The Miscellany News
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Volume CLI | Issue 21
April 18, 2019
VSA in flux with reelections
Hospital treatment inadequate
Mack Liederman and Jessica Moss
Jessica Moss and Talya Phelps
SENIOR EDITOR AND NEWS EDITOR
NEWS EDITOR AND CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
Courtesy of Kevin Arce
S
tudent self-governance has been the pride of Vassar since the founding of the Vassar Student Association in 1868. As the backbone and voice of the student body, the VSA is of paramount importance—tasked with upholding professionality, transparency and an honest election process. In the senate meeting on Sunday, April 14, attendees called into question the integrity of VSA’s most recent election, the results of which were announced on Friday, April 12. After lengthy deliberations, the VSA Senate ultimately passed a motion to hold a re-election for all constituent-specific positions: House Officer, Class Senator and Senior Class Council. The contention began with an appeal Josselyn House Treasurer runner-up Chase Estes ’22 made under Article XI Section 11 Section B of the VSA bylaws, which states See VSA ELECTIONS on page 3
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
On Thursday, April 11, Jamaica Kincaid gave this year’s Alex Krieger ’95 Memorial Lecture. The critically acclaimed author has written several books and short stories, including “A Small Place” and “Girl.”
Kincaid delivers memorial lecture Dean Kopitsky
that enlightened and amused the crowd. Kincaid had been invited to give what is arguably the most anticipated lecture of the year at Vassar: The Alex Krieger ’95 Memorial Lecture, a series which takes place each spring in memory of its namesake, a talented former student who tragically
COLUMNIST
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n her weekly Sunday email, President Elizabeth Bradley called renowned author Jamaica Kincaid a “force for understanding.” Anyone who attended the lecture on Thursday, April 11 would back that assessment; Kincaid touched on numerous topics
passed away in an automobile accident in the spring of his freshman year. In the last two years alone, the lecture has been delivered by writers like Junot Diaz and Zadie Smith. To honor Alex’s memory this spring, the Krieger family joined the Vassar community in welcoming acclaimed See KINCAID on page 6
[TW: This article discusses suicide, depression and inappropriate medical and psychiatric treatment.] hen Rachel Sipress ’21 checked themselves into MidHudson Regional Hospital on Saturday, March 31, they had no idea that they would end up held against their wishes for nearly a week. Sipress had been struggling to manage their Type 1 diabetes due to intense bouts of simple partial seizures caused by PTSD, and was also concerned that they might have sustained cranial damage. “Basically, I was in the ER for 10 hours,” said Sipress, who was evaluated via video chat by a tele-psychiatrist at MidHudson. Sipress eventually received a prognosis of psychosis and was involuntarily committed to the psychiatric ward, where they continued to have seizures, and their blood sugar spiked and dipped due to inadequate administration of See HOSPITAL on page 5
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Notre Dame fire inspires reflection Ivanna Guerra
GUEST COLUMNIST
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Courtesy of Remi Mathis via Wikimedia Commons Parisians reacted with immense shock as flames engulfed Notre Dame Cathedral, a symbol of French history. The façade remains standing.
Inside this issue
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Six cities: INTL 160 students explore Europe as FEATURES Brexit negotiation unfolds
my interest in the building and in medieval architecture in general. Thus, to watch Notre Dame in flames broke my heart beyond words. I know that Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Lindsay Cook, who teaches on medieval architecture, felt the panic as a classmate and I broke the news to her. My own worries diminished as I focused on Cook’s. She had dedicated so much time to the cathedral in her dissertation that watching it slowly burn must have felt like losing a beloved colleague. She confessed that despite her general criticism of 19th-century restoration efforts, she knew how important the project was to Tallon. Notre Dame was perhaps equal parts modern and medieval. Architects Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and Jean Baptiste Lassus renovated the cathedral between 1845-1864, during which time Viollet-le-Duc altered the cathedral to match his desired aesthetic. Thus, we got the most memorable parts of Notre Dame: the gargoyles, the rose window, the central portal, the flying buttresses that hold the nave, the pinnacle and even the apostles that guarded it (and no, these are not the ones that Victor Hugo deSee NOTRE DAME on page 12
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Debate: Should SHSAT remain NYC high school OPINIONS admissions standard?
Courtesy of Nick Jallat
ronically, I was waiting for my Medieval Architecture class to start when I received a notification from my CNN app declaring that Notre Dame was burning. “It’s just the spire,” I naively thought. “If any part of Notre Dame can burn, it’s the spire.” I knew that the statues of the apostles—what had most sentimental value for me—had been removed for restoration just four days before the spire caught on fire. Despite what my initial lack of worry might indicate, Notre Dame has come to mean more to me in the last few months than I had ever
believed it would. As many of you know, Notre Dame meant a lot to the late Professor Andrew Tallon. As with many of his students, Professor Tallon meant a lot to me. I took his final Art 105-106 conference sections and was completely blown away by his intellect and passion for medieval architecture, especially Notre Dame. In Professor Tallon’s classes, some of what he said sounded familiar. I had actually visited the cathedral years before. I remember it was the night Pope Francis got elected, and I was lucky to hear Notre Dame’s bell ring from a boat on the Seine to commemorate the moment. The experience sparked
Michael Mullen (above) scored five goals for the Brewers, but the junior’s exploits weren’t enough as Vassar fell 13-12 to Clarkson. The Brewers now sit seventh in the Liberty League at 1-5 in conference.
Men’s lax loses nailbiter to conference rival Clarkson Kelly Pushie
GUEST REPORTER
T
he Vassar men’s lacrosse team traveled up to Clarkson University this past weekend for a clash between two programs in the Liberty League’s bottom half. Clarkson got on the board first, but Vassar was quick to answer with four goals in the first quarter, three of which came from the pocket of junior Michael Mullen, with
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first-year Logan Hyde adding the fourth. The Brewers came out hot in the second quarter, too, with Mullen scoring again off a feed from senior James Thomas, and Hyde then scoring unassisted. Clarkson responded with two goals to cut the lead to 6-3, but Vassar extended the lead to 8-3 with another goal from Mullen and a first from sophomore Tomás Meade. Down five, See LACROSSE on page 19
Coping strategies: Student pierces left nipple as stress at HUMOR school seems to triple
The Miscellany News
Page 2
April 18, 2019
Editor-in-Chief Leah Cates
Senior Editors
Sasha Gopalakrishnan Mack Liederman
Contributing Editors
Courtesy of Olivia Keane “EDUCACIÓN PUBLICA, GRATUITA Y DE CALIDAD.” In recent weeks, Olivia Keane ’20 has been observing, teaching and learning in various Chilean schools. In Santiago’s Escuela La Victoria, Keane says, “The sixth-grade teacher mentioned to me that the school prioritizes supporting students, rather than improving their results on the SIMCE, Chile’s national standardized test. Given the concerning emphasis on test scores in U.S. schools, my experience@ reinforced the need to think historically and contextually in order to develop school environments that authentically serve communities.” Read more about her experiences at http://farandaway.miscellanynews.org.
The Miscellany News 18
April
Thursday
Late Night at the Lehman Loeb: Art Talks by Art Majors; Poetry Evening 5:00 p.m. | The Loeb Atrium | The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center
FDR’s Last 100 Days: Setting the World on the Path to Peace 5:00 p.m. | TH @203- Auditorium | History Dept.
West/Hersey Lecture
April
20
Friday
April
Saturday
21 April
Students of Sobriety Group
4:00 p.m. | Prentiss Sports Complex Weinberg Field | Athletics
9:30 a.m. | RH 211 | AA Poughkeepsie
VC Nature Reception
11:00 a.m. | Joss Beach | Residential Life
Rugby (M) vs. Easter 7s Tournament
Baseball vs. Union College
11:00 a.m. | Rugby Field at the Farm | Athletics
Community Seder
12:00 p.m. | Prentiss Sports Complex | Athletics
Paper Critique
6:00 p.m. | CC 223- MPR | Religious and Spiritual Life Office
Lacrosse (M) vs. Union College
5:00 p.m. | CC Lower Level | Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve
5:30 p.m. | RH 200-Auditorium | Chinese and Japanese Dept.
1:00 p.m. | Prentiss Sports Complex | Athletics
Fossil Fuel Divestment Info Session
Rugby (W) vs. Manhattanville
7:00 p.m. | TH 203 | VC Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign
1:00 p.m. | Vassar Farm | Athletics
Elements
Senior Recital: Olivia Lederman, mezzo-soprano
8:00 p.m. | Villard Room | Vassar Burlesque
Sports Design Copy Online Social Media
Jessica Moss Frankie Knuckles Steven Park Hannah Gaven Holly Shulman Abby Tarwater Myles Olmsted Rose Parker Lilly Tipton Teddy Chmyz Anastasia Koutavas Natalie Bober
Reporters Ariana Gravinese Tiana Headley Aena Khan Columnists Catherine Bither Jimmy Christon Christian Flemm Jesser Horowitz Dean Kopitsky Emmett O’Malley Sylvan Perlmutter Taylor Stewart Blair Webber Copy Adelaide Backhus Anna Blake Natalie Bober Samantha Cavagnolo Madeline Seibel Dean Amanda Herring Phoebe Jacoby Caitlin Patterson Gillian Redstone Mina Turunc Photo Yijia Hu Cartoonist Frank Crossword Benjamin Costa
Sunday
Lacrosse (W) vs. RPI
Spring Fest
News Features Opinions Humor and Satire Arts
Assistant Features Duncan Aronson Gillian Redstone Assistant Opinions Jonas Trostle Assistant Humor Izzy Migani Assistant Online Chris Allen Assistant Copy Lucy Leonard
Weekender_ 19
Talya Phelps Noah Purdy Charlotte Varcoe-Wolfson Laila Volpe
Women’s Golf Vassar Invitational 9:00 a.m. | Casperkill Golf Course | Athletics
9:00 p.m. | Rose Parlor | The Miscellany News
1:30 p.m. | SH Martel Recital Hall | Music Dept.
Courtesy of VC Athletics
Courtesy of VC Athletics
Courtesy of Vassar College via Flickr Take a study break on Friday afternoon to learn about the nature of the Vassar Farm.
Come cheer on the men’s and women’s lacrosse teams this weekend! The men’s Saturday match-up against Union will feature a halftime senior trivia game and t-shirt giveaways.
Lacrosse (W) vs. Ithaca College 2:00 p.m. | Prentiss Sports Complex | Athletics
Senior Recital: Sarah Frank, soprano, and Daniel Rosen, tenor 4:00 p.m. | SH Martel Recital Hall | Music Dept.
Faculty Recital: Robert Osborne, bass-baritone & Gail Archer, organ 8:00 p.m. | SH Martel Recital Hall | Music Dept.
Wake up bright and early on both Saturday and Sunday morning to support women’s golf as they host and compete in the Vassar Invitational.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
We are issuing a reprint of this edition due to an error in identifying the individual on the cover photo for the article ‘Kincaid delivers memorial lecture.’ The Miscellany News sincerely apologizes for this insensitive oversight. CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only accept corrections for any misquotes, misrepresentations or factual errors for an article within the semester it is printed. The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.
April 18, 2019
NEWS
Tech glitches subvert election legitimacy VSA ELECTIONS continued
from page 1 that any candidate may appeal if “[T]here existed an appearance of irregularity or impropriety related to the official result of the election” (Documents 2017, THE BYLAWS OF THE VASSAR STUDENT ASSOCIATION, Article XI - Elections and Appointments). Estes made his appeal before having received his vote count, after having seen allegedly invalid posters put up by his opponent. However, unbeknownst to Estes, there were larger issues at play regarding the election outcome. Immediately following the introduction of his appeal, the VSA moved toward a discussion of broader software mishaps that could have influenced the election results. Big Pulse, the software used for vote counting, listed an incorrect number of eligible voters. The group size was stretched to over 6,000 people—more than the number of students currently enrolled at Vassar. The glitches did not stop there. Electronic ballots also did not account for closed constituencies, opening house-specific voting to students who did not reside in the election building, and allowing all class years to vote for class-specific positions. It seems as if the Board of Elections and the VSA were aware of these issues even while the election was still in session, given an all-campus email dated Wednesday, April 10, stating, “IF YOU SEE AN ELECTION YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO VOTE FOR, DO NOT VOTE FOR IT.”
“The group size [of eligible voters] was stretched to over 6,000 people—more than the number of students currently enrolled at Vassar.” In VSA senate, Vice President Rori-Ann Chuck ’19 explained, “We speculated that those people were class of 2023 but we don’t know. It could be repeat names, it could be last year’s people who weren’t taken off. We don’t know” (VSA Notes, 04.14.2019). With the stage now set as clearly as it could, all in attendance at VSA were faced with a contentious debate: the potential of redoing both constituent-based elections and campus-wide exec elections. Some in attendance were not happy with the scope of the conversation, including President-elect Carlos Eduardo Espina ’21, who had attended the meeting as a proxy. “Members of the VSA executive board have very publicly stated their support for Jenny Luo [who finished 47 votes behind Espina in Presidential Count 1] and their opposition to my candidacy,” Espina stated after a request for comment from the Misc. “Now that I have won, these same members have continued to express on social media and in conversation similar sentiments. Therefore, given the lack of evidence that problems with the voting software affected campus-wide positions, I think it is logical to assume that the real motive behind proposing a re-do of the executive position elections has nothing to do with preserving the integrity of the election’s outcomes.” Espina cited a Facebook post from Chuck endorsing Luo, which reads, “We love someone with experience who understands what it takes to create change and advocate on students’ behalf! Who isn’t talking about making changes to the college that are already underway and have been worked on by student leaders across campus these last
two years!”(Rori-An Chuck via Facebook, 04.05.2019). After contesting that merely the eligibility of 6000 people to vote in the election was enough to question the results—regardless of whether they chose to—2020 Senator for Activities Jacob Miller ’20 alleged, “Personal attacks should not be tolerated.” The point was met with widespread agreement. More heated back-and-forth regarding whether to re-vote led VSA President Tamar Ballard ’19 to instruct all present to “take a communal deep breath.” She then moved VSA Senate into closed Senate session (VSA Notes). After the session, Ballard motioned to hold re-elections for house and class positions, while tabling a conversation on all-campus positions to next Sunday, until more statistical information was made available. The motion was passed. According to Chuck, in the past, large decisions regarding elections would typically be resolved by the judicial board. As the board has since been absorbed by the student conduct panel, the VSA would need to make the decision using quorum, which is two-thirds of the VSA senate (VSA Notes). Anyone who ran for any position was not called to vote due to conflict of interest. Espina, on the other hand, remained present as a proxy, which gave him access to the closed session and a vote in the quorum. The final talley was 16 yes for a re-do, with three abstentions. However, the deliberations that took place prior to the closed session gave VSA attendees the opportunity to flag their concerns. Many of these have been echoed on the part of elects-in-flux, following Tamar’s student-wide email on Monday, April 15, announcing the upcoming re-election. For one, 2019 Senator for Student Affairs Jesser Horowitz ’19 [Full Disclosure: Horowitz is a Columnist for the Misc] stated that “[The revote] definitely hurts the integrity of the elections process” (VSA Notes). Chair of Organizations Dea Oviedo Vazquez ’20 contested that the increased group number did not implicate that votes were casted outside of the College, given that the voter turnout was 1240. She claimed the high turnout was a reflection of campaigning, not software issues. Disagreeing, Chair of Programming Arjun Singh ’20 explained, “1200 is an anomaly, it is higher than we’ve seen in the past years,” given that approximately 900 people voted the year before (VSA Notes). However, three days later on April 17, Ballard annouced to the student body that, “CIS was able to confirm that no one other than current students voted in that first election.” The exact influence of double votes is still uncertain.
“Proposing a re-do of the executive position elections has nothing to do with preserving the integrity of the election’s outcomes.” –Carlos Eduardo Espina ’21 With new elections currently being held between April 17 and 19, constituents speculate that there will be decreased voter turnout. As Davison House President-elect Weller Henderson shared, “[M]y primary concern is that fewer people are going to vote in the reelection, now that a whole week has passed since the campaigns.” Others have lamented the possibility that room draw will be postponed, since ResLife tra-
ditionally places house team members in rooms prior to opening selections to the rest of the student body. Ballard later clarified that VSA has worked with ResLife to ensure the new timeline will not disrupt room draw, which begins on Monday, April 22. In fact, some recent elects are in support of the revote. For Henderson, the decision will assure elects of their win and ensure runner-ups are granted a fair race. On a personal note, Henderson explained, “I would not have wanted to win unfairly.” Espina reflected, “I do believe that there should be a re-do of the elections for house and class senator positions, since these were clearly impacted by problems with the software.”
“To only redo the election for class and house specific positions is inconsistent with the technical mistakes in all the elections.” – Mendel Jiménez ’20 The next round of elections will ask all students to vote again for the same constituencies, using Big Pulse with CIS support. As such, there is a strict rule against campaigning. Ballard implored, “VSA and all its processes, including voting, can only work with as much student involvement as possible, so I hope that students will be open to working with us as we try to get through all of this.” The re-elections have already began to create some fallout amongst VSA members. Board of Elections Chair Angela Sbano ’19 announced her resignation via campus-wide email on Monday, April 15. “My decision to step down was a very personal one,” Sbano said. “Trying to get the election software to work was a difficult and frustrating process that took a lot of my time away from other aspects of my life. Since I understood why people felt this decision was important, I decided the best option for me was to resign.” Within several hours of Sbano’s resignation, VSA 2018-19 Chair of Finance and Vice President-elect Mendel Jiménez ’20 resigned in an email to Ballard, Espina and the Misc. “The integrity of the electoral process was shattered because of various factors such as the inaccurate voter rolls,” Jiménez, who won by 108 votes, wrote. “To only redo the election for class and house specific positions is inconsistent with the technical mistakes in all the elections. I cannot in good conscience assume the position of Vice President with full confidence.” In response, Espina denounced the reasons he perceived were actually behind Jimenez’s resignation. “The fact that he continues to call the [exec] elections illegitimate despite there being no evidence supporting this claim makes evident his unwillingness to respect the will of the voters,” Espina claimed. “Therefore, I hope Mendel’s departure will open up space for someone who is ready to put personal interests aside and work towards creating positive change at Vassar.” As of Wednesday, April 18, Espina remains President-elect. But doubt remains as speculation regarding the legitimacy of the exec election persists across campus. Next Sunday’s senate meeting will bring with it more information about the software’s impact on all-campus elections. VSA will determine if these positions, too, will need to be re-voted.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
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VSA Updates Updates from the VSA meeting of April 14, 2019 Consensus Agenda – Passed Pre-Approved Allocations 93.95/93.95 from Capital to Big Night In for horseshoe game set and water guns for Founder’s Day 75/75 from Discretionary to The Listening Center for finals week stress-buster 1000/1000 from Conference to ASA for Association for Asian American Studies Conference (AAAS Conference) Allocations 100/100 from Discretionary to Burlesque for security costs for Burlesque Elements Show 265/265 from Administrative Fund to Big Night In for laser tag 500/500 from Speakers to On Tap for tap master class with Bill Coates 250/250 from Social Consciousness to Vassar Asian American Studies Working Group for food for the event called “Envisioning Horizons: the Future of Critical Ethnic Studies at Vassar” VSA Elections Due to technical difficulties with balloting software used in the recent VSA Spring elections, the Senate voted on Sunday to vacate the results for house team officers and all class-based representatives (including VSA Senators and Senior Class Council) and to hold new elections for these positions. Details regarding these new elections will be released this week as the Board of Elections and Appointments (BoEA) and the VSA work to resolve the technical issues. Forum with Director of SAVP Nicole Wong The forum with Director of Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention (SAVP) Nicole Wong, scheduled for last Sunday’s Senate meeting, was postponed to make time for Senate to discuss the spring election results. Finance Committee Annual budgeting meetings were held over the past weekend; initial allocations were distributed to student orgs and appeals will be held in the coming weeks. Academics Committee The Committee on Curricular Policies (CCP) met and made final approvals of courses and intensives to be offered next year. VSA Academics will be sponsoring an information session regarding the rebalanced curriculum on April 22 from 5:00–7:00 pm. Organizations Committee The committee has been continuing to hear pre-org and full org applications and will present final recommendations to Senate next week. —Julian Corbett, VSA General Intern
NEWS
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April 18, 2019
EPI explores multilingual narratives, encourages globality Sasha Gopalakrishnan Yijia Hu/The Miscellany News
SENIOR EDITOR
“W
hen a senior administrator at Duke sent an email to international students, asking them not to speak their mother tongue in public spaces…it was a sort of small-scale explosive: piercing, violent,” voiced Professor of Anthropology, Africana Studies and International Studies Candice Lowe-Swift, her words settling over the Aula like a dark cloud as students and faculty alike listened in solemn silence. Delivered as a part of Lowe-Swift’s opening remarks for “What in the Wor(l)d: Imagining a Multilingual Campus”—put on by the Engaged Pluralism Initiative’s Global Campus Working Group on Wednesday, April 10—the reference to the recent Duke scandal acted as an important segue into discussing intercultural understanding via multilingualism. Organized as a collaborative effort between several departments and programs, the event aimed to begin the conversation around how to incorporate all backgrounds, cultures and languages into the intellectual and social fabric of Vassar’s community to reflect a global campus. Lowe-Swift urged attendees to brainstorm, “How do we embrace multilingualism in primarily English-language classrooms? What might it mean to embrace our globality?” Guiding the audience through these questions, “What in the Wor(l)d” featured a panel of students and professors who had prepared remarks on the topic based on their experiences and understandings of multilingualism. The panelists included Kaiqing Su ’21, Biology Professor Colin Aitkin, Swahili instructor Connie Ndony, Japanese Professor
Pictured above are the EPI Global Campus Working Group panelists Political Science Professor Andrew Davison, Ananya Suresh ’21, Japanese Professor Peipei Qiu, Swahili instructor Connie Ndony, Kaiqing Su ’21 and Biology Professor Colin Aitkin. Peipei Qiu, Ananya Suresh ’21 and Political Science Professor Andrew Davison. The impassioned speeches stressed how multifaceted multilingualism is, as some panelists explored the subject through personal narratives, while others did so through a lens of political hierarchies and colonial power. The first speaker, Su, emphasized that there is a nostalgic exhilaration inherent to speaking the language of one’s own country. She reflected that, for her, reciting a Chinese poem in class “felt like chewing a piece of candy from a lost childhood.” As captivated faces in the audience gazed back at her, she further highlighted how one’s relationship to language is markedly physical, such that the essence of what one is saying might lie in the tone. “Each movement of my tongue, teeth and jaw produce specific sonic effects that are related beyond their literal meanings. These sounds are inseparable from the storytelling itself,” underscored Su. Other speakers traced distinctly personal
journeys with multilingualism as well. Aitkin deliberated on his own experiences as a Colombian man who has difficulty entering the Colombian linguistic community as a result of being white-passing. “When people see me on the street, they’re looking like, ‘Who’s that gringo?’ Navigating whether I have access to a certain community or not, depending on my appearance, is something that has always stayed with me,” stated Aitkin. Suresh explored how limited access to a linguistic community can signify optimism and opportunity, detailing her experiences with languages like Spanish and Korean that she’s spent years learning: “I still sound like a child, unable to convey complex thoughts. But that allows me to listen more; to take notice of people’s word choice, cadence, fluency. I’m humbled when I feel the difficulty of acquiring a language—the key to worlds and ways of knowing that are not my own.” While these individual narratives began to construct an embodied experience of what it
means to be multilingual, Ndony, Qiu and Davison widen the conversation using a slightly different approach: one that aimed to blend the personal and political. Ndony focused on the violence of Western colonialism, its propagation of a singular Eurocentric language and consequently, its privileging of a mode of thought constrained to that single language. Ndony asserted, “Monolingualism often ends up meaning monoliterature,”—words that acted as an apt transition to Qiu’s speech. Qiu first recited the contents of an email that a student currently abroad in Copenhagen had sent to her, detailing microaggressions she had recently encountered in relation to her Asian identity. Qiu then comprehensively reflected on the political meanings that imbued the student’s experiences abroad, tying them to wider structures of linguistic oppression. Finally, Davison drew the panel discussions to a fitting close, reflecting upon how language becomes political through the very act of storytelling. Left with extensive ruminations on multilingualism, audience members were then given space to consider their own experiences and thoughts on the topic in table discussions. Soon after, each table shared summaries of their conversations, buoyed by the ideas people presented regarding how multilingualism might function as a normative part of one’s campus life. As Aitkin had stated in his speech, “There’s a word somewhere or a sound somewhere, in some language, that can just communicate what you are feeling in a way that other languages may not be able to. And if we could know all of those languages, how beautiful would that be. And if we could teach them to each other, how beautiful would that be.”
Vassar hosts state legislative forum for women’s rights Tiana Headley REPORTER
“I
just wanted us to remember that this was a women’s college,” President Elizabeth Bradley acknowledged, a recognition that was met with the whoops and claps of those in attendance. Befitting the mission of a historically women’s college, Vassar served as the locus for Bradley, Lieutenant Governor of New York Kathy Hochul and other representatives of the Council on Women and Girls to unveil New York State’s 2019 Women’s Justice Agenda. Bradley opened the forum by situating Vassar College’s position in the larger struggle for women’s rights. “When you think about beginning a place that was
accessible to people who otherwise could not [receive] this kind of education—women—we carry that forward to how feminists approach all kinds of ways our college works,” she explained. After observing the ways in which women continue to be underrepresented in American society, such as the small percentage of women CEOs at Fortune 500 companies, Bradley introduced Hochul. Throughout her address, Hochul expressed the importance of young adults in initiating change in the United States: “I think it’s important because this is where [all revolutions] start, and I’m enlisting all of you to do something that is critically important at this time where I believe the
Talya Phelps/The Miscellany News On April 2, 2019, The New York State Governor’s Office Council on Women and Girls unveiled the 2019 Women’s Justica Agenda in Vassar’s Villard Room. The forum offered the campus community the opportunity to give the state feedback and ask questions.
rights of women are under tremendous assault by what’s going on at Washington D.C.,” Hochul proclaimed. She added that one in five people have participated in at least one march since the 2016 election. “There’s an energy and a sense of responsibility among our citizens that we need to step up now,” Hochul observed. For years, state Democrats have attempted to enact laws to strengthen protections on women’s health rights. However, with the recent Democratic majority in the NY State Senate, a series of historic legislation was passed within the first month of the 2019 legislative session, including the Reproductive Health Act, Comprehensive Contraception Coverage Act and the Boss Bill. “We ran [the recent state elections] to unleash pent up issues that have been waiting a long time to emerge,” Hochul affirmed. Governor’s Director of Women’s Affairs Kelli Owens gave an overview of the Women’s Justice Agenda, which is comprised of three main tenants: Reproductive Justice, Social Justice and Economic Justice. Some of the main components of the agenda’s Reproductive Justice section are to enshrine Roe v. Wade in the New York State Constitution, reduce maternal mortality and morbidity and racial disparities, protect the educational rights of pregnant and parenting students and launch Healthy Relationships Education in Middle and High Schools. Owens introduced the healthy relationships component with a room survey. “How many of you went to high school in New York? How many of you got comprehensive Sex Ed? None of you. [That’s] because New York doesn’t have it,” she finally noted. According to Owens, legislators have fought
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
for comprehensive sexual education for a long time. “We’ve been trying years and years and years to get Sex Ed talked about in the state of New York, and it hasn’t happened.” She added that the current political climate surrounding relationships and the impact of social media has complicated the implementation process.
“How many of you got comprehensive Sex Ed? None of you.” The agenda’s Social Justice component includes passing The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, outlawing revenge porn, extending human rights law protections to all public schools students statewide and increasing protections against harassment in the workplace. Further, the legislature wants to lower the bar set for employees accountable under the New York Human Rights Law for sexual harassment by amending the requirement that conduct be “severe or pervasive” to require action. The forum concluded with a question and answer session. Vassar students’ questions ranged from the then-federal proposal for Title IX changes to what the state of New York considers sexual assault. Afterward, the Council on Women and Girls thanked those in attendance for listening and asking thoughtful questions. Implementing the changes the Women’s Justice Agenda calls for will act as a step toward New York State legislation promoting the protection of women’s rights; an advancement paramount to promoting equality between the sexes.
April 18, 2019
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Activism addresses egregious MidHudson health care of stalling and not getting my stuff quickly enough...it was not the best way to respond to someone in that situation.” Having arrived at MidHudson via ambulance, Dontsov was alarmed by the bedside manner they received. One of the first doctors to examine Dontsov raised particularly strong concerns: “I explained how I was feeling, [and] his response was like, ‘So you really think that your parents would feel better if you just killed yourself?’” recalled Dontsov. “I was like, ‘No!’ and he was like, ‘Maybe you should think about that next time.’” Summing up treatment throughout their stay, Dontsov reflected, “It was so clear that no one at that hospital was trained to deal with mental illness whatsoever.” Dontsov surrendered their belongings and was taken to the ER psychiatric ward, where they were informed that they would be speaking to a social worker and then to a professional via video chat. “They didn’t offer me any blanket or anything to sleep,” Dontsov said, “so I assumed that I would be talking to someone soon.” About an hour later, they were woken by the social worker. “I was expected to speak intelligently about what was going on,” they recalled. “She was perfectly nice, but it’s 4:30 in the morning, and I’ve gotten one hour of sleep.” They were woken once more at around 9 by someone else in the ward screaming, and then the sounds of a staff member speaking with the distressed individual. Dontsov elaborated, “She came up to the girl and basically told her, ‘You’re acting like a child. You’re never going to get out of here if you keep throwing tantrums like that.’ … Instead of trying to comfort her, [the employee was] basically accusing her of overreacting.” At no point was Dontsov offered their daily medication. Dontsov’s video conference yielded a diagnosis of major depressive disorder and the suggestion of a longer stay. “[She] told me that I should be hospitalized for the next few weeks, which I did not want to do,” Dontsov explained. “I wanted to get the fuck out of there.” Throughout the conversation, Dontsov was unclear as to what their rights were—whether the suggestion was simply a recommendation or a necessity, and indeed whether they could leave the hospital at all. “No one sat down with me and talked to me about what I could and couldn’t have done in that situation,” said Dontsov, who was released once their parents arrived and completed the requisite paperwork. “It was like they wanted to punish you basically for asking for help...that’s the only reason I wanted to leave, because I was made to feel like I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.” Widespread student response, including the willingness to share personal experiences and Facebook comments left on a post by LeBlanc explaining the outreach that she, McShaffrey and Gabrielle Costner ’21 initiated, demonstrates that these stories are instances of a larger phenomenon at play. McShaffrey explained, “It’s only in the light of more recent interactions that people [recognize], ‘It wasn’t just me, it wasn’t a fluke.’” Failures in providing adequate student healthcare extend beyond MidHudson and permeate Vassar’s campus. For McShaffrey, suspicion toward Baldwin began in his first semester, when they diagnosed him with, in his words, “literally, not appendicitis.” McShaffrey had been experiencing extreme abdominal pain, and decided to walk to Baldwin for evaluation. According to McShaffrey, “They said they had no idea what it is, but the one thing that we know, is that it is not your appendix.” He called in for health advisory the next day, which necessitated another examination. McShaffrey related: “A different Baldwin employee...said, ‘There’s
a slight possibility you need emergency surgery. Can you drive home?’ And I said I hadn’t eaten in over a day, I’m lightheaded and dazed, and then they were like, ‘[M]aybe you can have someone drive you in your car, or call a taxi or an Uber. Try to get there maybe before the end of the day, because maybe it is your appendix.’” McShaffrey sent out messages on social media requesting a ride to the ER. Upon arriving, he was sent to emergency surgery because his appendix was enlarged to three times its size. Minutes before surgery, he received an email from the same Baldwin employee who diagnosed him with “not appendicitis” checking in on his “stomach virus.” McShaffrey responded, “Will email you back tomorrow. They’re about to take out my appendix.”
stating that an investigation would not be the most strategic choice, but assuring that “Vassar will be pushing for systemic changes in hospital practice for all patients.” LeBlanc suggested that this push could involve Vassar having a hand in shaping MidHudson leadership: “There’s currently a seat on [MidHudson’s] board of directors that’s opened up...so hopefully Vassar is able to have some input on who is put up there.” Speaking to the possibility of stronger ties between Vassar and area medical centers, Alamo confirmed, “We have…met with representatives from [Vassar Brothers and Putnam County Hospital] to discuss what future partnerships might look like. These conversations are still in the very early stages and there are significant challenges that still
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HOSPITAL continued from page 1 insulin by staff. “All hospitals are supposed to have a certified diabetes technician,” explained Sipress. “They did not. They were totally mismanaging my diabetes.” Despite checking into the ER on Saturday, Sipress was not able to see a doctor until the following Monday, nor a neurologist until Tuesday. “If you call an ambulance on this campus, you will be sent to this hospital, and it’s criminally dangerous,” Sipress elaborated. “Like, they almost killed me.” On April 6, 2019, Sipress shared their experience on Facebook, prompting other students to do the same. This development marks increased recognition of an issue that students have been addressing since before spring break, including initiating contact with Vassar administrators to call for better healthcare for students and Poughkeepsie community members alike. Although Sipress’ post directed public attention toward MidHudson, theirs is not the first mistreatment to take place at the hospital. Earlier in the semester, another group of students had been working with President Bradley, Dean of the College Carlos Alamo-Pastrana and Dean of Students Luis Inoa in response to personal experiences with the hospital. One of these students, Clara LeBlanc ’21, shared that she had faced similar treatment in January 2018 after having been drugged at a party. LeBlanc explained that, after consuming a glass of wine, she began vomiting and wandering around Raymond Avenue. Individuals who she later deduced were either Vassar Security or police officers called an ambulance. At MidHudson, LeBlanc explained, “Nurses were yelling at me and being mean to me, and I didn’t understand why.” Suspecting that someone had drugged her, LeBlanc requested blood and urine tests. The staff refused. Frustrated and confused, LeBlanc sought clarification from a female security guard, to no avail: “She basically was like, ‘Yeah, there’s nothing we can do, and if you want to prevent this in the future...you shouldn’t dress like that.’” LeBlanc recounted that the hospital staff claimed she had acted aggressively and sedated her. MidHudson discharged her without providing any information about what drug they had administered—which rendered her almost unable to walk—or a wheelchair. LeBlanc recalled feeling foggy in the week and a half following, suggesting that her condition was not the result of alcohol poisoning. Concerned that she may have been drugged with something dangerous, Connor McShaffrey ’21, who carried LeBlanc out of the hospital, researched the sedatives she had received. Examining her patient files, he uncovered that LeBlanc had received heavy, mind-altering drugs, including one known to interact dangerously with alcohol. LeBlanc explained, “If they thought I was really drunk, they should not have given that to me.” Students have also raised serious concerns regarding mental health care at the hospital—one of them being Olivia Dontsov ’19. “I was essentially having a panic attack at 2 in the morning, so I EMS-ed myself,” recalled Dontsov, whose hospitalization on March 8 was precipitated by the unavailability of adequate psychiatric care. “Because of how I was feeling, I used the word ‘suicidal’ in the call...then, like, 10 police officers showed up[.]” One of the officers asked Dontsov how they felt about being hospitalized; Dontsov responded that they did not think it was necessary, but the other officer informed them that they had no choice in the matter and instructed them to pack up and get ready to go. They recalled, “He basically accused me
Above is MidHudson Regional Hospital, located on North Road in Poughkeepsie. One Google review by Cheyenne Rinehart reads, “Coming here was the absolute WORST.” In response to McShaffrey’s and LeBlanc’s experiences as well as those of a friend, the two reached out to administration in concert with Costner. “We started a discourse with Dean Alamo and President Bradley after our friend’s experience,” McShaffrey related, “But our efforts to hear others’ stories started with Rachel. They put that in motion.” The three have proposed a range of changes to address student safety and wellbeing, including the temporary handling of all medical emergencies by Vassar Brothers and the handling of psychiatric emergencies by Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel, NY. Putnam’s location outside Dutchess County, however, makes viable transportation from Vassar a challenge: In an emailed statement to The Miscellany News on behalf of administration, Alamo explained that emergency medical services are only allowed to transport students within the county. Nevertheless, McShaffrey emphasized the importance of disseminating information about MidHudson’s less than satisfactory practices. Noting the superiority of Vassar Brothers, he commented, “I think what would be good for Vassar students to know as a whole is that, A, there is that disparity in care between the two institutions, and that both are viable options, and that B, admin are actively working with students to make those changes.” Sipress suggested that, in a future relationship between Vassar and MidHudson, the hospital could be conceptualized as a case study in ways that healthcare administration can be improved. Costner noted, “This isn’t just a Vassar issue ... It’s happening to the Poughkeepsie community”—a sentiment that Sipress also expressed, indicating the evolution of their stance: On April 7, they posted, via the unFramed Facebook page, a call for Vassar to take the lead in demanding MidHudson’s closure. On April 8, they posted a revised statement calling for investigation rather than closing, and, after meeting with Bradley, they posted again on April 10
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need to be sorted out.” Alamo also discussed the potential establishment of a case manager position, which would be responsible for working with students sent to the hospital for emergency medical or mental health evaluations. Overall, McShaffrey indicated that administrators have been responsive to student concerns: “President Bradley and Dean Alamo were appalled by the stories ... Right now it’s a lot of orienting and getting a grasp on what’s going on and figuring out what the most efficient way to move forward is while helping as many people as possible.” Adequately addressing student wellbeing and improving Poughkeepsie hospitals are long-term projects, and discourse will be ongoing as students and administrators alike address issues in mental and physical healthcare. In order to further this project, Costner has created a document compiling student stories, which will eventually be shared with administration. More broadly, Sipress has made contact with Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo to discuss upgrading care for Type 1 diabetes patients nationwide. Back on campus, students are encouraged to share their concerns, as personal accounts can help administration understand shortcomings and direct the course of future actions. “Based on student experiences...we are evaluating the services we offer,” stated Alamo. Looking toward a potential future in which students need not fear for their emotional and physical welfare when entering a facility ostensibly devoted to their wellbeing, he continued: “Navigating the many aspects of care can be daunting. Our hope is that through proactive conversations with our community partners, we can find a way to improve students’ experiences with care on and off campus.” [A statement from MidHudson Regional Hospital representatives is forthcoming, and will be published as an addendum to the extended version of this article on The Miscellany News website.]
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April 18, 2019
Lecture honors contemporary Haudenosaunee artists
Courtesy of Emma Koolpe Dr. Scott Manning Stevens spoke on April 8 about the challenges that indigenous artists face in the contemporary world. Alex Barnard
GUEST REPORTER
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n today’s world, it seems that non-Natives view the terms “contemporary art” and “Indigenous art” as incompatible. As a result, Native American artists often struggle to find their identities as creators. Associate Professor and Director of Native American and Indigenous Studies at Syracuse University Dr. Scott Manning Stevens explored the relationship between modernity and indigeneity in the art world when he presented his lecture, “The Arc of History in Contemporary Haudenosaunee
Art,” in Taylor Hall on Thursday, April 11. He explained that, unless curators explicitly market exhibitions of modern Native American art with the label “contemporary,” visitors often walk out of the galleries, dissatisfied because the art did not seem “Indian enough.” This historicizing of Native peoples makes it difficult for Indigenous artists to make their mark in the contemporary art scene. Stevens welcomed his audience with a traditional Mohawk greeting, as he is Akwesasne Mohawk (Stevens, Scott M., “The Arc of History in Contemporary Haudenosaunee Art,” 04.11.2019). For those readers who may not know what “Haudenosaunee” means, Dr. Stevens clarified in his lecture: “‘Haudenosaunee’ is the term for what is otherwise known as ‘The Iroquois League.’” As he points out, Iroquois is an “exonym,” or a name that comes from outside a community; Haudenosaunee is merely the Native American equivalent of Iroquois. Stevens was this year’s Ribicoff Visiting Professor and Lecturer in Art History, a program that allows students to learn from experts in many aspects of the art world. “At present, Dr. Stevens is leading a field-based seminar on ‘Tradition and Contemporary Issues in Native American Art,’” stated Art Department Chair Lisa Collins in an email correspondence. The six-week course takes its students to a new museum each week; past galleries include the American Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of the American Indian. Student Livia Bartels ’20 remarked in an email interview, “[H]e’s a great, approachable professor, and [is] always willing to have a conversation.”
Associate Professor of English and Native American Studies Molly McGlennen articulated the importance of Stevens’ lecture. In an email interview, she explained, “For me, Native peoples are underrepresented, both historically and now, at our institution. By being attentive to that, by leaning into that reality, we not only see Stevens talk as an opportunity to learn something new, but an obligation of sorts—that by engaging with his talk and the works he presents, we are saying that Native peoples’ knowledges and Native communities and artists are important for all of us and foundational to this place.” The main objective of Stevens’ lecture was to examine the ways in which Haudenosaunee artists are able to stand out in the current art world while simultaneously dealing with their own, collective history: “What contemporary Haudenosaunee artists are up against is creating a sense of Haudenosaunee culture which is based in our own longue durée in the continent.” For many Native American artists, there is a notion of being trapped in the past, which Stevens explained: “[N]o word has been more destructive to young, Native people than ‘authenticity.’” Despite these setbacks, Dr. Stevens highlighted the works of several Native American artists who continue to innovate. In particular, Stevens focused on the works of three artists: Shelley Niro and Alan Michelson of the Mohawk nation, and Jolene Rickard of the Tuscarora nation. Each of these artists put forth varying perspectives toward Haudenosaunee history in their work. For Niro, a prominent subject is Sky Woman, the protagonist in the Mohawk creation story. One of her works that Dr. Stevens
discussed, titled “Flying Woman #6,” depicts Sky Woman flying over a group of Native American protestors. Sky Woman’s presence above the activists seems to suggest that she will protect them while they fight to preserve their legacy and identity in American culture. Michelson’s current series of work is called “Honödagayas,” which means “destroyer of villages.” The picture that Stevens showcased from this series was of a bust of George Washington, overlayed with the image of the Indigenous lands he had destroyed during the Sullivan Expeditions. Since then, Honödagayas has not only become the nickname for George Washington, but is also, as Stevens mentioned, the Mohawk term for “President of the United States.” Finally, Rickard’s work utilizes extensive mixed media. One of her pieces that Stevens analyzed was “Sky Woman Looks Back,” which consists of a video in the center of a woman’s eye. Sky Woman falls through a hole created by a tree, which in turn creates the world. Despite the darkness of this art, Stevens concluded his lecture on a positive note, displaying a more recent work by Niro, titled “Treaties.” The picture is adapted from the design found in the Two Row Wampum, which signifies the treaty signed by the Haudenosaunee and Dutch settlers. At the center of the picture are two hands engaged in a handshake, which Stevens emphasized: “We are not saying to stay away from each other; we are a handshake away but don’t cross that boundary.” He concluded, “If we can both agree—which is a huge if—not to cross those lines…then perhaps there is some hope for us after all.”
Author Jamaica Kincaid muses on landscape, memory KINCAID continued
from page 1 author Jamaica Kincaid. Dean of the College Carlos Alamo-Pastrana quelled the buzzing excitement of the Villard Room with a personal introduction: “Professor Kincaid’s writing, to me, came at a very important time—when I was getting all sorts of questions on why Caribbean Studies matter,” he stated. “I first read Professor Kincaid’s work as a first-year student. For me, this happened at a pivotal moment of my academic journey when I was constantly being questioned and asked to defend and articulate the value of doing research in El Caribe, the Caribbean and specifically on why Puerto Rico matters. Through her writing, she taught the Caribbean has so much to say about history, justice and our world.” When Dean Alamo introduced Kincaid, the Villard Room erupted in warm applause. Kincaid is a professor of African and American Studies at Harvard, and she holds a lifetime’s worth of important literary awards. Her books and short stories, “A Small Place,” “See Now Then,” “Girl” and “Annie John” have earned her numerous honors, including the Lannan Literary Award for Fiction, Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards and an election to the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. Attendee Sophia Kapur ‘22 shared her takeaways from the event. “I found it fascinating and inspiring to hear Kincaid speak, as the way that she jumped from one complex thought to the next truly provided a glimpse into her thought process,” she commented. “I read ‘A Small Place’ for Anthro first semester, and am reading it again for Geography right now, so it was
invaluable to have the opportunity to discuss the book I am studying with the author herself after the lecture.” Although Kincaid broached a number of topics in her whimsically insightful lecture, most of her talk focused on the exploration of landscape and memory. More specifically, she spoke about how an author’s memory shapes their personal assessment of landscape. Her interest in the subject came from reading African-American literature, specifically the genre of the slave narrative. Professor Kincaid recounted, “I began to notice that the things in landscape are so crucial to a person’s identity … the landscape is a problem for the narrative of African-American literature.” From the perspective of an enslaved person, the forest occupies a space somewhere between captivity and freedom: “Someone very much wants to escape this horrible thing, bondage, and they manage to get away, they hide in the woods, and the woods betray them.” In most prose and poetry, Professor Kincaid explained, “The woods are very beautiful…in this narrative, it’s a blockage to freedom.” Much of Professor Kincaid’s work explores her relationship with her native land of Antigua, a Caribbean country with a history of English, French and Spanish colonial influence; she left Antigua in the early 1970s for the United States. Kincaid related the subjects of landscape and memory: Similar to how the woods are a barrier in slave narratives, the water is a barrier surrounding Antigua. She explained, “So much of the Atlantic Ocean is full of horror for people like me.” Kincaid’s effort to probe such connec-
tions between geography and emotion led her to examine time, and how, like the landscape, it is, “completely indifferent to this, it goes on, it crumbles…we are separate from it though we are a part of it.” She reflected personally on the matter: “I was looking at a photograph of myself taken when I was seven, the age I am really. Though I am almost seven times that. Everything you see about me is the first seven years of my life, aged like a cheese.” The end of her exploration into landscape and memory is her most recent book, “See Now Then.” In “See Now Then,” the characters slip between times while Kincaid slips between the narrators. At times, she is the parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sweet (though they are not sweet at all), and at other times she is the children, Persephone and Heracles (names borrowed from the Greek myth “Apollodorus”). Kincaid offered a brief insight into the esthetic of her writing, illuminating the reason why the Sweets’ house is the “Shirley Jackson House” and not the “Robert Frost House.” She explained, “The words Robert Frost do not really go in any of the sentences in this book. It unbalances the sentences.” The observation was a window into the aesthetics of her prose, which often nudge up against poetry. Kincaid commented on these characters: “I put them in a work of fiction. But it’s really not fiction. It is and it isn’t.” She read one selection from the beginning of “See Now Then.” Immediately, her musings on time and memory were evident. In one description of the family she tells stories about several characters while occupying the mind of Mrs. Sweet. The neighboring house that holds civic
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gatherings reminds her of her son’s dated fascination with toy fire trucks. That memory reminds her of a neighbor who died after shooting the largest deer of his life, and she subsequently describes his funeral. Kincaid read, “[H]e looked so much like himself, to ask him if he would come to paint her house, the Shirley Jackson house, or could he come and something, anything, fix the pipes, clean the gutters of the roof, check to see if water had leaked into the basement, because he appeared to be so like himself, but his wife said to her, Homer shot the biggest deer of his life, and he died while trying to put it in the back of his truck; and Mrs. Sweet was sympathetic to the worldly-ness of the dead.” The winding, five-and-a-half-page exposition is just one sentence. Throughout the talk, she subverted many commonly accepted conceptions. For example, she denounced the rule of “show not tell” in writing, and was even unsatisfied with laws of nature: “[D]eath for instance isn’t discriminating, it comes to everybody, and I think that is very unfair. Some people die and some people shouldn’t.” The audience burst into laughter when she brought up the first ever photograph of a black hole which recently made headlines: “I don’t know if you saw the black hole recently, yes I was wondering if that is where Trump will go.” When she took the podium she had joked, “I thought why don’t I stay [on campus?] But no, I must go. You don’t want me to stay, after a while I may say things you don’t want to hear.” She paused, then countered, “though many years later you may feel they changed your life.”
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April 18, 2019
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‘Us’ contributes to changing shape of cinematic ‘other’ Ben Papsun
GUEST COLUMNIST
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ordan Peele’s sophomore film “Us” is currently playing in theaters across the world, and has captured the praise of critics and fans alike. The movie comes on the tails of Peele’s acclaimed 2017 directorial debut, “Get Out,” and it follows a Black family of four, who are thrust into a harrowing game of cat-and-mouse with evil “twin” versions of themselves who are determined to kill and replace them. Already, film journalists and YouTube video-essayists have scrambled to produce content which attempts to unravel Peele’s tapestry of symbolism and deliberate storytelling. The film is indeed a richly layered work, and it grapples with the complicated psychological, racial and cultural aspects of modern life. However, the symbolic premise of “Us” is fairly straightforward: The twisted doppelgängers of the family are the embodiments of evil, a wickedness that originates somewhere within the family itself. In the allegorical universe of “Us,” the domestic comforts of our lives are inextricably linked to an equal and opposite oppression and pain, neither of which can exist without the “other.” In this way, the
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Jordan Peele’s sophomore film “Us” remains in his chosen area of social commentary horror. His two films redefined the genre.
“other” and the familiar are equated, mirror images of one another. I see “Us” as a continuation of a trend in modern cinema, particularly in American horror and science fiction films. The movie represents a shift in the traditional storytelling technique of “othering” the threat to the protagonists of the story, constructing it as an affront to our collective ideas of decency, culture and humanity. This is why movies like “King Kong” (1933) and “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954) portray inhuman monsters kidnapping helpless white women—they are coded representations of xenophobic anxieties shared by many Americans at the time of the films’ creations (and many still today). However, movies like “Us” show that the way popular media designates the “other” is undergoing a change. The evil in “Us” does not take the form of an ugly, foreign monstrosity, but instead is familiar, reversing one of the horror film’s most basic conventions. The effect is powerful: Could we be the ones responsible for creating and perpetuating our own social anxieties? One especially useful resource for an investigation into the cinematic conception of the “other” is the alien invasion narrative. Media which uses an alien invasion as a major plot element is almost unavoidably reflective of the political climate in which it is created, and captures the fears of a given audience at a given time. The first film adaptation of H.G. Wells’ 1898 novel “The War of the Worlds” was released in 1953, on the heels of World War II and during the mounting technological tensions of the Cold War. Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of the same novel, released in 2005, drew on the new aesthetic vocabulary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the amateur footage that captured them. The near-grayscale color palette and nihilistic tone were symptoms of a shift in the American national consciousness; nationalistic ideals seemed like an irretrievable fantasy. As a result, a movie like Roland Emmerich’s 1996 “Independence Day,” a love letter to the U.S. armed forces and an unsubtle monument to American exceptionalism, becomes an empty gesture. After the events of Sept. 11, the “Independence Day”style narrative is unable to faithfully capture the national zeitgeist, and the nation’s taste for cinematic depictions of large-scale
destruction disappears for several years, prompting hasty edits of sundry TV shows and movies (Vox, “Movies, patriotism, and cultural amnesia: tracing pop culture’s relationship to 9/11,” 9.11.2017).
“I believe that contemporary horror and science fiction films are emblematic of a cultural moment; a fundamental reckoning of what it means for something to be ‘other than.’” A post-9/11 perspective certainly complicated the relationship between cinema and the “other,” but it did not deconstruct it. It is only with more recent films like 2019’s “Us,” 2016’s “Arrival” and 2018’s “Annihilation” that the relationship between the familiar and the “other” is completely tested, and possibly transformed. If “Us” challenges the traditional trope of the “other” on a personal and emotional level (which is accentuated by its domestic setting and highly personalized antagonists), “Arrival” and “Annihilation” challenge it on cultural and scientific fronts, respectively. In “Arrival,” like in Spielberg’s “War of the Worlds,” an alien presence comes to Earth, and its appearance, language and technology is completely unparalleled in human experience. What differentiates the narrative of “Arrival” from that of most is that these aliens are not evil. Our inability to communicate with them is not used as a device to make the aliens unsympathetic—rather, it is used symbolically to explore the very nature of language and communication. The idea of human superiority (as seen in “Independence Day”) is inverted, as the aliens possess great knowledge which they intend to share with humanity. Meanwhile earthly nations misinterpret their messages (mistaking the alien symbol meaning “tool” for “weapon”) and quickly resolve to launch an attack (certainly parallels can be drawn here to the U.S. invasion of Iraq). This is an essentially post-colonial interpretation of the alien invasion narrative, wherein a group
which sees itself as the dominant race (i.e. humans) fails to appreciate the value of another race because they rely on their own cultural standards in order to measure the value of the “other.” “Annihilation,” a sci-fi horror film in which a meteorite introduces alien life to Earth, flips otherness in terms of its biological implications. The zone around the meteorite’s crash site becomes a zoo of strange, perverted imitations (not unlike “Us”) of local flora and fauna. A number of terrifying beasts attack the main characters, but it eventually becomes clear that the alien presence does not have an evil agenda any more than a cancer cell does. It only does what it is genetically programmed to do. “Annihilation,” like “Arrival,” demonstrates the futility of imposing a traditional schema onto an untraditional situation, and the absurd self-delusion of imagining an usversus-them dynamic as something coded into nature. In summary, I believe that contemporary horror and science fiction films are emblematic of a cultural moment; a fundamental reckoning of what it means for something to be “other than” and the legitimacy of hierarchies built on those designations. This reckoning entails a new relationship with American nationalism, American imperialism and American cultural identity at large. The American National Election Study, which collects data on Americans’ political attitudes, has found that millennials have less attachment to American patriotic symbols than the generations before them, and only 58 percent of millennials report that they “love America,” compared to 81 percent of the Silent Generation, who are in their 70s and 80s (The New York Times, “Younger Americans Are Less Patriotic. In Some Ways,” 07.04.2014). Following the U.S. government’s catastrophic mishandling of the war in Iraq, and the growing awareness of deeply rooted inequalities within America and beyond, a shadow of doubt has been cast on the convenience of pointing to a foreign entity and blaming it for all social ills. This same doubt is reflected in the creative outputs of horror and science fiction writers and directors, whose works, like the twins in “Us” or the creatures in “Annihilation,” serve as twisted reflections of their audiences.
Original musical doubles as senior thesis, garners acclaim Delila Ames
GUEST REPORTER
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et on an airship captained by Hope Goodwell, “The Northern Skies” hit the ground running on Thursday, April 11. An original musical written by Drama and Music double majors Emily Drossell ’19 and George Luton ’19, this story has been in the works for over two years. It was brought to life by a cast of nine characters, and a crew of many more, that have been working tirelessly for the last six weeks. A tale about six people who end up on a mission to find a cure to a plague ravaging livestock, “The Northern Skies” incorporates dark humor, political exile and illicit romance. Luton was the composer of most of the songs, while Drossell developed much of the script; they collaborated on the lyrics. Once the characters were created, Drossell quickly knew she would fit into the role of the protagonist. She described the difficulty of writing a character on paper
and then taking on the role in real life: “I had to create this role in its purest form and then figure out how to bring life to [a] two-dimensional character. As I acted, I tried to find avenues of which depth could be brought out of her.” Luton and Drossell were in contact the summer before their junior year, which is when the ideas of the setting and main plot were generated. They created a preliminary storyboard, which featured all the characters that ended up in the final draft. This show was the thesis of Jacqui Anders ’19, actor Raphe Gilliam ’19, stage manager Lindsay Matheos ’19 and director Allison Breeze ’19. It also stars Gracie Nayman ’22, Charles Mangan ’22, Bryan Smith ’21, Abigail Goldman ’21, Eli Wassertzug ’22 and Samantha Hodes ’20. When discussing the process of writing and starring in her own musical, Drossell admitted, “In the rehearsal process I found it very hard to turn off the writer part of my brain, and [was] trying to figure out
how to focus on the whole work as a creator as well as what to bring to it as an individual character.” While the majority of the script and music was developed in the Fall 2018 semester, writers still continued to work throughout production. The future of the show after Vassar is unclear, but Drossell is excited by the idea of the project becoming something more. Anders, a Drama major, starred as Madame Capitaux, the ruthless villain. Her intense character study presented a challenge, as it was wildly different from her usual roles: “I took it upon myself to like my character because everyone else hated her, and it was necessary to like her in order to give her a fair chance and make her human; finding things that were relatable in this obvious villain was a challenge.” Anders delivered a dramatic and bewitching performance alongside a cast of all class years. Intense rehearsal for the show began
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Feb. 19; it was a six-week process with 16 hours of rehearsal a week, Monday through Thursday. During tech week, the cast and crew rehearsed for twelve hours a day, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. They worked through the technical aspects of the show, pausing to adjust lighting and sound cues as the actors ran through their blocking. The live orchestra only joined the cast a week before opening, and the tech crew had been working separately for weeks before; it all came together in the last ten days. The musical received a standing ovation from a lively audience of friends, family and theater enthusiasts. Audible gasps and cheers were heard throughout the performance, fueling the already impassioned actors. The show’s creators, too, were pleased with the outcome. Breeze commented on the experience: “I was thankful to have such talented collaborators to work with, and I think the resulting performance speaks for itself.”
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Kanye’s Korner Mack Liederman SENIOR EDITOR
The following is the fifth in an eight-part series documenting the discography of Kanye West. Each week, Arts will feature a piece detailing the merits of one of West’s albums, in chronological order. et me take you to a tropical island. The year is 2009, and in a remote corner of Honolulu, Hawaii, an elite cohort of the world’s most decorated rappers and producers have descended upon the residence of Kanye West. However, this isn’t another run-of-the-mill getaway for the rich and famous. Relaxing hours on the beach would be forgone for 12-hour shifts holed up in a crammed island studio. Inside, all in attendance—from the engineers to the janitors—were told to don white shirts and black ties. This wasn’t a vacation. This was a business trip. Maybe only short of the current president, Kanye West is a human spectacle prime for poking and prodding, dissection and pathologizing, by the bloodthirsty writers and commentators among which I have joined the ranks. If I can draw one takeaway from my years growing up alongside his headline-provoking antics, it is that West’s artistry is drenched in its context. From his early days on the brutal streets of Southside Chicago to his off-the-map reemergence in the rolling mountains of Wyoming, our understanding of West and his music has been consistently redefined by the moment. So, what brought Kanye to Hawaii?
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April 18, 2019
Installment V: ‘MBDTF’
I needed to do some digging. In hindsight, I was too eager to take this article assignment, completely oblivious of the toll it would take on my weekend. Papers and internship apps fell to the wayside as I spent hours hermited in the dark cave of my room, sifting through the YouTube history book of Mr. West. Doing this article justice would require a thorough understanding of all Kanyes past. I sped past the big-eyed, Gucci-bag touting Kanye passionately imploring wisdom on Def Jam Poetry; fast-forwarded through the coming-of-age Kanyes of the teddy bear era; happily skipped the shutter-shaded Kanye who I once emulated at middle school dances to my vertigo-ed chagrin. Finally, I reached the Kanye I was looking for. This Kanye was more sinister, scarred by his now-trademarked controversy. This was Kanye at his most combative and, maybe appropriately, his most iconic. America loves to watch a good trainwreck. In a moment ingrained in time, Kanye did not, in fact, let Taylor finish. From there, the floodgates opened. A most popular president affectionately called him “a jackass,” and South Park delivered a below-the-belt death blow with the terribly unfunny “fish sticks” joke. This Kanye was down for the count. Suffering from the premature death of his mother, West had slipped into a psychosis, with every flash and flare-up painfully documented by a press eager to crowd him into a corner. He needed to find an escape. This Kanye needed to remove himself from his star, and get back to music. This Kanye
needed to go to Hawaii. Some may think I’m making an easy argument, that the album that came out of those Honolulu marathon sessions, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” (“MBDTF”) is the artist’s best. They are right. At this time in history, more than ever, Kanye needed a resurrection—he needed his magnum opus. This life-or-death drive to produce greatness and perfection, is evident throughout the music. One anecdote comes from Rick Ross, who floats through one of my favorite verses of all-time on “Devil In a New Dress.” “When I recorded that verse for the first time, he [Kanye] came in, heard it,” Ross recalled. “He told me he thought I could do better. And he walked out. And then I wrote another one, and the second verse I wrote is the one you hear on the album” (Hypebeast, “Kanye West Made Rick Ross Redo His ‘Devil in a New Dress’ Verse,” 11.17.2017). Eloquence and precision of production define “MBDTF,” especially in its maximal moments. If I were to put on my obnoxious music reviewer hat, I would say something like “The catchy, over-saturated, yet carefully curated, sounds and synths of ‘Dark Fantasy,’ ‘Monster,’ ‘Hell of Life’ and ‘All of the Lights’ triumph with feelings of glamour and glitz, decadence and extravagance.” But I won’t do that. That would be annoying— and it’s been done too many times before. Instead, I’ll say that “MBDTF” takes the form of a masterpiece, simply because of the full gamut of emotions through which it runs its listener. Bluntly put, “POWER” still
makes me want to run through a wall—even though I can’t get out of my head its appropriation in the “Social Network” trailer, where a plain-sweatshirted Jesse Eisenberg intensely scribbles Facebook algorithms on his Harvard dorm window. I digress. On the other end, Kanye is unafraid to strip down the album to its most basic, revealing his deepest vulnerabilities. On “Runaway,” a monotone staccato note repeats, before the beat erupts and overwhelms it. At the outro of the track, all sound is reduced to a mumbled autotune of his voice. Here lies a crucial juxtaposition. Autotune disguises the honest emotion of the human voice, as it is inherently a tool created to eliminate faults. Yet Kanye’s voice feels as if it is struggling against the autotune, struggling to break through. Under the guise of perfect symphony, there lies something profoundly human. Scattered throughout the album, Kanye leaves space for breath and struggle. With a life now so hidden in mystery and confusion, Kanye West makes it harder for us to ground him in humanity these days. Yet, the process and sounds of “MBDTF” remind me of an antic of the newest Kanye. Grainy iPhone footage has emerged on recent Sundays of Kanye directing a whiteclad choir out on remote, heavenly green pastures. Here, we once again find purity. Stripped and removed from his image, his flaws and his controversies, Kanye, a master of his music, is caught simply at work. Like “MBDTF,” it’s removed, and it’s human. Of the many Kanyes, this is the real one.
Solange dazzles in celestial, entrancing new release Jimmy Christon COLUMNIST
When I Get Home
Solange Saint Records/Columbia
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and celebration, and it is all for the better. The supreme “Almeda” is another standout in this regard. The trap-style snares from Pharrell’s guest production work wonders for Solange’s almost constant vocals that jump from topic to topic in a breathtakingly dreamy fashion. “Can’t even be washed away/ Not even in that Florida water” is a refrain that gets repeated throughout this soft track. Playboi Carti on this song is an absolute highlight. Rolled in through ad-libs peppering Solange’s last verse, Carti surfs over this track in such smooth excellence. It was a shocker for me to hear Carti sound this smooth after such octane-heavy performances on his last two projects. His baby-voice delivery makes me smile every time I listen to it.
If I have any negatives for “When I Get Home,” they stem from the plethora of interludes. They’re scattered throughout this already short album, and they don’t add much. The worst slight I can make toward this collection is that it can feel like just one big song as opposed to a full album. When a work is so spacy and so short, these one-off interludes and vocal samples really debase a listener from any sort of clear movement. But this isn’t exactly a misfire. Like “Endless,” the vibe is supreme: created by short vocal samples and instrumental flourishes, it feels kaleidoscopic, like Solange converted Houston into YouTube videos and blazed through them. Or like she framed Houston against a glittering cosmic background.
Courtesy of Neon Tommy via Flickr
he best album of the year (so far) has been going critically and overtly underappreciated. This oversight of Solange’s “When I Get Home” is a slight of colossal proportions. It must truly be an era of darkness if such shining, exemplar craftsmanship goes unnoticed. So let’s get into it. You should listen to this, and then be addicted to the world it brings you to. The clearest artistic influence I see on here is Frank Ocean’s “Endless.” Both records exude the feeling of low-key mastery, where vocal samples and sonic journeys bend minds and flood through our bodies. I didn’t think anything else could make me feel the high-towering emotions of Ocean’s “Rushes.” And yet, I found my skin glowing warm to the euphoric outro of Solange’s “Time (is).” This is all to say that the album contains music that goes straight to your soul; to that part of you that can soar and sink with vigorous energy. And this was the design of the album from the start. In an interview with i-D radio, Solange said that this album aimed to express what she felt, as opposed to “A Seat at a Table,” which was intended to express her thoughts and what she had to say. Or, as she puts it, “A Seat at the Table” was a thesis statement; “When I Get Home” is personal. Much of this album is dedicated to the city of Houston. The songs are filled with collaborators, references and motifs related to Houston and its iconic status in the world of music. The album is also celestial in scope.
Futuristic synths, electronic bleeps and a cosmic ambience ennoble its vibes. Also significant is the importance of the body. In 2017, Solange revealed she had Autonomic Disorder, an illness that essentially robs people of control over their own bodies. “When I Get Home” is a musical reconciliation between Solange and her body. The final track, “I’m a Witness,” showcases this reclamation perfectly. The song’s lyrics feel like a prayer addressed to her own body, with lyrics like “I’ll be your vessel/I won’t stop til I get it right/Good night/Takin on the light.” There’s a melodic quality to Solange’s vocals that reveals itself over a softly cosmic beat. The spacey, oscillating keyboards couch Solange’s vocals and, as I see it, represent the embrace between spirit and body. There’s an affirmation on this track between bodily limits and noble aspirations. It gets very metaphysical very quickly. But like Frank Ocean’s “Endless,” there’s clear grounding in all of this spaciness. The vocals on “I’m a Witness” are particularly strong in their ability to cut through the beat, all while never feeling disassociated from it. The rest of the album shares this quality. The Earl Sweatshirt-produced “Dreams” is another favorite of mine. The slow, lulling beat feels could shine on any “lofi beat” YouTube playlist, but Solange’s swirling vocals stir the listener. Speaking of features, this album is chock full of dream collabs that I never would have expected from 2019. Like Animal Collective’s Panda Bear showing up on the track “Binz” with rock solid singer The-Dream, or Tyler the Creator producing a track that features Gucci Mane—“My Skin My Logo,” or the plethora of other guest producers and collaborators that stem from all swaths of modern RnB. This album is equal parts collaboration
R&B singer-songwriter Solange released her hip-hop and jazz-influenced fourth studio album, “When I Get Home,” through Columbia Records on March 1. The project follows her critically and commercially acclaimed 2016 LP, “A Seat at the Table.”
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
April 18, 2019
ARTS
Campus Canvas A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists
Page 9 submit to misc@vassar.edu
Jake Ferguson History Major Class of 2020 He/Him/His
Motel Holiday Cigarettes, burnt coffee, and chlorine mingle in the lobby A garden of brochures peeks at arriving guests, My ears perk up to the jingle of room keys rising over the impassioned traffic’s harmony The frying parking lot is where we meet the owner’s cat, holding a bloodied field mouse in its teeth Matching oak doors framed in sun stained walls float by A woman’s voice cuts through my haze, crying, while someone’s son speaks with his hands We carry our bags down the stucco hall Our door opens, revealing two beds like grilled tomatoes and a wallpaper’s collection of flowers browned by heating olive oil My body eases onto the straw mattress and my eyes gaze through the pristine plastic shutters to the foothills dusted with gold where below, a hairy man, in a rubber tube idly tracks the river’s curves.
Excuse me, If you were to get arrested, what would your friends think it was for?
“What do YOU think it’s for?” — Olivia Feltus ’21
“Just drama major stuff. You know.” —Max Kelly ’21
“Probably public nudity.” — Tillie Newcomb ’20
“Robbing fake Louis Vuitton bags because I’m broke.” — Brian Santos ’22
“Probably, like, drugs.” — Rongzhi Hu ’22
“Breaking and entering in a grocery store.” —Brynn Lautenbacher ’21
Hannah Gaven, Humor & Satire Izzy Migani, Assistant Humor & Satire Hannah Benton, Photography
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
FEATURES
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Quite Frankly Frankie Knuckles
FEATURES EDITOR QUALITY ADVICE-GIVER
Have a question you want answered? Submit your quandaries at http://bit.ly/2RFnXfk Hey Frankie, You ever feel like your life is just a neverending list of responsibilities and things to do? Sometimes I find myself daydreaming of being on a tropical beach sipping a piña colada, after having checked off every last bit of minutiae on my to-do list. However, a part of me realizes that this day will never come. How do you mentally break out of this rut of eternal busyness? Sincerely, I have a paper due tomorrow Dear Procrastinator,
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uite frankly, when you figure it out, let me know. I mean, there are all kinds of self-care acts in the world, some of which effectively combat the rat-race mindset. I remain unconvinced that any of these can ameliorate the core of the issue you’ve identified here. We can throw around terms like “work-life balance” and “attention management” and “for the love of all that is holy, just stop procrastinating for no reason whatsoever” all we want, but those don’t solve busyness— they just give us a way to handle it more effectively. Or that’s the hope, at least. I’m not going to spend any time going through these methods. You can Google just as well as I can. I don’t just feel like life is a never-ending list of responsibilities and things to do; it literally is. According to one philosophical school, life is definitionally never complete, but consists in our striving toward unattainable ends. When I repeat one of my mantras, “Life is hard, and then you die,” I’m speaking from this philosophical viewpoint. But the beauty of this saying lies in its two possible interpretations: One is bleak, and one leans a bit more to the optimistic end of the spectrum. Let’s start with bleak. That way, there’s nowhere to go but up. No matter what you do, no matter how much you accomplish, there will always be the crushing weight of an endless procession of tasks. That sucks. It’s overwhelming, neverending and soul-crushing. Here’s the optimistic version. If life consists of all our endless strivings, each striving is an invaluable part of this weird, multi-faceted thing we call life. Sure, each item on the to-do list is annoying. But you’re here, getting the opportunity to be annoyed by menial tasks. And that, I think, is an important part of what being human means. If you can plug in, you can feel what you’re feeling and recognize your everyday struggles as steps toward a life more populated with diverse ideas and experiences. Every reading that you don’t want to do, every paper you barely turn in by the deadline, is another chance to fill in life’s infinite blanks. Best Wishes, Frankie P.S. You caught me at a pretty bad time to give a cheery encouragement that things will get better. But maybe it’s better to confront reality than to offer platitudes.
April 18, 2019
Polo provides new way to horse around Ariana Gravinese REPORTER
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hen most people hear the word “polo,” they usually think of the clothing brand, a type of shirt or the sport of water polo. Many are unfamiliar with another kind of polo: horse polo. Few students may realize that Vassar once had a polo team. Maya Goodwin ’20, a member of the Vassar Equestrian Team, lamented the dissolution of the club sport in an emailed interview. “Vassar had a competitive polo team until 2013, three years before my [first] year. I joined the riding team instead, and tried not to think about polo,” she recalled, “I had this wild Messianic dream that during my JYA I would learn how to play polo and then come back my senior year and revive the team.” Bringing back the team is not as easy as Goodwin originally hoped. Securing funds to establish a program that offers polo at an affordable price has been challenging. Goodwin explained that while abroad at the University of Edinburgh, she fulfilled the first half of her dream by learning the game. She enthused, “Polo is everything I thought it would be and more; it is the most fun you can legally have in life.” Her love of the sport has encouraged her to remain in Edinburgh beyond the end of her JYA term. “I’ve been working at the polo yard to pay for extra chukker costs on weekends, and I’m planning to stay in Edinburgh working full-time for my coach until my visa runs out in July and they kick me out of the U.K.,” she described. Goodwin highlighted that the opportunities polo provides would be a positive force for Vassar students. She stated: “I would love
for Vassar to have a polo team again and join the 38 collegiate polo programs organized by the U.S. Polo Association. We have connections to Vassar polo alums, interested students and nearby polo clubs interested in working with us.” Polo often goes unnoticed despite its rich history. Even without an official college team, Vassar students can still learn about the origins and modern-day iterations of this enduring athletic pursuit. Horse polo is one of the oldest known team sports in human history. With origins in Persia, polo was originally used as a way to train cavalry (Ride TV, “11 Fun Facts About Horse Polo,” 11.07.2017). While some know polo as the sport of English royalty, 13 of today’s top 20 polo players in the world hail from Argentina (World Polo Tour, “Rankings,” 15.04.2019). The most common of the many forms of polo is played outdoors. The field is well-maintained with short, manicured grass. In its entirety, the field is the size of five football fields (Spirit of Polo Press, “The measurements of the Polo field,” 09.24.2014). Players use a mallet to hit the ball. Originally, polo was played with a hard wooden ball, but now it is played with a plastic ball that makes a tick noise when hit by the sweet spot of the mallet (World Polo News, “Outdoor Polo Ball,” 07.10.2015). All riders are required to hold their mallet in their right hand. There are two teams, comprised of four players per team, and each player is given a handicap from -2 to 10. A higher handicap indicates greater proficiency in the sport. On the field with the eight players are also two referees, referred to as umpires. The job
of the umpires is to enforce the rules of the sport and to ensure human and horse safety. The game is comprised of six periods called “chukkers,” each of which lasts seven and a half minutes (Farmington Polo Grounds, “Polo 101”). While people refer to the horses that play polo as “polo ponies,” these animals are actually full-size horses. Most players will say that the game is 75 percent the horse and 25 percent the rider. The horses come in all different shapes, sizes and colors, but many professional players prefer horses with top speeds because the game can be won or lost simply based on ability to reach the ball first. Polo is a spectator-centered sport. The grace of the horses, the speed of the game and the skill of the players cause event-goers all over the world to come out and enjoy the beautiful weather on a sunny day to watch polo. At halftime, after the third chukker, it is tradition for people to enjoy the divot stomp. This is a time where people gather their friends and head down to the field in order to even out the ground, by stomping back in divots caused by players scooping earth up as they strike the ball. Even without a Vassar team, students can still participate in clubs in the area. If you will be hanging around campus this summer and are looking for something to do on a Sunday afternoon, head down to Greenwich Polo Club in Greenwich, CT, and take part in the action yourself. Polo welcomes everyone. Enjoy food, drinks and the summer sun fieldside with friends. Sunday polo is a weekly event—so set some time aside and immerse yourself in one of the oldest sports in the world!
Workshop teaches simple skills, seasonality Tamika Whitenack GUEST COLUMNIST
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library may seem like an unlikely location to cook, but last Wednesday, April 10, I was happily chopping parsnips and tearing kale leaves at Adriance Memorial Library. As part of the Poughkeepsie Public Library District, the library hosts a range of daily community events from toddler storytime to computer skills classes to crafty workshops. The libraries in the district also host cooking events, such as a workshop, presented by Chef Sonya Joy Key and the Poughkeepsie Farm Project, titled “Kitchen Gym.” To begin, we talked briefly about choosing the right foods. Chef Key humorously explained how she applies the KonMari™ method to her grocery shopping: She picks up each item and decides if it sparks joy for her. I chuckled to myself as I imagined slowly perusing the salad bar at the Deece, trying to sense if the bell peppers are sending positive vibes. While the example sounds silly, I think that mindful food selection makes me carefully consider, appreciate and enjoy what food my body wants to eat. Chef Key highlighted another element of her food philosophy: seasonality, including the use of seasonal ingredients. Her goal was to emphasize that weather can change the way we want to eat. Winter often calls for warmth and nourishment, while summer is suited for light and refreshing food. Chef Key recommended Cornell University’s Regional Seasonal Food Guide as a resource to inform seasonal produce choices. The workshop then turned to honing culinary skills and creating simple, delicious food for busy weeknight cooking. We began with knife skills, practicing a rondelle cut to transform stalky parsnips and beets into
coin-shaped cutouts. We then performed a rough chop of parsley and mint leaves to create shreds for salad garnish. Lastly, we ditched the knives and turned to our hands as tools, in order to rip kale leaves into salad-friendly sizes. We tossed the vegetables with olive oil, roasted them on a sheet pan in the oven and grilled lightly marinated chicken pieces. Chef Key emphasized the importance of measuring the internal temperature of meat to ensure it’s thoroughly cooked. My favorite dish of the class was the kale salad, which was brought to life by the flavorful dressing. Chef Key’s formula for dressing is one part acid to two parts oil. In keeping with that, our salad used a mixture of red wine vinegar and lemon juice with extra-virgin olive oil. Dressing is important for kale salad because it not only adds depth of flavor, but also helps to tenderize the thick, nutrient-dense kale leaves. The cooking workshop’s focus was not on following a recipe, but on developing skills and knowledge to transform ingredients to final products; a more comfortable and rewarding experience. In line with this philosophy, Chef Key intentionally omitted recipes in her informational handout. But in the interest of sharing the delightful food that we made, I have created an approximate recipe. Cooking, even very simple meals, is an act of care and happiness for me. I was grateful for the opportunity to share food with other community members at the library last Wednesday. The cooking workshop reminded me of the community resources available outside Vassar’s campus and the profound value I find in mindfully preparing my own food. I encourage other Vassar students to take some time to engage in community and cooking activities.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Kale Salad with Roasted Parsnips and Beets Ingredients: • 1 bunch kale leaves • 4 cups mixed salad greens • 2-3 mint sprigs • 2-3 parsley sprigs • 3 parsnips • 3 beets • 1 lemon • 1 large clove garlic • 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard • 1/2 c olive oil • 1/4 c red wine vinegar • Salt and pepper Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Peel parsnips and beets. Cut off ends and discard. Chop into coin-sized pieces. 2. Line two baking sheets with parchment. In separate bowls, toss parsnips and beets with olive oil and salt. Lay parsnip pieces on one baking sheet and beets on the other. Arrange in one layer. Oven-roast for 20-25 min, until vegetables are tender and browned. 3. Strip the kale leaves from the stems and tear into pieces. Put kale leaves in a large bowl and set aside. 4. Strip parsley leaves and mint leaves from stems, roughly chop into thin shreds. Set aside. 5. Grate garlic and lemon zest. Combine in jar with juice from mustard, 1/2 lemon, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Add 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, cover and shake the jar to combine. 6. Pour dressing over kale and massage leaves to tenderize. Add salad mix and toss. Add roasted vegetables. Add parsley and mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper and enjoy!
April 18, 2019
FEATURES
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International Studies excursion contextualizes Brexit Kelly Vinett
GUEST COLUMNIST
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fly to the smaller one adjacent, a country with divisions so strong it caused an armed conflict to which some refer as terrorism. Taking place over the span of 30 years, what many remember as “The Troubles” of Northern Ireland was a nationalist effort led by proponents of Irish independence. We were lucky enough to meet a former member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in the upstairs of a pub with a single sliver of a Celtic-style stained glass window tinted green. Needless to say, the dark lighting in the room set the mood when the IRA member told us he had been in prison for 16 years. This experience, he indicated, reinforced his politics. He emphasized the view that the IRA was not a terrorist organization, but the proponent of an armed struggle for freedom.
Courtesy of Kelly Vinett
n 1987, 62 faculty and students undertook the first INTL 160 study trip in Vassar history to investigate Gorbachev’s glasnost reforms in the Soviet Union. In 2019, 30 Vassar students and faculty, myself included, went on potentially the last INTL 160 trip of its kind to study life in the time of the chaotic Brexit negotiations. For spring break, we stepped outside Vassar’s gates and across the pond. Professor of Hispanic Studies and Director of Environmental Studies Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert and Professor of Economics David Kennett are seasoned trip leaders and acted as our overqualified travel guides. All of that pre-planning and herding students onto planes and into museums deserves a certificate of achievement. Here are six takeaways I could only glean from experiencing six cities during the U.K.’s current profound historical moment: Glasgow Voted both the friendliest and the most violent city in the U.K. in 2014, Glasgow is characterized by contradiction. There are identities that separate Glaswegians from one another, as well as England, the neighboring, more powerful nation to the south. The most obvious source of difference in Glasgow is sports rivalry. The Celtics and Rangers are both Scottish football clubs based in Glasgow, and people fervently favor one over the other. However, this conflict extends beyond a mere goal kick. Competition between the Celtics and the Rangers fuses with larger elements of a person’s identity, like whether one is Catholic or Protestant, or whether their ancestors come from Britain or Northern Ireland. One of our Uber drivers told us he got his Master’s in Political Science at the University of Glasgow. Naturally, we had to talk politics. “Britain is an American puppet,” he said, symptomatic of Britain increasingly closing down its factories. Though the Industrial Revolution happened in the U.K., China and the United States have usurped the British capacity to mass produce. The Riverside Museum of Transport was one of my favorite outings in Glasgow, but not as much for its display of vehicles ranging from trains to Model Ts as for the museum’s architecture. Seeing work by my favorite female architect, Zaha Hadid, in real life, up close, was exciting, as was walking through the carefully executed space made for families and tourists to troll around, looking at trains. Speaking of trains, it’s difficult not to notice the museum’s largest object, the South African Railways Locomotive 3007. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see a vehicle as large as this from South Africa in Scotland. Built in Glasgow’s engineering heyday in 1945, this metal dinosaur was a physical indicator of apartheid’s presence. Platforms and cars were separated by race, and urban planning became a vehicle to enforce apartheid. Having studied abroad in Cape Town, the antiquated train reminded me of taking the dilapidated Cape Town metro which still shows traces of apartheid’s past. Edinburgh At our next stop, we met Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) Tom Arthur. He represents the majority group, the Scottish National Party, which reached new highs of popular support with its campaign of Scottish independence. Arthur told us that in 2014, Scotland held a referendum to leave the U.K. Many referred to the prospective break as “devolution.” A decisive split would justify generations of Scottish disillusionment with the political-
ly dominant British. No longer could those seated in Westminster decide the fate of the nation to the north. However, the MSP, who was in favor of leaving the U.K., said more people voted to stay in the U.K. because they were concerned about losing public services. Whatever the outcome of the election, Scottish identity would have been preserved. Scotland’s rocky past manifests physically in its architecture. The steep volcanic plug of Castle Rock is the throne upon which Edinburgh Castle majestically sits. Our hotel room was perfectly placed to take in the medieval wonder at all hours of the day. Daydreaming on my bed, I felt less like a Vassar student and more like I was an extra in “Mary Queen of Scots.” On a tour of the castle, we entered the room where the infamous monarch gave birth to her only child. I didn’t think I could revere women who gave birth in the 16th century any more than I already do until I saw the miniscule room that could fit, at most, a twin-sized bed. York For me, York was the outlier destination on the trip. Surrounded by walls left over from Roman defense, York feels like both a tourist city and a fortress. Maybe pixies, or some other mystical fiction, could be discovered living amongst us commoners watching Brexit unravel on the evening news. My first day in York has been marked in my memory with getting lost. We had been given free time in York Minster, the beautiful monster of a cathedral that took 800 years to build, so I started to sketch the stained glass that surrounded every dimension. When I looked up, I didn’t see the group. After a moment of minor panic, I realized my fear was unfounded. York was small, and I had the technology to trace myself back to the group. Needless to say, I found them in the Shambles, a maze of a cobbled streets and charcuterie, complete with a place for Hogwarts students to dock their brooms. On our last York morning, my friend Kirk Testa ’19 and I decided to seize the day and walk the wall one last time, wishing to feel like we were the medieval kings of our own era. His being an Art History major and my being a Studio Art correlate made for the perfect pairing to go see the Aesthetica Exhibit at the York Art Gallery as a final hurrah. London With the excitement of four days in London came a bit of chaos. Tired from rolling two weeks’ worth of luggage off the tube and onto the hectic streets, we arrived at the National Hotel located in the heart of the city. The last thing I wanted to hear was that our rooms weren’t ready. We all deserved a nap. The maze of too-narrow hallways with fluorescent lights hanging from the too-low ceilings reminded me of Vassar’s own spatially confused Noyes building. On our second night in London, we went to the theatre to see “Shipwreck” by Anne Washburn, a play that explores how today’s reactionary politics affect liberals at the Almeida Theater. After finding my seat (A-23), I skeptically skimmed the playbill. But by the end of the three-hour play, my mind was changed. I couldn’t help but find parallels between Trump’s election and the Brexit decision. When an onstage character whispered, “I voted for him, for Donald Trump,” it reminded me of an earlier moment of the trip, when a young man selling used clothes in York confessed, “I voted to leave.” In hindsight, he told me he would’ve wanted to remain. Belfast Next, it was time to leave one island and
Above, a protester outside Westminster in London. The building is the formal meeting place for both houses of U.K. Parliament. The member would categorize the IRA’s pursuits of justice as having innocent beginnings, during a time when much of Northern Ireland’s Catholic, nationalist majority felt tossed by the wayside in Westminster. When only the mostly Protestant rate payers could vote, and failures in social housing prevailed, Irish Catholics felt the need to act. The IRA member explained that the IRA and British Army were in a deadlock for most of the 1970s and 80s. In 1972, he estimated there to be 30 shootings per day and about 20,000 explosions in the year. The tragic Bloody Sunday—in which 14 nationalist marchers were shot dead by the British— happened that same year. He explained that the bloody massacres of Northern Ireland were not unlike identity conflicts elsewhere: The IRA rose in solidarity with Palestine and anti-apartheid struggles. Despite the Peace Deal of 1998, polarization surrounding Brexit has reignited popular fears of a violent resurgence. Dublin Though my mother’s entire family is from the Republic of Ireland, it’s the place about which I knew the least prior to my trip. Being a non-U.K. member attached to a U.K. country, the Republic of Ireland emphasizes the government’s failure to consider Brexit through the lense of a steadfast member of the Eurozone. The most obvious miscalculation made
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
by Westminster involves their utter disregard for Ireland during Brexit deliberations. Because rolling out Brexit would involve Northern Ireland leaving the EU customs union with the rest of the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland would still be an EU member, their easy, free-trade relations would become a thing of the laissez-faire past. British media refers to the customs issue as the Irish backstop. When riding along the beautiful, rolling hills grazed by cotton-white sheep, I didn’t even notice when we crossed the border from Northern Ireland. In the face of Brexit, I could imagine the virtually nonexistent border becoming a more palpable barrier. Though our professors warned us, I wasn’t prepared for Ireland’s capital city, bisected by the River Liffey, to be so expensive. In this booming economy, the money itself was also different, though I didn’t internalize it until I was knee-deep in a shopping center. Succumbing to tourist attraction, I switched out my pounds for Euros. Being a predominantly white country that never was the colonizer, but the colonized, Ireland holds a unique position in Western Europe. However, the anti-immigration fear-mongering that influenced Trump’s election can be likened to Northern Ireland’s vote to leave the EU. Online campaigns instilled beliefs within voters that immigrants were stealing their jobs. Facebook and YouTube distributed ads aimed to influence the victims of digital consumerism—members of the electorate. According to a talk we attended by Irish Times journalist Sorcha Pollak titled “New to the Neighborhood: Immigration and Multiculturality in Contemporary Ireland,” the Irish Republic’s population of 4.5 million is 11.6 percent foreign nationals, a significant portion of the population. Many immigrants come to Ireland by crossing the Mediterranean, but completing the journey is never an easy feat. Nor is it a quick process to obtain Irish citizenship. Our own, less threatening journey culminated in a plane ride from Dublin back to Stewart Airport in Newburgh, NY. On trend with Brexit delays, we stood in line to board the plane for at least an hour and a half. The flight attendant, Steph, with whom I’d made friends, told me the delay was due to Trump’s ban of Boeing 737 Max aircrafts given the two recent crashes of the model. Therefore, people originally planning to fly on Boeing planes had to board our flight. Never before had I been so bothered by the concept of “safety first.” Reflecting at Vassar Like Brexit, the future of the study trips is uncertain. According to Director of International Studies Tim Koechlin, funding is an issue. Yet, they haven’t been cancelled. Koechlin indicated that the new curriculum set to roll out in 2019-2020 could furnish possible solutions, including multiple trips per year with fewer students, over shorter periods of time. Another benefit, according to Koechlin, would be increased accessibility for lower-income students. Additionally, the model would invite a higher diversity of professors applying to lead trips. I left the trip thinking a lot about identity. Internalizing our British, European or American identities can spur an indescribable sense of loyalty to a place that supposedly endows us with rights. However, is preserving this nationalist sentiment through the use of barriers the best option to move forward? With a history delineated by wars and walls promoting injustice, we cannot look to our past to tackle concerns raised by globalization.
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Tallon’s efforts restore hope Although he did not know this at the time, he saved the old Notre Dame from being forgotten, through his precise laser scans and 360-degree pictures. There is now hope that, thanks to Tallon’s work, what was destroyed in the fire can be rebuilt and restored to its former glory. My heart truly goes out to all the Parisians, all of Tallon’s colleagues from Friends of Notre Dame, his students and everyone who worked with him to make Mapping Gothic France possible. I and many medieval architecture students are indebted to the website and Tallon’s work. Now, so is the world. I truly hope that Notre Dame, like the relic it housed, is victorious over death and rises from her ashes.
1. America’s spookiest lake 5. Embarass 10. Relaxing retreat 13. Mountain cat 14. Fixed proportions 15. TRUE shape of the earth!!! 16. The sound the bell makes as it tolls for thee 18. Magma derivative 19. Russian criminal organization 20. Branded tissue paper 22. Freestyle drum or guitar 24. Distance-preserving linear transformation 25. Movie starring Alexa clone 26. Wearhouse owners 28. Clever comments 29. Eggs, to Caesar 30. Sausages or annoying kids 32. Low voice part 36. Sttring ttwisted intto a grid 38. Grey-faced 40. Viking letter 41. Wood pattern 43. Ruler in North Africa or Arabia 45. 1/48 of a cup (abbr.) 46. Blunt end 48. Fertilizer component
Answer to last week’s puzzle: The first step is to identify each person’s suggestion as ‘rock’, ‘paper’, or ‘scissors’ (“only three different kinds of flavor”). Second, fill out the grid using the standard rules. Finally, do as Gabriel says and take the initials of all the people he beats to get the answer: TURKISH DELIGHT.
Worst incidence of procrastination?
on the street
“I told my teacher my grandma died so I could get an extension.” — Xade Wharton-Ali ’22
“You don’t sleep, you do homework, you drink, you go to class, you suck it up.” — Vera Jin ’22 “My environmental studies project. It was on invasive vines, and we couldn’t tell what the vines were because we waited until the middle of winter.” — Echo Hertzberg ’21
“Watching a threehour wrestling match before a thermodynamics test.” — Bevan Whitehead ’19
“Most of them happen in the dark corners of the library basement, honestly.” — Annie Xu ’22
“I’m two weeks behind on two essays.” — Jamie Moncrieff ’21
Hannah Gaven, Humor & Satire Izzy Migani, Assistant Humor & Satire Hannah Benton, Photography
Shown above, a famous view of Notre Dame Cathedral before the catastrophic fire on Monday, April 15 destroyed its iconic spire.
“The Truth Is Out There!!!!!!!!!” ACROSS
Word
Courtesy of Peter Haas via Wikimedia Commons
NOTRE DAME continued from page 1 scribed in his novel “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” He published that in 1831, before the restoration). Professor Cook’s criticism was not with Viollet-le-Duc’s work (Lassus died before the restoration) in the decor but with his choice of materials. He replaced the sturdy stone that had lasted for centuries with porous, weak and useless stone that jeopardized the building’s structure. Like my professor commented as we watched newscasts, there have been attempts to restore the 19th-century stonework, but all have failed. Consequently, before his untimely passing, Professor Tallon worked with other people to fundraise money to properly restore Notre Dame. Although it was not entirely medieval, it became the patrimony of Paris and of Catholicism. It housed several important relics, including the biblical Crown of Thorns. But what was most important to me was that the statue of St. Andrew near the spire that was taken down four days before the cathedral caught fire. It was to be restored in Professor Tallon’s honor. These artifacts survived, but sadly the architecture is severely damaged. While viewing the Paris newscasts of the fire in Professor Cook’s office, I could not help but think about those who cared so deeply about the building that they spent their time fundraising to see it restored—just like Tallon. I know if he were still here, he would probably be as devastated as all of us. Yet, having known Professor Tallon, I think he would have remained positive, assuring us all that Notre Dame can be rebuilt. Professor Tallon’s work in Notre Dame remains more relevant and important than ever.
April 18, 2019
The Miscellany Crossword by Benjamin Costa and Frank
49. Screen size (abbr.) 50. Fantasy football participants 54. Dues to a medieval lord 56. Counterattack with a sword 57. Date of birth, for a company (abbr.) 58. Flanked by ‘proc’ and ‘nate’ 59. What planes REALLY leave behind!!! 65. Toppled from grace 1 66. Capital of Vietnam 67. What the lizard people WANT you to think I am!!! 13 68. Attempt 69. Gives aid to a criminal 16 70. Exotic kind of matter
39. Requirement 42. Hazel, chest, and pea 44. Gold, compared to pyrite 47. Palin’s refrain 50. Military conscription 51. Stadium seating 52. Well done
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DOWN 1.shi-, fi-, h2. Pumpernickel grain 3. Female lover 4. Praise to the skies 5. Noah’s DIY 6. Bar from 7. Consumed 8. Worm-based textiles 9. The TRUE shape of the globe!!! 10. Be off-kilter 11. Slabs of stone 12. Loss of bodily control 15. More like a group of ships 17. Bikini Atoll destroyer 21. Send out 22. Snip a cord 23. Tomorrow, to Doris Day 24. Narrow land bridge 25. Non-monkey Kong 27. Aerospace agency that HIDES the truth!!! 31. Oracle of Delphi, for example 33. Box facts 34. Beginning time 35. House members 37. Material to PROTECT your THOUGHTS!!!
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OPINIONS
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NYC public high school grads debate future of SHSAT For public specialized high schools of New York City, the admissions process consists of nothing more than one standardized test: the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT). A student must score above a certain benchmark in order to be admitted. This year, the school with the highest score benchmark, Stuyvesant High School, accepted only seven Black students in a class of 895. Two members of The Miscellany News Editorial Board—who graduated from NYC public high schools—offer arguments for and against the SHSAT.
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ven people who have been through the grueling and blatantly unfair college admissions process will likely struggle to conceptualize the stress and pressure of applying to public high school in New York City. Imagine 12-year-old you, travelling from borough to borough and neighborhood to neighborhood to tour, interview, test and be judged. The stakes are incredibly high, too: While some New York City schools offer educations that are among the best in the country, the resources at others are among the worst. Mayor Bill de Blasio believes the SHSAT must go. In a statement on Chalkbeat last June, de Blasio wrote, “The Specialized High School Admissions Test isn’t just flawed—it’s a roadblock to justice, progress and academic excellence” (Chalkbeat, “Mayor Bill de Blasio: Our specialized schools have a diversity problem. Let’s fix it,” 06.02.2018). De Blasio went on to cite the high cost of test tutors and the inaccessibility of information in underrepresented communities as key reasons why the SHSAT yields such homogenous student bodies. To anyone who has been through the college admissions process, the former point is obvious: Tutors aren’t just helpful, they’re literally necessary for most people to perform well on these types of tests. The latter statement is equally lucid: How can you study for a test you don’t know exists? Venus Nnadi, the daughter of Nigerian immigrants and a Stuyvesant graduate, ex-
plained to a New York Times reporter: “I had a lot of friends in my middle school who were just as smart as me, and who I know could be thriving at Stuyvesant if they had known it existed” (The New York Times, “How the Few Black and Hispanic Students at Stuyvesant High School Feel,” 03.22.2019). Unlike many students who learn about the test too late to properly prepare, Nnadi had been informed of the SHSAT by a teacher in fifth grade. If the admissions process were based on more than an exam, opportunities would be more equitable: With grades as the basis for admissions, students’ years of school work would be what mattered, instead of just one test. This resembles the plan Mayor de Blasio hopes to implement, which would yield far more diverse schools: “Students would be designated top performers using a composite score based on their 7th grade English, math, social studies, and science course grades, as well as their 7th grade State math and ELA exam performance … Based on modeling of current offer patterns, 45 percent of offers would go to black and Latino students, compared to 9 percent currently” (NYC.gov, “Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza Announce Plan to Improve Diversity at Specialized High Schools,” 06.03.2018). These changes are essential. If schools are not accessible to every student, they must be changed so that they are. In NYC, this involves eliminating the SHSAT.
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f the seemingly infinite high schools in New York City, each with a unique application, you can kill eight birds with one stone: the SHSAT. The standardized exam has been used for decades as the sole factor of acceptance for NYC’s specialized high schools. Year after year, however, it becomes increasingly evident that the demographics of these schools fail to reflect that of the city’s middle school population, offering seats to a disproportionately low number of Black and Hispanic students. In 2017, only 34 percent of eighth graders sat for the SHSAT, with approximately 3,800 students receiving an acceptance letter. 25 percent of these golden tickets were offered to students from the same 10 middle schools (The New York Times, See Where New York City’s Elite High Schools Get Their Students, 06.29.2018). The exam itself has historically received most of the criticism for these unfortunate statistics. The root of concerns, however, extends beyond the exam. In fact, focusing on the test only blurs the lines further. The SHSAT has been revamped in recent years—for the better. The structure now reflects the standardized testing already expected of middle schoolers, removing arbitrary logic questions and scrambled paragraphs for additional reading comprehension and math problems. Free test prep resources are also on the rise, both online and in-person, as well as
reliable practice exams. In fact, the exam’s new format arguably makes it one of the most understandable processes in the city, especially combined with other standardized measures like specified test dates and administration by the Department of Education. Alternatives for admission have been proposed by Mayor Bill de Blasio, straying from dependence on the exam. While such suggestions promote more diverse specialized high schools, it won’t change the academic structure of these institutions. The SHSAT carries the important weight of representing the test-heavy culture of the schools it embodies. Expectations for how students perform won’t necessarily change; the question is if the removal of the exam as a measure of a student’s ability to succeed in these schools will do more harm than good. Test or no test, something deeper has been wrong for a while. The pressure placed on middle schoolers to compete for their education presents an obvious issue in the structure of the system. On top of this, it is not uncommon that students cite a genuine unawareness of the existence of exams like the SHSAT as reason for not preparing, or even registering. The emphasis on standardized testing is deeply embedded into the curriculums of students from a young age; the removal of the SHSAT will do little to change that. A reevaluation of the education system will.
Femtech: Can female fertility apps replace birth control? Annie Xu
GUEST COLUMNIST
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ver heard of fertility and menstrual tracking apps? Over 200 million women use these types of apps (bioRxiv, “Assessment of Menstrual Health Status and Evolution through Mobile Apps for Fertility Awareness,” 08.15.2018). They’re pretty new (though menstruation and fertility aren’t!) and help users track their menstrual cycles and fertile windows, a term that refers to a period in time in the female fertility cycle during which a woman is able to get pregnant. I became interested in researching these apps back in 2017 after attending a medical conference on women’s health, where I heard a physician say that most of the apps on the Apple app store are inaccurate in determining these fertile windows. While menstrual and fertility apps may seem like a narrow category of research, there is actually a lot to explore within this new field of Femtech, which is short for “female technology.” According to the Global Wellness Summit, a gathering of international leaders in the $3.7 trillion global wellness economy, the Femtech mission is the following: “[T]o identify a health/ wellness pain-point for women and crack the code…to disrupt pharma-based contraception and fertility strategies” (Global Wellness Summit, “TREND: A New Feminist Wellness,” 07.11.2018). As a result of their combined efforts, Femtech start-ups are becoming more popular, and the field is viewed as the next growth opportunity for venture capitalists (BV.world, “Femtech finding a place in venture capitalists’ hearts,” 12.21.2018).
These apps are designed to provide women with insights into their bodies. In addition, most Femtech products and services are designed by women. So what’s the problem here? Well, there are several. For instance, there’s the efficacy problem: A recent study by gynecologist Alexander Freis found that most of these apps provided suboptimal predictive results and were off by more than a couple of days. He stated, “Prediction was insufficient … [and] they failed to predict the highly fertile days correctly, when cycle length and ovulation vary by some number of days. None of the apps tested provided sufficient annotations explaining how potentially disturbing factors of temperature should be handled” (Frontiers in Public Health, “Plausibility of Menstrual Cycle Apps Claiming to Support Conception,” 04.03.2018). However, the “ultimate problem” stems from the fact that menstrual and fertility tracking technology is built on the basis of “natural methods” like Fertility Awareness Based Methods. These methods include the rhythm method, which tracks and averages the length of your past cycles to predict the next one, and the basal body temperature method, which measures your resting body temperature since temperatures may fluctuate during menstrual cycles (Planned Parenthood, “Fertility Awareness”). These apps are then marketed to supersede and replace hormonal birth control. In fact, the makers of the app Natural Cycles called their product the “First Birth Control App.” (Natural Cycles, “The Non-Hormonal Birth Control App,” 09.28.2018). This app doesn’t remind you to take birth control; it is the birth control—or so they claim.
In other words, the apps track your period and your resting body temperature to “naturally” tell you when you can have sex “safely.” Dr. Eric Forman, the medical director for the Columbia University Fertility Center, doesn’t see the point. He argued, “[O]ne of the benefits of contraception was being able to dissociate intercourse from procreation ... [Fertility awareness is] in the opposite direction. It’s tying it back together again” (The New Yorker, “The Unlikely Politics of a Digital Contraceptive,” 10.02.2018). Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University’s School of Medicine Lauren Streicher agreed, stating “[These apps are] problematic on so many levels. This isn’t science; this is craziness. We’ve already developed good, safe, reliable methods of contraception that are available to us. This app is completely taking women back in time” (Vox, “The FDA just approved a “digital birth control” app for the first time: the controversy, explained,” 08.14.18). For certain individuals, part of the popularity for Femtech stems from the drawbacks of hormonal birth control or other contraceptives. Still, Dr. Mary Jane Minkin at the Yale School of Medicine commented, “I think apps [that make birth control claims] are quasi technology looking for a purpose. Why would you do this? If you don’t want to use hormones, ok, but what about the copper IUD that’s 99% reliable?” (Time, “Can an App Prevent Pregnancy?” 08.15.2018). Yet these apps might actually be competing with hormonal methods (and the copper IUD). In August 2018, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Natu-
ral Cycles as the first mobile medical app that can be used as a method of contraception to prevent pregnancy (U.S. Food & Drug Administration, “FDA allows marketing of first direct-to-consumer app for contraceptive use to prevent pregnancy,” 08.10.2018). What? Hold your horses. First of all, the National Health Service in England have stated, “There is no “safe” time of the month when you can have sex without contraception and not risk becoming pregnant” (NHS, “Can I get pregnant just after my period has finished?” 05.23.2018). After all, sperm stays alive for up to five days. Thankfully, the FDA required Natural Cycles to make it clear that no contraceptive method is 100 percent effective and that another form of contraception—abstinence—must be used on days categorized as “fertile.” In addition, the app must also provide a list of factors that could affect the device’s effectiveness (U.S. Food & Drug Administration, “DEN170052 Trade/Device Name:Natural Cycles,” 09.20.2017). In my thesis I take time parsing out the “ultimate problem,” and I discuss the fertility myths put forward by app developers, the rarity of medical and professional development in these apps, and various other elements of Femtech. Over the past two decades, both reproductive and mobile technology have made giant leaps and will continue to evolve. In the meantime, I’m asking if these mobile Femtech apps deserve a place in the history of reproductive technology. Are they legitimate? (That’s a rhetorical question). Still, I’m curious— probably like any other person in awe of tech—to see where and how far the field of Femtech goes.
The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
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April 18, 2019
Despite Vassar ‘wokeness,’ microaggressions persist Kimberly Nguyen GUEST COLUMNIST
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f Vassar could be described in one word, it would be “woke.” Every conversation on this campus is done through the lens of consciousness, which extends well beyond the classroom. Whenever I open up Facebook, I’m bombarded with videos shared by my Vassar friends showing congresswomen drilling CEOs with tough questions or posts with clapping emojis in support of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. I cannot count the number of times in my past four years that I’ve been asked to sign a petition online. From Facebook alone, I’ve gathered that Vassar students are hungry for change, and discussions around here are abuzz with words like “POC,” “representation” and “marginalized communities.” These big-picture changes are goals that we hope to someday achieve. However, change can start in small ways right here on campus, especially by rethinking the ways we interact with others. One small correction that could have a large impact would be to question whether our behaviors are microaggressive. The Oxford Dictionary defines a microaggression as “a statement, action, or incident regarded as an instance of indirect, subtle, or unintentional discrimination against members of a marginalized group such as a racial or ethnic minority.” They are often short exchanges, such as small comments or “jokes,” but their brevity is what makes them difficult to address. According to an article that published the findings of Harvard University’s Voices of Diversity, targets of microaggressions are often unsure about whether or not the microaggression took place, the intention of the microaggression, if they should pursue
consequences for the perpetrator and how to prove that the interaction happened (Aporia, “The Voices of Diversity,” 10.01.2014). Microaggressions may only last a couple of seconds, but targets of microaggressions spend a lot of time afterwards navigating them, and the difficulty in handling them can have strong psychological impacts. In a recent study that measured trauma levels against experiences of racial discrimination, such as microaggression, those who had experienced more racial discrimination had higher trauma levels. Researchers found that these trauma levels were linked to increased risks of anxiety, depression, substance use disorders and even suicidal ideation (Psychology Today, “Are Racial Microaggressions on College Campuses Harmful?” 11.12.2017). Even in a place as “woke” as Vassar, microaggressions persist despite our best efforts. A couple weeks ago in a class, it only took the mention of “Vietnamese” in a conversation for people’s eyes to turn toward me for no reason. There was no correlation between my identity as a Vietnamese person and the topic being discussed. But in that split second, the damage was done. I felt compartmentalized into a space of foreignness, and I spent the rest of the class painfully realizing that I was one of the only Asian students and wondering if that was all I represented. These microaggressions at Vassar are unfortunately not rare. For instance, I’ve had someone assume that I speak French simply because I’m Vietnamese, which is troubling given Vietnam’s horrifying history with French colonizers. Not only that, one of my professors continually mixes up my name and another Asian classmate’s name, constantly confusing us for each other. Another professor for whom I work once asked me if
Please, Tell Us More! Prof. Marc Epstein RELIGION DEPT.
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’ve been teaching at Vassar since the late twentieth century (1991, to be precise, if you can believe it) both in Religion and Jewish Studies. I’m interested in majority-minority relations: how Christianity started out as a subset of Judaism and how that changed over the centuries as well as how Jews and Muslims maintained their identities in the heavily Christian European Middle Ages. I work a lot with art and artifacts, teaching courses like “Religion, Art and Politics,” “A Hundred Gospels And The Confused, Conflicted Life of Jesus” and “Kabbalah: Jewish Mysticism.” Often I share with students what culture looks like when it is produced for a minority within a larger and often hostile majority—how it may encode messages of protest or dreams of subversion. One of my favorite examples of this phenomenon is the somewhat bizarre Griffins’ Head Haggadah, which was created in what is now Germany, probably in Mainz, around 1300, and now resides in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. It is one of the masterpieces of art made for Jewish patrons in the Middle Ages—the earliest surviving illustrated version of the text of the haggadah—the “script” of the Seder, the service for Passover Eve. The Griffins’ Head Haggadah possesses all the classic qualities of a perpetual enigma. Within the rather modest field of Jewish vi-
sual culture it is, in its own unassuming way, as mysterious as the Pyramids of Giza, the monoliths of Easter Island or Mona Lisa’s smile. The manuscript’s 47 remaining folios are graced with two full-page illuminations and 33 pages containing marginal illustrations that depict a variety of figures—young and old, male and female—enacting the narratives of the Exodus and engaged in the religious observance of Passover eve. Curiously, although provided with the bodies of human beings, these figures are in most cases represented not with human heads but with the countenances of sharpbeaked and sharp-eyed birds. In some cases, these bird heads are supplemented by animal ears. To the twenty-first-century eye, the juxtaposition of human bodies with birds’ heads is quirky, disquieting and seemingly impenetrable. It is susceptible to all the most compelling modes of interpretation; it is a riddle to be solved, a treasure hunt to be embarked upon. In my research for my book “The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative & Religious Imagination” (Yale University Press, 2011), I developed what was an initially controversial but now universally accepted thesis that the creatures depicted are not, in fact, birds, but instead griffins, lion-eagle hybrids present in the biblical accounts of the Israelite Wilderness Tabernacle and, later, in Solomon’s Temple. For medieval Jews in the
I was a different Asian student despite the fact she had employed me for over a year. Additionally, a professor once emailed me the name of a “fellow Vietnamese student” in my class and told to strike up a conversation with them simply because we were both the same nationality. The microaggressions don’t even stop at my race. They include my gender too. I’ve had men—men whom I have loved as friends and to whom I have been close—make unwarranted and unsolicited comments about my body and its sexiness or lack thereof. When I protested these comments, they called me “oversensitive.” These experiences are especially painful because I have listened to years and years of talks on inclusivity and acceptance, and yet in these moments, I feel excluded. Microaggressions reinforce my invisibility and make me question my belonging in white spaces. I feel confined to a box of preconceived notions about myself, struggling to break out. And it’s not just me. If I have had these experiences, others have as well. For example, I’ve seen people compliment my international friends for speaking English without an accent, drawing attention to how they “sound good.” This statement is based upon a prejudice that an international student’s English would inherently be accented. However, international students have to provide certifiable proof that they have solid English-language skills to even gain acceptance to Vassar, so of course their English is good. This statement also establishes a hierarchy between certain accents and dialects. Within this hierarchy, people enforce the acceptability of certain accents and dialects, deeming deviations from white standard English as lower-quality. While I’m sure this was a well-intentioned compliment, it came across
as a slap in the face. In all these situations, I have always assumed best intent, mostly because I believe in the community here at Vassar, and I don’t believe that anyone here would ever intentionally say something for the sole purpose of hurting someone else. The person who assumed I speak French was probably trying to give me a chance to flex my nonexistent French-speaking skills. The person who referred me to a fellow Vietnamese student probably wanted to make sure I knew there are people here who may have similar experiences to me. But despite our good intentions, it’s important to analyze our actions and their impacts and make sure that they don’t inadvertently cause harm. For example, looking at the Asian student when something remotely Asian comes up in conversation can be a super isolating experience for that student. And while you might have meant it as a nod, like “Hey, I hope you feel good about getting some representation,” it doesn’t come off that way. You might be concerned about your female friend’s health, but commenting on the shape of her body can come off as hurtful and malicious. As we work every day to make the world a more inviting and accepting place, we need to ensure we incorporate our “wokeness” into smaller, individual issues, not only larger-scale ones. Signing a petition on Facebook for equal pay for women is great, but it means nothing if we allow microaggressions toward women to persevere. Vassar students are active politically, and we raise awareness for issues because we care, and this care leads us to try to be well-intentioned in our actions. However, it’s important that we don’t let our good intentions excuse us from the very real impact of our actions.
Professors: What is a topic, idea, theory or breakthrough related to your field of study that you find absolutely fascinating or feel very passionate about? Explain why. German lands, these creatures had political, as well as religious, resonances. The Imperial Eagle evoked Jews’ status as servi camerae regis: “serfs of the Imperial Chamber.” Jews were both subject to special status as “slaves of the Emperor,” but also—as the Emperor’s personal property— protected in the Holy Roman Empire. The Lion of Judah simultaneously reminded Jews of their identification with their own heritage and tradition. Indeed, Jews killed in the Crusade massacres/martyrdoms in Mainz, where the manuscript was likely made, were described by the mourners who survived them as “lighter than eagles” in the way they lived and “bolder than lions,” in the heroic manner in which they faced their tragic deaths. Non-Jews in the manuscript are depicted as blank-faced; their erasure visually demonstrates a strong political response to anti-Jewish sentiment among non-Jews and its consequences in anti-Jewish violence in the Christian Middle Ages. Now, I am involved in a collaboration with scribe Jen Taylor Friedman to create a new manuscript in the style of the Griffins’ Head Haggadah, using the same unique medieval Ashkenazic script and “cast of characters”— griffin-headed Jews of various types, and blank-faced non-Jews—in the context of a Megillah, a Scroll of Esther, for use on the Festival of Purim. Jen is a soferet (Jewish ritual scribe). In
2007, she became the first woman known to have completed a Torah scroll. Educated at Oxford, she became interested in halakhah (Jewish law) and calligraphy, and by a “chance combination of happy circumstances” she met a sofer (a male scribe) who helped her realize that becoming a soferet would allow her to pursue both interests. Taylor Friedman continued her scribal studies in Jerusalem and New York City, the mentor of a small, but growing, number of female scribes. The manuscript, with the same dimensions as the Griffins’ Head Haggadah but in scroll form, will be researched, designed, laid out and executed as a special new Intensive in Jewish Studies. This is an exciting and innovative project, promoting new, handson ways of learning about the way art was planned, designed and created in the Middle Ages. It exemplifies our new Intensives program—it is an initiative through which students can translate classroom learning into practical research and experience. That work then circles back to enhance their understanding of what is being taught in the classroom and extends outward into their real-life practical experience. It’s so great for me to actually be able to create a “new-old” work of art like this one with the wonderful and creative students I have the pleasure of teaching and learning from. It’s the fulfillment of a lifelong dream of mine.
This segment is designed to be a space in which professors are invited to talk about any topic related to their work that they find fascinating. If you are interested in contributing, please write a response of 300 words or more, to the question above, and email your piece to Steven Park at eupark@@ @ vassar.edu, along with a picture of yourself or something relevant to your topic (examples include research projects, independent work or labs). The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
April 18, 2019
OPINIONS
Page 15
Fetishized thrifting culture contributes to gentrification Catherine Bither COLUMNIST
I
can still feel the embarrassment I experienced as a child wearing my Payless sneakers and thrift-shopped sweatshirts to school. Lining up in front of the flagpole every morning, I remember scanning other middle schoolers around me, admiring the name brands covering their coats and shoes, contorting so my classmates wouldn’t be able to see my own. Every afternoon after school, I walked to my best friend’s house on the other side of town. She constantly assured me that the clothes her mother bought for her were better than my own unbranded clothes, urging me to ask my mother to buy me J. Crew and Gap like her mother did. She would ask me, “My mother wears Bare Minerals. Does yours?” I would have to respond no, my mother didn’t wear minerals, not knowing that this was a brand of makeup. Slowly, this girl convinced me that what I wore was inferior. I’m sure that she did not know the consequences or meanings of her actions, but her constant remarks about “still being able to smell the Goodwill” on my clothes stuck with me. I began to resent myself and my family for not buying the same types of clothes my friends had. Growing older, I witnessed a shift in perception towards thrift shopping. Instead of being looked down upon, used-goods stores are now almost fetishized. I noticed this most prominently with the release of Macklemore’s 2012 song “Thrift Shop,” which romanticizes the act of wearing hand-medowns and paying less money for alternative and hip looks. Recently, more and more upper-middle class and wealthy shoppers are
turning to thrift shops in order to brag about the deals they got, or to vie for the moral superiority that comes with paying less for used instead of new clothes. Many websites and fashion blogs describe how thrifting is beneficial for young buyers. According to the blog Green Living, thrifting is preferable to regular clothes shopping, because thrifted clothing is not only more affordable and eco-friendly but also stylish. The author remarks, “It’s highly unlikely that anyone is walking around in the same clothes as you... You might be inspired to try new combinations, or even some DIY reconstruction” (Green Living, “How Does Thrift Shopping Help You Save the Environment?” 10.11.2017). Although thrift stores have many benefits, as these websites claim, there seems to be a lack of online literature about the potential harms caused by thrift shopping. These blogs encourage and elicit moral superiority through purchasing power without regarding the negative impact that thrifting has on the nearby communities. For example, Goodwill Industries and The Salvation Army both employ community members and help surrounding communities by using funds to support individuals and communities economically, allowing the two thrift chains to both employ and serve surrounding communities. However, their rise in popularity as well as the radical shift in their image has prompted them to cater to a more elite range of clients. In order to appeal to younger buyers, thrift stores around the country have started to upgrade their outposts into fancy boutique stores with high-end merchandise and more expensive brand clothing (Crain’s New York, “Boom times are bad times for thrift stores,”
09.22.2015). One article noted, “Frugality no longer connotes paying $10 for a winter coat, but finding a gently-used designer one for $150” (Observer, “Gentrification at the Goodwill: Not Even New York’s Thrift Stores Are For the Poor,” 09.22.2015). At the same time, thrift stores that can’t keep pace with these upgrades were forced to close for good when they ran out of funds. While good deals are seen as victories for the middle class, they are necessary for economically unstable communities. These thrift stores traditionally serve working-class and low-income communities, so the recent store closures leave many members of these communities without affordable ways to buy clothing and other household items. Concurrently, more and more boutique thrift stores are opening in gentrifying communities such as Brooklyn and San Francisco. The rapid proliferation of these boutique thrift stores is not only a consequence of the gentrification of working class communities, but actively contributes to gentrification. “Hipsters shun mass-produced goods in search of the one-off, and wearing vintage clothes—even if they are actually mass produced,” explained Urban Studies Professor Philip Hubbard at King’s College regarding the intersections of hipster culture and gentrification. “Relatively affluent, creative young people want to search out the distinctive and the one-off but tend to gravitate towards the same kind of spaces ... So there is a common ‘global’ idea of what is stylish and local, which tends to be the same everywhere, but does shift over time” (Racked, “Are Vintage Stores Harbingers of Gentrification?” 03.12.2018).
Hubbard stated that more affluent young people tend to shop at both thrift stores and boutique vintage stores, but shopping at the latter tends to signal the gentrification of communities. I would also like to add that affluent groups who shop at more traditional thrift stores take away valuable resources from communities who rely on those resources to survive. Clearly, there is a difference between boutique consignment stores and thrift stores. However, as communities continue to gentrify, this difference becomes more and more minute. Although thrift stores truly do reduce waste through reuse and reduce investment in multinational and exploitative corporations, they may contribute to the continued gentrification of their community depending on who shops there. For instance, continued purchases by affluent individuals—such as most Vassar students—at thrift stores in a town like Poughkeepsie could ultimately harm low-income and working class communities in the long run. This issue is complex and nuanced, and there is not one solution to simultaneously provide cheap and high-quality clothing for working class communities while ensuring that affluent communities use their purchasing power to divest from corporations and support local businesses. I don’t have any answers. However, what I mean to do is call attention to this issue so that people see thrifting in a more multifaceted way. Thrifting is important in order to reuse the clothing people have already produced to reduce waste. However, we cannot ignore the consequences that our reckless shopping have on working class and low-income families.
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Correction from the Editor Steven Park
OPINIONS EDITOR
O
n April 3, 2019, The Miscellany News published an article submitted by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) that implicated President Elizabeth Bradley of conducting business with an “apartheid state,” stating, “[Bradley] made introductions that are now resulting in efforts to establish greater economic collaborations between Dutchess County and Israel” (The Miscellany News, “Israeli Apartheid Week highlights Palestinian oppression,” 04.03.2019). In response, columnist Jesser Horowitz defended President Bradley’s action and lauded her efforts. In his article, he explained, “This economic relationship largely began when Israel’s Deputy Consul General in New York met Vassar College President Elizabeth Bradley on a trip she took to Israel last year” (The Miscellany News, “SJP’s protests against partnerships harm Poughkeepsie,” 04.10.2019). Both articles pushed forward the notion that President Bradley has worked together with Dutchess County to establish this business collaboration with Israel. While SJP criticized Vassar’s involvement in this project, Horowitz endorsed it. However, further investigation has determined that this claim is incorrect; President Bradley did not play any role in the formation of this trade agreement between Dutchess Country and Israel, nor is Vassar at all involved in the collaboration. This misunderstanding from both parties came from a misreading of the source article that they had cited. Specifically, the last paragraph of this article states the following: “Deputy Consul General Nitzan has been in the United States
for six months, working out of Israeli Consulate in Manhattan. This marked his first trip to Dutchess County but he had heard of Poughkeepsie before arriving stateside. His introduction to the area came when he met with the president of Vassar College when she traveled to Israel last year” (Mid-Hudson News, “Dutchess officials further trade relationships with Israel,” 03.23.2019). Given how the majority of this article describes the trade partnership in detail, President Bradley’s conversation with Deputy Consul General Israel Nitzan became falsely correlated with the introduction of the trade partnership. Neither SJP nor Horowitz were the only ones to misinterpret this news. On April 12, Poughkeepsie resident Fred Nagel submitted a letter to the editor of the Mid-Hudson News that criticized President Bradley, stating, “The president of Vassar College seems to have discussed plans with the Deputy Consul General during her trip to Israel.” However, we have received confirmation from the author of the Mid-Hudson News article Todd Bender that President Bradley was not involved in any way with the partnership. In a recent email correspondence, he stated, “The comment did not indicate any type of trade-relations conversation between Bradley and Nitzan. Had that been mentioned, it would have made it into my article.” Furthermore, a phone call with Vice President of Dutchess Tourism Melaine Rottkamp has confirmed that Vassar College has not and is not involved in the trade partnership between Dutchess County and Israel. As a result, we have officially issued corrections to both SJP and Horowitz’s articles, available online at The Miscellany News website.
The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
HUMOR & SATIRE
Page 16
April 18, 2019
Breaking News
From the desk of Hannah Gaven, Humor & Satire Editor
Seniors boycott theses deadline, citing desire to remain at College and become Vassar’s overlords as reason enough Administration prepares for class of 2024 admittance day Blair Webber
WEARING SHIRT DEPICTING ADMITTED STUDENTS
T
Frank/The Miscellany News
his past weekend marked another successful Admitted Students Day here at Vassar. This yearly event is where soonto-be high school graduates can come and decide once and for all if this school is truly The One. Prospective students were showered in the petals of informational pamphlets, dined and grape-juiced on the finest Bon Appetit offerings and led through the gardens by tour guides. This weekend marks a major, life-long decision for both the college and its accepted students. It’s a tumultuous, emotional time for faculty, administration and students alike, as the wave of the future decides which to which college to give their rose. This year’s event brought hordes of 18-year-olds and their parents to wander around, somewhat aimlessly, on the paths of this campus, the library and—for some reason—right outside the door to my dorm, making it difficult to get quickly from the Deece to my room and back after forgetting my VCard without being rude to a kind and very lost family looking for the chemistry labs. The success of the event this year was followed by a press release—the grand unveiling of the college’s intentions to woo the future incoming Class of 2024. Fans of past admitted students days will not be disappointed. The administration left no rock unturned, starting with the style and look of all faculty and staff members. “Following the splash made by the large stickers [welcoming the Class of 2023] all employees wore this year, VC employ-
ees working on that day will receive our brand new, state of the art, cutting-edge cotton short-sleeved t-shirts, each printed with the face, name and high school of a different admitted student. All staff must also accessorize with at least three pieces of college swag, purchased from the bookstore, including but not limited to: socks, cardigans, earrings, cufflinks, formal pants, hats and/or a bumper sticker stuck neatly to the forehead. These stylish statement pieces are sure to let every single visitor know how much we value what they could pay us in tuition,” read the College’s official press release. Staff won’t be the only ones decked out in Vassar gear for the day. The press release only hints at what will come, but the College plans a welcome ceremony for the ages. “All Vassar students, faculty and weekday staff are required to line the sidewalks for the whole day, demonstrating their school spirit to the fullest for the arriving families. Among other ceremonial duties, students, faculty and staff will be required to participate in the ceremonial balloon drop and listen to a four-hour-long speech on the history and greatness of this Hallowed Institution,” the press release hinted coyly. There’s still a lot of mystery surrounding the event for the following year, but this press release sure has piqued our interest! Gossip continues to circulate over who will lead such stimulating informational panels, such as Residential Life and On-Campus Mental Health Resources. But based off of what they’ve told us, we’re all just holding our breath and waiting for the next Admitted Students Day in 2020.
Frank’s Womp-Womp World
I take Harlow’s hot takes to heart. I never want to be behind on a new trend, and Harlow predicts them like no one else. Unfortunately, I already bought sparkly neon arm warmers, assuming they would trend. Now I have to go buy floral.
Student pierces left nipple in order to feel something again Reported by Addie Backhus, from a nearby tattoo parlor
A
s it is finally April here at Vassar, things are getting a little more intense. Deadlines are approaching and moms are forgetting to call for their weekly Sunday check-ins. To gain a better understanding of how students handle the stress of an ending semester and a parent’s neglect, the Misc turns to Vassar junior Karen Brown. The Misc: Hi, Karen! We’ve heard you’ve been having a rough time. Would you mind telling us what’s been going on? Karen: Sure. This week has not been great. It started off with me walking in on my roommate shaving her legs on her bed with my razor again. And then I logged onto my Insta tracker app and found out that my ex-boyfriend unfollowed my Instagram for the third time this month. And then today, the person in line in front of me at Express took the last pesto pasta. So, yeah. I guess you could say I’ve had it pretty hard this week. Stories like Karen’s are not hard to come
by here at Vassar. Express is notorious on campus for running low on the deliciously goopy pesto pasta that students spend their days looking forward to. So, how do Vassar students cope in the face of such unfortunate adversity? Karen is here to tell us. In a voice void of emotion, she informed us: “Well, Vassar Misc, I decided that the best course of action would be to get my nips pierced.” There you have it. Karen represents a growing number of students who are finding unique ways to handle the stress of college. While they once turned to milkshakes and Nilda’s to numb the pain, the absence of the Kiosk has forced many students to get a little more creative. Do we blame Vassar’s administration for steering students away from milkshakes and their frothy, comforting goodness by taking away this beloved Vassar dining option? To learn more about this heated debate, we turn back to Karen.
The Misc: So, Karen, tell us. Why a nipple piercing? Why not do something a little less permanent, and maybe less painful? Such as a milkshake from BurgerFi? Karen: I’ve tried everything else already. For instance, last year when my hookup blocked me on Venmo, I got really upset and rearranged my room a couple of times until I felt better. But that was physically demanding, and also I ran out of ideas pretty quickly after the third rearrangement. And then a month ago, when I found out I didn’t get an internship that I was totally unqualified for, I made my friend come over and cut my hair. But she did a pretty poor job, and all I can say is that if you are going through a midlife crisis AND your hair looks like someone chopped at it with a butter knife, you’re not gonna feel too peachy. And a milkshake? Tried that. It makes you bloated. Crying? I guess crying is nice because it gives you the illusion that you’re getting an ab work-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
out, but it also feels a little cliché. So what else are you going to do? Consult a professional counselor who has been specially trained to help college students in crisis? No! You’re going to get out of bed, drive 40 minutes to Kingston and pay some random man 30 dollars to pierce your nipple. That’s all folks. As Karen’s narrative reveals, traditional modes of stress relief are proving inadequate to students today. No longer are students looking to yoga and nature walks as ways to calm their anxious minds. Instead they are pursuing tattoo parlors and impromptu hair cuts. Currently, as this article is being written, Karen is busy composing an email to President Bradley, encouraging her to consider allowing students to use their Arlington Bucks not only at places like BurgerFi for milkshakes but also at places that offer piercings. We look forward to seeing the results of Karen’s selfless work done for the good of the Vassar community.
HUMOR & SATIRE
April 18, 2019
Page 17
College student tropes revealed: Which one are you? Izzy Migani
STILL IN A RELATIONSHIP FROM HIGH SCHOOL
I
Courtesy of Wikipedia
n the wake of admitted students weekend, I’ve noticed a few things. Over and over again, there’s the repetition of popular tropes by these new and tragically bright-eyed recruits, and it is in honor of these brave, brave souls that I would like to dedicate this document that blatantly and unabashedly makes fun of them. The “I’m in college now so I don’t have to actually do work” student: Sorry, homework, there’s been bad connection for a while there, umm...This is probably not a great time, but hey, yah, no, you’re absolutely fine, and I love you, but right now I don’t think I’m ready for a relationship, it’s really hard for me if we don’t see each other every day, so if we can just pause for a minute and wait until next year and see how we feel, that would be ideal. It’s honestly nothing you did, I just need some time to figure myself out and be on top of my life, you know? Like, you need food, water and shelter before you can achieve a feeling of security, but I hope this is okay and that I’m not totally breaking your heart cuz I really really do like you as a person, but rn is not the time for me to be in a relationship, I realize. The “still in a relationship from high school” student (subtweeting myself? maybe): *checks phone* Read 5:23 p.m. The “is seriously trying to date in college” student: Commitment? Don’t know her.
Pictured above are the students who eat, sleep and breathe chemistry. This seems extremely dangerous, as there are toxic chemicals in chemistry labs. I am also nervous because no one in the picture is wearing protective goggles. So much for lab safety. The “is getting heavily ghosted by everyone” student: *checks phone* Read 4/15/19. The “ever increasingly reliant on nicotine” student: Excuse me? I find vaping to be one of the best activities in my life. It has carried me through the toughest of times and brought light and vapor upon my spirit. You’re just another one of those people who doesn’t believe in the power of vaping. Your ignorance of the government is what makes you a sheep in today’s society. Have fun following today’s system. The “scene never really died out did it?” student (perhaps, another self-subtweet? You guess!):
hi every1 im new!!!!!!! *holds up spork* my name is Katy but u can call me t3h PeNgU1N oF d00m!!!!!!!! lol…as u can see i’m very random!!!! that’s why i came here, 2 meet random ppl like me _… i’m 17 years old (i’m mature 4 my age tho!!) i like 2 watch invader zim, it’s my favorite tv show!!! bcuz its SOOOO random!!!! i’m random 2 of course but i want 2 meet more random ppl =) like they say the more the merrier!!!! lol…neways i hope 2 make a lot of friends here so give me lots of comments!!!! DOOOOOMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <--me being random again _^ hehe… toodles!!!!#!$#%#L$! The “I exclusively eat, sleep and breathe chemistry” student:
HOROSCOPES
I had a dream where I got like a 43 on my test and the person next to me got like a 30 and the person on my other side got like a 93. I got to class and I got a 60 and the person next to me got a 60 and the other person next to me also got a 60 and the entire class almost failed. The “didn’t know about the Lathrop basement or laundry until the day before yesterday” student: You think I can make it down the stairs? There’s probably zombies down there. Very scary, everything is scary downstairs. I saw someone crying there once. It was probably because they were scared. I’ll just use the vending machine in Joss, thanks. The “lives hundreds of miles away from Vassar” student: Biggest pet peeve when the flight attendants make an announcement for people without connections to please sit down so people WITH connections can get off sooner but EVERYONE proceeds to stand up anyways. Also, plane landing clapping. Who started that, and how can we end it? My ears haven’t popped yet. I’m tired. The “still keeps in touch with all of their old friend groups from high school” student: Our English teacher had a baby. Remember when he would be self-deprecating and make jokes about being single all the time, and now he’s married and has a kid? We all need this energy. The “completely average Vassar admitted student”: I feel tired and anxious constantly.
Hannah Gaven
AMATEUR ASTROLOGIST
ARIES
March 21 | April 19
TAURUS
April 20 | May 20
GEMINI
May 21 | June 20
CANCER
June 21 | July 22
LEO
July 23 | August 22
VIRGO
August 23 | September 22
It’s easy to procrastinate. None of us like doing work, so why are we still doing it? Ponder all of your life choices every hour of every day of every week. Lose all sense of your identity.
We all become actual monsters when they put out mozzarella sticks at the Deece. I talk big saying that I don’t need people regulating my mozzarella stick intake, but deep down, I know I do. I would shove someone over. I know you too would too. Be honest. I woke up this morning looking very pale. There was no blood in my face, so I pinched my cheeks, hoping to look less like a ghost. However, then I looked like a ghost who enjoys blush too much. I guess the lesson here is to just be yourself and leave ghosts alone so you don’t become possessed. The stars predict that you will not get any classes during pre-registration. I hope you are a senior or that you’re abroad next semester so you won’t be stuck taking classes with professors with one-star reviews on Rate My Professor. I’m glad I’ll be gone. Sometimes it’s okay to sleep through class. And by sometimes, I mean take multiple naps during class. At least you are showing up. If you’re showing up for class, you can show up for your local Humor Editor. Bring me roses. I’m so happy that they are redoing VSA elections because now I can declare my candidacy for VSA President. While President, I will vanquish bananas from campus because they smell bad. I will also change Milkshake Monday to Milkshake Every Day.
LIBRA
September 23 | October 22
SCORPIO
October 23 | November 21
SAGITTARIUS
November 22 | December 21
I like taking personality quizzes because it’s a way to learn more about myself. I often am surprised to see that I am 100 percent extroverted, but who am I to know myself? Instead of relying on your own instincts, base your life on Buzzfeed quizzes this week.
The stars predict you will suffer. I don’t know how, but know that you will. Perhaps you will accidently eat a poisonous flower or sneeze. Maybe you’ll eat a mushy apple. I know what you’re thinking: They’re all bad. Now that it’s spring, I’ve resorted to only wearing shorts. Unfortunately, I will get hypothermia when it unexpectedly snows next week. I’m glad that climate change is fake, so I don’t have to deal with the globe getting too warm.
I think if a cult really wanted me to join, I
CAPRICORN would. I don’t have anything else better to do,
December 22 | and I want so badly to belong. It’s normal to January 19 feel like the odd one out, but you should go to
extremes this week to be included. Consider locking strangers in your car.
AQUARIUS
January 20 | February 18
PISCES
February 19 | March 20
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
I’m not a chameleon, but maybe you are a chameleon. Do you come and go, come and goooooooo? If so, I would recommend going to the doctor to get this checked out.
Too many people are getting concussions. Arguably one person getting a concussion is too many, but now it feels like everyone is trying to bond over serious injuries. No matter who you are, it’s a bad idea to get a concussion this week.
SPORTS
Page 18
April 18, 2019
Don’t drop the mic: Oregon State must hire beloved Parker Emmett O’Malley COLUMNIST
“F
I Last week, the Oregon State University (OSU) Athletic Department sent this question into the Twittersphere: “Passionate about the Beavs and have ideas on how to make Oregon State Athletics better? Applications are now open for the Fan Experience Committee.” The response that ensued was centered not around the fun-loving chides of a bubbly college fanbase, nor questions regarding what exactly a “Fan Experience Committee” is supposed to do other than replace the thrill of fandom with the soul-crushing boredom of committee meetings. Instead, the response to Oregon State’s platitude was centered around the statements of one particularly informed and impassioned fan: Mike Parker’s daughter, Lydia. In reference to Oregon State’s intentionally milquetoast tweet, Lydia Parker remarked: “I’ve got [an idea]! Hire Mike Parker and stop acting like he hasn’t poured his entire life and soul into Oregon State for the past 20+ years! Get him on OSU employee benefits and start treating him right! And don’t tell me to delete this tweet this time because it ‘makes you looked bad!’” In a ten-tweet thread, Lydia went on to highlight that “the Athletic Department has said multiple times that they’re ‘working on’ seeing what they can do for [my dad]. A couple [of] years ago they said it would simply cost too much to hire him: $25,000/year to be exact. But the new [Athletic Director]... makes almost $900,000.” Crucially, Lydia emphasized the human cost of OSU’s underappreciation of her father: “Last year, [my dad] got really sick and his kidneys started to shut down. But our current healthcare through the radio company...[Learfield IMG]...is so bad [that] he
II Mike Parker’s story is, heartbreakingly, not an uncommon one. As has been well documented elsewhere, the number-one cause of bankruptcy in the United States is medical bills. And Parker’s trial is a far more public example of the ways in which an increasingly contingent labor force is asked to live paycheck-to-paycheck—with the knowledge that one catastrophic episode could result in the loss of livelihood, even if it doesn’t involve the loss of life. The localized notoriety of Parker’s voice obscures the fact that places like Oregon State (and Vassar) rely on outsourcing work to cut costs and commitments to their almost-employees. It is the same reason that dining hall workers, janitors and other “staff” do not get the same cushy benefits as other members of higher learning. More broadly, it is the same reason clothing companies do not hold themselves accountable for the treatment of the people who make their apparel. And it is the same reason the phone or computer on which you’re likely reading this article was not made within 5,000 miles of you. Because screwing somebody over whose wellbeing you do not see yourself as responsible for is usually calculated as morally irrelevant, even if not morally defensible. And for Mike Parker’s two subcontractors—Learfield IMG and OSU—his health and wellbeing are far removed from their responsibility. In this way, Learfield IMG and OSU treat Mike Parker as the equivalent of an Uber driver. And every time Parker inaugurates another iconic moment, the corporation and the university above him cash a massive check. Parker’s exploitation is especially telling because even in the accepted paradigm— the one where marketing and competition are more constitutive of college campuses than classrooms and underutilized laundry rooms—his disrespect is startling. Because for a PAC-12 school so dependent on athletics to maintain its image, Mike Parker has been incredibly valuable. Nick Madrigal, the fourth-overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft, told me via direct mes-
Courtesy of Zapper256 via Wikimedia Commons Oregon State’s Reser Stadium, home to Beaver football. Several Beaver athletes have spoken out in support of OSU paying the salary of sportscaster Mike Parker. OSU pays its president $809,988 a year and its provost earns $412,812 annually.
Courtesy of Oregon State University via Flickr
or the third time in the modern era, it is my joy and honor to say,‘The Beavers are the National Champions!’” If you are not a sports fan from the Pacific Northwest, you may not know in which captivating, ever-enthused pitch and intonation to read the above exclamation. But you should. Mike Parker’s voice has echoed in my ears for the entirety of my life. It has brought joy and excitement to many an Oregonian. And for that, in my part of the world, Parker’s voice has been coined The Official Voice of the Oregon State Beavers. But Mike Parker The Voice has not shielded Mike Parker The Man from exploitation. And that needs to change.
wouldn’t go to the doctor. The only way I got him to go to the [Emergency Room] was by saying I would drop of out school to pay for it” (Twitter, @LydiaParker123, 04.12.2019). Thus, the man who has been there for Oregon State to call the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, three National Championships and everything in between had nobody from Oregon State there for him in his time of most urgent need. And he almost died because of it.
Many in the Oregon State community have dubbed sportscaster Mike Parker, “The voice of the Beavers.” Yet the school has never brought Parker on as a full college employee, declining to extend needed health benefits during Parker’s battle with kidney failure. sage that Parker was absolutely central in his decision to enroll at Oregon State: “[Before arriving at Oregon State] I always watched Oregon State National Championship videos and always remember hearing [Mike Parker’s] voice calling the games, and how special it was...I listened so many times and [it] just motivated me…[I hoped that some day] he would be saying my name...and talking about our National Championship.” Nick’s dream came true in 2018 when he captained the National Champion Beavers; Mike Parker’s beautifully craggy voice soared through Beaver Nation in a tenor so pure that I decided to start this article with it. Joe Casey, a crucial piece on this year’s second-ranked Beaver baseball team (and, disclaimer, my best friend), echoed Madrigal’s sentiments: “When I picture all the National Championships and big games, I hear Mike Parker’s voice. It just means so much to have a guy that can capture a moment like that.” Aleah Goodman, the PAC-12 Sixth Player of the Year in women’s basketball, conveyed to me the ways that her experience as an athlete has been enhanced by Parker’s passion and love of athletics: “Every student-athlete that has either talked to him or been interviewed by him knows he loves Oregon State...I have loved every interview I have done with him!” Stephen Thompson Jr., the All-PAC-12 Second Team guard for the Beaver men’s basketball team, reiterated Goodman: “Mike Parker means a lot to me. He is a great guy that genuinely cares about the teams and individuals he covers…[He] has taught me a lot about sports broadcasting and other life values.” Daniel Rodriguez, Oregon State football’s star punter, told me that he feels that “[Mike Parker] is part of the face of Oregon State Athletics. [More than that, he is] the voice.” Tres Tinkle, the two-time first-team AllPAC-12 forward for the Beaver men’s basketball team, was perhaps most direct in his advocacy for Parker, telling me that “If you ask anybody about him they’ll have nothing but positive things to say...He travels with us on every road trip [and is just a] very easy going and genuine guy who is so passionate when it comes to Beaver sports. I think what he does for our community and responsibility as well as the character and integrity he has, employing him by the university is the least we could do.” Parker, then, has clearly done more than just define Oregon State Athletics for its fans. He has defined it for many of its best and most marketable athletes as well. The marketability of the likes of Madrigal, Ca-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
sey, Goodman and Tinkle necessarily brings about a separate conversation on the idea of amateurism in college sports. But that isn’t what this particular article is about. Instead, it is about the fact that even those who are labeled professionals and have “properly” navigated the channels of institutional and social structures are liable to be exploited. The powers that be will almost always pursue the path to the most profit... and take care of themselves in the process. Perhaps that explains why President Ed Ray makes $809,988 every year. And Provost Edward Feser makes $412,812 every year. And the average dean makes $288,923 every year (Oregon State, “Unclassified Personnel List,” 02.09.2019). And the school does not provide Mike Parker with health care. III When I was growing up, my dad—an instructor at Oregon State University—told me that our family’s political beliefs, although complicated, revolved around a simple rhetorical question: Do you hold the door open for a person behind you? The oversimplified question is built on an idea of empathy and kindness—an ethics of care, if you will. Empathy and kindness cannot only manifest in optics and interpersonal interactions. They must also manifest in the ways in which we build, reinforce or challenge hierarchical structures. Mike Parker has been celebrated over and over again by Oregon State University. He has hosted and commentated almost every marquee event the Athletic Department has been involved in for the past 20 years. He has been named the Oregon Sportscaster of the Year six times. But he has not been treated with empathy and kindness. Because as any fifth-grade philosopher can tell us, actions speak louder than words. And for all the praise Mike Parker has garnered, the corporation and the university that he serves have done nothing actionable in his favor. They have used him, and his voice, and exempted themselves from any semblance of responsibility. He’s on his own. And that sort of vicious individualism doesn’t prevent kidney failure. As hard as Learfield IMG and Oregon State University may try, they should not be able to have Mike Parker The Voice without taking care of Mike Parker The Man. So if Oregon State University really cares— as it signals in its mission statement—about “building a future that’s smarter, healthier, more prosperous and more just,” then they need to take a step in the ethical direction. They need to hire Mike Parker.
April 18, 2019
SPORTS
Page 19
Lacrosse squanders lead to drop to 1-5 in Liberty League LACROSSE continued
ference matchup against Hamilton College, McCreery wants his group to continue to focus on improving every day. “Specifically, we will be working on defensive schemes to stop their high-powered offense,” McCreery explained. Mullen, who currently leads the Brewers attack with 36 points off of 28 goals and eight assists, feels that emphasizing particular aspects in practice has been paying off in games. “A large focus at practice for the offense has been moving the ball fast and never allowing the ball to get stuck in your
stick for too long,” Mullen explained in an email. “At the start of the season we struggled a little bit moving the ball fast and creating offense, however as the season has progressed we’ve been moving the ball a lot faster and start[ing] to create chemistry with one another which has helped our offense tremendously.” With only three games remaining in their season, the Brewers want to learn from the loss to Clarkson and quickly turn things around. “Our goal is to send the seniors out on a positive note
Courtesy of Nick Jallat
from page 1 the Golden Knights scored in the last 30 seconds of the first half to cut the deficit back to four. The Brewers swept into the second half on a high, protecting a four-goal lead, but couldn’t hang on, with Clarkson outscoring Vassar 6-2 in the third quarter. After three straigh goals bumped the Golden Knights ahead 11-10, Vassar first-year Connor Deehan finished off an unassisted shot to tie the game 11-11 with under 10 minutes left. Straightaway, however, Clarkson answered right back with two more goals: 13-11. With about seven minutes to go, Hyde put one more in the back of the net, but the game-tying goal proved elusive—Clarkson hung on for the 13-12 victory. Although the outcome was not what the team wanted, the Brewers can take some positives from the game. Mullen paced the Brewers with six points off of five goals and one assist, which also pushed him over the 100-career point mark and into the top ten in program history. Hyde continued his strong debut campaign, putting up five points off of three goals and two assists, while Thomas added two goals and an assist. Junior Matthew Lowery won 22-of-29 faceoffs and picked up 13 ground balls. Senior Erik Mikelinich had eight saves in goal. Head Coach John McCreery thought that the team battled hard against Clarkson, given the circumstances. “It is a hard environment to play in. Most away games are tough, but it’s always hard at Clarkson. We came out hot and got up on them 6-1, but Clarkson is a good team and found a way to get back into the game,” McCreery wrote over email. He felt that the offense, faceoffs and defense played well, but that the team needs to work on finishing games and playing from ahead. Heading into their next game, an out-of-con-
Sophomore Tomás Meade cradles the ball for Vassar. Meade scored late in the second quarter to extend Vassar’s lead to 7-3, but in the third quarter Clarkson stormed back, eventually squeaking out a 13-12 win. Vassar is now eliminated from playoff contention.
and win the games for them,” said sophomore defender Stefan Fleps. “We want to make sure they leave feeling happy and that we…try our best to win for them.” Fleps is appreciative of the way the upperclassmen have brought the team together this season, creating a more positive culture. “The upperclassmen have successfully facilitated relationships with all classes and individual players,” Fleps noted. The bonds that form off the field directly translate to the team working together and playing as a cohesive unit. Fleps explained that that the whole group comes together to listen to their captains give pre-game speeches and chant “Brewers” right before they head out for a game. McCreery’s players appreciate one another to an extent that reaches far beyond their play on the field. When asked what his favorite part about being on the men’s lacrosse team is, Mullen didn’t mention an exciting overtime win, or the spring break trip, but rather the friendships he has made with his teammates. “It’s nice to know people that are going through the same experiences as me and are always there for me when I need them,” Mullen commented. “The friends that I have made on this lacrosse team are going to be friends of mine for life.” The men’s lacrosse team has played a tough schedule in and out of conference, matching up against some of the best teams in the nation. With just three games left in the regular season, and eliminated from postseason contention, the Brewers hope to finish strong and pick up a few wins. In order to do so, McCreery just wants the team to keep building off the groundwork they have been laying all season. “We are constantly working on team culture and building a strong foundation. Part of that work is playing together as a team and winning together. We want to win out.”
Noteworthy newcomers show off in debut NBA season Jaan Choudhri
GUEST COLUMNIST
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s the final buzzer sounded on the NBA regular season, the journeys of 14 teams ended early. The beginning of the playoffs exhibits a new generation of players like Jamal Murray, Joel Embiid and Nikola Vucevic beginning to stake their claim to postseason slots, while older players like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade watch from home. This year’s draft class has shown flashes of being one of the best of all time, and the Rookie of the Year award has been one of the most widely discussed topics in the league this year. By and large stuck on struggling teams, the league’s top rookies have mostly played their final games of the season. Here are five of my favorite rookies from this year:
4.) Landry Shamet | Team: Los Angeles Clippers | Pick: 26 | PTS: 9.1 AST: 1.5 3PT percentage: 42.2 A former Wichita State WuShock, Landry Shamet has proven himself to be one of the most underrated rookies this year. Originally drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers, Shamet was traded to the Clippers in a blockbuster move that sent Tobias Harris to Philly. Analysts characterized the deal as the Clippers acknowledging that, without Blake Griffin and the rest of the esteemed Lob City, it was time for a rebuild. However, with the help of Shamet’s three-point shooting, the Clippers find themselves squaring off against the Warriors in the first round of the playoffs. Shamet holds the best three-point field goal percentage of any rookie at 42.2 percent. With the addition of fellow rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Clippers have set themselves up for a bright future. 3.) Deandre Ayton | Team: Phoenix Suns | Pick: 1 | PTS: 16.3 REB: 10.3 FG percentage: 58.5 The Suns slid into the lottery again this year and managed to snag Deandre Ayton with the number one pick. A big man from Arizona University, Ayton was highly touted as the premier prospect, an offensive powerhouse that any lowly team would love to have. And yet, when I search NBA twitter, I rarely see any mention of him. The Suns (unsurprisingly) managed to have another disappointing season, resulting in much of Ayton’s appeal diminishing
to fans around the country. People simply didn’t get to see him play, because the Suns are a poorly run small market team with an abysmal record. So without much nationally televised screen time, Ayton’s play was displayed only to Suns fans and diehard NBA fans. Ayton managed to average a double-double with 16.3 points, an impressive feat made even more awe-worthy given the fact that the Phoenix Suns don’t even carry a competent point guard. With Ayton and Devin Booker, the Suns see themselves on the edge of being mediocre. 2.) Trae Young | Team: Atlanta Hawks | Pick: 4 | PTS: 19.1 AST: 8.1 FG percentage: 41.8 Trae Young’s NBA career didn’t start off as hot as many had thought it would. In the beginning of the season, Young seemed as if he was ill-fitted for the league; he was undersized, couldn’t defend and wasn’t shooting anywhere near as well as he had in college. However, as the season progressed, Young began to gain composure and grew comfortable enough to help orchestrate the Hawks offense in primetime wins against the Lakers, 76ers and Bucks. As he’s quickly climbed the ranks of premier shooters in the league today, his passing has also looked like an impressive attribute. The Hawks have certainly found their point guard of the future, who, alongside fellow rookie Kevin Huerter (whom I played against in high school), has given Atlanta basketball fans hope. 1.) Luka Doncic | Team: Dallas Mavericks | Pick: 5 | PTS: 21.2 AST: 6.0 REB: 7.8 Lauded as the prodigal son of European basketball, Luka Doncic has absolutely set the NBA ablaze with his phenomenal rook-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
ie campaign. Doncic set the Mavs’ record for most triple-doubles by a rookie with five. With his impressive passing and sweet stepback jumpshot, the NBA’s golden boy has played his way into the hearts of many Americans. Doncic’s basketball prowess has been on display for a long time, as he started playing professional basketball for Real Madrid at the age of 16. After winning the Euroleague championships last year, Doncic immediately showed that his game could translate to the real professional leagues. It’s only fitting that this European wunderkind begins his journey as the former European great Dirk Nowitski ends his.
Courtesy of Cristina Ruiz via Wikimedia
5.) Mitchell Robinson | Team: New York Knicks | Pick: 36 | PTS: 7.3 REB: 6.4 BLKS: 2.4 The New York Knicks have somehow managed to find a diamond in the rough with Mitchell Robinson, a 20-year-old center from New Orleans. Robinson was committed to play at Western Kentucky University, but he elected to skip his first year to instead train for the draft. After being passed on by every team, Robinson was selected with the 36th pick. Many saw the pick as the Knicks trying to collect another low-risk, high-reward player as a project. Robinson was viewed as someone with potential, but also as a player that would need time before delivering on his promise. That has not been the case. This year, the center averaged 2.4 blocks, a league second-best for ALL players. He recorded a total of 162 blocks, almost double the amount of the next-closest rookie. Although Rob-
inson hasn’t shown any flashes of offensive ability outside of the paint, the prospect of running the pick-and-roll offense with him as a dynamic slasher provides a unique opportunity for the Knicks moving forward.
Mavericks’ forward Luka Doncic exhibited his NBA potential while playing for Real Madrid in Spain. In his debut American season, the Slovenian averaged 21.2 points.
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Why We Play Rose Hulsey-Vincent GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
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have fenced for over 12 years, but sometimes I forget that I won’t actually die if I lose a bout. This fear was especially noticeable when I started fencing. I was excruciatingly shy, and my training in ballet dancing had drilled into me the importance of perfect form. I refused to attack my opponent because I was too worried that I would mess up my technique and leave myself open to a counterattack. Nevermind that I still ended up getting hit when I retreated to the end of the strip—I was too afraid of taking that risk, too unable to trust my own judgement. At first, it seems as if this sort of caution ought to be a good thing. I fence épée, where there are no right-of-way rules to ensure you will get a point for starting an attack, unlike foil and sabre fencing. Extending your point half a second too slow, misjudging how close your opponent’s point is to you, or choosing the wrong target can result in a double-touch or even lose you the point entirely. You need to carefully design a situation that will ensure that you will get the point by lulling your opponent into a footwork pattern, showing them false blade actions, essentially giving them a steady and predictable environment, and then taking it all away in an instant. This all requires a good amount of time to establish. However, once you have set all this up, you cannot hesitate. You need to commit yourself entirely to the moment you have chosen to act and hold absolutely nothing back. The timing for scoring a point
in épée is so finicky that if you doubt your action even slightly, you will slow down enough to lose the point. It is both unforgiving and absolutely thrilling. Years of patient instruction from my coaches, mentors and friends at Rain City Fencing Center in Bellevue, Washington helped me build up the confidence to start my own actions, and soon I was competing nationally and had earned a B rating in épée. Being recruited to Vassar was exciting for me, but it came with its own perks and challenges to adjust to. Suddenly, I was on a team.
I wasn’t just fencing for my own satisfaction or my own personal growth—I represented Vassar. Winning or losing would affect the expectations put onto my teammates, and just one bout, just one touch, could make the difference in winning or losing as a team. To make things even more difficult, Coach Soyka took the style I had developed for years and tore it apart. I had a knee-jerk reaction to parry four, a low circular blade motion intended to catch the other person’s attack and deflect it. It’s a remaining instinct left over from the years I spent fencing foil before I switched to épée. It was my security blanket. I still adore the action—it’s a lovely feeling when someone’s foible ends up in your forte, and you can feel the leverage shifting in your favor. You just lower your point slightly to their shoulder, and there, you’ve hit them. Suddenly, that satisfaction was replaced
April 18, 2019
Rose Hulsey-Vincent with the misery of doing five push-ups. Every. Single. Time. I parried four. Sometimes my arms would wobble so badly that I could barely keep my blade up. But my instincts still screamed that I needed to do the action. That shock was completely outdone by the action Coach Soyka used to replace my comfortable lunge: the flèche. Flèche” means “arrow” in French, and it involves pushing off of your front leg to nearly leap at your opponent, then run past them after you’ve scored. Flèching was terrifying for me. Unlike a lunge, there is no way to nicely recover
with these new choices required a great deal of mental and emotional effort. Mostly, it took a lot of trust. Coach Soyka is like an uncle to me, and while it was easy to tell him I trusted him with my training, it took an entirely new level of trust to throw away everything I thought I knew about fencing, just to follow his vision. It took a lot of practice to adopt this new mental mindset. It required losing bouts I know I could have won if I had retreated back into my back-up plan fencing. I needed to trust my teammates in order to feel comfortable taking these risks while practicing and fencing alongside them at competitions. Truly, I am forever grateful for the amount of support and advice Courtesy of Rose Hulsey-Vincent they have poured into my fencing. and retreat out to a safer distance if you mess In the end, I fence because it gives me a up. Once you execute it, you have to fully safe place to practice this self-trust. The real commit to it. The action (pictured above) is world is a scary place to try out new things, quintessentially épée, and even more unfor- and fencing gives me an avenue to explore giving of a moment’s reluctance. my relationship with myself. It started by I was shocked by these dramatic chang- flèching at practice, where I was scared es to my fencing style, and my body fought of the action but safe and surrounded by them tooth and nail. It was undoing years friends. Then I began to trust my choices of training, years of instincts, years of…fear. enough to try it at competitions, where the Parry four was the safe action to which I stakes are higher. Bravery and self-discipline ran away whenever I couldn’t figure out an are practiced skills, and other things in my opponent. Lunging and quickly recovering life began to feel like risks I could take with meant that I did not need to commit fully the correct timing and commitment. I trusted to my first action. I told myself I was a sec- myself enough to flèche at NCAA regionals, ond-intention fencer. Really, my fencing plan to ask out my current boyfriend, to challenge was a collection of actions to execute assum- myself to take a 300-level math course. With ing I would mess up that first attack—when every flèche and every action I make while I knew I would hesitate. After all this time I fencing, I practice the courage and self-disstill couldn’t trust my own judgement. cipline I hope to bring to every decision in Undoing my old habits to replace them my life.
Women’s Tennis
Women’s Rugby
Vassar College 8, St. Lawrence University 1
Vassar College 7, University of Connecticut 14
April 13, 2019
April 14, 2019
The Vassar women won their sixth match in a row on Saturday, defeating St. Lawrence at home. The dominant W keeps the Brewers undefeated in the Liberty League this year. VC swept the three doubles matches and won the first five singles positions. First-year Melina Stavropoulos (pictured) won at doubles alongside sophomore Sarah Yekta, while also cruising in her singles match to a 6-1, 6-2 victory. Coach Kathy Campbell’s group travel to Skidmore next weekend and then host RIT.
After strutting to the final of the Beast of the East tournament in Rhode Island, Coach Tony Brown’s depleted Brewers couldn’t come up with enough attack against UConn in a rematch of last year’s final, eventually falling 147. The game was tied 7-7 at the half after a try from junior Sabrina Perry and a conversion by junior Aislinn Vences-Dimas, but in the second half UConn dominated the ball. Vassar’s defense fought hard, but the Huskies’ lone breakthrough proved sufficient.
Men’s Tennis
Women’s Track and Field
Vassar College 6, St. Lawrence University 3
Silfen Invitational
April 14, 2019
April 13, 2019
On the back of losses to NYU and RPI, men’s tennis bounced back against St. Lawrence, winning 6-3 in the senior’s final home match. Sophomore David Gandham, at left, led the way for the Brewers on Senior Day, dominating 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles and not dropping a game in doubles while paired with sophomore Adam Krueger. Away matches at MIT and Hobart now await the team before the Liberty League tournament. The Brewers sit fourth in their conference at 4-3. Written by Myles Olmsted, Sports Editor Photos courtesy of Nick Jallat
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Women’s track and field traveled to Connecticut College on Saturday, for the Silfen Invitational, with multiple athletes putting up season bests. In the 5k, first-year Keara Ginell and senior Elise Matera both inked times good enough for top five in school history. In high jump, senior Sophie Sharp missed setting a school record by just 2 cm, while the 4x100 meter relay squad of Sharp, junior Sabrina Stacks (pictured), junior Michelle Perri and first-year Claire Zickl set a season best. Perri also set a season best in the 200.