The Miscellany News September 30, 2021
miscellanynews.org
Volume 156 | Issue 5
International Studies introduces new correlate
Green2Go returns to campus
Ben Fikhman
Assist. opinions editor
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n Sept. 7, Coordinator of Research and Pedagogy at the Consortium of Forced Migration, Displacement and Education Ava McElhone Yates announced Vassar College’s official launch of the new Migration & Displacement Studies Correlate. Housed in the International Studies (IS) department, the new correlate is the latest addition to Vassar’s academic curriculum. Faculty members approved the new correlate during a meeting last May and it officially launched this Fall 2021 semester. “We are about to have the first students declare the correlate,” Yates commented. “We can start the year and keep the momentum going.” The Consortium for which Yates works is a program that aims to promote a shared curriculum on forced migration in colleges across the country. They hope that this work will encourage a deeper understanding of forced migration and how colleges and local institutions can work to address it. The colleges that have adopted the curriculum include Vassar, Bard College, Bennington College, Sarah Lawrence College and The New School. Additionally, the Consortium has a partnership with See Correlate on page 4
Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866
Annabelle Wang News Editor
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Above is an exhibition organized by students, local artists and activists with Vassar Refugee Solidarity. The founder of Vassar Refugee Solidarity Professor Höhn is serving as the correlate's advisor and hopes the new curriculum will bring awareness to forced migration. Photo courtesy of Karl Rabe.
n an effort to promote more sustainable dining on campus, Vassar’s Office of Sustainability recently reinstated the Green2Go program. For Fall 2021, students enrolled in the program will be able to take food from the Grill and Bowl stations at the Retreat using reusable containers rather than single-use ones. Green2Go is a sustainability initiative that promotes the usage of reusable containers as opposed to single-use ones. This program is in place at other universities, such as Pennsylvania State University, University of Pennsylvania and Carleton College (Frederick, 2014; Careyva, 2015; Sustainability at Carleton, 2021). The Office of Sustainability, in collaboration with Vassar SEED and Vassar GREENS, launched a Green2Go pilot program at the College during the Spring 2021 semester. They implemented the program to mitigate the excess plastic waste produced by the take-out dining model at Gordon Commons, colloquially known as See Green2go on page 3
Sophomores in space: Meet the faces behind Ufology Lavanya Manickam Guest Reporter
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n Aug. 29, a horde of first-years (and fellow upperclassmen) gathered on Noyes Circle for a serenade, one of Vassar’s oldest traditions. The stars loomed in the night sky above, and on that lawn, the strangers that had surrounded me for the past few nights finally started to feel like friends. Three students, exuding that cool confidence that only rockstars possess, walked on the stage in front of us: two blondes with guitars and a brunette with a drum set. The
beginning notes of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” rang out, and the audience began to sway back and forth. College is typically the time where many of life’s core memories are formed, and this was undoubtedly my first. I told this story to the students behind Ufology, the band that captured my attention the night of the serenading. “That’s what we are about!” gushed Catherine Borthwick ’24, the bass player. “Some bands here are really fun, some are really serious, but we just want people to have a good time.” With a laid-back demeanor and easygoing style, I’d be convinced that Borthwick hailed
from the West Coast––she’s from New York City. Borthwick is a current environmental studies major with a correlate in Studio Art. She is also a student fellow in Davison House. She met her fellow bandmates, Sam Lytel ’24 and James Mannix ’24, last spring in their First-Year Writing Seminar. The class focused on interpreting divine occurrences and the trio was fascinated by the various otherworldly experiences mentioned, the most prominent ones involving UFOs. The students had all heard about each other from mutual friends –– so one day Cath-
erine emailed Mannix asking him to “jam,” and before long, Sam joined the group too. From playing their instruments in the Davison basement to writing research papers in the library together, the three students soon began to click as both musicians and friends. James Mannix ’24, a Redding, Pennsylvania resident, is the small-town boy of the group. “Honestly, the only thing significant about Redding is that there’s a spot on the Monopoly board named after it,” he joked. He is a cognitive science major and a student See Ufology on page 8
Women's rugby comes back strong after two-year hiatus Sophia Ryder and Jackie Molloy Guest Reporter, Sports Editor
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eturning to contact sports after a year and a half of social distancing has been challenging for most athletes, but especially for Vassar Women’s Rugby. The squad was one of the only teams to fully sit out competition last year, choosing to opt out rather than risk the health of their team and community. So when the team decided a return to play would finally be safe this fall, they rightfully felt a wave of elation. “Now that we’re all vaccinated and aren’t a risk to everyone around us, we’re really excited to be competing again,” explained
Emily Howell ’22 via text. Despite almost two years without competition, the Women’s Rugby team has picked up right where they left off and started this new season strong, proving that despite unprecedented obstacles, they still have a winning spirit. Still, the transition from almost no contact to full-on tackling was not an easy one. “It’s definitely been difficult going from a semester in which you couldn’t even stand six feet from another person to playing rugby which is a really physical game,” said Kasey Drake ’23. She continued, “We’re just trying to work on that balance and still [respect] each other’s comfortability.” Howell
further elaborated, “We were barely doing contact last year and only in smaller groups, so it’s a bit disorienting to be playing full contact games again.” Head Coach Tony Brown added, “COVID isn’t over. From the Vassar [perspective], the majority of students are vaccinated, but rugby is a contact sport, so everyone’s sort of worried about being in close quarters.” Nevertheless, the rugby team has done very well in their first few weeks back. The squad kicked off the season with a dominant 68-0 shutout against University of Albany, followed by a second win versus Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 58-15.
They retained their winning streak this past Sunday with a more than convincing 39-14 versus Fairfield University at their home opener. With how easily they have achieved wins since returning, it’s not surprising the team is enthusiastic to be back on the field. However, winning is not the only aspect that the team is enjoying; the community and social dynamic were also sorely missed. When asked what initially made rugby appealing to her, Drake commented on the strength and welcoming nature of the team: “I was actually on the varsity volleySee Sports on page 15
Inside this issue
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Do you live in Main House? Are you considering moving to Main FEATURES House? Check out Hannah Beinstein's dorm review!
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OPINIONS
Senior Matthew Little argues that Gen Z doesn't deserve its negative stereotypes.
14 SPORTS
Are you curious how the Vassar sports teams are doing? Check out our sports roundup to find out more!