The Miscellany News
Volume CXLVIII | Issue 6
October 29, 2015
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
College appoints new Annual travel course flies to China Title IX Coordinator “I Julia Cunningham Features Editor
Rhys Johnson and Palak Patel News Editor and Editor-in-Chief
M
any students consider the College’s Title IX Office to be among Vassar’s most important administrative bodies. Much to such students’ chagrin, the Title IX Officer position has been empty since June. After months of searching, however, the Administration hopes to put these concerns to rest with the appointment of Rachel Pereira as the next Director of Equal Opportunity and Title IX Officer.
Pereira, who will start at Vassar in January 2016, will inherit the position from Interim Title IX Coordinator and Assistant Director of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA) Kelly Grab, who herself took over responsibilities for the Title IX Office upon the departure of the College’s last Director of EOAA and Title IX Coordinator Julian Williams. After Williams left in June to pursue a job at George Mason University, See PEREIRA on page 3
’m a geographer, and geographers are interested in grounded knowledge. And we understand that to learn about a place, you have to put yourself in the place of study. Especially a place like China. You can’t exactly imagine it. When you do, you imagine wrong.” Professor of Geography Yu Zhou, together with Associate Professor of Political
Science Fubing Su, is taking a class of 27 students to China this Spring so students can better apply the knowledge that they will learn in INTL 110 to the sights they will see in China. Vassar’s International Study Travel class is offered once a year in conjunction with a spring break trip to the place of study. Professors submit proposals for this multi-disciplinary class each year, and the final class is
chosen by the International Studies Steering Committee. This year’s class and trip will focus on the effect of China’s development on the environment. Zhou said, “We’re interested in how China is reconciled or not reconciled the relationship between development and the environment.” The environmental focus will be on water projects, urban development, as well as See TRAVEL on page 6
Past Halloweens spur campus safety concern Rhys Johnson News Editor
n only a few days, the much-anticipated festivities for Halloween will be here, and many students have long since begun getting ready. Excited party-goers are not, however, the only ones making preparations for the coming weekend. The people tasked with keeping students on campus safe are also readying themselves for what many expect to be a chaotic, high-intensity weekend of drinking and partying. Yet unlike those putting their cos-
courtesy of Vassar College
I
tumes together now, they are preparing not for a potentially spectacular Halloweekend, but for a potentially dangerous one. As many students are well aware, Halloween is one of the school’s most famously high-octane partying weekends, and accordingly has a reputation for being a time of heavy drinking and drug use. Last year, on Halloween night alone EMS responded to 11 emergency calls, five of which resulted in the hospitalization of a student involved, numbers that alarmed See HALLOWEEN on page 4
Professor of Geography, Yu Zhou, along with Associate Professor of Political Science Fubing Su will lead a group of students and professor through Wuhan, Shanghai and Beijing, China this summer as a part of the INTL 110 class.
Kozan spotlights Japanese music Squash teams look to build on new success T Matt Stein Reporter
Ashley Hoyle Reporter
W
courtesy of Oyama Kozan
he guitar has been around for a while and violins get their fair share of orchestral pieces, but rarely do most traditional instruments get the spotlight they deserve. On Nov. 5, at 5:30 p.m. in the Villard Room, Oyama Kozan, a tsugaru-jamisen master, together with his wife, Rumi Shishido, will give a shamisen and koto performance, providing information about these instruments with a question and answer session as well. Having started in the early 19th century, Tsugaru-jamisen is a traditional Japanese genre originating from Northern Japan. The main instrument used in tsugaru-jamisen music is the shamisen, a threestringed instrument similar to the ukulele, but the process of playing the shamisen is much slower and more meticulous. Jewett House President Kohei Joshi ’18, who is from Kobe, Japan, talked about how he’s come into contact with the shamisen in the past, “A lot of Soba shops have shamisen music playing in the background for a very peaceful environment. It gives me the feeling like time has slowed down. I have positive feelings about the shamisen. It’s very unique.” There are two distinct types of shamisen, the thinner-necked ones See MUSIC on page 17
Oyama Kozan will visit campus on Nov. 5. He is a musician who specializes in tsugaru-jamisen, a form of Japanese music dating back to the early 19th century.
Inside this issue
5
Haunted house revitalized by FEATURES house teams
13
Let the Misc help you figure out HUMOR your costume
hen most students at Vassar think of their school’s squash team, the term “roller coaster” may come to mind as the men’s and women’s squash teams at Vassar have certainly had a tumultuous past few seasons. Two years ago, the teams were forced to combine to form a single squad due to a lack of numbers. After “re-splitting” at the start of last season, the men’s team went on to lead a successful campaign that culminated in the school’s first ever national title at the Collegiate Squash Association Team Championships. The women also had a successful season, advancing all the way to the CSA Semifinals before falling. After a few months of training and preparation, the VC men’s and women’s squash seasons have officially taken off. The women kicked off their season on their home court in Kenyon Hall—meeting Colgate University for their season opener on Oct. 24. They pulled out a hard fought, close win, posting a 5-4 score. The women currently sit in the No. 35 National position and are looking to improve. Three of the women scored perfect games—setting the tone as the first three matches proved to be the first three wins of the day—and thereby the season. Sophomore captain and number-one singles player
15 ARTS
for the Brewers, Hannah Nice, glided 11-3, 11-2, and 11-3 to a win over Colgate’s number one Freesia Ferrantino. Last season saw an excellent start for Nice, as she posted a 13-6 record overall, and a 12-2 record in the No. 1 spot. Halfway through last season, she had earned nine wins out of ten– her only loss being a close match that saw her lose in five sets. Nice enjoyed many more aspects than just her success on the court during her first season, she said (full disclosure Hannah Nice is the assistant social media editor for the Miscellany News), “Last season was really great! As a freshman, I felt really welcomed onto the team by both the men and women. It was exciting to be a part of an all-female team, which was reestablishing itself after the year before, when the women who played were on the men’s roster, due to a lack in numbers. Because of the shift back to two separate teams, we started the season with positive, open minds, but didn’t seem to be expecting much. But we ended up having an awesome season, both on and off the court, as we were competitive in our division and formed some really nice friendships with each other.” The Brewers will be taking a hit this season as their lineup is impacted by some key players being abroad. See SQUASH on page 18
Original play explores horror movie tropes
The Miscellany News
Page 2
October 29, 2015
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! however you choose to celebrate halloween, please remember to keep halloween safe and fun for yourself and those around you
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Editor-in-Chief Palak Patel
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Halloweekend 29
October
Thursday
Bridget Wooding Lecture
30
October
Calendar
Friday
ViCE Film Halloween Screening
31
October
Saturday
1
October
Halloween Fun Run
VSA Council
Halloween screening the night before the big day.
Join HealthEd and RunVassar for the annual Halloween 5K Fun Run. Costumes optional.
Paper Critique
Mischief Night
Halloween Parade
David Welch Lecture
VCPunx presents Mischief Night.
“Will the United States and China get caught in ‘the Thucydides Trap’?”
Haunted House
Kids line up at noon for the Halloween costume parade and Trick-or-Treating following the Fun Run.
5:00pm |Taylor 203 | Academics
Lecture about upholding birthright citizenship for the descendants born in the Dominican Republic to Haitian cane-cutters 5:30pm | Rocky 300 | Academics
A Capella Till You Puke
5:00pm | Rose Parlor | A Capella
Two and a half hours of straight a capella courtesy of the nine groups on campus. Late Night at the Lehman Loeb 5:00pm | Loeb | Art
Artful Dodger presented by Professor Hiromi Tsuchiya Dollase on “The Monster Scroll.”
7:00pm | Blodgett | VSA Activities
8:00pm | Mug | Activities
8:00 pm | Rocky | Traditions
Traditions Committee and the nine residential houses came together to turn Rocky into a haunted house. Women’s Chorus
8:00pm | Skinner Hall | Music
Christine Howlett and Vassar College Women’s Chorus will perform “A Little Night Music.”
10:00am | Quad | Activities
Sunday
7:00pm | Main MPR | VSA
9:00pm | Rose Parlor | The Misc Come tell us all about our typos.
Noon | Joss Beach | Activities
Halloween
11:00pm | Villard | Traditions
Traditions Committee, the Senior Class Council and the Council of Black Seniors joined forces to put on the Halloween party this year. Scary Movie Marathon
8:00pm | Cushing | Activities
Join Cushing House Team for a scary movie marathon, a bit of alternative programming for those not interested in the Halloween Party.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Rhys Johnson Julia Cunningham Emily Sayer Zander Bashaw Zach Rippe Sam Pianello Sarah Dolan Elizabeth Dean Anika Lanser
Reporters Amreen Bhasin Eilis Donohue Ashley Hoyle Jeremy Middleman Sieu Nguyen Sabrina Oh Matt Stein Winnie Yeates Columnists Nick Barone Penina Remler Sarah Sandler Josh Sherman Patrick Tanella Design Talya Phelps Samana Shrestha Charlotte VarcoeWolfson Copy Laura Wigginton Noah Purdy Claire Baker Jackson Ingram Steven Park Rebecca Weir Sophie Slater Sophie Deixel Jessica Roden
CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only corrections for any misquotes, resentations or factual errors for ticle within the semester it is
accept misrepan arprinted.
October 29, 2015
NEWS
Page 3
EMS, Safety and Security brace for intense party weekend HALLOWEEN continued from page 1
many. The year before that, however, the statistics were not much more encouraging to those who have long been wary of the chaotic events of the weekend, as 12 EMS calls were reported. The year before that, 10 calls were reported. Numbers like these have alerted many to a recurring issue regarding drinking on campus during Halloweekend, particularly those who would respond to incidents involving intoxication. EMS captain Fiona Chen ’16 noted that much of this comes artificially, merely produced by the reputation Halloween has and the precedent many students follow during it. She explained, “I think there is a lot of hype surrounding Halloweekend. Not only does it involve some of the first all-campus events of the year, it is also widely known as an occasion in which students (over)indulge in alcohol and recreational drug use.” Noyes Student Fellow Sophie Koreto ’18
echoed the sentiment, positing that, in this way, the general acceptance among students of the expectation that Halloween is always hectic and dangerous contributes to the problem. She explained, “Because there’s so much expectation to drink and party heavily on Halloween, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, especially for freshmen. An effort from House Teams to sell Halloween at Vassar as a fun event, rather than as a crazy and wild night of partying, might help to lower the number of EMS calls. Chen assured students, however, that this is not the only way they can have fun on campus during this time, and that there are actually many alternatives to the Halloween Night Villard Room party, the epicenter of the weekend’s infamously chaotic parties. “I think that it is important that we start to emphasize how easily students can enjoy the weekend without drinking,” she remarked. “While it would seem that the majority of people celebrate Halloween at Vassar
Sam Pianello/The Miscellany News
With Halloween days away, groups tasked with keeping students safe on campus, like EMS and Safety and Security, are preparing for a notoriously hectic night of drinking and partying
by pregaming and then attending the Halloween party, students also have the option of partaking in alternative activities like the annual 5K, this year’s Haunted House and The Witching Hour.” There will also be a concurrent Safe Space event during the Halloween Party for students looking for a more mellow way to spend their Halloween Night, and Cushing House Team will be holding a scary movie marathon for those who want to spend the night in as well. In spite of these alternatives, however, most realize that these activities will not do much to distract from the frenzy of the Villard Room party. Director of Safety and Security Arlene Sabo reported that additional security officers will be present, and added precautions will be taken. She wrote in an emailed statement, “[We’re] putting extra staff on to walk through houses Halloween night. Backpacks and large bags won’t be allowed into the party. If students obtain guest passes before the party and are considerate of those who prefer not to engage, the evening should run smoothly.” Similarly, EMS has prepared itself for what most predict to be a potentially dangerous night. Chen reported that there will be four EMS crews on call, each with four EMS members, including two New York State Emergency Medical Technicians, with support from technicians-in-training and CPR-certified EMS crew members. “This means that we have effectively quadrupled the number of crews on call on a regular night, and therefore we have also increased the number of simultaneous calls we can address,” she noted. Chen also mentioned that EMS will be employing outside paramedics to assist in potentially serious situations. “VCEMS has also hired Mobile Life Support Services, a private ambulance company, to be on standby in case any of our patients require transportation to a local hospital,” she said. “To help Mobile Life navigate our campus, we have also added an extra three-member crew to serve as a liaison between VCEMS and the company’s paramedics.” House Teams have been planning ahead for the coming weekend with their own preparations. Koreto explained that, in addition to the expectation that student fellows will be available
for their fellowees at any point at night, there will be a proactive approach by House Teams to make sure students stay safe, financially supported by the $1,000 allotted by the Dean of the College Office to divide between the houses. “There is an effort from House Teams to put out food in the Dorm MPRs so people will get a chance to eat before going out,” she asserted. “In addition, student fellows are highly encouraged to remind their fellowees of many of the procedures they learned during orientation concerning safely consuming alcohol, how to know if someone has had too much to drink, the EMS phone number and rules of consent, since alcohol can play a tricky role in hooking up as well.” The campus is preparing not only to keep students safe, but property as well. Two years ago, Main House incurred heavy damages and vandalism from rowdy students. Toilets were smashed, windows were broken and Main residents were faced with the bill. After a poster campaign undertaken last year requesting that students treat the building with the respect it deserves, Main faced no damage whatsoever. According to Main House President Mark Lawson ’18, the same approach will be taken this year, with the hope of achieving the same results. “Let people know, let your friends know that people live in Main,” Lawson urged. “As long as everything goes as it did last year, we’ll be fine.” Similarly, VSA VP for Student Life Chris Brown ’16 explained, “People do a lot on this campus to make sure that students have the safest and best time possible at these events. At some point, students have to take responsibility for their own actions because there’s only a certain amount that these people can do. Students have to be able to respect their spaces and drink responsibly, because they aren’t just putting themselves at risk, but putting others at risk and damaging what we call home. And that’s unacceptable.” It is yet unclear whether the campus has appropriately prepared itself for the weekend to come. In the meantime, however, the people on campus responsible for keeping the community safe agree that students can, and must, have fun and be responsible on Halloween.
Pereira hopes to connect with students as EOAA Director PEREIRA continued from page 1
higher education.” As of Monday, Oct. 26, the results of those student, faculty and administration interviews produced a decision in favor of Pereira, who will take up the position already well-versed in education and equal opportunity administrating. Holding a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and an Ed.D. from Rutgers University, she has worked with the New Jersey Amistad Commission and the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission, taught as an adjunct professor at the Rutgers Graduate School of Education and served as a reviewer for President Obama’s “Race to the Top” education policy initiative. She currently serves as the Title IX Coordinator and Equal Employment Opportunity Officer at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey. As a former teacher and principal herself, Pereira knows first-hand what it takes to work with students, both in the classroom and as an administrator. “I am looking forward to combining my love and experience in education with the practice of doing all we can to prevent discrimination and sexual assualt in my role in Vassar.” Senior Intern at SAVP and CARES listener Rachel Spayd ’16, who participated in the interviews, reported that students asked the candidates about similar issues, emphasizing the importance of a student-centric, and more importantly a victim-centric, approach to the position’s responsibilities and institutional power. “We talked a lot about being transparent, letting students know about changes that are happening, making sure that the consent policy is clear to students,” Spayd explained. “We asked about what their response would be if students weren’t happy with the result of a Title IX case, about their experiences with the LGBTQ community and how they would deal with issues of racism on campus.” Spayd noted that one of the things that stood out about Pereira was her experience confronting many of the Title IX-related problems Vassar faces now in her time at Drew, such as addressing a problem of anti-black racism and providing personal support for victims of sexual assault and
dating violence. SAVP Coordinator Charlotte Strauss Swanson agreed. She explained, “I was particularly looking for candidates who not only valued the nature of an equitable investigatory process, but who were also sensistive to the specific needs of survivors and the special challenges they often face when reporting.” In spite of a prolific career with diversity, inclusion policy and educational administration, Pereira will be faced with the task of rebuilding relations between her office and the community, which has often felt that the position does not offer all the support that it can. Many feel that the source of this tension is a lack of transparency from administrators tasked with adjudicating difficult, controversial cases. Chenette opined, “We need to make the office more visible and accessible to students and employees, partly through a move to a more central location and to a space better-configured for its purposes. We need to build on the foundation already laid in training all members of our community in their responsibilities to ensure a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment on our campus.” Others, however, feel that the problem lies more in the failure of past Title IX Coordinators to actively support student activist voices on campus. Spayd explained, “The Title IX Office has a lot of power and could definitely do a lot of work with student groups, but we haven’t seen a lot of that in the past when Julian was here. Sometimes it’s felt like we need a fresh person in the position to change things structurally.” Chenette noted, however, that one of Pereira’s biggest strengths as a candidate was her desire to provide that support to students, a quality both students and administrators can appreciate. “Rachel is deeply student-centered, in accordance with the College’s educational mission,” he remarked. “One of her top priorities after students arrive in January is to hold meet & greet sessions, so students can connect her name and face and help her understand more fully what they hope
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
for from her and her office.” He continued, “Students should find her approachable, sensitive, and committed to fair processes and outcomes. She is engaged and passionate with a sensitivity and sense of humor that will be of great use in dealing with everyone on campus.” Pereira echoed these sentiments herself. “I’m looking forward to serving in the tradition of Vassar being among the ‘first’ with our best practices in service and prevention to our students and the greater community,” wrote Pereira. “On a more personal note, the outpouring of kindness and support that I have received from those who will soon be my co-workers has been tremendous. From my first visit to the campus, I felt like I was amongst ‘family.’ ”
courtesy of Rachel Pereira
Grab took over Title IX functions from her new Assistant Directorship position in the EOAA Office, while Faculty Director of Affirmative Action Colleen Cohen took over EOAA functions. During this interim period, Dean of the College Chris Roellke chaired a committee in search of a more permanent successor to the EOAA Directorship and the Title IX Coordinator position. According to Dean of the Faculty Jon Chenette, who served on the search committee, when three finalists had been chosen in September, they were each brought to Vassar for a day-long series of interviews with community members. These meetings included discussions about campus climate with students associated with CARES, SAVP and the VSA, as well as conversations with faculty members involved with SART, the Senior Officers staff and administrators from the Office of Campus Life and Diversity and the Dean of Students Office. Chenette explained that throughout this process the College was looking for someone not only with a background in law and adjudication, as has often been the case in the past, but someone with enough experience in Title IX issues and the drive to promote long-term improvements to related activities and programming. “We hoped to find someone with strong legal background, excellent listening and investigative skills, calmness in stressful situations, experience with developing and implementing equal opportunity and Title IX policies and training programs, and a commitment to justice,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “We also hoped to find someone with higher ed experience who would become a campus leader—visible, accessible, personable, and fair.” Pereira was the exact person to fit this description. Pereira wrote in an emailed statement, “I have been a lifelong advocate of increasing educational opportunities for all throughout my career. As such, I found a personal affinity with the founding philosophy of Vassar as one of the first institutions to open its doors to offer women
The Administration announced that Drew University’s Title IX Coordinator Rachel Pereira will be joining the Vassar community in January.
NEWS
Page 4 Outside the Bubble Mexican Families Intact as Hurricane Patricia Misses Populated Areas The strongest hurricane to ever strike the Western Hemisphere smashed Mexico’s west coast on Oct. 23, causing catastrophic landfall, severe damage to local homes and farms and power outages to over 235,000 homes. The storm, Hurricane Patricia, approached speeds of 200 miles per hour at its highest velocity. Anticipation of the hurricane was extreme. “We are going to go through difficult moments in the face of a phenomenon that we have never seen before,” said President of Mexico Enrique Peña Nieto. So many people bought bus tickets and plane tickets on the West Coast that all tickets were quickly sold out. The Gran Mayan hotel complex was an emergency refuge for anyone that was not able to make it out of the storm’s trajectory (New York Times, “Hurricane in Mexico Downgraded to Tropical Storm Patricia,” 10.23.15). The storm was anticipated to claim casualties and wreck towns, but it narrowly missed both the resort town of Puerto Vallarta and the port town of Manzanillo. According to spokesman for the National Weather Service in the United States Dennis Feltgen, the two towns were very lucky. “Had something like that hit a populated area like Puerto Vallarta, you would be looking at catastrophic destruction and probably fatalities,” Feltgen suggested. “We were very fortunate. It could have been much worse” (Washington Post, “For Mexico, Hurricane Patricia hit just the right spot,” 10.24.15). The storm was disrupted by a mountain range that significantly hindered the momentum and force of the winds. Trees and roofs blew off of houses, but compared to what the country had been bracing for, the impact was minimal. Secretary General of the state of Jalisco Roberto López Lara commented that there were no reports of any casualties. President Nieto did, however, report that between 3,000 and 3,500 houses and 8,650 acres of farmland suffered damage. “The hurricane is so big and so intense that it has the capacity to pass over both the Sierra Madres in our country -- that is, through our most mountainous ranges -- and then exit the country on the other side into the north part of the Gulf of Mexico and possibly the United States,” CONAGUA director Robert Ramirez de la Parra said. Hurricane Patricia was compared by the World Meteorological Organization to Typhoon Haiyan in terms of its intensity; Haiyan killed over 6,000 people in the Philippines in 2013. Patricia was larger than Hurricanes Katrina, Andrew, Ivan, and many others (CNN, “Hurricane Patricia weakens, but still ‘extremely dangerous’,” 10.23.15). Obama Calls for Decrease in School Testing On Oct. 24, President Obama’s administration issued a statement saying that the role of testing in pri-
—Jeremy Middleman, Reporter
Divesters gather on Walkway over Hudson Eilis Donohue Reporter
F
riday, Oct. 23 was an unusually active day for politics in Poughkeepsie. The students of DivestVC, citizens from around Dutchess County, and across the state gathered to rally around two distinct but linked causes. Environmental activists filled the Walkway Over the Hudson, ready to speak about climate change and renewable energy despite bitter winds from along the waters below. The “Walkway to Paris” event, organized by the New Paltz Climate Action, drew a crowd of over 1,000 people throughout the afternoon, all as eager to discuss climate change as Vassar’s own divesters are known to be. Meanwhile, DivestVC also held a protest back on Vassar’s campus, timed for the arrival of the Board of Trustees. The divesters, who have been pushing the Administration to pull the College’s financial interests out of the fossil fuel industry for years, gathered Friday afternoon and approached the Alumnae House, where the Board of Trustees was holding the first of its three annual meetings at the College. While the Trustees took a break, demonstrators took the opportunity to confront them. Students sang, chanted and delivered a speech to petition the Board to heed their call for sustainability. Safety and Security was called when the protesters arrived, but did not interfere with the demonstration. The students demanded that the Board move forward with last year’s submitted proposal, which would have Vassar remove the top 200 fossil fuel companies from its list of investments. Participating members said they thought the rally was very successful, and one of the biggest actions they have taken in the past four years. They hope to meet again with the Trustees in February. Each year DivestVC holds a rally to protest against fossil fuel investments while the Board is visiting, yet so far, the Board has not approved their demands. In their press release regarding the rally, DivestVC claimed, “Trustees and administrators have admitted that direct fossil fuel divestment, as outlined in the campaign’s proposal, would not significantly harm college finances.” Like many similar groups who gathered along the Hudson on Friday, DivestVC argues that, because fossil fuels contribute to global warming and climate change, they are a major obstacle to social change, particularly in light of the fact that the College’s involvement in such an industry contradicts its commitment to conservation and sustainability. DivestVC and the organizers of the Walkway to Paris agree that climate change is equivalent to social change, and that a suffering climate means a suffering society. DivestVC member Ben Lehr ’16 said, “Climate change disproportionately impacts women, people of color, people from low-income communities and people in the global south. Climate change is a racial issue. Climate change is a women’s issue. Climate change is a class issue. Climate change is a legacy of colonial oppression.” Some members of DivestVC also attended the rally at the Walkway Over the Hudson, where they were joined by environmentally concerned citizens young and old, including their peer Divestment group from Marist College, students from Bard College, SUNYNew Paltz and students from Arlington High School. A sign greeted pedestrians that read, “Welcome to the Walkway to Paris–the Mid-Hudson’s response to a call for Global Action by UN Delegates at the next Climate Summit in Paris in December to prevent a climate catastrophe.” The goal of the event was to inform local community members about the reality of global climate change, what they can do in their own neighborhoods and what the Paris Summit means. Sacha Spector from the Scenic Hudson river restoration organization summarized, “Climate change is a global problem but its impacts are felt locally. This meeting at Paris is an opportunity for the world’s nations to decide we’re going to avoid the worst impacts.” Stationed at intervals near the center of the bridge were representatives from climate change activist organizations from around the mid-Hudson area. The event also featured several scheduled speakers, including
council members, community organizers and non-profit founders. Display boards, photographs, diagrams, posters and banners covered with supporters’ signatures lined the bridge. One such banner, intended as a letter to the President, urged, “Dear President Obama, Our planet is in peril due to climate change. Therefore, we demand that at the UN Summit, we keep 80% of our fossil fuels in the ground and switch to 100% renewables by 2050!” Rosendale Councilwoman and Co-Director of Citizens for Local Power Jen Metzger echoed the sentiment in her speech, calling for organized local action to solve the global energy crisis. She praised the progress the State of New York has made in converting to clean energy systems, while also urging the crowd to push for more, citing solar and offshore wind farms as methods of clean energy that the state should embrace. She said, “We can get the change [we need] in our energy system to happen, but we need to start here, right here in our backyards. We need to start here in New York. We need to create an energy revolution, and I really feel that this is already happening in New York. We have already witnessed something incredible, the result of a grassroots movement that swept the state…We have to keep up that momentum.” Metzger, like many of her contemporaries, emphasized the importance of both community and statewide action as a means of transforming the nation’s energy usage. “The idea is to shift us to a more decentralized energy system, powered by me, you, our businesses, our communities; powered by us,” she envisioned. Metzger spoke of the state’s “Reforming the Energy Vision” initiative, entreating listeners to keep informed about the decisions such groups make. “We have to make sure that the reform process benefits us, the people, the citizens of New York, and benefits a clean, renewable future,” she urged. “But it’s not just about saying no. It’s easy to say no. The real hard part is actually creating the alternative, creating the clean, renewable energy system that’s going to replace fossil fuels.” Although Metzger’s rallying cry was met with spirited applause, many still find it difficult to draw connections between climate policy and individual or community wellbeing. Pramilla Malick, an organizer in her Orange County community and a self-described “alarmist mother,” presented a human face to the argument for distancing communities from fossil fuels. She spoke about the Millennium pipeline, which runs directly through her community and which has had already had adverse effects on the health of her neighbors. “So we have become the sacrifice zone at the altar of our nation’s obsession with fossil fuels. The industry refers to us as host communities, but we’re not hosts, we’re hostages,” she argued. “[C]limate justice is community justice.” Metzger and Malick, as did many of the speakers and supporters that attended the rally, believe that New York, due to its size and influence, can help to bring about major national reforms. Malick spoke about the agricultural and economical importance of the state of New York, and the immense sway that
its citizens have. She reminded, “New York is a vital transportation corridor and market for fracked gas. And in fact, our state is the fifth largest consumer of gas in the country and we seem well into buying even more.” Similarly, Metzger asserted, “We’re ahead of the game in some ways in New York. There’s some real progress that is being made. It’s important to keep in mind, too, [that] New York is the fourth largest state in terms of population and the third largest state in terms of GDP, the size of its economy. If we can show that we can create a renewable energy system in New York, you can believe everyone else will follow. Somebody’s got to do it first, and it’s going to be us.” Volunteers and experts offered up solutions that any citizen can employ to do their part in preventing climate change from their own local communities. Chair of the Conservation Advisory Council, Bard College Sustainability Manager and volunteer for Solarize Northern Dutchess Laurie Husted suggested, “[T]he only way to get people to adopt solar quickly is neighbor to neighbor.” She believes conversion to solar power is a relatively easy way to live sustainably, and hopes to convince people that way to participate. Bard College’s Energy Efficiency Coordinator Dan Smith offered advice on insulating homes for winter and changing to LED light bulbs to conserve energy in the home, as students from Arlington High School listened on keenly. Other speakers were more interested in discussing ideology and the politics surrounding climate change. Marc Pessin of the New Paltz branch of the International Socialist Organization held a handmade sign that read, “Ask me about eco-socialism.” When asked, he asserted, “We believe in system change, not climate change. A capitalist is [only] concerned about short term interests…How much longer do we have before capitalism destroys the world? We believe in socialism from the bottom up...We believe people would vote for a more efficient use of our resources.” This event was the first of its kind at the Walkway, and many remain hopeful that it will not be the last. The Hudson Valley has a history of environmental consciousness and activism, including the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, a ship that shares its name with a non-profit grassroots environmental organization begun by the late folk singer and activist Pete Seeger. Seeger was also present at the original opening ceremony of the Walkway, along with fellow musician and activist Victorio Roland Vargas Mousaa, who spoke at Friday’s event. Mousaa spoke of events that he and Seeger planned that drew millions of supporters. “I just want to say that, that was thought up in a small, tiny apartment, my apartment, which turned out to be the biggest demonstration in Poughkeepsie. This is where it starts from, right here,” he expressed. Later he sang the same Native American song with which he opened the bridge originally, and offered advice on being hopeful about the environmental movement. He reminded the crowd, “You never know what’s going to happen, it’s a seed that grows.”
courtesy of Divest Vassar
mary and secondary-education has gone too far, and that testing should be used with less frequency and more purpose (New York Times, “Obama Administration Calls for Limits on Testing in Schools,” 10.24.15). “I still have no question that we need to check at least once a year to make sure our kids are on track or identify areas where they need support,” said Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. “But I can’t tell you how many conversations I’m in with educators who are understandably stressed and concerned about an overemphasis on testing in some places and how much time testing and test prep are taking from instruction.” The issue of overuse of standardized testing in schools has become a bipartisan issue, with Obama’s proposed legislation being backed by Congress and the Senate (NPR, “Obama Wants Students To Stop Taking Unnecessary Tests,” 10.24.15). “This is common sense. It’s why overwhelming numbers of Americans think there is too much testing,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten remarked in a public statement. She further suggested, “It’s why legislators on both sides of the aisle want to fix No Child Left Behind, a law that drove overtesting. The time to act is now” (Wall Street Journal, “Obama Calls for Capping Class Time Devoted to Standardized Tests,” 10.24.15). The Obama Administration had several recommendations for decreasing the amount of testing. They advocated for a two percent cap to the amount of standardized, statewide testing out of the total amount of schools. If testing went over, the school would be required to send alert parents. Another idea suggested was to lessen the use of measures of student progress on testing to determine the efficacy of teachers. The government pledged increased flexibility towards teachers in evaluating their success using testing. The administration also guarantees financial and technical support to schools and states that they want to explore new ways of evaluating how well students are learning (NPR).
October 29, 2015
Students demanding that the College divest its interests from the fossil fuel industry organized a demonstration this past Friday in coordination with the arrival of the Board of Trustees to campus.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
October 29, 2015
FEATURES
Page 5
FWA showcases group talent with body-themed cabaret Matt Stein Reporter
“W
courtesy of Imani Russell
hat good is sitting alone in your room when you can come hear the music play? Life is a cabaret old chum, so come to the cabaret,” to quote from the musical “Cabaret.” On Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. in UpC, Future Waitstaff of America (FWA) presented their semi-annual cabaret, ‘FWAnatomy - The Student Body.’ The show was directed by Gileann Tan ’17 and Danny Young ’17 and stage managed by Megan Forster ’17, with Conor Chinitz ’18 on keyboard. With 18 different songs spaced out over an hour, it was a delightful event that showcased many wonderful voices singing songs both old and new. Every semester, FWA, Vassar’s musical theatre student group, founded in the fall of 2005, organizes a very casual cabaret to fundraise for the shows and special events later in the season, selling tickets for $3 during the week and $5 at the door. This semester, FWA will be producing two shows, “FKA Heathers (working title),” a devised piece, and “Lemonade,” an original musical from recent graduate Sean Eads ’15. FWA are the only theater group to put on musicals exclusively, doing shows in the past such as “Assassins,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The organization consists of actors, directors, stage managers, tech people and many more positions dedicated to working on productions.. Loosely inspired by Olivia Newton-John’s hit 1981 single, “Physical,” this cabaret was bodily themed, with songs about hearts, brains, smiles and even muffin tops. Low-key in attitude, the cabaret displayed a very talented group of performers. With limited choreography and just a keyboard to join them, the singers put on a wonderful show. The two directors have both appeared in FWA cabarets in the past, Tan performing in four and Young in three. Last fall, Tan directed while Young was the musical director, a pro-
cess that essentially left both co-directing like they did this year. During these cabarets, some mistakes can be made. Words can be forgotten and notes might not always hit, but for those rare occurrences, the audience is always supportive, cheering and occasionally singing along, creating an overall warm and supportive environment. Explaining the dynamic of working with Young, Tan remarked, “Danny has gained a lot of the same knowledge, but since our voices are different, he knows some technique that I don’t and vice versa. Because of that, we are able to work together well; we fill in each other’s blank spaces when it comes to knowledge and ability to demonstrate technique.” The showcase usually includes previews from the upcoming FWA productions, this cabaret giving a preview from “FKA Heathers.” The cast sang a nice version of ‘Under Pressure’ by Queen and David Bowie, all while sporting backpacks. This show is completely devised and will be going up in November. As a special event, “Lemonade,” (FKA ‘Pippin’) did not present a preview, but will also go up in November. Director of “Lemonade” and performer in the cabaret, Logan Pitts ’17 said about his decision to get involved, “FWA and I go way back, so when they do this, I need to give back. I told myself, ‘I will audition for the cabaret.’ And I did this and I was fortunate enough to get cast.” Describing how he got involved in FWA, Pitts elaborated, “I am a drama major and my two favorite aspects of drama production are acting and directing. This semester, I wanted an opportunity to direct, and directing a musical is all the more fascinating a facet of theatrical storytelling. Thus, FWA was the organization to turn to.” Describing how they prepared for the cabaret, Tan said, “The rehearsal process is difficult because of time constraints: most of the rehearsals took place over 8 days, and most people only rehearse once or twice. We do our best
Vassar’s Future Waitstaff of America performed in UpC on Saturday to fundraise for their upcoming productions. Occasionally accompanied by the audience, they performed the musical “Cabaret.” to give people music that is challenging, whether from a dramatic or musical standpoint, while still being enjoyable for them.” He added, “Generally, people are very prepared for rehearsal, and so we get to really nitpick their work and dig deep into what they’re doing. It’s an enriching process for the participants and us. We love seeing how people work and watching them grow in such a short amount of time.” Reflecting on the experience, Ari Bell ’18, who sang the opening number and part of the finale, commented, “It was a fast and exciting process. It was fun singing with people I’d never sang with before.” The auditions for FWA’s cabaret were only about a week before October break and were fairly relaxed. Each person prepared 30 seconds of a song. There was no need for an ac-
companist, as both Tan and Young have nearly perfect pitches, Tan remarked, “We applied to direct the cabaret this semester because we care about providing a performance opportunity for students who are not in shows this semester. The cabaret, while very causal, is a great learning opportunity for any Vassar student to improve their technical vocal and acting skills, collaborate with other students and gain exposure to musical theatre without the prolonged commitment of a show,” Tan said. He added, “We are passionate about musical theatre and music in general, as well as providing a comfortable space to learn and grow without judgment for past experience or ability. We have had a lot of experience directing people of different backgrounds and have loved working with such a dynamic group of students.”
Rocky to be transformed into Halloween haunted house Aditi Chandna Guest Reporter
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Sam Pianello/The Miscellany News
s always, Vassar plans to celebrate Halloween in style. Studnets are carefully thinking through costumes, throwing parties and carving pumpkins. This year however, Vassar Traditions is bringing back the age-old tradition of the haunted house with a bang. It will take place this Friday in Rocky through the combined efforts of the Vassar Traditions Committee and house teams from each and every dorm. Co chair for the haunted house event Adit Vaddi ’16 explained that the haunted house is not actually a novel idea. “I had experienced the Haunted House in Rocky, during my freshman year when Raymond house had done it as a guided tour of one floor. It was a great experience,” He said. “The year after that it was discontinued and last year, Traditions thought to bring it back by combining two very big and fundamental aspects of life at Vassar: The House Team system and Halloween.” Traditions Committee co-chair Audrey Aller ’17 said, “The Haunted House, for several years, was an event put on by Raymond House Team in the Raymond basement.” She went on, “In 2012 (when this year’s seniors were freshmen), the event was put on in Rocky. In 2013 it was discontinued, and last year in 2014, Traditions (I was not on the Committee at that time) attempted to make the event happen again, to no avail. Though originally a Raymond house team event, the Haunted House has now grown and expanded to include all house teams as well as Vassar Traditions Committee and various comedy groups around campus. There has been a great deal of planning in advance and a lot of interest shown among the house teams. “House teams are extremely busy with other events, which is a reason that Traditions reached out to them earlier over the summer this year,” said Aller. She added, “Since there was a general expression of interest, and all nine house teams eventually were on board with the event, the event is happening again this year. Two Tradi-
Don’t get too scared when you pass by Rocky on Halloween. A Vassar Tradition is being resurrected in order to bring another aspect of scary fun and excitement to campus for the night. tions members have been assigned the event to facilitate its organization.” The main reason the Haunted House is being brought back this year is to provide entertainment and enjoyment for people who don’t want to attend the Villard room Halloween party. “We believe the event has the potential to be a really important part of alternative programming on Halloweekend. It really embodies the spirit of Halloween that is so characteristic of Vassar, while being distinctly separate from the Villard Room party, which has a significant history of getting out of hand,” Aller said. While the Vassar Traditions Committee, is enthusiastic about this event, it has also come across a few difficulties. It is always hard to bring back a tradition the exact same way it was before. “The option of having it in the Raymond basement was explored, but was unfortunately impossible be-
cause of fire safety and crowd issues,” Vaddi said. He added, “I believe that it was originally moved from the basement to Rocky because of the house residents’ concerns.” The decision to hold the haunted house in Rocky Hall is a smart one because there are more space available, not to mention more floors for different sections. Implementing the haunted house is easier said than done, and Vassar Traditions and house teams have had a tough time organizing the event. “It’s been pretty extensive process. Three house teams are placed on each floor and they are collaborating with each other to have the rooms and walls decorated according to a certain theme,” Vaddi explained. “There will be a lot of props, make up, light and sound effects,” he added. Traditions Committee has been more involved with the administrative side, handling the funds, publicity material and interactions
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with Campus Activities Office and SARC office. Other concerns are time constraints and safety issues. “I expect the event to go quite well,” Vaddi said. “My only concern would be accommodating everyone who shows up to see the Haunted House. The event is only for two hours and it a little uncertain as to how many people would actually be able to see it over those two hours because of fire safety and constraints and general logistics,” He concluded. The Traditions Committee has high hopes for the haunted house and trusts that the student body will enjoy this quasi-novel event. Vaddi said, “I think the student body should have a positive reaction to the event. It should be a fun event that students from all years should be able to appreciate, especially the freshmen who would have the chance to see their students fellows and house officers putting on a show for them.” The Vassar Traditions Committee isn’t just looking for this to be a one time event. They have serious plans for the implementation of this in the future, for many years to come. “We really hope to continue this event in the future as it is, after all, a huge step towards providing more inclusive programming on this campus,” Vaddi said. He added, “In the future, we may expand the event to not only have House Teams participate but other performing organizations to play a role in it as well to make a really large collaboration with a number of different kind of organizations.” This thought is echoed by Aller. “There are several possibilities for implementing the event in the future, which will most probably depend on the success of the event this year,” She said. “In the future, I would be interested in exploring the option of collaborating with a wider variety of Vassar student organizations in addition to interested house teams. Like all large-scale events of this sort, its future will depend on student turnout and general interest in having the event happen.“ While it has been a rocky road to resurrect this haunted house, there is plenty of hope to keep it alive.
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October 29, 2015
Gelato expert pleases the palate with artisanal samplings Sarah Sandler Columnist
O
courtesy of The Culinary Institute of America
ctober is Italian Heritage Month, and to celebrate, Vassar’s Italian department brought Chef Mauro Sessarego to campus to share everyone’s favorite dessert: gelato. During the post-fall break stress of getting back into the swing of homework, exams and papers, the short lesson on gelato and the opportunity to taste a few freshly made flavors served as the perfect study break. Sessarego is a professor at the Culinary Institute of America, also known as the CIA, in Hyde Park, New York. Home to three restaurants, a café, cooking classes, and a beautiful campus, the CIA is an amazing resource for Poughkeepsie students who love food. Sessarego’s presentation marked the start of Italian Heritage Month. Associate Professor of Italian Simona Bondavalli said, “The gelato presentation was the first of three Italian cultural events at Vassar to celebrate Italian Heritage Month. We thought he was the perfect speaker to kick off our Italian Culture Week at Vassar.” Bondavalli added, “This week we will have two more Italian culture events. Francesco Ceccarelli, professor of Architectural History at the University of Bologna, will give a presentation about ‘Bologna, the City of Knowledge’ and the theater company Kairos Italy Theater will perform a reading of two novellas from Giovanni Boccaccio’s Medieval masterpiece The Decameron.” The Italian department wanted to showcase Bologna because it is famous for its cuisine and university, and many students go JYA there on the Vassar program with Wellesley and Wesleyan. At the CIA, Chef Sessarego is a professor in Beverage and Customer Service in the Baking and Pastry department. Specifically, he said, “My classes are about the utilization of desserts and the pairing of beverages, from alcoholic to non-alcoholic.” He went on, “My favorite part of being a professor at the CIA is
expanding students’ vision and understanding of the industry.” He did not go to culinary school, but he commented, “My training was at home in Italy in my family restaurant. I did attend a gelato university in Bologna.” He also owns and manages restaurants in New York City and Genoa, Italy. With this resume, he is definitely qualified to help the Vassar community learn more about gelato. Sessarego began his talk by telling the audience a bit about himself and his company, Artigiani di Gelato. He said, “Gelato is my passion, my hobby that has become a business. As an entrepreneur I have learned a lot and have expanded my focus and my knowledge.” The way Chef Sessarego spoke about gelato, its history and the process of making it, proved his true passion for it. To him, gelato isn’t just a dessert enjoyed as a snack or eaten after a meal. Rather, it is a substance meant to create a pleasurable experience. Sessarego discussed the chemistry of making gelato and the specific ingredients and temperatures that are essential to its production. In addition, he cleared up that confusion between ice cream and gelato. Ice cream, it turns out, is made with heavy cream while gelato is made with milk, which means it has less fat. He uses Hudson Valley fresh milk, and as many local ingredients for his various flavors as possible. He also explained that, to many Italian people, getting gelato is like getting a cup of coffee with your friends. Bondavalli added, “Food is a fundamental component of Italian culture, and it provides a pleasant introduction to Italian history, geography and social practices.” She added, “In his presentation, Chef Sessarego pointed out how gelato is quintessentially Italian because it is a social food. It is typically consumed with friends, family or in social spaces, such as cafés, streets and piazzas.” Sessarego said they besides bringing his own knowledge to Vassar, he also hoped to learn from Vassar. He said, “I thought it would be a
Chef Mauro Sessarego, a professor from the CIA, visited campus to give a lecture as well as a tasting of his specialty food: gelato. He captivated minds and tongues with his hand-made treat. great opportunity for the two colleges to become more knowledgeable about each other and perhaps initiate any possible cooperation.” Those who attended the presentation are probably very keen on continuing this relationship, thanks to Sessarego’s informative presentation and the tasting they got to experience after. The flavors that Sessarego brought for tasting included chocolate, hazelnut (nocciola) and salted caramel, as well as a strawberry sorbet. His all-time favorite varieties, he noted, are Nocciola, pink peppercorn and strawberry, Calamansi sorbet and rosemary cream. Before we tasted the gelato, he described how he had made them the night before, toasting the hazelnuts and detailing the amazing scent they gave off while he made the gelato. Bondavalli said, “Chef Sessarego’s version
was especially creamy and intense, without being too rich. That is the magic of gelato. It is delicious and yet it is good for you, or so we like to believe!” Students got to try most of the flavors in each of their cups. As Bondavalli had pointed out, even the small sample was enough to taste the richness of the gelato. Whether or not the gelato has health benefits, it certainly sent the taste buds on a journey through Italy. For the food-obsessed and the Vassar community in general, it would be wonderful if more Culinary Institute of America professors and students were welcomed to campus for additional food presentations. It’s always beneficial to learn about where the food we eat comes from and how it is made. A tasting of the foods discussed wouldn’t hurt either.
Spring course offers new opportunities for learning TRAVEL continued from page 1
food production. The class will be able to observe all of these factors in the three of the largest cities in China: Shanghai, Wuhan and Beijing. In Wuhan, they will visit the sites of two of the world’s largest water projects, the Three Gorges dam and South-North water transfer project. In Shanghai and Beijing they will visit university campuses as well as come in direct contact with the effects of urbanization. In contrast, they will also visit a minority area in the western part of Wuhan. Zhou went on, “We will have to deal with the air pollution, water pollution to some extent. We will talk to Chinese scientists and social scientists to see what they’re doing. And we also have two schools who we have cultivated relationships with, that they have research going on.” There was an application process in order to get into the class, Zhou explained. “Of course I say, ‘come to China.’ It’s great seeing a lot of students come talk to me but end up not applying for various reasons,” She said. Traveling is not just a time commitment, it is also a large financial undertaking. “The College hasn’t been to China in ten years, because the Chinese currency appreciated and then, very quickly we went through the economic downfall. It became way too expensive to go,” Zhou said. She went on, “Even though China is more expensive, but think about it, ten years ago it cost us $3,100, and now it’s only $3,500. So we’re actually being able to control the cost a little.” As for time concerns, Zhou added, “I also tell them, if you need to do a thesis, you can’t really go because I guarantee you have no time.” Students from many different backgrounds have shown interest in the trip this year. Zhou said, “There were a lot of Asian-Americans, at least a lot more than previous trips, I think, understandably. But there are a lot of people who are international students, African-Americans, it’s a pretty diverse group!” Yvonne Yu ’18, a biology major with an ed-
ucation correlate said she is going for the research aspect. “I applied because although I am of Chinese descent, I haven’t visited China much so I wanted to travel there. At the same time, I was interested in the environmental aspect because it is something I want to get involved with through research.” Yu hopes that while in China, she will form a lasting bond with the country. “I want to learn about environmental issues in the country, work with students from China and learn more about the language and culture,” She explained. To make this trip, Zhou explained, the department is relying heavily on the Luce Grant. “Luce Foundation is one of the most major foundations for Asian Studies,” Zhou said. She added, “Right now, the Luce Grant encourages science collaboration because most people interested in Asia are interested in the humanities: languages and art and that kind of thing. Science students don’t really have opportunities.” Zhou said, “So the Luce Grant will fund six Environmental Studies faculty to go on the trip, and they’ll talk to their counterparts and find out what equipment, what kind of experiments they have, what kind of research they’re doing, and see what we could establish some collaboration in the future,” she explained. Zhou went on, “The college budget has never applied to China, but we can’t say we’re an international trip if we never go to Asia. I think it’s great that we’re able to go!” Cost is always an issue. As the price of tickets went up, Zhou explained, it became harder and harder to go to China. “So if you check, the college went to Caribbean, Cuba, Cuba, Caribbean. And it dawns on us that this is not really an international studies trip if we just keep going to Cuba. And even that costs a lot of money!” In order to make this trip happen, Zhou said, she and Su worked hard to find affordable airlines. Zhou said, “It’s important to go to China.” In addition to the funding for this class, Zhou mentioned that there are future plans to extend the College’s relationship with China. “We’re also going to apply for a more substantial grant
from Luce. If we get the grant we fund more student research opportunities,” Zhou said. “The Luce Grant we have right now is exploratory so it helps us go there and see what people in China are doing, and is there something we can collaborate on,” She went on. “So, if we got that grant, we could fund, and the faculty have established some collaborative relationships.” Because the Luce Grant has a focus on the sciences, part of the application to be a part of INTL 110 includes what types of classes you have taken. Despite this requirement, the class certainly does not exclude freshmen. Amna Aslam ’19 is yet undeclared, but she is planning on majoring in biology. “I applied to the INTL 110 travel class because I was very interested in delving into the opportunity to research the various environmental issues that China is faced with presently and to learn more about the culture of China,” She shared. While in China, she said, she hopes to become more invested in Chinese culture. “I hope to get a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and etiquette along with more in depth knowledge about environmental problems and changes that surface in other parts of the world,” she said. She added, “I also hope to get better skills in researching the professional development that involves China.” With all of China’s development, Zhou said there are many projects involving water processing, waste processing and industrial renovation. She said, “So if some of our faculty find partners there, then they would develop joint projects that could happen here, that could happen there.” She added, “I mean, you can imagine if the collaboration works, we could fund the faculty to have some Chinese students start to work here and some of us could go over there. Also, if some students want to learn Chinese, they could start to have more JYA opportunities.” These opportunities are important for increasing the diversity of the programs that Vassar offers. “We think in the long run we could then bring in more people from different dis-
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ciplines. It could be social science, it could be humanity’s, because the universities we deal with are very big with a lot of different majors,” Zhou said. “Travel is a way for you to learn. You can learn about China from books. But you probably know that’s very different,” Zhou said. She went on, “In the media there are representations that everybody knows about air pollution, but very few people understand how different political, economic, social, and cultural forces play in China. People can’t picture it.” Kevin Pham ’18, an international studies major, hopes to go to China for that very reason. “The 2016 Vassar trip to China will broaden my understanding of humankind’s ability to drastically alter their geographic surrounding,” Pham said. “Through visits to developmental projects areas like the Three Gorges Dam and the high speed rail, I hope to see first hand the positive and negative impact of human’s quest to utilize the force of nature to their own benefit. Who are the winners and losers of such ambitious projects? What are the short-term and longterm impact on the environment?” In addition, Pham, like Yu, hopes to connect with other students while in China. He said, “I hope to network with the students at Central China Normal University to ensure that I will continue educating myself about environmental development in China beyond the trip’s duration.” In past trips to China, Zhou mentioned that the students and faculty haven’t had any trouble connecting with each other. “In China you eat together, so they had a lot of fun and they were really tight,” Zhou said. “And the lucky thing, also, is that we had a lot of faculty,” She added. “There’s a lot of faculty interest about going to China, probably more than students, I would say.” Zhou concluded, “This time we also have a group of very interesting faculty as well. So students will learn from the trip leaders, obviously, but also from people on the trip who are learning about China and they have their own expertise,” Zhou concluded, “So it should be great!”
October 29, 2015
FEATURES
Page 7
Modern art and biscuit factories: exploring Dia: Beacon Kayla Gonzalez Guest Reporter
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is an $8 admission, you could spend the rest of the day touring the town and shopping at the independently-owned stores. You may even have some time to squeeze in some for studying at a coffee shop. If you’re the creative type, Beacon is overall a different place to escape to feel surrounded by spontaneity and positivity. As a first year student at Vassar, I’m still not familiar with all the possibilities the Hudson Valley has to offer. So when Noyes House Team offered a house trip to Dia: Beacon, I jumped
at the opportunity to explore something off campus. What surprised me, however, was that many sophomores and juniors said this was also their first time visiting the city of Beacon. Maybe it’s a little too soon for me to be feeling cooped up on campus. We all agreed, however, that the experience and energy of the town and museum is definitely worth the 30 minute trip. All in all, a day spent at Dia: Beacon is a day (or un día) well spent.
courtesy of Dia: Beacon
y this time in the semester, things can start to seem a little repetitive. Days are filled with going to the same classrooms, eating the same Deece meals and rewatching the same shows on Netflix. Although Vassar has plenty to offer in terms of an artsy distraction, we could always use a day trip off campus to clear our heads and reenergize ourselves as we near the home stretch of the semester. That’s why it’s time to give the Loeb a break from all of your artsy Instagram shots and try out Dia: Beacon. Located half and hour south of campus, Dia: Beacon is part of Dia Art Foundation’s constellation of sites. This museum opened in 2003 in what used to be an old Nabisco biscuit factory and it now houses a collection of art from the 1960’s to the present. Each gallery is dedicated to a single artist and the museum consistently features special exhibitions, as well as various education and public programs such as artist lectures and conversations. The current special exhibition is Robert Irwin’s “Excursus: Homage to the Square”, which is made of 18 interconnected rooms separated by strong transparent fabric called scrim. Because the museum is almost entirely lit by natural light, Irwin had to redesign the entire piece with the intention being for the sculptural response to draw its cues, or, reasons for being, from its surroundings. You tend to get lost in the piece because it contains no specific beginning, middle, or end. Many of the sculptures in Dia: Beacon produce this same effect. The Richard Serra exhibit contains the sculpture “Torqued Ellipses,” which is made of waterproof steel and stands
over thirteen feet tall. The heavy material is twisted at various angles, creating a disorienting feeling as you walk through the art trying to find its center. The walls practically seem to be closing in on you. Surprisingly, this is not the most unsettling piece in Dia: Beacon. The bottom level of the building can only be described as creepy, and surely rivals any scary basement at Vassar. The Bruce Nauman exhibit contains the multi-screen projection, “Mapping the Studio I (Fat Chance John Cage).” This is a single room lit only by the projections on the wall. The project contains six hours of footage from an infrared camera capturing nocturnal activities of mice, moths and other creatures in Nauman’s studio. The room creates an uncomfortable, eerie effect for the viewer. One of the most popular and most photographed exhibits belongs to minimalist artist Dan Flavin. His various pieces are composed almost entirely of light from fluorescent tubes. Flavin himself states that “his aim is to combine traditions of painting and sculpture in architecture with acts of electric light defining space.” Although I only got to spend an hour at Dia: Beacon, I could easily have spent an entire day walking through and experiencing the wide arrange of art. However, the museum is not the only thing the city of Beacon has to offer. Once the “Hat Making Capital of the U.S.,” Beacon experienced an economic downturn during the 1970’s. The opening of Dia: Beacon started a sort of Renaissance for the city, attracting many artistic residents and families. The city now houses many small businesses and quaint eateries. After Dia: Beacon, which
An exhibit at Dia: Beacon which is only a half hour drive from campus. If you’re bored of staring at your computer screen, Dia: Beacon and the surrounding area offers plenty of sites to keep you busy.
Transition into adulthood captured in grad’s ‘blogary’ Amanda Su
Guest Reporter
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aylor Mosley ’15 has found her voice even after the job hunt tried to stifle it. In her new blog, What Taylor Likes, Mosley gives viewers a peek into the struggles and thrills that accompany the early phases of adulthood and the transition into post-graduate life. In other words, her day-to-day life. The blog allows Mosley to connect with all audiences—whether it’s her family members, friends or the typical college student. Mosley said, “My blog is really for anybody who wants to read my thoughts, get my opinion, and see what I like doing or reading.” “I want my readers, friends, family, admirers and followers to peek into my world and see what I am up to and what I like,” Mosley shared, “I entitled my blogary (a mix of a blog and diary) as What Taylor Likes because my interest and hobbies cover a vast array of genres. My articles discuss topics ranging from gender normalities to fitness. It all depends on what issues/events are intriguing me the most at that moment.” Her blog is filled with colorful pictures of herself and of the world she has surrounded
herself with, accompanied by short descriptions. Mosley decided to start a blog to fill all of her free time. She said, “Now that I am not in the Vassar clubs and organizations, I need something to keep me busy! Plus, blogging—I think—is a great path towards self discovery.” Having since moved back to Texas, Mosley explained that her post-grad life hasn’t gone exactly how she imagined. She said, “Initially, I had my heart set on a job that would allow me to leverage the specific skills I obtained as an International Studies major. Thus, I sought out employment that dealt with the government sector, race relations, law and policy.” Mosley had a hard time finding a job. She looked, but came up short. In desperation, Mosley said, she hired a staffing agency to help her find a job. She said, “In August, the agency helped me book ten, approximately, different interviews. On each occasion the interviewer stated that I was exceptional, performed well and provide all the right answers.” She added, “Even though they supplied me with little criticism, I never got the job.” Despite the struggles invoked by the endless job hunt, Mosley retained her optimism. She
courtesy of Taylor Mosley
Taylor Mosley ’15 finds her voice in her mix between a blog and a diary, or ‘blogary’ entitles What Taylor Likes. Mosley is just getting used to adulthood, and her blog lets us know just how she’s doing it.
stated, “While results matter, it is important to trust the process and see it as a learning opportunity.” Mosley warned, however, that life in the professional world is much harder than life in college. She said, “If you think college was hard, difficult, or soul sucking…you should brace yourself because you are in for a shock! The most challenging class you will ever take is called ‘The Post-Graduate Life’ and if you do not remain optimistic, you will fail.” Mosley shared what she dubbed the ‘five horrific realities of adulthood’ post-grads inevitably encounter during the transition from student to adult. Without fail, an ominous sense of uncertainty, a social life enigma, waking up before the sun, commuting and bills will haunt you through the days. Of an ominous sense of uncertainty, Mosley stated, “I did not have immediate plans to attend grad school for employment. Not knowing where I will be next year, next fall or even next month was scary.” She added, “However, sometimes not knowing is good. It forces you to adapt, network and tap into hidden skill sets you didn’t know you possess.” Mosley concluded by stating, “Even though I have a job now, I am confident but wary about my future.” The next, Mosley said, is called the social life enigma, which remains a common issue after college. Once the diplomas have been handed out, there are no more Deece dinners, 2 a.m.’s at Bacio’s, 4 a.m. heart to hearts with friends and spontaneous Netflix nights with house mates. Mosley shared, “All this comes to an abrupt halt when you have to wake up at 4, 5 or 6 a.m. for your job the next day. In the real world, you no longer have this thing called a social life.” Inevitably, the close-knit relationships one forges in college due to proximity and common classes will start to fade. “As my friends and I attempt to move on from our college days, I have found it increasingly difficult to keep in touch.” Mosley said, “We are just too busy—busy trying to deal with our quarter-life crises!” Mosley added, “Making new friends while working is an unconquerable task because you are either too tired, too busy or too ‘hangry’ (hungry and angry) to even think about forging new relationships with strangers.” Unfortunately, the omnipresent lack of sleep follows students from college to adulthood. Mosley shared her daily schedule, “Everyday
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
I climb out of my cozy little daybed around 5:30a.m. This leaves ample time to take a speedy 5 minute shower, 10 minutes to get dressed/ pack my work tote/make a to-go coffee and 5 minutes to zoom down to the DART station (the mass transit system in Dallas).” In order to really maximize time, Mosley does her hair and makeup during her 40 minute commute, and changes clothes once she gets to the office. Commuting, what Mosley calls “the time nibbler”, is a whole new challenge for post-Vassar graduates. Gone are the days where everything is merely walking distance, or at the very least a short drive away. Mosley said, “I approximately spend 110 minutes commuting per day. That may not be a lot for some, but that’s absurd for me! I am used to walking a maximum of fifteen minutes to class, or taking a quick ten minute walk to the local Thai restaurant.” Mosley added, “My commute is a thief! It is quietly stealing, nibbling and wasting my time!” The last postgraduate challenge, and perhaps the most daunting of them all according to Mosley, is bills, or, the income snatcher. “Before graduating, I happily spent 90% of my discretionary funds on food, clothes, my wine club membership and other miscellaneous expenses. Now that I’m emerging into adulthood, I have to budget, pay student loans and buy professional wear instead of athletic,” Mosley said. She added, “While I am happy to be paying for myself, I am sad because I am perpetually broke.” While the post-graduate life promises struggles that no amount of lectures, conference sessions and office hours can ever hope to prepare you for, Mosley stated, “Vassar does provide its students with core values that are applicable and useful in the workforce.” She shared, “Being a person of integrity and morals—a person with grit, passion and desire—all of this I have learned and obtained from my time here [at Vassar]. I accredited this to my professors, the clubs I was apart of and the wonderful people on the Vassar volleyball team. They have taught me so much and I can never thank them enough.” Mosley shared some words of wisdom to current Vassar students, “At the end you will see that your time at Vassar has changed your life! I honestly don’t know what kind of person I would be if I picked a different school to attend.”
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October 29, 2015
Whiteness workshops teach about white identity, privilege Alan Hagins
Guest Reporter
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courtesy of Vassar College Media Resources
workshop series on “Whiteness” began last week, which aims to confront the race issues surrounding the color of white skin. The series, officially titled “Whiteness Workshops: Understanding and Challenging Racism,” is led by House Advisor & Assistant Director for Campus Life/First Years Diane Eshelman, and House Advisor Michael Drucker. These workshops will provide a constructive and educational space for white people to better understand the history and systems of oppression, and to develop the tools necessary to enact positive change to the community and society. Drucker explained that the early stages of the workshops occurred all the way back in 2014. He said, “Luz Borgos-Lopez, former ALANA Center Director, approached Diane in the fall of 2014 about the possibility of co-facilitating a workshop series around whiteness in the spring of 2015.” These efforts in the first series of workshops last spring merited the two colleagues for selection by some of their peers around the world to attend and present at a conference this coming March called the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA). In a joint emailed statement, Drucker and Eshelman explained that after Lopez’s departure, they decided to work together to expand the series over seven weeks for this year. Eshelman said, “Michael was delighted to join the program.” Eshelman and Drucker both have formal training in strategies for social justice education for closed spaces. They wrote, “Dominant and marginalized categories of a given identity are utilized in order to learn from one another of the same identity.” The workshops each go for seven weeks, with a different focus each week. Students participating in the workshop gather once a week for a group discussion.
Assistant Director for Campus Life/First Year Programs at Vassar College Diane Eshelman along with House Advisor Michael Drucker head Vassar seven-week “Whiteness Workshops.” For the workshop this fall, Eshelman said, “These focuses include: the history of race; white identity development/white privilege; race, class, and ability; race, gender, and sexual identity; current climate; and moving forward.” Eshelman and Drucker highlighted the importance of the preparatory work for the workshops. Together they wrote, “Our students have been assigned a substantial list of reading for each week. We are utilizing historical and contemporary texts and using them to discover race and racism as it exists around us and within us as members of our society.” Their pedagogy hopes to promote self-education above all. “We teach our how to learn on their own and the value of educating yourself and other white folks on the history and prevailing realities of white supremacy,” they
wrote. In addition, they suggest that the workshops supply students with two important tools: active listening and educated allyship. “It provides them with the tool of active listening in the context of social movements. We will develop an understanding that allyship is weak without persistent exercise in learning and solidarity,” they wrote. In recognition of our country’s history of segregation and current societal problems which keep people apart, the strategy to utilize a white-space is no doubt loaded. Their decision came with significant research and consideration. They wrote, “It was not a swift nor simple decision to close the group for only a specific identity. We had to feel compelled that creating a closed space would significantly contribute to the desired learning outcome of
this workshop series.” Drucker and Eshelman back up this claim by citing current studies on the strategies for race education. “The literature around white identity development shows that white students progress through their white guilt and come to understand their privilege quicker when in allwhite spaces,” they explained. In unpretentious terms, the two campus workshop leaders see their efforts as part of something much larger. “College campuses are home to some of the most highly developed conversations on social identity. Generations of campus activism on gender, race, sexuality, ability and more have influenced public discourse to move forward and change,” they explained. “Social justice is a grand movement and its doing exactly that--moving. It has been moving and with great momentum for centuries. From abolitionists, to suffragists, to civil rights leaders, to stonewall rioters, and black lives matters organizers.” The workshop leaders recognize the broader significance and often knotty implications efforts white-activists have, and believe the issue stems from an underdeveloped relationship to one’s identities. “White folks are capable of great damage when jumping into movements that are not their own. White people must know who they are before we can work in authentic solidarity for racial justice,” they wrote. “These closed workshops are the kind of space where one can work through that personal development and build a relationship to that identity, we are white, and that means we exist as a part of this system of racial oppression. Even reaching that point through our workshops is an ambitious goal.” These workshops lie on the peripheries of the primary purpose of the ALANA center, and their support and resources reflect that. In the words of Eshelman, “While the ALANA Center is an affinity space for students of color, it is also a Center that can push the dialogue around race.”
Deep dish apple pie to satisfy all your vegan cravings Julia Cunningham Features Editor
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courtesy of Food Network
’m not going to lie. I’m no baker. I love eating baked goods, I just don’t have the patience for getting everything ready. I mean, what is “preheating?” It literally takes longer to preheat than it does to make the actual food. That fact really gets me a lot more upset than it should. But I’m sitting in my suite looking at our two giant bags of apples and thinking about how we’ve been talking about making apple pie since before October Break, and deciding that I’m going to start some research on this instead of doing the research I should be doing for class. Everything about fall basically boils down to pumpkin spice and apple picking. Which so far our suite has done. Twice. The first time we went apple picking, we came back with enough apples to feed an army. We went through the majority of those maybe a little faster than we should have, but an apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? Actually, we all came back after October Break sick, so that theory is most likely incorrect. Then we went apple picking again, because why not? Now we’re back where we started with more apples than what we know what to do with. So let’s make pie. Of course, who has time to make apple pie? But looking at the pictures that come with all the recipes is close enough to the real thing. That, and eating the freezing cold apple pie from the Deece. The first recipe I found was from Pillsbury so of course they wanted me to use their Pillsbury Pie Crust. If we’re making pie, though, let’s go all out and make our own crust! Then it hit me. If I really want to find a time-consumer, I should look up some vegan recipes. I am legitimately concerned for my vegan friends and their lack of desserts. I ended up finding a Food Network recipe that looked pretty manageable. The only “special equipment” required was a nine and a half inch deep-dish pie pan. Full disclosure: the following recipe is from the Food Network, which claims this will serve eight to 10 people and has an “intermediate” baking level. Which probably means it will serve four to five people and be an “extremely difficult almost
impossible” baking level. The directions are pretty straightforward. For the dough, you put the flour, sugar, vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor, and pulse to combine. Add the coconut oil in small spoonfuls and pulse until the largest pieces are pea-sizes. Add eight tablespoons ice water and pulse until evenly combined. Divide the dough between two large pieces of plastic wrap, pat each into a 1/2-inch thick discs and chill for at least one hour up to overnight. Meanwhile, peel and core the apples; cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Toss with the sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl. Melt the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until the firmer apples soften but hold their shape, about 12 minutes. Add the flour, cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and stir to combine. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Finally, we assemble. To make rolling easier, let the dough soften a bit. It should be slightly soft when pressed at room temperature (this may take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on the temperature of your kitchen). Roll one disc of dough out into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface or between two pieces of floured parchment or wax paper. If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate it to firm it up. Ease the crust into a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan. Add the cooled filling, mounding it slightly in the center. Roll out the remaining dough disc into a 12inch round; place it over the filling, and press the two crusts together around the edges. Fold the overhanging dough under itself, and crimp as desired. Brush the top and edges with the almond milk and sprinkle generously with sugar. Pierce the top with a knife (or make decorative cutouts) a few times to let steam escape. Chill for one hour. Position an oven rack in the lowest position in the oven, place a baking sheet on the rack and preheat to 425 degrees F; preheat for at least 30 minutes. Place the pie on the hot baking sheet and lower the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake until the pie is golden and the filling is bubbly, one hour to one hour 20 minutes, rotating as needed. Cover the edges with foil if they brown too quickly. Transfer to a rack and cool until set, about three hours.
Ingredients Dough: 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling 2 tablespoons vegan granulated sugar 2 tablespoons white vinegar Fine salt 1 cup unrefined virgin or extra-virgin coconut oil 8 to 10 tablespoons ice water Filling: 4 pounds mixed apples (8 or 9), such as Golden Delicious, Granny Smith and
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McIntosh 2/3 cup vegan granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 4 tablespoons unrefined virgin or extra-virgin coconut oil 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or apple-pie spice 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond or soy milk
October 29, 2015
OPINIONS
Page 9
The Miscellany News Staff Editorial
Smoking ban lacks clarity, Admin lacks transparency A
year and a half after President Catharine Hill’s announcement via email in Nov., 2013, Vassar College began its official transition into a smoke-free campus. Effective July 1, 2015, the smoking ban prohibits, “consumption, inhaling, exhaling, or burning any type of matter or substance that contains tobacco or plant product intended for inhalation including but not limited to cigarettes, electronic nicotine delivery systems, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco, hookahs and marijuana whether natural or synthetic, in any manner or any form.” The 2015-2016 academic year is considered a transitional period. According to Associate Director of Security Kim Squillace in a Miscellany News article from last May, smokers caught by security officers would be asked to kindly put out their cigarettes, their names would be taken down and a report would be generated as part of standard procedure. The smoking ban task force iterated that sanctions would occur only for those that repeatedly violated the rule. We at the Miscellany News have seen the realities of the smoking ban’s impact on Vassar’s campus. Many students are under the impression that the ban is not being strictly enforced during the transition year and thus still smoke cigarettes freely throughout the entirety of campus. The student body, which, according to a 2013 survey conducted by the Committee on College Life voted 55 percent against the ban, is not taking it seriously. Up until a few weeks ago, there had been no widely broadcasted pushback from the administration. On Oct. 19, students in senior housing received an email from Assistant Director of Residential Life, Student Conduct and Housing
Anders Van Minter regarding the ban. The email was to function as a reminder that smoking was prohibited on campus, including the apartment areas. It served as the first official warning to a large portion of the student body that the ban was in effect and asked students to pick up cigarette buds around their houses. The email continued, “Beginning on Friday 10/23, ResLife will begin documenting residents of apartments where smoking appears to have occurred, and processing incidents through the student conduct system...This includes cigarette butts or ash trays on or around the porch area.” The tone and implications of the email proved rather threatening and implied heavier policing, a stark contrast to the sentiment conveyed to the student body up to that point. We at the Miscellany News recognize the health concerns that contribute to the justification of a smoking ban. We are also aware that this ban may have been put in place to uphold the reputation of the College going forward. Vassar’s policy is an extension of the Tobacco-Free SUNY policy that began in 2014 and holds successful in 64 schools throughout the state despite student opposition. Vassar’s image as a healthy, forward-thinking institution is naturally desirable from an administrative position. Still, we question the success of these implementations and their methods of being enforced. In the discussion of a smoke-free Vassar, it is important to acknowledge the various staff and administrative campus employees who must also adhere to the ban. Numerous times, we have witnessed staff members exiting campus to smoke, as they too are required to follow the rule. We question what workers are told of the ban com-
pared to students, as well as the presumably harsher consequences they may face. Vassar students are here for four years, where staff members hold the college as a place of employment and have the possibility to remain here much longer. Could they risk a loss of employment for violating the ban? Not only is it inconvenient and ostracizing for staff members to have to exit campus to smoke, but it is also unfair as students can realistically walk freely through any part of campus smoking a cigarette with no repercussions. The reality of Vassar’s policy is much harsher for employees than students. Just the sheer fact that they have to adhere to the ban while students seemingly do not is already a harsh consequence. We question the definitive nature of how Vassar’s smoking ban will be regulated and upheld throughout campus. If the College truly intends to make Vassar smoke-free, how can it uphold its mission statement without increased policing on campus? We as students are not aware of the administration’s intentions when it comes to dealing with this issue. Furthermore, the tone of the few emails students have received lacks a sense of respect. The College has been extremely paternalistic in both its decision to pass the policy and the manner in which it has been discussed. We at the Miscellany News offer several suggestions to more effectively adapt the ban for Vassar’s campus. We call for the establishment of designated smoking areas, either as a transitional measure or permanent fixture on campus. We also suggest the administration adjust its rhetoric in discussing the ban with students to seem less dismissive, as it now speaks down to those on campus who do smoke. It is important to respect (not necessarily allow) individuals’ de-
cisions to consume legal substances, regardless of their legality on campus and not look down on them for such. In the past, Vassar has offered smoking cessation courses, urging students to quit and furthering the implication that smokers are not wanted at Vassar. Unfortunately, the classes are offered at a price that not all students are able to pay. We are also aware that these courses are not well attended; the Spring 2014 workshop had no participants and the following year’s had one. If there is a mandatory smoking ban on campus, the least the College could do would be to waive the entry fee and make the class free for all participants it is encouraging to attend. We at the Miscellany News question the implications of the smoking ban. We question what efforts the College has made in furthering their mission, other than removing all campus ashtrays and placing signs throughout campus and on security vehicles indicating that Vassar is a smoke-free campus, not only to make Vassar smoke-free but also help students, particularly smokers, adjust to the new policy. We call for increased transparency and communication along with a strict outline of the administration’s goals for the ban going forward. At this stage, it seems as if the administration is simply “playing it by ear.” We look forward to the start of a productive conversation between the administration and the greater student body surrounding these issues. In regards to a ban that has been hazily implemented and is not supported, we wonder, how will the administration proceed? —The Staff Editorial represents the opinions of at least 2/3 of our Editorial Board.
Personality politics need to Cuts to women’s healthcare take back seat to policy fuel pattern of subordination Jesse Horowitz Guest Columnist
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he Republican Party has been baffled by the rise of Donald Trump. When the controversial real estate developer first declared his candidacy, the New York Times wrote that they couldn’t think of a way he could possibly win the presidency. Now, Donald Trump is the national front runner, tied for first in Iowa and second in the polls in New Hampshire. He has succeeded in toppling candidates who were previously expected to be strong contenders for the White House. On the left, we’ve seen Bernie Sanders, the Democratic socialist senator from Vermont who was previously considered a long shot for the nomination. While he is far from being the front runner, his surge at the polls has shocked pundits who considered former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton a lockup for the nomination. And with a fairly good performance at the most recent debate, it seems like Senator Sanders isn’t going anywhere. To call Bernie Sanders the left’s version of Donald Trump is a stretch, though. Unlike the Donald, Bernie Sanders focuses on the issues rather than personality, doesn’t say ridiculous things for attention, avoids personal attacks on other candidates and isn’t a narcissist. But the same force that has elevated Donald Trump in the polls is elevating Bernie Sanders. Both candidates play on a growing frustration with the state of the country and the political establishment. For Bernie, it’s a liberal response to conservative elements of the Obama administration and the relatively moderate stances of Secretary Clinton. For the Donald, it’s the reaction of white Americans who are bitter about what they perceive to be the overtaking of America by minorities, as well as a frustration with an establishment uncomfortable with the xenophobia of the far right. Both candidates are also driven by an electorate that is increasingly interested more in how genuine a candidate appears than in the
ideas he or she poses. Take Donald Trump. Trump’s supporters find his disregard for political correctness and his blunt manner of speech appealing. They believe that he means what he says. And in truth, it is somewhat refreshing to have a Republican politician speaking about campaign finance reform. However, that type of thinking is leading a dangerous individual closer and closer to the White House. Bernie’s supporters, by contrast, honestly find his beliefs compelling, but they are still largely drawn to his personality and genuine demeanor. True, his legion of fans may assert that his ideas are the most attractive aspect of his candidacy—however, were his personality less charismatic and more similar to Lincoln Chafee’s, he would undoubtedly lose his current levels of support. His campaign is issues-based, but personality plays a large role. Both campaigns also draw support from disenfranchised voters who may have been tempted to skip the polls if these candidates had not been in the race. This whole situation presents a problem. While voting based on personality may sometimes get us a good candidate, it’ll sometimes get us a Donald Trump. This type of voting turns politics into a reality TV show where the audience selects the funniest, most outrageous candidate as if it didn’t affect their lives. But, of course, it does, and electing a candidate because you like their personality can lead to serious problems. Electing candidates this way has been a long tradition in our politics—it’s what gave us two terms of President Bush—but it’s now gone to its greatest extreme. Personality will always have a role to play in politics, but it’s important to keep in mind that it’s not the most important thing. If I had to choose between a candidate who appears disingenuous but is qualified and a candidate who is unqualified but appears genuine, I’d always choose the former of the two. —Jesse Horowitz ’19 is undeclared.
Emily Sayer
Opinions Editor
“I’m a reasonable person, and if people can come up with a reasonable explanation of why they would like to kill a baby, I’ll listen,” Republican candidate Dr. Ben Carson told NBC’s “Meet The Press” in an interview discussing everything from the presidential hopeful’s desire to overturn Roe v. Wade to his plans to replace Medicare. When prompted about the complex situations surrounding a woman’s decision to abort a fetus, such as pregnancy-related health complications, Carson conceded, “That’s an extraordinarily rare situation, but if that very rare situation occurred, I believe there’s room to discuss that.” Cases of rape and incest, according to the candidate, are not as negotiable. “Rape and incest? I would not be in favor of killing a baby because the baby came about in that way, and all you have to do is go and look up the many stories of people who have led very useful lives who were the result of rape or incest.” Carson then goes on to liken the relationship between mother and fetus to that of a slaveholder and a slave, but eccentric historical comparisons are among the least concerning issues plaguing G.O.P. rhetoric in this campaign season. After claiming that civilian access to firearms could prevent a holocaust and that the Ferguson riots were inspired by the women’s liberation movement of the ’60s, the doctor’s commentary has essentially been disregarded as nonsensical by both sides of the partisan divide. What really incites alarm is the reality that each of the Republican front runners’ platforms proposes drastic cuts in federal funding for women’s healthcare, not only targeting Planned Parenthood and local health clinics, but also disenfranchising minority populations with limited access to aid and affordable care options. At a recent Southern Baptist Convention event, Sr. Jeb Bush remarked, “I’m not sure we need half a billion dollars for women’s health issues,” referring specifically to the defund-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
ing of Planned Parenthood. Bush immediately came under fire for the statement, both from Democratic opponents and other members of the G.O.P. struggling to repair the reputation of their party among female voters, and scrambled to save face by clarifying that he was discussing only Planned Parenthood, not women’s healthcare as a whole. However, Bush’s slip of the tongue isn’t merely a matter of careless phrasing–it’s indicative of a longstanding pattern of the right wing’s subordination of female bodies through the stifling of healthcare reform and the perpetuation of institutional suppression of women’s rights. This ‘war on women,’ mocked as leftist propaganda by Republicans, is not a fabricated campaign tool. It is a valid evaluation of the state of legislation regarding reproductive health over the past decade, and one that reflects the sudden onslaught of ideological attacks in partisan discourse as well as the infiltration of religious dogma into national law. Texas’ announcement of its plans earlier this month to cut funding from the state’s Medicaid program to Planned Parenthood has come as yet another reminder of the G.O.P.’s vehement and unwavering objection to female autonomy. By restricting access to birth control, screenings, preventative care and the other crucial services that Planned Parenthood provides to the public, or more notably, women who face financial strain and depend on these resources, Republicans are effectively depriving thousands of people of quick and affordable care. The state attributes the act to the controversial footage released of the organization’s executives selling aborted fetus tissue for profit, but considering that its legislature had already been doggedly pursuing the defunding of Planned Parenthood for years, it’s unlikely that the highly discredible videos were the catalyst for its decision. Now, Texas and other G.O.P. dominant states are rallying to cut funding at the federal level, threatening to further subject women to the strain of institutional oppression. —Emily Sayer ’18 is the Opinions Editor of The Miscellany News.
OPINIONS
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October 29, 2015
New speaker must accommodate bipartisan extremes Nick Barrone
O
Columnist
n Sept. 24, Pope Francis spoke to members of Congress for the first time in the history of the papacy. Then-Speaker of the House John Boehner, a Catholic, was overwhelmed with emotion, having tried for over 20 years to have a sitting pope address the nation’s legislators. “To a kid who grew up as an altar boy, having the pope here was a big deal,” Boehner told “Face the Nation” a few days later. The address symbolized the culmination of the controversial Speaker’s ideals and lifelong dedication to Catholicism, a cathartic gathering which seemed to provide an unequivocally fitting conclusion to the devout Boehner’s congressional career. To Boehner, the address and his subsequent meeting with the Pontiff were the perfect send offs for his final grand ceremony as Speaker. On Sept. 25, 2015, John Boehner resigned as Speaker of the House, leaving behind one of the most fractious and ideologically volatile House of Representatives in the nation’s history. After becoming Speaker in 2011, Boehner immediately faced the challenge of instilling moderation into a Republican stronghold that was pushing itself further and further right. Boehner’s relative moderation in his political views and attempts at pushing bipartisan legislation through Congress were often met with sharp criticism from the nation’s more conservative figures. In the modern Republican Party, moderation is largely silenced in favor of those who can talk the loudest and most bitingly. Ted Cruz, throughout his fiery and markedly extremist political career, proved to be one of Boehner’s harshest critics, slamming him during the 2012 presidential election as being dangerously moderate. Most recently, Cruz derided Boehner’s resignation and its alleged political implications, claiming, “I will say, the early reports are discouraging. If it is correct that the speaker, before
he resigns, has cut a deal with Nancy Pelosi to fund the Obama administration for the rest of its tenure, to fund Obamacare, to fund executive amnesty, to fund Planned Parenthood, to fund implementation of this Iran deal” (“John Boehner resigns and Ted Cruz gloats,” BBC, 09.25.2015). No evidence exists of this backroom deal. In terms of policy, Tea Partiers and Boehner battled over congressional budget, the debt ceiling, Obamacare and tax code. Boehner warred with Republican hardliners over fiscal policy, attempting to forge bipartisan agreements in order to prevent government shutdowns, often with significant resistance. Politico described
“The next Speaker of the House will undoubtedly inherit the problems Boehner struggled to solve...” Boehner’s rise and eventual problematic speakership in the context of these internal conflicts, stating, “Boehner came into power on the momentum of the 2010 tea party wave. But it was that movement that gave him constant problems” (“Speaker John Boehner retiring from Congress at the end of October”, Politico, 09.25.15). The next Speaker of the House will undoubtedly inherit the problems Boehner struggled to solve throughout his tenure. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin is “widely expected” to ascend to the speakership, selecting fellow Wisconsin citizen David Hoppe (former advisor to many Republican leaders and long-time White House lobbyist) as his chief of staff. Assuming he is elected, Ryan will face the seemingly insurmountable task of raising the federal borrowing limit before a Nov. 3 deadline. (The alternative is defaulting, which would set a
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fiscally unhealthy and irresponsible tone for the rest of his speakership.) To avoid government shutdown and unprecedented spending policies that would polarize Congress even further, Ryan must strike a delicate balancing act of passing the bills necessary to re-stabilize government spending (which are more than likely going to be opposed by most Republicans, even moderates) and appeasing the warring factions of the House’s GOP base. While some Republicans remain optimistic about Ryan’s ability to unite the divided GOP, Ryan’s willingness to compromise with more extreme members of House Republicans’ voting block, or the Freedom Caucus, is inherently problematic. Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina recently threw his support behind Ryan’s bid for speakership, telling Fox News, “He’s [Ryan] agreed to not move anything without the majority of the majority on that particular issue forward, which would actually make sure that every member has a voice on immigration” (“Hard-line GOP conservative says Ryan has clear path to become House speaker,” The Washington Times, 10.25.15). This “voice” is one of prejudice and indifference towards the dignity of immigrants, one that should not be compromised with to have significant bearing in mainstream politics. The Freedom Caucus has proven itself to be in direct conflict with progressive politics, refusing to compromise even when a complete shutdown of the government is imminent. Perhaps worst of all, the Freedom Caucus (and Rep. Meadows in particular) pressured Boehner to resign through the introduction of a motion for Boehner to “vacate the chair.” Members of the Freedom Caucus had even considered Paul Ryan too moderate in his approach to politics before Meadows and Ryan reached an agreement that included elements of the Freedom Caucus agenda in Ryan’s policy. A political block that considers Ryan “too moderate” is inherently dangerous in its rhetoric. Such
an embodiment of far-right politics would not even be remotely accepted on the other side of the aisle. Ryan’s willingness to excessively compromise with the extremist Freedom Caucus is indicative of a potentially fracturing (even more than before) speakership that alienates moderate Republicans who would be willing to compromise with Democrats on bipartisan legislation. Ryan’s approach to speakership is one that intends to unite the Republican Party, not the House of Representatives. Bowing to the demands of the Freedom Caucus will only foster the proliferation of extreme conservatism in the nation’s legislature.
“A political block that considers Ryan ‘too moderate’ is inherently dangerous in its rhetoric.” The next Speaker of the House should be one who has the necessary skills to placate and temper the extreme ends of the Party, while simultaneously working with Democrats to address pertinent issues that are threatening Congress’s ability to spend properly, in order to avoid a government shutdown. The Speaker should be a person who will not cower or sympathize with the beliefs of a voting block that feeds off ignorance and an unwillingness to work with representatives that have different beliefs. Only then will Congress be able to solve the festering issues of Republican divisiveness, political extremism and bipartisan tensions. —Nick Barone ’19 is undeclared. He is a columnist for The Miscellany News.
Letter to the Editor I feel compelled to address the primary example of ignorant over-sensitivity put forward by Mr. Horowitz in his article in the last issue of the Misc (“Avoiding offense prevents honest exchange,” 21 October 2015). The fact that a particular phrase has historical roots does not excuse it from examination. Regardless of whether it was one’s proverbial bigoted uncle at one’s last family reunion or former Philadelphia mayor Frank Rizzo who promised to do something in such a way that would “make Attila the Hun look like a faggot,” the quote remains in very poor taste and unworthy of adorning a t-shirt. The statement “I’d rather be a rebel than a slave,” in its historical context, represents the suffrage movement’s cooptation and exploitation of a struggle of a people that most suffragettes, as a class, benefitted from, and whose daughters they excluded from their movement. It should not be hard to see the reason for the outrage and condemnation. Its invocation of the emotions and power of the word “slavery,” in a context in which the enslavement of Africans represented the only real conception of “slavery” that Pankhurst’s listeners would have, and cannot be read neutrally or simply ac-
Letter to the Editor
Please consider this response to “Aramark introduces vegan dining initiative” (10/21/15). Save the Earth – from the time we’re young, we hear about ways we can take personal responsibility for doing so: recycling, taking shorter showers, and composting. These are all important ways we can do our part to make the world a better place. But recently I’ve learned about another way we can help that can have a much bigger impact on the planet –as well as our own health—eating more plant-based foods! That’s why I was so excited to read about the possibility of Vassar Dining and
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
cording to its strict dictionary definition. The usage of the word “slave” as a rhetorical weapon by a predominantly white movement was – and still is – wholly appropriative of the pain of a people whom the suffrage movement was continuing to marginalize. The historical context for which Mr. Horowitz pined simply serves to solidify the inappropriateness of the quote. It is our responsibility as humans to be better than those who came before us, to examine and learn from their actions. Pankhurst’s statement was exploitive then, and it remains so today. It is not ignorance of history as Mr. Horowitz claims, but its very acknowledgement that prompts me, and so many others, to condemn the use of Pankhurst’s phrase as a positive slogan. As a general rule, claiming to understand what is racist/homophobic/oppressive better than do the people who experience those oppressions on a daily basis is pure presumption and perpetuates those oppressions. An anti-black slogan does not lose its anti-blackness simply because its implications are not immediately apparent to white people. —Jonathan Nichols ’17 is the Editor-in-Chief of The Chronicle.
Aramark brining more vegan options to campus The United Nations has implicated animal agribusiness as a leading greenhouse gas emitter. A study by Carnegie Mellon University demonstrated that we’d do more good for the planet by eating meatfree one day a week than by buying all of our food locally. Eating more plant-based meals is a small change we can all make that can make a huge difference! Thank you Aramark for making that even easier for Vassar students.” —Olivia Price ’17
October 29, 2015
OPINIONS
FDA gray area poses troubling questions Joshua Sherman Columnist
Anyone who walks down the aisles of any supermarket’s “healthy living” section has probably seen oodles and oodles of the latest vitamins, herbal supplements and other cure-alls waiting for you in a bottle. Perhaps you’ve seen the infomercials early each morning, often advertising the miraculous ways you can reduce your arthritis, regain energy, lose weight or increase your libido. What’s shocking is not just the claims of these supplements, but the rules that govern their legal sale and consumption. If you’ve ever looked over the fine print for one of these bottles, you may have seen something akin to a disclaimer. In essence, it will usually say something like, “the statements made by this drug manufacturer have not be evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).” This is their catch-all for saying, “we have no idea if this really works.” As we all know, the FDA is the United States’ authority on safe consumption, whether it’s the eggs you make for breakfast or the latest blood pressure medication your parents are using. There are rigorous policies in place to not only prevent contamination and ensure drug effectiveness, but to track production in the event of a catastrophe. The standards the FDA set ensure that the 300 million people who live in the U.S. need not worry about safe foods to eat and drugs to purchase. Herbal supplements and alternative therapies fall under a literal gray area for the FDA. Some vitamin and supplement providers do indeed have their chemicals tested by the FDA, often to assure the quality and accuracy of the supplements, but there are very few tests and rigorous medical standards for such supplements. There are regulations, and the FDA can act against supplement providers, but the rules are much more lax and revolve around the transparency of the supplements and their contents, rather than the medical claims they’ll carry. This is where those vague disclaimers come in, as the FDA enforces such statements in order to distance themselves
from these supplement providers. This vagueness has done little however to hurt the herbal supplement industry. According to a report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, the vitamins, minerals, and nutritional and herbal supplements industry (VMHS) has grown into an $82 billion business between 2007 and 2012, exploding as people continue searching for new ways to improve their health, often researching for such supplements through online blogs and other websites. (McKinsey on Marketing and Sales, 2012) In many ways, people depend on the Internet for self-diagnosis, and often they’ll turn to supplements before admitting the need for a professional’s opinion. These fears of high medical costs and an artificial lifestyle full of strange, complicated drug names sit in contrast to herbal supplements, which often advertise humble roots from far-away gurus, or promote their naturally-occurring elements. I’m sure you’ve seen these very same infomercials, where they go out and talk about some vague, distant culture that is known for their health and vitality, all thanks to some local root that they’ve packed into a pill for you to purchase. The story goes on. Here’s the thing. I can understand the value supplements can provide, whether it’s to freshen up skin, supplement a diet with essential nutrients, or do whatever to maximize one’s health. However, I don’t think there’s any excuse for their medical claims without a thorough review from the FDA. In fact, it makes sense we enforce this for two major reasons. First of all, it’s ridiculous that a company can sell its supplements on vague health claims without any sort of study or review that would challenge these claims in a typical, medical procedure. This is an expensive process, and of course it is what restricts the medical industry to a few major biomedical firms, but it’s a necessary process to test not just the claims of such supplements, but also in order to better understand potential side effects that would otherwise go unnoticed. Drug interactions are a very important aspect of everyday medicine, and many herbs—even those we use in cooking—can have medicinal effects and side effects on our body. If
we don’t document this, we put ourselves at risk through ignorance. There’s another big reason to do this: Why would we not want to medically document the true benefits of potential future supplements? Imagine if this were true for willow bark—and that a company claimed to sell ground willow bark as an herbal supplement, but had no interest in pursuing FDA medical review. This certainly sounds like any one of several herbal supplements on the market today, but willow bark in fact contains a chemical compound—salicylic acid—that we better know today as aspirin. The herbal supplements we knew from the 19th and early 20th century are today’s medication. If we force medical reviews for these supplements, we force the discovery of the true benefits for these herbal teas and pills. I’d gladly take any supplement if it were proven to medically improve my health. I’m also not against any specific herbal supplements, but ask me some other time about pyramid schemes (or rather multi-level marketing schemes) like Herbalife. There’s nothing wrong with you spending your money on supplements if that’s what you feel is money well spent. The issue is instead regarding two issues. First, the FDA needs to press harder on this industry to control and better research the impact of these supplements. The fact people are taking these pills with a medical mindset ought to deserve a medical review. Anything we put into our bodies, whether a new drug or farm fresh eggs, should follow a specific medical or health standard more elaborate than the existing laws. Second, there’s no excuse for anyone to replace traditional medicine with a natural or homeopathic remedy such as an herbal supplement. As the name suggests, the idea of vitamins and supplements is to support your other medication, diet and other lifestyle choices, not replace any particular aspect. For all we know, these supplements could indeed have an impact on our health. All I’m saying is that it’s time we eliminate that gray area once and for all. —Joshua Sherman ’16 is an English major.
Canada must remedy Aboriginal injustice Maddie Cavanaugh Guest Columnist
Last week’s federal election brought major political change to America’s neighbor to the north. Former Canadian Prime Minister and Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper was ousted by Liberal Party leader, Justin Trudeau, son of the charismatic former prime minister, Pierre Trudeau. The win marks the conclusion of a long incumbency for Harper, who was in office for nearly a decade. Undoubtedly, Trudeau’s win is a reflection of Canadians’ frustration with Harper and his administration. Canadians are angry about Harper’s efforts to defund High Arctic government research centers, and to eliminate the Canadian long-form census. They’re angry about his attempts to suppress voter turnout, through the misleadingly-titled Fair Elections Act, which, like voter-identification laws in the United States, makes it challenging for Canadians to vote without approved identification, and disproportionately impacts young people and minorities. It’s no wonder that voter turnout, particularly among youth, jumped seven percent from the last federal election in 2011. This time, more than 68 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. Trudeau ran on a platform of progressive change; he promotes stronger environmental regulations, the legalization of marijuana and the implementation of new legislation promoting “fair and open government.” These are all important steps towards rebuilding Canada’s position on the world stage as a progressive, peace-keeping nation, following years under a federal government that chipped away at the nation’s once proud reputation. But throughout his tenure, Trudeau should aim to do more than simply recover the old Canadian way. It is essential that he works to build a more tolerant, more united nation by working with factions of Canadian society that have been too often overlooked by the federal government. Mending the country’s relationship with Aboriginal people through the remediation of systemic inequalities that impose
unfair limits on socio-economic mobility is an important step towards building an accepting, open-minded Canada, and ought to be a priority of the Trudeau government. Mr. Harper’s record with the Aboriginal community is abysmal. During his time in office, he cut $60 million from Aboriginal organizational budgets and stated that an inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women “isn’t really high on the radar”, despite the nearly 300 women who have been found in suspicious circumstances throughout his tenure. Although in 2008 Harper apologized on behalf of the Canadian government for residential schools, an abusive system implemented to assimilate Aboriginal youth, his action on behalf of this community ends there. After ten years under Harper, conditions for Canada’s Aboriginal people are disgraceful. Aboriginal youth make up over half of Canada’s foster care system, one in four Aboriginal children lives in poverty, and over 90 First Nations communities lack access to safe drinking water. In response to the disproportionately high levels of violence that Aboriginal women face, Harper has implemented domestic violence programs, simplistically blaming Aboriginal men for problems within the community, and failing to acknowledge the role that outsiders play in the issue of violence against Aboriginal women. By supporting Canada’s Aboriginal population, Trudeau has the opportunity to further differentiate himself from his predecessor, and reduce one of the largest socio-political divisions in Canada. Further, the rise of Aboriginal activist organizations such as the prominent group, Idle No More, as well as increased Aboriginal voter turnout in the recent federal election have illustrated that the Aboriginal cause is not only a just one. Supporting this community is also politically valuable. Following the release of the Truth and Reconciliation committee’s report this summer, which outlines most Aboriginal peoples’ living situations, and proposes means towards improving relations between the Aboriginal community and the government, there has been increased
dialogue and reflection regarding how to most effectively improve conditions for First Nations and Métis people. Because of this dialogue, and the substantive solutions brought forward, now is the time to fight for changes to a system that has left too many Aboriginal Canadians without the means necessary to achieve social mobility. Trudeau’s first step could be to appoint an Aboriginal Member of Parliament as Minister of Aboriginal Affairs. At the very least he could appoint an experienced MP with a longstanding record of working with the community. This would serve as an effective symbol to Aboriginal populations that the Trudeau government values their voices and recognizes the importance of minority representation in government. A second step would be to follow through with the public inquiry into missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls that the Liberals promised during the campaign. The inquiry would illustrate that the government values the lives of Aboriginal women, and recognizes that the reasons behind this issue are complex and often systemic, rather than victim-blaming Aboriginal men. Lastly, the Trudeau administration must follow through on its promise to invest $2.6 billion over four years in Aboriginal education in order to bridge the socio-economic gap between Aboriginal Canadians and the rest of the population, as well as to make up for the “ten lost years” under the Harper administration. It’s time for Canada to remedy the grave injustices inflicted upon our most vulnerable people, and for Trudeau and the Liberal Party to follow through on some of the promises that allowed Aboriginal people to vote Liberal so easily. Time and time again, Canada’s Aboriginal voices have been marginalized and silenced. It’s time for a Canada that supports its Aboriginal community and fights the complex, deeply entrenched systems of oppression that inhibit quality of life and limit opportunities for Aboriginal Canadians to this day. —Maddie Cavanaugh ’18 is a student at Vassar College.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
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Word on the street What does fear smell like? “Bananas and urine.” — Joshua Austin ’18
“Acid. It could be HCl, it could be the drug, nobody knows.” — Gates Frey ’18
“Can’t say, I’ve never smelled it.” — Joey BootsEbenfield ’19
“Joey BootsEbenfield.” — Brendan Elefante ’19
“Caulk.” — Emily Prince ’17
“Nick Cage’s hair gel.” — Ashley Pecorelli ’16
Zander Bashaw, Humor & Satire Editor Sam Pianello, Photo Editor
OPINIONS
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Aggressive voices don’t need protecting Noble Ingram Senior Editor
Last week, Jesse Horowitz ’19 wrote a column for the Opinions section that critiqued the pervasive “political correctness” of discussions on Vassar’s campus. He argued that we need to stop being so concerned with offending anyone who possibly might be offended. Working for the Miscellany for four years, I’ve encountered more than one column that expresses these sentiments. On a basic level I can see how this frustration arises. No one wants to double think everything they say. Shifting your discourse can be tiring. But you need to do it. Let’s make one thing clear right off the bat. Jokes that make light of oppression or play off of identity-based struggle aren’t harmless. Microaggressions aren’t harmless. We need to put an end to this narrative that targeting someone for who they are and who they have struggled and fought to be isn’t always an attack. There are real consequences to language, even if the language isn’t explicitly, overtly, completely 100% obvious-enough-for-someone-who-isn’t-paying-attention problematic. And what’s more, these consequences aren’t just hurt feelings or awkwardness. Being forced to contend with words that attack one’s identity isn’t the same thing as discovering someone disagrees with you. Oppressive language is not about feelings. It isn’t about being uncomfortable. It’s about violence. As writer Ngoc Loan Tran wrote, “Oppression is not a feeling. Reducing it to how a community ‘feels’ they are being treated minimizes the violences that are enacted upon them, makes structural injustices a matter of perception of individual acceptance or rejection of oppressive conditions. Oppression creates feelings, definitely. It creates trauma, internalized conflict, dissonance, confusion. but oppression is not a feeling” (Black Girl Danger-
ous, “It’s Not About Feelings”, 11/4/13). These critiques of the suffocation of socalled “political correctness” on campus usually feature the same argument. Being hyper-critical of our own language prevents meaningful exchange. We can’t be so worried about offending someone because if we are, we won’t have the kinds of conversations that lead to learning. Here’s the thing. I am all for meaningful discussion and learning opportunities. And when someone says something that creates problems, I think it is critical that they learn from that moment. However, that doesn’t mean that we, as community members, should forget about those around us, about their identities and their own personal narratives. People make enough mistakes even when they are actively trying not to use aggressive language. Using this kind of language that disregards marginalized people effectively pushes them out of the conversation. When someone says something targeted, they are preventing dialogue, not supporting it. And having a conversation that is accessible, one in which everyone feels as if they are able to participate isn’t about leftist ideology. Political Correctness is, or should be, apolitical. Frankly, not being terrible shouldn’t put you in conflict with anyone other than terrible people. To get into more of the specifics, Horowitz mentions a joke that he wanted to tell as part of a standup routine but felt he couldn’t because of possible sensitivity to it. I’m not going to reprint the joke here, but you can find it easily by looking at the archives on the Miscellany’s website. The theme of the joke is Donald Trump’s narcissism but of course, the good part, that part that really puts the zing into the air refers to sexuality, Horowitz objects to possible criticism. It isn’t homophobic, he confidently claims. Leaving aside the fact that it isn’t a
great joke, my objection here is two-fold. First, it isn’t up to him to decide that. He doesn’t get to prescribe how people who might be alienated by the joke feel. Even if some people who fall under the LGBTQ+ umbrella aren’t bothered by it, if some do feel targeted, then he has to respect that. If people are concerned with the joke, don’t tell it. Second, it is literally a joke. Comparing the alleged injustice of political correctness that would prevent Horowitz from telling his joke to the oppressive forces that make every day a battle for some marginalized communities puts things into stark contrast. Who ultimately stands to suffer more? The would-be comedian or the queer folk who could add that to their ever-extending list of daily injustices? Finally, maybe, as a thought experiment, it could be useful to consider what it would mean for what PC critics argue to be true. What if Vassar really is a place that needlessly checks its language? What if the people we risk “offending” don’t really deal with the oppressive forces that they claim fuel anti-political correctness? Taking a moment to listen to the grievances of so many marginalized communities at Vassar, yes even at Vassar, would disprove this theory in a second. But even if the theory were true, even if Vassar overprotected some and favored marginalized voices over everyone else, I wouldn’t see a problem. Because you only need to take a few steps off campus to understand that the small moves Vassar has made to protect oppressed people pale in comparison to the forces out there that want to keep systems of oppression bulldozing forward. Ultimately, really, whose voice is more supported?
October 29, 2015
Letter to the Editor As a Vassar graduate, I was excited to read that the school is considering adding more plant-based options to the dining offerings (“Aramark introduces vegan dining initiative” 10-2115). Not only is reducing meat consumption a great way to improve your own health, the less meat we eat, the fewer animals suffer the horrors of factory farming. Some nine billion animals including pigs, chickens, and cows, suffer each year on U.S. factory farms. These are animals who are just as friendly and intelligent as the cats and dogs many of us grew up with yet spend the majority of their lives in intensive confinement. Instead of receiving compassion and love, these innocent animals spend their short lives in fear, crammed in small crates. As well, animal agribusiness also contributes largely to 15 percent of human-caused global greenhouse gas emissions, which leads to dramatic climate change. Choosing plant-based foods has outstanding health benefits that include lowering the risk of cancer, reducing heart disease, fighting diabetes, and even curbing obesity. I hope Aramark at Vassar will add these new options at ACDC for the health of its students, animals, and the planet! —Alan Darer ‘14 is an alumnus of Vassar College.He was the co-president of VARC. He helped institute Meatless Mondays.
—Noble Ingram ’16 is an English major.
The Miscellany Crossword
“Adult’s Whim”
by Alycia Beattie, York Chen, and Collin Knopp-Schwyn Email coknoppschwyn@vassar.edu to contribute!
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1 Suburban ’rents club 4 Honda model introduced in 1995 7 Spanish artist of some Black Paintings 11 “Make ___ Say” (Kid Cudi, 2009) 12 Toledo state 13 Persia, now 14 Sitcom about a study group 16 Potter final 17 Hypothetical element 135 18 Rad 19 What one may say to afoul beast (2 words) 21 “You say potato, I say ___!” 23 Get past the firewall; I’m in. 24 2006 Spielberg and Zemeckis CGI film 30 1 BEYBLADE (2 words) 33 Human trunk 34 UK Fighter Pilots’ Org. 35 Vain fools 36 Tribe in Colorado and surrounding states 37 Another vain fool, perhaps 38 Tarzan’s mom, for one 39 Green army hat 41 Gum and cum 42 TV show with Mr. Poopybutthole 46 Water people? 47 Major scale mode
Answers to last week’s puzzle A True Canadian Ranger
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51 Weakly 54 Cat-burglar, or safe-cracker 56 Hubbub 57 Party for the boys 58 Creator of 14-Across, 24-Across, and 42-Across 60 Winner’s garment 61 Tons (2 words) 62 Flow or Kander’s partner 63 Pusha’s headwear? 64 Like many a body wash 65 The, Afrikaans-ly, as in “Antwoord”
31 Dik-dik friend 32 Gassy grp 37 White, Welshly 39 God, Phoenicianly 40 Penis feeling 43 Pre-wrapped dragon food 44 “Oh, fer sure!” 45 Atl bound? (2 words) 48 Coming out proclamation (3 words)
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1 Graph starter 2 Beguile with your wiles 3 Fist’s leg 4 Trendy 5 Aid for drugs 6 I go, Spanishly 7 Fan-leafed tree 8 Hydrox ripoff 9 Crossword response, probably 10 Forced bet 12 America’s Finest News Source 14 8oz of pee 15 “Do ___ others...” 19 Dives 20 Repeat 22 Band must-haves 23 “I have come ___ chew bubblegum and kick ass...” (2 words) 25 Like an old oak cabinet 26 Bird pole, sometimes 27 Nitrogen compound in 8oz of pee 28 Beach dirt 29 Orange salamanders 30 Distant
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
49 Photoshop designer 50 No, Frenchly 51 “Give me your ear.” 52 Other home state of 36-Across 53 Original mooners 54 School Vassar almost merged with 55 Compound with a keto- form as well 58 Day, Swedishly 59 Taytay’s 4th album
HUMOR & SATIRE
October 29, 2015
Page 13
Breaking News From the desk of Zander Bashaw, Humor & Satire Editor Student logs into Webkinz account for first time in decade only to find rotting corpses of previous pets Trump card: 10 new policies Hide your crippling social Bernie Sanders should start anxiety under fun costumes Steven Park
6. Resurrect Mitt Romney from the political graveyard and have him endorse Trump.
o far in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race, Senator Bernie “Feel the Burn” Sanders has been climbing the polls. People left and right (read: left and left) have been frantically leaping on the Bernie bandwagon. If Sanders wants to make a run, he’s going to need to be even more ridiculous than Trump’s toupee (patent pending).
Negative associations are powerful tools when it comes to attacking your political opponents, especially when their effects are subconscious. Why else would former front runner Jeb Bush choose to forsake his entire family name and go by just Jeb? The same can be done with Trump using last election’s flop, Mitt Romney. The two are practically identical: both alienated an entire demographic of voters. The only difference is that Trump would gladly do it again. Romney could be the perfect weapon against the toupee overlord. Just one endorsement by Romney and voters would automatically think to themselves, “Wait a minute, Trump is just a Romney 2.0.”
Bernie Bandwagon Driver
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1. Announce Joe Biden as his running mate.
A good president needs a good VP, but a great president requires good ol’ Biden. He’s like that crazy uncle in the family who everyone loves and wants as a friend/wingman. Win or lose, he’ll be the life of the after party. 2. Make politicians put a dollar in the swear jar every time they say the words “Benghazi” or “Repeal Obamacare” and donate the funds to charity.
At this rate, -ghazi will join -gate on the list of insufferable suffixes. Also, in the past few years the House Republicans made 55 consecutive attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, all of which died on the Senate floor. Since the GOP seems content in wasting time, this might actually get Congress to do a bit of good for a change. 3. Have corporations literally stand in trial as a person.
Since big businesses keep insisting that they’re living, breathing people, it’s only fair that they suffer the same inconveniences that ordinary people face as well. That includes rescheduling plans to perform jury duty, and paying taxes. 4. Direct cops away from kids smoking marijuana and towards assholes who talk on their phone during movies
If we’re talking about which group of youths to unjustifiably place in maximum-security prisons, then at least arrest the people whom everyone universally hates. We won’t have to deal with obnoxious people at the theater and cops can pass the time watching movies instead of feeling so bored that they’re driven to arresting stoners just to pass the time. 5. Promise to make Mondays illegal
Banishing a day of the week would be such a memorable statement.
7. Redirect military spending towards the production of personal hoverboards
It’s 2015 and hoverboards still aren’t a thing. This is an egregious offense. Thankfully, Bernie Sanders is just the young and strapping man we can trust to fix this crisis. 8. Have China copyright the Great Wall so that Trump wouldn’t be able to build it in America
Trump’s campaign cornerstone is his hatred of undocumented immigrants and promise to build a wall along the U.S. and Mexico border, like he’s part of the Night’s Watch. Sanders can destroy Trump simply by having China copyright their Great Wall. After all, the Chinese built theirs over 2,000 years ago and Trump can’t argue with the power of copyright since he copyrighted his own “Make America Great Again” slogan. 9. Crush illegal offshore tax havens with his bare hands and make it rain money from the sky
He would do it, no question. He’s Bernie Sanders. He eats corporate greed for breakfast. 10. Make JOHN CENA the Speaker of the House
With Speaker John Boehner preparing for his farewell, the House Republicans are looking for a new leader. Thankfully, one brave man can reunite the House of Representatives and forever bring peace to America by hitting people over the head with chairs. Under the guidance of Sanders, this man will make America great again AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CENA. Out of nowhere!
Evelyn Frick
Villard School of Design
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s you all must have heard by now, unless you haven’t left your dorm since returning from October Break (and if this is you, I genuinely hope things get better soon, bud!), Halloweekend is fast approaching! If you’re anything like me though, you didn’t actually figure out your costume over break and are not prepared. Maybe you didn’t have any costume ideas and much like the pile of homework you had over break, procrastinated into oblivion. Or perhaps you simply didn’t realize that as a college student you are expected to have two costumes that will both end up as moth bedding at the back of your closet anyway. Regardless, never fear! I have some fun suggestions for Vassar-themed Halloween costumes! If you are a smoker on campus, this one’s for you! My first Vassar-themed Halloween costume suggestion is a giant cigarette. At the beginning of this year, Vassar decided to thwart the image of the teenage angsty, the super artsy soft grunge kids by becoming a smoke-free campus. At first, on-campus smokers continued tentatively, but now it is two months into the year and at any time of the day you can see people smoking on the quad with impunity. So, if you’re that kid, why not take your rebellion a step further and rent a giant cigarette costume? Nothing says “you are what you inhale” more! My next suggestion is great for anyone on a low budget! Simply grab an old bed sheet, cut out some holes for eyes, use a sharpie to write a big “4.0” on the front and go as the Ghost of a Good GPA. To complete the look, instead of shouting “Boo!” perhaps go with, “You’ll never get into grad school!” or, “What are you doing with an English major, anyway!” It’s not easy to admit, but at some point we have all flunked a test or didn’t do so hot on a project. So whether or not this costume ends up being a little spooky or inducing existential crises, it will be really relatable! Group costumes are always a riot, so why not get a group together and go as my next suggestion: celebrities that attended Vassar but never actually graduated! What makes this costume option so great (and not at all worri-
some) is that there are a lot of options. We’re talking enough to warrant a “Attended, but did not graduate” subsection on the List of Vassar College people Wikipedia page. Honestly you could pick any celebrity and they probably attended Vassar but did not graduate. But no salt here! Get the squad together and go as: Anne Hathaway, Jackie O, Anthony Bourdain, Jane Fonda, Mike D, Mark Ronson or many others! Everyone has to try a DIY costume once in their life and if want to send your friends a specific message, then a post from Yik Yak is the costume for you. All you’ll need is a white t-shirt, some fabric paint and a great deal of passive aggression! This costume is also a functional as it is fun. You can go to a party and get down whilst simultaneously telling your floor mates to please continue to be as loud as they want. It’s not like it’s three o’clock in the morning and I have a test tomorrow, Helen. Another costume that will really terrify any Vassar student and also works as a conceptual couple costume would be to go as heteronormativity. For the guy in the relationship: go for the clean shaven look, put on your most “man’s man” outfit, and act as if you are compensating for something, because you probably are. And for the lady: make sure you wear a skirt of some kind, domestic high heels, jewelry, make up, and complete the look with an apron. Then, meet up and do your best impression of the boy and girl holding hands emoji. Finally, the last suggestion I have is of the sexy costume variety. Who else can sexily represent Vassar but our Founder, Matthew Vassar. All you will need to complete this sexy look is a form-fitting and low cut three-piece suit (preferably with black shorts instead of pants), silk gloves, a gray wig with a windswept, boyish hairstyle, a stern yet smoldering expression and hunch over to look as short and stumpy as possible. Remember: confidence is key with sexy costumes, so simply act as if you are as sexy as Matthew Vassar is short. Hopefully these costumes have given you an idea for a your own method of covering up your identity. If not you could always go as a cat for the fifth consecutive year. Whatever you end up going as though, have fun, be safe and dear lord in Heaven please don’t go as sexy Donald Trump.
“I declared” button sophomore’s only motivation to choose major by Kayla Lightner, Deadline Driven
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lright, today’s the day. I’m going to declare my major! Will this decision have a lasting impact on the rest of my life? Probably. I’m a responsible adult. I’m just going to turn on the old laptop here and get started. The whole thing will take 45 minutes, tops. Who’s on top of their shit? This girl, that’s who! Wait, when did Adele drop this new song? I’m just going to listen to it real quick. I have plenty of time. Damn, that’s good! Ok, maybe listen two more times. Or five. HELLO FROM THE OUTSIIIDDDDE. I’ll work on nailing that chorus later. Come on Kayla, focus! What happened to being on top of your shit? Like Viola Davis-- she’s always on top of her shit! First things first, what should be my field of study? Maybe I could do more than one. Ha, but who am I kidding, I used up all my ambition and work ethic in high school. I’ll just settle for one major. I’m really feeling English. Yep! Not even a shadow of a doubt, English all the way. Then again, I did do well
in that sociology class freshman year, and I’d sound so smart talking about privilege and rationalization and oppressive social structures. Aw, oppression, so much oppression,… the world is such sad place. Ok, sounds like Sociology is a no. What about History? I got an A on that term paper last semester, and it was pretty cool to learn about plagues, medieval torture, and Roman orgies. But what the hell do you even do with a history degree? Maybe I could make regular appearances on Drunk History! Yeah, that would be fun. I would be able to get drunk and aimlessly ramble on about random things. I mean, that’s basically my life now, except it’s not televised and I don’t get paid for it. But all that drinking probably wouldn’t be good for my liver-- or my self-esteem. So, scratching off History. How does a degree in French sound? Then I could sing that one French part in Partition and actually know what it means! But being honest, that’s probably the only time that I would ever
speak French. Three years’ worth of learning is a lot of work for a thirty second snippet of a song. So, French major is out! Why can’t “undecided” be its own major? I’m sure there are professions where being indecisive and uncommitted is a benefit, like politics! Maybe, I’ll just become a stripper. Except that wouldn’t work because I have a crippling fear of nudity, people, and G-strings. Why would someone agree to wear that? They’re like purposefully self-inflicted wedgies. Ugh, forget this, I’ll just go with good old English (not the beverage, that’s for later). Now that the hard parts out of the way, all I have to do is pick a major adviser. Aww, that actually sounds harder! I only know, like, two of the English professors in the entire department. I’m sure one of them would only remember me because of that day I completely face planted in his class while walking to the bathroom. They didn’t even stop teaching! I had to just lie on the floor and drown in my own blood/embarrassment.
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I guess I have to go with the other professor, Professor Graham. Do I, like, just email her or something? Dearest Professor Graham, would it please you to— Way too formal. Let’s try that again, more casual this time. What’s good, Wendy G, Major advisor or nah? Pretty sure that was worse. Come on Kayla, you got this. Just be confident and direct, but relaxed. Professor Graham. Major advisor, please? You know what, I’ll work on that later. And look at all these credits I need to complete. There’s no way I’ll get all those before I graduate. And, I want to go abroad! Maybe, I can get extra credits if I take study abroad courses in England…because it’s, like, the home of the English. That makes sense right? Or am I just tired? Oh my god, I don’t even care about declaring anymore. All I want is that damn “I Declared” button! This is too much right now. I tried to be an adult and failed. But there’s no better remedy for failure than a nap. I’ll try this whole declaring thing tomorrow.
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October 29, 2015
Sounds recreate subway cabin, capture urban experiences Yifan Wang
Assistant Arts Editor
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Yifan Wang/The Miscellany News
tanding inside a rectangular space that resembles a subway cabin, Ben Rothman ’18 carefully listened to a multiplicity of sounds coming out of the 10 amplifiers. The noises of passing trains, conversations in various languages, broadcast notifications, books flipping and dialogs from TV dramas came together to recreate the acoustic experience of a subway car. This week, the Creative Arts Across Discipline project, A(n Underground) Tale of Two Cities, turned the Collaboratory into the connecting point of Beijing and New York City. Inside the familiar retrofitted trailer, now on the lawn in front of Rocky, recordings taken at the subway stations of the two metropolitans are installed, together with visual hints such as subway maps, local newspapers and pop culture items. As one member of the project team, Sixing Xu ’18 described, “Through such a recreation [of a subway experience] in a small trailer space, what we hear—sounds that are too loud or too common to raise our attention, or sounds that hide themselves in headphones so we can hardly notice—is amplified and concentrated, and the seemingly dull everydayness of a subway ride comes into life.” Many found their way into the exhibition through sounds. “I heard sounds and came inside,” said Rothman, “And I got conversing with Yibo, who told me the similarities and differences between Beijing culture and NYC, where I grew up...” Through the immediate representation of a subway cabin, Xu sought to encapsulate the various sides of life in the two cities. The idea came from her experiences of subways in both Beijing and New York City. “[In the subway] there exists another world, a miniature of the world we dwell, and in such a world I become sensitive enough to think about ‘us’—the passengers, the cabins, the trains, the city above,” she wrote in an emailed statement, “It is through these sounds, images, motions, temperatures and every tiny thing we share in a small cabin that I feel so connected with all the strangers around me, that the city we all live in become so alive.” After she left China for college last fall, she became increasingly familiar with the New York subway. Xu commented, “It surprises, but
A(n Underground) Tale of Two Cities acoustically recreates a subway of Beijing and New York City. Through the simulation, the artists wanted to reflect different lives in the two metropolitans. also fascinates me to find out how different the ‘ecosystem’ New York subway presents is from the one of Beijing subway. And that contrast convinces me that subway is indeed a self-portrait of a city, and a portrait of a subway—a sensory replica of a subway—can also epitomize the city.” With this belief, she decided to share her reflections through a sound installation project. Xu then approached Yibo Yu ’18 and Shiqi Lin ’17 to work on the project together. She elaborated, “We’ve all been living in Beijing for a long time, and Beijing subway connects us: it’s interesting to think that there might have been one morning when all three of us are riding on a same subway, but what we see, hear, and feel varies.” She continued, “Then we moved to the US and became familiar with the New York subway. While we jokingly complain about how ‘shabby’ New York subway is, we are unconsciously comparing to Beijing subway. In doing so, we are in fact comparing and connecting a collective reflection of people’s ways of living. Our mutual connection with Beijing and New York,
and our interest in juxtaposing and comparing lives in two metropolises through sounds and images bring us together as a team.” During this past summer, the team of three started recording. Mostly responsible for sound editing and recording technologies, Yu said, “The biggest difficulty was that there was just too much noise. It was hard to actually record what was going on.” This technical obstacle led to the group’s decision to recreate subway sounds by themselves and record these simulated scenes. Xu explained, “People are wearing earphones, so we will provide earphones for our audience. Words spoken by different people, in different dialects and even different languages twine together and become indistinct, so we will re-present those mumbling conversations in our space.” To do this, the members asked their friends to record casual conversations in languages including Spanish, Cantonese and Korean. Changes were also being made during the set-up process. “We initially wanted to have two separate spaces representing Beijing and
NYC respectively. But we later realized that juxtaposing the two distinct experiences might create an more interesting effect. Shiqi brought up a really good point that the middle point of two extremes—the U.S. city NYC and the Chinese city Beijing—is simultaneously the most vulnerable and the most powerful. We wanted to present that expressive moment by putting up the recordings in NYC and Beijing side by side,” Yu recounted. The group also introduced interactive elements to their installation. “We will be playing soundtracks of different elements from independent amplifiers. The audience can decide to turn some of them on or off and listen to various combinations. It adds a sense of playfulness to the experience,” said Yu. Xu added, “This brings in unexpectedness and randomness to our project, but that in fact makes our subway ride closer to the ones we experience in real world.” With this interactive, auditory representation of the two cities’ subway, the group wanted to divert people’s attention from the apparent visuals to the subtle acoustics. Lin elaborated, “We are keen about showing people these two dynamic and multicultural underground ecosystems through sound. We noticed that when people took the subway, their attention was normally focused on what they see, rather than what they hear, or they simply don’t pay attention to these things.” The project also explored comparisons across boarders. Lin commented, “open up a little space on Vassar campus of listening to cultures globally and imagining about cross-cultural dialogue. You know, on New York subways, people talk in different languages but no one knows what the others are talking about in other languages. We hope to break this wall of ‘mystery,’ ‘curiosity’ or ‘incomprehension.’” But ultimately, the project allows both its creators and audience to better understand the contemporary urban experiences. Xu stated, “It’s still providing new perspectives to the understanding of urban life to us, and we hope it can bring more to our visitors, and remain open to all kinds of interpretations.” She concluded, “We want to make our ‘passengers’ aware of these sounds, and let the sounds themselves tell about lives in the two cities.”
McCann set to deliver lecture, read work at pivotal time Sabrina Oh Reporter
“T
he world spins. We stumble on. It is enough,” wrote Colum McCann in his most recent novel “Let the Great World Spin.” The college has sought the honor of having well-acclaimed international author Colum McCann deliver the William Gifford Lecture next week in which McCann will read from his novel “Let the Great World Spin.” The Gifford Lecture serves as a potential source of knowledge and inspiration to not only students but also the general public; it provides a forum for a multi-talented artist like
McCann to reach a diverse crowd. Professor of English, Amitava Kumar wrote, “Apart from being a major, prize-winning novelist, Colum McCann is also a distinguished teacher. He is a professor of creative writing at Hunter College alongside fellow novelists Peter Carey and Claire Messud and he has taught and inspired several young writers. We would like our own students at Vassar, especially our creative writing students, to learn from him.” The premise “Let the Great World Spin,” which won the 2009 National Book Award, revolves around the quotidian corners of New York City on the day French artist Philippe
courtesy of Rich Gilligan
Colum McCann is set to deliver the William Gifford Lecture. McCann joins other notable authors including Jeffrey Eugenides and Jonathan Franzen who have given the Gifford lecture in the past.
Petit tightropes between the two Twin Towers during the summer of 1974. McCann’s website reads, “Elegantly weaving together these and other seemingly disparate lives, McCann’s powerful novel comes alive in the unforgettable voices of the city’s people, unexpectedly drawn together by hope, beauty, and the tightrope walker’s ‘artistic crime of the century.’” Many students are gearing up for the highly anticipated lecture. Borgne Raasch ’18 is a fan of his work. She explained, “Colum McCann is such a fantastic writer and it’s really exciting that he’ll be on campus for this lecture. Though I haven’t been able to buy any of his novels (which I hope to change soon), I’ve found the short stories of his incredibly intriguing. I’m definitely interested in attending the lecture and the dinner in order to hear his insight about writing and how he finds inspiration from the world around and within him.” Clivia Wang ’16 echoed Raasch’s excitement. “It’s always exciting when a renowned author comes to Vassar to deliver his or her works,” she said. “This time, as we welcome Colum McCann and his National Book Award winner Let the Great World Spin, we are reminded of the great human resilience that happened during 9/11, a central theme in the book. His choice with putting 11 protagonists in the book constructs a mirroring space, not different from that of Tropics of Orange by Karen Tei Yamashita.” The lecture falls at an exciting time for “Let the Great World Spin”–J.J. Abrams, director and creator of television series Lost, bought film rights for a film adaptation of the novel. McCann and Abrams are currently in the process of creating a screenplay. The topic might already seem familiar–Joseph Gordon-Levitt recently starred in a film based on the same story. Thus, McCann’s work will be a point of
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
contrast for this timely story. But, this is not McCann’s first professional encounter with the film industry. His novel, “Everything in this Country Must,” was directed by Gary McKendry and nominated for an Academy Award Oscar in 2005. McCann carries an international presence that began with his birth in 1965 in Dublin, Ireland. He started his career as a journalist for The Irish Press. In the 1980s, McCann shortly served as a wilderness guide for juvenile delinquents in Texas. He and his wife Allison then lived in Japan for eighteen months. They now live in New York City with their three children. McCann’s visit has been made possible by the faculty and students of the Department of English and the William Gifford Fund. Kumar explained some of the history and significance behind this prestigious fund. He wrote, “Bill Gifford was a popular professor of English at Vassar. He taught here for four decades. Upon his retirement, his students established a fund in his name to bring distinguished writers to campus.” McCann joins past recipients that include notable authors Jeffrey Eugenides and Jonathan Franzen. The Colum McCann Gifford Lecture will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. in Taylor Hall, Room 102. Following the lecture, there will be question and answer session and book signing with McCann himself. The event is free and open to the public. Students and faculty members alike express anticipatory sentiments towards the event. Kumar wrote, “Colum McCann is one of the leading lights in literature. Among his books is the novel Let the Great World Spin which won the National Book Award in 2009. It was a huge, international bestseller. McCann’s other books have also won honors. We are lucky to have him as our Gifford lecturer.”
October 29, 2015
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Kramer blends art with activism in novels, screenplays Sieu Nguyen Reporter
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courtesy of Sundance International Film Festival
hink of New York City in the early ’80s. Imagine how violent the HIV-AIDS crisis swept across its gay community, inciting panic in the medical world, along with suspicion and fear within this population. Imagine your beloved someone passed away in your arms, when all his wishes remained unfinished. The magnitude of this crisis is conveyed in “The Normal Heart” (2014), a television film based on the screenplay by Larry Kramer. “The Normal Heart” is merely one among many of Kramer’s works that blend together the theme of social consciousness and his artistic vision. An award-winning playwright, screenwriter and author, Kramer visited Vassar College on Oct. 28 and gave a lecture on his latest book, “The American People,” another work under this consistent theme. Besides “The Normal Heart,” which is both a play and was later transformed into a TV screenplay, “Just Say No, A Play about a Farce” (1988), “The Furniture of Home” (1989) and “The Destiny of Me” (1992) are some other works by Kramer. Given his experience as a playwright, his visit came as relevant to students in the Drama Department and student theater. Chair of the Drama Department Professor Denise Walen, noted, “Larry Kramer is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter. He’s the author of controversial, best-selling novels, and a tireless advocate of gay rights.” Walen continued, “We were thrilled to have the opportunity to invite him to campus. Larry Kramer’s visit will benefit the Vassar community by providing the opportunity to talk with and learn directly from a pioneer in gay rights and will increase the community’s knowledge of LGBTQ history.” According to Walen, Kramer is also an exceptional writer. He has written plays, novels, essays, newspaper articles and screenplays. His work has received Tony, Emmy and Obie awards and he’s also been nominated for the Academy Award and the Pulitzer Prize. “Students interested in writing will have the opportunity to talk with him about the writing process and writing effectively in many different genres,” Walen encouraged.
Regarding Kramer’s activism, this lecture could provoke activists’ dialogs on campus in several ways. Director of the LGBTQ Center Judy Jarvis said, “I and the Campus Life LGBTQ Center were interested in working with the Drama Department, American Studies, Office of Health Education and the Office of the President to bring Larry Kramer to campus because he is multi-faceted and controversial. His career has included playwriting, fiction-writing, lesbian and gay rights advocacy, LGBTQ health advocacy, and probably more. I think his longevity in activism and his penchant for saying whatever he really feels is often thought-provoking, even when you disagree, and can catalyze conversations and debates within our own LGBTQ community.” Focusing on how this lecture could serve the LGBTQ community, Jarvis continued, “I believe that having Larry Kramer will serve the campus in helping us learn and think more about LGBTQ history in this country, especially the history of HIV/AIDS activism and what the connections are today to LGBTQ health disparities. Kramer is one piece of the multi-racial, multi-gender LGBTQ rights movements, and I hope people will listen to his thoughts and reflections about activism, as well as educate themselves about other important LGBTQ activists of Kramer’s era, many of whom are no longer living, such as Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson.” The event was open to the campus community and the public. Held in the Martel Theater, Larry Kramer delivered his speech at 5:30, followed by a Q&A. He then moved out to the lobby to sign copies of his new book, “The American People.” The bookstore was on hand to sell copies of the book. Sharing on her personal connection with Kramer and his works, Walen said, “I’ve known about Larry Kramer and his work as a playwright and activist for a very long time. His play, “The Normal Heart” was first produced in 1985 and as a graduate student in theater, I and my peers were thrilled to see a play that spoke so powerfully about current events. We were also intrigued about the way he used performance techniques in the organization ACT UP. He was a theater person
Larry Kramer, a American playwright, author, public health advocate, and LGBTQ rights activist, visited campus on Oct. 28. His works include “The Normal Heart” and “The American People.” who had a strong social message and was unapologetic about being gay when it was still difficult and sometime dangerous to be out.” Kramer’s works, especially The Normal Heart with its adaptation into the 2014 television film, capture not only Walen’s attention, but also that of Adjunct Instructor in Film, Joseph Muszynski. Muszynski noted, “I have seen both The Normal Heart and Women in Love. And I have read much about (and a little by) Larry Kramer in the media over the years. A film like ‘The Normal Heart’ is special to me because in addition to being about a specific issue, it is also an exploration of so much more—the mechanisms and resistances to social change, both within and without ourselves; the balance between personal struggles and public battles; and of course the challenges of maintaining our humanity and love for one another in a world seemingly filled with hate.” Commenting further on the marriage between activism and art in Kramer’s works, Muszynski continued, “Sometimes an artist’s
social activism can look like a clunky accessory to their artistic life, but for Larry Kramer the two seem so intimately intertwined that it is hard to imagine the one without the other. It is fascinating and inspiring to watch how each has continued to influence and enrich the other over the decades of his tireless work. And yet, his writing always speaks for itself—always provocative, universal, and unrelenting in its pursuit to foreground and repair the ties that bind us all together.” Kramer’s new book, “The American People,” has received a number of reviews in the media. Dwight Garner wrote on The New York Times, “There is a method, of sorts, to Mr. Kramer’s madness. He combines these stories with those of unknowns, fictional men of no special importance, some of whose tales are moving. Under this novel’s busy surfaces, the author is saying something quite specific: That gay men have always been with us, long before homosexuality had a name, and it is past time we extend to these men our historical sympathy and imagination.”
The Drunk and the Elephant redefines horror film tropes Connor McIlwain
Assistant Arts Editor
W
er immediately at hand is wonderful because it provides insights into the work that are never wrong…[it] feels like I am connected with a work, as opposed to just revisiting the playwrights of yesteryear,” he said. Johnson plays Kirke in the show. He continued, “Kirke is a spooky one. He is a presence for certain,” he explained. “There is an forceful energy that defines him and keeps his intentions hidden.” Carinn Candelaria ’18 plays Vicky in the production. She explained, “Vicky is an AP student. She is totally blank. She’s the lady in every horror film who has an early exit because she isn’t interesting enough of a character to
keep around.” Candelaria loves the exaggerated nature of her character. “I get to have a lot of fun with her. I get to play her up because she is just a caricature of who I was/ am?” she said. Unlike many of the horror movies before him, Rebelein hopes to do more than just scare on opening night. “I hope it really knocks people’s socks off. I hope that we get an audience filled with people who think they know what they’re about to get—and then get the complete opposite. If people leave the theater with any kind of feeling like, ‘Damn, I did not see that coming. That was intense. I can’t believe...,’ I’d be pretty happy,” he said.
courtesy of Sam Rebelein
e’ve all seen it. That scene. The one with the girl running—usually away from a killer or creature. It’s pretty standard in horror movies, from the classics to modern hits. These scenes inspired Sam Rebelein ’16 to write his play, The Drunk and the Elephant which premieres Friday, Nov., 6, in the Shiva. “I’m a huge fan of horror movies,” he explained in an emailed statement. “Over winter break this January, I was working my way through all the Friday the 13th films. At some point in the third film, there’s this hippie couple who KNOW they’re in a place (Camp Crystal Lake) with a deadly history, they KNOW the killer is on the loose, they KNOW creepy things have been happening all day—and yet they STILL choose to split up. The hippie dude goes alone into the barn and, of course, is killed.” This lack of reasoning made Rebelein wonder. He explained, “I just thought, Why? Why do you ignore all the signs so stubbornly? What’s the psychology behind that? So the play started as a sketch of a guy who is hyper-aware he’s in a Friday the 13th and nobody believes him. So it all started with just a dude in his living room, freaking out, trying not to die, and desperately trying to get his level-headed wife to panic with him (she won’t). “ This dude is Richard, an eccentric English teacher who may or may not be in mortal danger. “[He] loves horror movies so much that it’s begun to affect the way he sees the real world. It also heavily affects his relationship with his wife, Tabitha, who has to find ways to cope with his dangerous obsession,” explained Rebelein. He came up with the idea for the play last January but it wasn’t until months later that he started writing. “I had bits and pieces written here and there (scene endings, certain lines,
pieces of movement) but I had no idea how they connected or what they meant yet,” explained Rebelein. As a horror play, the show joins only a few others of its kind. “The play is in parts a commentary on horror movies and the way we view films in general, and at other times, it slips into the guise of a cliché slasher flick. Think Cabin in the Woods and Scream combined,” explained Rebelein. He continued, “My writing process was kind of all over the place for this piece…I began with the ending, which felt like the easiest jumping-off point (because I always knew how it would end).” Translating his ideas onto paper was tricky for Rebelein. He explained, “When it’s all in your head, it gets confusing trying to transfer it to the page.” But according to Rebelein, seeing the final result come to life has made up for any of these difficulties. “Seeing the play come to life has been nothing short of a dream come true…a lot of our rehearsals feel more like goofing around, reading lines and ironing out block, than like actual work. And every time something happens that is one of those bits or pieces I had on my back burner for a few months, I still get chills.” Rachel Messbauer ’16, who plays Tabitha, explained, “It’s fun for me to play a character who is so calculatedly unfazed by the uncanny things happening around her -- Tabby can keep calm in situations that I’d be cowering in!” Messbauer is glad to be working on such a new, original piece and is grateful to have Rebelein on hand. She explained, “It’s a little refreshing to have a living, breathing author in the room! I love being able to discuss my thoughts about the character with the creator of that character.” Kevin Johnson ’19 agrees. “Having the writ-
“The Drunk and the Elephant,” a drama written by Sam Rebelein ’16, plays on horror movie clichés. The production revolves around the experiences of an eccentric, horror-film-loving English teacher.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
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October 29, 2015
Gomez finds Hamilton soundtrack a standalone success her voice in Revival Jillian Elkin
Guest Columnist
Hamilton Lin Manuel Miranda The Roots
Patrick Tanella Columnist
Revival Selena Gomez Interscope
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any people know Selena Gomez from her appearances on Disney Channel, her scandalous relationship with Justin Bieber and her previously questionable music. With the debut of her new album, “Revival,” Gomez breaks away from her past to focus on her promising career as a talented musical artist. Gomez’s rise to fame lies in her television appearances as a young teen. After appearing on “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and “Hannah Montana,” she landed the lead role on “Wizards of Waverly Place.” This gave her mainstream success and she became a Disney Channel celebrity alongside Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers. Afterwards, Gomez attempted to branch off into other career options, including film and music. She starred in films such as “Monte Carlo” and “Spring Breakers,” but struggled to achieve the same success she had on television. She sparked a musical career with her band Selena Gomez and the Scene, but there was an onset of criticism from people saying she was trying to be scene or punk, when, in reality, she was a pop artist. The group had little commercial success, leading many people to question whether Gomez should continue to pursue singing or stick to children’s television and films. In 2013, Gomez released her debut solo album, “Stars Dance,” which topped the Billboard Charts and her single “Come and Get It” was her first top ten hit. However, after its first week, sales dropped and critics questioned whether Gomez had a solid hold on who she really was as an artist. In 2014, the singer debuted “For You,” featuring the smash hit “Come and Get It.” Many believed this would be her big break in the music industry, but accusations of lip-syncing and a debilitating relationship with Bieber resulted in Gomez canceling legs of her tour, firing her parents as managers and checking into a rehabilitation center for two months. With the recent release of her new album, Selena Gomez hopes to push aside her past. The album demonstrates real growth from her previous albums and she has finally found solid ground in the musical industry. The album cover features a topless Gomez, highlighting her recent empowerment and self-confidence. From attempting to be scene to mainstream pop, Gomez now combines pop with EDM beats, creating an eclectic musical experience. Throughout the album, each song has a strong emotional attachment and sound experimentation, showing that Gomez isn’t afraid to break away from her past and try new things. “Revival” debuted at number one on the Billboard Charts and has been met with positive reviews. The first single from the album, “Good For You,” featuring ASAP Rocky, peaked at number five on Billboard. This marks the singer’s highest charting single to date. The song is about attempting to impress and highlight the singer’s beau. She repeats the lyrics, “Cuz I just wanna look good for you, good for you,” showing a seductive Gomez that has arisen out of the ashes of children’s television. The next single after the album’s release, “Same Old Love,” digresses from her usual pop vibes. It has a similar gritty, raw voice and instrumentals to Charli XCX, who actually co-wrote the song. The powerful lyrics, “I’m not spending any time wasting tonight on you. I know, I’ve heard it all” may be a statement about an ex-boyfriend such as Bieber and how she is ready to move on. Another highlight, “Revival” is the first song on the album. The opening lyrics, “I dive into the future” and “who knows what I’ll become” epitomize the revival that is taking place, both in Gomez’s musical career and life. She also repeats “this is my revival, this is a revival.” The song is a personal favorite of mine and shows a dramatic improvement in Gomez’s sound. With “Revival,” Gomez has produced an empowering, electric-pop album that has truly revived her musical career. The former Disney princess has finally found herself as an artist and as a person.
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how tunes or musical theater are often isolated from other genres of music. Musicals themselves are less infused in public culture than film, TV or music. Despite its longstanding influences from popular genres and growing accessibility due to movie adaptations, local productions and YouTube clips of performances, musicals aren’t considered typical radio fare. However, music from the new musical “Hamilton” could easily be a mainstream success. The biggest factor holding back its success is its genre. Musicals tell stories that the listener potentially loses by only hearing the songs. “Hamilton” differs because it is entirely composed of musical numbers; there is no other dialogue. It also differs from most musicals because its music draws from many genres: hip-hop, R & B, reggae, pop, jazz, rock and classic Broadway. “Hamilton” is a musical by Lin Manuel Miranda, who wrote not only the story but the music as well, about the life of founding father, Alexander Hamilton. Inspired by Ron Chernow’s biography, “Alexander Hamilton,” Miranda sought to tell Hamilton’s story, the story of a poor immigrant’s tumultuous rise to success, in a modern way. Miranda accomplishes this modernity through the hip-hop music and a racially diverse cast. People of color portray all of the white historical figures, except for King George III, to “make the story more immediate and more accessible to a contemporary audience,” according to Miranda. The show’s first production was at a workshop at the Vassar Reading Festival on July 27, 2013. The show opened on Broadway on Aug. 6, 2015 to critical acclaim, great financial success and lots of buzz thanks
to celebrity fans. Amongst those famous fans are the Roots, who produced the soundtrack. With the soundtrack, Hamilton becomes truly accessible to all. After all, Broadway theater is limited to those in New York City with dispensable income. There’s a beautiful irony in the fact that people of color communicate American history through a traditionally white medium with modern music to a primarily white, older, wealthy audience. (If you find yourself in the city, Hamilton offers a lottery for every show. It’s free to enter and you could win $10 front row tickets. Crowds for lotteries, which most Broadway shows have, can be massive. There’s frequently a fun mini-show before the draw hosted by Miranda with guest performers who sing and/or dance.) Soundtracks enable anyone to appreciate and connect to musicals. Period costumes, minimal setting, choreography, lighting and live performances emphasize and clearly express the time period, narrative and tone of Hamilton. Musicals themselves are mixtures of various art forms but the isolation of one aspect of a musical (the music) doesn’t destroy the musical; instead it creates a different experience. Technology permits an experience that reaches more people and can be enjoyed at any time at the leisure and control of the listener. The “Hamilton” soundtrack is a great introduction to musicals for people who don’t like them. Music listeners today often listen to songs individually or on shuffle. Even if one doesn’t listen to the album straight through as a narrative, most of the music can be appreciated on its own, separate from context. “Wait for It” works perfectly on its own. This soliloquy, sung by Aaron Burr, tells a bit about Burr’s personal life and childhood. However, the structure is similar to most pop songs with a catchy repeated chorus–unlike many musical numbers with loose structures and continuous storytelling throughout. The song with the most modern sound is “The Reynolds Pamphlet.” One could even imagine it played at a club–if it weren’t about
the document written by Hamilton in which he refutes allegations of government corruption and confesses to an affair with Maria Reynolds. It’s a trap song with an industrial sound and even some auto tune. Surprisingly, this song fits well in the musical and is directly followed by a typical Broadway ballad. Eliza Hamilton, Alexander’s wife, reacts to the Reynolds Pamphlet in “Burn.” In juxtaposition with the previous song, “Burn” is an emotional, moving song. “Burn” also addresses the absence of public records that tell people today about Elizabeth Hamilton’s reaction to her husband’s affair and the lack of women’s voices overall in the majority of American history. “Hamilton” makes a point to include women in the telling of American history, even though the primary subjects of the musical are men: Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. The women in Hamilton’s life are strong characters with full personalities. Angelica Schuyler, Elizabeth’s sister who has an emotional affair with Alexander, sings about women’s suffrage and a woman’s responsibility to social climb through marriage. “Hamilton” as a musical and as a soundtrack sounds like an idea that doesn’t work: an overly ambitious mishmash with a myriad of different influences. However, it succeeds in blending the old with the new, political history with a love story, Broadway with rap. Because the music is largely rapped, the musical is quite wordy but still compelling and fun. Allusions to rap songs and Broadway show tunes alike are hidden in the lyrics. The music of “Hamilton” expands the definition of the musical genre with its modern production and incorporation of numerous genres. “Hamilton” will surely inspire future musicals with similarly modern sounds. As “Hamilton” continues to run on Broadway and eventually has TV performances next year and a film adaptation in the distant future, it will help musicals and their music grow in popularity. For fans of any genre (and anyone who wants to learn about American history), “Hamilton” is an impressive work of art and enormous fun.
Neon Indian embodies new style, old charm Jimmy Christon Guest Columnist
Vega Intl. Night School Neon Indian Mom + Pop
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ike a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, Neon Indian sheds its “chillwave” brand and swaps it out for a unique blend of synthpop, disco, techno and even some reggae influences for a successful double album, “Vega Intl. Night School.” From Denton, Texas, Neon Indian is an American electronic music band, consisting of Alan Palomo, Jason Faries, Ed Priesner and Joshua McWhirter Before its latest work, “Vega Intl. Night School,” the band has released two studio albums to favorable reviews. The headman of the band, Alan Palomo, spent four years DJing on a cruise ship in between this album and Neon Indian’s last foray, “Era Extraña,” in 2011, and the influence is seen throughout the album. One of these influences shows itself as one of the album’s greatest feats: a continuous groove. This continuous groove persists from song to song throughout the entire album. The album kicks off after a short one-minute intro track with the caribbean-disco jam “Annie.” After this, the groove is never dropped until the album itself ends. Despite having a consistent tone to link all the songs together, this continuity doesn’t detract from the identity of the album’s individual tracks. Like the fifth track “Bozo.” Sure the song is short and only looks like an interlude track, but it stands out among the tracklist for having a killer beat reminiscent of something off of the Avalanches “Since I Left You” or an older Daft Punk track. And then there’s the song that follows, “Glitzy Hive,” which is my personal favorite, with simple instrumentation, simpler lyrics and a chorus that will get stuck in your head for days on end.
The continuous groove can get somewhat tiring and repetitive as the songs blend into one another; yet, this is also something that defines the album. This continuous non-stop groove draws comparisons to albums such as Disclosure’s “Settle” or the previously mentioned “Since I left You” by The Avalanches. The album is like listening to a live-set by a DJ: you don’t know what’s going to come next, but you do know that it’s gonna be something you can dance to. This resemblance among songs is no more evident then on the transition from “Slumlord’s Re-Lease” to “Techno Clique.” The album comes to a full stop after two minutes of the lyric-less bongo-and-synths jam of “Slumlord’s Re-Lease,” only for a second before jumping into the dreamy ascending synths of “Techno Clique.”
“This continuous groove persists from song to song throughout the entire album.” As the title suggests, the album is dedicated to the night-life; as such, the arc of the album covers the course of a night. The sun is just going down with the song “Annie” with its bright instrumentation and energetic beat. The night continues as the album goes on, you can even hear the background noises of a club on “The Glitzy Hive.” Then you get to the track “Slumlord” and things take a turn. Where once the night was exciting, energetic, and filled with joy, now the night has become something darker, more abstract and very psychedelic. That is until the next morning comes with “61 Cygni Ave” and “News from the Sun (live bootleg)” which bring back the bright instrumentation and energy found earlier in the album. This album, for all its psychedelic-disco
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
charm and nighttime epics, stumbles a bit towards the end. If the album can be praised for giving each song its own unique identity, it should be criticized when this attempt at uniqueness creates a track that is too weird for its own good. “Baby’s Eyes” oddly enough sounds like a rejected song off of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” with the sparse guitars and spacey, echoing vocals at the beginning of the track, but the track goes on two minutes too long. “C’est La Vie (say the casualties)” at first sounds like any other 80’s pop-hit, but then the second half of the song happens. The end of this track can only be described as a mix between polka and psychedelic music, and yes, it is as bad as it sounds. But despite a few missteps, the album picks it up again for the last two tracks with the reggae-inspired instrumentation of “61 Cygni Ave” and the closer “News from the Sun (live bootleg),” which is just begging listening on some beach, preferably a beach closer to Mexico than Canada. It also goes without saying that no review of this album would be complete without mentioning the epic duo-track that divides the album in two: “Slumlord” and “Slumlord’s ReLease.” Each of these tracks serves as a summary of their respective halves of the album. “Slumlord” has all of the catchy hooks and fast-paced synth instrumentation that is everywhere on the first half of the album while “ReLease” sets the tone for the second half with its sparse synths and tone-shifted vocals (or at least that’s what the second half sounds like until “C’est La Vie”; seriously, that song sticks out like a sore thumb). All things considered, it is very easy to recommend this album. After 2011’s “Era Extraña,” it was obvious that Neon Indian’s chillwave label could only get it so far. So instead of switching genres completely to techno-pop which, “Era Extraña” seemed to prophesize with tracks such as “Polish Girl,” Alan Palomo dropped the “chill wave” shtick, kept the ’80s aesthetic and made a killer album with one hell of a groove.
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October 29, 2015
Page 17
Tsugaru-jamisen reflects Asian history Excuse me,
MUSIC continued from page 1
called hosozao, being used in kabuki theatre and the longer-necked ones, called futozao, being used in bunraku, Japanese puppet theatre, and for folk songs. Kozan will be playing the latter. The organizer of this event, Professor Hiromi Tsuchiya Dollase, explained how this event came about: “The reason we chose this shamisen performer is because I have been taking Skype lessons from him. He lives in Shinjuku, Tokyo, and he has his studio. When I went back to Japan this summer, I actually met him for the first time in person and took a lesson from him. So this is how we invited him.” Besides performing in the Villard Room, Kozan will be giving a lecture for Adjunct Assistant Professor of Music Justin Patch’s Introduction to World Music class on Wednesday. In describing how helpful Kozan can be for the class, Patch commented, “He will demonstrate both the koto and the shamisen. We are currently doing a unit on Japanese art musics, such as Gagaku, Hogaku, Noh, and Bunraku, so this fits very well. The theme of the course is ‘Music and Circulation’, so the shamisen and koto, both originally brought to Japan from China, but adapted for uniquely Japanese aesthetics and contexts, is perfect.” Patch’s class frequently has guest speakers, allowing for a much more enriching experience for the topics, Kozan being similar. “In some cases it’s important for the students to see musicians perform in specific genres so that they can do more than watch a video and listen to a recording,” said Patch. “It livens classroom experience and also gives the students a chance to relate to performers o a personal level. They often talk about their own pedagogical process, their teachers and inspiration, which makes music more meaningful than just listening.” Kozan’s performances will enrich students, providing many with an introduction to a musical world that is unfamiliar. Joshi,
Campus Canvas
although from Japan, mentioned that he is not too familiar with the koto or the shamisen, save his encounters in Soba shops. With the influx of Western culture in Japan, there is less of a presence of instruments like kabuki and bunraku. But still, the shamisen remains an important instrument in the contemporary Japanese society. The koto, which Kozan and his wife will also play, is a much older instrument from the 16th Century and is considered the national instrument of Japan. With 13 strings and a movable bridge on a board, it was originally used as court music and, even though its popularity has diminished in recent centuries, the koto can still be found today in Japan in their jazz and pop music. David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and Dr. Dre have used the koto in some of their music as well. While the koto might be older, the significance of it still holds true. Patch admired, “The koto is a classical instrument. There are composers that are integrating it into more modern settings and composing new works for it.” He continued, “But more importantly, it has been a part of Japanese culture for centuries, it holds a particular history, and also tells a history of adaptation, colonization, religion, economy and nationalism as well as a particular women’s history that are all important. Not to mention that it is a beautiful instrument, and there should always be space and time to simply enjoy and preserve beauty and that which is aesthetically pleasing as it is.” Kozan’s visit to campus is all a part of a series of Chinese and Japanese Culture events that will be happening that Friday. While Dollase originally wanted to have Kozan perform as a part of that, the Dean’s Office advised her to alter the performance to be on Thursday instead, acting as a precursor to the next day’s activities. Getting Kozan to perform at Vassar is a very rare and special opportunity, since there are very few tsugaru-jamisen performers on the East Coast. Kozan, who
currently lives in Shinjuku, Japan, is also a director for the Institute for Japanese Traditional Culture Experience and Education and majored in the koto at the Sakuyou Musical Junior College. Learning the koto from Hikaru Sawai, the world-renowned Japanese performer and composer, Kozan studied both the classical form in playing the instrument as well as innovative collaborations with new genres. Even though he will not be performing it, Kozan has also been trained to play the sanshin, which is the precursor to the shamisen. On the importance of Kozan’s visit to Vassar, Patch said, “Having Mr. Kozan at Vassar is important because it shows the living world of art that exists around the world. When we teach global art, we tend to teach it as a snapshot, something with a fixed set of meaning, codes and purposes. Much of this has to do with time constraints and limits. Having Mr. Kozan visit gives our students the opportunity to experience living art, similar to having a recital of Beethoven’s piano sonatas or Mozart’s string quartets. They show that music is a constantly living tradition that is both adaptive and classical.” Moreover, the objective of the performance is twofold. According to Dollase, “The goal is to first of all entertain Vassar students. And also teach about the Japanese musical instrument. They sometimes play Western music with the shamisen so I think there’s a lot of potential and it’s really exciting. It’s not just about playing old traditional music but they are capable of playing something new. This combination of old and new is why it’s kind of exciting to learn about this instrument.” As someone who plans to attend the performance, Joshi much cherishes the opportunity to experience traditional Japanese music. He concluded, “You don’t really get to hear traditional instruments from any culture, let alone the shamisen, even in Japan. I’d say it’s a privilege, an honor to hear it.”
A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists
What Halloween candy describes your current mood?
“Butterfinger.” — Cullen Rily-Duffy ’19
“Any blue candy.” — Annie Hsu ’18
“Do the wax pumpkins have a name?” — Rachel Ludwig ’18
submit to misc@vassar.edu
“Skittles.” — Rafaela Vega del Castillo ’18
Celebration of a stylish girl who once sat in front of me during a film class which I never went back to. Strings down her back, electronics in her hair, landscape of shades in her shoulders. Clothes shifting paper scratching in a caffeinated room. Ballpoint pen on a notebook page. Yeah, break out of the Emerald city, out of the tin. I spilled my coffee and missed her face, and it didn’t matter. She was gone like a swing of open of door. . -Lily W ‘18
“Junior Mints.” — Sara Evans ’18
“Jolly Ranchers.” — Kelly Wen ’18
Zander Bashaw, Humor & Satire Editor Sam Pianello, Photo Editor
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
SPORTS
Page 18
October 29, 2015
Strong season has women’s soccer hungry for playoffs Amreen Bhasin Reporter
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his year, the Vassar College women’s soccer team has had an enormous amount of success not only as a unit but also from an individual perspective. The team itself currently sits in seventh place in the Liberty League standings; however, that number is relatively misleading. In the nine team conference, each team plays eight conference games. Currently, Vassar holds a 2-2-2 record, meaning they’ve only played six games while every other team in the league has played seven or eight. The top four teams in the conference qualify for the post season. The Brewers have set themselves up for a strong chance at the post-season tournament and have secured the program’s fourth consecutive winning season. The team, with its current 8-5-2 record, has a chance to reach
10 wins for the first time since 2010, two more wins would also guarantee the Brewers’ spot in the post-season. Individually, the Brewers have been phenomenal. Senior goalkeeper Emma Nichols had her 13th career shutout this past weekend, setting a new school record in the process. Nichols, now the outright program leader, has had seven shutouts this season alone, which ranks second on the all-time season list. She sits at second in the League in shutouts per game and third overall in saves per game. Said Coach Holton of her performance, “I think Emma this year has just taken it upon herself and really built her confidence back up and just played awesome. Bottom line she’s feeling it and that’s what we need during this stretch of the season.” Sophomore Amanda McFarland has six assists this year, which is the most by a Brewer
courtesy of Vassar Athletics
Sophomore Jessica Schwed dribbles the ball up field. The women’s soccer team has had a good, competitive season so far and still has a few tough challenges to face in the final days of the season.
since 2011. She is fifth in the League overall. Freshman Rebecca Andrews leads the team in goals with six and points with 13 and has the most goals from a freshman since 2011. Andrews is sixth in the league in terms of shots taken as well as points. But due to missing five games with an injury, Andrews has played an average of four games less than all those above her. She is currently third overall in the league in goals per game. Finally, head coach Corey Holton reached the milestone of 50 wins as a Division III head coach, after the team’s defeat of RPI this weekend. After their defeat of RPI the Brewers realized that they now control their own destiny. Nichols spoke to Vassar Athletics via video interview to speak further of this goal and her experience at Vassar in general: “I really just take pride in being able to play up to my ability and be able to be a part of this team and a part of this program... It’s a testament to not only what I’ve been able to do but what our back four has been able to do for the past four years. I’ve gotten to play with some really special players and it’s really just been my pleasure. We’re really excited. We know we can win these final two games. We know what we have to do. Now it’s just a matter of coming out, getting those wins and making a deep run in the playoffs. That’s what we’ve expected all season. That’s what we’re looking forward to.” Beyond just the number of wins, the team overall has shown a lot of skill and talent this year. Earlier this month, the team faced then ranked number 21 in the country, St. Lawrence University. The Brewers managed to shutout the Saints and claim a 1-0 victory. While stats aren’t everything, this year’s team looks very impressive on the stat sheet. In 2014, the Brewers managed to score 18 goals total over the course of their season. With multiple games left to play, the Brewers already have 21. What’s more, almost half of the team’s goals have been scored by first years. Senior captain Lucy Brainerd cites this weekend’s record setting game against RPI as
her favorite of the year. “Hands down RPI [was my favorite game this year]. It was so much fun to be on the field playing with 10 other girls who were all willing to give whatever it took to win that game. Every single player who stepped on the field for us gave 100% and that’s what won us the game. It’s also just really fun to win decisively against a team who beat us last year.” For fellow senior Kamaria Coley, the game against nationally ranked St. Lawrence was the best game of the year both for personal reasons as well as for what it meant to the team. “My favorite game was against St. Lawrence because we beat them when they were nationally ranked and I scored the game-winning goal. It was a great confidence booster for the rest of the season and further established us as a force within the liberty league.” Brainerd is incredibly proud of her team thus far. “I think the depth of our roster this year is unlike it has ever been. We have so much talent from top to bottom that anyone can be put on the field and keep the level high… I think our ability to really apply changes at half-time and have amazing second halves has been impressive. A lot of teams can only hold on for 45 minutes, but we’re fit enough and talented enough to take it to teams in the second half of games.” While Brainerd has praised her team’s depth and ability to showcase many players, she has also been one of the Brewers’ mainstays this season. She sees this weekend’s game as a concrete example of how far the team has gone. “I think we’re really starting to become a 90 minute team. Our game against RPI was proof that we’ve hit our stride and we’re ready for anything,” she said. “Individually it has been a learning process. I’m playing a new position so embracing my new role and trying to lead from a different area of the field has been interesting. As the captain, it has been so easy to get our freshmen acclimated. We have three other great senior leaders on this team and they have been captains every bit as much as I have, title or not.”
Young squash squad hopes to squish competition this fall SQUASH continued from page 1
pull out a 6-3 victory over the Brewers that day. Junior Vincent Mencotti played the number one spot for the Brewers and won his match up 1113, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8—playing a close game against Rhys Nordstrom from Bard. Another win was collected by senior captain Tim Veit, who won 12-10, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8 against Asad Hashmi in the number four spot. Last season Mencotti played all 15 matches from the number one spot and earned a 12-8 winning record (one of two on the team) in his second year with the Brewers. Last time the Brewers faced Bard was in the Collegiate Squash Association H Division title match last season, which Vassar won 5-4 along with the flight championship—an accomplishment achieved by only eight teams in the U.S. in the 2015/16 season. Last season ended on a good note—a championship win and a five game winning streak. Veit remembered it fondly, saying “It’s so hard
to pick a favorite memory because there were so many. But if I had to pick one it would have to be winning the H Division Championship cup with such a great team, realizing that after all the hard work we put in, we accomplished something that the Vassar Men’s squash team had never done before.” Veit continued, regarding last season, saying, “Last season we were very lucky to have a team where most of the starters had been together for at least a year, allowing for an experienced squad with great team chemistry. I credit that to our win at the CSA National Championships last year, where we won our division title for the first time in the program’s history.” Freshman Andrew Patton posted a perfect match on the day in his debut performance as a Brewer, putting up a 11-2, 11-5, 15-13 win over the number nine player at Bard. Freshman George Platt will also be cracking the lineup–expected
courtesy of Vassar Athletics
Juniors Carly Scher and Isabelle Bertram held the number two and number three slots last season, but will be gone for most of the fall season. Bertram returns in January to bolster the Brewers’ line up for the winter, but Scher will be gone all year. Also returning for the second half of the season is former team captain and senior Karina Primelles. Primelles played in the number two spot primarily last year, and had a 6-3 winning record overall. Two freshmen delivered their first performance wearing a Vassar jersey—Fiona Agger, who took the number two game 11-4, 11-2, and 11-3 as well as Jia Min Wu who posted three straight sets of 11-4, 11-7 and 11-4. The women will see some tough competition next at the Hudson Valley Invitational Tournament the first weekend in November, which they will host in Kenyon Hall. Nice spoke a bit about the rookie members of the team and how they are looking to contribute despite their lack of experience, “We have players who are new to the sport, and it’s awesome to see their improvement from week to week! Getting used to playing competitive matches as a new player can be difficult, but seeing how our first match went this past weekend, and how the new players competitively played and gracefully carried themselves, I know they’re up for the challenge.” Down the road, the Brewers will be facing a five-game stretch away from Vassar. Then they’ll return home to host Connecticut and Haverford Colleges on their home turf in late January for the first competitions post winter recess. The next week, Vassar will host the Hudson Valley Team Tournament—which the women won in 2015. February will see the Seven Sisters Tournament, hosted once again in Kenyon Hall and Smith, Mount Holyoke and Wellesley College will all visit Vassar that weekend for some lively competition. The men began their season on the Oct. 24 as well, matching up against the Bard College Raptors at Annandale-on-Hudson. Bard was able to
Sophomore Hannah Nice hits the ball with her racket in an attempt to score a point for Vassar. Nice had an extremely successful individual campaign last year and looks to build upon her success.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
to contribute a lot from the number four spot this season. Next, the men will compete against Siena College on Halloween at home in Kenyon Hall. After hosting Siena, the men will also travel for a five game streak before returning to Poughkeepsie in January along with the women. During the Seven Sisters Tournament the men will travel to St. Lawrence University to play in the Liberty League Championships. Both teams will round out their regular season in the Boston area in mid-February, facing Northeastern and Tufts Universities in their last conference competition before CSA Championships later that month. Senior Michael Iselin also has high hopes for the Brewers’ tough schedule, sharing what he thinks will make the team successful this season, “Our greatest strength as a team is definitely how we challenge each other to play our best. Whether it is in practice or team lift, there is an understanding that the rest of the team is supportive and wanting us to challenge ourselves. In the past, there have been times where we have each been very self-focused. This year, the emphasis is on pushing each other to give 100 percent effort.” Nice is quite excited about what this year has to offer, saying “The bonds I’ve formed with the teams, both men’s and women’s, have definitely added to my time at Vassar. Both teams have created a fun, welcoming environment that gets me excited to go to practice! We’ve been practicing hard five days a week, and we’re hoping all the work we’ve put in will pay off! I’m excited to see everyone improve on their skills and feel more confident with every match they play, win or lose.” Iselin agrees, hoping to cultivate a strong and warm team culture in his final season with the Brewers, saying “I remember how close I was with the seniors on the team when I was a freshman. I really looked up to them and I really started to feel like a part of the team when we came back for winter training before school had started. That was the moment that I felt like I could view them not just as teammates but as friends. I’m hoping the same will be true for this year’s freshmen!”
SPORTS
October 29, 2015
Page 19
Severity of concussions Feisty Mets, Royals square off more vital than NFL profit in underdogs’ Fall Classic Shira Idris
Guest Columnist
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he upcoming Sony biopic Concussion illustrates the true story of Dr. Bennet Omalu and his struggle against the NFL. In real life, Omalu, a forensic pathologist, conducted research on NFL players and while doing so, discovered a disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. The one particular case that led him to the discovery was the autopsy he conducted on late Mike Webster, a former NFL player who played center for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to his death at age 50 and post-retirement from the NFL, Webster had suffered from depression, amnesia, dementia, personality changes, aggressive behavior and bone and muscle pain. Yet, the NFL only marked him as partially disabled, and gave him the lowest disability claim possible, just $3,000 a month for his troubles. Omalu examined his brain tissue after death, as well as the brain tissue from eight other NFL players and found brain damage that was previously only found in Alzheimer patients. This led him to discover CTE which, according to Boston University’s website, is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic subconcussive hits to the head. Omalu published his findings in the journal Neurosurgery in 2005. The study’s conclusion wrote, “This case highlights potential longterm neurodegenerative outcomes in retired professional National Football League players subjected to repeated mild traumatic brain injury. The prevalence and pathoetiological mechanisms of these possible adverse longterm outcomes and their relation to duration of years of playing football have not been sufficiently studied. We recommend comprehensive clinical and forensic approaches to understand and further elucidate this emergent professional sport hazard.” But the NFL
Zach Rippe
ignored those recommendations, writing to the journal to get the article retracted, stating that they disagreed and that this was a misunderstanding. Omalu’s work angered the NFL. A line from the Concussion trailer says, “You’re going to war with a corporation that owns a day of the week.” And it seems as if all the NFL cared about was keeping their ownership of Monday, keeping their ratings high, and keeping their money. The NFL had their own doctors, in a committee called the Mild Traumatic Brain Injury committee, who published multiple studies stating that repeated head bashing does not cause brain damage. With these contrasting scientific results, you could question the objectivity of science. Or you could question the integrity of the multi-billion dollar corporation with much to lose. As if repeating their silence of Omalu, the NFL contacted producers and representatives of the Concussion film, and in email exchanges that have been exposed by hackers, it has been shown that Sony altered their movie so as to not antagonize the NFL too much. The movie highlights the uphill battle Dr. Omalu had against the NFL, a league who kept silencing his voice and his findings, and even called him a “no-name Nigerian with some bullshit theory.” In their depiction of these events, Sony had also agitated the NFL. But unlike Omalu, who would not be silenced and fought for the truth to prevail, Sony bowed down to the corporation that controls the most profitable sports league, and the most watched game. It’s ironic, really, that in telling a story about perseverance and not giving in to the man, that was exactly what Sony did. But Omalu wanted to publish his findings to help people, and help the NFL. Unfortunately, Sony just wants to tell a sympathetic story that will earn them millions of dollars in the box office. Both corporations are in it for the money, rather than the health and safety of athletes and the future of the sport.
Sports Editor
T
his year, the year of the underdog if you will, both teams looking to take the World Series Championship are home to a fan base used to mediocrity and disappointment. In an exhilarating year of playoffs that has seen many a desperate, likable team falter (looking at you, Blue Jays and Cubs) the trophy will reside in the hands of the villainous Mets who stopped the lovable Cubbies dead in their tracks, or the powerhouse Royals, one of three teams in the majors who have yet to have given out a $60 million contract, who steamrolled through the American League for the better part of the season. That sentence almost doesn’t seem real. In a year where pitching reigned supreme, the Mets young staff has lived up to the hype. After out dueling Kershaw and Greinke in the NLDS, the young hurlers, consisting of Matt Harvey, Jacob DeGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, made quick work of the Cubs and currently hold a record of 6-2 with a 2.65 ERA in the postseason. Not to mention, they are some of the hardest throwing starters in the game. The staff has thrown the most pitches over 95 miles per hour this season and more than the Twins have thrown since 2009. Four of the past five teams who led the league in this statistic have made it to the World Series. Still, the Royals have been extremely successful when it comes to hitting hard throwers. They are batting around .292 this year against pitches over 95 MPH. Yet, the Mets young pitching extends beyond the heat of their fastballs. Over the course of the regular season, batters hit under .200 against all of their secondary pitches combined. A lineup of Salvador Perez, a threat on offense as well as behind the plate, Eric Hosmer, a .297 batter this season who drove in 93 runs, the magical Alcides Escobar, who has been a vital catalyst for the team simply by swinging at the first pitch he sees every game, Lorenzo Cain, a five tool stud who led the team with a .307 average,
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and DH Kendrys Morales who hit .290 with 22 home runs and 106 RBIs, looks to neutralize this pitching threat. Unfortunately for the Royals, their starting rotation hasn’t been nearly as consistent throughout the playoffs. While they have been quality starters throughout their careers, Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto have been a bit rocky this postseason with ERAs of 4.32 and 7.88 respectively. Cueto, a well respected starter who has been stellar in the past, has been a big disappointment for Kansas City. He went 4-7 with a 4.76 ERA after being traded to the team and has been hit or miss throughout the playoffs. The Mets, with streaky, powerful bat of Lucas Duda, the always dangerous Yoenis Cespedes, the white hot Daniel Murphy and a host of promising hitters seem poised to capitalize on any of their starters’ mistakes. The Royals’ staff certainly has the potential to have stellar performances. Their consistency just hasn’t been anywhere near the level of the Mets’. Kansas City, whose talent is almost exclusively homegrown has come up with clutch hit after clutch hit so far this postseason. They have shown time and time again their resiliency as they once again fought their way to the World Series. The Mets on the other hand, fought tooth and nail to get past the Dodgers, but coasted right through the Chicago series, giving them almost a full week of rest. This may not bode well for their momentum. Still, the Mets have a stopper. Actually, they have four of them. While Kansas City may win most of the positional matchups, the Mets have the ability to stop the Royals’ offense in its track every single game. Both teams will win games. Both teams will have magic moments that seem to defy statistics and perhaps even record books. With four young studs at their disposal, the pressure seems to be on Kansas City to produce at the plate, something they will have to do consistently to make this series competitive. Still, 75004 there has to be a winner: Mets in six.
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Source: LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute, Not-forProfit Market Survey, first-quarter 2015 results. Average assets per participant based on full-service business. Please note average retirement account balances are not a measure of performance of TIAA-CREF retirement offerings. 2 The Lipper Award is given to the group with the lowest average decile ranking of three years’ Consistent Return for eligible funds over the three-year period ended 11/30/12, 11/30/13, and 11/30/14 respectively. TIAA-CREF was ranked among 36 fund companies in 2012 and 48 fund companies in 2013 and 2014 with at least five equity, five bond, or three mixed-asset portfolios. Past performance does not guarantee future results. For current performance and rankings, please visit the Research and Performance section on tiaa-cref.org. TIAA-CREF Individual & Institutional Services, LLC, Teachers Personal Investors Services, Inc., and Nuveen Securities, LLC, members FINRA and SIPC, distribute securities products. ©2015 Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America–College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF), 730 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017. C24849D 1
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SPORTS
Page 20
October 29, 2015
Wiebe’s play, senior day on display for field hockey fans Winnie Yeates Reporter
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pus, through the spectacular role models and friends I’ve made within the athletic community. I’ve had every bit of the Vassar experience, with the support of a team that has seen me at my best and worst and care that much more for me because of it. I’ve learned that respect must be earned, not demanded. Sports are as much about listening and compassion as they are about athleticism and practice. My education at Vassar would not have been complete without the lesson I learned on the turf.” Zarrella furthered, “Some of my best friends are on this team, and playing with them throughout college has been an experience that I will remember. I also have learned life skills like how to manage my time wisely and how to contribute in a group dynamic.” As the senior exit, they hope to leave a piece of themselves behind as well. Wiebe continued,
The women’s field hockey team boasts an impressive win streak at home that dates back to 2013. This trek continued this past Saturday as the senior players were honored for four record breaking years.
Brewers bloom as Libery Leagues loom Palak Patel
Editor in Chief Men’s Rugby
The Vassar men’s rugby team faced off against Sacred Heart University this past weekend. The team had home field advantage against the number three seed. Despite being on home turf, the men had trouble keeping up with Sacred Heart and were down 31-0 by the 40 minute mark. This isn’t to say Vassar didn’t work to keep up. With one try by sophomore George Sheppard and two by Joe Simon, the men were able to end the game 21-50. After last week’s loss to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the men’s rugby team ends this portion of their season with an overall record of 5-2-0. Men’s Soccer
The men’s soccer team had a satisfying win on Saturday against Rensselaer Polytechnic In-
stitute. The team started strong with the first goal by sophomore Alex Gonzales 15 minutes into the game. RPI tied the game with a goal right before the first half ended. Senior Tom Wiechert eventually finished the game with the only goal in the second half, pulling the Brewers up 2-1 to win the game. Women’s Swim and Dive
The women took third overall at the Union College Relays this past Saturday. The team scored 100 points overall, 14 points behind the second place Union team. The team had a tough day, swimming 11 races, with many members swimming consecutive races throughout the meet. On the diving side, the women had three divers working on 11 dives. The three divers, senior Maya Pruitt, sophomore Nora Kyrkjebo and freshman Mira Moraru, managed to earn 407.40 points, enough for a second place
position. Men’s Swim and Dive
The men also attended the Union College Relays this past weekend. While the women took third, the men managed to grab fourth overall. A meet highlight was the 400 medley, swam by junior Chris Cerutti, sophomore Jonah Strand, junior Anthony Walker and senior Greg Cristina. The diving team also had a few highlights, including junior Clancy Green’s first collegiate meet, where he was able to break 100 points with his five dives, a major milestone for divers in general. The divers ended in third place. The teams will be back this Saturday for a meet with SUNY-New Paltz at Kresge Pool.
Weekend Scoreboard WOMEN’S RUGBY VASSAR
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Women’s Rugby
The women’s rugby team isn’t backing down. This past weekend they matched up against Molloy College. The women were resolute with 14 tries throughout the game. In the end, Molloy didn’t stand a chance, with the women dominating the game, finishing with a 88-0 lead. This win moves the women forward for a semifinal round against Marist, but the women show no sign of backing down anytime soon. The “B” side also earned a win this past weekend against SUNY-New Paltz. As soon as they stepped onto the field, the women dominated the game, ending with eight tries and a 42-5 win. Women’s Volleyball
courtesy of Vassar Athletics
Sophomore Sam Lehn runs down the field in an effort that came up a bit short. The men’s team had a good regular season but fell in the first round of the Tri-Conference playoffs to Sacred Heart.
“I hope to have helped preserve the primary standard our team lives and breathes: ‘take care of your girls.’ Beyond stats and records, being on a team is about the relationships. I hope whatever records my graduating class sets, they’re broken in the near future, because what will never break is my love for these inspiring young women.” Zarrella agreed, “Since my freshman year, I have watched this team evolve into a force to be reckoned with in the field hockey world. Being a senior on such a team with such talented and amazing group of girls makes me realize how far this program has come, and also how lucky I am to be a part of it. As seniors, we have the most winning record of any class in the program. I hope that Vassar field hockey continues to win, and become not only a threat in the Liberty League but also nationally.”
courtesy of Vassar Athletics
s the days get shorter and colder, seasons wind down and seniors face the reality of their last regular season game at Vassar. The women’s field hockey team felt this reality against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute last Saturday. The game was tied at 0-0 until senior captain Lauren Wiebe lifted the Brewers to a 1-0 lead just before halftime, ultimately securing the victory for Vassar. With the win, the Brewers (10-5 overall, 3-3 Liberty League) clinched a spot in the Liberty League tournament for the third consecutive season while also extending their home winning streak to 16 games. The Brewers have not lost a game on Weinberg Field since their season finale in 2013 against New Paltz. However, this game was particularly special. Prior to the actual competition, the Brewers honored their three seniors Lauren Wiebe, Haley Merritt and Bianca Zarrella. “Senior days” for sports teams are a Vassar tradition where families, friends and most importantly, teammates and coaches honor and say goodbye to their senior teammates. Junior Emma Bracken, who has spent three years with the seniors commented on the their contribution to the team, “The seniors bring an unparalleled sense of passion and spirit to the team that is truly awe-inspiring. They remind us all why we love playing the game and that we do it for each other. Haley, Wiebe, and Bianca will leave a lasting legacy for this team. They have been instrumental in making this the most tightly knit and inclusive team that I have ever been a part of. I couldn’t ask for better leaders, teammates, or friends.” Freshman Molly Youse, who has only spent one season with her senior teammates is already very close with them, “Lauren has so much heart for the game and cares about field hockey and the team so much. Haley always brings a positive attitude and knows how to keep the team spirits up. We can always count on Bianca to work her hardest and never give
up on the field. All three of the seniors push the rest of the team to be the best we can be. Whether it’s pumping us up before games or encouraging us at practice, they inspire me to give my everything on the field. They are also leaders. Off the field, they help with communication between the team and the coaches so we are all on the same page. On the field, they connect so well and know exactly where to pass the ball to each other because they’ve been playing together for so long. It helps the rest of the team because we can all work as a unit when we play like they do.” For Wiebe, the game was especially noteworthy as she scored her eighth goal of the season, her 30th all-time tally, tying her for second on the VC goal scoring list. Wiebe spoke about the outcome of the game, “It was so rewarding! We were just coming off three hard league losses, and knew this game would decide whether or not we made it to play-offs.” Wiebe emphasized how quickly the time has passed and what she will take away from the team, “It’s the ultimate cliché, but you never realize how fast your time on the team is going to go by until you’re at the end. My experience has been no exception; the quickly approaching post-season is bittersweet.” Zarrella had similar sentiments about the results of the game and her time at Vassar, “It felt great to beat RPI, because I knew we would clinch the 4th seed in playoffs, so the idea of continuing the season into league play was exciting. Also, it was our senior day, so on a day where we were so appreciated by our teammates, it felt great to come together as a team and really play for each other.” For senior athletes their experiences on their respective teams have shaped their experience at Vassar. They have learned just as much from their experiences on the field and from their coaches and teammates as they have in the classroom. Wiebe furthered, “I chose Vassar before I chose being an athlete at Vassar, yet athletics have shaped my identity on this cam-
The women’s volleyball team split their record this past Saturday at the Hall of Fame Tournament at Smith College. Their first match against Wesleyan was difficult, with the women struggling to get past Wesleyan’s offense throughout. The women lost all three sets. They bounced back with their next match against Smith. The team led in all three sets, eventually winning the match overall with tight scores of 25-11, 27-25, 25-23 respectively. Game highlights include senior Chloe Hallum’s season best 28 digs and junior Gabby Miller’s 13 kills.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
MEN’S SOCCER VASSAR
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