhibit, but because the exhibit aims to mirror the person that the campus so dearly misses. And the books on display aren’t on display because they best represent the departed, but because they were her most well-known works. Nancy Willard’s literary career impacted everyone around her and influenced their perceptions of the writer. Her husband Eric Lindbloom said in an interview with The Miscellany News, “I always thought of her as a poet.” And yet there is no poetry on display in this exhibit, only the children’s books. This is something that is critical about the exhibit: The Nancy Willard on display here is an incomplete image. The visitorsonly sees a slim percentage of the works of this person, and thus of the person herself. It is on us to discover who this person was and the imprint she left on this campus. None of the students currently on campus were around when Willard was a professor here, but just by being a member of the community, students have the opportunity to discover such a magical figure. And through this discovery, we can see a little bit more of how this person rubbed off onto the campus at large. Every person interviewed for this article agreed that Willard was a “magical” person. The absence on display in the exhibit mirrors the absence of this magic felt by the campus. And it is through this sense of absence that the community can rediscover Nancy Willard and her writings. We don’t see the rest of Willard’s works, but they are here at the library, waiting to be discovered. The exhibit isn’t just a collection of books, it’s an open doorway to both a rich body of work and to someone who made campus into what it is today. Nancy Willard played a crucial role in shaping generations of Vassar students, and this exhibition serves as a small way of saying thank you for her work for the community and beyond.
Courtesy of Olivia Feltus
BOOKS continued from page 1 ed one: The books rest two to a case, with one opened and one closed. There are no plaques or descriptions accompanying the books, just the books themselves. It would be very easy to walk past these without stopping to notice them. Director of the Wimpfheimer Nursery School and one of the coordinators of the exhibitJulie Reiss stated, “The exhibit is a way to show the depth and breadth of Nancy’s work in children’s literature.” This is an easy fact to notice upon closer examination of the display. They are not chosen at random but rather display an individual’s oeuvre over a span of decades that covers everything from John Milton to a flying bed and everything in between. It’s also significant to note the statement made by this unobtrusiveness: There is no argument to be made for these books’ place in the library because their place is a plain fact. We as students get the sense that the library is a building where only books of high academic esteem are on display, where books have to have some sort of justification for being part of Vassar’s collection. This exhibit pushes against this idea, asserting that all books, no matter their content, have a place in a library. In a previous interview conducted with The Miscellany News in April of 1990, Nancy Willard said, “Children are out there, and they read books many times and pass them on to siblings.” The same logic to applies to students and the library here on campus; we read books and pass them onto the next person. It’s a process that has no need for distinctions based on the quality or degree of the art. The beauty of literature isn’t that some books are better than others, which is why there isn’t just one supreme book of Willard’s on display, but that we all read books as a community and pass what we glean from them on to one another. The Associate Director of the library’s Special Collections and another coordinator of the exhibit Ronald Patkus made this claim about the exhibit quite succinctly: “Although [these books are] children’s literature, they are still literature.” But what this exhibit also illuminates beyond the value of books of all kinds is the intimate connections be-
This exhibition is not just a collection of books, but rather serves as a method of rediscovering Willard and her writings. The books currently sit at the library, waiting to be discovered.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
September 28, 2017
ARTS
Page 15
Despite character gaps, ‘Baby Driver’ enticing action film Izzy Braham Columnist
Baby Driver
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ooking for an easy watch this midterm season? Give “Baby Driver” a try. As far as fun, light-hearted summer blockbusters go, this is one prevailed. “Baby Driver” has it all—crime, romance, action and cars, topped off with a star-studded cast and a killer soundtrack. Directed by Edgar Wright, who is known for his smart cinematography and comedic material, “Baby Driver” stars Baby, played by Ansel Elgort, a smooth get-away driver for sleazy sidekicks Buddy (Jon Hamm) and Bats (Jamie Foxx), in addition to crime boss Doc, portrayed by Kevin Spacey. The plot centers around the various heists of the group and Baby’s inner conflict about whether he should or should not pursue his life of crime, especially in light of his unfolding romance with Lily James’ character. The movie is overall fun, but it does deliver moments of intensity and unease. There is also substantial comedic content intertwined with a retro edge. What makes the movie stand out, though, is its incorporation of music. All of the action and driving is choreographed to carefully curated songs from an array of artists such as Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, T. Rex., the Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel. In fact, there is not a lot of dialogue in the movie—the film primarily uses the soundtrack to develop the plot, a revolutionary idea for an action movie. The film begins with an action-packed opening scene of Baby getting ready to help his criminal pals drive away from a bank robbery. To build the intensity and give off a cool vibe, the movie plays none other than “Bellbottoms” by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. A few minutes later, we see the camera zoom in on Baby’s deter-
had the potential for more positive representation of a woman, but alas it too succumbs to a disgusting gender archetype as the role could essentially be described as Jon Hamm’s sexy girlfriend. The character, played by Eiza Gonzalez, is mostly shown making out with Jon Hamm and having to be protected by a man. She is only acknowledged in relation to her male criminal
Courtesy of Wilson Webb/Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.
Edgar Wright TriStar Pictures
mined face as he masterfully escapes the ensuing policemen in his little red car to the amazement of his fellow criminals and the quickening beat of the song. The movie continues with more action juxtaposed with softer moments. Intense getaway driving scenes are interspersed with tender moments where Baby is bonding or dancing with his deaf parent. The scene where Baby meets his crush, Deborah, is supposed to be sweet and awkward. They talk about music and all the songs that have their names in them. The contrast between the crime scenes and the sweet moments makes the viewer sympathize with Baby, the misunderstood but lovable hero stuck between a rock and a hard place. He’s a good guy who simply needs the money from his criminal exploits, and on the inside, he hates all of the violence. For what it was, the movie was good. However, it is not without its flaws. The acting wasn’t spectacular. Ansel Elgort always had a serious look of concentration on his face that made him seem a little too simplistic at times. While Baby can be a likeable character in some respects, he really was a flat one overall. Jamie Foxx’s character was perhaps the best because he provided comedic relief. Another bothersome aspect of the film was its portrayal of women. Lily James’ character is depicted as utterly helpless and foolishly in love. Her main scenes in the movie show her her waiting tables while singing “B-A-B-Y,” waiting for a cute stranger such as Baby to come along and sweep her off her feet. Besides Lily James’ character Deborah, there is only one other female character in the movie, and she’s one of Baby’s criminal sidekicks. This role
While “Baby Driver” has a fantastic musical score and diverges from a typical action movie, it still conforms to the action movie stereotype with male domination and blatant sexism. counterpart. The extreme male-centeredness of the female roles was appalling, but unfortunately not surprising, as it harkened back to almost every other action movie in Hollywood. Besides the musical aspect and blatant sexism, “Baby Driver” was predictable. We’ve heard it all before—our beloved hero does some questionable action-packed deeds, he vies for the girl with his expected heterosexual orientation, broods over the mistakes he’s made and ponders his conflicting interests and then somehow manages to save the day in the end. This, coupled with the bad acting, and we think, “Ugh! Boring!” Actually, dissecting the movie’s problems is making me question how I could have truly liked it in the first place. I’m especially wary of saying that I liked it on account of realizing how problematic its representation of women is, a true
fatal flaw of the film. However, I think its incorporation of music was where its appeal mostly lies. The music and film pairing, which made the movie flow like a sequence of music videos, added a different dimension to the cinematography. I think Wright’s intention was to take the typical underdog-turned-hero action-movie template and add a new element to complement the movement in the movie. Also, unlike the plot, the songs were not predictable. They were incredibly well-timed, meticulously chosen and well-varied throughout genres and paces. Overall, “Baby Driver” is an entertaining movie that presents the audience with a new take on cinema. Could it have a better plot and character representation? Definitely. But I still think it is worth your time, especially if you like action movies that are easy not to take seriously.
Revival unsettles, leaves more unanswered questions Matt Stein Arts Editor
Twin Peaks
David Lynch Showtime
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Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
hat does the term “Lynchian” mean? Figures in a red room speaking backwards? A woman singing within a radiator? For all the surrealism within “Mulholland Drive” or “Blue Velvet,” David Lynch offers the humanity of “The Straight Story” or “The Elephant Man,” and then there’s “Dune.” It would be a never-ending task trying to find a repeated symbol or theme that Lynch tackles in all of his films. And yet, film critics are always describing films like “Donnie Darko” or “Being John Malkovich” with this term, Lynchian. Perhaps it’s not a repeating idea but more of a looming unsettling feeling that his work conjures up in the viewer that they wade in both during and after the film. “Twin Peaks: The Return” is full of moments that are very stupid and esoteric at times. Throughout the 18 hours that spanned the series, I was left frustrated over Agent Cooper being confined in the catatonic body of Dougie Jones. For weeks on end, I felt like I was watching a show that was going nowhere and that Showtime had just thrown a bunch of money at David Lynch and Mark Frost for them to play around with their “soundscape” fantasy. But after the last two episodes, specifically within the finale’s last five minutes, it was like a puzzle that you knew was missing pieces but whose final picture leaves you with an overwhelming sense of astonishment. It’s impossible to spoil what happened with this series because Lynch and Frost have created the longest and most expensive Rorschach test for their audience to interpret, debate and never fully grasp a fitting answer. In the age of binge-watching and serialized television, it’s very rare when the process of watching a show over the span of 16 weeks feels worth it. But to consider David Lynch—a man who once made humans walking around with
rabbit heads for 50 minutes fascinating—conventional or trying to satisfy the audience would be a false judgment. It feels almost quintessential for someone to watch an episode of “Twin Peaks: The Return” each week to allow the feeling to linger and the unanswered questions to ruminate in the mind. One of the difficult aspects of writing about David Lynch and his work is that it is very hard to not come off sounding like a snob. His works inhabit an aesthetic that either makes you sound like a conspiracy theorist uncovering every and loose end or a fair-weather fan that likes Lynch because everyone else does. Lynch’s own style does not concede to the audience, though. In her essay “Against Interpretation,” Susan Sontag condemned modern criticism for being too focused on interpreting the content and not embracing the transcendental elements a piece of art holds within. Lynch, a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation and its spiritual elements, puts into practice a television series that is very much a piece of art. He forces the audience to suffer with these loose ties until a crescendo that almost acts like a nuclear bomb unfolds in those last five minutes. As a fan of Lynch and specifically the original “Twin Peaks” (on my backpack I parade a little “Damn fine cup of coffee” pin), it was very nice to see the old familiar faces, like Shelly Johnson, Big Ed and Doctor Jacoby, whose rants are some of the comedic highlights of the revival. This is not your reboot à la “Will & Grace” or “Gilmore Girls”; these characters have aged and suffered. In one of the truest moments of the series, Big Ed is still sitting at the same desk in his gas station from 25 years before, weathered with age and still harboringunfulfilled feelings for Norma Jennings. Time cannot give “Twin Peaks” fans back their coffee and cherry pie as fresh as it was in 1990. It’s only too noticeable to acknowledge the members of the cast from the original series that have passed since the show was first canceled after Season 2 or “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me,” and even since the revival was filmed. Miguel Ferrer, playing the sardonic Special Agent Albert Rosenfeld, takes on a more significant role in the revival than he did in the original
“Twin Peaks” first captivated audiences in 1990, making viewers puzzled with the question “Who killed Laura Palmer?” In the 2017 revival, the question is “What the hell is going on?” series, but he passed away earlier this year. Even David Bowie gets his moment of archival footage to remind the viewer of the perfect union a fuller Lynch-Bowie collaboration could have been. But the cameos of Catherine E. Coulson as the iconic Log Lady or Harry Dean Stanton as the grumpybut-concerned Carl Rodd are stark reminders that while these characters live on forever in the hearts of their fans, an actor’s life is ephemeral. Lynch makes sure to include several frequent collaborators like Naomi Watts, who keeps the Dougie Jones scenes bearable as Janey-E Jones. Honestly, I could watch anything that Kyle MacLachlan does. MacLachlan was easily one of the most enjoyable actors on “Sex and the City” and “Portlandia,” but to see him return to working with the man who helped his career take off almost feels right. And don’t get me started on Laura Dern. Give her all the awards. Just every single award, please. Even the new additions to the series fit. Mi-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
chael Cera’s Brando-inspired monologue is so bizarre, and yet it could only happen in a David Lynch production. He even makes overrated actors comporableto indie mainstays. It wouldn’t take much for me to admit my hatred of Jim Belushi. How “According to Jim” lasted eight seasons I’ll never know. But with Lynch, it works. Lynch’s focus has come full-circle with “Twin Peaks: The Return.” Just like “Eraserhead,” you might not be certain what you just saw, but there is an indescribable feeling that has risen up deep from within. The clearest example of this in an episode is “Part 8.” What happened? Who knows. But the viewer gets transported into the detonation of the atomic bomb within the bomb itself in a soundscape of concentrated astonishment. Then, a zombie-like woodsman murders people and repeatedly says, “Got a light?” What does this have to do with the beloved characters of Twin Peaks, WA, or Cooper’s doppelgänger or BOB? Nothing and everything.
ARTS
Page 16
September 28, 2017
Queer artists, themes flourishing in music industry Hannah Hildebolt Guest Columnist
Melodrama
Lorde Lava Records
blond
Frank Ocean Boys Don’t Cry
he first verse of Lorde’s “Liability” hit me like a speeding train. I scrambled into a sitting position on my bed and picked up my phone, unsure if I’d heard the lyrics correctly. My thumb twitched as it slid the playhead back on my music app, restarting the song from just a few seconds in. I listened intently, not wanting to miss a single word. Sure enough, Lorde sang: “So I guess I’ll go home into the arms of the girl that I love / The only love I haven’t screwed up...” “The girl that I love.” The girl. I couldn’t believe it. I’d always felt a connection to Lorde because she’s such an amazing lyricist, but what I felt at that moment was 10 times more powerful. Here was something I could relate to word for word, down to the gender of Lorde’s partner, and that changed my entire listening experience. As a bisexual woman, I don’t get to have that feeling too often when I listen to pop music, and I know many other LGBTQ+ people feel the same way. When young LGBTQ+ people want to listen to music that isn’t about straight people, we are often sent scrambling to dusty corners of SoundCloud. To unexpectedly hear a femalepop artist singing about women was so strange and refreshing. I hadn’t realized that such an experience was missing from my life up until that moment. The fact that it was Lorde who was singing added another dimension to my shock. It wasn’t thatI
Courtesy of Flickr
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thought she was straight or anything like that—it was just that her music is so well known. It had been clear since the first single that “Melodrama” was going to shake the foundation of the Earth, so deciding to make such a clear statement about sexuality on the album was a brave move, even justifiedin a single line. Lorde is purposefully normalizing love between women by slipping it quietly into mainstream music, without any fuss. Frank Ocean has been singing about his romantic feelings for other men since his debut album “Channel Orange” in 2012, but his 2016 release “blond” shook the world of music the second it came out. The album contains an explicit reference to a gay bar, and its comporable visual work, “Endless,” released the day before, samples the speech of drag queen Crystal LaBeija. Ocean’s music provides a voice for many LGBTQ+ people of color, especially Black people like himself. His presence is all too necessary in a world where the most visible aspects of LGBTQ+ culture center on whiteness, and he deserves every ounce of the praise that he gets for being such a bold and creative artist. His reviews and chart numbers definitely reflect his brilliance. But the charts aren’t the only place where LGBTQ+ artists have been making an impact. Though Hayley Kiyoko’s songs aren’t the subject of articles in The New York Times like Lorde’s or Ocean’s, her music has an important place in the changing tide of queer pop. The videos for Kiyoko’s songs “Sleepover” and “Girls Like Girls” both went viral because of their queer themes. Kiyoko focuses on the unique problems of not being heterosexual: dealing with sexual frustration during a sleepover with your crush, your love for your partner not being taken seriously by those around you and the like. She found a new LGBTQ+ audience through these hits. But the number of artists who have found new audiences online for their queer pop music goes well beyond Kiyoko: Halsey, Troye Sivan, PVRIS, PWR BTTM and many others have had the same experience. Their follower numbers skyrocket and their view counts shatter ceilings because
Lorde’s “Melodrama” and Frank Ocean’s “blond” represent a new wave of music providing representation for the LGBTQ+ community, which previously had been lacking. the LGBTQ+ community relates to their music so powerfully. In cases like Sivan and Halsey, their careers have even taken off because of their contributions to queer pop. This goes to show that there is a demand for such music, and it’s only growing as music moves from the radio to online platforms such as YouTube and Spotify. Spaces like these allow listeners to customize their music experience, so LGBTQ+ listeners can choose music which aligns with their experiences, bringing more attention to LGBTQ+ artists. Gay pop is not only accessible, it’s wanted. Finally, LGBTQ+ listeners will no longer feel disconnected and frustrated with the heteronormativity that permeates every part of the music scene. However, this new shift towards gay artists will influence more than their surrounding community. Because these musicians are becoming so main-
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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
stream, their songs will inevitably reach the ears of straight listeners. As with every other form of media, we internalize the things that we hear in music and use them as a baseline for what is normal and right. This applies to gay pop, too: this new influx of gay artists will normalize LGBTQ+ culture in a a quiet and subtle way. Kids who grow up now, listening to artists like Frank Ocean discussing gay bars and Lorde singing about the woman she loves, will know that gay love is just as valid as any other kind of love. Thus, gay pop is helping the next generation to embrace different modes of sexuality. Working in conjunction with ever-increasing media representation in television and movies, this could have incredibly positive effects on the way that people view the LGBTQ+ community. We, as listeners, are lucky to bear witness to something like that.
September 28, 2017
Campus Canvas
ARTS A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists
Page 17 submit to misc@vassar.edu
Excuse me, What is the grossest thing you’ve seen in a Vassar dorm bathroom?
“The grossest thing I’ve seen in the Noyes bathroom is a sizeable chunk of the ceiling in the shower stall; Also, three wasps” — Reid Boier ’20
“Cushing mold” — Reilly Hay ’18
“Spaghetti” — Christian Prince ’18
“Ramen” — Frida Velcani ’19
“A massive cockroach” — Graeme Mills ’20
Oshana Reich ’19 (she/ her/hers) Urban Studies My favorite architectural moments on campus are ones where linear, geometric built forms are dynamic; when lines and shapes overlap and/or converge, when the built form creates interesting negative space. I love to walk around campus and see architecture I see everyday but from a new angle or in a new light, or to see how my friends interact with a space and how the composition of forms changes with activation.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
“There was a hair ball that really resembled a rat” — Lindsey Sample ’20
Leah Cates, Humor & Satire Yesenia Garcia, Humor & Satire Hannah Benton, Photographer
SPORTS
Page 18
September 28, 2017
Men’s soccer poised, capable for second championship Mack Liederman Sports Editor
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With Collins and the other backs showing resiliency on defense, the Brewers were able to stay in the match and play the talented Red Dragons evenly for the rest of the first period. In the opening of the second period, a beautiful sliding cross from Novas found sophomore Toby Stansell right in front of the net, who easily finished the play to tie the match up 1-1. Following Stansell’s score, the Brewers outpaced Oneonta in scoring opportunities. In the first overtime, Smith had open space for a straightaway shot right outside of the box, but left the ball high and wide off a strong kick. With 20 seconds left in the second and final overtime, Vassar was able to draw a yellow card on O-State’s Jorge Hernandez, setting up a lastditch free kick from an excellent position. With the pressure on, Van Brewer lofted a beautiful ball into the final third of the field. After a couple of headers, the ball was finally cleared away to end the match in a tie. Van Brewer noted that the team has done an
Senior forward Jose Novas, of Vassar’s men’s soccer team, dribbles downfield in last weekend’s contest against Rochester Institute of Technology. The Brewers came out on top, 2-1.
Women’s Soccer
Vassar College 5, Rensselaer 1
September 23, 2017
September 23, 2017
RIT
P
Player
Sh SOG G A
P
Player
GK D F D M D M D M F F S S S S S S S S
Walsh Alvarez Thayer DeBenedictis Chroscinski Coughlan Seper Lavelle McFarland Ferry Pillsbury Trasatti Deitch McMannon Saari Herrera-Ross Longo Cutler Daley
0 0 3 0 3 0 0 0 2 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
GK D D D D M M F D D F S S S S S S S S S
Rogers Hunt Yankowich Chester Jones Thiel Wolfe White Zimmerman Ehring Alur DeLuca Losquadro Polanco Monteith Saia Strader McHale Roberts Hurd
15
6
1
1
Goalie Walsh
Minutes 110:00
Women’s Field Hockey
Vassar College 1, RIT 1
Vassar College
Totals.......
excellent job thus far in creating scoring opportunities with corners and free kicks, and will continue to look to find ways to better finish plays. “We’re a team that loves set-pieces. When we pressure teams to kick the ball out of bounds, we get excited,” said Van Brewer. “We believe that we’re going to score every time we get those opportunities. We have so many players that are good at attacking the ball in the air: Tyler Gilmore, Mattie Mrlik and Henrik Olsson are some of the most dangerous headers in the Liberty League.” With a tie against a nationally ranked opponent under their belt, Van Brewer and his Brewers believe they will be a force to be reckoned with. “After our match against Oneonta, I think they need to take us very seriously,” said Van Brewer. “We 100% believe that we could win the Liberty League. We’ve been itching to take on our Liberty League rivals again.”
Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton
on’t let a tough non-conference schedule fool you. The Vassar men’s soccer team is back and better than ever, poised to make a serious run at a second straight Liberty League title. The Brewers opened up their conference schedule last Saturday with an impressive 2-1 win against the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Tigers on the road. Vassar was hot right out of the gate, scoring two quick goals in the first period. In just the 13th minute, senior captain and midfielder Hayden Van Brewer buried a penalty kick to break the ice and put the Brewers up 1-0. The score marked Van Brewer’s fourth goal of the season, tying him with reigning Liberty League (LL) Rookie of the Year Mattie Mrlik for most goals on the team. Although Van Brewer has always been a key component of the Brewer offense over his four years, this season marks the first time he has ever scored. Van Brewer’s scoring production has been an interesting switch-up in gameplan for head coach Andy Jennings and his team. “It’s been really exciting to score some goals this year,” said Van Brewer. “One of the best things about our team is our offensive flexibility. We don’t care who scores, we just want to put the ball in the net as many times as we can.” 14 minutes after Van Brewer’s penalty kick, Vassar demonstrated their unselfishness with a brilliant string of passes that resulted in their second goal. Senior Tanner Sands found senior Reid Smith, who then gave an extra touch to senior Jose Novas. Off of Smith’s pass, Novas was able to score near the corner of the goal. The Brewers played the Tigers evenly throughout the rest of the match, with RIT tacking on a late free-kick goal in the 80th minute to bring the score to its final score of 2-1. The win proves that despite going a mediocre 3-3-1 in non-conference play, the Brewers are still set to be competitive in the LL. “The team has played well so far this year. We’ve had a tough schedule so far so our record doesn’t look as good as it did last year, but I think the team performed well and got off to a nice start in the LL,” said junior defender Tim
Collins. “The defense has been solid, not perfect, and [there are] still a lot of things we want to work on but we’re doing pretty well so far.” A staple on defense for the Brewers has been sophomore Will Marment. The RIT match-up marked Marment’s fifth start in the cage, as he tallied an impressive seven saves in his full 90 minutes of play. Vassar has also been able to integrate unique set-pieces that have allowed them to utilize their defenders on the offensive side of the ball. As a result, sophomore defender Henrik Olsson has two goals and three assists on the season, including a game winner against New Paltz on Sept. 13. “Scoring the game winner was an incredible feeling,” said Olsson. “Especially after being down 2-0 at the half, it made the goal even more special. Of course, there [were] still more than 10 minutes to play so there was no room for complacency, but it was definitely an exciting moment for me and everyone on the team.” Olsson added that he feels confident in Coach Jenning’s game plan to use outside backs in scoring positions. “It’s a really fulfilling position as an outside back since I am allowed to push forward a lot of the times and be an attacking option,” said Olsson. “A lot of chances will come from set-pieces, which was one of our strongest assets last season. Andy always encourages the outside backs to support the midfielders and forwards when we attack as long as we are disciplined on transitioning to defense.” Immediately following Olsson’s heroics in the New Paltz game, the Brewers made a statement at home by tying fifth-ranked SUNY Oneonta, 1-1. From the start, O-State’s standout striker Roberto Ventura asserted his dominance, making it clear that the Brewers had a tough matchup ahead of them. A shifty and speedy forward, Ventura eluded the Vassar defense and found the back of the net in just the 10th minute. “Tough early goal, but we shut them down after that,” said Collins. “This was huge, especially since their striker Ventura was one of the best players I’ve personally played against in college.”
Totals.......
Sh
Vassar College SOG G A
0 2 2 0 0 3 0 1 3 1 2 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 2 0
0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 1 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
20
10
1
1
GA
Saves
Goalie
Minutes
GA
Saves
1
9
Rogers
110:00
1
5
P
Player
D F M D F F M F D F GK S S S S S S S S S
Aquilina-Piscitello Caveny Lopez Pope More Studnitzer Plante Sideleau Youse Tavakkol Rotolo Amell Yacura Poehlein Palma Cubell Johnston Rizzo Pollotta Amico
Sh SOG G A
Totals.......
Goalie Amico Rotolo
Rensselaer
0 6 1 3 0 3 2 6 0 0 0 1 0 4 1 2 0 0 0 0
0 3 0 2 0 3 2 4 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 2 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
29
21
5
3
P
Player
A A M M D M D A D A GK S S S S S S S S
Luke Stakutis Dolinar Tellez Clink Hanos Hiltz DiBello Reininger Jones Kaufman Jackson Wakeman Shiomos Batzinger Vineyard Edgington Collette Clancy
Sh SOG G
Totals.......
A
0 1 0 0 3 0 0 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
0 1 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
12
6
1
0
Minutes
GA
Saves
Goalie
Minutes
GA
Saves
18:21 51:39
0 1
0 5
Kaufman
70:00
5
11
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
September 28, 2017
SPORTS
Page 19
Spike in MLB home runs ESPN mishandles reporter’s bringing excitement to fans tweet, raises larger questions Evan Trausch
Guest Columnist
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or as long as baseball has been a professional sport, people have lined up outside stadiums and crowded around radios to see and hear baseball greats like Joe DiMaggio and Babe Ruth hit. The unmatched excitement and overwhelming glee that hits fans after a key home run is still indescribable 80 years later. The 2017 season has seen a resurgence in home runs. On Wednesday, Sept. 20,, Miami Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton hit his 57th home run of the season. Stanton’s 57th home run came shortly after he surpassed Mike Lowell in the Miami Marlins team-wide RBI record. Stanton’s career season high of 57 home runs is the highest since 2008, when Ryan Howard finished the season with a career season high of 58. The 2017 MLB season has seen the greatest number of home runs in baseball history, currently 5,694. This is a huge milestone considering that it passed previous highs during the infamous Steroid Era. Furthermore, this boom in home runs and the newfound excitement that comes with it could be instrumental in baseball reaching the hearts of young people, like it has in the past. During the late ’80s and ’90s, baseball legends like Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa duked it out for the home run title each year. Barry Bonds had a season high and MLB record of 73 home runs, while Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa trailed close behind with 70 and 66 home run seasons, respectively. During their time in the MLB, baseball was exceedingly popular among fans of all ages. This was largely due to public infatuation with the home run phenomenon. As players continued to put up huge home run numbers, more players felt pressured to use performance-enhancing substances to remain competitive. Because of the widespread use of steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs, the disappointment that came when fans found out their childhood heroes had cheated was unprecedented. Despite the unrivaled abilities of Bonds, McGuire and Sosa, not one is likely to ever be voted into the baseball hall of fame. Worse yet, there will always be a negative stigma around baseball and the players that played
during this period. Now that strict rules against performance-enhancing drugs have been enacted, the resurgence in home run numbers is a significant milestone for Major League Baseball. This could not have come at a better time, since MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has openly discussed his concerns about the future of baseball. While Major League Baseball teams continue to increase in revenue and player contracts grow higher-priced than ever before, Manfred’s concern lies in baseball’s popularity among the youth. Among the NBA, NFL and MLB, the average age of baseball viewers is the highest, with 50 percent of baseball viewers being age 55 or older. To reach out to a younger audience, the MLB—as well as the individual organizations that make up the MLB— have all increased social media outreach. Statistics show that the clear majority of social media users are under the age of 35. While many people will not take the time to watch an entire baseball game, highlight clips taken from games are increasing in popularity and are among the endless clips being constantly shared around the web. Most of these popularbaseball clips showcase great defensive plays and home runs. Thus, an increase in home runs equates to more shareable content and hopefully more excitement among young viewers. To add to the excitement, many players are following up their home runs with small celebrations in the form of bat flips, prances or other forms of showmanship. While these celebrations tend to upset pitchers and may break some of the unwritten rules of baseball, they have also made the sport more exciting to outsiders. As a result, clips of home runs have become less repetitive and can carry more weight depending on the game situation or matchup between players. The multipronged approach of greater social media outreach, greater interaction among fans and their teams and MLB run programs to build fields for youth leagues seems like a step in the right direction to reaching young viewers. This boom in home run numbers and a satisfied audience are going to be pivotal in preservation of America’s pastime.
Jonathan Levi-Minzi Guest Columnist
[Content warning: Mention of sexual assault]
E
SPN SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill recently set off a media frenzy by tweeting, “Donald Trump is a white supremacist who has largely surrounded himself w/ other white supremacists.” ESPN quickly—and gutlessly—distanced themselves in a statement, claiming Hill’s tweets, “do not represent the position of ESPN” and that, “She recognizes her actions were inappropriate.” The tweet was one of a series that the 11-year ESPN contributor fired off. It was sent in the midst of a contentious back-and-forth with other Twitter users regarding a—wait for it...—Kid Rock Facebook post. Nothing like 2017. What has been missed by ESPN is that Hill’s claims hold legitimate value. President Trump’s far-right White House clique has most notably included Breitbart-founding provocateur Steve Bannon, who once said in a 2014 interview regarding his hopes for an alt-right movement, “When you look at any kind of revolution—and this is a revolution—you always have some groups that are disparate. I think that will all burn away over time.”Bannon effectively admitted to tolerating white supremacists. As long as the outcome is the nationalist-populist revolution, he seems to be saying, positions of outright bigotry and racism along the way are just fine. Considering Bannon’s avowed patience for white supremacy, and considering his former position as Trump’s Chief Strategist, it is clear to see how the Trump White House’s own open-mindedness towards this summer’s white nationalists in Charlottesville, VA. came to be. Put in the simplest of terms, Trump did not want to ostracize Nazis. I think it is near impossible, at this point, to argue against raising the question Jemele Hill’s posts bring back into the limelight. Is President Trump a white supremacist himself? Trump’s tolerance for white supremacy is not the only evidence that must be considered. The President has a history of taking racially insensitive actions and positions. When asked by Black
reporter April Ryan if he planned to meet with the Congressional Black Caucus, Trump responded, “Well I would, tell you what, do you want to set up the meeting? Are they friends of yours?” In 1973, Trump and his father were sued by the Justice Department over allegations of housing discrimination. Trump stressed on the campaign trail that there was no admission of guilt, apparently not understanding that highlighting this factor only further emphasized his need for the face-saving functionality of the eventual nine-figure settlement. Perhaps Trump’s most outwardly discriminatory display was his stance on the so-called Central Park Five. Trump advocated in a page-long Daily News advert for “BRINGING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY” in the highly racially charged case of five black teenage boys who were wrongly accused of raping a woman in Manhattan’s Central Park. Trump doubled down on his opinions even after the casework was vehemently discredited as faulty and deliberately coercive. He described the city settlements each man received for their wrongful jailings as, “a disgrace.” Trump’s actions, his statements and his silences, perhaps most of all, leave nothing to the imagination. These instances point to a deep-seated racism in the country’s most powerful man. Jemele Hill predictably demurred when ESPN made clear that she could not use Twitter for her political views. In a vacuum, ESPN’s request that its media personalities curtail their political views is a reasonable one. The network is a private company, the network’s employees are highly visible representatives, and the extent of the network’s political profile would ideally be its own prerogative. This, however, is not a vacuum. This is the year 2017, and the intransigent bigotry of Trump’s White House leaves no middle ground for a media institution so omnipresent in American culture and, thereby, so influential in American sociopolitical discourses. I think Jemele Hill would very much like to know: what does, in fact, “represent the position of ESPN”?
NFL roundup: Rams, Jaguars and Cowboys, oh my! Robert Pinataro Sports Editor
T
Courtesy of Elvis Kennedy
his week in the NFL was as exciting as ever, characterized by some close contests and an unexpected blowout. The season, thus far, has been full of twists and turns, and week three was no different. This week, we dig into four of the most enjoyable games of the week and look forward to some of the most interesting upcoming matchups. Thursday night’s game was a pleasure to watch. The thrilling battle between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers was action-packed until the final minutes of the game. After taking a 41-26 lead, the Rams allowed the 49ers to creep back into the game. The score was 41-33 when, with just over two minutes on the clock, the Niners ran the ball on fourth and goal. Running back Carlos Hyde scored on the play, bringing the score to 41-39. Knowing that there was little chance that they would be able to score again in two minutes, the 49ers chose to attempt the two-point conversion in order to tie the game. On the play that was most certainly the climax of the game, the 49ers’ pass was intercepted by a Rams defender, putting an end to what was almost an incredible comeback. Both teams’ running backs, Todd Gurley (Rams) and Carlos Hyde (49ers), had incredible performances that made this game such a high-scoring affair. Perhaps the most notable upset of the week was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 44-7 romp of the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore was widely considered the favorite in the matchup, but from the moment the clock started, the Jaguars pounced. They took an early lead and just kept scoring. The inconsistency that football analysts discuss so much with Joe Flacco was glaringthis week, as he went from his stellar week-two performance to a terrible 8-for-18 day with 28 passing yards and two interceptions (no, that is not a typo, he passed for just 28 yards). To put in per-
spective just how poor his performance was, the Ravens second-string quarterback only played the fourth quarter and was listed as the Ravens’ passing leader in the box score. On the other side, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles was outstanding. He completed 20 of 31 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. Bortles was a bit of a question mark coming into the season, but it appears he has found some rhythm as of late. The Jaguars will need his leadership if they want to have continued success. Their defense is good, but offensively they need a catalyst. If Bortles can string together a few more performances like this, it is possible he can be that spark. Sunday’s contest between the Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals brought even more excitement. Early in the game, the Bengals took a 21-7 lead, one of the touchdowns coming on an interception thrown by Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. This was only just the second pick-six of his long, successful career. After going down early, Rodgers and the Packers showed what they were made of. Over the course of the game, the Packers worked their way to a 24-24 tie going into overtime. With about seven minutes left in OT, Rodgers unleashed a long pass that connected with wide receiver Geronimo Allison. Allison was down in the red zone, and the Packers proceeded to kick the game-winning field goal. The Packers emerged victorious, 27-24. The win would certainly not have been possible if not for Rodgers’ resilience after a rough start. He finished the day 28 for 42, with 313 yards and three touchdowns. Allison also stepped up this week in a big way and was a large part of the reason the Packers were able to ultimately win the game. A breakout game like this is all the more impressive when considering that Allison was suspended during week one due to a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy for posessing marijuana and only received the ball
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers surveys the field, looking for an open wide reciever. Rodgers was instrumental in a come-from-behind win over the Cincinatti Bengals last week. three times in week two. This week he had six receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown. After this strong week, three despite only having six receptions, Rodgers should target him more often in the coming weeks. Monday night’s matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and the Arizona Cardinals was fun to watch. Arizona struck first, as quarterback Carson Palmer connected with Jaron Brown for a long touchdown pass. As the game continued, both teams played very well. The Cardinals’ defense was a bit outmatched by the powerful Dallas offense. With running back Ezekiel Elliot still eligible to play despite the NFL’s efforts to re-instate his suspension,, they are dangerous. Elliott compliments quarterback Dak Prescott well, as they seem to feed off of each other. By the end
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
of the game, Dallas emerged victorious at 28-17. After such an entertaining week of NFL football, fans should be eager for week four to begin. The action will begin Thursday, with an NFC North showdown between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. The Packers will almost certainly win that game, as the Bears have been pretty lackluster to this point. The Sunday matchup between the Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots will be a great game. Fastpaced, run-and-gun Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will try to take down Tom Brady and his New England Patriots. It will be tough for Carolina to pull this one off, but it will likely be a competitive game from start to finish. These two games are just a couple of the excellent NFL matchups in store this weekend.
SPORTS
Page 20
September 28, 2017
Vassar XC, deer skull in hand, shows well at Williams
Why
we
credible group of people who are gladly willing to sacrifice multiple hours of their day, weekend nights and much, much more to build something together,” Dwyer said. “I’m super grateful for the seniors this year who have done an incredible job leading by example with their sense of commitment and enthusiasm.” One of those seniors, team captain Michael Scarlett, was also quick to credit the strong history of the cross country program. “Tradition plays a strong role on the cross country team. The mentality we share is that no one is ever racing for themselves, but rather for their teammates and those who laid the groundwork in years past,” Scarlett said. “VCXC has never been a powerhouse, but the team grows stronger each year by learning from the stories and traditions that are passed down. That also means that each season cements a new legacy for the team.” Just like the men’s team, the women have their own special ways of getting one another pumped and ready to race. Whether it is a pasta party at the seniors’ houses where the team reflects on their week and sets goals for the upcoming race, or just simply motivating a teammate by using a “psych-up” before the race, Matera emphasized how important these traditions are. “It’s great to spend time with my teammates the night before a race to focus our goals together and feel fueled for the next day,” she remarked. In addition to having pre-race traditions, the women’s team also has a post-race tradition that helps recognize the hard work of certain individuals during a meet. “Post-race, the seniors pick a teammate to award for a great race— whether she ran a personal record or showed a lot of grit,” Matera explained. This tradition promotes an atmosphere of appreciation for the hard work everyone puts in, which can help create a tight-knit team that supports one another unequivocally. The closeness that the women’s team boasts is something that the men’s team mirrors. Dwyer made a point of noting that the community of runners on his team has influenced the way the team races. “I think the fact that we are a rather small group and that we’re all good friends carries over in the way we train and race,” he said. “Cross-country is a painful sport, to say the least, and knowing that you’re running along and for your friends helps a lot during the race.” This positive relationship between teammates is not something that is unique to the
play
Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton
CROSS COUNTRY continued from page 1 though the team was missing a few key runners, senior Savannah Wiman thought the team held their own, even though they were up against six of the top 10 teams in Division III. “I think the team had a strong showing this weekend against some really competitive teams,” Wiman commented. “We have our work cut out for us, but I think we are all prepared to push ourselves and surprise other teams.” Sophomore Will Dwyer explained that the team walked away with mixed feelings on the race. “I think everyone agrees that it definitely wasn’t our best showing and that we can all perform better, but at the same time it is not a bad place to be at this point in the season,” he mentioned. However, he is confident that the team has many more opportunities to prove its worth throughout the rest of the season. Head coach of Vassar men’s and women cross country James McCowan echoed the same sentiment. “The Williams Purple Valley Classic was one of the most competitive D3 meets in the nation this season, and it was a tough day to run with high temperatures on a long course. For Vassar, it was a solid showing, but I don’t think we were at our best,” McCowan said. “However it is rewarding to see that we came out in a good position despite that.” In terms of how the men’s squad gets themselves ready to race, the team has a noteworthy ritual involving the skull of a deer. Dwyer has appreciated this unique tradition of the men’s cross country team since the first day he became a runner here. Before each race, the team silently circles up around their mascot and prepares for the race ahead. “During this circle we take the time to reflect on the coming race. Our coach gives us some last few words of wisdom and we all get in the collective mindset of racing for each other before striding back to the line for the start,” Dwyer explained. “I think it makes us all remember that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that this team has been built by hundreds of runners before us who, them too, circled around the mascot and that hundreds will come after us to continue building a legacy.” The mindset of building a legacy and running for those that ran before you is something that builds a brotherhood with the members of the team. This brotherhood creates a certain type of atmosphere on the team, one that Dwyer had trouble putting into words. “It’s just such an in-
Vassar’s men’s cross country team carries their “mascot,” a deer skull, as they prepare to face some of the best competition in Division III at the Williams Purple Valley Classic. men’s team, but something that the women’s team also uses to push one another. Junior Elise Matera highlighted the fact that after graduating some top runners, the style of racing has switched from the team following a lead runner to more of a strong pack with different runners leading each race. “It’s been interesting to see how our team shuffles order in each race, and I think it’s been beneficial as a team for different women to step up each time we compete,” Materaa said. The lack of a lead runner allows the team to push one another in every practice and race. “The team this year has strong goals to stay competitive amongst ourselves and with other regionally and nationally ranked teams. We have a good chance to make our goals a reality if we keep up the progress we’ve begun to make this season,” Matera explained. While sometimes it might be difficult to get
Ariella Rosenthal, Basketball
Ariella Rosenthal Guest Columnist
Vassar is fortunate to have so many talented and dedicated student-athletes on campus. This year, The Miscellany News would like to highlight the voices and stories of these athletes. “Why We Play” will be a weekly installment in the Sports section where Vassar players will have the opportunity to speak about what their chosen sport means to them. This week, we are excited to have senior women’s basketball captain Ariella Rosenthal write about how she fell in love with the game and the little moments that make it all worth it. was an eighth grader sitting in my advisory class when my teacher asked us to write down a short-term and a long-term goal we had for ourselves. I jotted down two things: 1) I want to make varsity basketball as a freshman and 2) I want to play basketball in college. The only thing that was on my mind was basketball. The only thing I was certain of back then was basketball. The only thing I am certain of now is basketball. For me, the future is a wild frenzy of ideas that intimidates and stresses me out, and while it is an uneasy thing for me, athletics and basketball have allowed me to be present in this very moment every time I step onto the court. I remember the day I sold my soul to basketball and never looked back. I was a fifth grader who enjoyed juggling soccer, basketball and ballet classes all within the same week. But eventually, my mom sat me down and told me I either needed to drop basketball or quit ballet. I am not a quitter (and I hate making decisions), so having to make that choice pained me to my core. But I knew what I needed to do for myself. I had—and will always have—basketball blood flowing through my veins. My love for this game goes beyond the glory
motivated to embark on a tough run on a blistering hot day or after a long week of work and practice, Dwyer emphasized that keeping in mind the fact that the whole team is working toward a common goal helps inspire the team to persevere. “It’s something that we stress before every meet or tough workout to help us remember we’re all getting after it together,” Dwyer said. This camaraderie pushes the team to be the best that they can be, because at the end of the day, they are running for each other and to succeed for the greater good of the team. With such solid opening weekends, it is no secret that the Vassar men’s and women’s cross country teams have something special developing. Both teams have developed their own unique ways of preparing themselves for races and both teams clearly have an incredible support system that helps foster a setting that is bound for success.
Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton
I
Senior guard/forward Ariella Rosenthal drives to the hoop in one of last season’s games against Skidmore College. She is looking forward to beginning her senior campaign. moments you watch on ESPN’s “30 for 30”, the buzzer-beating shots that riddle your Instagram feeds and the championship moments every player dreams off. My love for this game is deeper than that. It goes beyond the bright lights and packed-bleacher games. It is about the moments I spend in the gym alone. When all I can hear is the ball going through the net, the dribble of “the rock” and the screech of rubber against wood as I make a hard cut. I love those moments, when it’s me and a basketball, and the rest of the world doesn’t seem to exist.
I would be lying to you, however, if I said the big moments didn’t matter. That’s what every competitive athlete dreams of: cutting down a net, winning a championship and celebrating with your forever friends who are your teammates. But I can tell you, as someone who lost four back-to back championships from fifth to eighth grade against the same team (can you tell I’m still bitter?) and continued my championship losing streak my senior year of high school on a last second shot, the little moments count more. I wouldn’t be playing if they didn’t. I don’t remember the final score of many, or
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
any, of my games, lost or won, but I can recount the ridiculous memories I have with my teammates, the competitive practices that leave me with a smile on my face and the difficult mental blocks I overcame that have shaped me into the person and player I am today. The question of why I play, why I put my body on the line, why I spend countless hours practicing something so arbitrary as putting a ball in a basket, why I pour my heart and soul into an athletic endeavor, is unexplainable. But I can try to make sense of it. I play for the moments I share with my dad on a beautiful day as he rebounds the ball for me before telling me he’s “still got it” after drilling shot after shot. I play for the relationships I have with my current and former coaches who have shaped me into the player and person I am today, who have pushed me to my breaking point and who have praised me when they see my hard work pay off. I play for the one-on-one games I have with my brothers for bragging rights at the next family dinner (and to all their friends). I play for the opportunity to grow as a player, leader, friend, coach and person every time I play. Most importantly, I play for the friendships I have formed through the shared experiences and camaraderie I hold with my teammates. Finally, I play for the never-ending, indescribable love I have for the game of basketball. Ariella Rosenthal wrote her name in the women’s basketball record books last year, as she become only the 11th player in program history to score 1,000 points. Ariella and her best friends hope to capitalize on her senior season, and tip-off first against William Patterson on November 15. If you are a student-athlete interested in writing a reflective piece on your sport, please email Sports edtiors Robert Pinataro and Mack Liederman at rpinataro[a]vassar. edu and mliederman[a]vassar.edu.