Misc.09.30.21

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

9

Do you live in Main House? Are you considering moving to Main FEATURES House? Check out Hannah Beinstein's dorm review!

12

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!

September 30, 2021

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THE MISCELLANY NEWS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR SENIOR EDITORS

Olivia Watson Dean Kopitsky Alex Eisert Janet Song Aena Khan CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Tiana Headley Taylor Stewart Lucille Brewster NEWS EDITORS Annabelle Wang Alex Wilson ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS Sawyer Bush OPINIONS EDITOR Ben Fikhman ASSISTANT OPINIONS EDITOR Karina Burnett Nina Ajemian ARTS EDITORS Leila Raines Monika Sweeney FEATURES EDITOR Doug Cobb SPORTS EDITOR Jackie Molloy Madi Donat HUMOR EDITOR Alison Carranza SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Acadia Case SOCIAL MEDIA CONTRIBUTOR Jacqueline Gill COPY EDITORS Phoebe Jacoby Caitlin Patterson Sandro Luis Lorenzo GRAPHICS EDITOR Seowon Back GRAPHIC ARTIST Elizabeth Perkins ASSISTANT AUDIO EDITOR Ben Scharf LIVE EVENTS CHAIRPERSON Will Hwang BUSINESS MANAGER Jack Rothenberg ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER Chloe Gjoka WEBMASTER Rohan Dutta Ian Herz VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGER Grace Willoughby DESIGN EDITOR Johnathan Dean COLUMNISTS Xin Rui Ong Danielle Recco Massimo Tarridas Ganesh Pillai Carly D’Antonio Arlene Chen Katie Gebbia Gwen Ma Sam Patz Anica Acuna COPY STAFF Glenna Gomez Jason Han Sophia Jahadhmy Tori Lubin Bryn Marling Claire Miller Sashinka Poor Melissa Roybal Emma San Filippo Hadley Sparks Mia Stein Simon Goldsmith Reese Collins CROSSWORD

CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only accept corrections for any misquotes, misrepresentations or factual errors for an article within the semester it is printed.

The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. Staff editorials are the only articles that reflect the opinion of a two-thirds majority of the Editorial Board.

Sandro Luis Lorenzo/The Miscellany News.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

NEWS

September 30, 2021

Dining

services

Continued from Green2Go on page 1 the Deece, instituted in response to the ongoing pandemic (Miscellany News, 2021). Students enrolled in the program received a membership tag and token, which they could exchange for a reusable container at the Home, Root, Oasis and Brick stations in the dining hall.

Last year’s Green2Go efforts significantly diminished the amount of excess waste produced by students at the College.

According to Director of Sustainability Micah C. Kenfield, preliminary estimates from the approximately 200 students who actively participated in the program last spring demonstrated that about 7,500 single-use containers were diverted from the landfill in addition to thousands of pounds of food waste.

After a successful trial run at the Deece last year, the Office of Sustainability decided to revive the Green2Go program at the Retreat, since the former cafeteria is now dine-in only. The process is the same as it was last year: students receive a membership tag and a token they can use to exchange for a reusable container and food.

Enrollees then must wash the containers and return them at a machine located near the dish area in the Deece, where they will retrieve their token and repeat the process for their next meal.

As of Sept. 28, approximately 100 students have signed up to participate in Green2Go for the coming school year and the Office of Sustainability is actively working to recruit more members.

President of Vassar SEED Glenna Gomez ’24 [Disclaimer: Gomez is a Copy Staffer at The Miscellany News] is one of the 100 students who have enrolled in the program

introduces

thus far. As a member of one of the organizations that heavily advocated for Green2Go last year, Gomez believes the program is a step in the right direction. “I fully support the reinstitution of the Green2Go program at the Retreat,” she said. Gomez added, “Zero-waste is the ultimate goal … I am hopeful that the implementation of the Green2Go program...is going to help us work towards waste reduction.”

Office of Sustainability intern Lisa Smart ’22 has also signed up for the Green2Go program and feels excited for the program’s resurgence. “I have been working on waste reduction on campus since my freshman year in GREENS, Dining Committee, and the Office of Sustainability, and this finally feels like a solution that is visible and accessible to all students,” said Smart.

Smart also emphasized the importance of increased student engagement in the program: “I would say that...participation in Green2Go is extremely important in order to show administration and the people who worked to get this program off the ground that it was worth the investment.” Without feedback from students, it becomes hard to gauge the value of the program. Smart elaborated, “When changes are put into place and no one expresses any sort of excitement or critique, there is less likelihood that that program, no matter how useful or needed it is, will grow or develop into the ideal system that students may imagine.”

Since the program is still in its preliminary stages, only students can register to participate. However, the Office of Sustainability hopes to expand Green2Go’s membership to employees once the program is solidified.

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Green2Go

While there are hopes for Green2Go to expand in the future, it will not return to the Gordon Commons. As explained by Kenfield, “Gordon Commons is traditionally dine-in-only, and only switched over to takeout when in-person dining was suspended. Now that in-person dining is back at Gordon Commons, there are no plans to offer take-out...at this venue.” They proceeded to say, “Our focus right now is getting the program off the ground at the new location [the Retreat] and making sure we're doing it right.”

When asked if she wished for the Green2Go program to be implemented at the Deece, Gomez highlighted the symbolic significance of the program’s existence on campus: “While it may only have a small impact on the waste overall on campus, I believe this transition is integral to our ongoing discussion with admin concerning the reduction of single-use options specifically.”

Although Gomez fully supports the Green2Go program at the Retreat, she also cautioned that such efforts were just the beginning in terms of fully sustainable dining on campus. She stated, “I believe that we are taking the right steps toward waste reduction overall, however we still have a long way to go. She explained, “The obstacle in the way of obtaining our goal is often [in] concord with the administration. As long as we continue to voice our concerns and remain in communication with admin (such as the VSA Dining Committee), I am hopeful that we will continue decreasing the overall waste at the Deece.”

In terms of other plans moving forward, Kenfield noted that the Office of Sustainability is currently working with Dining

at

Retreat

Annabelle Wang/The Miscellany News.

Services to develop a joint program that will diminish contamination rates for recycling and compost, and bolster the College’s composting program.

Since the plans are still in their early stages, more details cannot be provided at this time but the Office of Sustainability in collaboration with Dining Services will provide them in the near future.

While there have been many strides towards a more environmentally-friendly campus, the work is yet to be done. For now, the Green2Go program serves as a critical step in the College’s attempts to reduce excess waste and promote sustainability in the long term.

VSA UPDATES Executive Board Equity and Inclusion - Social Consciousness Fund Application:VSA adopts $2000 allocation for ALANA Fest Residential Affairs - Dining Services planning on surveying the student body to gauge student opinions on various topics (e.g enough gluten free options, labeling, etc.)

- Vassar GREENS met with manager of Bon Appétit; Greens committee reached out about concerns with Late Night and single-use plastic Board of Residential Affairs (BORA) reported that service requests are being responded to Health & Wellness - First Aid initiative: Health & Wellness officials went to dorms and Town Apartments (TAs) and saw left over supplies; they will go back to dorms and get a count of the left over supplies to see what is needed to restock - Health & Wellness newsletter started Organizations - Application for pre-organizations went out; applications are rolling in Meeting with Michelle Random to discuss getting organizations closets

Academics - Academic Committee met for the first time this week - Academic Committee thinking of starting a pilot program for textbooks and also thinking about having Majors Fair twice a year, one time per semester Finance - School is planning Class of 2020 in-person ceremony because this class year was unable to have one due to COVID-19.

- Money from the fiscal year was supposed to be set aside but records were not found for it.

-The money will likely come out of the contingency fund for this year.

Some unpaid bills above $5,000 that will also come out of the contingency fund - Barefoot Fireflies submitted a capital application.

-The Finance Committee was supportive of most of the items listed except for the speakers and tools from Lowes.

- The Finance Committee recommended finding these items through Amazon.

- The Finance Committee referenced an allocation given to the Frisbee team last week. The Frisbee team’s treasurer bought speakers that were a lot more cost effective and have the characteristics that the Barefoot Fire-

flies were looking for.

- Barefoot Fireflies will take speakers offered by the Shiva Theater but wanted to ensure that the new metal torches they requested were approved for safety concerns.

- The Finance Committee approved all requested items except for the speakers.

VSA President - Met with President Bradley & Dean Alamo to discuss COVID-19 testing policies - Author of petition for regular COVID-19 testing invited to Operations meeting - Vassar starting to build relations with tribes that Vassar land is on (Deleare tribe, Ontario tribe, etc.)

Committee Chair Updates Environmental Action - SEED is going to meet about Divistement - Sent a survey about environmental issues -Met with Director of Sustainability Micah Kenfield and discussed Sustainability Peer Educator in different organizations and dorms.

-They also talked about issues related to recycling and composting

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Senator Updates Class of 2024 Senator: - Met with Dean Inoa regarding parties on campus.

-Dean Inoa forwarded the guidelines for registering a party but only students who are over 21 and live in an apartment area are qualified to register, so it is irrelevant for underclassmen.

Class of 2023 Senator: - Sent out introduction email which included a poll about the Class of ’23 tree - Will be having a meeting with administration about raising the minimum wage for students - Proxy for Class of ’23 Senator stated that foreign language requirement is changing but will likely not be implemented until the Class of ’26 - New parking might be built behind Josselyn and/or Jewett Constituent Concerns - Latinx Student Union requests a closet for the organization's storage.

- They claim some of their capital fund items were stolen because they do not have adequate storage. They are requesting a closet.

-The Chair of Orgs shared that closet space is extremely limited, and they are working on trying to get them a closet in the ALANA center.

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NEWS

September 30, 2021

Migration & displacement studies correlate introduced Continued from Correlate on page 1 the Council for European Studies, an academic organization for the study of Europe based at Columbia University.

The correlate’s structure is composed of six units. As with other Consortium colleges, the earliest requirement is the completion of the one-unit, 100-level IS course “Lexicon of Forced Migration” (Vassar College Catalogue, 2021). A student must then complete four units from a list of approved courses.

The list includes courses from 20 different departments, such as Psychology, Urban Studies, Italian Studies, History, Education and Religion. Classes include the Education and Latin American Studies course “Undocumented, Unapologetic, Unafraid,” the Urban Studies course “Refugees and Urban Space” and the French & Francophone Studies course “Voices of Exile and Migration.” One stipulation is that one of the four units must include community-engaged and off-campus work.

This correlate could be an opportunity for students coming from a variety of academic backgrounds. “It couldn’t be a history or political science correlate,” Vassar History Professor and Consortium Director Maria Höhn said. “It is so interdisciplinary and that’s why for now it’s like a free-floating correlate. A computer science major can ask, ‘I love working with big data, but how can I use that knowledge to help engage with the challenges of massive displacement?’ The correlate will help the student study them in a creative, cohesive, analytical way.”

The final requirement is the completion of a one-unit, 300-level capstone project in consultation with the correlate sequence

advisor. Professor Höhn is set to be the correlate sequence advisor for all students declaring the correlate this semester. “We’re talking to juniors and seniors, for whom [the correlate] is a way to mark the study they’ve already done, in brainstorming Capstone projects,” Yates stated.

Samantha Cavagnolo ’22, a religion major who plans to declare the correlate, expressed her enthusiasm. “It’s exciting for the IS program to have the correlate underneath its repertoire,” she commented. “Before, you either could be an IS major or be minimally involved with the department, so now I have a foot in the door.”

Höhn reflected on the correlate’s main purpose and its source of funding. “We wanted to create a horizontal, rather than vertical, engagement of students with refugees. Having refugee students and refugee scholars was one of the key motivating factors of the Consortium [and correlate],” Höhn recalled. “It was in 2016 when we developed this curriculum. Then, we approached the [Andrew W.] Mellon Foundation, and that’s where we received a $2.5 million grant for the Consortium to help its colleges implement a cohesive curriculum on migration and displacement.”

According to Höhn, Vassar has hosted refugee scholars thanks to funding from the Mellon Foundation and the Scholars Rescue Fund. For example, the College hosted a microbiologist from Nigeria and an architect from Syria who taught an Urban Studies class on refugee housing during the Spring 2021 semester. Other Consortium schools have also hosted refugee scholars. After hosting refugee and migrant high school students at Vassar for two weeks in 2019 to explore academic and

student life on campus, the Consortium is now looking into more ways to support refugee students.

Höhn mentioned that her own work with refugees helped motivate the initiative. She touched upon her German identity and the country’s history, as well as Vassar’s effort in the 1930s and 40s to help refugees escape Nazism. “I started thinking, ‘Universities have a moral and ethical obligation to do something, right?’” she explained. “How do we prepare new leaders to change discourse in America on what is a huge crisis like [displacement] or climate change?”

This work is the result of much effort from both students and faculty members.

Student involvement was key to the development of this new correlate. Margaret Edgecombe ’22, an IS and Latin American Studies major, was involved in the development of the correlate starting with her first year at Vassar. Margaret participated in a planning conference in the fall of 2018 with faculty members and students from each of the schools in the Consortium to help structure the syllabus for the “Lexicon of Forced Migration” course. She was also involved in Steering Committee meetings for the program.

“Implementing a program of study relating to forced migration is crucial in legitimizing the voices of students and others who speak up to the administration (and local institutions) about actions that must be taken to support refugees and people who underwent forced migration and/or displacement,” Edgecombe explained. She added that there is growing student interest for the correlate, particularly from those involved with Vassar Refugee Solidarity.

Although former Co-Coordinator of Re-

search and Pedagogy Matthew Brill-Carlat ’19 remarked, “Professor Höhn was the brains, drive and energy behind the correlate,” Höhn said, “I led the effort with students who are very impactful and passionate about this topic. It was crucial that [the initiative] was informed by students’ desires and expectations. And our Steering Committee includes not just students and faculty, but also staff.”

University of Tennessee professor Dr. Brittany Murray, who taught Lexicon of Forced Migration at Vassar in 2019, was the Program Coordinator for the Consortium and played a role in the correlate’s creation, emphasizing student involvement and enthusiasm. “In my time, I saw so much incredible student work,” she reflected. “The work was interdisciplinary and innovative.

I witnessed the outcomes and it was magnificent. I feel elated and overjoyed that now there’s a structure in place to continue supporting this work.”

Members of the Consortium on Forced Migration, Displacement and Education are enthusiastic about the introduction of the correlate. They believe the correlate will offer robust learning opportunities and empower students to make positive changes.

“It’s too soon to say what global-scale change people are creating three years out of college, but the correlate is not just for people desiring to work in the NGO sphere,” said Brill-Carlat. “It’s for doctors, lawyers, translators, social workers, and it’s so important to understand displacement because it is so interrelated with climate change, racism, and other issues. We can be more educated, sensitive and effective in whatever job we do.”

Courtesy of Aryn Lee '25.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

September 30, 2021

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Courtesy of Tori Kim '25.

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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ARTS

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September 30, 2021

Kanye West returns to true self, old ways in album ‘Donda’ Ganesh Pillai Columnist

W

hen fans heard Kanye West’s latest album “Donda” would have religious themes, the excitement was muted, especially having come fresh off a lackluster effort in “Jesus is King.” However, the album was devoted to his late mother, who had a tremendous effect on West throughout his career. What impact would this have sonically, content-wise and atmospherically? As it turns out, with “Donda,” Kanye returns to his true form, mixing the elements of his old self that enamored us from the beginning with innovative styles and techniques.

Kanye’s first album, “The College Dropout” released in 2004, but he produced beats long before. He has witnessed the hip-hop genre evolve and change in countless ways, connecting him to the game on a deep level. While I would commend Kanye for his timelessness, even someone as influential as him has to adapt to changing sounds. Past albums such as “Yeezus” and “The Life of Pablo” are great examples of Kanye transitioning his sound from an old-school, soul feel to a more trap-heavy style that has typified recent trends in rap. “Donda” not only continues this trend, but builds on it in new and fascinating ways. On “Off the Grid,” Kanye fuses his gospel style with trap and drill beats, both of which are new-wave sounds. Playboi Carti and Fivio Foreign, two artists of the new wave rap, offer bars, embodying a style very different from Kanye’s. Yet, he was able to bring them together under his wing, and in the process created possibly one of the best songs of the year, with each artist delivering an incredible verse.

“Heaven and Hell” is another stand-out track in which Kanye expertly combines his choirbased sound with a more modern trap beat.

The choir coming to full voice during the chorus never fails to give me chills. While Kanye does include tracks with his vintage touch, such as “New Again,” whose jubilant electronic sound could have fit perfectly on “Graduation,” the most powerful tracks are those embracing Kanye’s new style. “Lord I Need You” features a haunting, somber gospel backing sample, over which Kanye mourns the deterioration of a relationship, needing God to help him through the struggle. “I give up on doin’ things my way/ And tell me everything’s gonna be alright.”

Collaboration with so many younger, fresher faces distinguishes “Donda'' from the rest of West’s excellent catalogue. It seems he made a concerted effort to work with many up-andcomers, making sure to give these stars all they need to shine—and every single one of them delivered. Roddy Ricch’s hook on “Pure Souls'' is expressive and smooth. Baby Keem is commanding in “Praise God.” Playboi Carti adds his unmatched energy to both “Off the Grid” and “Junya.” Giving the space for these artists to provide such great features not only enhances “Donda” but also helps catapult their careers to new heights. We saw this phenomenon with Chance the Rapper’s meteoric rise in 2016, when he won rap album of the year following a universally-hailed guest verse on “Life of Pablo.” Kanye’s willingness and desire to work with new faces demonstrates his abilities to recognize true talent and collaborate.

Above all, Kanye retains the element of his music that is most crucial—the sheer quality and depth to each track. Compared to so many other projects, such as recent “Certified Lover Boy” by Drake, Kanye’s tracks have a richness in sound that stands alone. Even in an album with a whopping 27 tracks, he is not one for filler or half-hearted efforts. With a Kanye album,

Photo courtesy of NRK P3 via Flickr. you know that hethe artist put his heart and soul into each song. This can be seen through each track’s intricate layering; meshing of samples; collaboration; and variety of styles, beats and lyrical content. Songs such as “Moon” or “No Child Left Behind” may seem slower, but bring an ethereal atmosphere to the album.

Songs such as “God Breathed” or “Jesus is Lord” may seem long and drawn-out, but they allow Kanye to express his complicated relationship with faith, a running motif throughout the album.

This leads to the possible criticism that some may have for the album: its emphasis on religious themes. While it can come off as lofty and preachy, “Donda” is more relatable than “Jesus is King.” Admittedly, the album does discuss religion, and some tracks are meant to praise God. However, many songs, such as “Lord I Need You” or “Ok Ok,” actually deal with Kanye’s struggle with himself, his mental health and his religion. A complicated relationship with faith is far more relatable. So while I also wish

that Kanye talked more about Gold Diggers, Devils in New Dresses and didn’t exclude curse words, this album still retains enough of his genius to make it enjoyable.

“Donda” is Kanye being Kanye. Free-thinking, style-adapting, innovating Kanye. To be able to hold a listener's full attention for 27 tracks must mean the album is something truly unique. Most rappers have songs that can make you bop your head, tap your foot or even break out into dance, but few can say that they truly take your breath away.

Rating

8.7

/10

Best Songs: "Heaven and Hell," "Jail," "Off the Grid," "Lord I Need You" Best Feature: Fivio Foreign ("Off the Grid")

Takahiro Miyashita plays with past work in new collection Massimo Tarridas Columnist

T

akahiro Miyashita has always been more obsessed with music than with fashion.

The label that brought him fame was Number (N)ine, a now-defunct brand named after the experimental sound collage “Revolution 9” from The Beatles’ “White Album.” After leaving in 2010, Miyashita started TAKAHIROMIYASHITATheSoloist., which has been far more abstract and unexpected. Miyashita’s Spring Summer 2022 collection “PAUSE≒PLAY” exemplifies both of these categorizations. Some garments are borderline indescribable, like a pair of pants that are cut just above the knee, leaving the shins exposed and the extra fabric limp, flopping onto the model’s calf with each step. Some garments are worse than indescribable and are actually egregious, such as a collaboration with fellow Japanese brand Suicoke to make fivetoed black leather ankle boots (for those who despise Margiela’s hooved tabi boot). To make matters worse, these boots are styled with skin-tight running shorts. I’d like to attribute the five-toed shoes to Miyashita just wanting to tap into a micro-trend (Rick Owens, Doja Cat and Dorian Electra have all recently worn AVAVAV’s four-toed claw shoes), but considering the amount of time it takes to produce a show, the real explanation might be that Miyashita is just genuinely weird.

All the models wear lunch paper bags over their heads, printed with the slogan “Listen To The Soloist” and with eye-holes cut out, the anonymity part of a conceptual and unspoken influence on the show: The Blue Man Group, an American art performance group renown for its productions featuring mimetic skits and songs by the eponymous “Blue Men." Despite this self-stated inspiration, I’m happy to

"The catwalk is set in an industrial, all-black environment lit with two strips of white lights, a possible reference to the theatre stage, and original music written

by Akira Kosemura accompanies the show." say that the Blue Man Group’s presence only exists in execution. The catwalk is set in an industrial, all-black environment lit with two strips of white lights, a possible reference to the theatre stage, and original music written

by Akira Kosemura accompanies the show. It feels like a spectacle, but there are no brightly painted middle-age men running around, thankfully. Instead, there are unusually complicated pieces. For example, one grey suit vest is half-finished, with the other half-covered with cut-off white fabric and the hem folded backwards to show the structure of the back.

The vest’s curved pattern creates undulating stitches that run throughout the body, and the use of surprising materials such as transparent PVC and tape along the bottom edge is so ideologically punk that it makes up for some of the less impressive parts of the show. One of the more bizarre constructions appears to be the bottom third of an MA-1 military flight jacket tied around the waist underneath a blazer, such that from the back it appears as though the entire jacket is underneath an impossibly small blazer. Almost every look contains some trompe l’oeil details like these that make one question the structure, function, comfort

and material, etc. of the garment. It’s in analyzing these embellishments that the collection shines.

Miyashita may be the answer to a desperate demand in menswear for unconventional layering pieces. This desire for layers results in Internet frenzies forming around looks such as Timotheé Chalamet’s 2019 Golden Globe outfit, which included a black sequined Louis Vuitton harness, or any one of a number of A$AP Rocky’s looks such as his iconic babushka or the Cheetos-orange puffer jacket he wore during Milan Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2017.

The joke is that the universal outfit for most menswear enthusiasts is simply jeans, sneakers, a t-shirt and either a hoodie or a plaid flannel—in other words, the universal outfit for most, well, men—and at this point, there should be asymmetrical tank tops, bondage skirt-pants, anything different. Miyashita is one of a handful of veteran Japanese designers who helped make jeans, sneakers and a t-shirt fashionable for menswear in the first place by putting them on the runway in the ’90s and early 2000s. Miyashita’s Number (N)ine Fall/ Winter 2003 “Touch Me I’m Sick” famously reinterprets key Kurt Cobain ensembles using specific examples from Cobain’s wardrobe: blue mohair cardigans, button-up heart-print pajamas, thick oval white-rimmed sunglasses, winter hats with ear flaps and patched jeans. Admittedly, these are simple garments, but that 2003 show embodies Miyashita’s visionary appreciation of grunge style, as well as the novel concept of using one celebrity’s closet as source material.

Over time, Miyashita has become more and more unorthodox. His final show for Number (N)ine Fall/Winter 2009 “A Closed Feeling” is widely regarded as his magnum opus for its faux-baroque and subtly gothic looks. A typical look from this show might put together a

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

reconstructed dinner jacket with a frilled poet shirt and mismatched vest, a black wool skirt atop white thermal underwear, imitation L.L. Bean duck boots and a feathered fedora whose brim forms a veil made of chains around the model’s face. “PAUSE≒PLAY” is continuing this history of complex layering, since details like lacy Victorian collars, the styling of the shorts with long socks and face coverings are reminiscent of earlier work like “A Closed Feeling.” At the same time, the masks are also clearly prescient—it’s moments like these that illuminate the title of the show. The act of pressing pause and play mirrors our own collective in-between state, as some people get ready to move forward and others continue waiting. In a Q&A at Tokyo Fashion Week, Miyashita said, “I have never looked back on my own past or self-reflected, but this season I started to develop the collection by thinking about who I am as a person. I pressed pause for a moment in order to press play again.”

"In a Q&A at Tokyo Fashion Week, Miyashita said, 'I have never looked back on my own past or self-reflected, but this season I started to develop the collection by thinking about who I am as a person. I pressed pause for a moment in order to press play again.'”

September 30, 2021

ARTS

Page 7

Baby Keem impresses with debut album ‘The Melodic Blue’ Willem Doherty Guest Columnist

W

hat’s your image of Baby Keem? Is it the smooth, confident voice he started out with on his breakout hit, “Orange Soda”? Is it the reserved, contemplative sound in tracks like “first order of business”? Or is it something in the middle—the quiet yet boastful tones of “durag activity,” perhaps?

If one is hoping to walk away from “The Melodic Blue” with an easily digestible understanding of Baby Keem, they will be sorely disappointed. He does not distill himself that explicitly. He slides effortlessly from hard trap beats to pared-down flows, even belting out into song from time to time. He reveals his versatility from the very beginning with “trademark usa,” which changes from drowned-out beats and barely audible synths to an angry

"He slides effortlessly from hard trap beats to pared-down flows, even belting out into song from time to time. He reveals his versatility from the very beginning with 'trademark usa' which changes from drownedout beats and barely audible synths to an angry trap beat"

trap beat. The lyrics are similarly dichotomous: “What's next? War and turbulence, prayin' on this plane/ Success, got a taste of it, never was the same/ Trademark on that pussy, trademarkin' my brand-new bitch.”

“Trademark usa” is not an exception to the rule; if a song on Keem’s album is longer than three minutes, it usually switches at some point in its runtime. This creates a beautiful, manic energy, but also leads to some mismatches in tone: “range brothers” shifts from earnest come-up rapping to a bizarre comedic bent that features Keem’s mentor and older cousin Kendrick Lamar spouting hilarious ad libs like “Top of the mornin” and “We’re not the Waynes!” Let me be clear: I love the last minute of “range brothers.” It made me laugh out loud. But the first four minutes are essentially an entirely different song.

It’s worth noting that I’m a sucker for trap, which makes me the prime demographic for Keem’s production style. That being said, one should be able to enjoy the more refined beats of “The Melodic Blue” even if they aren’t a fan of his earlier, semi-amateur backing tracks. PgLang and Kendrick Lamar’s influence certainly helped with production, but the polished tracks are also a sign of the rapper’s growing maturity.

That maturity, of course, seeps into the tracks Keem has chosen to include in “The Melodic Blue.” Songs like “issues” and “first order of business” spring to mind as compelling peeks into Keem’s life outside of the studio. They are genuine without feeling melodramatic, which is a difficult line to toe. Though I will say songs like “scars” lose their emotional punch when raps about OnlyFans precede them by two tracks.

"Keem is far reaching here, experimenting with different samples and beats like a kid in a candy store. Do some of these long shots miss?

Of course they do. But if someone can produce an album this good at only 20 years old, we ought to cut them a little slack."

Thankfully, Keem does not fall victim to the slow-sad-song-followed-by-fast-flashysong mentality that befalls so many young artists. “family ties” (the best song on the project) functions as both a club banger and a vehicle for Keem’s personal story. “I was seein’ double in the projects/ Mad at myself when I put it to the side/ Mama had to cater for the coupe/ That we rode after school on the way to Popeyes.”

Lamar also reappears on “family ties” and “range brothers,” and as an uncredited voice on “vent.” “family ties” marks one of Lamar’s first projects since 2017’s “Damn” and 2018’s “Black Panther: the Album.” Unsurprisingly, he steals the show. What is surprising is that Keem keeps up. His opening verse is one of the best of the album and his career. The fact that the greatest rapper of all time only barely outshines him is a testament to Keem’s talent as a performer.

In fact, Keem’s individual performance almost never falters; he never has a particularly bad verse or track. The problems arise in regard to organization, however.

For example, “scapegoats” feels like it was originally the intro, or an idea for one, but instead it’s stuck awkwardly between two high-energy tracks. Perhaps Keem tried to experiment with the idea of an interlude like his older cousin did in “To Pimp a Butterfly,” but it just doesn’t hit in the way he wants it to. Similarly, “16” feels too half-baked to be a proper ending to an album full of highs. And, as previously mentioned, boastful melodies undercut the heartfelt songs about Keem’s inner mindset.

“The Melodic Blue” has been described as “an ambitious first album,” which would be a trite observation if it weren’t so true.

Keem is far reaching here, experimenting with different samples and beats like a kid in a candy store.

Do some of these long shots miss? Of course they do. But if someone can produce an album this good at only 20 years old, we ought to cut them a little slack. I couldn’t fit Keem’s sound into one box, but I like what I hear in “The Melodic Blue.”

Hopefully, we’ll get to hear more of it soon.

Rating

7.5

/10

Favorite Tracks: "family ties," "durag activity," "south africa" Least Favorite Track: "scars"

Misc Music Fest: Memories from a night of musical mayhem This Friday, Sept. 24, The Miscellany News hosted its second Misc Music Fest. The event lasted 6 hours, and featured student musicians and bands. The lineup included, in order of appearance: Fowlmouth, Ronan Sidoti, Ufology, yarn., Father Koi, Devlinbleu, Alouette Batteau and Spud Cannon. Here are some photographs from that night, through the eyes of an energized audience:

Grace Adams Ward/The Miscellany News.

Willem Doherty/The Miscellany News.

Igor Martiniouk/The Miscellany News.

Grace Adams Ward/The Miscellany News.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

FEATURES

Page 8

Student

band

Continued from Ufology on page 1 fellow in Noyes. Mannix is the drummer and classically trained In terms of songwriting, however, he calls himself the baby of the band, and hopes to learn enough guitar and vocals to compose his own music in the future.

Sam Lytel ’24 plays the guitar and appears to be the lead vocalist of the group. He grew up in Cooperstown, New York and is a potential math major. Lytel began to make his own music in high school, soon after he learned to play the guitar and sing.

Lytel was the songwriter behind “Precious Time,” creating a demo in his voice memos before sharing with the band. As with most of their original music, Lytel will make a drum beat using digital production systems and then Mannix will then either recreate it note for note or adjust it for his live drum set. Borthwick also wrote music during high school as part of a student-led

Ufology

theater production, but hopes to compose songs with the band. “It will be interesting to start with a seed of an idea and then work on it together,” said Borthwick.

Ufology had their debut during the 2020 First-Year Experience Concert. The night was a memorable one for the band. Not only was it their first live performance, but five minutes before they were scheduled to play, the sky opened up and a storm poured down around them. The band grabbed cables and amps, setting up their equipment under a tent to finish their set. They had spent the past four days frantically pulling it together, so they intended to see this gig through, rain or shine.

Rather than evacuating, the crowd of students huddled in a mass under the outdoor tent, determined to hear the band play.

“Everyone was underneath the tent because it was literally pouring out—on any side, if they stepped out, they would get drenched,”

is

out

September 30, 2021

of

said Mannix. “We knew we were going to get shut down, but we were like, ‘go, go, go!’” he added. They played “Precious Time,” an original, “Karma Police” by Radiohead and started Cage the Elephant’s “Cigarette Daydreams.”

Recounting their first performance, the three friends bounced off each other: there was laughter, excited interruptions and Mannix’s ardent gestures demonstrating the intensity of the rain. On stage they are smooth and suave, swaying and crooning and hypnotizing the audience—an intimidating presence. Here on the lawn of Joss Beach, they were goofy, chaotic and animated young people.

Borthwick appeared to be the pseudo-manager of the group. While the communal-bandmate chemistry is electric and fun, it is Borthwick’s jovial assertiveness that took them from practicing in the bike shop in the Strong parking lot to perform-

this

world

ing on a stage on Noyes Circle. Sam claimed that when Catherine manages something, it is more accurate. Catherine claims that she took on this role to make up for a lack of musical skills. The boys immediately—and passionately—disagreed with that statement.

In addition to the bike shop, the band also practices in Skinner and Blodgett. “If there is a place to practice, we will be there,” said Mannix.

As for what is next for Ufology, they have one destination in mind: outer space. In all seriousness, the trio is unsure of what their future holds. They are each complex individuals with diverse interests. Lytel and Mannix are both varsity athletes, and hope to pursue careers outside of music. However, if they become a famous band, they have every intention of continuing to play once they graduate. With a style, energy and chemistry like theirs, I have no doubt that they will.

Photo Courtesy of Laura Wong '24.

Photo Courtesy of Nathan Strope '24.

Photo Courtesy of Justine Tapert '24.

Photo Courtesy of Laura Wong '24.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

September 30, 2021

FEATURES

Page 9

Main House review: Is it really the “best house?”

Hannah Beinstein Guest Reporter

I

was in awe at the sheer size of Main House when I first arrived at Vassar. It towered over me, and I was shocked that this elegant building would soon become my new home. According to the Vassar College website, when Vassar opened in 1865, Main housed almost the entire college including students, faculty, the library, classrooms and even an art gallery. Now, Main is home to over 300 students, the College Center and two dining options.

Though this dorm comes with its pros and cons, I’m happy that I get to live here. In this review I will reveal the charming and less-appealing aspects of living in Main Building.

The residential area of Main has less of a college-dorm feel, with its spacious rooms and high ceilings. The wide hallways and old distinguished windows also align with the building’s historic charm.

Though there are beautiful spots, some of the living conditions in Main, especially on the fourth floor, are not ideal. Many of

the fourth floor ceilings are suffering from water damage and some of the ceilings are leaking; the ceiling in my dorm is an example of the former.

Other less-than ideal conditions include the wide hallways of the third and fourth floors, which contain old rugged carpets and a musty smell. Additionally, the stairs are extremely echoey, so it’s easy to hear people walking on them. This is worsened by the fact that the walls are also thin, which can get especially annoying when people decide to blast music on weeknights.

Despite dismal conditions, Main has ample space for gathering with friends and fun hang-out spaces. I personally find that living on the third floor is incredibly convenient since it includes the laundry room, TV room, kitchen and multipurpose room.

The TV room is a fun, air-conditioned space to spend time with friends, watch a movie or do work. In addition, Main includes two dining options, Express and The Retreat, so students don’t have to step outside to get food.

The quality of bathrooms in Main varies

considerably. On some of the lower floors, the showers have curtains instead of doors that lock. In the center bathroom on the fourth floor, there are two showers that face each other with nothing but curtains in between. Turning off the shower can prove stressful; it’s hard to live in fear of someone opening your curtain since they don’t hear the water. Also, in some of the toilets on the third floor, the water gets higher after each flush. Some have even overflowed a few times.

However, stepping into the fifth floor of Main is like walking into a completely different dorm. The fifth floor, which was renovated this previous summer, feels and looks like a hotel. The hallways gleam with a fresh coat of paint and the water fountains have filtered cool water and a sensor to fill up bottles. But the best part of this floor is the brand new bathrooms: They are large and gorgeous. There are plent of stalls and showers with doors that lock and the freshly painted walls and smooth floors make me feel as if I’m showering in luxury.

Another more glamorous part of Main

Photo Courtesy of Hannah Beinstein ’25.

Photo Courtesy of Hannah Beinstein ’25.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

is the Rose Parlor, which has gorgeous red couches, rose-colored wallpaper and white columns. This beautiful common area has elegant windows with a view of Vassar’s main gate and the library. It is a wonderful place where students can study or hang out.

It is also home to a piano that is available for students to use.

Despite Main being the oldest building on campus, it’s definitely a fun dorm to live in. On Friday or Saturday nights there are usually groups of people chatting in the hallways, as well as events in the Villard Room or the Rose Parlor. From outside, people can see strobe lights in certain dorms, there’s music echoing through the hallways and friends are constantly stopping by each other’s rooms.

I would give Main House three out of five stars. Although the building has its share of flaws, the Rose Parlor is an amazing place to study and I know I’ll be relieved in the winter when I won’t have to leave my dorm to get breakfast.

I’m happy to call this quirky old place my home.

Photo Courtesy of Monika Sweeney ’24.

Photo Courtesy of Monika Sweeney ’24.

HUMOR

Page 10

September 30, 2021

Breaking News

From the desk of Madi Donat, Humor Editor

A year and a half of Zoom college does not automatically make one good at technology, students discover Another failure from the Misc: Mismanagement of funds Janet Song

Apologizer-in-Chief

T

he Miscellany News would like to apologize for a scandal that occurred in February 2020 inside the Misc office in which Senior Editor Janet Song used all of the office computers to try and buy BTS tickets. “I made ten Ticketmaster accounts,” she was reported to have said. Gesturing towards all seven computers in her vicinity, she added, “And I've been in the waiting room for two hours.” After receiving tickets to two back row seats, Song commented, “I’ve never been this lucky before!” a comment that did not age well when the COVID-19 pandemic arrived a month later. Although BTS has recently canceled their concert, Song affirmed during production night that she wasn’t that distressed, saying she didn’t like Permission to Dance anyway as she shook a Misc themed coffee mug in her

hand. Such behavior is inconsistent with our values, and we aim to represent Vassar’s student body as accurately as possible.

We will ensure no errors like this happen again. Additionally, those who have tickets to see GOT7 when they finally reband should contact Song at janet@badmisc.org.

Have more Miscellany News failures to report? Call our 24/7 tipline at 1-800-BADMISC with any and all grievances. We're here for you! Maybe.

Janet Song/The Miscellany News.

The nature of things: Birds and bugs of America Nicholas Tillinghast Birdfan471

T

he days are getting shorter since the fall season has arrived. For those unfamiliar with fall, it is when the trees collectively desert the color green. Quickly regretting their decision, they abandon their leaves entirely and enter a winter of self-doubt and rediscovery.

This week, I was not greeted again by my Deer friend. It’s okay. We just didn't get the timing right. Our schedules must have never lined up. That’s okay. I’m fine.

Instead I was greeted by the birds and bugs of America.

Sept. 22, 4:50 p.m.: At a Convocation that lacked the usual intermission magic show, instead of being blessed by the presence of David Blaine spitting out frogs, we saw nine to twelve Canada geese fly right overhead, giving the viewer an excellent glimpse of their melonous underbellies.

These Canada geese appeared to be flying down to Florida, probably to be with my aunt’s ex-boyfriend. Or maybe returning to Canada; I’m not too sharp with my cardinal directions.

Speaking of cardinals, I didn’t catch any this week. They must have already made it to Florida. I also was not able to capture any photos of this magnificent goose meeting as I was far too engrossed in Convocation.

Sept. 23, 8:36 p.m.: Although Fall has begun, the abundant bugs have not decided to hibernate just yet. I was playing piano in Skinner Hall while a concerning centipede watched and listened. I let him know he wouldn’t be getting any free piano lessons from me.

Later that night on my way over to the library from Skinner Hall, a field cricket blocked my way. He jumped across the sidewalk in a boastful sort of manner, almost as if he was looking to challenge me.

I’ll have you know I’d never lost a jumping competition before (8-0) and I wasn’t gonna start then. I jumped a good 18 inches off

the ground when it was my turn and won handily. He skittered out to the grass having accepted defeat. 9-0.

Sept. 25, 7:08 p.m. I was in the middle of a phone call with my mother while staring blankly out at the single log in the middle of Sunset Lake when I witnessed a heron come down from the sky and perch on that little log. I put my mother on hold.

I had never met a heron before, but based on its long black eye-streak, it seemed to be of the great blue variety. From its shorter stature, which I didn’t expect of the bird, I deduced it was the smaller female. She perched there alone in the middle of the lake reflecting.

I wondered if this great blue heron ever called out to her mom. I wondered if she told her mom about the fish that she caught for the day and if she told her about the days when she didn’t catch a single fish.

Her mother might respond, “That’s okay, honey. You might not be great yet, but you will be great.”

"The birds and bugs of America have both compelled and challenged me this week."

Canada geese flew high overhead across the lake out past the trees. She soon flew away into the night as well.

The birds and bugs of America have both compelled and challenged me this week.

I hope to embody the free-spirit attitude of the Canada goose and be as self-reflective as the great blue heron. Having beaten the cricket, he isn’t able to teach me anything, although I do respect his tenacity. The centipede needs to know his place. May this fall season treat all of them well.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Courtesy of Nicholas Tillinghast '25.

HOROSCOPES

HUMOR

September 30, 2021

Page 11

Madi Donat

Astral Projector

It’s getting to the point in the semester where I’m starting to figure out which assignments I ARIES can afford to skip. (If any of my professors are March 21 | reading this, this is not about your class, beApril 19 loved<3) I have a spreadsheet where I mark off assignments and it turns green, but sometimes I say I did things when I didn’t. Just so they’re all green.

TAURUS

April 20 | May 20

GEMINI

May 21 | June 20

Yesterday I saw multiple dogs walk by my window and I thought, “Why can’t I be them?”

Not in a weird way or anything, I just want to know what it’s like to get so excited about the prospect of going for a walk that you can’t possibly contain yourself. I’ll have to walk ten minutes to class and I’ll be like, “God, not again!”

Thinking about the, like, nature of humanity and how humans are good mostly and we care for each other and want what’s best for each other and it’s like AAAAA. What the FUCK! When strangers hold the door for you and compliment you and ask you questions about your day while in line for Deece eggs. Yeah.

Underrated things: Ladders, coconut flakes, New York Times Monday crossword puzzles.

CANCER Overrated things: Emails, staying up late, exJune 21 | changing money for goods and services. Things July 22 that are rated exactly as they should be: Big boots, seeing your friends laugh, a little animal where you don’t expect it to be.

LIBRA

September 23 | October 22

SCORPIO

October 23 | November 21

SAGITTARIUS

November 22 | December 21

CAPRICORN

December 22 | January 19

What’s the most embarrassing thing about you? No, really. No, like, really. Fine, I’ll go first: July 23 | I watched and enjoyed the BBC show “Sherlock.”

August 22 Yeah. I was that kid in eighth grade. Also, I had to think really hard before I spelled the word “eighth” just now, and I’m still not quite sure how to spell it. Now your turn.

AQUARIUS

LEO

I wish there were largely-accepted words for emotions that are very hard to explain. Like August 23 | sometimes I’ll write “WAAGH” or “OOUGH” in September a text and just HOPE that people get it. They’re 22 both supposed to be, like, very phlegm-filled wails, you know? Try them out if you can.

Changed my outlook.

VIRGO

January 20 | February 18

PISCES

February 19 | March 20

Time is so messed up when you think about it. My watch fell 15 seconds behind and it made me FURIOUS but does any of it matter? What’s a second, anyway? Why are they called “seconds”?

What was first? Is there a third? Why can’t I just go to class when I want? Why are there no working clocks in any of the classrooms?

I wish I could be a cool skater girl, but I am too clumsy and terrified. I also do not understand enough physics to get why the board doesn't fall out from under you when you do tricks. I hope some cool skater doesn’t see this and teach me how to skate and then we have a romantic moment that would suck haha :) Express has access to a suspicious amount of egg salad—there I said it. Last year there was absolutely zero egg salad content and now everywhere I look I see tubs upon tubs of it. They’re practically giving it away for free at this point and that has me extremely wary. What are they hiding in the egg salad?

I know this is a newspaper and we’re supposed to report the news but sometimes I just want to lie. They’re running a raw milk ring out of Olmsted and I’ve seen it. The womp-womps are planning a coup and requested that I warn the student body personally. Palmer gallery is becoming a pole studio.

If multiverse theory is true then that means that there is a world where vampires exist. And if there is a world where vampires exist then that means there’s a world where I get to go into a vampire’s fancy castle and sit across from them at their long table and be like :) heyyyyyy. It’d be such a shame if you uh.

The “iCarly”-“Victorious” nostalgia wave is okay but I think we should probably remind ourselves that those shows were never actually that good. “Phineas and Ferb,” however, was absolutely legendary. Oh to be a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal of action, no worries except for single-handedly defeating evil.

Someone spilled salad on the third floor stairs in Main Nicholas Tillinghast Righteously Angry

S

ept. 23, 11:58 p.m.

That particular night, something unexpectedly struck a chord with me. Something tapped into a dormant anger in me.

Someone spilled salad on the third floor stairs in Main.

"The one thing I thought I could rely on was that the stairs would be safe and salad-free."

It was a quiet Thursday night. After concluding my math homework, I ascended the stairs of Main when, much to my surprise, I found the third floor landing desecrated by cucumber halves and cherry tomatoes. The scent of vinaigrette filled the stairwell.

To me, this incident crossed a moral line and I felt I needed to speak on it. I was silent

when someone spilled beer on the fourth floor steps, and I stayed silent when someone didn’t flush or wipe on two consecutive days in my hall’s bathroom, but this took things too far.

I wake up in a bunk bed that’s far too high off the ground in a triple made for two people; I shower with curtains too small; I have schoolwork too immense to get all of it done. The one thing I thought I could rely on was that the stairs would be safe and salad-free. That night I learned I could no longer trust the stairs. Stairs are dangerous enough to navigate on their own, let alone with food added to the mix. At this point, I don’t know if my next step on that staircase will be my last.

Might I perish slipping on scallops, falling on falafel or tripping on tortellini?

I want a public apology from whoever did this. I want a note on the third floor steps that says, “I know what I did was wrong and I’m not gonna make excuses for my actions.

Just know that I’m deeply sorry for what I did” and I want that apology a week ago.

I thought we were better than this. I thought we kept salad off the stairs.

I guess I thought wrong.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Courtesy of Nicholas Tillinghast '25.

OPINIONS

Page 12

September 30, 2021

Was Jan. 6 the American “Great Dress Rehearsal? Maybe.

Ben Goth

Americans should all heed his worry about the events that unfurled during the last days of the Trump administration which are described in Bob Woodward and Robert Costa’s newly released book “Peril” (The Washington Post, 2021). Whenever a shocking event occurs, the historically inept are quick to describe such events as “unprecedented,” whereas the historically curious eagerly scout for possible parallels. Milley, an amateur historian, attended Princeton University before serving in the U.S. military, obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in politics followed by a Master’s in international rela-

tions from Columbia University. As Woodward and Costa describe in “Peril,” the metaphors that came to Milley’s mind—whether they were cultural or historical—illustrate the dark chapter that the United States continues to live through in the aftermath of the Trump presidency.

Following the attempted insurrection, Milley feared Donald Trump could spark an American “Reichstag moment” before Joe Biden’s swearing-in two weeks later, akin to German Chancellor Adolf Hitler using an arson attack on the parliament building as a ploy to establish dictatorial rule in 1933 (CNN Politics, 2021). In fact, this is not the only parallel to the Nazi regime that occurred to Milley as he attempted to make sense of the attack. Sadly, he concluded that some insurrectionists, including the Proud Boys and Boogaloo movement, arrived with plans to begin a revolution. In other words, they were modern-day Brownshirts. Without a doubt, Milley was right (Business Insider 2021).

During the Black Lives Matter protests in Summer 2020, former President Trump rebuked then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper after his public opposition to the invocation of the Insurrection Act, which allows the President to deploy the National Guard without congressional approval under certain circumstances. According to Milley, Trump’s animosity reminded him of Gunnery Sergeant Hartman from Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 war film “Full Metal Jacket,'' whose antics included constant screaming and crude insults (CNN Politics, 2021). Moreover, he viewed Stephen Miller, Trump’s top adviser who attended meetings centered around solving the unrest, as an American version of Grigori Rasputin, a seemingly insignificant character who actually wielded substantial power in the final years of Czar Nicholas II’s reign (The Washington Post, 2021).

Throughout the final year of his presidency, Trump remained consistently curious about attacking Iran. These sentiments frightened Milley, as he pictured a “Wag the

How

Z

Guest Columnist

I

n 1917, the Bolsheviks conquered the then-Russian capital of St. Petersburg and overthrew the House of Romanov, which had reigned for nearly 300 years. 12 years earlier, they staged what Vladimir Lenin called “The Great Dress Rehearsal,” in which they attempted to overthrow the czar, were unsuccessful and waited until the regime was vulnerable enough following many poor decisions to try again. Supposedly, General Mark Milley, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, thought about the failed 1905 Russian Revolution in the wake of the attempted insurrection of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. During the chaos, Milley felt concerned that the riots were a precursor to an even worse event in the future (The Washington Post, 2021). Unfortunately, he may be right.

“Throughout the final year of his presidency, Trump remained consistently curious about attacking Iran.”

Gen

Matthew Little

W

Guest Columnist

ith the oldest millennials turning 40 this year, Generation Z will soon bear the brunt of intergenerational loathing. Just as other generations stereotyped millennials for loving avocados and participation trophies, being unable to afford a house (Buzzfeed, 2018) and for “killing” all kinds of products (Business Insider, 2020), so too must they criticize the newest generation of adults. But while the popular digs at millennials may have been creative (avocado slander is always in), they were not nearly as vitriolic as the sentiments fired at Gen Z. On the surface, some of the criticism appears more akin to what millennials faced––a dubious article posted to LinkedIn from 2019 asserts: “Gen Z’ers. They have the attention span of a goldfish and suck the life out of any business without a winning online strategy.” On the other hand an article in the New York Post from 2021 argues that “Gen Z is made of zombies — less educated, more depressed, without values.” These sentiments may be false, but unless Americans work to counter these narratives, Gen Z can expect this unfair characterization to continue.

To start off, Gen Zers are not zombies.

Generation Z is shaping up to be the most educated generation in American history, despite entering the workforce at lower rates than previous generations (Yahoo Finance,

can

Courtesy of Tyler Merbler via Wikimedia.

Dog” scenario in reference to the 1997 film in which a president launches a war to distract his constituents from a sex scandal. While Trump weighed in on possible Iranian targets, including Qasem Soleimani, Milley also envisioned a situation similar to the as-

“Sadly, [Milley] concluded that some insurrectionists... arried with plans to begin a revolution.” sassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in 1914, the event that kickstarted World War I, as well as the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. In evoking such parallels, Milley revealed that he feared the potential consequences would lead to a war between great powers. As Woodward and Costa write, “It was precisely the kind of hair-trigger environment where

overcome

2021). Generation Z isn’t going to college to get jobs; they’re going to college to become educated. And while it is true that Gen Z as a whole tends to report being less mentally healthy than other generations, this ignores the fact that they are also more likely to report any concerns about their mental health (American Psychological Association, 2019). Based on these findings, it’s possible that a higher rate of depression among members of Gen Z does not necessarily signal that this generation suffers from more mental health issues. Even if Gen Z does have poor mental wellbeing, three of their main causes for increased stress and depression are mass shootings, climate change and social media usage, all of which have only permeated the American consciousness over the past 20 years. Finally, the claim that Generation Z lacks morality; Gen Z may have waning faith in organized religion, but being religious does not equate to having no values, as evidenced by the causes they support. Gen Z has made consistent efforts to be climate conscious during their time on college campuses and plan their future careers around sustainability (The Guardian, 2021). While I readily admit my attention span may be lacking (although I like to think myself better than a goldfish), the idea that Gen Z consists entirely of zombies is patently absurd.

These frustrations become even more irritating because “articles” published by news-

an accident or misinterpretation could escalate catastrophically” (“Peril,” 2021).

Pretending that he didn’t lose does not make Donald Trump a winner; however, lacking the awareness of how truly dangerous he was as a leader—which some moderate Democrats are doing—in no way lessens the threat he and his loyalists pose to our democracy. If another uprising from his base occurs in 12 years, or maybe sooner, we will wish we did something in the present day to prevent it, like convicting the politicians and assailants responsible instead of simply decrying their decision to underplay the gravity of the situation. Was Jan. 6 the American version of the Great Dress Rehearsal? Maybe a failed Reichstag moment? Although unclear, history tells us that it may have been, meaning that an irreversibly damaging effect on our democracy will possibly take place. That being said, are we as a country willing to pay enough attention in order to avert the graphic sequel? It certainly does not seem that way, but we have to be in order to protect the republic.

negative

stereotypes

Sandro Luis Lorenzo/The Miscellany News. papers like The New York Post ignore or trivialize the challenges Gen Z faces. Rather than shame a generation for their struggle with mental health, would it not be better to offer sympathy and question how this issue arose? The total ignorance of the challenges Gen Z faces is also telling. Gen Z and future generations will bear the brunt of any failures to combat climate change—a problem that humans have consistently ignored for

The opinions expressed above do not represent those of The Miscellany News as a whole.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

over half a century—not to mention, the pandemic and extreme political polarization. With this in mind it’s a miracle Gen Z has not turned into uncaring zombies. The oldest member of Gen Z is 24, but reading commentaries on this generation it would seem like they are 50—until they reach that age, the public really ought to cut Gen Z a little slack; this generation has a long way to go until its criticism is justified.

September 30, 2021

Stop

calling

OPINIONS conservative

politicians

Page 13

'moderates'

Henry Mitchell Guest Columnist

T

he media has a problem with moderates.

Or rather, it has a problem with the word “moderate.” It is no secret that political commentators like to overuse the term. Journalists may believe they are simply employing a harmless descriptor by characterizing politicians with decidedly conservative views as moderates. However, more than simply being incorrect, this misnomer sanitizes politicians and policies that are deeply harmful and dangerous.

It is true that descriptors of political ideology have different meanings depending on the context. For example, in many parts of the world the word “liberal” is often used to refer to classical liberals––who would be seen as center-right in the United States (BBC, 2010).

The word “moderate” is of course no different. A person who is considered a moderate in the Netherlands would likely be considered solidly left-of-center in the United States (New York Times, 2019).

So how should the media define the word moderate? One simple answer is that it describes someone who holds mainstream views on most policy issues in a given country. This definition is what most people take the term to mean, though political commentators frequently ignore this (The Atlantic, 2014).

Due to these inconsistencies, the media inaccurately overrepresents the amount of conservatives in America. This then suggests that many extremely conservative figures are moderates, when they in fact hold views that are far from mainstream.

Consider first some of the GOP politicians whom the news media has denoted as moderates. In recent years, the media has characterized figures such as Rob Portman, Susan Collins and even Mitt Romney as such moderates (NBC News, 2021); (The Hill, 2020); (The Daily Beast, 2017). The problem is that none of them come even close to fitting the description.

Let’s look at the actual opinions of these politicians. Portman and Romney support overturning Roe v. Wade. All three oppose Obamacare. All three have voted to confirm extreme right-wing justices at all levels of the federal judiciary (Time, 2021). All three have opposed any meaningful increase to the national minimum wage (Maine Beacon, 2021);

Courtesy of Willem Doherty '25.

(Springfield News-Sun, 2014); (USA Today, 2021).

Even Collins, whom the media heralds as the consummate moderate Republican, holds many extreme right-wing positions. Though not opposed to Roe v. Wade, she opposes repeal of the Hyde Amendment which prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions (Beacon, 2020).

So, who are the real moderates? Let’s ask the American people. 53 percent of Americans favor stricter gun laws, compared to just 14 percent who support less strict ones (Pew Research Center, 2021). Americans support legal abortions in all or most cases by a 59 to 39 percent margin (Pew Research Center, 2021).

63 percent favor legalizing marijuana and 64 percent support a pathway to citizenship for

undocumented immigrants (Vox, 2019).

On economic issues, the public sentiment is just as progressive. 84 percent of Americans support paid maternity leave, 62 percent a wealth tax and 60 percent increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Strikingly, “Medicare for all”—a proposal which the New York Times describes as largely “confined to the far left of American politics”— garners solid majority support at 54 percent (New York Times, 2019); (CNBC 2019).

In terms of these opinions held by a majority of Americans, there is not a single Republican politician in the country—at least at the national level—who could qualify as a moderate. It is not simply that their views on just a handful of policy questions are out of step with public opinion. Rather, they take unpop-

ular positions on a whole host of issues, both economic and social.

The reality is that the Republican party has moved so far to the right in recent years that it has ceded the entirety of the political center. The Democratic Party now occupies the American political spectrum from left-wing to center-right.

It is crucial that journalists recognize this fact and adjust their reporting accordingly.

Mistakenly describing politicians like Mitt Romney as moderates obscures the sheer popularity of many Democratic policies.

The political center does not lie in the space between the most conservative Democrat and most liberal Republican. It lies with the opinions of the American mainstream, which leans left.

Visions of a culture in decline at the 2021 Met Gala Karina Burnett

D

Assistant Opinions Editor

uring the 2020 election season, I wrote an article about the commodification of political duty in response to liberals pumping out endless “Vote” merch. Although voting season has ended, this tasteless and ideologically-empty strategy hasn’t ceased (The Miscellany News, 2020). If you went online in the last couple weeks, you probably know exactly what I’m talking about: “Tax the Rich,” “Peg the Patriarchy”—the slogans on outfits Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Cara Delevingne wore at the Met Gala that people across the political spectrum memed to oblivion. Besides being tacky and misguided, these demonstrations fell flat in the elite context of the Met Gala, an event with tickets priced at around $35,000 (The New York Times, 2021). However, it must be said that commodifying ideological slogans for the sake of public spectacle over anything else is—in fitting with the theme of this year’s Met Gala—uniquely American.

The theme of the 2021 Met Gala was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” but the

undeniable absurdity of the exclusive event eclipsed most of the attempted adherence to this concept (Today, 2021). The glitz of the occasion failed to cover up the unfortunate optics; as COVID-19 rates still trend upward in many places in the U.S., the image of masked workers assisting while unmasked celebrities paraded down the red carpet was a little too on-the-nose (CDC, 2021). Police forcefully

“There is... an insidiousness to these empty and performative displays.” cracked down on demonstrations right outside the event, arresting several Black Lives Matter protesters. These protests called out New York Mayor Bill DeBlasio, a guest at the Met Gala, and his partiality for the NYPD, but the attendees and press largely ignored them as the night went on (Black Enterprise,

2021). Additionally, the presence of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Mayor DeBlasio at this clearly demarcated celebrity occasion further demonstrated the American tendency to fuse politics and fame. While the hypocrisy surrounding this year’s Met Gala isn’t necessarily actively harmful, many of the images from the night present a vision of a culture in decline, or at least one in denial. Real resistance against dominant ideologies doesn’t exist within the institutional political realm, especially when aesthetics and politics become so entangled.

Some argue that fashion has always been the most accessible form of dissent (The Independent, 2021), yet it seems there would be more genuine ways for these celebrities and politicians to serve their causes, be it taxing the rich or...pegging the patriarchy. To be honest, I’m less interested in admonishing the individual actions of Rep. Cortez or Cara Delevingne, who just happen to be the most recognizable examples of this trend, than in pointing out the larger cultural hypocrisy at hand. The problems these specific people and their designers pointed out at the Met Gala

The opinions expressed above do not represent those of The Miscellany News as a whole.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

are inherent to the elitist and performative culture the lavish event represents—the guest list is full of rich and powerful people, even if they are largely to the left of the political spectrum.

The slogans seen at this year’s Met Gala weren’t actively useful nor did they symbolize much besides an utter lack of awareness.

There is, however, an insidiousness to these empty and performative displays. As Walter Benjamin wrote in his essay, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” the aestheticization of politics through capitalism precludes the deterioration of democracy and is, as he argues, “the logical result of Fascism,” (Benjamin, 1935). There’s truth to this argument—the idea that these hollow slogans actually do anything is just another example of the illusory and declining nature of our democracy. The American public’s relationship to politicians and their policies eventually descends into the realm of the aesthetic, latching onto provocative rhetoric instead of any legitimate political convictions (GQ, 2021). More than anything else, the Met Gala put this aspect on full display.

SPORTS

Page 14

Vaccination

status

Doug Cobb

Sports Editor

T

he NBA is about to begin its third COVID-laden season. For many Americans, the threat of COVID-19 first became apparent when the NBA suspended their season back in March 2020. Rudy Gobert, a player for the Utah Jazz at the time, touched a bunch of microphones to demonstrate that he considered the pandemic to be silly. Days later karma hit him when he became the first NBA player to test positive for the virus (CBS Sports, 2020).

After the quarantine period, the NBA was one of the first leagues to return. Despite a few obstacles, the conclusion of the season served as a beacon of hope and an example of how to continue doing some normal things with the right precautions.

This past year, there was a more normal NBA season, albeit with some notable differences such as limited fan presence, frequent testing and all other standard protocols such as contact tracing (CBS Sports, 2020).

With the next NBA season around the corner, COVID-19 still looms, but the main concerns around the pandemic have shifted. In the first half of 2020 the story centered on the shutdown; in the second half of 2020 and the first half of 2021, the story focused on protocols the NBA had in place and the question of whether the season could be successful. Now, in late 2021, the hot-button issue is vaccines.

Like the country as a whole, the NBA has a lot of fully-vaccinated players. Also like the rest of the country, the NBA has a number of unvaccinated players (CBS Sports, 2021).

The NBA Players Union did not agree to a vaccine mandate, meaning the NBA cannot require players to be vaccinated. However, some cities are requiring vaccinations for anyone who wants to participate

in events held at indoor arenas. Namely, New York and San Francisco, the homes of the Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors, are not allowing people to attend or participate in games held in indoor arenas unless they are vaccinated. This means that unvaccinated players on the Knicks, Nets and Warriors could miss half the season (all their team’s home games). The NBA has said that teams do not have to pay players who cannot participate in games due to their vaccination status, meaning that an unvaccinated player who has a game in one of these cities, be it a home or away game, will not get paid for it, meaning some players stand to lose as much as half of their salary (The New York Times, 2021).

I personally believe that this is great news, as these stipulations ultimately require players to get the vaccine or face the consequences. I have said it before and I will say it again: you have a right to make your own decisions, but stupidity should have consequences.

Yet, these rules only apply to three NBA teams as of right now. On top of that, there are still players who won’t get vaccinated in these very cities. Nets guard Kyrie Irving, best known for hitting a championship-sealing three-pointer alongside Lebron James when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and for saying that

“But all of this illustrates a problem the NBA has had with vaccines from the beginning: silence.” the earth was flat (ESPN, 2018), has still not publicly committed to getting the vaccine,

causes

September 30, 2021

NBA

even after the announcement of these rules that would prevent him from playing any games in Brooklyn. “I would like to keep all that private...please just respect my privacy,” he said at a digital news conference (The New York Times, 2021). But his aunt, Tyki Irving, made it pretty clear that he wasn’t vaccinated and told Rolling Stone that her nephew and other NBA players might be able to work out some kind of agreement where they play in some games and miss others (Rolling Stone, 2021).

I sincerely hope not. I believe Kyrie Irving deserves to miss half of his team’s games and lose half of his salary if he wants to stay unvaccinated. Stupidity should have consequences. We can only hope that this type of rule will extend to more cities, forcing the NBA to institute a vaccine mandate for NBA players.

But even more baffling than players still refusing the vaccine under these circumstances is that they aren’t receiving condemnation from their coaches or teammates. Andrew Wiggins, a Warrior, has not received the vaccine and was recently denied a request for a religious exemption.

While the organization has supported him, their failure to simultaneously promote vaccinations has stood out. Teammate Andre Iguodala said, “I'm vaccinated and I have an understanding about [COVID-19], and he has a different understanding, but his understanding is something that I truly respect, and I have a value for how he sees life. He's the type of guy that I support the whole way. Hopefully we can find a solution." Other teammates such as Steph Curry expressed a similar sentiment and Head Coach Steve Kerr proclaimed, “I haven’t spent any time thinking about that. Nor will I” (CBS Sports, 2021). But all of this illustrates a problem the NBA has had with vaccines from the beginning: silence.

Even among the players that are vaccinated, many are not willing to admit it

tension

(The New York Times, 2021). A famous example is Chris Paul, who tested positive for COVID-19 during the NBA playoffs and thus missed a couple games. Paul was in fact vaccinated, yet speculation ran rampant for a while regarding his vaccination status because he refused to publicly acknowledge that he was vaccinated; his status had to be uncovered through investigative reporting (The Atlantic, 2021). Additionally, Lebron James, a leading voice for social justice in both the NBA and the country, just admitted that he was vaccinated in an interview on Sept. 28. When he was asked back in May about his vaccination status, he refused to disclose it, saying, “It’s not a big deal,” (CNN, 2021; NBC

"I have said it before and I will say it again: you have a right to make your own decisions, but stupidity should have." consequences."

News, 2020).

It is time for the NBA to do what they did when this all started: lay down the law.

Not every NBA player was stoked about the bubble for the 2020 playoffs, but the NBA pushed forward, implementing strict rules, and in response some players opted not to play.

The NBA needs similarly strict regulations when it comes to vaccines.The Players Union needs to get their act together and agree to a vaccine mandate, which would be best for NBA players as a whole.

If some players still don’t want to be vaccinated, that is fine. It is their choice, and they will have to accept that their playing days are over.

Vassar Brewers Sports Roundup: Sept. 30 Men's Rugby

Women's Volleyball

Vassar 1, Skidmore 3; Vassar 3, Union 0

Vassar 43, SUNY-Oneonta 0 Sept. 26

Sept. 24-25 Vassar women’s volleyball played their first Liberty League conference games of the season this past weekend, going 1-1 versus Union and Skidmore, respectively. Against Skidmore, Vassar bounced back in the second set after going down 1-0 to tie it up, but were unable to sustain any momentum for the last two sets as Skidmore pulled away with a 3-1 victory. Fortunately, the Brewers rebounded for their match on Saturday against Union, as they came from behind in the first and third sets to notch a convincing 3-0 win. Vassar moves to 3-6 overall, and will next travel to Oneonta for a tri-match against the hosts and Alfred University this Saturday.

Against Oneonta this past Sunday, Vassar achieved their second win of the season, as the squad shut out the Red Dragons 43-0. Five different Brewers scored tries, with Hector Contreras ’23 and Bryce Dinardo ’24 leading the way with two tries each. The Vassar defense dominated, led by captain James Scarabino ’22, as the Red Dragons failed to score a point despite aggressive and physical play. The team will look to continue their undefeated streak against SUNY-New Paltz at the Vassar College Farm on Sunday, with kickoff at 2:00 p.m.

Men's Cross Country

Field Hockey

Saratoga Invitational

Vassar 0, RPI 1

Sept. 25

Sept. 26

Men’s Cross Country finished first out of seven teams this past weekend at the Saratoga Invitational, claiming the team title. The squad, currently ranked 28 in the country, was led by a second-place finish from Miles Takiguchi ’23 in the 8000m, but also saw four additional Brewers round out the top 10. Vassar clinched first place with 30 points, beating out host RPI by four. The invitational is the third team title for the Brewers this season, with their lone non-first place finish an admirable second place at the New Paltz Invitational earlier this month. Vassar will have a chance to further capitalize on their early success at the James Earley Invitational in Westfield, Massachusetts on Oct. 9.

Vassar Field Hockey fell to conference opponent RPI in their Liberty League opener this past Sunday, losing 1-0. Neither team registered many shots throughout the first three quarters, as defense set the tone for both sides. The Engineers finally broke through in the fourth quarter off a deflection from a penalty corner, and the Brewers couldn’t find the back of the net for the rest of the match despite pushing back against the staunchy RPI defense. The squad dropped four spots in the national Division III rankings to no. 19 after the defeat, but have a chance to bounce back from their second loss of the season at LL rival Skidmore this Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

September 30, 2021

SPORTS

Page 15

After passing on spring season, rugby returns to play Continued from SPORTS on page 1 ball team here and when the season ended, I just wanted to keep playing a sport, and I started coming to rugby and the community was amazing. I think that’s the biggest attraction to rugby for most people is the community. But it was really fun, so I just stuck with it.” Even with the pandemic separating the team physically for over a year, their team bonds prevailed. “It felt like I haven’t left the team at all,” said flyhalf Marie Claire Cicenia ’21. “Everybody just kind of welcomed me back in with open arms and I think that’s what’s great about the rugby team.”

Despite their positive attitude, the team still is actively dealing with the aftermath of two years without competition. Besides dealing with health precautions of being a high contact sport, one of the other biggest trials facing the team is the lack of senior

leadership and experience. “It’s definitely been a challenge having had so many of our experienced players graduate,” Louise Ambler ’21 said. “But I think we’re rising to the challenge, and other teams are in the same situation… today was a good day for everybody, especially [for] all of the rookies to get a lot of practice.” The loss of graduating upperclassmen is a situation not specific to just Vassar teams, but has hit rugby harder than most. Because most rugby teams are club sports, there is often a lack of exposure and experience when people join the sport, so new players barely know how to play when they first start and must rely on the more experienced players to help learn. With the pandemic, the current upperclassmen have a fraction of the experience a normal upperclassmen would have, which is a loss of a crucial element needed for success. “Even if you have players who

come in to join the team, your seniors have only played three semesters of rugby,” said Coach Brown. “Normally they would have played two semesters each year… so your freshmen have never played, your sophomores didn’t play last year, your juniors only played one semester.”

Despite the obstacles of the pandemic, the women’s rugby team still has high aspirations for this season. Women’s rugby has easily been one of the most successful and competitive programs at Vassar the past few years. They have seriously competed at the national playoffs the past ten years, and finally won a national title in 2018. Even with the setbacks the team has faced the past year, the same expectations of excellence remain. “The main goal is to win nationals,” said Cicenia. “Our team has won nationals before… we do have a lot of rookies this year, but we’re hoping to still

play on the national stage.” Ambler additionally elaborated, “[We just want to] be as competitive as we can be and put in the hard work.”

Although the road to nationals has just begun, the women's rugby team showed us their dedication to representing Vassar with pride and hard work throughout. After all, team dynamic and work ethic is half the battle.

Ambler, Cicenia and Drake all affirmed that this devotion is derived from the passion of Coach Brown. For Coach Brown, his outlook for the team is not only based around wins, but representing Vassar to the best of their ability: “Our expectations are to go out every week and represent Vassar with great pride. That’s a big part of [rugby], you have to have a reason to play.”

After two years off the field, women’s rugby has more than a reason to play.

Photos courtesy of Sophia Ryder '25.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

CROSSWORD

Page 16

September 30, 2021

The Miscellany Crossword “Arboretum” ACROSS 1.Bee prefix 4. Portable bed 7. 80s slang word 10. Company that used to be the largest employer in Dutchess County 13. Testosterone or estrogen 15. Tea brand 17. Female protagonist 18. Of different sorts 19. Tiffany Trump's mom 21. ___ Moines 22. SLR setting 23. Modern word intensifiers 26. "Float like a butterfly" speaker 28. Whole 30. Johnny Fontane, to Vito Corleone 33. Civil rights leader 37. Ancient city of Jordan 38. Cuff of the body 39. One without clothes per a folktale 41. "_____ tale / told by an idiot, full of sound and fury" 42. He plays a man in "Wonder Woman" 44. Star, in France 46. Affirming vote 47. Super mario bros. console 48. Photographer Goldin 49. "Mayberry ___" (Andy Griffith spin-off) 51. Line part, in geom.

53. Famous sharpshooter 58. Painter's tools 61. Like a good dog, perhaps 63. Leading 64. Name of many satellites

By Reese Collins

65. Thai neighbor 66. @@@ 67. Weird 68. Introverted

DOWN 1. Relaxing sound 2. Bundle of verse 3. Exposure in x-rays 4. Wraps 5. Canadian-born choreographer White 6. Abound 7. Responds to an invite 8. Like old machinery 9. "Enter if you ____!"

10. NYSE debut 11. ___-ray disc 12. Septiembre o octubre 14. What less is?

16. Many TV sleuths 20. Is sick 23. Skin-care products 24. Give an example, say 25. Some traps 26. Brody in "The Darjeeling Limited" 27. "Goodfellas" actor Ray 28. Twelve 12-downs 29. Prix de ____ de Triomphe (annual horse race) 31. Pos. & neg., e.g.

32. Isn't shallow 34. ____ goreng (Indonesian fried rice) 35. Citation list ender (abbr.)

36. What a map might say you are 40. "Paper planes" musical artist

43. ____ Park (FDR birthplace) 45. Author Hemingway 50. Boxing weapons 51. Viking poet 52. Yalies 53. "Just ___ suspected!"

54. Funny-looking car racing org.

Answers to last week’s puzzle: “Shifting Gears”

By Reese Collins

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

55. Director Preminger 56. Run ____ light (driving no-no) 57. Casual agreement 58. Big money amount, in brief 59. Genetic messenger 60. Subject in a 2021 Congressional report 62. Like a desert