The Miscellany News
Volume CXLIX | Issue 3
September 29, 2016
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
College to update policy Wilderness Fair nurtures discussion on Title IX reporting S Emily Sayer
Guest Reporter
Eilis Donohue News Editor
T
weatered and sandaled 50-somethings mill about the Farm en masse, their eyes alight with talk of vermicompost and stormwater pollution reform. Students and other community members peruse the scene with ice cream in hand, pausing to examine soil samples and taste fresh veggies while a klezmer band serenades onlookers. Such is the scene at the Urban Wilderness Festival and Environmental Fair, coordinated by the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve and Dutchess County Environmental Management Council. The organizations came together to co-host the event with the hope of promoting environmental awareness and activism among residents of the greater Dutchess County area, inviting 20 local groups to participate See WILDERNESS on page 6
Emily Sayer/The Miscellany News
he term “Title IX,” which stems from the Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972 prohibiting sexual discrimination in educational institutions, has become a proxy for talking about everything regarding gender and sex discrimination. At Vassar, Title IX compliance falls under the auspice of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action. The current status of confidentiality and reporting on the EOAA page reads as follows: “At Vassar, some individuals and campus resources can offer confidentiality while others have specific obligations to respond when they receive a report of a crime or a campus policy violation. Most resources on campus fall in the middle of these two extremes. Neither the college nor the law requires them to divulge private information that is shared with them except in certain circumstances.” However, the administration is currently aiming to shift this policy, in order to make all Vassar employees mandated Title IX reporters; the alteration will need to pass by a simple majority, likely at the October or November faculty meeting, in order to become standard policy. Should it be passed, all employees will receive training to be adequately equipped to respond appropriately to a potential Title IX case. “We will be conducting training sessions for all members of our community
on Title IX and responsible reporting, including how to respond to a report of a sexual assault and how to steer students to professional resources for support,” Interim President Jonathan Chenette described. VSA Chair of Student Affairs and Chair of Equity and Inclusion Cecilia Hoang ’18 agreed that good training will be necessary to a successful implementation of the policy. “[T]he reality of it is, not all professors are going to be equally prepared to have those really serious conversations with a student, a student who’s seeking support and care,” she noted. “[I]f you’re saying these professors are going to be resources now, and that they’re going to handle it right, make sure they handle it right.” Vassar would be in good company with this policy shift. As Chenette observed, “Other [higher education] institutions have moved to designating faculty and almost all employees as responsible reporters. In our region, the following is a partial list of institutions designating all faculty as responsible reporters: Wesleyan, Bard College, Marist College, Mount Saint Mary College and Sarah Lawrence.” The EOAA and other sexual violence prevention programs at Vassar have also been undergoing changes in recent semesters. In January 2016, Rachel Pereira joined the EOAA Office as the new Director of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and Title IX CoorSee TITLE IX on page 3
Community members and students gather to watch klezmer band and browse the displays at the Urban Wilderness and Environmental Fair..
Patel lectures on education, equity Imaan Lamba Guest Reporter
T
he topic of this year’s Elaine Lipschutz biennial lecture, given by Dr. Leigh Patel of Boston College was, “Intersectionality in Education: Are we ready?” The Elaine Lipschutz lecture on multicultural issues takes place in honor of namesake Professor Emeritus Lipschutz once every two years and includes speakers who make current contributions to the
field of education. Elaine Lipschutz was one of the co-founders of Vassar’s Education Department in 1972 and taught full-time at Vassar until 1992. Before joining the Vassar faculty part-time in 1966, Lipschutz was a teacher at a public school in the nearby Arlington district. She first started work at Vassar as part of the “5 College Project,” which was a program created to develop a framework for the education of teachers in
small liberal arts colleges. Dayle Rebelein of the Education department described Professor Lipschutz’s teaching style as a unique combination of theory and practice which pushed her students to excel, several of whom now teach all over the country She has also been a source of support to the community by making consistent contributions over the years. See EDUCATION on page 5
CAAD offers dynamic event lineup Vassar lifting coach pushes athletes farther I Noah Purdy and Elena Schultz Arts Editors
Fiona MacLeod and Kelly Pushie Guest Reporters
T
Courtesy of Annemone Taake/Costa Compagnie
n 2014, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation gave Vassar a $750,000 grant to develop the Creative Arts Across Disciplines (CAAD). The grant is multifaceted in nature, providing for visiting artists and residences, summer student projects, multidisciplinary course development and many events throughout the year. This past summer, CAAD sponsored three multi-arts collectives, with students collaborating on projects bridging art, science, philosophy and psychology. The groups have started presenting their projects this semester, starting with the Mug installation called “You’re Data,” an exploration of the connection between science and art. Next came Create and Control’s interactive theatre piece “In the Case of a Person.” Up next is “Seeing Shadows, Hearing Echoes,” an immersive experience based on Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, premiering Oct. 3 through 7. One of the first big CAAD events of the year, coming up on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, is COSTA COMPAGNIE’s multimedia “Conversion/After Afghanistan.” In collaboration with Vassar dancers and Posse veterans, it examines the impact of NATO forces leaving Afghanistan. CAAD provides the Vassar campus with a wealth of thought-provoking arts events, and they have started this year off with a bang. See CAAD on page 15
The upcoming performance, COSTA COMPAGNIE’S “Conversion/After Afghanistan,” is just one of CAAD’s exciting multidisciplinary productions.
Inside this issue
4
NEWS
New drinking regulations hard to swallow
11
So politics very election much OPINIONS liberal
o most people, the thought of trekking across campus to spend time doing burpees, squats and inverted rows may not seem appealing. But Vassar College’s varsity weightlifting coach, Cameron Williams, has been able to inspire hundreds of student athletes to prioritize and enjoy lifting for the last three years, enabling them to perform beyond what they ever thought was possible. With Coach Williams’s knowledge and experience in strength training as well as speed and agility work, many athletes become even more equipped to conquer and thrive in their respective sports. An All-American indoor track and field star in NCAA Division III high jump, Coach Williams has been athletically successful starting early in his life. “I started strength training with bodyweight exercises when I was in middle school, and started using weights when I was 14,” he explained. Williams had similar jobs at Georgetown University and the Potomac School in McLean, VA prior to making the switch to the head of varsity weightlifting at Vassar. “I’m originally from southern Connecticut,” Williams said. “I was coaching in Washington D.C. at the
17 ARTS
time I saw an application for the job at Vassar, and I saw it as an opportunity to move closer to home.” Coach Williams emphasizes the importance of strength training for athletes of all different sports. There are various aspects in each that can be enhanced through the addition of strength and agility. “It benefits athletes in two ways. The first is that strength and power are the base upon which many athletic attributes are built,” Williams articulated. “Running quickly, jumping high, changing direction and throwing an object all require one to generate force generally as quickly as one can. The second and less obvious benefit is injury prevention. Put simply, a stronger body is often harder to break.” Vista Grinde, a freshman tennis player, not only has the privilege of lifting with Coach Williams, but also of working for him. Her job consists of cleaning benches and mats, returning weights to their proper locations, printing out workout instruction sheets and taking attendance of the athletes that show up to each scheduled lift session. This outside perspective permits her to observe Williams’s ability push the student athletes that he instructs. Although she has only worked for a few weeks, Vista explained that WilSee COACH on page 18
Beyoncé’s stage presence doesn’t sour on tour