The Miscellany News College Democrats visit Vassar
VC hosts Body Positive
Tennis claims title
Ben Hoffman
GuEst rEpOrtEr
L
ast weekend, April 27-28, student Democrats from across the state descended on Poughkeepsie for the College Democrats of New York (CDNY) Annual Conference. The event was hosted jointly by Marist College and Vassar College. Marist’s portion of the event took place on Saturday, while Vassar’s section was on Sunday in Taylor Hall. The CDNY Annual Conference allows member organizations to meet and make changes to the CDNY’s constitution. It also serves as the venue for elections in which members of individual Democratic groups can be appointed to positions of leadership in the larger organization. Head of Vassar College Democrats David Lopez ’13 attended the conference and explained that while each campus Democratic organization has its own executive board, the umbrella organization CDNY also has an executive board providing coordination. Additionally, the state is broken down into various regions, each of which has a position of leadership to which student Democrats may be elected. Lopez stated that as a senior, he was especially encouraged by the participation of freshman members. One Vassar student, Marty Ascher ‘16, was elected Hudson Valley Regional Chair of the College Democrats of New York. “I have always been interested in progressive politics and hope to run for office one day. I saw the Vassar Democrats as a way to become involved in local politics, and discuss
Noble Ingram
O
Volume CXLVII | Issue 22
May 2, 2013
Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com
nEWs EditOr
Chris Brown
T
courtesy of College Democrats of New York
ver the weekend, Vassar hosted a series of workshops and discussions organized by the non-profit group, the Body Positive. The events focused on body issues and self-destructive eating behaviors. The goal of the discussions was to offer students resources with which to deal with these issues and achieve a more complete bodily health. Specifically, the events included an informational meeting and workshop Friday night and two longer workshops during the day Saturday and Sunday. According to attendee Benedict Nguyen ’15, the workshops and discussions were primarily focused on developing leadership. Executive Director of the Body Positive Connie Sobczak facilitated the workshops and discussions. She was pleased with the events, noting the small sizes of the groups as a benefit. “The workshops and discussions went very well. The small groups allowed for increased intimacy and a deeper discussion of the issues, especially in each of the day-long workshops on Saturday and Sunday. The students were excited to carry the work forward on their own, which is the purpose of The Body Positive’s leadership work.” Nguyen agreed. According to him, “The smaller group made things really See BODY on page 4
Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
On April 27 and 28, college Democrats from across New York state visited Poughkeepsie to attend the College Democrats of New York Annual Conference. national politics with people who share my interest,” said Ascher. He described how the duties of his position included dialogue with other regional chairs and with the CDNY executive board. Ascher
will be responsible first to convey the interests and concerns of Democratic organizations in the Hudson Valley, and second to keep the local groups updated on the activities of See DEMOCRATS on page 4
spOrts EditOr
his past weekend, the Vassar men’s tennis team capped off a historic season by winning the regional Liberty League Championships, reclaiming the title for the Brewers for the first time since 2010. After two long days of competition, the team defeated Union College in the quarter finals, beat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the semis, and edged out No. 1 Liberty League ranked team Skidmore College in the finals to secure the title. The men’s tennis program is the only Vassar team to win a Liberty League championship so far this year. For senior co-captain Dan Freeman, winning this title capped off his time at Vassar College. “As a senior, winning this title couldn’t have been more special to me. It was pretty much the only thing missing from my Vassar experience,” described Freeman. “It was a huge goal for me to help Vassar earn a LL title during my 3 years here. Achieving that with my final chance made it incredible.” After defeating Union in the quarterfinals, the team almost lost to RPI in the semis, winning 5-4. Senior co-captain and number one singles player Andrew Guzick won the final match against RPI’s numSee TENNIS on page 18
Legally Blonde a light, fun musical Posse veterans join new freshman class A John Plotz rEpOrtEr
t Vassar, where people compete over who has slept the least and daily schedules are filled past capacity, students often forget how important it can be to have pure, unadulterated fun. In turn, the theater
climate often reflects students’ serious attitudes towards their studies. When Director Doug Greer ’14 proposed a production of Legally Blonde to Future Waitstaff of America (FWA) last December, he decided he wanted to change the tone. “At Vassar, we do a lot of drama with
funny moments rather than comedy with dramatic moments, so I wanted to do a musical that was solely about fun,” he said. He continued, “I wanted to bring something different to Vassar theater, and it’s my favorite musical.” See MUSICAL on page 16
Administration believes these incoming freshmen will add unique perspective to Class of 2017 Eloy Bleifuss Prados
assistant FEaturEs EditOr
W
Spencer Davis/The Miscellany News
Jessie Lanza ’14, above, plays Elle Woods in Future Waitstaff of America’s production of Legally Blonde, which is directed by Doug Greer ’14. The musical will open in the Susan Stein Shiva on May 2 at 8 p.m. and have performances on Friday and Sunday.
6
Inside this issue
An inside look at senior regrets from FEATURES Vassar careers
9
OPINIONS
Arabic Studies: why VC needs to catch up to its peers
hen the Class of 2017 arrives on campus to begin orientation on August 27, they will be joined by 11 veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, the first in a brand new partnership with the Posse Foundation. It is the first program of its kind at Vassar and in the country. The Posse Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in New York, is dedicated to recruiting students from populations under-represented in the country’s top schools. The Foundation selectively recruits and sends groups of 10 to 12 high school graduates to its 44 partnering colleges or universities. This group goes together and functions as a support network in what can be an unfamiliar and alienating environment for working-class or first-generation college students. Posse Founder and President Deborah Bial explained the effectiveness of the Posse model.
19 Sports
“It’s so simple this idea of a team of young people going together to the same college or university could not only back each other up but really be a powerful positive influence on a community on campus,” said Bial. The issue of veteran outreach has been an important one for the school’s administration. On April 11, President Catherine Hill wrote an opinions piece in the Wall Street Journal encouraging elite private colleges and universities to actively recruit more veterans. Hill wrote, “These young men and women have already made a difference to their country and have demonstrated their willingness to serve others. For that, they deserve a chance at all of America’s institutions of higher education” (“Top Colleges, Please Recruit More Veterans”). However, according to Dean of Freshmen Benjamin Lotto, Vassar found little luck with veterans. Said Lotto, “Other schools like us See VETERANS on page 14
Collins’ decision a reflection of his personality