The Miscellany News
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Volume CLI | Issue 10
November 15, 2018
Diabetes in daily life recounted
Scholar discusses Murakami
Frankie Knuckles
Jessica Moss
Assistant Features Editor
Copy Editor
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her cozy chair, she lets the audience into not only her academic mind, but also her personal one. To that end, she refuses to spend her time on stage giving conventional lectures. Instead, she reads short excerpts of her writing (on See LECTURE on page 7
See MURAKAMI on page 5
On Nov. 2, writer and feminist Roxane Gay presented the annual William Starr Lecture. She read excerpts from her essays and answered students’ questions on topics such as identity and politics.
Roxane Gay delivers Starr lecture Holly Shulman
Assistant Arts Editor
“O
h, this is so quaint. Everything is so old.” That is how Roxane Gay, renowned author and 2018 William Starr Lecturer, described Vassar on See DIABETES on page 10 Wednesday, Nov. 3. Sitting in an
armchair at the front of the Chapel, she leaned her head casually on her arm, used to these types of events and “quaint,” “old” campuses. This casual, conversational structure is what makes Gay’s lecture series so unique. From
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xploring the nature of humanity is a common thread throughout many literary works. However, the pervasiveness of this theme does not detract from the singularity of each works’ conclusion. Such interpretations tend to reflect a profound understanding of humankind, often informed by the author’s personal experiences. Haruki Murakami is an internationally best-selling author who ponders these questions about humanity and its relationship with nature and society in his works. Consisting of novels, short story collections, an illustrated novella and several works of nonfiction, Murakami’s writings have become noteworthy in the milieu of modern literary life and have been translated into over 50 languages (“Author,” harukimurakami.com). On Thursday, Nov. 8, in Taylor Hall, Professor Emeritus of Japa-
Holly Shulman/The Miscellany News
n the morning of Nov. 1, 2018, I draft a Facebook post, proclaiming that we are now in Diabetes Awareness Month. I tell my friends to educate themselves about the disease with which I live every month. Last year around this time, I wrote an article for The Miscellany News detailing a day’s worth of diabetes routine. Not much has changed since, and that’s why I want to repeat the exercise; diabetes affects someone, relentlessly, every year. So, I am once again opening a window into the diabetes side of my brain. I wake up at 8:24 a.m., minutes before my alarm, feeling weird. My Dexcom (a continuous glucose monitor that measures my blood sugar at five-minute intervals) displays an error message, so I use my old-school glucometer and, sure enough, my blood
College reports Campus Men’s b-ball focuses on present Climate Survey findings Dean Kopitsky Columnist
Noah Purdy
Contributing Editor
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Inside this issue
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ARTS
Mollusk photography anything but a “snailure”
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he Vassar men’s basketball team is set to begin another season this weekend. Their 2018–2019 campaign kicks off with a home opener against the New Rochelle Angels this Friday, Nov. 16, at 7 p.m. The new-look Brewers hope to build on last season’s success with fresh faces on and off the bench. The Brewers ended last season with an appearance in the Liberty League tournament, but the tournament berth was an unlikely testament to the grittiness of last year’s squad. After starting the season winless through the first eight games, the Brewers rallied, eventually qualifying for the Liberty League playoffs. The turnaround was in part thanks to the resolve of the group. Starting behind the eight ball meant the Brewers had to win more games with higher stakes. But the team, led by senior and captain Jesse Browne—who averaged 15.6 points a game—went 7-1 in conference play in the second half of the season. The comeback culminated in a win over Ithaca College and a sub-
Courtesy of Joe Clifford
ollowing the completion of the survey commissioned by the Engaged Pluralism Initiative (EPI) last spring, the College reported on its findings this week. On Tuesday, Nov. 13, President of the College Elizabeth Bradley sent a summary of the results of the Campus Climate Survey, conducted by Rankin & Associates. In her message, Bradley expressed, “I am thankful to those of you who completed the survey, and it has identified several areas of campus life that deserve more attention” (“Report on Campus Climate Survey,” 11.13.2018). She noted, however, that a mere 33 percent of those surveyed completed the survey—1,135 in total—leading to overand under-representations in the views participants expressed. Bradley went on to highlight key findings. Overall, student respondents identifying as transgender and non-cis, students of color, students with disabilities and first-generation and low-income students reported lower levels of comfort on campus. Approximate-
ly one-third of respondents indicated instances of exclusion. Additionally, according to Bradley, faculty, administrator and staff respondents reported high levels of feeling valued, though all three groups also indicated instances of exclusion or not belonging. Further findings can be found in Bradley’s report, published on the Office of the President website. Additionally, Rankin & Associates presented conclusions from those Vassar community members they surveyed at two information sessions on Wednesday, Nov. 14. In her message, Bradley reflected, “This information is a call...to work harder at fostering a campus where we encourage dialogue and provide the needed resources to fully report and resolve exclusionary...offensive, or hostile actions.” Bradley commended much of the work of the College and the EPI groups in increasing these resources. Her report mentioned efforts to create new inclusive community spaces as well as to increase and improve leadership development, bias awareness training and general structures that promote inclusion.
After an offseason filled with changes, the VC men’s basketball team will rely on experienced seniors such as Paul Grinde (pictured above) See BASKETBALL on page 18 to lead the way. Grinde averaged 14.3 points per game last year.
Unreasonable demands create “drama” OPINIONS in department
16 HUMOR
Strong house haunting and taunting dampen “spirits”