Misc 10.25.18

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The Miscellany News

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org

Volume CLI | Issue 7

October 25, 2018

Town hall reflects on China

‘Break’-ing news revealed Duncan Aronson

Courtesy of Vassar College Encyclopedia

Reporter

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s if the semester doesn’t go by quickly enough, October break—a whole 216 hours away from the normal routine of Vassar—has come and gone. There is something profoundly sad about the passage of time. Time’s scarce and fleeting qualities draw attention to the ways in which we choose to spend our lives. Whether we devote our breaks to kicking our feet up on the table or remain in constant motion doing all sorts of activities, scouring syllabi or job postings, going home or elsewhere, dreading our return to school or impatiently waiting for it—the answers to these kinds of questions are little fairy lights illuminating how different internal and external influences shape how we use our time. Limited break time means we have to prioritize certain activities and allocate time accordingly. My conversations with several Vassar students indicated that they have experienced a triangle of competing break priorSee FALL BREAK on page 10

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

“The French Tank,” donated in appreciation of Vassar’s services during WWI by the French government, contained a leftover detonating cap. Despite this, the tank remained an integral part of social life on campus for two decades.

VC exhibits local Great War tales Jessica Moss Copy Editor

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n Saturday, Oct. 13, Vassar College and the Dutchess County Historical Association opened “Over Here/ Over There,” an exhibit commemorating the 100th anniversary of the armistice of 1918, which ended fighting between the Allies and Germany (Vassar Info, “The Dutchess County Historical

Association and Vassar College are partnering to present the exhibit, ‘Over Here/Over There,’” 10.09.2018). The event, which is on display in the Faculty Commons in Main until Oct. 31, was part of the Dutchess County Historical Association’s “2018: Year of the Veteran” programming. According to the program description on its website, “While recognizing all veterans of all wars,

[the exhibit puts] a special focus on the brief moment at the end of the so-called ‘Great War’ when many felt they’d seen the closure of a war so large, so horrific, it was the war to end all wars” (Dutchess County Historical Society, “DCHS 2018: Year of the Veteran Regional Chamber of Commerce,” 11.15.2017). The exhibit, as a component of this broader programming, reviews how See VASSAR WWI on page 4

Ha Bui

Guest Reporter

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n Wednesday, Oct. 9, the 12th annual and first Vassar local CHINA Town Hall meeting took place in the Villard Room. The CHINA Town Hall meeting is sponsored by the National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCUCR), a non-partisan and non-profit organization. This same organization laid the foundation for the 1960s ping-pong diplomacy, an exchange between table tennis players from the two countries that marked a detente between the United States and China. The event comprised an expert discussion on future Sino-American political and economic relations, as well as a live national discourse featuring Former Secretary of State and Professor Condoleezza Rice and NCUCR President Stephen A. Orlins, followed by a question-and-answer session. To kick off the event, Professor of Geography and NCUSCR Public Intellectual Fellow Yu Zhou introduced Executive Director and Founder of the American Mandarin Society, Chairman See TOWN HALL on page 5

College to feature fiery flamenco VC soccer teams nab historic weekend wins Abby Tarwater Reporter

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n Saturday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m., A Palo Seco Flamenco Company will perform at the Skinner Hall Mary Anna Fox Martel Recital Hall. A Palo Seco is a New York–based group run by artistic director and choreographer Rebeca Tomas.

Since the company’s debut in May 2010, the group has been acclaimed by audiences for its innovative approach, which blends traditional flamenco techniques with the modern, metropolitan context in which its members live. Since A Palo Seco’s debut production at Theatre 80 St. Marks in New

Courtesy of Andrea Balducci via Flickr

On Oct. 27 in Skinner Hall, A Palo Seco, a New York–based dance company, will perform, providing students and community members a glimpse into its creative and modern take on flamenco technique and choreography.

Inside this issue

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ARTS

Film by famed French director evokes historical specter

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York City, the group has been lauded by publications such as The New York Times and Theatre On-Line, the latter of which said that the company was “a feast for the eyes and the ears” (Theatre On-Line, “A Palo Seco”). The company has continued to perform at Theatre 80 annually, as well as appearing throughout the United States at prestigious venues, which have included the Chicago Flamenco Festival, Central Park Summer Stage, Jacob’s Pillow and the New Victory Theater. Tomas has received several accolades for her work, including the LMCC’s MCAF grant, the Jerome Foundation’s Travel and Study Grant and a New York Foundation for the Arts 2013 Fellowship. “A Palo Seco” is a phrase that refers to a stripped-down style of flamenco music, often consisting of singing or percussion alone, that is an integral element of Tomas’ choreography. This minimalistic aesthetic is representative of Tomas’ separation from the conventional flamenco tradition, while also demonstrating her adherence to its trademark emotional movements. Assistant Professor of Physics and Science, Technology and Society Jose See DANCE on page 8

Campus Climate questions gauge student OPINIONS perceptions

Myles Olmsted Sports Editor

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t was a day of firsts for the Vassar soccer teams. Big firsts. The men’s side welcomed to Gordon Field the Hobart Statesmen, who came into the day tied for first in the Liberty League at 5-1-1 (6-4-2 overall), just in front of the 4-2-0 Vassar squad (8-4-0 overall) in the race for critical league tournament seeding. More than league rankings motivated the Brewers coming into the clash, however. For one, Vassar’s seniors had never beaten Hobart, despite the teams facing off at least once per year. In the last several seasons, a series of clashes and spats have left the Brewers with a strong distaste for the Hobart squad, adding fuel to their competitive fire. In the words of senior captain Tim Collins: “We hate those guys.” What’s more, last year the Statesmen knocked off the Brewers in the Liberty League finals, 2-0, ending Vassar’s season. That loss was fresh in the minds of the Vassar players heading into Saturday’s fixture, according to junior forward Kevin Baliat. “There was a lot of pain felt last year after we lost to them in the last few seconds of the final last year,” remembered Baliat,

18 SPORTS

“so no one wanted to feel that again, and that was the driving force we had today.” Two straight losses before Saturday’s game also served to spur the team. According to Collins, as the group prepared for the match, they focused on physical play, winning the ball back and playing their game. Said the senior captain, “We had a couple bad games in a row—didn’t play well— so we just wanted to get back to who we were, and possess the ball and play it around.” The game started slowly, neither side able to put together much coherent attacking play. Hobart won several early corners (the visitors would have seven on the day) but couldn’t fashion any solid chances, save a ball kicked into the Vassar net after being unlawfully knocked from the hands of Vassar’s junior keeper Will Marment. The home side’s best chance of a first half dominated by physical midfield play came about 20 minutes in, when an overlapping Henrik Olsson found the end of a needle-threading pass from sophomore Andrew Goldsmith. Olsson, a junior left back, controlled the pass and shifted it to his See SOCCER on page 19

From bleak to on fleek: United turnaround spurs critique


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