The Miscellany News
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org
April 12, 2018
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Volume CL | Issue 18
Phocus encourages Alums discuss journalism careers campus involvement Isabel Braham
ASSISTANT ARTS EDITOR
Andrea Yang
FEATURES EDITOR
A
s Vassar’s one and only student photography organization, Phocus holds a wide array of events and activities—peer critiques, workshops, movie screenings, exhibitions—for photo enthusiasts in the Vassar community. The org also runs a fully equipped darkroom in Main that offers students the opportunity to realize their artistic dreams.
Campus liaison and organisational officer Eilif Rønning ’20 described his first encounter with the org: “I joined Phocus at the start of my first year at Vassar and I found it a really welcoming and calming space. We meet on Thursdays at 8 p.m. in Rocky 304 and we turn off the lights and sit in the dark looking at photos for an hour. It’s a non-judgmental space and really relaxed and open.” See PHOCUS on page 10
O
n a quiet Thursday night in the Villard room, Vassar was graced with the presence of two feminist forces of nature. Extraordinarily creative and remarkably funny, Vassar alumnae Alanna Okun ’12 and Kelly Stout ’10 sat down on April 5 to talk about everything from Okun’s new book to their careers as writers and editors to how Vassar helped shaped their interest in journalism. But first, who are these strong, independent ladies? Okun is a Senior
Editor at Racked, a website centered on shopping culture. Before Racked, she worked at BuzzFeed, Brooklyn Magazine, Apartment Therapy and The Hairpin. She recently came out with her first book, “The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater,” a collection of personal essays about how knitting and crafting has helped her deal with her anxiety. Stout is the Features Editor at Jezebel, a popular blog that centers the voices of women and other marginalized genders and discusses topics including politics, fashion and celebrity gossip. Stout has also
worked for Gawker and has written for the Shouts and Murmurs section of the New Yorker, where she began her career in journalism. Helen D. Lockwood Professor of English Amitava Kumar, who had the chance to develop relationships with the two while they were at Vassar, praised the two via email, writing, “Kelly is a humorist of high caliber, such fine excess. And in Alanna’s writing I’m rediscovering a beautiful ease of expression, weaving stuff from life with a light touch.” See ALUMS on page 6
Student org plans Red Sand Gala Pazit Schrecker GUEST REPORTER
I Courtesy of Liza Ayres
The photo above is part of a student work exhibit currently on view in the Crafted Kup. Phocus collaborates with the local cafe semiregularly to provide a space for display outside the Vassar bubble.
n countries across the globe, slavery and the slave trade have been banned for over a century, and in some places, for more than two. However, while slavery was abolished in, among other places, France in 1848, the United States in 1865 and Brazil in 1888, more than 40 million people remain enslaved in the world today, with their forced labor producing $150 million in annual profits. Each year, between 600,000 and 800,000 people are sold across international borders (Red Sand Project,
“Stats”). In response to these staggering statistics, activist and artist Molly Gochman created the Red Sand Project, which functions as a combination of art and advocacy as participants pour red sand in cracks in the sidewalks. On April 27 from 5 to 8 p.m., the Vassar student organization known as the Underground will hold a gala in the Aula to raise awareness of the ongoing and critical issue of human trafficking worldwide. Tickets to the gala will be available for purchase in the College Center from Monday, April 23 until
Thursday, April 26, as well as at the door on the night of the gala. Along with a catered dinner from Twisted Soul, the event will feature talks from three anti-human trafficking activists. Founder of Give Way to Freedom Courtney Albert will explain the fundamentals of human trafficking, aiming to help expand knowledge of the subject. Give Way to Freedom, which began creating initiatives in 2010, is a community-based organization with offices in Vermont and New York. According to its website, “Give Way to Freedom’s See RED SAND on page 4
Soccer Mommy comes ‘Clean’ in debut Women’s lax splits O weekend Fiona Nematbakhsh GUEST COLUMNIST
ARTS
consistent arrangement of instruments, “Cool,” the second track off the album, comes in decidedly more uptempo with a single quick guitar strum before breaking into a more full-bodied piece. “Cool” addresses a common teenage narrative of wanting to be someone you’re not, of wanting—as Allison puts it—“to See CLEAN on page 7
Up-and-coming indie rock artist Sophie Allison, also known as Soccer Mommy, recently made her studio debut with “Clean.” The artist’s trajectory screams progress with her swift rise from bedroom pop to an official label release.
Inside this issue
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aura, as she understands she has been left behind by the other person in the relationship but still wants and waits for them. Allison also hints at her lofi, bedroom pop roots by inserting a demo take near the end of the song that has the fuzzy, unfinished quality that characterizes so much of her early work. While “Still Clean” keeps a steady pace and features a
Courtesy of bandcamp
pen and honest, Sophie Allison, who records as Soccer Mommy, makes her studio debut on “Clean” with a chronicle of teenage life through the perspective of someone seemingly older and wiser. Allison, at 20 years old, confronts love and adolescence head-on, with meditative lyrics that make her experiences feel universal. “Clean” is the culmination of a quick and unexpected rise to popularity from bedroom pop— which is when musicians record at home rather than at a traditional studio—to a label release. Soccer Mommy started as a one-women project based out of Allison’s Nashville bedroom and publicized through Bandcamp releases. Her ability to articulate specific frustrations about the realities of growing up gives her music a relatable quality that propelled it into popularity before she even signed with Fat Possum Records. She has released one prior work with Fat Possum, titled “Collection,” which functions mainly as a reworking of her previous releases from Bandcamp. “Clean” marks a change from her previous releases— it is her studio debut, made after she dropped out of New York University as a junior to pursue music full
time. The intention and skill born of this change can be seen throughout “Clean,” with lyrics that pierce the audience and arrangements that evoke nuanced emotions. “Clean” opens with “Still Clean,” a hazy track that retells the disappointment of a failed relationship. Here, Allison uses sparse lyrics and layered guitars to create an aching
Future Waitstaff perform; unique show breaks with norm
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FEATURES
A cake to whip up for your muchfêted pup
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Teddy Chmyz
ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR
I
t was a tale of two games for Brewers women’s lacrosse this past weekend, as they split their home doubleheader, defeating RIT 19-13 on Friday, April 6, before falling to University of Rochester a day later in a much lower-scoring match-up, 9-7. These matches brought their record in the Liberty League to 2-2, and 3-6 overall. In their victory on Friday, April 6, the Brewers’ offense was firing on all cylinders, which led to a season high of 18 goals scored, eight more than the team average for the year. This offensive explosion started early in the game, with six goals coming in just the first 10 minutes of play. This high scoring rate can be attributed to unselfish offensive team play from the Brewers, as five of the six points were assisted. The Brewers were unable to find this same offensive rhythm against Rochester, scoring only seven goals for the whole game, only one of which was assisted. The team did manage 32 shots, See LACROSSE on page 19
Supporting local theaters key for OPINIONS industry longevity