The Miscellany News
Volume CXLVI | Issue 21
April 25, 2013
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com
ALANA hosts concert to celebrate diversity Ben Hoffman and Liz Zhou Guest reporters
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High voter turnout for Exec Board Hannah Blume
ContriButinG editor
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Cassady Bergevin/The Miscellany News
onsidered one of the major event organized and executed by the ALANA Center, the annual ALANA Jam took place on the Fergusson Quad on Sunday April 21, bringing in a diverse group of artists and local food caterers on campus. The five-hour event invited and attracted students and community members of different ethnicities, cultures and values to celebrate diversity and cultural expression. The ALANA Jam was first proposed by the executive board of Poder Latino, a student organization dedicated to promoting Latino/a culture three years ago. When asked about why it wanted to create such an event, president of Poder Latino Fernanda Martinez ’14 said it was spurred by student interest. Martinez explained in an emailed statement, “It is essentially an event planned by students for students. I think the purpose of ALANA Jam is to showcase the ALANA Center and its organizations, and make sure our presence is felt by the Vassar community.” The idea of celebrating minority cultures in the Vassar community was quickly hailed by other ALANA Center affiliated organizations. Media Chair of the Asian Student See ALANA on page 4
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
Las Cafeteras, featured above, from Veracruz, Mexico performs at the annual ALANA Jam. The student-organized event was created three years ago to give a voice to minority cultures through food and performances at Vassar.
ast Wednesday, April 17, students crowded into the Retreat to hear VSA Election Co-Chairs Devin Griffin ’13 and Clayton Masterman ’13 announce this year’s results. Many of the big races were not a surprise, as four of the six candidates for Executive positions ran uncontested. These included Deb Steinberg ’14 for President, Genesis Hernandez ’15 for VP for Student Life, Ali Ehrlich ’15 for VP for Operations and Stephanie Goldberg ’14 for Activities. Shruti Manian ’14 won the position of VP for Academics over Spencer Virtue ’16 and Michael Renner ’14. Michael Kaluzny ’14 won VP for Finance over Wendel Smith 14’ and Cheniah Deane ’16. The number of unopposed races this year was unusually high. Griffin attributed this to the daunting time commitment and sense of competition. “A lot of these positions are hard work and don’t necessarily attract a huge number of people who want to do them,” he wrote in an emailed statement. He continued, “Second, I think that people here tend to avoid competition and uncertainty—if there’s already someSee VSA on page 4
VC track Illuminated balloons to sail May Day sprinting across, light up Sunset Lake emphasizes to finals I community Margaret Yap reporter
Meaghan Hughes sports editor
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Inside this issue
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FEATURES
A look into one senior’s messy research
to the event and pick up the balloons, moving them from one part of the lake to another. As of now, approximately ten performance groups will be involved in Kramer’s project. Entertainment will most likely include a cappella music and the dexterity of The Barefoot Monkeys, Vassar’s student-run circus group. Kramer, who has been working on this project since the beginning See BALLOONS on page 15
Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News
he end of a season is a true test of a team’s ability to come together as a cohesive unit, which is especially important for sports with individual events, like track. Last weekend the team had home field advantage when five other colleges came to compete in men’s and women’s Liberty League Championships. Going into the meet, the Brewers had a lot to prove. The program is smaller in numbers and younger than those of their competitors. Sophomore Brian Deer admitted that this put some added pressure on the team. “Our team goals for Liberty Leagues were really to show up, score points, and show the league...that we have what it takes to be contenders,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “To accomplish this, we had a good amount of athletes doing different events than they usually do, or doing more events than they normally would. The coaches put people in events based on their chances at scoring points, and I think we were largely successful.” Sophomore Sean Majer described the strategic placement that helps to bring the team togethSee TRACK on page 18
magine approximately 1000 balloons floating on the surface of Sunset Lake. They have been inflated by an air compressor and they glow with different colors. LEDs reside within them, illuminating and coloring them. The sky has just grown dark, and Sunset Lake is now a collection of light. If this appeals to you, you are in luck. Urban Studies Academic In-
tern Matthew Kramer ’13 has created for his senior project this interactive presentation. The event, titled Night Light, is currently scheduled for May 2 with a rain date of May 7. It will begin once it is dark and will continue until 1 a.m. or 2 a.m., whereupon the balloons will be removed from the lake and disposed of. As a study of art and community space, Night Light encourages community members to bring food
Matthew Kramer ’13, an Urban Studies major, will unveil his senior project on May 2. The project, titled “Night Light,” will place 1000 LED-filled balloons in Sunset Lake. The event will be accompanied by multiple performances.
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OPINIONS
Re-examining US diplomacy with North Korea
20 ARTS
Rachael Borné
ContriButinG editor
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ay Day has, for years, served as a powerful and public source of solidarity for workers, activist groups and students in the Hudson Valley, and this year’s march and rally is no different. On May 1, community members and organizers will unite in celebration of May Day under the theme ‘Legalize, Organize, Unionize!’ The event, also known as International Workers’ Day, has in recent years grown to represent the struggle for worker’s rights and justice for immigrants. The events will begin with a rally on the Vassar College residential quad at 2 p.m., then a march to the Family Partnership Center located on North Hamilton Street at 3:30 p.m. Talks by speakers and tabling will continue until 7 p.m. More than ever before, the May Day Coalition is working to unite myriad Hudson Valley social justice organizations under the idea that all their struggles are deeply related. The march and rally are meant to energize the work ongoing in the area, helping to pull more people together under a set of demands. According to Spencer Resnick ’15, an organizer for local anti-foreclosure organization Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, “Our program had a lot to do with reaching out to existing struggles in the community, to existing organizations to lift up peoSee MAY DAY on page 6
Women’s Tennis sweeps through Seven Sisters