The Miscellany News | Feb 3, 2011

The Miscellany News Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

February 3, 2011

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Volume CXLIV | Issue 13

Transfer of Mug now complete

VSA OKs Chronicle funding

Matthew Brock

Aashim Usgaonkar

atthew’s Mug will no longer serve as an on-campus bar, as the Campus Activities Office officially takes control over the venue from Aramark. This change opens the Mug up as an alternative setting for student events.

“Students were not able to reserve space during the daytime hours,” said Vassar Student Association (VSA) Vice President for Activities Tanay Tatum ’12 of the Mug under Aramark’s control.

“ARAMARK was in control of the space and was required to enforce policies regarding use of the space, such as an ARAMARK employee always being present while the space was occupied during Mug hours and beyond,” wrote Assistant Dean for Campus Activities Teresa Quinn in an e-mailed statement.“This requirement limited the use of the space for See MUG on page 3

llocating $2,400 to the Moderate Independent Conservative Alliance (MICA), the Vassar Student Association (VSA) aided the rebirth of The Chronicle at its latest VSA Council meeting on Sunday, Jan. 30. While the paper is essentially a political journal, Editor in Chief Steve Keller ’11 plans on “opening up the publication to a wider variety of content.”

This year, the Chronicle was the source of heated debate amongst members of Council. When MICA initially approached the VSA to fund the paper on Sunday, Oct. 31, only $800 was given to fund one “pilot issue,” meant to test the organization’s capability of producing a monthly publication.

Edwards said that “putting together a publication is a large undertaking,” and suggested the trial run. Another objection that was raised addressed how easy it should be to create a new publication on campus. VSA Vice President for Operations Ruby Cramer ’12 urged caution for Council about immediately giving MICA a green light for the publication, as she was weary of the kind of precedent they would be setting by allowing this new journal within “just an hour of discussion.” Ultimately, Council made the $800 allocation because it was largely felt that the creation of a publication that would give a voice to diverse political opinions was in direct response to the Committee on Inclusion and Excellence’s Cultural Audit. This Audit reflected a want for such a forum and noted that students expressed a “desire of dialogue” in the focus group meetings held to conduct the audit.

According to VSA Vice President for Activities Tanay Tatum ’12, MICA was “the only organization to address the Cultural Audit” in its operations.

For the second application last Sunday, MICA had originally asked for $3,000 from the VSA, but the VSA Finance Committee reduced the allocation as the paper “is a new publication that is still on a trial basis,” explained Lathrop House President Samantha See CHRONICLE on page 4

M

Contributing Editor

A

Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

The campus was blanketed in snow on Tuesday, Feb. 1 as the College weathered the first of two major storms expected for this week. By the afternoon, nearly 6.2 inches of snow had accumulated.

Women’s basketball “Vassar Voices” to tour foresees record season US and world stages Corey Cohn

assar College is currently witnessing a program’s turnaround emblematic of any resilient sports team. The women’s basketball team, after a fairly successful first season in the challenging Liberty League (originally the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association until 2004) in 2000-01, subsequently endured eight difficult seasons, averaging a little under six wins per year from 2001-02 through 2008-09. Last year, under new Head Coach Candice Brown, the Brewers compiled a 9-15 record, their best since that 2000-01 season.

This season, the team is off to an even more promising start, as it currently stands at 11-7 and is

poised to complete only its second winning season since entering the Liberty League. It would be easy, and very much justified, to give the credit to Brown, who, before coming to Vassar, experienced similar success with a previously underperforming Manhattanville College team. (The Valiants went from nine wins in Brown’s first season to 18 two years later.) But Brown is quick to point to her players for the job they’ve done.

“I’m very excited for the studentathletes,” she said. “They’re starting to understand the hard work it takes to compete in the Liberty League.

The record so far is a testament to their dedication to the program.”

Guard Brittany Parks ’12 agrees See BASKETBALL on page 19

Courtesy of Shane Donahue, Sports Information

Freshman Cydni Matsuoka, pictured above, is a point guard on Vassar’s women’s basketball team, which has been enjoying its most successful season since 2000-01.

Inside this issue

5

FEATURES

A history of the esteemed Matthew’s Mug

6

Rachael Borné

M

Arts Editor

ost sesquicentennial events have stayed confined to the Poughkeepsie area; however, one production, after debuting for the Vassar community tonight, will continue on to tour all over the country and abroad. Composed of letters, diaries, public speeches, oral histories and memoirs, Vassar Voices promises to deliver a performance that captures just that— a dramatic reading of unique and varied voices of Vassar known and not so known throughout history.

Director of Development Communication Lance Ringel said of the performance, “The heart of it, as the title Vassar Voices implies, is hearing in their own words from people, from the famous to the heretofore unknown, who’ve lived the Vassar experience over the past 150 years.”

Ringel made the first selection of material for Vassar Voices from a huge number of sources, including back issues of the Vassar Quarterly, the Libraries’ Special Collections and Betty Daniel’s online Vassar Encyclopedia, among others. After this initial compilation, Ringel worked with Drama Professor Chris Grabowski and students in the Drama Department to shape, edit and refine a narrative documenting first hand accounts of life at Vassar.

The “voices” that made the cut document a highly varied set of historically, socially and campusrelated issues. Said Ringel, “Life in the residence halls and the classrooms, presidential addresses and encounters with the larger world

FEATURES

Vassar women give aid to France in WWI

Courtesy of Special Collections

V

Assistant Sports Editor

Students relax and write in 1910.

“Vassar Voices” features original materials written by almnae/i. off campus, a wide range of points of view—we’ve tried to incorporate all of that and more.”

Before the accounts reach the See VOICES on page 15

News Editor

Special Collections digitizing archives Jillian Scharr Reporter

I

n founding the College, Matthew Vassar took pains to make sure that his students would have the opportunity to learn directly from a collection of books and original manuscripts. That collection became the basis of what is today Special Collections. The documents, some more than 500 years old, are stored and cared for in a specially designed room of the Thompson Memorial Library. Students and scholars must See DIGITAL on page 5

14 ARTS

Past issues of The Miscellany News will soon be available in digital form.

Famed Lar Lubovitch dance troupe to perform

The Miscellany News

Page 2

February 3, 2011

Editor in Chief Molly Turpin Senior Editor Angela Aiuto

Contributing Editors Matthew Brock Lila Teeters

News Caitlin Clevenger Aashim Usgaonkar Features Mitchell Gilburne Opinions Joshua Rosen Humor & Satire Alanna Okun Arts Rachael Borné Sports Andy Marmer Copy Katharine Austin Design Eric Estes Photography Juliana Halpert Online Erik Lorenzsonn Social Media Marie Dugo

On Feb. 6, 1914, The Vassar Miscellany Debuted its first issue as a weekly newspaper. Previously, the Miscellany was published on a monthly basis. In the issue, the editors wrote about the retirement of President James Monroe Taylor. By the next February, Taylor was officially succeeded by President Henry Noble MacCracken.

This Week in Vassar History 1867, Feb. 1

1915, Feb. 1

Following an act of the New York State Legislature, by which the word “female” was removed from the name of the college, the trustees voted to remove from the front of Main the marble slab containing this word.

Henry Noble MacCracken, Chaucer scholar, a graduate of New York University with the doctoral degree from Harvard University, assumed the presidency of Vassar College. MacCracken, who had taught English at Yale University and Smith College, was the first Vassar president to be neither a Baptist nor a minister.

1888, Feb. 4

Over 200 alumnae attended the annual winter reunion in New York City. Elated at the trustee decision to include three of their number on the board, they appointed a polling committee to solicit nominations and to conduct a poll of all eligible alumnae to determine what three alumnae to nominate.

1913, Feb.

The lady principalship was abolished and a board of wardens appointed, consisting of Head Warden Jean Palmer ’93 and an assistant warden in each residence hall. The social regulations were liberalized at once: students could entertain men on Sundays (with cards of admission signed by a warden) and in their rooms (between 4 and 5 daily, with a chaperone); leaves of absence were increased.

tional Bureau and then the Career Development Office.

1923, Feb.

The trustees voted to limit enrollment to 1,150.

1929, Feb.

The first automatic electric Victrola was installed, in Main Building’s Room J.

1913, Feb. 6

Tragedy struck at the new skating pond when five students, sledding in the evening on Sunset Hill, lost control of the toboggan and slid onto the lake, breaking through the thin ice.

One student, Elizabeth Mylod’13, slipped under the ice and drowned, but one of the students, Phebe Briggs ‘16, using a small sled, managed to pull two of the others to safety. When the ice broke under her as she attempted to rescue the last student, Myra Hulst’13, Briggs used the sled to steady them and held Ms. Hulst’s head above the water until help came.

1952, Feb.

1916, Feb.

—These dates are taken from an upcoming documentary chronicle of Vassar College by Dean Emeritus Colton Johnson.

At President MacCracken’s instigation, Vassar opened an Occupation Bureau, later the Voca-

Assistant Features Matthew Bock Danielle Gensburg Assistant Arts Rachael Borné Assistant Sports Corey Cohn Assistant Copy Katharine Austin Stephen Loder Assistant Photo Madeline Zappala Crossword Editor Jonathan Garfinkel Reporters Vee Benard Adam Buchsbaum Danielle Bukowski Emma Daniels Mary Huber Shruti Manian Kristine Olson Connor O’Neill Chelsea Peterson- Salahuddin Wilson Platt Joseph Rearick Dave Rosenkranz Jillian Scharr Nathan Tauger Columnists Brittany Hunt Michael Mestitz Andy Sussman Nik Trkulja Photographers Christie Chea Katie de Heras Carlos Hernandez Jared Saunders Eric Schuman

Dining room service by student waitresses in dormitories was replaced by the cafeteria system, greatly reducing the hours available for students to engage in cooperative work.

1956, Feb.

The Vocational Bureau reported that nearly two-thirds of the student body had held jobs, paid or volunteer, during the previous summer vacation, earning a total of over $200,000.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

LETTERS POLICY

The Miscellany News is Vassar College’s weekly open forum for discussion of campus, local and national issues, and welcomes letters and opinions submissions from all readers. Letters to the Editor should not exceed 450 words, and they usually respond to a particular item or debate from the previous week’s issue.

Opinions articles are longer pieces, up to 800 words, and take the form of a longer column. No letter or opinions article may be printed anonymously. If you are interested in contributing, e-mail misc@vassar.edu.

The Editorial Board holds weekly meetings every Sunday at 9 p.m. in the Rose Parlor. All members of the Vassar community interested in joining the newspaper’s staff or in a critique of the current issue are welcome. The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented in the Opinions pages.

The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board. The Miscellany News is published weekly by the students of Vassar College. The Miscellany News office is located in College Center Room 303, Vassar College.

February 3, 2011

NEWS

Page 3

Writing Center welcomes new director Mug will no longer serve W alcohol Joey Rearick Reporter

Eric Schuman/The Miscellany News

riting, it is often said, is a solitary occupation. But for the newly appointed Director of the Writing Center Matthew Schultz, writing is a process aided by consultation and concerted efforts. As the second semester begins, Schultz is hoping to “invite every writer on campus to take advantage of the programs we have at the Writing Center.”

Schultz, a Cleveland native, joined the Vassar faculty just a couple of weeks ago, but is familiar with the workings of collegiate writing centers.

After receiving his Bachelors and Masters of Arts degrees in English from John Carroll University, Schultz holds a Doctorate in Irish studies from St. Louis University. While completing his doctoral studies, Schultz began working in the university’s writing center as a consultant.

Soon, he was promoted to the position of Assistant Coordinator, and then went on to become the Director of the Graduate Writing Center.

“Glad to be back in the Eastern Time Zone,” Schultz is looking forward to aiding the writers of the Vassar community, maintaining the services offered prior to his arrival and implementing some new ones.

Schultz succeeds Lee Rumbarger, who directed the Writing Center for four years before recently moving to England. (See “Rumbarger departing Center she tranformed,” 12.8.10) He hopes to continue the popularity the Writing Center gained under her leadership, noting that the center helped 1,400 students last year, nearly 60 percent of the student body. “All of the programs they had in place we’re trying to keep,” he said. Those programs include individual sessions with peer writing consultants, advising for group projects, resources for student and faculty writers, and flexible drop-in hours, which extend as late as 11 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays. “We want to stress that you can come in at any point in the process,” Schultz said. “You don’t need to have anything written down.”

But Schultz is also hoping to start up some novel, quirky programs to foster “a community of writers and a culture of writing.” These in-

Newly-appointed Director of the Writing Center Matthew Schultz, pictured right, discusses an assignment with writing consultant Dronile Hiraldo ’11. Schultz succeeds Lee Rumbarger, who left in December 2010. clude “Grope-searching the Wake: a Finnegan’s Wake Reading Group,” which meets Fridays from 3 to 4 p.m. and “The Creative Writing Dojo,” which meets Tuesdays from 8 to 9 p.m.

The “Dojo’s” first meeting had “about 20 people,” Schultz estimates, and he hopes to spread the word about these programs to even more writers on campus.

Schultz also plans to use newly designed consultation reports and feedback surveys, which will provide both writers and consultants a clearer sense of how they might improve. In addition, he has contacted the head of every department seeking to find ways that the Writing Center can teach the particular characteristics of writing in each discipline. Once he establishes these lines of communication, he hopes he will be able to teach his consultants to offer specific advice pertinent to any realm of academic writing.

Schultz is already impressed with the peer consultants, calling them “a supreme help in

my transitioning.”

“My primary job is to provide training for the peer consultants,” said Schultz, “but I feel like I’m learning more from them than they are from me.”

He also trains the next generation of consultants in an academic setting, teaching Process, Prose and Pedagogy, a requisite course for would-be consultants. “It’s a 50-50 conceptual and theoretical and nuts and bolts of consulting course,” he said. The course concerns questions as abstract as the nature of good writing, and teaches the basic skills of consultation through observation and team consulting.

Schultz is even hopeful that his fellow professors will utilize the Writing Center as a resource for improving their own work and within their own research. “I want to start inviting faculty to come in and seek feedback on their own work,” he said. “That really shows students that this is something writers at all levels do.”

Sexycentennial Party ends prematurely Caitlin Clevenger

T

News Editor

he Sexycentennial Party of Saturday, Jan. 29 ended prematurely following a fire alarm that caused the evacuation of Main Building and the College Center. The party, intended to celebrate Vassar’s 150th birthday, featured Afrofunk jazz band The Body Electric and alumni DJs DJ Olmec a.k.a. Nick Inzucchi ‘10 and Respire a.k.a. Paul Noonan ‘10 as well as other musical performances, a chocolate fountain, and a free wine bar for students over 21, but the party closed at 1:00 a.m., two hours before its intended end time.

The Vassar Student Association (VSA) and Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE), the two organizations sponsoring Sexycentennial, met during the VSA Council meeting on Jan. 30 to debrief the event.

The Villard Room, the site of the party, reached maximum capacity at around 12:10 a.m., at which time students were prevented from entering in accordance with the Fire Marshall’s direction. Students waiting to gain entrance to Sexycentennial formed lines at the front entrance to Main Building and the entrance to the College Center near the bookstore. President of Davison House Michael Thottam ’12 described the situation both inside and outside the party as calm, saying, “The vast majority of Vassar students were willing to work with us. People weren’t crazy, they weren’t violent.”

Some claimed that the 10 Safety & Security officers present at the event were ineffective; “It’s not my job to push people away. Security needs to get some training on crowd control … it’s a continuous problem,” said Lathrop House President Samantha Garcia ’13, who was stationed outside the party, writing a “VC” on the hands of admitted students.

Though discussion at the Council meeting touched upon the possibility that Main Building was an inadequate space for an event of

such scale, President of the Terrace Apartments Samantha Allen ‘11 argued, “Main is a good space. There are two entrances, they are controlled, and return to dorm rooms is accounted for.” The second floor of the Student’s Building, UpC, has been repurposed as an alternative space and as such is no longer available as a programming space between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m., so it has been eliminated as the site of future parties.

Director of Safety & Security Don Marsala, however, contended in an e-mailed statement that Saturday was “quite a night,” resulting in broken windows and kicked-in walls in multiple campus buildings including Main Building. Five students were hospitalized due to intoxication.

Moreover, he noted that Security did not play a hand in the party’s early end: “The administrators on call, not Security, made the call to shut down the party. The crowd control issue had nothing to do with shutting the party down.”

Rather, after a fire extinguisher was discharged in Main Building, a security officer walked into a cloud of smoke and pulled a fire alarm just before 1:00 a.m., only 15 minutes into DJ Respire’s set. At that time, Assistant Director of Campus Activities Mike Bodnarik informed students attempting to re-enter that the event was over.

Though no official statement has been made on why the fire alarm meant an end to the party, VSA Vice President for Operations Ruby Cramer ‘12 wrote on her blog “Vassar 150,” “After the building was cleared, Security and Firewatch decided it would be too difficult to funnel everyone back inside to the Villard Room, and so the party was shut down.”

The VSA and ViCE were not consulted about the matter before this decision was made, leading to some confusion about and frustration over the cause of the closure. VSA and ViCE representatives agreed that the procedure for shutting down a party was unclear and necessitated a conversa-

tion with Vassar’s administration.

President of Josselyn House Dan Flynn ’13 said that the early closure was ”a matter of every student at this school losing money on this party.” Flynn noted that this early closure of a popular event comes only a semester after Safety & Security, along with the Arlington Fire Department, shut down the Shiva Rave on Sep. 3, 2010. DJ Ayres, who was scheduled to perform both at the Shiva Rave and the Sexycentennial Party, was both times unable to play his set. Suggesting that forced closure of campus parties should have been and used to be a rare occurrence but was becoming a pattern, Flynn said, “I refuse to believe that Vassar’s student body has had such a marked change from last year to this year, over the past 10 years, or the past 149 years.”

Assistant Dean of the College for Campus Activities Teresa Quinn had planned to meet with the event’s organizers to review the incident on Tuesday, Feb 1, but the meeting was postponed due to a snowstorm. Quinn wrote in an e-mailed statement, “It is very clear from this situation that it is imperative for us to review our procedures for handling situations such as fire alarms and re-entry, and capacity/ over-crowding issues, which contributed to the closing of this event and the Shiva Rave early last semester. Once these protocols are more clearly defined, they must become an important component of the planning process.” She added, “Our office works very closely with students as advisors to assist in planning programs and support their efforts. Therefore, this early closure is as disappointing for us as it is for them.”

The Campus Activities Office is currently working with Cushing and Noyes Houses to plan the next major student event, the DayGlo Toga party scheduled for Friday, Feb. 11, and to prevent complications that could cause its early closure.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

MUG continued from page 1 programs, gatherings, band rehearsals— beyond the standard Mug programming.”

Aramark chose only to hire an employee to manage the space from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and as a result, only allowed students to use the space during those limited hours. ViCE was given exclusive access to the space from Tuesday to Thursday, leaving most organizations with very little time to hold events. As a result, various weekly events that were held at the Mug, such as trivia night, were forced to either stop running or to relocate.

In addition, with Campus Activities in charge of the Mug, organizations can more easily incorporate the space as an extra dance floor for Villard Room parties, which events may need in the future given that the Students’ Building—which was the largest on-campus venue—is no longer available on weekend nights. “Any VSA organization sponsoring a College Center event with a viable proposal for incorporating the Mug in the larger scope of the party should be able to use the space with appropriate staffing,” wrote Quinn.

According to Quinn, placing Campus Activities in charge of the Mug makes sense. “We had been in charge of the space some years prior before ARAMARK came to campus, and we reserve and supervise all spaces and equipment in the College Center…so we were the most likely candidate to resume responsibility for the Mug,” wrote Quinn. “Now students can reserve the space through Campus Activities,” said Tatum, which will allow for a greater diversity of programming durning the day, and at night before the Mug opens for its regular 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. hours.

“There can be theater performances, jazz nights, trivia nights … CARES even held a speak out.”

Tatum’s primary concern about the space is that organizations will not be aware that they can use the Mug for programming, and addressed the issue at Wednesday’s meeting of organization presidents. Tatum cautioned that it is important to know that despite the absence of alcohol, “Security will still check ID at the door,” so event organizers, “should talk with their SARC interns to make sure security is present.” Unfortunately, organizations will have to pay the guard, which may prove to be too costly for some organizations.

The decision to terminate the sale of alcohol in the Mug came after months of negotiations over whom should accept liability for the liquor license. While the College had traditionally held the license for the space, Aramark’s renewed contract with the College required that it take on the liquor license for the campus, which would force it to assume any risks associated with providing alcohol to students. Aramark resisted this proposal, leading to the defacto cessation of all alcohol sales.

In the past when alcohol had been served at the Mug, sales amounted on average to $23 a night—less than the cost of maintaining a bartender—according to a report delivered to the VSA Council by Head SARC Intern Nick Dressler ’11.

The transfer to Campus Activities was settled, however, in part through a proposal passed by the VSA Council on Oct. 24 that suggested ending Aramark’s control.

“The culture of the Mug has totally changed,” said Tatum after the VSA passed the proposal. “Now all we really have there are Mug nights and dance parties.” Tatum sees the transfer of the Mug to Campus Activities as a victory.

Even though it cost the College its liquor license for the space, “The benefits of having the space available outweigh the costs,” she concluded.

NEWS

Page 4

Chronicle to print monthly

State of the Union focuses on education Caitlin Clevenger

P

News Editor

resident Barack Obama addressed Congress on Tuesday, Jan. 25 in his second State of the Union Address. The president spoke about goals for the country for 2011 and the long-term. Topics included development of highspeed railways and alternative fuels, the new health care law, closing the federal deficit and the war in Iraq, but the president was most concerned with how American industry will compete in the global economy of the future. His answer to the problem was an increased focus on education.

President Obama identified the current era as “our generation’s Sputnik moment,” a time when nations are racing to create the kind of innovation that drives global leadership and power, just like during the space race of the 1960s. The administration will try to boost American science through increased federal funding in the new budget for the development of biomedical research, information technology and clean-energy technology, but research funding will only go so far.

“Maintaining our leadership in research and technology is crucial to America’s success. But if we want to win the future—if we want innovation to produce jobs in America and not overseas—then we also have to win the race to educate our kids,” said Obama. Though the president emphasized the importance of education in mathematics and the sciences, he defended the value of a liberal arts education, saying, “It’s why our students don’t just memorize equations, but answer questions like, ‘What do you think of that idea? What would you change about the world?’”

President Obama reminded Congress that America is “home to the world’s best colleges and universities, where more students come to study than any place on Earth.” But he expressed concern that American students were falling behind, saying, “as many as a

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President Obama’s State of the Union address tied the quality of America’s education system to its ability to compete in the future global economy. quarter of our students aren’t even finishing high school. The quality of our math and science education lags behind many other nations.

America has fallen to ninth in the proportion of young people with a college degree.” He predicts that half of new jobs in the next 10 years will require a college education, making America’s handicap in education an obstacle for employment as well as industry.

Obama applauded the Race to the Top program, which gives grants to states implementing educational reforms, but hoped to go further in both preparing students to pursue higher education and making higher education accessible.

He asked Congress to make permanent the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which deducts up to $10,000 spent on college tuition from federal taxes. The tax credit was first introduced in the 2009 economic stimulus bill and was renewed in 2010, when 12.5 million students took advantage of the credit, according to the U.S. Treasury Department.

The president also alluded to continuing to strengthen the Pell Grant program, which for the 2010-2011 year gives up to $5,550 to students with demonstrated financial need to help cover tuition and other fees. 12 percent of Vassar students received Pell Grants in 2009 as a part of their financial aid package. The Obama administration had already increased Pell Grants in 2009’s Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which, starting in 2011, will tie the maximum grant allocation to the Consumer Price Index, thus keeping it consistent with inflation.

In addition to making high-cost colleges and universities more affordable through financial aid and tax credits, President Obama stated his commitment to raising the quality of low-cost colleges, saying, “Because people need to be able to train for new jobs and careers in today’s fast-changing economy, we’re also revitalizing America’s community colleges.” Through these steps Obama hopes to get closer to the goal he set in his 2009 address

to Congress: that by 2020 America would have the highest proportion of college graduates of any nation.

Finally, the president connected immigration reform to his “Sputnik” goal, pointing out that under current laws both children of undocumented immigrants and international students with visas must leave the United States and use their talents and American education to the benefit of other countries. He asked that Congress make an effort to “stop expelling talented, responsible young people who could be staffing our research labs or starting a new business, who could be further enriching this nation.”

A stronger system of higher education could also mean a stronger military; in response to the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, Obama called for “college campuses to open their doors to our military recruiters and ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps]. It is time to leave behind the divisive battles of the past. It is time to move forward as one nation.”

Some elite institutions, including Harvard, Yale, Columbia and Stanford Universities, have already begun talks with military branches about returning ROTC programs to campus.

The State of the Union Address, with its focus on higher education, came in clear opposition to recent trends doubting the value of fouryear colleges; recent books like Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses by Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa and Real Education: Four Simple Truths For Bringing America’s Schools Back to Reality by Charles Murray have suggested that already too many students pursue college degrees.

Instead, President Obama named large-scale higher education as part of the key strategy for “winning the future,” saying, “We know what it takes to compete for the jobs and industries of our time. We need to out-innovate, out-educate, and outbuild the rest of the world.”

Akerlof to deliver annual Crego lecture Chelsea Peterson-Salahuddin

O

Reporter

n Wednesday, Feb. 9, Nobel Prize-winning economist and Professor of Economics at the University of California at Berkeley George A. Akerlof will present the annual Martin H. Crego lecture entitled “Identity Economics” in Blodgett Hall Auditorium at 5 p.m.

In his lecture, Akerlof will be discussing the subject of his latest book, Identity Economics: How Our Identities Shape Our Work, Wages, and Well-Being, written in conjunction with his colleague, Professor of Economics at Duke University Rachel E. Kranton. In the past, Kranton has authored such books as Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism.

The thesis of Akerlof’s and Kranton’s book argues that identity is a key element currently absent in conventional economic analysis. In the book, the authors pose the question of why certain people facing the same economic situations often make different choices. In doing so, Akerlof and Kranton are able to examine the ways in which individual and collective agents and identities in the economy shape the way in which individuals behave and make day-to-day choices and decisions.

Akerlof’s lecture will constitute part of the annual Martin H. Crego Lecture series sponsored by the Economics Department as a part of the Crego Endowment. “The fund was established by Jean E. Crego [’32] in honor of her father Martin H. Crego, to whom the non-academic study of economics was a source of interest

and satisfaction throughout his life and whose keen judgment and wise handling of economic matters, and the generous legacy received from him, make possible this gift in his memory,” wrote Associate Professor and Chair of the Economics Department Robert Rebelein in an e-mailed statement. “Income from the Martin H. Crego Fund is to be used for visiting lectures in the Department of Economics. Such visiting lecturers would be persons of recognized ability in some area of the field of economics or related subjects and would come to the campus to share their experience and practices in talks and meetings with students and participation in classes,” added Rebelein.

Former Crego lecture speakers include noted economists such as Claude Henry, a former economic advisor to the Prime Minister of France; two-time National Science Foundation Grant recipient and now Professor of Economics at Vassar Paul A. Ruud; and Janet Currie, the Economics Department Chair at Columbia University.

Like those Martin H. Crego lecturers who preceded him, Akerlof is a highly noted and revered economist, who has received several distinguished awards and a lot of recognition throughout his career. Most notably, in 2001 Akerlof, along with his colleagues Michael Spence and Joseph E. Stiglitz, was awarded the Alfred E. Nobel Prize in Economic Science for their theory of asymmetric information and its effect on economic behavior.

Akerlof holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and holds a Doctorate from the

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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CHRONICLE continued from page 1 Garcia ’13. At the meeting, Keller expressed his belief that “[The Chronicle] will only be able to reach the potential that this paper could reach and fulfill [its] promises to the student body if [it has] a teensy bit more money.”

However, he later commented in an emailed statement: “While we of course wish we had received more money, we are very happy with the amount allocated.”

Members of VSA Council gave several pieces of advice to MICA so that it could increase the amount of money it receives in the future, or operate with the existing allocation. According to Main House President Boyd Gardner ’12, the Chronicle should “make attempts to accurately gauge its readership” in order to ask for more money to be allocated to them, which would be “both in the VSA’s and [the Chronicle’s] interest.”

VSA Vice President for Finance Travis Edwards ’12 also suggested incorporating advertisements into the publication to help defray publication costs. A reconsidered amount will be given to MICA for production of the paper during the VSA’s Annual Budgeting at the end of the semester.

Another suggestion was to extend the paper’s content to the Internet. “We felt that [having online content] would give it a less professional air,” said Keller at Council. “My impression is that the Internet can often engender name-calling, ad hominem attacks, and conspiracyminded drivel—which is exactly the kind of discourse the Chronicle would like to avoid. An online presence in our view would be limited to access to the print articles, but I can’t say when that will happen,” Keller later clarified in his e-mailed statement.

MICA plans to produce monthly issues until the end of this semester. For its three issues lined up for this spring, the paper is looking to diversify content beyond its standard scope. “I’d like to see writers comfortable to submit almost anything reasonable and wellwritten, even if that means breaking the standard ‘opinions column’ format.

But I also want writers to be comfortable working with our staff on making their pieces the best they can be—that means a free exchange of ideas, but also criticism. You have to stand behind what you write,” wrote Keller.

The Chronicle was originally founded in 1944 chiefly as a competitor to The Miscellany News, after which it had an inconsistent history. It later stopped producing in 1959, when the editors of the Miscellany refused to merge the publications based on claims that the two had become very similar in content. It was revived in 1974, and converted into a magazine that primarily served as a mouthpiece for liberal opinions. The magazine started publishing stories and poetry, and evolved into a literally magazine, which later died out completely in 1978. However, Keller is confident that despite the journal’s undulating history, it served a strong purpose on campus, and cited this as a reason for MICA’s choosing the same name. “We picked the name ‘Vassar Chronicle’ because of its history of opening up campus dialogue in times of intellectual stagnation,” wrote Keller.

In reference to the future of the paper, Keller commented that “I hope the paper will be one that is responsive to the needs of Vassar’s evolving student body. I hope that future editorial boards take seriously our mission, but don’t feel boxed in by some ideological purity test,” he said.

February 3, 2011

Nobel-Prize-winning economist George Akerlof will present the annual Martin Crego lecture on Wednesday.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Presently, Akerlof is the Daniel E. Koshland Sr. Distinguished Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley, after being Professor of Economics at the London School of Economics. Akerlof is also currently the Director of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and was formerly the Vice President of the American Economic Association.

FEATURES

February 3, 2011

Page 5

Digitization initiative the new frontier of archiving

Carlos Hernandez/The Miscellany News

DIGITAL continued from page 1 make special appointments with the Special Collections librarians to see them. Almost all of them, at least.

Vassar, like most other institutions, has begun digitizing its archives to make them accessible online. 10 years ago, Vassar entered the world of digital archiving with a project to digitize a collection of photographs of early Vassar. “It was a big collaborative project,” said Assistant Director for Library Technology Shay Foley.

“I did a lot of the Web and database programming; the Media Cloisters did the web design, and Special Collections did the scanning of the objects.”

Since then, the Library has added digitized versions of the diary of Christine Ladd-Franklin ’69; three journals of John Burroughs, a renowned essayist and naturalist from the Hudson Valley; and assisted with the Library of Congress’s American Memory Project, Google’s LIFE photo archive and the New York Public Library’s historical postcard collection. In commemoration of the College’s sesquicentennial, Special Collections’ next undertaking will be to digitize The Miscellany News, Vassar’s student newspaper since 1866.

Aside from benefitting the Vassar community itself, former Miscellany editor Brian Farkas ’10 hopes that a digitized record of the Miscellany will increase scholarly interest in Vassar College.

“Scholars of education, history and social movements in the past decade have tended to focus their work on the colleges with digital archives … The result is that certain schools’ experiences are cited again and again. My hope is that pretty soon, Vassar will become a significant reference point for social historians and historians of education,” Farkas wrote in an e-mailed statement.

“This could catapult us into becoming a hugely cited case study throughout a number of disciplines, increasing the knowledge and reputation of Vassar.”

But digitization is a long, laborious and expensive task, which is why such a comparatively small percentage of Vassar’s—and most

Special Collections, pictured above, is currently in the process of digitizing its vast archives. Digitization can be both expensive and time-consuming, however, slowing the rate at which documents become available online. institutions’—archives have made the jump to digital space.

“Each institution has to figure out how much it can do,” said Associate Director of the Library for Special Collections Ronald Patkus. Although the Internet is so ubiquitous that many often assume all library collections are either already digitized or well on their way, “few institutions have the wherewithal to scan their entire holdings. They usually have millions of documents. It’s theoretically possible, but a lot of staff and time and money is needed for that, so usually each institution has to select what materials they will digitize.”

Nor does Vassar have the equipment to scan materials on-campus, so the work has been contracted to an outside vendor, explained Patkus.

Many of the archived periodicals, including the Miscellany, are stored on microfilm, a miniaturized hard copy.

The vendor will scan from the microfilm, thus preserving the paper’s layout while making the text of the articles searchable.

Farkas believes that preserving more than just the articles themselves is essential for a robust scholarly archive. “So much history is contained in photographs and even advertisements,” he wrote; “We knew those would be essential for Vassar[‘s archive].”

“Digitization is very good for access,” said Patkus, “but we also want to provide for preservation and…we’re unsure about the long-term preservation and value of digital images.” As technology evolves, he explained, older methods of digital storage become obsolete and inaccessible. How many computers have floppy disc drives, these days? Could this mean that the Internet as we know it may one day become obsolete?

“Usually we’ll also want to have microfilm created as well, because microfilm is thought to have a longer life. It’s something you can see with the naked eye; its shelf life is thought to be hundreds of years. Digital images we’re not quite sure of.”

Nevertheless, Vassar College has

already benefited greatly from digitization. Five years ago, the Art Department transitioned from slides and projectors to digital images in the classroom.

“Really, the technology for digitizing [the slides] was available long before we did it,” said Foley. “But, for the Art faculty, the projection technology and the colors really weren’t adequate for their needs … But once the presentation technology became adequate, it was a really rapid transition.”

Several Art professors now incorporate more than just digitized photographs into their classes. Assistant Professor of Art Andrew Tallon, who specializes in medieval European architecture, uses a laser scanningbased photography technique to create digital representations of the interiors of cathedrals.

“The thing I find the most fascinating about moving from analogue to digital in any area is that it seems that…when we first think about the digital, we try to replicate the ana-

logue in the digital world, but then we realize that [digitization] opens up all these new availabilities,” said Foley. “[Tallon] could never have done that in an analogue world.”

The College continues to pursue new digital projects. The Music Library is currently endeavoring to digitize its collection of programs of every music performance at Vassar since 1867, which will be useful to scholars studying the history of teaching music.

The College is also considering a project to make student theses available online. Until recently, the theses have been stored by the individual departments, but under Patkus’ direction, Special Collections has taken over their storage.

As Foley explains, “there are a huge number of questions to answer” before the College reaches a decision on how to archive them. How available should they be? Must one put in a request before seeing the thesis, and to whom, the library or the academic department? Should they be available only to the Vassar community, or to the entire online world?

In addition, “Some theses are very much just a paper,” added Foley; “there’s not much difference between the analogue and the digital format, but some students are creating essentially digital-born theses. You can’t put them on a piece of paper.

Do we have the technology to make them available to be viewed the way they’re intended to be viewed?”

Foley hopes that the student thesis digitization project will help establish a framework for future digitization projects. Meanwhile, Patkus hopes that the Miscellany will be available online within the year.

As eagerly as Vassar and its peer institutions have embraced digitization, even its staunchest supporters maintain that the distinct qualities of a physical text cannot be perfectly reproduced in digital format.

“In Special Collections we continue to believe in the value of the originals, and see digitization simply as one way of furthering access, though we hope researchers and others will stay sensitive to the role of originals in the learning process,” said Patkus.

Matthew’s Mug fills nightlife niche across decades Danielle Bukowski

M

Reporter

Courtesy of Vassar College Archives

atthew’s Mug has been a part of Vassar’s weekend social scene for almost 36 years. These days there is a DJ instead of a jukebox, and ’80s Night doesn’t mean that you wear what you went to class in. Fashions may have changed, and trends will come and go, but Vassar College students still enjoy a good night out to dance to the latest tunes.

Vassar College has held on-campus dances since the 19th century. These formal affairs were set up so that Vassar women could meet men from surrounding colleges. In the years leading up to the construction of the Mug, Kenyon Hall and Walker Field House were popular places to hold dances. Matthew’s Mug was added along with the new College Center in 1975, and from the start was designated as a place for students to drink, dance and enjoy themselves. On the first week of the Mug’s existence, it stood empty due to issues over a liquor license. According to an issue of The Miscellany News from Feb. 14, 1975, there was also the problem of what to name the space.

A competition was held to come up with the best name: Some contenders were Drinktank, the Dangling Participle and Student’s Consumption Function. The College ultimately settled on Matthew’s Mug, as it honored both the founder of the College and his profession.

The Mug was officially opened in Septem-

ber of 1975. Apparently students were averse to referring to the space as “the Mug” or “Matthew’s Mug,” so the space was just called “the Pub” instead. There was a bar as well as a grille, and the dance floor was originally smaller and sloped down in the center. New Jersey alumna Lisa Rosa remembers, “More than a few people had difficulty navigating the area following a few too many beers.”

A review of Matthew’s Mug ran in the Miscellany Arts section a month after its opening.

Writer Michael Korolenko described the décor as “a MacDonald’s-and-Clockwork-OrangeBaroque,” in reference to the food service and noteworthy architectural decisions. The piece was meant to be humorous, but it did critique the sloped floor and the mirrored ceiling, both of which were eventually removed. The legal drinking age in New York State at the time was 18, and those under 18 were not permitted to enter. Later, this was altered to allow under18s to enter, but not drink at the bar, and there was a bracelet policy in effect.

Complaints of the notorious “Mug line” began in October of 1975. The opening of the Mug as a bar and grille coincided with the shuttered doors of Pizza Town, a local hangout for Vassar students to spend their evenings. Students who would have been at the popular space instead turned to The Mug. In the 1980s, students were rumored to spend up See MUG on page 6

Constructed in 1975, Matthew’s Mug served as a campus bar through 2010. The sale of alcohol in the Mug was terminated at the start of this semester when Campus Activities took control of the space from Aramark.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

FEATURES

Page 6

Food, mirrors, beer: Mug of yesteryear

Vassar alumnae serve in post-war France Angela Aiuto Senior Editor

M

ost Vassar students have heard stories of the 40-ton tank that once sat on Josselyn Beach, an Armistice Day gift from the French government that remained a fixture on campus for the next 20 years. Often removed from the stories, however, are details of the group of Vassar alumnae in whose honor the tank was donated.

Approximately 150 Vassar alumnae served in France during the First World War, according to the Vassar College Encyclopedia. Of these alumnae, only a small number served in the Vassar Relief Unit, the best known out of all the alumnae wartime initiatives. Funded by donations from the College community and headed by Margaret Lambie of the Class of 1906, the Vassar Relief Unit provided aid to the people of Verdun in the months immediately following the end of the war.

Lambie had already served with the American Red Cross during the last months of the war; her writings indicate that while the conflict had ended, the resultant turmoil persisted throughout the Relief Unit’s stay. “Neither [the long-suffering refugee] nor his wife had complained of the hardships of war service, the destruction of property or enforced exile,” she wrote in Verdun Experiences, a recollection of her time in France with the Vassar Relief Unit, “but it was more than they could bear to find upon their long-anticipated return that practically nothing had been done by the authorities to make life livable.”

In response, the Vassar Relief Unit stepped in to provide some of those services that the French authorities could not maintain. “[The Unit social worker’s] conclusions seemed to

show,” Lambie wrote, “that aside from the various temporary assistance we could give to Verdun the most constructive channels the Unit could follow were medical and educational.”

One of the Vassar Unit’s biggest accomplishments in this regard was the establishment of a school. “The schools were delayed in opening and it seemed a pity to have education, which had been none too ample during the war, retarded further because of no classrooms and no equipment,” Lambie explained in Verdun Experiences.

With the help of Verdun’s school inspector, who provided the women with barrack tables and benches left by the American forces, the Unit was able to create a space where school officials could conduct classes until their own classrooms were repaired by the state. According to Lambie, the school served “as many as 104 children between the ages of three and 12,” educating them in the fields of music, reading and geography, among others.

The Vassar Unit also devoted some 27,000 francs to scholarships for the children of Verdun, which the Unit hoped would keep them in the classroom and out of the workplace, even if only temporarily. Lambie wrote that this, too, was necessary due to the destruction left behind by the Great War: “Many families which before the war would have been able to continue the education of their children are financially embarrassed.”

While the school was intended as only a makeshift, temporary solution to Verdun’s incapacitated school system, the Vassar Unit also left a permanent legacy: a library consisting of 500 French books, as well as a collection of maps, “for all their books had been destroyed during the bombardment,” Lambie explained.

The Unit also provided medical assistance to children and their mothers in the form of enhanced nutrition. According to Verdun Experiences, the mothers of the schoolchildren served by the Vassar Unit were invited to visit with the group once a week, during which times a dietician would hold informal discussions about the importance of well-balanced meals and related topics.

The Vassar Encyclopedia describes a related initiative in which the Relief Unit purchased a small truck to collect milk from farmers of nearby villages. After the milk was pasteurized, the Unit distributed it at no cost to the public, hoping to provide the children of Verdun with a rare source of nutrition. The success of this program eventually led to the opening of The Cantine Populaire, an eatery that came to enjoy great popularity among the locals.

The efforts of the Relief Unit did not go unrecognized by the French. “May we be pardoned for saying that the French were generous in their thanks for the efforts of the Unit,” Lambie later wrote. A letter written

by Elsa M. Butler, who represented the Vassar Unit in 1920, suggested that these feelings persisted even after Lambie and others had left: “The original members of the Unit were much loved by the people here. Hardly a day goes by without some one asking for them.”

The Relief Unit, however, remained humble about its role in Verdun’s recovery. In a joint statement the members of the group concluded, “Whatever we gave came back to us in richer experience, broader outlook, a kinship with the French and a sense of humor to faire l’ impossible.”

Professor fought for student theater space Mary Huber

T

Reporter

he Susan Stein Shiva Theater, sometimes called the Shiva, is a Vassar institution: a student-run theater showcasing plays and other performances almost every weekend for over 15 years. No one knows those 15 years better than William Miller, a former drama professor, who played an instrumental role in its founding and who has continued to work with the Shiva staff well past his retirement (which he probably would not have accepted at all if it hadn’t been for an accident that left him in a nursing home for several months—where he continued to consult with students and review lighting plans). “I think it was September of ’94—although my wife says it was ’98, and I don’t argue with my wife—I was so frustrated with student groups having to perform in [Rockefeller Hall] or in English classrooms or broom closets that I was fit to be tied,” said Miller. “I would go to many of those plays [and] I would tell the kids, ‘Your vision is too big for this room.’” Miller was inspired to help secure the old coal bin, where Vassar used to store—you guessed it—coal, for a student-run theater and renovate it to a usable condition.

He was correct in stating that the Shiva opened in 1994, though it was originally called the Coal Bin, after its sooty namesake. Four years later, it was renamed after the Shiva family provided it with a generous endowment. Miller thinks it fitting that the student-run theater and the Drama Department theater are housed in the coal bin and the old powerhouse, respectively.

“We got the spaces where Vassar got it’s energy,” he chuckled.

Miller has supervised the safety and technical plans for the Shiva for close to 20 years, but students have creative control and complete most of the day-to-day work. “I try to stay away during the execution of the design,” said Miller, who gives the students as much freedom to learn as he can. The current student Manager Michael Zipp ’11 says coordinating the groups who produce plays and performances in the Shiva is a major part of his job. “I’m in charge of making sure student groups are using the space in a way that meets our standards,” he explained. “I guess I’m less artistically involved in productions and more administratively.” The Shiva is run and administered by a panel of just five students. Assistant Manager,

Courtesy of Kelly Van Dilla

MUG continued from page 5 to three hours waiting to enter the Mug. The space continues to draw long queue during prime hours, and especially during special theme nights.

The Mug has had its share of mishaps and notoriety: In January of 2005, it was shut down due to a flood in the men’s bathroom, and it also played host to the March 2010 Free Weezy Mug Night controversy.

But the recent removal of the bar, while shocking to certain alumnae/i, does not appear to be that world-ending to students.

Associate Director of Campus Activities Michelle Ransom said in an e-mailed statement: “I don’t think that the lack of bar service will have a major impact on the Mug’s use.” The change is instead one of control; now Campus Activities has more freedom with the Mug’s use. Thus, the Mug will be reinvented as student space with greater access and more flexible potential for programming. Safety and Security will check students’ IDs (instead of Aramark employees), and the Mug can be used during the day. Students who have attended a recent Mug night may have noticed that it is now open until 3 a.m.

According to the Vassar Student Association (VSA) Vice President of Activities Tanay Tatum ’12, “[Alumnae/i] reported the bar being really, really popular, so when we told them that alcohol sales were low, they were surprised. Of course, many [alumnae/i] were [at Vassar] when the legal drinking age was 18. Nowadays, a majority of the students cannot purchase alcohol in the Mug.” Obtaining alcohol is no longer the focus of the space. Students who choose to drink do so outside of the Mug. With the removal of the bar comes the opportunity for Matthew’s Mug to expand its capabilities as a meeting space, while keeping the great DJs and dancing that keep students coming back every Friday and Saturday.

“I think the space is well suited for band rehearsals, poetry readings, speak outs and things along those lines,” Ransom wrote.

Tatum sees the change as an opportunity for the Mug to bring in more diverse events: “The Mug will still operate as normal because the bar was so underused.

Hopefully now that Campus Activities has control, students will reserve the Mug for events during the day.”

With or without the sale of alcohol, students come to the Mug at night to dance.

On dancing at Matthew’s Mug, Matthew Ortile ’14 said, “I think the Mug is a great place to let loose and let go. No one’s going to judge you, let alone see you, whether you’re So You Think You Can Dance material or grinding up against the wall with someone.”

The Mug’s DJ booth, size and acoustics make it an ideal space for music, and Campus Activities is focusing on the popularity of music-themed events in planning for the future. Ransom wrote, “we are focusing on that by getting the sound system in the Mug assessed and upgraded as needed.

We are hiring DJ’s for the Mug that we will train on the use of the equipment with the hope that if the equipment is properly used we will eliminate some of the equipment problems we have had in the past.”

In the 36 years of the Mug’s operation, dancing has changed and music has gotten louder. With each new class of Vassar students comes the chance for something exciting to happen, and updates to the Mug will certainly be a part of the change in these next few months. The Mug’s décor has changed with the times, and now that alcohol sales have plummeted, the removal of the bar is just another alteration to keep up. Vassar students can look forward to many more nights (and days) spent at Matthew’s Mug. Ransom concluded by writing, “I think this is a positive thing and I hope that students will see it that way also.”

February 3, 2011

The Susan Stein Shiva Theater was originally used by the College to store coal, until William Miller, a former drama professor, secured its rennovation to a student theater space in 1994. and next year’s Manager, Molly Shoemaker ’12 wrote in an e-mailed statement, “When I step back and think about the fact that this theater is run by...solely the five of us I almost can’t believe it.” Having so few students run the theater means they often must work long hours.

“It’s not necessarily a 10-hour week like Campus Employment wants it to be,” pointed out Zipp. “There’s so much that goes into the job; the hours add up.” In addition to coordinating theater groups and organizations, the staff have to stay in budget. Like most theaters, funding is a constant concern. “Funding isn’t always optimal,” said Zipp. “We have an endowment from the Shiva family that earns money, but it costs a lot to keep a theater running.” Still, he believes that “the work that comes out of the Shiva is absolutely phenomenal for the funding it receives.”

When speaking of events outside of the Shiva staff’s dramatic focus, Zipp cites the very popular Shiva Rave, noting, “The Rave began about five years ago when VT [Vassar Tecknowledgy, the precursor to VCSS] wanted to experiment with more advanced sound and lighting design than they were able to accom-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

plish in more traditional spaces on campus like the Villard Room. The space worked really well in such an interesting space and became incredibly popular. It is now the season opener every semester on the Shiva Calendar. The US News and World Report even note the Shiva Rave as one of Vassar’s most unique events in their College Rankings. When speaking of his personal involvement, Zipp expanded, “The Shiva staff basically has the same responsibilities with non-drama-related events that we do with plays. It is our job to make sure that everything is done safely, that the Shiva policies are adhered to, and that technical equipment in the space is used properly and cared for.”

The Shiva staff is palpably pleased with the work that they do, asserting the values of entirely student run programming. General independence from the faculty and administration allows students to explore their creativity from a new and sometimes disarming angle. Such autonomy lets students feel the weightlessness and chaos inherent in the dramatic arts while building skills that are best nurtured outside of the classroom. From plays to raves, the Shiva is a bona fide Vassar staple.

FEATURES

February 3, 2011

Page 7

One-week vegan challenge tests fortitude Top tips for beating the N winter woes Ruth Bolster Reporter

o meat, no leather boots and, most importantly, no sushi at the Sexycentennial Party. For the typical college student, veganism, or the non-consumption of any good containing animal products, involves both a radical change in habits and a strong sense of commitment.

Whether this lifestyle is adopted strictly for dietary reasons or is done to appease one’s ethical conscious, being a vegan—as this reporter discovered after cutting all animal-related goods out of her life for one week—is no easy feat for the average consumer. Fortunately, if one does decide to follow this lifestyle, Vassar has proven to be both accommodating and vegan friendly, particularly in terms of dining.

As someone who practically lives off of string cheese and yogurt, living the vegan lifestyle for one week was no easy feat. Although I personally tend to eat vegetables more often than I do meat, dairy products have always been my weakness; needless to say, there were days when I was incredibly disappointed knowing that I would have to order my Mushroom Portobello sandwich without copious amounts of melted mozzarella. As the week wore on, I became more conscious of exactly how the addition of certain ingredients in foodstuffs truly limits vegans’ diets. Brownies contain

eggs, chocolate contains milk, and oatmeal cookies are made with butter. Unlike the typical person who is rather unconscious of what goes into their food, vegans must constantly be aware of exactly what they are ingesting.

Veganism, however, involves more than just a diet—it is a lifestyle. Just as I became more aware of what went into my food, I also became aware of what went into other products that I used. While I knew that certain soaps were made from animal fats, I was surprised to hear that cosmetics also contain oils that can be derived from animals. After crosschecking HappyCow.net’s list of common chemicals derived from animals with the Department of Health and Human Service’s Household Product Database, I discovered that both my mascara and lip stain are not vegan. Coincidently, I also discovered that the dish soap I use to clean my coffee mugs contains urea, a chemical that can either be created synthetically or extracted from animal urine. I am still not sure if I was better off not knowing that lovely piece of information.

Vegans extend their non-consumption of animal goods to every aspect of their lives. Ultimately, this translates into the boycott of leather, feathers and fur, as well as cosmetics and cleaning products that contain chemicals that can be obtained from animals. Oleic acid and glycerin

are two particular animal-derived additives that are found in common make-up products such as CoverGirl’s mascara and CoverGirl’s lipstick, respectively. While it should be noted that both oleic acid and glycerin have more recently been created synthetically, it is impossible to tell for sure whether these additives are artificial or not. Nevertheless, for those who do not want to risk going against their vegan principles, it is best to avoid such products.

While it can be difficult to locate veganfriendly products in the outside world, Vassar has done a commendable job at providing foodstuffs that accommodate these dietary restrictions. The All Campus Dining Center’s vegan section, for example, provides daily vegan options. The Retreat also has a number of vegan food options. The refrigerated section of the Retreat houses Silk soymilk and vegan chicken salad sandwiches, among other products that often come with a hefty price tag.

Vassar has proven to be a sort of safe-haven for those who want to eat a meal free of animal products. Outside of the College, however, vegan options are not as readily available, rendering this green lifestyle a tricky stunt. Nonetheless, if one sticks to one’s principles and is smart about what products to avoid, living a vegan lifestyle would prove not only to be feasible, but rewarding.

W

Reporter

ith the frigid weather apparently here to stay, and the second semester only just beginning, cases of the cold and flu are wreaking havoc on campus. Though the prospect of waiting out an illness in the warmth and relative safety of one’s dorm room is enticing indeed, this plan is generally thwarted by the human need for food. Try these tasty, and easy quick-fix recipes next time you find yourself unable to make the trek to the All Campus Dining Center.

Guest Reporter

N

o matter if your home town is in Hawaii or Maine, waking up to find that your 9 a.m. walk to class will be taken in -12 degree weather is never pleasant. So here’s some tips to help fight the winter weather.

Layering like an onion

To maximize warmth, start with a breathable layer. This will draw moisture away from the body to keep you dry. While cotton may seem like it should be a go-to, it’s best to stay away from it, as once it gets wet, it’s slow to dry. For the middle layer, add a warmer article of clothing that will begin to insulate you from the cold.

Finally, add the heaviest layer which should be both wind- and water-resistant. If you still remain chilly, add layers as necessary.

Chose your beverages carefully

Oatmeal

Ramen Noodles

Ingredients: Packet of instant oatmeal (available at the bookstore), hot water, milk (optional) A bowl of oatmeal is a satisfying, easy-tomake meal that might actually increase recovery time with its healthy nutrients and fiber.

Even better: No previous cooking experience is necessary. Simply take a packet of instant oatmeal, pour it into a bowl and add boiling water from a teapot or electric tea kettle. For the more adventurous chefs, nuts and raisins from the vending machine’s trail mix packages add a healthy and tasty variation.

Ramen noodles’ good flavor, low price and easy preparation have earned them a cult following among college students nationwide.

Vassar ramen-lovers need venture no farther than the dorm vending machines to find the ingredients for this favorite meal. Following the instructions on the back of the package, just boil the noodles and serve. They might not be the most palatable dinner food, but ramen noodles offer some substance and flexibility to the dorm diet.

Caffeine, despite being found in many warm beverages, can have an adverse effect on your core temperature. Since it serves as a diuretic, it lowers the fluid your body has in circulation, reducing your blood flow and making you colder.

Dehydration often occurs just as frequently in cold weather as it does in warm due to perspiration and respiration—breathing in dry, cold air and breathing out warm, moist air. Another beverage which lowers core body temperature is alcohol. While alcohol may make you feel warmer by causing your blood vessels to dilate and bringing more blood to the surface, in actuality it makes you colder in the long run. When the blood is brought to the surface of the skin it quickly cools since it is near the cold air. Ordinarily, your body, in the cold, would reduce blood flow to the surface to reduce heat loss. So while you may think that your alcohol blanket is serving you well in the frigid air, it’s probably best to trade it in for a real one.

Popcorn

Accessorize for warmth

An obvious choice, but the invalid student cannot afford to be picky. And of course, the instructions could not be easier. Just purchase a packet of microwaveable popcorn from the vending machines, microwave and enjoy. It’s a wholesome snack that takes only minutes to prepare.

Choose your outerwear carefully, staying once more away from cotton. Like the outer shell of your onion, wind- and water-resistant is always the best bet. But as you pile on your scarves and hats, try not to sacrifice mobility. Four pairs of socks may seem like a good idea, but maintaining blood flow is better.

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Get creative

Though not every vending machine carries the same items, some lucky students will be able to purchase both pretzels and chocolate bars at one location. If this is the case, then the opportunity to create one of the most amazing culinary masterpieces is within reach.

Just take a bar of chocolate and crush it into small pieces using a knife or another clean, flat surface, such as two pieces of paper and a book. Once the chocolate has been broken into a fine powder, scatter the pretzels onto a plate and cover them with the chocolate. Microwave for approximately one minute.

When you are really cold, layering and drinking caffeine-free can only get you so far, so when that happens you’ll have to think outside of the box. One way is to plan your long cross-campus trips carefully. Say you’re walking back from Shipping and Receiving to Cushing or Noyes Houses, and it’s unbearably cold. What a good time to stop and say hi to a friend in a quad dorm that you haven’t seen in a while, or grab a cookie from the Retreat. Stop, get warm and then continue your trip refreshed.

Microwaveable hits: Dining in your dorm Vee Benard

Jessica Tarantine

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Baked Apples

For a taste of home, a microwaveable variant of traditional baked apples can yield a simple dessert superior to vending machine sweets.

Cut an apple into even slices, place the slices onto a plate and add hot water to prevent them from shriveling. Then, place the slices in a microwave and bake for about three minutes, or until they are tender. It is recommended that you test the slices with a fork after two and a half minutes.

NOTE: A more sophisticated version of this recipe involves mixed fruit, such as can be found in the Retreat’s fruit cups. Instead of slicing the apple, use a spoon or a knife to remove most of its core, leaving about half an inch at its base. Place the apple in a fairly deep bowl or dish, and fill the cavity with fruit (specifically, berries). The stuffed apple might take longer to cook than the slices outlined in the original recipe, so factor in an extra minute of cooking time. But eat with caution: Upon serving, the center of the apple will be much hotter than the exterior, so allow additional cooling time.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Make the hard decisions

Undoubtedly you’ll be tempted to make some decisions that will make you colder. Say wearing a pair of cute ballet flats instead of your warm winter boots. You might be tempted to wear your stylish navy trench coat instead of your long fluffy coat that resembles a sleeping bag, but it’s important to realize that no matter how good that Strawberry Chiller tastes, in the end, it’s just going to make you colder on the trip to Main.

Be properly motivated

Like many things in life, braving the cold requires the proper motivation and, to a lesser extent, attitude. Sure its freezing and you’d rather be sleeping in your warm dorm room or watching the latest 30 Rock under a blanket, but you have to go class. So walk quickly knowing that soon it will be spring and all the snow will melt, and, until then, you can only brave the cold with determination and purpose.

Hopefully, these tips will help you stay warm and toasty this winter. But if going outside still proves too difficult a task, there’s always staying in, avoiding the outdoors and taking up knitting to keep you out of winter’s way.

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OPINIONS

February 3, 2011

Page 9

Miscellany News Staff Editorial

Communication necessary following Sexycentennial V

assar’s sesquicentennial is undoubtedly a remarkable time for current students on campus to be connected to the College.

The celebration, though, is truly global, reaching as far and wide as any alum could possibly go. Student performers will be touring the country to bring Vassar to those who can’t come to it, but we are lucky enough to be at the epicenter of the festivities. Alumnae/i, students, professors and administrators have been planning events for Vassar’s 150th anniversary throughout the past year. Understandably, however, not all of these events are accessible to all members of the current student body. Saturday night’s Sexycentennial party was one of the major all-campus occasions in which students could participate, and the only one entirely executed by students to celebrate this moment of the College’s history.

Students certainly seized upon the opportunity to make the most of this one event.

The Vassar Student Association (VSA) and Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE) dedicated an enormous amount of time, energy and currency—both money and manpower— to the event, and it all paid off. The program appealed to many constituencies of Vassar’s diverse student body: It offered both jazz and dance music, a place for socializing and a place for dancing. Those in attendance respected the students working the entrances, and when the fire marshal declared that the party had reached capacity, they patiently lined up in an orderly fashion.

We would like to first and foremost commend and thank the students who invested their time, money, energy and spirit into making the evening such a runaway success while it lasted. Unfortunately, at approxi-

mately 1:00 a.m., with two hours left until the party’s advertised end time, a fire extinguisher was pulled from a wall, which led to the complete evacuation of Main Building.

This disruption, while initially inconvenient, was compounded by instances of property damage to Main Building—including broken windows—and developed into a truly unfortunate conclusion to this promising event. By 1:30 a.m., leaders and volunteers from both ViCE and the VSA had begun breaking down the party before the headlining DJs—both Vassar alumni— were able to play their sets.

The early end left questions for students over the weekend. This decision came from the Campus Activities Office’s administrator on call. While the administrator on call is responsible for the safety of College students and property, and the decision was no doubt made with that charge in mind, it is disheartening that the decision was made without the consultation of students. Such a quick decision effectively burned thousands of student programming dollars that would, and should, have financed the remaining hours that had been officially allotted to the event.

Though every event is different, both the Sexycentennial party and the Shiva Rave of the fall raise issues about Vassar’s capacity to host large, crowded events on both the side of the students and that of the College.

In considering the events of this past Saturday night, we call for open lines of communication between students and administrators of any level and hope that these parties can lead to a new, effective protocol for managing large events. Similar to the room entry policy that outlines the expectations of communication between a Safety and Security Officer

and an individual student, we think that a basic, standardized system of communication and decision-making between Safety and Security, the administrator(s) on duty and student event organizers will greatly help to answer questions on the night of an event and potentially to solve difficult problems quickly and calmly as they arise.

Though we wish better lines of communication had been maintained with student organizers, we understand that the administrator on duty had the right to shut down the event, and that the students who damaged College property are as much to blame for the event’s untimely closure as the administration. If we hope for increased respect in this regard in the future, it is our responsibility to earn it.

It is the responsibility of both students and administrators to take ownership in all campus events, and to strive for the healthiest environment in which programming is encouraged to thrive.

Despite the Sexycentennial’s early ending, Vassar’s 150th year has only just begun. This is by no means a hindrance in our celebration of the year. It is our responsibility as students to not allow this bump along the road to overturn the sesquicentennial’s proverbial bandwagon. We urge the student body to continue to design and execute diverse and engaging sesquicentennial programming. The year will be what we make of it, and we can prove through our creativity and unabating enthusiasm that we are thrilled for the privilege to be at Vassar in this very special year.

Guest Columnist

I

n the wake of President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday, Jan. 25, many voices have suggested a new irrelevance for the Republican Party’s farright wing and Tea Party base. Frank Rich of the New York Times said as much in a recent editorial titled “The Tea Party Wags the Dog,” and columnist Dana Milbank at The Washington Post has even discussed a potential boycott of Sarah Palin for the month of February. While the president’s speech nicely set innovative goals within a new framework involving international relations and patriotism, two things the Tea Party wing of the GOP has little knowledge of or argument against, the recent actions and results of far-right Republican policies and legislation will likely continue to push the center further to the right.

Although Obama reached out extensively in his speech, this past week has seen the reemergence of three key Republican talking points: abortion, health care, and guns.

On the issue of abortion, House Republicans have pushed the debate so far to the right that they have attempted to redefine the definition of rape. According to many Republicans, no longer does a sexual act against someone’s will constitute rape.

Rather, to these Republicans, “rape” must now involve verifiable physical violence.

In redefining rape as a measure to “protect human life” through limiting the number of abortions, the GOP has ignored any conversation on unemployment, a major talking point in their party’s rise to power, and suddenly placed the Democrats in the position of trying to force debate on the subject. At the same time, Democrats must now defend basic human rights, which in normal times hardly constitute a political position but have suddenly become “left-wing.”

In another bit of irony, developments in some popular Republican issues of concern— guns and health care—have pushed the dialogue only further to the right. The House’s action on what those who voted to

repeal call “ObamaCare” makes for little news at this point but, more recently, a second activist Republican judge has deemed the Patient Prevention and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) unconstitutional due to the mandate to purchase insurance.

While the Republican opposition to improved health care has criticized a perceived violation of individual rights, Arizona Republicans now ironically propose to mandate the permission of guns in a wide range of areas, including colleges and government buildings. Government institutions failing to submit their rights to those of the gun owner would face enormous repercussions, such as the seizure of government property by the individual, and any private entity choosing to legally restrict gun use would have to bear enormous economic and logistical costs to do so. Arizona may appear whacky, but the state supported John McCain in his more moderate years and elected prominent Democratic governors. Nor does the state serve as an isolated example, as South Dakota Republicans have taken the extreme measure of proposing mandatory gun ownership for the citizens of that state.

Although the legislation was intended as a critique of the PPACA, it nevertheless has had the effect of shifting the debate rightward almost automatically, as Democratic attention becomes focused on defeating bad legislation, rather than improving health care reform or creating a safer gun climate in response to the events in Tucson.

From a different yet closely related angle, we have seen the political implications of the center’s rightward response to far-right policies right here in New York. As the actions of Governor Andrew Cuomo have proven, he has basically adopted Republican policies on taxes and cuts in education and programs assisting the most vulnerable. Carl Paladino’s wacky policies in no doubt led to Cuomo’s ascendance, as attention focused on Paladino’s antics rather than any legitimate Cuomo policies. Cuomo thus campaigned on little more than a famous name and had to state few concrete positions to

“Tea bags, Tylenol, Ben & Jerry’s and spoons.”

Erina Kii ’14

“Some clothes, my phone and a pizza.”

Jake Rabin ’14

“X-Files DVDs because I just don’t feel like studying.”

—The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of at least two thirds of the 15-member Miscellany News Editorial Board.

Tea Party pushing center to the right Joseph Hoffheimer

What’s in your snow storm “Go Bag”?

which voters could hold him accountable.

Likewise, 2012’s Republican primary field could create a similar position in the Republican Party. First of all, we cannot dismiss the likelihood of Tea Party Republicans winning important races or states, as competitive places Obama won like Pennsylvania, Florida and Wisconsin did exactly that when running against strong Democratic candidates this past November. What seems more plausible, however, involves a crowded Republican primary field of Palins and Bachmanns and, as members of that wing have received almost the entirety of the party’s recent attention, few other alternatives appear to exist on a national stage. Enter Jon Huntsman.

Huntsman, a former Republican governor of Utah, became Obama’s ambassador to China as part of a deliberate political move to sideline Huntsman’s 2012 presidential ambitions. However, Huntsman recently left his post, and Obama admits that he may pose the greatest threat of all the Republican prospects. Huntsman was sidelined during the height of the Tea Party ascendancy and now inadvertently has the double qualifications of the governorship and working for the president on international relations with China. In short, Huntsman has experience and, while quite conservative, appears to be Mr. Reasonable when compared with the rest of the likely Republican field.

I am not here to criticize Obama’s recent performance or address in any way; he has recently demonstrated attempts at making some solid progress. If he were to run against, say, Palin, well, the current polls show them at a dead heat in Texas right now, according to Public Policy Polling, and the president would likely prevail over most Republican opposition. However, the proliferation of the whacko wing of the Republican Party does not necessarily benefit the Democrats and can, in fact, push the center much further to the right, as we have already seen.

—Joseph Hoffheimer ’11 is an urban studies major.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Sarah Evans ’11

“The last Four Loko.”

Yuna Shaughnessy ’13

“Lots of Fruit Roll-Ups.”

Rachel Thompson ’14 —Juliana Halpert, Photography Editor Alanna Okun, Humor & Satire Editor

Word on the bluegreenpen

Carlos Hernández ’14

a dozen Nilda cookies 2:04 PM Feb 1st via web

sharkattackz

Sarah Morrison ’11

#gobag = speakers, computer, strobe lights & 4loko 8:33 PM Feb 1st via web in reply to miscellanynews

—Marie Dugo, Social Media Editor

OPINIONS

Page 10

February 3, 2011

Judge correct in finding health care law unconstitutional Washington should consider market-based reform Josh Rosen

A

Opinions Editor

veritable explosion of columns, news articles and commentary have resulted from the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson in the case Florida et al v. United States Department of Health and Human Services. In this case, Vinson, a senior judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Florida, determined that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010 was unconstitutional. Vinson’s is the second of four rulings to this effect, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Vinson’s ruling, though, will likely be appealed, and, eventually, PPACA has a substantial chance of reaching the United States Supreme Court. However, I am convinced that Vinson’s ruling in Florida v. HHS is substantially reflective of better judgment on health policy, of a better understanding of the intent of the authors of the Constitution and of the American mindset.

As far as policy goes, PPACA, affectionately—or, perhaps, not-so-affectionately—known as ObamaCare, has been an utter mistake. Regardless of Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projections that the Act will reduce federal deficits by $124 billion in the 2010 to 2019 period, the net effects on health care costs and delivery—not to mention American businesses of all sizes—will be detrimental. Perhaps the strongest piece of evidence for this is that 65 percent of physicians believe that health care quality in the United States will decline over the next five years, largely as a consequence of PPACA, according to the 2011 National Physicians Survey conducted by Thompson-Reuters.

Additionally, 15 of the 16 physicians currently

serving in the House of Representatives voted to repeal PPACA during the vote on the Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act earlier in 2011, according to The Weekly Standard.

Again, this vote is suggestive of the substantial potential for negative impact that PPACA may have on health care. The widespread belief that health care reform will be harmful to the quality of health care—according to the men and women who deliver health care, and, thus, perhaps those best qualified to judge its potential hazards—is but one of PPACA’s flaws.

One particular provision of PPACA has generated a substantial amount of resentment in the business community, and this provision strongly suggests how out of touch the current administration is with the climate of regulation and business in the United States. The provision in question is the so-called 1099 provision.

According to this component of PPACA, all businesses will be required to fill out an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1099 to identify any vendor from which the business purchased over $600 in goods from during a given year. This arduous mandate to report expenses with a 1099 form is not only burdensome to businesses—and just another layer of costly accounting that has to take place—but so much so that the national taxpayer advocate at the IRS, Nina Olson, said that the provision could “turn out to be disproportionate as compared with any resulting improvement in tax compliance,” according to The New York Times .

While the effects of the 1099 provision are doubtlessly serious, equally important is the potential that PPACA, rather than increasing coverage for some Americans, might reduce or eliminate it. In fact, in May of 2010, Fortune magazine found that many large companies,

including AT&T and Caterpillar, were considering dropping health coverage for employees simply because paying penalties to the government would be less costly than providing coverage. Fortune made this unsurprising discovery in reviewing internal documents that Congress had requested from these businesses.

This revelation is unsurprising because it is exactly what PPACA incentivizes: Businesses can save money by transferring responsibility to the government, and, naturally, this will increase the costs for PPACA implementation above those predicted by the CBO. The impact on businesses—and their employees—that I have mentioned are only some of the unintended consequences of PPACA. But neither the costly 1099 provision nor the frightening possibility of dropped coverage come close in importance to the moral assault on individual freedom that PPACA represents.

If American history has one theme, it is this: Americans wish to not be interfered with by government except in those circumstances when they cannot protect themselves—national defense and old age being the two major cases where intervention is desired. The Florida v. HHS ruling speaks to this fundamental truth about Americans. Vinson has a uniquely American fear of increasing government power and explains, quite cogently, that requiring insurance purchases is both unconstitutional on its face—exceeding Congress’ power under the Commerce Clause, the text in the Constitution that permits Congress to regulate interstate commerce—and in a creeping sense, such that there is nothing that Congress could not force people to buy. The latter rationale is best summarized by Vinson’s argument: “Congress could require that people buy and consume

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

broccoli at regular intervals, not only because the required purchases will positively impact interstate commerce, but also because people who eat healthier tend to be healthier, and are thus more productive and put less of a strain on the health care system.” Of course, the idea of Congress forcing Americans to purchase broccoli is seemingly ridiculous, but, nevertheless, it would represent a fundamental attack on personal liberty, regardless of positive benefits to the nation as a whole. After all, as Vinson noted, Americans who were angered by British imposition of a tea tax and rebelled as a consequence would certainly not have “set out to create a government with the power to force people to buy tea in the first place.”

To move from PPACA and its deleterious effects on businesses, health care quality and personal liberty to a system of health care where Americans are free to choose their own plans—and are responsible for paying for their own care when possible—will require legislative courage. While I am in no place to surmise whether the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, the thin Democratic-majority Senate and the While House can resolve their differences and push for lasting, market-based reform, the first step to this would be a rapid halt to PPACA implementation, preferably not one introduced by the judicial system, and concomitant widespread discourse over whether health care is a right, privilege or just another good. That, certainly, would clarify what Americans want from future health care reform efforts more than any of the highly politicized wrangling over PPACA has done. ­ Joshua Rosen ’13 is opinions editor of The Mis— cellany News. He is an economics major.

February 3, 2011

OPINIONS

Page 11

Stricter gun laws not the Tea Party affilitation with answer to violent crimes GOP dishonest, hypocritical Kelly Shortridge

T

Guest Columnist

he tragedy that occurred in Tucson, Ariz. and the thankfully non-fatal shooting of Representative Giffords has created a revival of pro-gun control sentiment. However, we should not be so quick to endorse gun control, as there could be severe—and dangerous— consequences. We first must recognize that Jared Loughner was clearly mentally ill, and that making specific kinds of firearms or ammunition illegal would not have stopped him from his desired outcome. For this is what happens when goods are made illegal—black markets emerge, and only those who desperately want the illegal items, such as Loughner, are willing to purchase them under shady conditions and at higher cost. So, I pose the question: Is it better to have firearms legal and available to many, or illegal and available only to those who badly want a gun—undoubtedly those who have violent or criminal intentions?

A common argument, as used in Loughner’s case, is to prohibit those who are mentally ill from purchasing firearms or ammunition. It is easily refuted, however, even with Loughner’s example, because he had never been found mentally ill prior to the shooting, meaning that such a law would do little good. Even if it had prohibited Loughner from purchasing his firearm, he would have likely found other means of destruction, such as a bomb.

Furthermore, claiming that gun prohibition would lower gun violence is like saying drug prohibition would lower drug-related violence or overdoses—this is simply not the case, and in many cases ends up causing an escalation of violence and misuse. What’s worse, gun control would also keep those who want to use guns for reasonable purpos-

es, such as sport-hunting, home defense and so on, from being able to responsibly own a firearm, increasing the percentage of firearm owners who have obtained guns illegally and with malicious intent.

I also believe that gun control actually helps criminals. Criminals would be emboldened by the knowledge that when they enter a home, there will be little chance of the homeowner owning a deadly weapon; as such, the risks of burglary or other crimes would be greatly diminished. However, knowing that any ordinary citizen could defend themselves with a gun is a powerful deterrent against criminals.

So why do people believe so vehemently in gun control? It is difficult to witness a tragedy like that in Tucson without thinking that guns are an instrument of evil and should be banned. But this emotional response, unfortunately, seems to override the logical arguments against gun control, and leads us perilously close to poor policy decisions. We must grieve appropriately when such horrors occur, but remember that in most cases, the murderers are people who would have accomplished these cruel ends by any means necessary. Gun control will only ensure that those people are the few that are allowed to carry firearms, rendering the average citizen defenseless.

I hope President Obama and other lawmakers go with the logical choice rather than succumbing to the pressure of popular opinion.

Drug prohibition has been costly in nearly every respect imaginable, giving way to an entirely new set of problems. The last thing we need is another “War on Drugs,” with the item in question this time being much deadlier.

—Kelly Shortridge ’12 is an economics major.

Andy Marmer

S

Sports Editor

ince our country’s founding, there have never been more than two credible political parties at any given time. In addition to these dominant parties, there have persistently been third parties pervading the political landscape, including the Green Party, Constitution Party and Libertarian Party, among others. Now, though, there seems to be a group that fits into neither of these categories: the Tea Party.

Although technically—and officially—a faction of the Republican Party, it is arguable whether the two groups agree ideologically.

There are definitely similarities: Both groups, for example, preach that the government must be fiscally responsible when spending. However, there are also divergences in their views; establishment Republicans are thought to be sympathetic to big business, while the Tea Party is generally regarded as a populist movement.

Some elected Republican officials still identify as being a member of the Tea Party despite these divergent views. The House Tea Party Caucus has approximately 50 members; meanwhile, the Senate caucus has three. The issue is how to deal with this group. Every politician in the Tea Party also identifies as a Republican, and yet the events of last Tues., Jan. 25 seem to indicate otherwise.

Following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, Representative Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) delivered the official response of his party to all the major news networks.

This is typical; in the past, the opposing party has responded to the president’s speech.

What made this year unusual is that following Ryan’s speech, Representative Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) also addressed the nation.

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

However, she was not representing the party that elected her, but rather the Tea Party.

How then do we treat this new phenomenon? We can continue to ignore it, lumping Tea Party candidates in with the Republican Party, but this hardly seems fair to either group. Republican candidates must continue to compete in primary elections against individuals who identify not primarily as Republicans, but rather as members of the Tea Party.

Meanwhile, Democrats are left contending with not one, but two parties, both with their own infrastructure and methods of supporting candidates.

Tea Party members are generally conservative, as are Republicans; however, at the same time, members of the Green Party are typically liberal, yet you do not see them billed on ballots as Democrats. They hold their own primaries, nominate their own candidates and compete in general elections like other parties. So, too, does the Libertarian Party.

It is strange that the Tea Party hasn’t done the same, given that throughout the 2010 elections cycle and after, it did and has sought to distance itself from mainstream government, both Democrats and Republicans.

If the Tea Party wants to form its own caucus once elected that is its right. Furthermore, if it wants to focus its campaign on their party and the beliefs of the party that is also their right. However, if this is its intention, it should stop running with the safety blanket of an “R” next to their candidates’ names on the ballot.

If the Tea Party wants to act like it is its own party, then that is how it should be treated; as its own party, not as Republicans.

—Andy Marmer ’12 is sports editor of The Miscellany News. He is an economics major.

OPINIONS

Page 12

February 3, 2011

Egyptian revolution represents Progressives must pressure ultimate act of democracy anti-choice Democrats Julian Mundy

Guest Columnist

Editor’s Note: Due to the pace at which events are unfolding in Egypt, coupled with the nature of our weekly print schedule, some aspects of this column may not be entirely up to date. This column was most recently updated on the morning of Weds., Feb. 2.

Y

ou people baffle me. I sit here, completely and totally baffled. There is a civilian uprising going on right this second, as I write these words, in Egypt. As of this moment, over 100 people have died, the military has shown signs of solidarity with the rioters, the president—though I use that term loosely here, and I will explain why in a moment— has been advised to leave the country by Feb. 4, and I don’t hear anyone talking about it. I’m disappointed in you, fellow students; I really am. The Vassar Bubble excuse only works on me so many times.

To give a little background, the ire of the Egyptian protesters—inspired, at least in part, by the recent uprising in Tunisia—only intensified after a government-ordered across-the-board shutdown of Internet access. The Internet is the largest and most dynamic aggregate for information of any type in the world; for a supposedly democratic administration to cut its people off from the Web shows a serious lack of consideration for the rights of Egyptian citizens. If anything, Mubarak and any still loyal to him show all the signs of a very warped personal agenda that has nothing to do with the wellbeing of the people he is meant to represent. I’m neither a pacifist nor a warhawk; personally, I believe violent uprising is the only means left to some people to protect their own interests over those of a rotten pseudo-dictatorship. Hell, Mubarak’s been in power for around 30 years, and that doesn’t sound terribly democratic to me. In this case, the people of Egypt are justified in staging a revolution, and make no mistake, that is what it is. To quote a 23-year-old student taking part in the rioting, via The Huffington Post, “This is the end for him. It’s time” .

If there is anything positive to say about the stilldeveloping situation, it is that this is a real demonstration of what people can do if the cause is just, and I place the emphasis on the word people.

As a rule, it is rarely the prerogative of a government to assist in toppling another nation’s government without overwhelming cause and irrefutable

evidence, as was the case during the Second World War. This means that what the Bush administration did in Iraq is a clear-cut case of what not to do, since there was no evidence of Hussein’s involvement in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as some have claimed, just as there was no convincing proof that Iraq was building, or was even capable of building, weapons of mass destruction of any description. Hussein was clearly a dictator and a madman—it takes a madman to use nerve gas to attack your own people as a quality-assurance exercise for chemical weapons—but that alone does not justify toppling a government.

The people of Egypt are reacting to a very real threat to their rights as citizens, which might have proved to be the first of many such attacks on them had they not reacted the way they did. Naturally, this is speculation, and shutting down the Internet for a country is arguably less heinous than gassing one’s own people, but the point I’m making here is that the people are the ones taking control of the situation, as opposed to some other governing body.

This revolution could be classified as the ultimate act of democracy: If your government no longer has your best interests at heart, tear it down and start fresh. This is part of our own Constitution, and this is also what the people of Iraq should have done before we poked our nose into their business. Should that uprising have failed, then we might be called upon to save the situation, but not before.

That said, I am extremely proud of President Obama and his administration for taking a stand on the issue and withdrawing support for Mubarak’s government. I’m proud of Obama for taking a stand, period, since up until now, I had found it hard to disagree with those who accused him of looking weak. It is the job of the president to operate from a position of authority and to stand by his decisions.

The situation is still taking shape, and there are any number of possible outcomes, but it is my sincere hope that this revolution comes to a happy end, and that it does not cause more unnecessary bloodshed in other countries. I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but in the meantime, I urge you all to talk about what is happening if you cannot find the time or the energy to do anything else. Here’s hoping for a better tomorrow, for everybody.

—Julian Mundy ’13 is a student at Vassar College.

Angela Aiuto Senior Editor

H

ouse Republicans recently renewed their perennial abortion debate with the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, a bill introduced by House Republican Chris Smith of New Jersey that seeks to curtail the federal funding of abortion through a re-definition of the word rape.

Presently, government funds can only be used to pay for the abortion of pregnancies resulting from incest or rape. The Smith bill seeks to narrow this exemption even further by limiting its application to “forcible rape.” My own apoplexy over this terminology aside—the phrase “forcible rape” is about as redundant as “wet water” or “ignorant Republican”— it is worth noting that this revision could leave many “imperfect” rape survivors without federal assistance.

Am I at once angered, saddened and disgusted by this bill? Absolutely. But I am not at all surprised. The Republican Party, after all, is not exactly known for its harsh critique of America’s rape culture; the GOP’s 2009 embarrassment over its opposition to Senator Al Franken’s anti-rape amendment is just one recent example. Moreover, the GOP is certainly not known for championing a woman’s right to choose, and its fight against both abortion rights and access is soldiering on in increasingly inane ways: Representative Joe Pitts (R-Penn.), for example, has proposed the Protect Life Act, which seeks to close loopholes in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that allow abortion funding, despite the fact that both a federal court in Virginia and the Ohio Elections Commission have determined that no such loophole exists.

No, the most upsetting aspect of the Smith bill is not that it exists at all—while not exactly pedestrian, the proposal is hardly uncharacteristic of the views of today’s GOP. Rather, what is most upset-

ting is that it was co-sponsored by a total of 10 House Democrats.

In 2008, over 55 percent of women voters chose Barack Obama as their next president. How else have he and Congressional Democrats repaid them?

After allowing Republicans to hijack the national discussion of health care reform—thereby transforming the entire endeavor into yet another opportunity to restrict abortion rights—Obama finally managed to close the deal with an executive order affirming the existing ban on taxpayer funding of abortion.

Democrats won health care through sacrifice, and female voters were the lamb.

Now, there are many progressives who take issue with this view. They note that Obama’s executive order took the place of the Stupak Amendment, which was significantly more restrictive in that it also prohibited insurance companies that received federal money from covering abortion at all. They argue that it is unfair to characterize Obama’s compromise as a blow against women because it simply preserved the status quo instead of further limiting women’s access to the procedure, despite immense pressure from Congressional conservatives and moderate Democrats.

I understand and appreciate these points, but Obama’s compromise also carried a lot of symbolism with it. To me, it suggested that Democrats care about women, but only when it is politically advantageous—or easy—for them to do so.

None of this is to say that progressives shouldn’t criticize Republican legislation like the Smith bill. However, instead of directing the bulk of our energies toward the party that has never made many promises to women, perhaps we should begin to turn our focus toward those who made promises, but then broke them.

—Angela Aiuto ’11 is senior editor of The Miscellany News.

Crossword by Jack Mullan ACROSS 1. Prepare to shoot again 7. Cheat, in a way 11. “2001” computer 14. Gives way to 15. Wheel turner 16. ___-Wan Kenobi 17. Involve 18. Tree in a Christmas carol 19. Letter following pi 20. Feudal worker 21. Portrayer of J.J. Gittes and R.P. McMurphy

23. Toothpaste container 25. People before rehab 26. Plod (through) 29. Regime opposed by Gandhi 31. Off one’s rocker 32. Composer Stravinsky 33. Visigoth leader who captured Rome 35. “Dinner and a Movie” channel 38. Gas light 39. San Diego’s region: Abbr.

Answers to last week’s puzzle

40. Ayatollah’s home 41. Auction ending?

42. Register 43. Setting for an Agatha Christie novel 44. Pvt.’s superior 45. Poughkeepsie-toLong Island dir.

46. “It’s all Greek ___!”

47. Wagner composition 50. N.Y. Phil, e.g.

52. Doctor who professed that “death is not a crime” 56. Mother of Ares 59. Koufax’s stat.

60. Puerto ___ 61. Prada and Gucci 63. Chic, in the ‘60s 64. Wilson of “Wedding Crashers” 65. “It must be love” tournament 66. “A Chorus Line” song 67. Sage 68. Michael C. Hall’s show DOWN 1. Catcher’s place?

2. German article 3. Tennis redos

4. With 30-down, a carved Halloween ornament 5. A farewell to FranÁois 6. High-speed inits.

7. Fenway slugger Big ___ 8. Business V.I.P. 9. “In the Valley of ___” (2007 film) 10. “On the Road” author 11. Basketball shooting game 12. Detest 13. Detroit footballers 21. “SNL” alum Kevin 22. It was dropped in the ‘60s 24. Jobim’s home, perhaps 26. Merlot, for one 27. Author James 28. Jim Morrison for one, say 30. Playground game with a ball...or what connects 21- and 52-across, and 4-, 10-, 40-, and 42-down 31. Actor Martin 34. ___ d’Ítre 35. Many a jazz combo 36. Ointment

37. Dagger in “The Mikado” 40. With 30-down, popout children’s toy 42. Celluloid Captain of the Caribbean

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

44. ___-Magnon 47. Vermont ski resort 48. Argentine dictator 49. Dodge 51. Action film staple 53. New Zealander

54. Decorates, as a cake 55. Top-notch 57. Weather info: Abbr.

58. Not windward 61. Grandson of Noah 62. Elderly: Abbr.

February 3, 2011

HUMOR & SATIRE

Page 13

OPINIONS

A Vassar senior’s week via Facebook In re: Secure Dana Cass is spending the night before my last-first-day-of-school watching the hannah montana series finale with my housemate. glad that the $200,000 vassar degree i’m four months away from obtaining has turned me into such a mature, intellectual human being.

5 days ago

Dana Cass likes Hannah Montana, ~Hannah Montana~, and Hannah Montana: The Movie.

5 days ago

Dana Cass has an existential question: while getting your add form signed, do you acknowledge the fact that you sent the professor an embarrassing number of emails begging him to let you into his class, none of which he replied to? or do you say nothing and attempt to dissociate yourself from his memory of insane-obsessive-emailing girl?

3 days ago

Events

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What are you planning?

Uncomfortably Personal Psych 217 Survey Happening Now RSVP: Yes · No · Maybe Yet Another Sesquicentennial Event Friday 9:30pm RSVP: Yes · No · Maybe Your Ex-Hallmate’s Birthday Party That You Totally Don’t Want to Go to But Should Probably Swing By Anyway Saturday 10:00pm RSVP: Yes · No · Maybe Sponsored

Dana Cass is now friends with Professor Harold Humbleblatt-Pinkerton and That Weird Mouthbreather Who Sits Behind Her in Sociology.

Humore and Satire Do you think you’re funny? Write for The Miscellany News Humor and Satire page. Contact the Opinions section at misc@vassar.edu.

2 days ago

Dana Cass is at the vassar post office, where two-day shipping goes to die.

2 days ago. Like, well over 2 days ago.

Dana Cass is now friends with Cappy Hill, Chris “Rolks” Roellke and Matthew Vassar.

Yesterday

Dana Cass after five glasses of wine at the sesqui dinner, it doesn’t take much persuading for me to sing happy birthday to matthew vassar in front of cappy, dean roellke and everyone else who assisted with the sesquicentennial which is, btw… not matthew vassar’s birthday.

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Questions

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P.S. In fairness, I should admit that the reason I managed to write this open letter in a single sitting is because you were down, Student-Secure Network, ergo I couldn’t update my Amazon.com wishlist in lieu of doing actual academic work. But, like, still.

Weekly Calendar: 2/3 - 2/9

*Don’t act like it’s just me, Vassar student body. I’ve seen your orange fingers. ** Which is in Oslo, a.k.a. Norway, a.k.a. one can’t actually drive there from Poughkeepsie.

Yet. ***This week.

by Alanna Okun, Humor & Satire Editor

5:30 p.m. Lunar New Year Dinner. All this zodiac turmoil is just too much to handle; I’ll never trust astronomy again.

(Oh wait, that’s astrology, you say? Bored.) UpC.

Next week: Vassar Security Totally In Favor of Reinstating Four-Loko (RIP). Rocky 200.

7 p.m. VJU Israeli Dancing. Let’s get one thing straight: If anyone is going to be lifted up on a chair and paraded around the room bar mitzvah-style, IT’S GOING TO BE ME. Aula.

8 p.m. Philaletheis Directing Workshops. Because the only

Sunday, 2/6

thing better than sitting through a play is sitting through seven plays. Shiva.

3:30 p.m. Squash Intramurals. Because the only thing bet-

4 p.m. Joe Brooks: Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.

Friday, 2/4 3 p.m. Tea. Your zebra-print Snuggie, leaving zero room for

anything else. Oh well, at least you got the essentials. Rose Parlor.

8 p.m. VRDT Dance Performance. Because the only thing

better than sitting through seven plays is sitting through a crap-ton of pirouettes. Kenyon.

Saturday, 2/5 9 a.m. Public Road Salt Informational Session. No, like, ac-

tually. College Center MPR.

Okay, I get it. You’re supposed to be this great new innovation. You’re supposed to mean that we sniveling little Vassar students don’t need to log in every time we want to buy things online/watch porn/check Wikipedia for fun factoids about dinosaurs. So tell me, Student-Secure, why is it that you insist on failing on such a regular basis? Does it please you to know that you’re single-handedly responsible for all the muffled groans reverberating throughout the Thompson Memorial Library? Do you get off on watching us bang our heads against our Cheez-It-powderencrusted keyboards*?!?

You have no idea what learning you’re stifling by preventing me from accessing the Internet. I could be unearthing the key to curing Lyme disease, or getting driving directions to the Nobel Prize reception**, or emailing Barack Obama about that whole <CENSORED FOR REASONS OF NATIONAL SECURITY> thing. I mean, in all honesty I’m probably just going to watch the “Scarlet Takes a Tumble” video for the 14th time***, but that’s beside the point. Get your act together soon, or I might just do the unthinkable and dig out my Ethernet cable.

Based on what you know about the price of Franzia, how do you feel about the value of Franzia?

Asked about Wine

3 hours ago · Like · Comment · See Friendship

gency: the potential contents of your go-bag. Rose Parlor.

Dear Student-Secure Network,

With one too many “Page Load Errors,” Alanna

Matthew Vassar Dana Cass Thanks for the shoutout, toots. Deece date next week?

3 p.m. Tea. In the event of a world-annihilating snow emer-

Alanna Okun

Humor & Satire Editor

Leggings as pants: right or privilege?

Asked about Trousers

3 hours ago

Thursday, 2/3

network malfunctions

ter than sitting through a crap-ton of pirouettes is watching your freshmen year roommate play squash for the first time in her life. Kenyon.

Monday, 2/7 3 p.m. Tea. Two half-empty handles of Svedka, your iPod

speakers and the remains of that Natty Ice rack you unwisely threw down for last weekend. Walker isn’t going to furnish itself with 4 a.m. entertainment, y’all. Rose Parlor.

10 p.m. Trivia Night. My team went nearly undefeated last se-

mester—I challenge anyone who dares to think that they have a better working knowledge of Julie Andrews lyrics and the names of the Apostles than Team Fist (it’s a verb). Faculty Commons.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Tuesday, 2/8 9:30 a.m. Yoga. “Okay, guys, come gently out of bridge pose and assume Mug pose. You know, the one where you press yourself spread-eagled against the wall while some rando inspects the interior of your mouth with his tongue.” Gym MPR. 3 p.m. Tea. Your contact solution, birth control, anti-anxiety meds, Adderall and gummi-vites. You need to stay in tip-top physical condition for when the snowpocalypse abruptly morphs into the zombie apocalypse. Rose Parlor.

Wednesday, 2/9 8:30 a.m. SeXpo. Okay, sex is great and all, but pretty much the last thing anyone wants to see while sipping his/her/ zir vanilla latte at 8:30 on a Wednesday morning is a table covered with dildos. College Center.

3 p.m. Tea. A flashlight, a sensible (and warm!) change of clothes and some homework, just to keep you occupied.

Damn it, who let D.B. Brown in here? Rose Parlor.

7 p.m. Don Mitchell Lecture: The Public Eye in Public Space.

Spotted: Sauron. Sanders Auditorium.

ARTS

Page 14

February 3, 2011

Lar Lubovitch to bring modern dance fusion to Vassar Shruti Manian

V

Reporter

Courtesy of Lubovitch.org

assar’s sesquicentennial excitement has been abound for months now. The whole year has been packed with a dazzling array of events that cater to the wide and varied tastes of Vassar students, alumnae/i, and the greater Poughkeepsie community. In honor of the sesquicentennial, Vassar’s Dance Department is presenting a concert by renowned choreographer Lar Lubovitch’s Company. Lubovitch has been named by the New York Times as one of 10 best choreographers in the world, and the dancers have graced the stages of Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, almost every state and over 30 countries abroad. No doubt the upcoming performance is one of the highlights in this year’s lineup of events.

Now celebrating its 43th anniversary, Lubovitch founded the company in 1968: “I always intended to be a choreographer. I thought it was the right time to try it out and that’s how it all started,” he said. The Lubovitch Company primarily performs modern dance. According to Professor of Dance Jean Czula, the organizer of the performance, this type of dance holds a very special place at Vassar, considering the school’s origins as a women’s institution. Historically, modern dance has been considered a dance movement spearheaded by women.

“Modern dance is particularly big for women.

The pioneers of modern dance like Dorris Humphrey and Martha Graham were always referred to as ‘founding mothers’ and I thought that to have a modern dance performance would be a lovely way of celebrating Vassar’s history,” said Czula.

The Company will be performing an assorted and powerful repertoire ranging from the company’s classic “North Star” to their latest work “Coltrane’s Favorite Things,” as well as many other pieces. Though the dances will be modern, Lubovitch incorporates elements of other dance forms like jazz and ballet to create an

The critically acclaimed Lar Lubovitch Company, which specializes in modern dance, will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 7 at the Frances Daly Fergusson Dance Theater in Kenyon Hall. original fusion. “I have studied all the forms of dance and my work is mostly an eclectic blending of all dances and the language that comes across,” said Lubovitch. Lubovitch’s dances are renowned for their strong musicality, their sophisticated and formal structures, and their sheer artistry.

Lubovitch himself has trained under the some of the most notable masters of dance.

At the Julliard School in New York he was lucky enough to study under the tutelage of

greats like Jose Limone, Antony Tudor, Anna Sokolow and Graham, an opportunity that shaped the dancer and choreaographer he is today considerably. “That was a privileged experience; I had never danced before I’d met these people, so I was literally taking my first steps and they have of course left a very deep impression,” said Lubovitch of his time at Julliard. In the years to come, Lubovitch as well as the Company have grown from strength to strength. Lubovitch has been nominated for

numerous prestigious laurels like the Grammy and the Tony Awards, but he holds that his work is itself the greatest reward he could ask for. “Awards are something you cannot really take into account. Art is something that you have to create in a space where you don’t seek compliments or awards,” said Lubovitch. This perfectly mirrors the attitude that Vassar has towards dance as the College offers no dance major. Students are extremely passionate about dancing nonetheless. “This is definitely the most dance-friendly campus that I have ever taught at. There are so many minds in the student body that have sophisticated curiosity about higher-level dance, despite there being no dance major. When you do something just for the pure love of it, it always shows, you can feel the energy,” said Czula.

Dancers from the Lubovitch Company will also conduct a master class for Vassar stuents.

This spectacular opportunity will give Vassar dancers a once in a lifetime chance to dance alongside some of the most talented performers in the world. Explained Czula, “All the students who are being given this chance, should be out of their minds.”

What Czula also hopes is that a performance by a dance company as prestigious as Lar Lubovitch’s will encourage a greater appreciation among the Vassar community for the art of dance and movement as a means of expression.

Said Czula, “What culture doesn’t have dance and movement as a form of celebration?” This is precisely what Czula hopes to celebrate: an interest in dance that speaks to all members of the community. “Over the years we have hosted many wonderful artists, always had fine guests and every year we take a step forward. And [Lubovitch] is of the finest ilk,” ended Czula.

The Lar Lubovitch Company will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 7 at the Frances Daly Fergusson Dance Theater in Kenyon Hall.

To make reservations type Lar Lubovitch in the subject window at dancetix @vassar.edu.

Radio roadmap: A brief guide to WVKR inner workings Connor O’Neill Reporter

T

Carlos Hernandez/The Miscellany News

ucked away in the furthest reaches of the College Center, up a back staircase that smells vaguely of the Retreat and above the Express Lunch window, sits the College’s independent radio station, WVKR FM. The on-campus headquarters for the newest and most expansive source of music spans three rooms in the dimly lit tower corridor that is also home to The Miscellany News offices. The room farthest down the hall holds the station’s archive of rare and choice records accumulated over years of broadcasting. Access is granted only to members of the executive staff and DJs with special permission. The middle door—covered in promotional stickers ranging from southern rocker Jay Retard to the Poughkeepsie rapper Cans—is the music office, a cramped room overflowing with new releases from hopeful promotion companies, hoping to get their artists added to the coveted New Music Playlist: weekly additions of new releases to the station’s vast library become available for DJs to play on their shows.

And finally comes the hub of the radio station, the studio. Through a card-reader door lies the station’s lobby, fitted with couches and stuffed to the gills with shelves housing the station’s vinyl, jazz and hip-hop collections. A large wooden bear stands in the corner of the room, and a radio sits next to it, locked to 91.3.

Through the lobby and to the right is the air studio. Walls are lined, floor to ceiling, with the New Music collection, and in the center of the room sits the sound board, controlling the station’s broadcast.

I spoke with DJ Marshall Hendrickson ’11 as he did his show late Thursday night. A native of San Francisco, Hendrickson specializes in hyphy music, a sub-genre of hip-hop rooted in the Bay Area. He cut between songs on the station’s two turntables as he explained to me his reason for wanting a show: “All I listened to in high school was hyphy music.” For the uninitiated, hyphy rap is a glossy blend of heavy bass, drums and synthesizers with slick talking rappers. “It’s pretty flossy stuff,” Hendrickson said.

“I had the impression that most people in New York didn’t really know about it and I wanted to bring it with me to the east [coast].”

Hendrickson’s show “Backwood Burners,” which he has done for four years, is only one of the station’s many eclectic offerings. Available slots are hard to come by and the application process is highly selective, thus ensuring only quality programming in every genre. “The first and foremost condition is that they have a fair amount of knowledge about the genre that they are applying for,” explains station manager Leander Brotz ’11, who, along with programming director Ben Cole ’11, hosts “The Punk Haus,” a punk and garage rock show on Wednesday from 10 to 11 p.m.

The application process not only requires a hopeful DJ to display the depths of their musical libraries by submitting a playlist, but to also fashion a “Pieces of U” piece that demonstrates the personality of the DJ/show to the executive staff. Hendrickson sculpted a bust of the rapper 2Pac out of chewing gum, while Cole and Brotz submitted a candle votive of Jesus Christ. Promotions manager John McCartin ’11 along with his co-host gave the station a hand-sewn pillow in the shape of a boom box.

Should the candidate prove him/herself worthy, they are granted a two-hour time slot, likely deep into the night hours, as the better time slots are taken by more experienced student and community-member DJs. McCartin pauses as he remembers his first slot, midnight to 2 a.m. on Monday mornings. “I don’t think people listened to it until I moved to the afternoon ... at least they didn’t call.” Cole and Brotz only chuckle, perhaps to hide a grimace. Their first semester they hosted a show from 3 to 5 a.m. on Wednesdays. “It’s a whole other beast,” says Cole about the late hours compared to even a 2 to 4 a.m. slot, to which they were promoted the following semester.

Preparing the initial playlist and grinding on little sleep are not the only requirements of hosting a show at WVKR. The guidelines of the station prohibit repetitive playing of any artist.

McCartin, who hosts “The Mysteries of the Organism,” a noise and contemporary composi-

Above, Leander Brotz ’11 hosts his show in the WVKR studio. The station, which has been broadcasting since the 70s, seeks to serve the community with diverse and innovative programming. tion show, enjoys the task of constantly digging for new music. “I play essentially creepy music.

It’s changed over time, you know you can’t play the same albums over and over again, but that [creepiness] has been the unifying theme.”

McCartin points to his sophomore year of high school as being the beginning of his exploration into noise music. “I started listening to Wolf Eyes or weirder stuff like Black Dice early in high school,” he says. For him, working for the station has been “an extended project for seeking out things that were similar or had similar cadences” to his roots in noise music.

When I asked him what other shows on the station he was into, however, his answers were copious. “The Bachelor Pad,” a lounge show from 6 to 7 p.m. on Fridays seemed to be the consensus between McCartin, Cole and Brotz.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

“Best show on WVKR,” said Brotz. Another Friday show, “The Orphanage of Rock and Roll” hosted by community DJ Pete Clark also got a nod. The show, as one might expect, is centered around the early days of rock and roll. The metal show, “Wall of Sleep,” hosted

by Charlie Farago ’11 came up along with community DJ Diamond Cicero, who hosts a classic R&B show over the semester breaks.

The station, which has been broadcasting since the 70s, is committed to serving the community with the most diverse and well-versed programming, things not found on commercial radio. Indeed, one of the stickers on the door of the music office reads: Shining a light on the underground. The station shines that light 24/7 on 91.3 FM and can be streamed on the station’s website, wvkr.org.

February 3, 2011

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Page 15

Tournées Film Festival highlights cross-cultural issues Erik Lorenzsonn Online Editor

T

he Dardenne brother’s Le Silence de Lorna (2008), the first movie that will screen for the Vassar Tournées Film Festival, is about a young Albanian woman living in Belgium with a modest dream of opening a snack bar with her boyfriend. But her road to happiness quickly meets a halt as she enters a sham marriage with a junkie under the pretense that she’d come out of it with citizenship. In this pursuit of a snack bar, Lorna loses herself in a caliginous world of drugs, money and murder.

Assistant Professor of French Vinay Swamy believes that Le Silence de Lorna illustrates how the upcoming Vassar festival of French and Francophone cinema addresses universal topics. “If you think about it, these kind of issues are not just singular to Belgian society,” said Swamy, who was key to the festival’s organization. In countries all over the world, individuals struggle to gain legal rights and citizenship constantly, simply because of prejudices and racism.

Le Silence de Lorna and five other films will screen throughout the month of February in an event targeted at both members of the Vassar campus and members of the community at large. Each film ponders such somber yet highly topical issues such as immigration, xenophobia, art, family and sexuality. Most prominently, every film addresses issues of gender and womanhood.

“They are films that I hope make people sit back and reflect on the state of the world today,” said Swamy. “They are not all films that are necessarily the most joyous and light-hearted comedy.”

Le Silence de Lorna, La Belle Personne

(Christophe Honoré, 2008), La Dance: Le Ballet de l’Opera de Paris (Frederick Wiseman, 2009), Welcome (Philippe Lioret, 2009) and 35 Rhums (Claire Denis, 2008) were selected to be featured by Swamy and his colleagues in the French Department. However, while the Department selected the films, the Tournées Festival is not itself a function of Vassar College. It is a program directed by the French American Cultural Exchange and the French Embassy with the aim of bringing recent French and Francophone cinema to college and university campuses in the United States. The Department decided that participating in the program would be a good way to celebrate Vassar’s sesquicentennial.

“For the sesquicentennial, all the departments are doing something special,” said Emily Chao ’11, a member of Soirée Ciné, a studentrun French film committee that is helping to publicize and run the event. “So [Swamy] figured that we’d get 35-mm film and screen recent French films.”

The Department further decided that the films they would screen should place a particular focus on women in cinema. “We thought it would be interesting in part because it is a nod to the fact that Vassar started out as a women’s college, but also because it is interesting to see how women are portrayed onscreen and how women directors portray issues important to them.”

All the films will be screened in the Rosenwald Film Theater in the Vogelstein Center for Drama and Film on 35-millimeter film.

The tradeoff of using actual film instead of a digital copy was that the Department would have to pay for screening rights. Luckily, the Department received a grant from the French

Embassy to help offset the costs. Every film will commence with an introductory speech by a member of the faculty, and will conclude with a 15-minute discussion. The Department also created a blog for the event where audience members can post responses to the films they attend. “We have created a virtual space where people can continue a conversation after they’ve gone to the screenings,” said Swamy.

Only one of the films is non-fiction: La Dance: Le Ballet de l’Opera de Paris, a documentary about the Paris Opera Ballet company. The film is a prime example of cinéma vérité, an approach that combines naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork. La Dance thoroughly documents the arduous rehearsals and daily routines of the company within the walls of its home: the 19th Century Palais Garnier opera house. The film’s director, Wiseman, is a well-regarded and highly prolific American documentarian.

Swamy hopes the film series will facilitate multi-disciplinary conversation: “We thought it would be an interesting documentary to bring to campus not only because the Paris Opera Ballet is really one of the premier ballets in the world, but we also thought this would be a way to open up a dialogue with the [Department of Dance],” he said. The Department of Dance is in fact co-sponsoring the Tournées Film Festival, and Professor of Dance John Meehan will talk briefly about La Dance before its screening on Saturday, Feb. 12.

Swamy ultimately hopes that every film will plant the seeds of a dialogue between students, faculty and other members of the Vassar and Poughkeepsie community. “We came up with this idea to bring this festival to share with both

The Vassar Tournées Film Festival will begin on Feb. 14 with a screening of Le Silence de Lorna.

the campus community and the local community,” he said.

The Vassar Tournées Film Festival will begin on Friday, Feb. 14 at 6 p.m. with a screening of Le Silence de Lorna and an opening reception.

It will close on Friday, Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. with a screening of 35 Rhums and a closing reception. Go to the festival’s blog at blogs.vassar. edu/tournees-2011/ for a complete schedule of screenings.

Workshops return with “Voices” brings life to opportunities at all levels history of Vassar College

Alex Schlesinger/The Miscellany News

Performances in this semester’s Philaletheis directing workshops include Patrick Gabridge’s “Measuring Matthew” and a scene from Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

Emma Daniels

“I

Reporter

’ve never technically auditioned for a play before” isn’t something commonly heard at open auditions. When Nate Muscato‘14 went to auditions for Philaletheis’ directing workshops, though, he said just that. Although he noted that he was in musicals in high school, he had never auditioned for anything at Vassar before. Despite that fact, he got cast in a workshop.

During the beginning of every semester, Philaletheis, one of Vassar’s many studentrun theater groups, puts on the directing workshops, a collection of short plays that are rehearsed for only two weeks and then performed in the Shiva. The workshops occur in the fall as well; however, there are significantly more directing workshops in the

spring because of renewed interest. The plays, capped at a length of 15 minutes, address a variety of topics. According to Jenna Spencer ’14, Philaletheis’ freshman representative and the production’s key organizer, “Some are comedic, and some are more tragic.”

Spencer explained the welcoming nature of the directing workshops: “One of the main purposes is to allow people of all different experience ranges to get involved in some way if they want to,” she said. Muscato’s situation is a testament to this. He is set to play his first role as Matthew in Patrick Gabridge’s “Measuring Matthew,” a 10-minute comedy duet about a neurotic man whose girlfriend abandons him.

Others, like Roman Mohr ’14, have been in plays at Vassar before and may be pursuing See WORKSHOPS on page 16

VOICES continued from page 1 21st century era, each is treated chronologically, with the hope that, as Ringel explained, “Audiences may come away with a sense that the College’s history in some ways parallels that of the country.” One reoccurring theme present in the voices is a desire for greater inclusion, specifically gender related. Such topics serve as a testament to the fact that the voice of Vassar has always been one to challenge the status quo in a bold and powerful way.

What is perhaps most exciting about Vassar Voices, is the fact that it will share the history of the College with individuals all over the United States. At each stop, the production will pick up new cast members, each drawn from a pool of professional alumnae/i actors. When the performance makes its first stop at Lincoln Center, both Meryl Streep ’69 and Lisa Kudrow ’85 will join the company.

After going to New York, the performance will grace stages in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago and London, to name a few.

Joining the company in Boston, D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles is a chamber choir made up of 14 individuals drawn from the Vassar Choir and Women’s Chorus. Tonight, however, all members from both choral groups will perform.

Julia Anrather ’13 is a part of Company One, the group of drama students who will unveil the performance tonight for the Vassar community. “We’ve been focusing on making the piece ready for Company Two, which is the group of actors who’ll be performing it in New York City on Feb. 24,” she explained.

Of all sesquicentennial events, Vassar Voices presents the most intimate and retrospective representation of the College. According to Anrather, “Every birthday should include embarrassing-celebratory speeches about the birthday person! And that’s what the Voices does. Collectively we play the role of Vassar’s dorky best friend who has seen it all and even remembers the dates.”

No doubt the experience of a Vassar edu-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

cation has changed considerably over time.

For this reason, some featured voices are pulled from the last 10 years, treated as “the present day.” In addition to the scripted narrative, poems from notable Vassar poets and sporadic “fun facts” about the College will be included.

Vassar Voices serves predominately to share with the public our school’s rich and diverse history, but it also functions as a mechanism to connect the past and present of the College with cross-generational, crosscultural ties. “If we’ve done our job right, I think many people in today’s Vassar community will come away recognizing an even greater kinship between ourselves and the people who’ve lived the Vassar experience before us,” explained Ringel.

By taking the production all over the country and abroad, this sesquicentennial event propagates am image of Vassar as a cutting edge institution with a legacy of independently-minded thinkers: “What we are hoping viewers see and hear is a college that, sometimes institutionally and sometimes through the individuals it educates and the individuals who do the educating, has been and is continually willing to challenge convention and question received wisdom,” explained Ringel.

Along with the presentation of Vassar Voices and several choral performances, the traveling program will also feature a screening of a specially made film entitled Vassar: A Sentimental Journey as well as remarks by President Catharine Bond Hill.

Ringel summed up the mission of the sesquicentennial program, emphasizing the importance of looking at history, but also of looking to the future: “This work underscores our commonality with those who came before us, whose words and deeds are still helping to shape the lives we live here on campus today. And we will do likewise for those who follow us. All of that is well worth a celebration.”

This traveling program will debut tonight in Skinner Hall at 5:30 p.m. and again at 8:00 p.m. No tickets are required; however, seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

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Page 16

Workshops welcome new talent

On the stage and page: A master of expression Rachael Borné

A

Arts Editor

fter tearing both of her ACLs, losing half the menisci in both of her knees, and rupturing her Achilles tendon, Cat Ramirez ’13 was certainly not fit to continue her career as an all-star volleyball and basketball player in high school. To stay active and involved in extracurriculars, this ex-jock auditioned for her school’s play, a choice that first sparked her interest in drama. Soon after, Ramirez decided to apply to the NYU dramatic writing program, and in doing so, wrote her first play. “It was at that point that I realized I wanted to be a playwright,” she said.

Since her time at Vassar, Ramirez has become highly involved in the drama scene as an active member of Unbound, Philaletheis and Idlewild. Currently, she and co-director Carly Attman ’12 are collaborating to bring “The Vagina Monologues” to the stage. When describing their work together, Attman explained, “In the group she’s got an incredible ability to express herself openly without drawing a line of authority. She’s an incredible listener and through that, very supportive.”

This open and accessible approach to the cast is also applied to Ramirez’s take on the production. She hopes to address the controversial topics raised about the female body in a way that’s welcoming and comfortable: “Something that wasn’t done much last

year, but we’d really like to bring in, is to have a running dialogue about these monologues,” she said.

In addition to creating a place for conversation, Ramirez also intends to emphasize the activism component of the production. “‘The Vagina Monologues’ was actually created to raise money for a foundation called V-Day that works to stop violence against women,” she explained.

Though “The Vagina Monologues” is no doubt an exciting work to spearhead, Ramirez cannot wait to tackle “No Exit,” JeanPaul Sartre’s 1944 play. “I wouldn’t be involved in theater if it wasn’t for this play,” she said. Her approach to the work is ambitious, creative and even a little psychological, which is appropriate, considering she’ll direct under Unbound, the group that, according to Ramirez, “Gives people the opportunity to take a lot of risks.”

Ramirez wants to shake audience perceptions by capitalizing on the fact that the play takes place in the underworld. “Everything in Hell, though it may look like an earthly object, is only a likeness of that object,” she said, adding, “Through the process of the play, I want to figure out what differentiates a human from the likeness and slowly take that out of the performance.”

Ramirez sees her proclivity for directing as an intrinsic quality in her personality: “Whenever I read a play,” she explained, “I never picture myself acting in them, I picture myself directing them. I like

Christie Chea/The Miscellany News

WORKSHOPS continued from page 15 drama as a major. Mohr will be acting in an excerpt from British playwright Tom Stoppard’s “Arcadia,” a postmodern play about university life and the relationship between past and present; order and disorder.“I like being in the workshops because they tend to be more laid back than the department shows, but still have the same quality because a lot of people who do the directing workshops also work with the department,” said Mohr. “As well, it’s fun to work with new people. I had never worked with my director, Hannah Schenk [’14], before, and it’s nice to get to know more people who do theater at Vassar.”

This semester, there are a total of 13 directors. Although they each choose different types of plays and excerpts to direct, each director’s focus is similar at its core: to closely examine the texts being performed. Because of time constraints, the directors and actors focus on a clear and original interpretation of the plays rather than props or set design.

Directors and actors may have like goals in the execution of plays; however their reasons for getting involved with the workshops are varied. Elana Fruchtman ’14, who is directing part of a scene from “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?” by American playwright Edward Albee, said, “I’ve acted my whole life, but never directed, so directing a workshop gives me the opportunity to explore things from a different perspective.”

In addition to giving students a chance to try out uncharted theater territory, the directing workshops also serve as a prerequisite for directing a full-length Philaletheis production.

“The directing workshops act as a low time commitment, low stress setting for directors—oftentimes new directors, but not always—to gain experience,” Spencer noted. “The workshops lead into other opportunities for directors and actors; some people want to continue and go bigger and bigger.”

Philaletheis’ Executive Director Molly Shoemaker ’13 said in an e-mailed statement, “I think directing workshops are a great way for directors to get their feet wet in a safe setting. They’re getting a lot of support from the Phil Board, and [Spencer] especially. As well, since the workshops are in the Shiva, inexperienced directors and actors can get a feeling of what working in the Shiva is like,” Shoemaker said.

The directors gain experience not only from directing the shows, but also from casting them. All the directors hold open auditions together in Rocky 310 for four hours. Each actor either performs a monologue they have prepared, or does a cold reading. Directors then stay in the room for as long as it takes to cast their shows.

Spencer said, “Although the workshops are often competitive, the directors try to ensure that a lot of people can have the opportunity to be involved.”

“Although last semester I didn’t get cast in the workshops, I’m happy to have a chance to participate this semester,” said Mohr.

As well as providing opportunities for non-drama and drama students, the workshops are a hit with the student body. Spencer said, “They’re fun, and the process of rehearsing them is supposed to be fun as well. It’s cool to watch people put the workshops together in such a short time and see them come to life.”

Performances tonight from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Shiva.

February 3, 2011

Sophomore Cat Ramirez is currently co-directing this semester’s production of “The Vagina Monologues” with junior Carly Attman. being able to form ideas and go through a process.”

If her directing endeavors and frequent 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. rehearsals weren’t enough, Ramirez is also a member of Measure 4 Measure, Vassar’s all female a cappella group that sings contemporary songs. Her vocal career started early on, when she was just a kindergartener. Ramirez acquired classical training through her three years of voice lessons and involvement in various choirs and chorus lines. After coming to Vassar, though, Ramirez was thrilled to depart from the more structured

and organized type of singing. She explained, “Singing is a really big part of my life, but I only want to keep it as a hobby. If I took it out of that realm and away from being strictly casual, I think I’d lose my love for it.”

Ramirez has a passion for the performance arts in perhaps the best way: She’s laid back, honest, insightful and more importantly—fearless. When asked what her plans are after college, she responded decidedly, “I don’t have any goals; I just want a continuing process. I want to create things.”

Women the focus of Russian film series Adam Buchsbaum Reporter

S

tudents have many ways to learn about Russian culture at Vassar as there are always a wide variety of classes available on its literature, its language and its history. There is, however, one very important way to explore Russian culture excluded from this list. It is a widely accessible and entertaining way available outside of the classroom.

The answer lies in the most popular medium today: film. And with this in mind, the Russian Department again continues its spring semester tradition of a department-sponsored film festival with its Russian Women in Film series. In the past, the film series has focused on themes like Dystopia and Back to the USSR, highlighting Russian films that depict futuristic, controlled, societal states and the former Soviet Republics, respectively.

Associate Professor of Russian Studies Nikolai Firtich sees film as a highly informative tool for study, simply because important social and political issues often glazed over by the media are brought front and center by filmmakers. He explained, “What you get from the newspapers barely scratches the surfaces of what’s going on in contemporary Russian society,” adding, “Film is one of the most effective ways to expose young people to a variety of artistic and cultural and social activities.”

This semester’s theme will showcase the role of women as both actresses and filmmakers in Russian cinema. The film series is primarily the work of Firtich and Professor and Chair of the Russian Studies Department Dan Ungurianu, who founded the series seven years ago.

The two professors found the topic of Russian women in film to be a good complement to Vassar’s historical heritage as a women’s college, which is of particular note now because of the sesquicentennial and the reflections and cel-

ebrations its occasion has prompted.

“The idea behind this type of festival is always educational—to expose students to something they haven’t seen before and to something they’d probably not really see on their own,” said Firtich.

The theme is especially signifigant, simply because Russia has such a unique history of women in cinema. Women had a strong presence in Russian culture even before the Socialist Revolution of 1917, and the revolution’s ideology officially instilled complete equality. “I’m sure that there are more women filmmakers in mainstream Russian cinema than there are in the U.S.” Firtich said. “These days the Russian film industry is really well gender-balanced.” In fact, a recent CNN article about a lack of diversity in this year’s Oscar nomination pool stated that a mere seven percent of American directors are female.

Each film begins with an introduction by Firtich and Ungurianu, the two organizers. The introductions will contextualize each film and provide relevant analysis and information for viewers to further understand the films. The series is intended to be accessible to the entire student body, not just Russian studies majors, making an intro especially helpful to newcomers.

Firtich hopes that the films will introduce students to the many aspects of Russian history.

“And by history,” Firtich said, “I don’t just mean just political history or ideological—but social history, cultural history and contemporary Russian history.”

The films range from current, contemporary films to older fare. The first and newest film is from 2006, while the last and oldest film dates back to 1927. The genres vary too, from modern day romances like Piter FM (Oksana Bychkove, 2006) to powerful World War II dramas like The Dawns Here are Quiet (Stanislav Rosto-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

tsky, 1972), and even a scandalous and sexually charged silent film called Bed and Sofa (Abram Room, 1927) . Of Bed and Sofa, Firtich explained, “It was immediately banned in the West—in the U.S. and in England—notably because its content was considered to be quite provocative and amoral.” Each film touches on significant social and cultural themes throughout Russia’s history and the modern day.

The films were picked for their relevance and impact, but did face one strict criterion. “Unfortunately, we also depend on subtitles,” said Firtich. “We couldn’t include some films that we really wanted to include, from the ’60s especially.”

Regardless, each film is hand-picked, entertaining and highly informative.

Students may also, like in previous years, take an independent study course that accompanies the film series. For half of a credit, students must attend each screening, especially their introductions, and give page-long responses to each film.

For one full credit, students must fulfill the same requirements of a half credit, but they must also write a final paper.

Jonathan Wood ’12, a student enrolled in the independent study course for the series, finds interest in the theme. “This course offers a different perspective—the female perspective. And I think something important is that you’re going to have a complete study of Russian culture. You can’t afford to miss out on that,” said Wood.

Wood has also taken courses on Russia’s history, literature and language, but still finds the perspective of film particularly noteworthy. “[I’m] trying to find all those cultural aspects that you couldn’t really gain unless you were watching those films,” he said.

The Russian Women in Film series is held each Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Rockefeller Hall 200. Each film will have English subtitles, and the last film in the series will screen on May 4, during the beginning of Study Period.

ARTS

February 3, 2011

Page 17

Hailee grit your gun: young actress shines True Grit Joel & Ethan Coen [Paramount]

T

Guest Columnist

he history of the American West is one of the most mythologized settings in American cinema, second only to WWII. True Grit, the latest triumph from film critic golden children the Coen brothers, is just the punch of Old West nostalgia Coen fans needed after a string of interesting but bizarre and oblique efforts like 2008’s Burn After Reading and 2009’s A Simple Man. It also proves the Coens are perfectly capable of a remake that stands up to and doesn’t utterly embarrass the original classic (anyone remember Ladykillers? Don’t bother, it’s best to forget it).

Justice and authenticity are the guiding forces of the film. It centers on 14-year-old Mattie Ross, played with verbose gusto by new Hollywood wunderkind Hailee Steinfeld, and her pursuit of her father’s killer and former partner Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin).

Chaney has run off into Indian Territory, and to track him down she enlists the help of U.S. Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges), a haggard old lawman with an itchy trigger finger but a gun he can barely shoot straight—due both to his drunkenness and to his eyepatch.

Bridges gives Cogburn every necessary element: deep and gravelly slur, one-line delivery, half-drunk swagger, and one hell of a goatee. He has some big shoes to fill—John Wayne played the character in the original 1969 film—and it’s a treat to see Bridges living up to it. Where Wayne won an Oscar for doing what he always did (albeit older, fatter and in an eyepatch), Bridges is entirely out of his element (“Donny, you’re out of your element!”) in this Western revenge trope. But you wouldn’t know it from his performance.

He delivers in every way imaginable, molding Cogburn into a past-his-prime gunman with a real soul. Cogburn always gets his man, but his mortal desire stems not from the need for

Campus Canvas

Courtesy of Paramount Pictures

Graham Mayshark

violence, but the need for justice.

Steinfeld rivals a young Jodie Foster or Tatum O’Neil for her portrait of a young girl that extends beyond mere precociousness.

While Mattie is constantly being taken as a small girl fish in a big man’s pond, the extent to which characters put up with her shtick is a tad unbelievable. When Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon, on autopilot but sporting a bitching mustache) gives her a spanking, its long overdue. But Steinfeld’s tightly wound and humorous performance is an absolute joy to see. It’s completely to Steinfeld’s credit that she, as an unknown 14-year-old actress, makes a Western featuring heavyweights like Damon and Bridges all her own.

Move over, Fanning girls; Steinfeld’s got the teenage actress market covered for another few years, and is actually talented enough to possibly transcend it one day (gap teeth and blonde hair only take you so far in this business, it seems).

The film’s heart lies in the relationship between Cogburn and Mattie. The rapport is nothing new: young girl/old man finding a common bond in a world of violence and masculinity. Think Taxi Driver rather than Lolita. But the brilliance of both actors makes the experience absolutely transformative.

Masters of dialogue and pacing, the Coen brothers’ quirky brand of postmodern cinema is in fine form here. More akin to their thriller-comedy milieu like Fargo rather than their slapstick (O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?) or postmodern (Barton Fink) modes, they have delivered a true crowd-pleaser in True Grit. The film’s current $150 million box office gross and 10 Oscar nods only cement this. They’ve also enlisted the help of their regular cinematographer Roger Deakins, who captures the beauty of the American landscape as no other cinematographer has in recent memory.

Speaking of the film’s Oscar nominations, Steinfeld is up for Best Supporting Actress, which is an absolute crime because Grit is in every way her movie. It seems the Academy thinks a Best Actress nod is not meant for a young girl, no matter how much of the story depends on her (both O’Neil and Foster come to mind, as both received Support-

“Bones.”

Elaine Cheung ’13

Hailee Steinfeld and Jeff Bridges star in True Grit, the latest movie from the Coen brothers.Steinfeld is nominated for Best Supporting Actress. ing Actress nods when they were without question the lead actresses of their respective films). However, her nomination could be considered a good thing, simply because she has a darn good chance of winning the Oscar.

The film loses some traction in the climax and the ending. When Mattie finally confronts Chaney and the inevitable kidnapping and shootout ensues, the whole situation feels formulaic and slightly dull. The anticlimactic addition of a snakebite episode doesn’t really develop the Cogburn/Mattie relationship too much, and the final scene, likewise, comes off as a tad unnecessary. But all in all, True Grit is a pleasure to watch for its witty dialogue, cinematography and the pitch perfect performances from Steinfeld and Bridges.

Much like Quentin Tarantino did in 2009 with his only mildly historically inaccurate WWII film Inglourious Basterds, the Coens have visited familiar cinematic territory but updated it with their unique voice and style.

The film may not have the extreme premise or climax that Basterds had, but their aim isn’t to reinvent any Western themes. It seems like the Coens simply wanted to make a film that stayed true to the courage of Old West lawmen, and in doing so, they prove they have had true grit themselves all along.

A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists

submit to misc@vassar.edu

“30 Rock.”

Hanna Wintz ’14 and Sydney Lopez ’14

“The Misfits”

Peter Rothe ’13

“Terminator 2.”

Abby Falk-Rood ’11

I love the challenge of expressing the voice of the speaker in each poem I write. Sometimes the poems are more personal, coming from a certain memory or emotion, and sometimes I am inspired by other people, characters or events. This poem (“Colonel Jack LeRoy Tueller”) was inspired by a recording of a World War II veteran who had amazing anecdotes from his time in England and France. I was particularly struck by his poetic eloquence, so I built a poem around several direct quotes of his from that recording.

Colonel Jack LeRoy Tueller 20 June, 1944 Omaha Beach, Normandy Caitlin Newvy ’13

My commander’s order— “Jack, don’t play tonight”— but I think, “That German sniper is just as lonely as I am.”

I walk out into the apple orchards, send those notes out through the dark: Lili Marleen slips through the ranks, across the inkstained marsh.

Morning: a boyprisoner cries at the sight of my trumpet. Says, in a medley of broken English and defeated German, he remembered an evening under a lamppost with his girl— his mother’s face, his sister dancing barefoot in their kitchen, and could not fire.

No rounds call back, only my guys, yelling, “Jack, play our tune. Play Danny Boy.” Brine and apple-blossom winds carry the melody out: my guys and the boy with the sniper’s gun.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

“Roni’s Cross Country Video 2010.”

The Vassar Track Team

“I don’t watch TV at school.”

Michael McManus ’12 —Rachael Borné Arts Editor

SPORTS

Page 18

Steelers’ savvy key to win at Super Bowl Andy Sussman

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Columnist

Men’s basketball struggles in League play Andy Marmer

D

Sports Editor

espite a 3-15 record, with just one victory in seven tries in the Liberty League, the Vassar College men’s basketball team believes it can close on a high note. Head Coach Del Harris noted, “There is still a long conference season left. Hopefully we can turn things around; we’re a much better team than we’ve shown.”

To reverse the recent tide of losing, which has seen Vassar drop its last six contests by an average margin of more than 30 points per game, Harris’s squad will rely on one key facet of their game: “Defense!” Harris exclaimed.

He continued, “everybody in our league scores in the 70s and 80s and we can’t run up and down with them; we can’t try to outscore teams, [so] we have to be able to shut them down defensively.”

Thus far this season, Harris’ observation has perfectly described the Brewers’ style.

When Vassar holds its opponents under 50 points, the Brewers are a perfect 3-0; however, once the opposition eclipses the 50-point barrier, the Brewers are winless. The trend is not lost on Harris: “In the one conference game we won, we held them to 49 points, and that’s the only way we’re going to have a chance to win.”

The Brewers faced a difficult, non-conference schedule, which featured no. 5 Williams College and no. 25 Ramapo College, and ultimately emerged with a 2-9 record. The two Vassar victories were over local foes, as they defeated Bard College 62-48 and concluded their out-of-conference schedule with a 8842 shellacking of the Culinary Institute of America.

Upon completing the non-conference portion of their schedule, the Brewers hosted Clarkson University to begin Liberty League play. Despite trailing 47-39 with under fourand-a-half minutes to play, Vassar battled back, holding Clarkson to just a pair of free throws while scoring 11 points of their own, the last two on a buzzer-beater by co-Captain Nick Justiz ’12. Said co-Captain Tyler Maland ’11, “We really executed both defensively and offensively; even though we only scored 50, we did what we wanted.”

Katie De Heras/The Miscellany News

or those of you who actually care about the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Green Bay Packers, let’s break down both teams by position to determine who will hoist the Super Bowl XLV Lombardi Trophy: Quarterbacks: Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has put himself into the conversation of the best current quarterback with his highly impressive third season as a starter. Meanwhile, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is aiming for his third Super Bowl victory, which would put him in elite company. Look for Roger Goodell to suspend Roethlisberger during the game, criticize the Steelers for allowing him to suspend their QB, and then rescind the suspension thirty seconds later. Advantage: PACKERS Running Backs: After the Week 1 injury to Packers starting running back Ryan Grant, Green Bay has gone through every person who has ever heard of “football” in order to try to find Grant’s successor. Finally, in Week 15 rookie James Starks proved that he was capable of running for three yards per carry without falling down, something that would be much more impressive if Starks were 8 months old. The Steelers, on the other hand, have workhorse back Rashard Mendenhall, who rushed for over 1,200 yards this past season, his second straight 1,000yard campaign. Advantage: STEELERS Receivers: After Super Bowl XLIII MVP wide receiver Santonio Holmes left the Steelers last off-season, Pittsburgh’s receiving corps was expected to struggle. However, second-year player Mike Wallace has provided 60 minutes of excellence every week, proving that 92 yearold receivers can absolutely play in the NFL. Meanwhile Steelers receiver Hines Ward, who is rumored to be the Crypt Keeper’s uncle, continues to gouge and dismember any opposing linebacker in his way to recording a first down.

Throw in tight end Heath Miller and Pittsburgh has its fair share of talented pass-catchers. Don’t dismiss the Packers, though; despite the seasonending injury to starting tight end Jermichael Finley earlier this season, the Packers boast Pro Bowlers Greg Jennings and Donald Driver, who is rumored to be Hines Ward’s uncle. Advantage: STEELERS Defense: Pittsburgh has two of the past three NFL Defensive Players of the Year on its squad: safety Troy Polamalu, this year’s winner, and linebacker James Harrison, who won the award two seasons ago. Expect Harrison to tackle as hard as he can so that he can induce a record number of concussions, even if it means he is tackling teammates. Combining Harrison with Lawrence Timmons and James Farrior yields an intense linebacking group for the Steelers.

Meanwhile, Packers cornerback Charles Woodson won Defensive Player of the Year last year, and followed that banner season up with similarly excellent play. This year, cornerback Tramon Williams and linebacker Clay Matthews provided Pro Bowl-caliber defense that led to the Packers being ranked number two in total defense this season, behind only “every team that faced the Carolina Panthers.” Advantage: EVEN Intangibles: The Steelers’ offensive line has suffered a number of injuries the past several weeks, and Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey is questionable to play Sunday. As a result, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is pushing for a “three Mississippi” rule that would require the Packers defensive line to wait three seconds after the Steelers snap the ball to run after the quarterback. Green Bay’s head coach Mike McCarthy is considered by many to be an offensive genius, which is especially impressive because he is not aware that each team has three timeouts per half. Of course, the Steelers have been to the Super Bowl twice in the past five years and the last time the Packers won, Jenn Sterger was 13. Advantage: STEELERS The Packers are a strong team with a healthy Rodgers, but they can’t match the Steelers’ consistency. Pittsburgh will win its seventh Super Bowl and Aaron Rodgers will imitate the Peyton Manning face. Lord save our souls. Pick: STEELERS 24-14.

February 3, 2011

The Vassar College men’s basketball team is hoping for a turnaround from their current record of 3-15 with the implementation of a new strategy that places a strong emphasis on defense.

The men’s basketball team is a young squad. Six of the 13 players on the roster are freshmen, with nine playing in either their first or second season. With so much inexperience, Harris relies on his juniors, seniors and even sophomores to provide veteran leadership. “That’s why we had that one success with beating Clarkson, our older guys played well,” said Harris.

Although Vassar has struggled this season, Maland believes the foundation to win is present. “It’s not about completely changing ourselves, it’s just about doing everything a little bit better than we are now.”

Despite a disappointing first half to the Liberty League season, which will make it

virtually impossible for the Brewers to qualify for the postseason, Harris is nonetheless optimistic about next year. Vassar will lose just two seniors off this year’s team—co-Captains Maland and Chris Whitney—and will welcome what Harris describes as “a real good recruiting class, that’s just the bottom line.”

He continued, heaping lofty praise on a group that is yet to arrive on campus and whose full membership is yet to be determined, “[The Class of 2015 will be] one of the best classes that has [come] through here.”

The Brewers will play each of their conference foes once more this year, traveling to St. Lawrence University and Clarkson this weekend.

Unregulated spending a soccer tradition Nik Trkulja

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Columnist

t’s been compared to anything from speed dating to just pure insanity, but soccer’s winter transfer window always seems to exceed the hype. This year was no different; teams around Europe spent large, with multiple transfer records broken as teams rushed to strengthen their squads for a final push in the second half of league play. Yet, while soccer’s stars lavish themselves in the fans’ green, we get to slug through a recession. Money, it seems, is never lacking from the world’s most popular sport.

Soccer’s epicenter is, of course, Europe.

Teams that play in the various European leagues and continental competitions are all regulated

by Europe’s soccer governing body UEFA. Under UEFA’s supervision and insistence, domestic leagues all over Europe have homogenized the way they transfer players. To this end there exist two major “transfer windows,” the summer window that runs from July 1 to Aug. 31, and its shorter winter cousin that goes from Jan. 1 to Feb. 2, (Jan. 31 in England). During those times, teams physically transfer the players to their new squads, but the monetary negotiations can happen at any time.

While the summer transfer window tends to be characterized by a slow courtship between players and teams, the winter window is more akin to a local rave party. Teams simply state who they want, overpay to make it happen and then pat themselves on the back for a job well done. Whereas the summer window tends to see teams acquiring players they will keep in the long term, the winter window is much more uncertain.

That uncertainty is also why the lavish spending of teams is considered, well, crazy.

Teams in the English Premier League, possibly the richest domestic league in Europe,

spent an astonishing $362 million in just one month. Chelsea Football Club (F.C.) came out as possibly the craziest of the crazy, spending a total of $112 million, of which an astonishing $80.5 million was on Fernando Torres’ transfer from Liverpool, now the third-most expensive transfer in history. For their part, Liverpool spent $50 million on Andy Carroll and $35 million on Luis Suarez. But what makes all these transfers most amazing is the fact that most of these teams are broke.

Last year, Liverpool reported losses in excess of $88 million, bringing its total debt up to nearly half a billion dollars. For its part, Chelsea has outstanding debt obligations of over $1.17 billion after its owner, Roman Abramovich, simply loaned the club that sum.

What’s worse is that these two teams come from Europe’s richest league, the English Premier League. UEFA recently published a report that showed that 56 percent of European teams reported losses in 2009, before the PIGS’ (Portugal, Italy, Greece, Spain) financial troubles were in full swing. In fact, on the whole, European teams had a $1.7 billion deficit—a figure so high, it’s prompted UEFA to introduce new legislation that could see teams banned from European competition in 2014-2015 for financial misconduct.

According to UEFA’s proposed rules, team owners would be allowed to put in at most 15 million euros per season as equity, not as a loan, with that figure slowly declining to 10 million as the years go by. It’s a move on UEFA’s part to end stratospheric transfer fees and rein in contracts that in some cases give players well over $300,000 a week in just base salary.

UEFA’s move to cut back on spending is commendable. It should limit expenses and bring some order to the chaos. However, it’s also slightly shortsighted. By imposing strict

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

financial controls on investment, UEFA will take away many of the intricacies that make European soccer so great. While salary caps and budget allowances are all fair and good, they aren’t in the spirit of the game. The giants of European soccer shouldn’t have the same restrictions as the minnows. After all, C.F. Real Madrid is the team that money bought, and really it should always be just that. It’s in Real’s character just as it’s in F.C. Barcelona’s character to develop its own young stars.

Financial control is important, but it’s not realistic; many of these teams aren’t solvent and never will be. The American model for profitability doesn’t work in Europe for a number of reasons. First, revenue sharing would never be agreed to like it is for television rights in the NFL or the NBA. Second, there are simply too many teams covering much smaller populations. In the U.S., entire states might have just one team, and even then some are considered “small-market” because they service a population of just a few million people. In Europe, many teams come from towns of just a few thousand. Finally, the number of games played in American sports is astounding and it drives up revenues. In Europe, the idea of doing anything but a tworound robin league is considered ludicrous.

Lavish, unrestricted and frankly stupid spending goes hand-in-hand with soccer.

It’s what makes the sport great and it’s what makes fans love watching it. Seeing your team sign a superstar for incredible sums is just as enjoyable as seeing it succeed. To take away the free-spending would be akin to taking away the tight t-shirts or the constant whining and crying for fouls—it’s not even up for discussion. And if it all fails in one giant burning ball of debt, then so be it—at least it went out with a bang.

SPORTS

February 3, 2011

Page 19

Reporter squares off with roommate, veteran fencer Nathan Tauger

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Guest Reporter

In fencing, each match consists of 27 bouts, nine per squad—the three squads are epee, sabre and foil—with each squad consisting of three fencers. The winner of a bout is the first fencer to register five touches. Each bout is three minutes long and if five touches have not been registered in that time span, whoever has the most touches is declared the victor. To win a match, a team must win at least 14 of the 27 bouts.

But my roommate was busy. He had just started a bout against fellow fencer Dennis D’Urso ’11. I immediately lost any confidence I had gained after seeing my roommate leap into the air to strike D’Urso, who countered and won the touch after a flurry of loud clashes. Both fencers were using styles different See FENCING on page 20

Katie De Heras/The Miscellany News

n Friday, Jan. 28, I spent time with my roommate by trying to hit him in the face with a sword.

My roommate, Johnny Arden ’14, fences sabre for the Vassar men’s team. I saw him fence in a match at Vassar a few weeks back, and I knew I wanted to try it. So, when I got the chance, I made the trip to the Walker Field House Bays during last Friday’s fencing practice. I was greeted by fencing Head Coach Bruce Gillman, who directed me to the fencing equipment room, an area that looked like a mannequin morgue, populated with the severed arms and torsos of fencing dummies. Gillman helped me put on the jacket and plastron and gave me a fencing mask and a blunt sabre. The sabre’s hand guard

was covered in duct tape and typeface letters, making me feel like a modern day pirate or conquistador.

Putting on the helmet and bringing the sabre to the en guard stance felt like the start of an IMAX movie; my peripheral vision was momentarily lost and my attention was entirely refocused on just my sword.

My roommate was taking a quick break, and I had absolutely no confidence in facing him then, so Gillman took me to one of the strips and explained some ground rules to me. I learned a basic fencing stance and how to perform a lunge attack.

We had a few practice touches and I learned some basic defensive techniques. After a brief defensive primer with Captain Andrew Fischl ’11 about staying low and relaxed, I was ready to face Arden.

Reporter Nathan Tauger, pictured left, discovered the challenging nature of fencing when he attempted to best his roommate, Vassar fencer Johnny Arden ’14.

Brown leads basketball to new heights in second year

Courtesy of Sports Information

Evan Fredericksen ’11, a leading member of the Vassar College men’s volleyball team, has been a star athlete since he first started playing the sport in the fifth grade.

Fredericksen leading team on the court in senior year Mitchell Gilburne Features Editor

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n Tuesday, Jan. 25, Evan Fredericksen ‘11 proved yet again that he is at the apex of offense when it comes to winning games for the Brewers. With only a 12 percent margin of error on his attacks, bolstered by five impressive digs, Fredericksen embodied the perfect fusion of poise and force on the court as he led Vassar to a victory over Bard College 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-17).

Fredericksen proudly recalls his most impressive feat against Bard’s opposition: “There was a play where they jump-served.

I passed it and I ran straight up the middle and I was set a spike.” The rest was history, as Fredericksen powerfully launched the ball onto the floor on Bard’s side of the court.

Fredericksen is particularly proud of this play, as it marked an unusual change in pace from his typical play style. “I’m a bender,” he explains, “so I don’t usually take hits. That was pretty cool.”

A proud volleyball player since the fifth grade, Fredericksen attributes his initiation into the sport to his father, a lifelong volleyball veteran. He admits that without the guidance and support of his family, “I probably would have stopped playing.” His rising star bright from its first appearance on the court, Fredericksen reveals, “I was on the team that won the National Junior Olympics.” With experience, legacy and victory under his belt, Frederickson was able to enter the world of college volleyball with confidence and determination.

“I like to move around a lot,” says Fredericksen, referencing both his mental and physical reflexes, which intimidate opponents while inspiring fellow players. “I sup-

pose I would refer to myself as a reasonably well-rounded player.” He adds, “I play fairly aggressively.” It is just this unassuming confidence and fire that distinguishes Fredericksen from the pack. With quiet determination and the skills to back up his swagger, Fredericksen leads by example while setting the bar continually higher for both himself and his teammates.

Explaining how he achieves his on-court zen, Fredericksen says, “I usually like to sit for a minute or two and clear my head of everything.” This brief moment of reflecting on experience, strategy and mindset allows Fredericksen to hone each firing synapse as he coordinates his every move. With calculating elegance, backed by a killer spike, Fredericksen embodies both the shrewdness of an owl and the power of a puma.

When asked if he could pinpoint a defining moment that governed his development as a volleyball player, Fredericksen recalls his freshman year at the finals of the Molten Division III Men’s Volleyball Invitational at Springfield College—the national championship—in front of thousands of fans, which he describes as “pretty intense.” The intensity to which he refers was born of his triumphant score of a particularly skillful kill that propelled his team’s morale.

There is no denying that Fredericksen admirably represents the Brewers with his consistently solid performances. However, his true value comes from his particular makeup. Neither a pure powerhouse nor a strategist, lurking in the background, Fredericksen straddles the line between physical and mental aptitude, excellence, and ingenuity; fitting traits indeed for an Athlete of the Week.

BASKETBALL continued from page 1 that this team has worked its collective tail off to improve this season. In an e-mailed statement she wrote, “Whether we were waking up at 7:30 a.m. for conditioning class three days a week or spending entire Saturdays fundraising, each person on the team has been truly committed to the program and its goals from day one.”

Brown mentions Parks as being one of the more reliable players on the roster and was very impressed by one of her recent milestones. “When we need a big shot, she comes through for us,” she stated proudly. “She scored her 1,000th career point on Jan. 24, and to do that as a junior is a true accomplishment.”

Parks currently ranks 15th in all of Division III with 20.2 points per game. Parks and fellow guard Carolyn Crampton ’11 are the captains of this year’s team and are doing a “phenomenal job,” according to Brown. With three freshmen and four sophomores surrounding them, one might think that the relative inexperience would be a challenge to overcome. But they have embraced their roles and haven’t had any difficulty guiding their teammates. “As a captain of a young team, there is definitely some extra responsibility of making sure everyone is ready to go on game days and staying focused for every practice and every game,” Crampton wrote in an e-mailed statement. “This has been easy, though, because we have an incredible group of girls who have done everything our coaches have asked of them.” Parks added to this sentiment, explaining, “each player has exhibited great determination throughout the season. Both on and off the court, each one of us has an important role that contributes to the team’s success.”

Brown goes so far as to say that the youth is an advantage. “The younger players don’t know as much about [the struggles in the past],” she explained. “They’re just trying to build off the success from last year.”

One aspect of the team that is in fact an obstacle is its lack of size. Although forward Hannah Senftleber ’14 (who leads the team in rebounding with 7.7 per game) stands at 6’0” and forward Natalie Allen ’13 is 5’10,” the majority of the team is in the 5’4” to 5’6” range. Crampton admitted, “other teams tend to underestimate us” partially because of the height disadvantage.

But the Brewers make do with what they have, and this season that has meant capitalizing on the three-point shot. Although Brown says it’s not necessarily their strategy to take a lot of long-range shots, it’s been a very successful element of their game. The team as a whole is shooting 38.1 percent from three-point territory, as compared to 25.2 percent last season.

And the statistics also back up Brown’s claim that it’s not part of their game plan; Vassar’s opponents have actually attempted 65 more three-pointers than the Brewers, but have been successful 11 fewer times.

The standout performer of this efficient three-point attack is guard Cydni Matsuoka ’14, who has sunk 49 of 103 long-distance shots for a

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

remarkable 47.6 percent (currently fourth-best in Divison III). Brown said with a laugh, “[Matsuoka] can take three-pointers as long as she likes to.”

Matsuoka had the added honor of being named to the D3Hoops.com Team of the Week, one of only five players in all of Division III to be recognized for the seventh week of the season. In an e-mailed statement she wrote that she was “honestly surprised” upon hearing the news, and that it’s “really helped my confidence on the court” ever since. Although Brown cites Matsuoka’s tremendous 12-for-15 shooting night against Hamilton College on Jan. 22 as one of the key reasons for the honor, she seems more impressed by the rookie’s poise. “To be a freshman point guard is very hard,” Brown remarked.

“She’s running it with such composure, getting all of her teammates involved—it’s such an accomplishment.”

Of course, Brown herself has achieved quite the accomplishment, too. When asked to explain her immediate run of success since becoming the Brewers’ head coach, she said, “timing is everything. I came into a struggling program, and the players were looking for a breath of fresh air. The players were looking for change.”

Brown said her job was making her women realize their potential. “I helped them find their belief in themselves,” she recalled. “And once they got a taste of success, they wanted more.”

She added heartily, “people are expecting us to win now.”

That certainly seems to have added to the motivation. The Brewers are 7-1 at home this season, while only 2-5 in opposing gyms. (They are 2-1 on neutral sites.) Brown says the home crowd is an inspirational factor: “They’re like the sixth man.” She added that she expects the team to eventually get more comfortable on the road and that the record will improve.

With expectations come goals, and Brown sets hers reasonably but respectably. “My hope is to at least split every conference weekend, end with a winning record and make the Liberty League playoffs,” she said. The Brewers did their part last weekend, splitting two conference games—a 68-62 loss to Skidmore College and a 59-53 win against Union College, both away games.

No matter what, though, Brown will continue to take pride in the team and appreciate all they have accomplished up to this point. Crampton, too, is proud of her squad. “At 5-2 in the Liberty League and tied for first place, I couldn’t be happier with how we’ve done in the first half of League play.”

She also truly values the team cohesion that has formed. “We really are a little family, all the way from Coach Brown and Assistant Coach [Melissa] Kraft down through our freshmen,” she says. “It’s a major reason we’ve been so successful. I truly love being a leader of this team.

It really is a privilege.”

This weekend, Vassar will travel to St. Lawrence University and Clarkson University, two teams it has already beaten this season.

SPORTS

Page 20

Reporter tries fencing with varying success

Fencing on the verge of making history Kristine Olson

W

Reporter

ith season records of 19-9 and 246, respectively, Vassar’s men’s and women’s fencing teams are prepared in their respective battles for the Northeast Championship. Should either team secure the Championship title, it would be a first in the history of Vassar’s fencing program.

For the women, the odds are good, if not already golden. The team controls its own destiny as the only group in the Northeast Conference with fewer than two conference losses. If they are able to conquer the field at Wellesley College on Sunday, they will win the title. Although facing a few more obstacles, the men are also in a position to win.

A win against rival Sacred Heart University Feb. 6 will nearly assure them a second-place finish in league. Currently, Vassar has just one conference loss, while Sacred Heart is undefeated in league play.

Presently, the biggest challenge looming over the teams is a newfound sense of pressure. “There are stakes involved,” said Sophie Courser ’11 with a grin. She is confident that Vassar can beat Wellesley and Sacred Heart, as they already have this season, “but it’ll be tough. We feel pressure we’ve never felt before,” she said.

Recently, the men lost to conference rival Sacred Heart 17-10 in a match that did not count in the conference standings, but on Jan. 22 finished 4-1 against Brown University, Tufts University, Boston College, Brandeis College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), losing only to Brown. And the women, who also competed that day against the latter teams and Smith College, went 5-1, only losing to MIT. On Saturday, Feb. 6, both Vassar teams will have another go at Sacred Heart, this time in a match that counts towards the conference standings, along with the remaining Northeast Conference teams.

Although the women’s team has six losses, these defeats have nonetheless been impressive, coming against three teams currently ranked in the top five nationally: No. 2 Penn State University, No. 3 Harvard University and No. 4 Princeton University.

To build endurance, to be in the best physical shape possible, Vassar’s men and women combine hours of technique training with conditioning: foot work (building legmuscle strength), stretching, running and swimming.

Fencing requires an all-day commitment to the sport. “On competition days we usually leave around 3 or 4 a.m. and fence until 6 p.m. with long breaks in between battles,” said Courser. “So keeping up the mental and

Katie De Heras/The Miscellany News

FENCING continued from page 19 from the kind Gillman taught me, and while watching them leap, juke and parry, I began to realize how complex and improvisational fencing is.

Different ways to hold the sword after en guard work for different athletes, and different moves work for different countermoves.

Unfortunately, learning all of these styles, strategies and moves takes more than one afternoon.

Arden narrowly lost to D’Urso, 15 to 13 touches, and he was ready for vindication. I nervously plugged in my body and helmet cords, which record touches, and ceremoniously bowed to my roommate, my friend, my opponent. Mercifully Arden let me attack instead of unleashing offensively. I carefully edged my way to his side of the strip, and used the lunging attack Gillman had taught me. My sabre was pointed closer to me when my roommate hit me twice, in the head and the torso.

The next few touches had similar results and after the seventh, I was unsurprisingly losing 7-0.

D’Urso pulled me aside while Arden was heading back to his side and quickly explained that my roommate was overplaying me on his left side. I was told that I should try to fake attack his left and then strike the vulnerable right side. With a taciturn confidence, I faced Arden and prepared to follow D’Urso’s advice. The referee called, “Fence!” and I quickly faked a strike to my left. My sabre hit my roommate’s right side—after he had hit me square on the helmet. Dejectedly, I turned to D’Urso, who sympathetically raised his hands and smiled.

Yet through some strange twist, I got a touch.

Arden tried an exotic leaping maneuver while I extended my sword and through some stroke of luck I ended up hitting him before he hit me.

This happened twice more before I was thoroughly crushed, making the final score of the bout 15-3.

With three layers of warm equipment in the already sweltering Walker Bays, jumping around and trying to maintain focus on someone trying to stab you was just as, if not more, difficult than playing defense in soccer or basketball. Further, trying to correctly time fake swipes and jukes was as hard as offense in either sport.

I learned two important things in my afternoon of fencing. The first: It is very difficult not to flinch or cringe when someone tries to hit you on your head with a sword, even if you have a helmet.

The second: Fencing is extremely tiring. Gillman explained, “Fencing is a feet game and a sword game. You can’t just do one.”

February 3, 2011

Vassar’s women’s fencing team will win the Northeast Championship if they best Wellesley in their meet this Sunday; the men’s team will face off against Sacred Heart on Feb. 6. physical energy all day is difficult.”

Courser explained the range of competition Vassar encounters—spanning from club teams to Division I (DI) teams such as the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia, Harvard, Yale and Brown Universities—and the need to switch strategies based on the skill level of one’s opponents.

“Switching strategies can be difficult,” conceded Courser, “but it’s beneficial to have to switch from competing against DIs to club teams, or vice versa, because overconfidence can be deadly.”

By developing its newer athletes at the club level, and challenging more highly skilled fencers at the DI level, the team doubtlessly possesses strength in its depth. “Some of us need more of a challenge and want to establish good records for NCAA competition; but it’s nice to have club competition, as well,” said Courser, “because people who are newer to fencing have a chance to gain experience and build confidence.”

Courser believes the sudden success the program is experiencing is due to Gillman, who has been coaching at Vassar for six years. She also credits the development of the freshmen and the recruitment of more

and more experienced fencers over the years factored into Vassar’s success this season.

Focusing on this season, Courser explained, “There’s a lot more strip-side coaching this year.” In fencing, you’re allowed to take one timeout per bout, “and just having a breather can be critical,” said Courser. These breaks also allow teammates and coaches to share their observations and strategic advice with teammates and for cross-squad communication. For example, an epeeist can check how many points the foil squad has and determine what its next move should be.

Individual training sessions and battles are central to fencing, and in the past many of Vassar’s fencers have come from individual training and competition backgrounds, Courser points out. This has made it difficult for team cohesion to build in previous years, which may have caused underwhelming past team performances. This year is different.

Even though the pressure is on as it has never been before, if Vassar’s men’s and women’s fencing teams keep their cool, find confidence in their victories so far and remain focused on the task at hand, a fencing championship and Vassar history is within reach.

Sports Calendar: 2/3 - 2/9 by Andy Marmer, Sports Editor Friday, 2/4 Polo vs. University of Massachusetts at Amherst: Time TBA

Last year, as the second-seed, Vassar lost in the Championship match to Mount Holyoke College, 7-2.

Founded in 2001, the Vassar polo team will open its spring season against the University of Massachusetts in Newburgh, New York.

Women’s Swimming and Diving at Sprint Invitational at Skidmore College: 1:00 p.m.

Women’s Basketball at St. Lawrence University: 6:00 p.m.

After Vassar triumphed in a double-overtime win in the last contest, the host Saints will seek revenge. In the first meeting, Carolyn Crampton ’11 hit from beyond the arc with under a minute remaining to give the Brewers a three-point victory.

Brittany Parks ’12 led the Brewers with 32 points and eight rebounds, while Cydni Matsuoka ’14 contributed 17 points to the effort, Men’s Basketball at St. Lawrence University: 8:00 p.m.

Looking for their second conference win of their season, the Brewers will try to avenge their 71-56 loss to the Saints on January 15. John Donnelly ’13 led the offensive attack with 20 points on 7-11 shooting (3-3 from three-point range), while Caleb McGraw ’12 added 15 points shooting 6-11 from the field.

Coming off a 159-111 loss to New York University, the Brewers will look to splash back in the Sprint Invitational. Vassar bested four other teams two years ago, the last time Skidmore College hosted the event.

Women’s Basketball at Clarkson University: 2:00 p.m.

Vassar will try to sweep the season series against the Golden Knights. The last time these two teams met, Vassar squeaked out a 57-54 win. Hannah Senftleber ’14 compiled a doubledouble with 10 points and 10 rebounds and Matsuoka scored a game-high 16 points.

Men’s Volleyball at Medaille College: 3:00 p.m.

Saturday, 1/29

Competing in their first matchup in the newly formed United Volleyball Conference, the Brewers will look to get off to a strong start, with a win in their first conference matchup. Medaille earned the No. 8 seed in the North East Collegiate Volleyball Association (NECVA) Tournament last season, while the Brewers managed the No. 3 seed.

Women’s Squash vs. Wellesley College at Seven Sisters Championship at Smith College: 12:00 p.m.

Men’s Basketball at Clarkson University: 4:00 p.m.

Boasting a No. 22 national ranking, the Brewers will take on their historic rivals in search of a Seven Sisters Championship.

In their last meeting, Vassar managed a 50-49 victory, their lone conference victory of the season to date, when Nick Justiz ’12

drained a basket with time running down. The Brewers came back in the final five minutes from an eight-point deficit to eke out the victory.

Sunday, 2/6 Men’s Fencing vs. University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Sacred Heart University, Dartmouth College, Boston University and University of New Haven at Wellesley College: 8:00 a.m.

If the Brewers can sweep the field, they will guarantee themselves no worse than a second-place finish in the Northeast Conference. Currently, Vassar has just one conference loss, while Sacred Heart has yet to be beaten in a conference match.

Women’s Fencing at Wellesley College, vs. University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Sacred Heart University, Dartmouth College, Boston University and University of New Haven: 8:00 a.m.

Should Vassar go undefeated on the day, it will earn the first conference title in program history.

Men’s Volleyball vs. Elmira College in Buffalo, NY: 10:00 a.m.

In their second conference battle in as many days, Vassar will try to build momentum as they take on the Soaring Eagles.

Men’s Squash at Fordham University: 12:30 p.m.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

In their first road contest in the state of New York, the Brewers will make the short drive to Fordham. Last season, the Brewers routed the Rams 8-1 at home.