Misc 9.13.18

The Miscellany News

Since 1866 | miscellanynews.org

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Volume CLI | Issue 2

September 13, 2018

History of women in Guide seeks to ‘disorient’ students science deserves heed Noah Purdy and Charlotte Varcoe-Wolfson Contributing Editors

Opinions Editor

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or some unfathomable reason, modern society in the 21st century seems to be stuck with the antiquated notion that science is a field primarily for men. While we have made visible breakthroughs in opening the doors of science and technology to talented women worldwide, an unsettling cultural bias seems to persist in the shadows of progress like a specter of a bygone era haunting us still.

For instance, according to a study by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, women made up only 28.8 percent of researchers in the world in 2015 (UNESCO, “Women in Science,” 29.06.2018). With regard to the United States specifically, the U.S. Economic and Statistics Administration reported that women held only 24 percent of STEM jobs in 2015 (Economics & Statistics Administration, “Women in STEM: 2017 Update,” 11.13.2017).

The numbers become even smaller if one sorts the results based on a specific field of science. While 59 percent of graduates with bachelor’s degrees in biological and biomedical sciences in 2016 were women, female

graduates in the U.S. made up only about 38.5 percent of physics degrees and about 18 percent of engineering and computer science degrees earned in that same year (Catalyst, “Women In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (STEM),” 01.03.2018). At the same time, women in America accounted for only 38 percent of economists, 26 percent of computer and mathematical scientists and nine percent of mechanical engineers (National Science Board, “Women and Minorities in the S&E Workforce,” 2018).

As discouraging as it may be, the gender gap in some of these STEM fields, such as astrophysics and mathematics, remains so vast that experts estimate that it may take more than 100 years before gender parity is achieved (Science News, “Closing the gender gap in some science fields may take over 100 years,” 04.20.2018).

Unfortunately, the fact that so few women are involved in STEM despite global efforts to encourage young girls to become leaders in science has led many smug and contemptible men to interpret this trend as proof that women just aren’t meant for the sciSee SCIENTISTS on page 14

[TW: This article mentions rape.] n Friday, Aug. 31, Director of Safety and Security Arlene Sabo emailed the campus community reporting the distribution of a document titled the “Vassar College Disorientation Guide 2018–2019” to around 400 students, some of whom were firstyears.

The Disorientation Guide, signed by “VC brewers hellbent on nothing but destruction,” aims to provide an alternative to the information presented by the College during First-Year On Friday, Aug. 31, around 400 students received the Vassar College Orientation, the end of which coin- Disorientation Guide 2018–2019. Authors of the document, who wish to See DISORIENTATION on page 4 remain anonymous, were inspired by similar documents at peer institutions.

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Courtesy of Disorientation Guide authors

Steven Park

Counselor recounts summer trials Frankie Knuckles Copy Staff

[TW: This article mentions a shooting drill.] t the beginning of third grade, my teacher Mrs. Sheibels assigned us a project: write and illustrate a mini book about all the places our feet took us over the summer. I remember exactly two of my chapters. First, my feet took me to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I drew

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a stick figure version of myself in a hospital bed with an IV machine off to the side, several other stick figures around me with concerned faces. Second, my feet took me to my sister’s 18th birthday party, where I got to see some idiot teenagers suck helium out of balloons and speak with comically high voices.

I attempted to draw that scene, and the sketch bore an unfortunate resemblance to a back alley drug exchange.

Eleven years later, I’ve kept up the

habit of dramatic introspection at the close of the summer instilled in me by that project. This summer lent itself to the practice better than most, and it left me with a number of answers to my more existential recurring questions.

At the end of last semester, I sent a hopeful email to the boss of my old high school job at my hometown public library. Some responsibilities were the same as during my illustrious career as See SUMMER on page 10

Kanye’s lyrics mirror societal ills Kaepernick’s Nike deal demands skepticism Holly Schulman Guest Columnist

[TW: This article includes discussion of rape, domestic violence and eating disorders.] he first time I listened to Kanye West’s eighth studio album, “ye” (2018), I was on a train from Paris to Amsterdam. Light rain over the European countryside created the perfect backdrop for perhaps the most beautifully melancholy—while also terrifyingly angry—Kanye record to date.

An introspective ode to his own fear, depression and sense of being lost, “ye” was released at Kanye’s most controversial moment in the public eye, exactly one month after his infamous claim that hundreds of years of African-American slavery in the United States “sounds like a choice” (Rolling Stone, “Kanye West Says 400 Years of Slavery ‘Sounds Like a Choice,’” 01.05.2018).

The album offers a peek into the mind of this incredibly influential man, who increasingly embodies the phrase he coined years ago in his song “Feedback”: “Name one genius that ain’t crazy.”

While barreling through Belgium on my high-speed train, I began a ritual that I developed years ago. I do not listen to any songs from a newly reSee KANYE on page 8

Emmett O’Malley Guest Columnist

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Courtesy of Wikipedia

Kanye’s “Violent Crimes,” from his 2018 album “ye,” raises questions about the artist’s treatment of women in the past and reveals new implications for how he wishes to transform himself into a positive father figure going forward.

Inside this issue

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ARTS

With Loeb’s help, art history no longer a mystery

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Pitfalls of drug therapy brought to OPINIONS light

rom the moment Colin Kaepernick unceremoniously knelt during the National Anthem of an NFL preseason game in the waning days of Summer 2016, there has been nothing short of public outcry.

Kaepernick’s activism transcends sport; his every move is now scrutinized by conservative media outlets and, correspondingly, the President of the United States.

To many conservatives—a faction sliding closer to white nationalism every day—there is almost nothing that better epitomizes the decline of so-called American values than a Black man, donning an Afro, kneeling for an anthem written by the oh-so-patriotic-slaveowner Francis Scott Key. A discussion of the symbolic significance of the anthem and the flag is likely in order, but I’ll leave that conversation on the sidelines. For now, let’s simply acknowledge the period ranging from Aug. 14, 2016, to Sept. 3, 2018, as a period defined by the radical political activism of a Black man on America’s largest stage in sport, and the corresponding “whitelash”

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conducted by those reactionaries on the political right. Let’s also define the period between January 2017 and this very moment as a period in which Colin Kaepernick—a man certainly talented enough to hold an NFL roster spot—was blackballed by the NFL. That’s our baseline.

On September 3, Nike released its newest advertisement campaign. In all likelihood, you’ve seen it. The coverboy? Colin Kaepernick. His unedited face is set in sharp black and white.

Plopped atop is a customarily tight, pre-packaged, retweet-ready slogan in a font only slightly more ambitious than Times New Roman: “Believe in something. Even it means sacrificing everything.”

Kaepernick serving as Nike’s coverboy for their 30th-anniversary “Just Do It” campaign is a very real paradigm shift. He has been one of the most public faces of anti-racist activism, avidly and persuasively denouncing police brutality and racebased inequality, while simultaneously donating more than $1 million to progressive organizations.

And yet, as of Sept. 3, he has become perhaps the most highlighted See KAEPERNICK on page 19

“Fun” job in bakery proves nothing HUMOR but fakery

The Miscellany News

Page 2

September 13, 2018

Welcome back, Vassar!

Editor-in-Chief Talya Phelps

Senior Editor Leah Cates

Contributing Editors

Noah Purdy Charlotte Varcoe-Wolfson Laila Volpe Features Opinions Humor and Satire Arts Sports Design Outreach Copy

Andrea Yang Steven Park Hannah Gaven Izzy Braham Myles Olmsted Rose Parker Kimberly Nguyen Teddy Chmyz Jessica Moss

Assistant Social Media Patrick Tanella Assistant Design Scarlett Neuberger Assistant Online Chris Allen

Reporters Duncan Aronson Columnists Catherine Bither Jimmy Christon Olivia Feltus Jesser Horowitz Izzy Migani Sylvan Perlmutter Blair Webber Copy Natalie Bober Frankie Knuckles

All photos courtesy of Vassar College

The Miscellany News 13

September

Thursday

Late Night at the Lehman Loeb: Exhibition opening reception for “Tim Youd: The Hudson Valley Retyped�

5:00 p.m. | Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center Atrium | The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

Weekender_ 14

September

Friday

The American Pavilion 12:00 p.m. | Jade Parlor | Career Development Office

Faculty Recital: An evening of jazz 8:00 p.m. | Skinner Recital Hall | Music Dept.

The Legacy of the Drunken Dutchess

Faculty Recital: An evening of jazz

5:00 p.m. | RH 200 | Greek and Roman Studies Dept.

8:00 p.m. | Skinner Recital Hall | Music Dept.

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September

Saturday

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September

Sunday

Tennis (W) vs. Vassar Scramble (NYU/CT College/ New Paltz)

Tennis (W) vs. Vassar Scramble (NYU/CT College/ New Paltz)

11:00 a.m. | Joss Tennis Courts and Walker Bays | Athletics

9:00 a.m. | Joss Tennis Courts and Walker Bays | Athletics

Soccer (W) vs. SUNY Oneonta

Paper Critique

12:00 p.m. | Prentiss Gordon Field | Athletics

9:00 p.m. | Rose Parlor | The Miscellany News

Welcome to Questbridge

Barbara Ransby Lecture

5:00 p.m. | Aula | Quest Scholars Chapter of Vassar College

5:30 p.m. | Villard Room | Dean of the Faculty

Cupcake Wars

Open Mic

9:00 p.m. | College Center 223 | Big Night In

CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only accept corrections for any misquotes, misrepresentations or factual errors for an article within the semester it is printed.

The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.

8:00 p.m. | The Mug | Vassar Students Musicians Union

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

NEWS

September 13, 2018

Page 3

College earns Gold rating for exemplary sustainability efforts Leah Cates and Laila Volpe

Senior Editor & Contributing Editor

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assar’s is known for boasting its natural beauty, from the Farm to its abundant arboreal richness, but recently the College’s commitment to ecological quality has been recognized in more concrete form. In August, Vassar earned a fourth-place ranking in the Water Conservation category in the 2018 Sustainable Campus Index, a publication of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, which lists especially sustainable colleges and universities (Vassar Info, “Vassar gets ‘top performer’ rating in nationwide sustainability rankings,” 08.22.2018).

The report cited the College’s exemplary efforts in water conservation, recycling and reuse, as well as its renewable energy initiatives.

In a press release, Vassar Director of Sustainability Alistair Hall ’11 specified some of these measures, which include “smart irrigation practices on our athletic fields, low-flow fixtures in our buildings, and a closed-loop water supply at our Chiller Plant,” as well as the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences landscape (Vassr Info).

Hall noted that these efforts created a 40 percent cutback in water consumption in the last 13 years. Furthermore, according to the press release, Vassar entered into a 20-year contract with the operators of a Beacon, NY, hydroelectric plant in early 2016 (Vassar Info).

Beyond earning recognition in the Sustainable Campus Index, Vassar achieved a Gold rating in its most recent report for Sustainability Tracking Assessment and Rating System, making it one of 106 out of 352 colleges to earn such a ranking and improving upon its Silver ratings in 2011 and 2014. Vassar also placed 67th out of 268 in the Sierra Club’s Cool Schools 2018 ranking, which assesses colleges’ and universities’ wide-ranging ecofriendliness (Vassar Info).

Indeed, Vassar’s Sustainability Office has been working diligently to reduce its carbon footprint. The office has created a plan for car-

Talya Phelps In this week’s headlines...

In an atypical move on Sept. 5, The New York Times published an anonymous Op-Ed essay at the request of the author, whom the Times stated was a senior official in the Trump administration. The article paints a picture of a divided White House, in which many senior officials are actively working against President Trump’s agenda. “Anyone who works with him knows he is not moored to any discernible first principles that guide his decision making,” the author states (The New York Times, “I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” 09.05.2018).

In response, on Sept. 7, Trump condemned the article as an act of treason and called for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to look into the source. It is not clear whether the White House has contacted the Justice Department to begin an investigation, which The New York Times has stated would constitute an abuse of power (The New York Times, “Trump Wants Attorney General to Investigate Source of Anonymous Times Op-Ed,” 09.07.2018).

On Sept. 6, India’s Supreme Court unanimously struck down the country’s ban on consensual gay sex following weeks of deliberation.

Codified during the Victorian era by British colonizers, the law had been in effect for 150 years.

bon neutrality by 2030 and intends to put a solar project into place this year. Finally, the office installed solar panels at the Vassar Barns, which will cover all of the electricity usage for the barns and a large portion of the preserve.

The office is currently creating a master energy plan designed to add more specificity to the climate action plan, which will include research on how to achieve carbon neutrality. Engineers worked with the office, examining heating plans and buildings to figure out where to focus on improving the campus’ sustainability.

Hall explained, “Preliminarily we think we can lower campus energy usage overall by 20 to 30 percent, which is pretty exciting. And that’s not just lower carbon emissions, but lower in our utility budget, and that’s freeing up money for so much other stuff to be done on campus.”

The office is not deterred by the current U.S. administration’s stance on environmental efforts. In fact, Vassar is one of 344 colleges and universities to sign the We Are Still In pact, stating that it will continue to fight for environmental justice despite the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Accord.

Students at Vassar can join in these international efforts to combat climate change by getting involved with various groups on campus.

One such organization is the Eco Leader Program, a volunteer group dedicated to hands-on conservation and campus sustainability efforts.

The weekly program takes on activities such as plant identification, invasive species removal and pollinator garden planting.

A second organization dedicated to campus sustainability is Students for Equitable Environmental Decisions (SEED). SEED aims to further the climate action plan by working directly with the administration. They organized the Climate Action Sustainability Committe, which includes three students, two of whom are elected to the committee and one who holds a VSA position.

One goal of SEED is to help students understand how sustainability on campus works and

how to become a part of the movement. According to member Daniel Otto ’19, the main functions of SEED, which is broken up into four non-hierarchal working groups this semester, include creating the space for such conversations and working on the structuring of the committee and its meetings.

One of the unique aspects of SEED is its influence on the administration. The group works directly with the administration, presenting proposals to make Vassar more sustainable. SEED member Greta Nelson ’21 aims to make sustainability and environmental justice a part of any administrative decision the College makes. Otto corroborated this sentiment: “Working with administrators and building relationships with them to get this in the front of their mind and make this a pressing issue and something they have to continue to revisit on a regular basis is massive progress in itself.”

Yet another major force for sustainability on campus is the Vassar Greens, an organization that promotes environmental consciousness specifically among the student population.

According to Greens member Melissa Hoffmann ’21, “Even though [Vassar community members] might not feel like they’re contributing to climate action or affecting climate issues, they are just by existing and being part of the Vassar community … I want people to know the immediacy and urgency of taking climate action. Climate change is something that’s affecting everything right now.” Hoffman enjoys encouraging environmental consciousness among the student body: “We want to make sure students feel informed and are able to take on sustainable initiatives themselves.”

In addition to continuing to run the free market, a weekly event where students can exchange items without charge, as well as the Students With a Purpose: Recycling (SWAPR) event at the end of the year, the organization hopes to achieve a zero-waste campus. It plans to fulfill this ambition by promoting recycling

and composting with social media and poster campaigns, beginning a TerraCycle program (a national initiative to recycle products traditionally viewed as non-recyclable), creating a video about recycling and composting properly geared toward first-years and working with other orgs to help them become more sustainable. Last year, the Greens teamed up with the LGBTQ Center to host a drag show that utilized sustainable makeup, as well as partnering with Project.Period to sell menstrual cups at a reduced cost and forming a committee to help ensure that Founder’s Day was as sustainable as possible.

Hoffmann explained the numerous activities that Greens and other groups have undertaken, filling a need to mobilize students to engage with sustainability: “A lot of people know that climate action is super important but they don’t want to do it themselves. So getting people to think of ways they could actually be more involved is really exciting.”

Another goal for the Greens is to improve communication with the Vassar administration, including the Sustainability Office, so that students receive more thorough information about environmental initiatives on campus.

In addition, the current administration’s stance on environmental issues has inspired the Greens to become more politically active, particularly in local government. Students participate in phone banking and support candidates with progressive environmental policies. According to Hoffmann, “If you feel like you can’t do anything about Trump, think about ways you can start taking action in your local community.”

Ultimately, the missions of Vassar students involved in combating climate change through sustainable practices extend beyond the campus to encompass global humanitarian issues.

“This isn’t just environmental issues, this is human rights and social justice,” Hoffmann asserted. “This is about a moral issue too.”

As part of the ruling, the justices specified that, from now on, gay Indians are to be accorded all the protections of the Constitution. The more than two dozen petitioners who rallied to eliminate the ban included gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, each of whom risked being arrested simply by publicly sharing their identity (The New York Times, “India Gay Sex Ban Is Struck Down. ‘Indefensible,’ Court Says,” 09.06.2018).

Brett Kavanaugh, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Trump’s nominee to fill the vacant Supreme Court seat left by Anthony Kennedy, concluded four tumultuous days of Senate confirmation hearings on Sept. 7. Some Senate Democrats opposed the hearings on the basis that not all of Kavanaugh’s White House records had been released. Debate also arose around an email sent

by Kavanaugh during his tenure in the George W. Bush administration, in which he questioned the status of Roe v. Wade as a “settled law.” If confirmed, Kavanaugh is expected to tip the ideological bent of the Supreme Court to the right (The Wall Street Journal, “Kavanaugh Weathers Raucous Hearing,” 08.07.2018).

The New York Times reported on Sept. 8 that over the last year, the Trump administration held secret meetings with rebellious military officers from Venezuela to discuss overthrowing President Nicolás Maduro. One of the military officers involved in the talks is on the American government’s sanctions list of corrupt officials in Venezuela, having been accused of crimes including torturing critics, wounding civilians and trafficking drugs. Plans for staging a coup to unseat Maduro stalled after American officials decided not to assist (The New York Times, “Trump Administration Discussed Coup Plans With Rebel Venezuelan Officers,”

09.08.2018).

In our backyard...

An application to open a charter school in the City of Poughkeepsie has been withdrawn, The Poughkeepsie Journal reported on Sept. 8.

Educational consultant Robert Watson, who has been leading the effort to establish the Hudson Valley Charter School, stated that the applicant group chose to expand the scope of its proposal by establishing partnerships with businesses, collegiate institutions and charter management organizations. At a hearing in August, some local residents expressed concern that a charter school would harm the public school district (The Poughkeepsie Journal, “Poughkeepsie charter school proposal withdrawn, for now,” 09.08.2018).

Local volunteers will conduct this year’s Poughkeepsie Community Food Assessment on three dates throughout the fall, the first being Sept. 15. The survey is organized by Dutchess Outreach and researchers from Vassar and SUNY New Paltz. The results of the last survey in 2010–12 revealed that 26.8 percent of households in the City of Poughkeepsie were food insecure by Department of Agriculture standards. The first survey day will commence at 2 p.m. in the cafeteria of Poughkeepsie’s Family Partnership Center (The Buzz: City of Poughkeepsie eNewsletter, 09.06.2018).

On Sept. 5, the City of Poughkeepsie released the Draft Poughkeepsie Innovation District Policy Framework and accompanying zoning code regulations. The Poughkeepsie Innovation District (PID) is a multi-year project that aims to reenergize the downtown commercial section, with a focus on increased residential population and a creative economy.

The newly released framework emphasizes “placemaking,” meaning the elimination of va-

cant property, as well as inclusion and diversity.

Interim Economic Development Director Paul Calogerakis commented, “The proposed zoning changes are integral to Poughkeepsie’s innovation economy, which will thrive in a mixed-use environment where people have the opportunity to spontaneously meet in collaborative workspaces, cafes, living rooms, and on the sidewalk” (The Buzz).

Looking toward the midterms...

On Sept. 9, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo denied prior knowledge of a mailing distributed by the New York State Democratic Committee, calling it a mistake and inappropriate. The mailer in question falsely claimed that Cuomo’s primary challenger, Cynthia Nixon, supports the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement, and accused her of being “silent on the rise of anti-Semitism.” According to the last available public polling in July, Cuomo leads Nixon by more than 30 percentage points (CNN, “Cuomo distances himself from, criticizes NY Dems’ mailer targeting Nixon as unsupportive to Jewish community,” 09.09.2018).

In Anaheim, CA, on Sept. 8, former President Barack Obama encouraged Democrats to constructively express their displeasure with the current political climate by voting in November. The event represented Obama’s first rally of 2018. It was organized by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and aimed to boost seven Democrats running in districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016 but currently represented by Republicans in the House. Speaking to 750 Democrats in attendance, Obama cautioned, “This is a consequential moment in our history. The fact is, if we don’t step up things can get worse” (CNN, “Obama implores Californians to vote and ‘restore some sanity in our politics,’” 09.08.2018).

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Page 4

NEWS

September 13, 2018

Document sparks conversations on institutional complicity DISORIENTATION continued from page 1

cided with the distribution of the document.

The authors state in the introduction, “We are a group of radical students who created this publication to combat this romanticized admin-

colleges and universities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Amherst College, have published similar Disorientation Guides in recent years that critique their respective institutions. In an email interview with The Miscella-

ing the behaviors this document advocates, and launching an investigation into who was behind it. By Saturday morning [Sept. 1] we had identified the students believed to be responsible for its distribution and began the student conduct

understand that it did not necessarily foster the conversation we hoped the guide would spark.

We do not, however, find the action to be in any way anti-Semitic … Still, we will happily apologize for the harm it’s caused. And we want to

istrative introduction. This guide aims to peel back the carefully curated image of college and provide an understanding of institutional power at Vassar.”

The guide goes on to give a broad timeline of Vassar’s history in its local context, an account of past activist events on campus and various essays—personal and analytical—that criticize “the white supremacist, cisheteropatriachal, capitalist values that govern the college.” Topics range from satirical biographies of members of the Board of Trustees to perceived biases and improper conduct on the part of Safety and Security to a reflection on the 2015–16 Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.

Reactions to certain provocative statements in the document dominated campus conversation. The guide’s calls to action, such as “Don’t say something, watch it burn <3”—in reference to campus security vehicles—“Host a molotov cocktail making workshop” and “Slap a zionist <3” led to condemnations of violent action and anti-Semitism by Sabo in her email and by President of the College Elizabeth Bradley in a message sent on Sept. 2. Bradley asserted that although conversations concerning Vassar’s institutional history are crucial to the community, “Authentic and critical discussion of these topics is stifled when violence is incited.”

Both Bradley and VSA President Tamar Ballard expressed their willingness to engage with students who had questions or concerns about the guide and its implications. The day following the distribution of the guide, approximately 60 students attended the gathering hosted by the VSA in the Old Bookstore to reflect and debrief.

Though this publication is the first in Vassar’s history, students and alumnae/i of various elite

ny News under the condition of anonymity, the writers of the Disorientation Guide explained the motivation behind the publication.

“In discussing the idea with students from class of 2014 to class of 2022 we figured that it was crucial to [start] a conversation about things that happen at Vassar that will not be discussed during orientation week. It’s frustrating as students because Vassar in many ways is great, we don’t deny that, but it’s not the amazing refuge that orientation can make it out to be,” wrote the authors.

As they divulged, they compiled the guide to include collaborative sections and submissions from current students and alumnae/i, all in an effort to reflect varying conversations from activist groups on campus. The authors stated that their sources included personal experiences, meetings with administrators, online research and articles from The Miscellany News, Boilerplate Magazine and other publications.

Regarding their decision to remain anonymous in the guide, the writers cited various reasons, including precedent from other Disorientation Guides and a desire for the conversation to focus on broader campus needs rather than individual opinions. Certain articles in the guide also necessitated anonymity, according to the authors, such as one discussing rape allegations against an unnamed professor. As the authors wrote, “How do you address some of these issues non-anonymously with our current legal system and other school rules and what not [sic]?”

Following the dissemination of the guide, the College quickly launched an investigation to discover the students behind it. In a written statement on Sept. 3, the College stated, “We have taken swift action, immediately condemn-

process. We have also worked to stop its distribution on our campus through electronic and print means.”

Vice President of Communications Amanita Duga-Carroll declined to comment on the ongoing student conduct process, citing the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

She also referenced President Bradley’s Sept. 7 email announcement of a commitment to providing anti-bias training for students and student-facing administrators in connection with the Engaged Pluralism Initiative (EPI).

Incidents related to the publication of the guide have additionally been addressed by the VSA in the past week. The VSA Organizations Committee will be conducting an audit on the student organization Crafts Not Bombs, which focuses on activism through art, in response to the organization’s attempt to use VSA funds to print the Disorientation Guide. According to Chair of Organizations Dea Oviedo ’20, this audit was approved prematurely by the VSA Executive Board before Orgs Committee could plan a timeline and approve it due to the time-sensitive nature of the situation. As explained at the Sept.

9 Senate meeting, Crafts Not Bombs will also be temporarily prohibited from registering events through the SARC office or accessing its budget until the audit is complete.

The authors of the guide expressed their surprise at students’ and administrators’ reactions: “[W]e take responsibility for including silly things like ‘throw a molotov cocktail party’ that we figured were just funny and whatever, we did not expect to be called arsonists, nor to spark accusations of anti-Semitism.”

As they further detailed, “In regards to including ‘slap a zionist’ as a proposed action, we

apologize for the ways the school chose to turn it into an anti-Semitic statement because in no way do we want to hurt Jewish students.”

They additionally expressed regret for the guide’s tone switches, which made it difficult to differentiate sarcasm from intended points of discussion and calls to action. They indicated an intention to continue the Disorientation Guide initiative in future years as well.

The authors’ statement to The Miscellany News also reiterated their support for the BDS movement, citing various incidents involving clashes between pro-Palestine and pro-Israel groups at Loyola University Chicago and the work of Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi. These statements aligned with the reaffirmations stated in the guide: “We are open to the possibility of running another BDS Campaign, or any other international solidarity effort.”

To conclude, the authors of the Disorientation Guide expanded on one of their goals for the project: connecting interested students with alumnae/i involved in the activism they promoted in writing. “Those of us who are alumni want folks to know that the guide was put together by students across 8 or so class years … With that, we found that it showcased the beginnings of what is a pretty big network of support for more radical students,” the authors wrote.

In its statement, the College reiterated its commitment to addressing the publication of the guide, pursuing the investigation of its conception and dissemination while upholding core beliefs. The statement affirmed, “We will continue to be vigilant to address these issues decisively and in a way that reinforced our deeply held values of community, respect, and engaged pluralism.”

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MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

September 13, 2018

NEWS

Page 5

VSA Updates 2. Committee Updates

The Third Senate of the Vassar Student Association (VSA) held its first meeting of the semester on Sunday, Sept. 9, at 2:30 p.m. in Rockefeller Hall.

Chair of Equity & Inclusion Met with Committee on Inclusion and Equity (CIE) on Friday, Sept. 7, and discussed reviewing and revising policy on affinity spaces. CIE explored the option of focusing on free speech this year.

Chair of Programming Tasty Tuesday and Saturday shuttle are up and running! There are seven vendors who will be rotating week-to-week.

Plans for the New York City shuttle are in the works.

Courtesy of Kelsie Milburn

1. Executive Board Updates

Chair of Health and Wellness Met briefly with Wendy Freedman about expanding the counseling service at Vassar.

Chair of Academics Curricular changes will go into effect in Fall 2019. These changes will primarily affect the Classes of 2021 and 2022.

Chair of Organizations Orgs Committee will be conducting an audit of Crafts Not Bombs due to their attempt to use org funds to print the Disorientation Guide. Until the audit is complete, the org will not be able to register events through the SARC Office or access their budget.

Chair of Finance Last week, Finance hosted Treasurer Training. They are working on getting all

News Briefs The Village Voice ends 63-year run The Village Voice, one of New York City’s most prestigious alternative newspapers, shut down on Aug. 31. As owner of the paper Peter D. Barbey announced, “Due to, basically, business realities, we’re going to stop publishing Village Voice new material” (Gothamist, “The Village Voice Is Officially Dead.” 08.31.2018).

The Village Voice was founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Edwin Fancher and Norman Mailer as a weekly news and cultural paper. It was the country’s first alternative newsweekly, meaning it published editorial- and magazine-style pieces highlighting city culture more than general news.

Since then, for 63 years, the paper has served not only as a valuable resource to its readers but also as a launching pad for budding contributors. An article in Vox states, “The Village Voice has been an institution—not just for the city but for several generations of writers and critics whose careers were launched or inspired by the groundbreaking writing on art and popular culture found in its pages” (Vox, “The Village Voice Has Been Shut Down.”

08.31.2018).

The Village Voice has featured the work of some of the most revered critics and writers in the American canon, including Ezra Pound, Henry Miller, Katherine Anne Porter, James Baldwin, Allen Ginsberg, Jonas Mekas, Andrew Sarris, Nelson George and Jill Johnston.

Theater critic Hilton Als and novelist Colson Whitehead—both Pulitzer Prize recipients— began their careers at The Village Voice. It was also a home for investigative reporters Jack Newfield and James Ridgeway and for music critics Lester Bangs, Robert Christgau and Nat Hentoff. In addition, The Village Voice served as one of the few surviving New York City newspapers to cover such an eclectic range of topics—from cultural events in cinema, art and music to political investigations and countless editorials and reviews.

Barbey, the president of Reading Engle Company—which also owns the Reading Eagle newspaper and the WEEU radio station—acquired The Village Voice in 2015. His first ex-

The Vassar Student Association (VSA) Senate gathered for their first meeting of the semester.

Executive Board members and class senators look forward to serving the student body. treasurers p-cards and access to Workday.

The Special Purpose Fund app is open.

Chair of Residential Affairs Met with Teresa Quinn regarding summer meal plans.

Vice President Will meet with Communications to update

perience with the newspaper occurred when he was a boarding school student at Northfield Mount Hermon in Massachusetts; he was attracted to its coverage of the mid-1970s New York rock scene and the film criticism of Andrew Sarris. When Barbey committed to invest in The Village Voice, he said, “I’m honored I had an opportunity to purchase it and be part of its future. It’s one of the world’s great journalistic brands. It deserves to survive and prosper. It’s important to a lot of people” (Gothamist).

However, the future did not turn out to be as bright as Barbey had expected. After two years, on Aug. 22, 2017, The Village Voice decided to stop publishing its physical printed copy, which had been available for decades from its many trademark red boxes on New York’s street corners. The paper focused on digital coverage instead, but just one year later, it closed its doors.

Staff members said that they were not surprised at this outcome. Film critic Bilge Ebiri commented that staff members were “prepared for the worst” after the cessation of print publication. Moreover, the paper’s last editor-in-chief, Stephen Mooallem, left The Village Voice in May and the position was never again filled (The New York Times, “The Village Voice, a New York Icon, Closes,” 08.31.2018).

The shutdown of The Village Voice is symptomatic of the ongoing decline in print journalism in New York City and nationwide.

According to Tom Robbins, a former investigative journalist at The Village Voice, “It’s astonishing that this is happening in New York, the biggest media town in America” (The New York Times). Neil DeMause, who has devoted more than 20 years to the paper as an editor, lamented, “I’m deeply saddened as a consumer of media and a little bit scared as a New Yorker and an American that we are losing all these journalism outlets at a time when we need them more than ever” (The New York Times).

Amazon reaches $1 trillion valuation After Apple made history in early August by becoming the first company to reach the $1 trillion mark in market value, Amazon.com, Inc.,

the VSA website.

VSA hosted an open house on Sunday, Sept. 9, and enjoyed seeing everyone’s faces.

President Looking into the idea of a Poughkeepsie pick-up project.

as of Sept. 4, is now the second company to have reached this same lofty valuation. Amazon’s shares rose as high as $2,050.50, 23 cents above the amount needed to push the company over the $1 trillion threshold.

Founded by its current CEO Jeff Bezos as an online bookseller in 1994, Amazon had comparatively slow growth in its initial years.

Since 2011, however, it has expanded significantly by opening its marketplace to numerous small businesses, retailers and manufacturers and by capturing sales from other retail chains.

In 2017, Amazon’s online store sales topped $108 billion. Sales through Amazon account for nearly half of the country’s online spending, and over 100 million people pay for its Prime membership program. Moreover, Amazon is the second-largest private employer in the United States (The Washington Post, “Amazon becomes the country’s second $1 trillion company,” 09.04.2018).

As managing director of Aegis capital Victor Anthony commented, “For decades, investors have questioned Amazon’s ability to grow its profit margins…Now that it has several high-margin revenue streams, we’re seeing those doubts subside” (The Washington Post).

Several distinctive characteristics of Amazon have contributed to its success. First, its cloud computing services have played a role as a primary profit driver. Daniel Morgan, a portfolio manager at Synovus Trust in Atlanta, described Amazon’s cloud services as its “crown jewel.” He explained, “Amazon’s a little bit more dynamic than Apple because the iPhone has become more mature. Amazon’s cloud business is an extra growth driver that Apple doesn’t have” (Reuters, “Amazon touches $1 trillion, on pace to overtake Apple,” 09.05.2018).

Another cash cow is Amazon’s web services. By creating original electronic devices, investing in award-winning films and shows and renting computer power on its servers to other companies, Amazon Web Services produced more than $17 billion in revenue in 2017.

Furthermore, Amazon’s advertising business brought in $2.2 billion for the company in 2018, more than double what it did in 2017.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

3. Committee Times Academics: Tuesdays at 8 p.m. in the VSA office Organizations: Tuesdays at 5 p.m. in the VSA office Health and Wellness: Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in the VSA office Programming: Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the VSA office Planning: Thursday at 7 p.m. in the VSA office (this week) Stay tuned for remaining committee times and the Executive Board’s office hours!

—Charlotte Varcoe-Wolfson, Contributing Editor

Finally, Amazon is expanding into new retail spheres such as groceries, pharmaceuticals and home technology. In 2017, the company acquired grocery chain Whole Foods Market and announced plans to purchase online pharmacy PillPack in summer 2018. In doing so, Amazon is essentially trying to become a one-stop shop for millions of American households.

“The common connection between Apple and Amazon is their ability to get us to think about them every day—whether through commerce or services,” commented Brendan Witcher, an analyst for market research firm Forrester. “They are both almost seen as necessary as a utility in some consumer’s [sic] lives” (The Washington Post).

Manager of Baron Capital Opportunity Fund Michael Lippert reflected, “They’ve proven they can make it work. They’re spending a lot on all these things to build and enforce their competitive advantages” (The Wall Street Journal, “Amazon Hits $1 Trillion Valuation,” 09.04.2018).

However, some prominent political figures have raised concerns about Amazon’s massive size and reach. For example, President Trump has expressed dissatisfaction with Amazon’s effect on traditional retail and accused the company of underpaying for postage through the U.S. Postal Service. He has repeatedly attacked the company on Twitter, asserting that many believe there may be antitrust concerns related to its growth. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has also criticized Amazon for working conditions at the company’s warehouse. Sanders plans to introduce legislation that would require large employers, including Amazon, to reimburse the government for any federal benefits collected by their workers (The Wall Street Journal).

In spite of concerns about Amazon’s seemingly inexorable growth, the company marches forward with its expansion, already adding two more companies to its list of acquisitions in 2018. Additionally, Amazon is actively searching for the host city for its second headquarters, Amazon HQ2.

—Youngju Chang, Guest Reporter

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September 13, 2018

Filmmakers present statements on cultural obsolescence Christian Flemm Guest Columnist

SPIRAL JETTY ast Coast literati are consumed by memories new and selected in Ricky D’Ambrose’s rigorous, occasionally revelatory “Spiral Jetty.” A New Yorker since his youth, D’Ambrose rattled film culture in July of 2016 with an article part polemic, part digital cinema manifesto, part anthropological analysis of image culture for The Nation (The Nation, “Instagram and the Fantasy of Mastery” 06.29.2016), attracting the attention of film critics and scholars alike—among his champions The New Yorker’s Richard Brody. Between 2013 and 2018, D’Ambrose has put theory into practice, delivering three distinctly literary, distinctly D’Ambrosian short films and a feature, themselves each with their own formal preoccupations—shades of Bresson, Straub-Huillet and Fassbinder throughout—revealing a cinematic asceticism that privileges gestures, liminal spaces and information revealed through text over the conventional narrative.

In “Spiral Jetty,” his most recent short, Daniel (Bingham Bryant), a young intellectual who spends days in the park flipping through art books with his vacation-bound girlfriend (Jessica Pinfield), is hired by the daughter of late psychologist Kurt Blumenthal (Caroline Luft) to transcribe and detail his eminence’s personal documents, among which are correspondences, journals, articles and videotapes.

As Daniel loses himself in the work, always in submission to the iron will of Blumenthal’s daughter—herself crafting a financial and literary legacy through a constructed narrative of the elder Blumenthal’s life—he uncovers something of a mystery. But piecing together histories from a distance, Daniel is little more than a voyeur, here trading hu-

E

man lives (and secrets well-kept) for capital, a cog greased by the financially well-endowed.

The camera, always static, treats us as late arrivals. We might see the aftermath of breakfast or glimpses of yesterday’s news. For D’Ambrose, only scraps and detritus. Characters are treated no differently than the documents that Daniel pores over—it is information plainly stated, but always lacking explicit context. It is this asceticism and hesitancy that allows for a deeper understanding of the signifiers set forth by the montage.

If the crisp digital footage set in the present day offers a vacuum-sealed world isolated from a broader cultural narrative, footage of Blumenthal’s handheld videotapes serve as a jarring counterpoint to this modern luxury, themselves revealing a film in dialogue with tragic events that brought the world into the 21st century. This late revelation is disorienting, to say the least. It is the rare moment that forces the audience to reckon with the reality of the digital era, itself an effect of late capitalism and the continuing race towards immediate obsolescence. This footage reorients the preceding 12 minutes as completely insignificant, making the check that Daniel receives for his work feel like a particularly wicked cosmic joke.

Apart from the shared title, the connection to Robert Smithson’s earthwork sculpture of the same name might seem tenuous at best. But in the presence of the “Spiral Jetty” residing in Great Salt Lake, like Daniel chasing the textual detritus of a bygone era into an absurd spiral, so do we find ourselves treading rocky terrain—the viewer, ever the impotent detective—leading indefinitely into water. And from there—ripples. The tide recedes as waves beat against the sand, your eyes drawn to the horizon.

“Spiral Jetty” is available for viewing on D’Ambrose’s Vimeo page. His debut feature “Notes on

an Appearance” has just finished a successful run across the country. Expect it soon on DVD/Blu-Ray from Grasshopper Films.

HISTORYTELLING In a bright blue classroom in Chicoutimi (Saguenay, Quebec), a teacher and her students—children no older than 10 years—are predicting the future. Hopeful speculations include the discovery of a new animal, a new tree and—slightly alarming— the development of more effective war machines.

In an Innu classroom on the Pessamit First Nations Reserve (also in Quebec), students of the same age consider their cultural past, juxtaposed against an homogenized future. One child fears for her family and thinks that war might even break out on the reserve. Another feels that with the continued diminution of Innu people on the reserve, the traditional language will disappear entirely. Striking a note far more fearful than the Chicoutimi classroom, there is a learned awareness among the Innu children that their tradition is in trouble. Such are the lines of stratification that Guillaume Langlois sets down in his newest short subject “Historytelling,” an anthropological investigation into the separations between aboriginal and colonial legatee culture in Quebec, and how the younger generation might affect it in 15 years’ time.

Because Langlois differentiates the two kinds of cultural awareness so early in the film, it is logical to assume that one classroom might produce eventual defenders of regional identity, and the other develop citizens more willing to cede part of their national identity to the weight of globalization. Not that there is an intentional effort on the filmmaker’s part to generalize each classroom by its differences, but the efforts at synonymy appear rather weak at best, restricting each classroom to a strict rhetorical dichotomy that ultimately sabotages its own attempt at direct cinema. But apart from

these separations, the filmmaker offers little investigation beyond students’ testimonials and—worth mentioning—a rather on-the-nose rack focus from a student to an artist’s depiction of Canada’s colonial past. Only seldom does “Historytelling” reach beyond its lines of stratification for something that feels historically urgent. And it is this lack of urgency in depiction that is the film’s biggest issue.

Late in the film, however, Langlois interviews two elderly Innu women while children play in the snow, out of focus, just in the background: “When I was young I didn’t care about anything, but now at my age I remember everything we used to do in the bush.” Here, Langlois just begins to seriously probe questions of cultural awareness, as a generational item; but, stopping short of actual investigation, these questions are dropped almost as soon as they are asked. How has Innu cultural awareness changed between two generations? Are future generations forced into relays of preserving a traditional past instead of crafting a traditional present, for the future? Innu children are aware that they will not be able to live as their grandparents did “because there’ll be no more trees,” but the inclusion of this scene seems only to spark further questions upon which the filmmaker might have hopefully elaborated. From there, the “Historytelling” slips back into its fairly restrictive lines of compare and contrast.

For a question so immediately interesting—one of how a culture adapts to globalization against the tidal wave of time—it is frustrating how light Langlois’s touch is with his material. He opts to place sharper focus on banalities rather than on an urgent interrogation of issues, however well-articulated.

“Historytelling” is available on MUBI. Pair with Canadian Kurt Walker’s feature “Hit 2 Pass” (on Vimeo) for an experience with both works.

Loeb displays vast collection of Northern European art Abby Tarwater Guest Reporter

T

Courtesy of Wikipedia

he significance of Northern European art can be felt at institutions of higher learning throughout the world, and Vassar is no exception.

From April 27 to Sept. 2, the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center presented a temporary exhibition titled “Master Class: Northern European Art 15001700 from the Permanent Collection.” “Master Class” primarily displayed paintings and prints from the Loeb’s collection, including works by revered artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Lucas van Leyden and Rembrandt. The exhibition was organized by Curator of Academic Programs Elizabeth Nogrady in honor of former Professor of Art Susan Donahue Kuretsky ’63. Kuretsky shared her extensive knowledge and passion for Northern European art with Vassar students for more than 40 years before her retirement in Spring 2018 (The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, “Master Class,” 2018).

Kuretsky stated, “I was deeply touched and very proud to have my colleagues in the museum want to celebrate my long career at Vassar, which has often involved teaching in the museum and offering lecture courses and seminars on the art of northern Europe—primarily the Netherlands, England and Germany. This area has been a part of the curriculum at Vassar since the 1930s, as it includes well-known artists...whose creativity was greatly stimulated by the transformative historical periods in which they lived.”

While “Master Class” celebrated Kuretsky’s vast contributions to Vassar’s Art History Department and overall curriculum, it also served as a commemoration of the unique role that Northern European art has played in forging Vassar’s history. Kuretsky said, “Our college offerings in my field (in both museum and classroom) have actually followed a trend of growing appreciation and acquisition of these artists by American collectors and museum directors that began even

From April 27 to Sept. 2, the Loeb presented the “Master Class” exhibition to celebrate the College’s large body of Northern European art and its connection to Vassar’s history and curriculum. before World War II.” The long-running appreciation for European art at Vassar is evident in the structure of “Master Class,” which was organized by the date of acquisition of the respective works. The exhibition opens with a section called “The Golden Age in the Gilded Age,” featuring pieces obtained by Vassar, ranging from the time of the College’s founding in 1864 to 1945. The earliest Northern European artworks displayed came from Reverend Elias Magoon, whose art collection of nearly 200 16thand 17th-century biblical prints was acquired by Matthew Vassar in 1864 (The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center). Around 1911, art enthusiasts intensified their focus on collecting 17th-century Dutch art; this same year, Vassar introduced its first course on Netherlandish art from the 15th to the 17th century (Art at Vassar, “Teaching Art

with Art,” 2018). This renewed interest allowed Vassar to obtain several venerated works, such as Rembrandt’s “Self Portrait in a Cap” and Pieter Claesz’s “Banquet Still-Life with Ewer and Break.”

Kuretsky commented on the noteworthiness of Vassar’s ownership of such works, praising the over 120 original engravings by Dürer and Rembrandt gifted to Vassar by the Warburg family in 1941 and deeming them a treasure for the College.

The next gallery, named “New Arrivals and New Purchases,” showcased works obtained between the end of World War II in 1945 and the opening of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center in 1993. The postwar era brought an influx of German art scholars to the College, many of whom came to Vassar to avoid the rise of Nazism in their home country (Art at Vassar). This phenomenon occurred across the nation, revolutionizing the

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

field of history­—particularly the study of Northern European art—in the United States.

Technological advances sparked innovation in the art world as well. Even after the slide projector was introduced in the 1960s, Vassar art historians remained committed to maintaining the use of physical objects in the classroom in lieu of digital alternatives. This dedication engendered new purchases by the Art Center, including Daniel Vosmaer’s “View of a Dutch Village.” The acquisition of the large body of works prompted the need for a new museum building, which is now the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center (Art at Vassar).

The third and final part of the gallery, entitled “Breaking New Ground,” encompasses the works attained by Vassar dating from the establishment of the Loeb through the present day. Since the Loeb’s founding, monumental advances have developed in both the field of Northern European art and American museums. Academics have sought novel ways of presenting and studying art in museums and classrooms. This is evident in the Vassar course “The Golden Age of Rubens, Rembrandt, and Vermeer,” which places artwork in a global historical context (Art at Vassar).

The “Master Class” exhibit ultimately prompts visitors not only to contemplate the history and evolution of Northern European art in the United States, but also to admire the merit of original works of art in academia. Although art continues to become increasingly easily reproducible, Vassar’s ability to display an extensive gallery of original works on campus remains invaluable to students.

While the acquisition of the art is itself an impressive feat, the work in which Kuretsky has engaged holds profound personal meaning as well.

She stated, “My teaching life at Vassar has been enormously inspired and illuminated by being able to work directly with this precious original material and—most of all—to share it with students.”

September 13, 2018

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Rising performer Froya delights with dreamy new songs Olivia Feltus Columnist

Sunny Side Down

Froya MVQ Music

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ut of all of the artists about whom I’ve written, I have yet to personally interact with any of them besides touching Perfume Genius’ shoe during one of his dance solos and when MØ ended up in the crowd during her show at Brooklyn Steel in January. However, a discrepancy arises when it comes to Froya, a commercial music composer who—when not known as Michelle Lee—brings dreams to life with her songs and albums.

Froya, whose name evokes the Norse goddess of love and beauty, performed as a local act during Good Vibes Festival (north of Kuala Lumpur) over the summer, sharing the stage with some very well-known contemporary artists such as Lorde, The Neighbourhood and Alt-J, a favorite band of mine for quite some time now. Soon after the festival, Froya posted a photo with two members of Alt-J, commenting about how their debut record, “An Awesome Wave,” is her favorite album. I commented “damn, thats cool,” and she, in turn, liked my comment. It isn’t the most significant interaction I’ve ever had, but it shows how Froya is still a humble and small-time artist. Nevertheless, she is on the cusp of hitting the big stages frequented by bands like Alt-J. In 2013, Froya wrote a song that was featured in a showerhead commercial for Joven, a Southeast Asian appliance manufacturer, à la Ingrid Michaelson’s “The Way I Am” for Old Navy. A

copy of the commercial is displayed on YouTube. A headlining comment by user James Ang cemented Froya’s sonic appeal, reading, “The advertisement purpose had failed because instead of people attracted to buy joven product, they are all looking for the song of this ad...lol.... thumbs up for the singer...” Froya released a new version of the song, “Hearty Bone,” on July 19, which will likely propel her to even more fame.

Much of her earlier music seems to reference and synthesize other artists and styles that were popular years before her own music career. Her 2015 album “Panic Bird” features guitar-backed songs and crisp acoustic vocals, highlighted in “Uncomprehended Child” and “Kill You (From ‘Pizza’),” as well as compositions reminiscent of late-2000s alt-pop anthems such as Sara Bareilles’ “Love Song” or Lenka’s “The Show” (this melody pairs well with “Save My Heart”). “Deserve” sounds like an amalgam of Lily Allen’s “Fuck You” and Sarah Jackson-Holman’s “Cellophane,” featured in an “Orange is the New Black” outro from 2014.

“[As Froya] releases more and more music, she seems to organically grow into her own artistic style— something distinctly Froya.”

The introduction of her 2014 single, “Rosie,” could easily be mistaken for post-2012 Lana Del Rey, while “Dawn” reminds me of “Little Talks”

from Of Monsters and Men. Listening to tracks from this period can definitely be confusing; until Froya’s song starts picking up speed, you think you’re listening to an old playlist. However, as she releases more and more music, she seems to organically grow into her own artistic style—something distinctly Froya.

I first listened to her sometime in mid-2017; her single “Dark Chocolate” initially brought me in. I have to say, it is very rare that I can listen to a song with my parents and have one of them say anything remotely positive like “Hey, I like this, can you turn it up?” Yet, the first time I played “Dark Chocolate” with them in the car, its triphop feel began to pique their interest. The song soon became one of my spring semester staples: I would listen to it while walking to class or on the way back to my room late at night. With its repetitiveness, distinct segments and constant beats, “Dark Chocolate” easily put me into a trance, and anything that altered my state of consciousness was on the top of my playlist in those times. Now, whenever I listen to it, I visualize going up the elevator to computer science class. Yet owing to the discrepancies characteristic of human memory, I don’t remember the content of the class, only the strange feelings of my commute there. Appropriately, “Dark Chocolate” has a dark feel to it and features the convergence of many different tones of the singer’s voice throughout.

My favorite of her recent singles is “Sunny Side Down.” Froya seems to have established herself as a contemporary alternative pop artist through the past few years, and this single is as much of a keystone as is “Dark Chocolate.”

Showcasing a completely different sound from anything on “Panic Bird,” this song could easily be an alternative hit. The synthesized pia-

no throughout reminds me of the ambiance of “Dark Chocolate,” but it is overall a more cohesive piece as it flows nicely.

“Showcasing a completely different sound from anything on “Panic Bird,” [Sunny Side Down] could easily be an alternative hit.”

It also showcases Froya’s vocal range, as other songs show off her crisp, clear voice but not its versatility. It creatively utilizes the electronic sound that populates its backing track, reversing the beat early in the song to create buildup to the chorus. Evidently, she is also a skilled contemporary composer. Since this release, Froya has come out with two other singles, not including remixes: “Black Macaroon” and “Hearty Bone,” or “The Joven Song,” featuring Kuizz and Radio 3000. “Black Macaroon” is in the same vein as “Sunny Side Down” in terms of ambiance and shares a similar sound to “Dark Chocolate.” However, “Hearty Bone” takes the sound to a more contemporary Western-pop place, featuring a few rap verses with intermediate vocals by Froya sprinkled among the similar beats throughout the song.

As Froya continues to release music and moves up on the headlining list at shows, I am thrilled to see where her career takes her.

Though much of her older music sounds like many genres of alternative top 40 hits, I can confidently say that if you listen to Froya now, you’ve caught her early.

Music Department to present eclectic fall concert series Izzy Braham Arts Editor

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Courtesy of Vassar Music Department

tay tuned—quite literally—for Vassar’s fall concert series. From jazz to classical, from showcasing students to guest faculty, the Music Department has put together a diverse and far-reaching lineup for this semester of concerts.

Associate Professor, Chair of the Music Department and Director of Choral Activities Christine Howlett commented on the eclectic nature of the series in an emailed statement: “We have a range of concerts that include guest artists, Vassar faculty, student ensembles and senior recitals. There is no particular theme to the overall concert season since there are so many events (close to 100 over the course of the academic year!)”

With such variety in the concert series, the Music Department has not shied away from trying new things. In addition to concerts and recitals, the series will feature dances and even a class that goes hand in hand with the music. Howlett outlined some highlights of the fall programming, writing, “This fall, the flamenco music and dance program ‘A Palo Seco’ will be very exciting…For our students in choir, we have the Lorelei Ensemble, an all-female professional choral ensemble from Boston. They will be giving an informal master class with our choir students as well as a concert.”

The multifaceted performances aim to enrich the music as well as to expand upon what students have been learning in the department. This emphasis is especially evident in the way the concert series is put together. Howlett commented, “The Music Department has a concert committee that determines which programs are included.

We request feedback and recommendations from our faculty, and we try to choose artists who will connect with what is going on in the classroom.”

Concerts Administrator Kim Andresen added, “We like to have a well-rounded and diverse roster of music and we try to feature at least four

to five guest artists each year. That’s in addition to our faculty recitals, senior recitals and Vassar College groups.”

Not only are the concerts distinct in genre of music and performance and inclusive of the department’s curriculum, but they also act as a celebration of faculty members. Adjunct Artist in Music and Director of Jazz and Wind Ensembles James Osborn commented, “We, the faculty members, enjoy these concerts because we get to rehearse, perform and interact with our fellow teachers and do what we love to do in front of our students and community members. Otherwise, we are each teaching our own lessons and classes and only get to see each other at faculty meetings.”

Beyond faculty collaboration, the student-teacher relationship and the ability to set an example for students truly lies at the heart of what makes the concerts so important. Osborn continued, “As far as the faculty concerts the rest of the year, we feel that they are important in demonstrating to our students that we are passionate, practicing performers who are dedicated to play at a high level and continually grow as musicians in every way. In other words, we are practicing what we preach in our lessons and classes!”

The fall concert series will continue with a faculty recital, “An Evening of Jazz,” which will be held on Sept. 14 and will feature both classic and original pieces. Osborn stated, “We will be playing four pieces composed and arranged for the quintet by our jazz piano teacher Peter Tomlinson. The other five pieces are well-known jazz tunes selected by the other members of the quintet, including ‘Solitude’ by Duke Ellington, ‘Wendy’ by alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and ‘This I Dig Of You’ by tenor saxophonist Hank Mobley.

We selected pieces with a variety of tempos and styles to appeal to a broad range of concert goers.”

Describing the Adjunct Artist in Music Peter Tomlinson’s creative process, Osborn stated, “Pe-

Kicking off with “An Evening of Jazz” on Sept. 14, the fall concert line-up will highlight a diverse range of music genres as well as complement the Music Department’s curriculum. ter Tomlinson, who wrote the original compositions for the concert, comes up with various melodies and harmonic progressions in his practice sessions and, when he finds something he particularly likes, he will flesh it out as a full blown composition and then write instrumental parts if the concert or gig will include a horn section.”

In keeping with the rest of the season, the upcoming concert will feature both Vassar guest artists and faculty. The latter category is composed of Tomlinson, Osborn and former Associate Professor of Music at Dutchess Community College and new faculty member Dr. Christopher Brellochs. All three faculty members have extensive experience with jazz music. Osborn commented on Brellochs’ being added to the faculty: “Chris is a versatile performer and is busy performing classical literature for the saxophone as well as jazz…

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

We are happy to welcome Dr. Brellochs to our faculty, look forward to working with him for many years and are excited to perform for our wonderful students!” In terms of guest appearances, the concert will include bassist Lou Pappas ’18 and drummer Tom Melito, with whom many of the faculty members have worked before.

Ultimately, “An Evening of Jazz” and the rest of the fall concert series aim to provide musical diversity and exploration for audiences while bonding students and teachers alike. Osborn concluded his statement with a friendly outreach: “I encourage everyone to attend as many of our concerts as possible because you never know how much you might enjoy some new music that you have not experienced before as well as hearing great performers in an intimate setting in our beautiful recital hall.”

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Gay’s ‘Hunger’ contrasts with Kanye’s ‘Violent Crimes’ KANYE continued from page 1

day-to-day life as a 19-year-old woman, I have heard thin girls proclaim, “I wish I could develop an eating disorder.” I have watched my friends pinch fat, edit their stomachs in Instagram bikini pictures until they look impossibly thin and describe their hips as “awkward” if they don’t mirror Kardashian curves. I have seen calories counted, meals skipped and many tears shed.

For these reasons and more, it is painful to hear Kanye rap, “I am a n****, I know what they want/I pray that you don’t get it all at once/ Curves under your dress, I know it’s pervs all on the ‘net.’” Here, Kanye is asserting the claim with which most teenage girls know well: that the only body that people want, the only shape that is desirable, is the impossible silhouette of his wife. Simultaneously, Kanye excuses men’s violence against women, implying that it is the woman’s fault for making her body resemble said desirable shape. He advises that, in order for his daughter to escape danger, she should follow these instructions: “Don’t do no yoga, don’t do pilates/Just play piano and stick to karate,” because if her “body’s draped more like [Kanye’s] and not like her mommy’s,” she will be safe from the “pervs all on the ‘net/All in the comments.”

This is the logic to which “Hunger” responds.

Gay, at just 12 years old, came to the same conclusion as Kanye at age 40: The desirability of our bodies is deeply connected to their safety.

Gay writes, “Losing control of my body was a matter of accretion. I began eating to change my body. I was willful in this. Some boys had destroyed me, and I barely survived it. I knew I wouldn’t be able to endure another such violation, and so I ate because I thought that if my body became repulsive, I could keep men away.

Even at that young age, I understood that to be fat was to be undesirable to men, to be beneath their contempt, and I already knew too much about their contempt” (Gay). In this way, Gay took Kanye’s advice: she didn’t “do [...] yoga” or pilates; she stuck to eating away the emotional effect of violent crimes committed against her.

With this in mind, Kanye’s song becomes more than a description of what he fears will happen to his daughters and what did happen to Gay. It is an admission of his guilt over having been the perpetrator of these “Violent Crimes”

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Kanye’s recent comments on Twitter have pushed listeners to question the artist’s morals, as well as raising concerns around the lyrics of the songs on his newly released album “ye.” which concluded at age 12 when she was violently gang raped. Following this trauma, she fell into patterns of depression and developed an acute eating disorder in which she compulsively consumed large amounts of food over many years, eventually reaching the qualification of “super morbidly obese.” She illustrates the most extreme case of the effects that societal norms (such as distorted media portrayal and rape culture) have on young women’s psyches. Gay sums this up in one phrase, one all too familiar to me and to most women I know: “I want to look good. I want to feel good. I want to be beautiful in this body I am in” (Gay).

I could tell you infinite stories of my friends’ and my own body image–related pain. In my

in his past life—the one before his daughter North was born.

The song opens with an almost eerie refrain, sung by 070 Shake, which may be interpreted as Kanye describing his feelings about his own crimes: “Falling, dreaming, talking in your sleep/I know you want to cry all night/ Plotting, scheming, finding/Reason to defend all of your violent nights.” This reading of the verse, in which the above is an image of the artist himself wrestling with guilt about his past, seems almost confirmed by the first lines he raps in the song: “N***** is savage, n***** is monsters/n***** is pimps, n***** is players/’Til n***** have daughters, now they precautious/Father, forgive me, I’m scared of the

karma/’Cause now I see women as something to nurture/Not something to conquer.” The pre-daughter Kanye was a “savage,” a “monster,” a “pimp” and a “player,” and now in his paternal stage of life, he lies in bed at night sick over his past actions. Following that opening refrain in which the rapper speaks to himself, there is a pause almost too long to be allowed— long enough to cause me to check if the song was even still playing the first time I heard it. Then the voice continues, having used the break to change from an introspective Kanye to a paternal one: “Don’t you grow up in a hurry, your mom’ll be worried.” This switch introduc-

could feel the influence of this attractive, charismatic male friend of ours on her; His words were being rapidly internalized, translating to “You would have to look like Kim Kardashian in order for someone like this to be interested in you. You would have to look that way in order to have a ‘good’ body. Your body right now is bad.”

I replied to him for her, in an attempt to stop the cycle I was witnessing, to which he was obviously oblivious. “When you, as an attractive boy, say something like that to a group of young women, it sounds to us like we have to look that way in order to be ‘good.’ ”

Courtesy of Eva Blue via Flickr

leased album until I can devote the time to hear said album in its entirety, twice. Next to me, my boyfriend, who does not share this somewhat neurotic inclination, gave his own review of the record, which he had listened to in bits and pieces during our time in Paris: “Kanye’s washed.”

I began to listen. I felt a little weird about it.

As a white person and a staunch liberal, I felt that perhaps I should not continue to listen to Kanye following his slavery-was-a-choice and pro-Trump comments. His music is largely not created for me, although I may love it. I was aware of my choice to financially and emotionally support Kanye by streaming his music. I listened anyway.

When I reached the album’s last song, “Violent Crimes,” it occurred to me that Kanye was in a somewhat similar place to me. I was listening from the perspective of a white oppressor and trying to recognize the implications of that; he was writing from the perspective of a male oppressor and trying to stress how he had recently come to understand what that means.

The lyrics, as the song’s title suggests, are violent, painting vivid images of domestic violence and alluding to the “scary nights” that women in abusive situations experience. However, the melody is of the softer persuasion, overlaid with the steady, feminine voice of 070 Shake (Danielle Balbuena) and filled with thoughtful, heavy pauses. This juxtaposition of music and lyrics conjures the album’s opening line from “I Thought About Killing You:” “The most beautiful thoughts are always besides the darkest.” This sentiment is evident throughout the record but particularly in “Violent Crimes”: Kanye writes about the beauty he has found in his love for his daughters and how it affects his perception of his past.

It is a noble effort, but as I listened, I began to feel that the song was only half of a conversation. In an attempt to find the other side, I pulled out the book I had been reading: Roxane Gay’s memoir “Hunger.”

The book, like Kanye’s album, opens by describing itself: “Everybody has a story and a history. Here I offer mine with a memoir of my body and my hunger” (Roxane Gay, “Hunger,” 2017). Gay goes on to describe her childhood,

Roxane Gay’s memoir “Hunger” discusses the author’s struggle with issues such as rape and body image. Her insights illuminate problematic aspects of the lyrics of Kanye’s ‘Violent Crimes.’ es us to the two Kanyes who are in conversation throughout the song: Kanye the “monster” and Kanye the protector.

This interaction is encapsulated later, when Kanye describes a hypothetical scenario in which his daughter is the victim of domestic violence: “Then he whoop her ass, you go through it again/But how you the devil rebukin’ the sin?” While this may be a reference to the previous line, in which Kanye imagines himself “whoop[ing] her ass” for “cutting class and hanging with friends,” it also draws a potential comparison between pre-North Kanye and North’s hypothetical boyfriend. Kanye “the devil,” guilty of the same violent crimes, reborn as a father, “[rebukes] the sin.”

There are, of course, many other interpretations of these lyrics, but that is what occurred to me as I sped toward Amsterdam. Weeks later, when I arrived back home in Brooklyn, I began to explore said other interpretations by floating my ideas among friends. In a cab to a party once, a male friend played “Violent Crimes,” and I offered up my theories.

“Do you really think this song is about sexual assault, though?,” he asked. I was astounded.

To me, it seemed so obvious: Violent crimes against women, committed by “pervs.” Men, described as “savage [...] monsters,” who saw women as “something to conquer.” “What else could that refer to?,” I wondered aloud.

“I think it’s just about his daughters growing up,” another guy in the car said.

The girl sitting next to me looked just as confused as I felt. “Well, maybe that’s the problem,” she suggested. “If a song about a daughter growing up is a song about her undergoing physical abuse from both her father and her boyfriend because she did too much yoga, there’s something wrong. And if the father isn’t at all surprised by that scenario because it reminds him of his own youth, you have to wonder about him, too.”

On a different occasion, the song came on when I was sitting in a friend’s backyard hammock while he played beer pong with another guy. Again, I offered my thoughts.

“I mean, if you have a body like Kim Kardashian’s, it’s objectively a good body,” he said.

I looked at a different friend, who was sitting across from me. She had been struggling with her body image particularly in the past few months, although it had always been an issue. I

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

“No, it doesn’t,” he said.

My friend and I laughed. “But how can you say that? I’m telling you how it feels to me. It doesn’t matter if that’s what you meant.”

He pondered for a moment. “Okay, well how about this: I think Kim Kardashian’s body is objectively good because I’ve been socialized to think that.” He smirked, satisfied with himself, and tossed the ping-pong ball into his opponent’s cup. “Swish.”

At the beach on a different day, a friend asked me what I thought of the album. She ruminated on my ideas for a while before concluding, “I just don’t think Kanye’s admitting to any sexual assault. That’s a pretty big assumption.” I responded by referencing a line from earlier in the album, in which Kanye states, “Russell Simmons wanna pray for me too/I’ma pray for him ‘cause he got #MeToo’d/Thinkin’ what if that happened to me too.” This line implies that Kanye fears the #MeToo movement either on the basis of sexual crimes he has committed or because he feels that claims of sexual assault are false—both interpretations offer scary and offensive implications.

My friend shook her head. “That’s just not enough to say he’s actually guilty of anything.”

She had a point, but whether or not Kanye has committed crimes in the past, there is a definite guilty conscience present in “Violent Crimes.”

Consider the titles. “Hunger.” “Violent Crimes.” They hold a cause-and-effect relationship. For Kanye, it was hunger—for strength, for pleasure, for dominance—that would have led to his (loosely implied) violent crimes. For Gay, it was violent crimes that caused her hunger— for safety, for comfort, for unattainable fullness.

The conversation between the two adds dimension to conversations many of us have already been participating in. Here, we see Kanye’s perspective, that women who look a certain way almost deserve to be objectified and conquered.

Twelve-year-old Gay’s response is to believe the same thing about herself. The difference is that, while adult Gay recognizes how harmful this mentality is and the profound impact it has had on her life, Kanye’s reaction is to instruct young women to fall into the same patterns that Gay herself did: to make their bodies less stereotypically desirable in order to keep themselves safe. This lesson to his daughters raises the question: What is Kanye teaching his sons?

September 13, 2018

Campus Canvas

ARTS A weekly space highlighting the creative pursuits of student-artists

Page 9 submit to misc@vassar.edu

Eyes with Pride

Excuse me, Describe the worst email you’ve sent to a professor.

“Sent an email in French-ish to my French professor.”

— Paige Anschutz ’21

“No email, I just show up late.”

— Cassie Jain ’20

“One of my professors sent an email and used the number 2 for 2day and 2morrow.”

— Day Mathews ’22

“I don’t send emails when I miss class.

The professors don’t need to know.”

— Clarisel Paulino ’19

“My professor caught me asleep while we were supposed to be meeting. He emailed me about the situation and I emailed back ‘sounds about right.’”

— Jackson Lewis ’19

Simone Karuga Class of 2020 Science, Technology and Society Major

“My friend’s email was hacked and she accidentally sent a professor a subscription to a weight-loss program.”

— Susannah Karron ’21

Simone loves to do digital art whenever they have the chance.

To view more of their work, visit their Instagram, lxzyfemme.

Hannah Gaven, Humor & Satire Hannah Benton, Photography

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

FEATURES

Page 10

September 13, 2018

Student reminisces on ups and downs of summer job SUMMER continued from page 1

fully, there has never been any kind of real scenario like this at camp, but the terrifying truth is that we have to be prepared for it.

To that end, they brought a man into our staff training to don false weaponry as we split into groups and spread out to simulate a real scenario. Full disclosure: Several other staff members and I elected to sit out of the drill and just watch it happen. I learned from experience that even knowing something is fake beforehand does nothing to stop my anxiety when it happens. Not surprisingly, it turned out after the drill was over that the “shooter” was unable to find any of our staff members unless they sought him out (which one did, brandishing a large tree branch). Camp is enormous, and one man trying to hunt down many different groups that all scattered into the woods would have little luck. I guess that’s a comforting thought.

By far the worst part of staff training is another brand of emergency drills: missing swimmer (MSD) and missing camper (MCD). These are drills for the event that a camper is unaccounted for at the waterfront, and in the camp at large. In both cases, the staff is alerted to the situation by a sound that will cause me anxiety probably for the rest of my life. The waterfront alarm sounded exactly like the beginning of Childish Gambino’s “Bonfire” (a song I can no longer listen to for obvious reasons). Then the emergency bell, an infinitely louder version of our Chapel chimes, rang.

As soon as the alarm sounds, our protocol is the same for both: Drop whatever you’re carrying and sprint toward the waterfront. If it’s not a waterfront scenario, someone will stop you before you get that far and give a description of the missing camper and a location to search. In a drill, the camper is played by a staff member. I like to call it high-stakes hide and seek. If it is a waterfront scenario, sprint down a rather steep hill to the beach, jump over or duck under the boundary ropes, kick off your shoes and begin sweeping the water. I personally try not to think too hard about what we’re sweeping for. In a drill, it’s usually a folding chair or a car tire. The drill stops when we find everything we’re searching for.

The first time we try the drill, our supervisors show us how to do it and then send all the staff up the hill to wait; they always wait just long enough that we all start to relax. The moment the alarm goes off, all I can hear is blood pounding in my ears and shoes crunching gravel. I see my glasses bouncing slightly as I sprint, which makes me dizzy. By the time I get to the beach and through the ropes, I have a hard time getting my shoes off. In the moments when I’m struggling with the strap of my Chacos, time ticks infinitely faster. We get in line; we sweep the water. In a few eternal minutes, we find everything and the alarm finally turns off.

Courtesy of Aly Bazan

a page: returning books to their shelves, making sure everything had been shelved correctly and mending damaged items. I would also help with some aspects of the summer reading program.

Along with a building expansion, a number of technological updates like self check-out would be implemented. To facilitate this, every single item in the collection would need its barcode information encoded onto an RFID tag stuck somewhere on its backmost surface.

This job was as monotonous as I can imagine.

Remove items from shelves. Place on the cart.

Scan each barcode. Stick on an RFID tag. Encode the tag. Replace the item. Mark as tagged. Over and over again, sometimes for seven hours at a time. At first, the sheer drone of the day threatened my sanity, but then I realized that, since I could use my headphones on the job, I could fill my time with audiobooks. My earbuds kept me sane, but the importance of my work kept me going. My job was a pain, but converting the library over to this new technology would have taken unknowably longer without me there, and patrons would be waiting much longer to enjoy its benefits.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to spend the entire summer tagging books. Anyone who has held a conversation with me or seen my dorm room probably knows that I work at a summer camp.

Maybe that says more about how much camp matters to me than anything else can. Typically, I head off to camp in the middle part of June and stay there, with a few breaks, until the end of August. This summer, I made the tough decision to commit to only the first three weeks of the season—staff training and two weeks of diabetes camp.

The former involves a lot of group bonding exercises for the counselors, as well as training on how to deal with a variety of challenging situations, from homesick kids to emergencies on site. It’s a bizarre jumble of acting like a kid again without any campers around and being completely overwhelmed by the looming responsibility of taking care of campers.

This year, I felt particularly overwhelmed by this responsibility because, for the first time, staff training involved a real-world scenario active shooter drill. In the past, our plan was to take our campers and hide somewhere. Then, they decided that we should take our campers and run as far into the surrounding forest as possible. When someone starts talking about all the possible outcomes of a violent threat to a summer camp full of children, I get a bit jumpy. When I learn that I’m supposed to herd a group of kids, some possibly as young as eight years old, through the unkempt forest as fast as we can, I get a bit jumpier. Thank-

In addition to tagging, the writer also assisted with summer events at the library. Shown here, they are getting in an hour of tagging before an after-hours Nerf War event for teens.

We stand around, bent double and breathing hard, our collective relief nearly palpable.

When I was a camper, I never thought about what would happen in these kinds of situations at camp, or even that anything bad could happen to me there. For about a decade, I went camping with kids like me who have diabetes so I could forget about the bad in the world. I still love camp, but as an adult, it has transformed from an oasis from anxiety into a locus for mine. This is not to say that I never have fun at camp anymore, but just that it’s tempered by the part of my brain that constantly expects something terrible to happen.

Being prepared for disaster is a good thing, but also a tiring one. The fact that I can never remember being worried as a camper means that my counselors were doing their jobs, and I can only hope that I’ve done the same for my campers.

Especially when I work at diabetes camp as opposed to traditional overnight camp, the campers are getting a rare opportunity to forget, even for a short time, about the weighty responsibilities that rest upon them. The first week of camp, I ended up working with a cabin of 10-year-old boys, since we had a shortage of male diabetic staff. I had to wake up and go help my co-counselor with midnight and 2 a.m. blood sugar checks each night, which we do to ensure that the campers remain at a safe level overnight. As always, working diabetes camp was both exhausting and rewarding.

The first camper who came into my cabin was practically glued to his mother’s hip, and I could tell he would have a rough time adapting. I also found out that he had been diagnosed with Type 1 very recently, within the past six months, and had a lot of fear about being without his mom or his normal routine. Luckily, in the first couple of days, I was able to help him adjust by sharing my own

experiences with diabetes.

Before the end of the second day, all the boys in our cabin had formed a deep bond. They encouraged each other to try new things, and they stayed positive and understanding of each other’s comfort zones. My first camper of the week fit right in with the group. The boys all cheered for him when he got harnessed up and went on the Giant Swing, which he was originally a little bit scared to try. They all took some truly adorable pictures together during our end-of-the-week celebration.

When his mom came to pick him up on Friday, my first camper of the week got the biggest grin on his face and happily exclaimed, “Mom! Everyone here is my friend now!” I’m not ashamed to admit that I was holding back tears when she came over to tell me how much of a blessing the week had been for her, and how much she’d enjoyed checking the website for pictures of her son.

She asked me where they could buy merchandise, and I told her about the Facebook group for camp.

Later that same evening, I saw that she had posted on the page. She talked about how utterly transformative the experience was for her son, and there was a slew of comments on the thread with parents echoing the sentiment.

For me, this summer embodied the dichotomy between safe, monotonous work and adventurous anxiety. On the one hand, I had my air-conditioned library job, where my major concerns were my tagging rate and which audiobook I should download next. On the other, I had a near constant stream of issues to tackle, logistical concerns to work around and the responsibility to provide care for children. Though both my summer jobs will have a lasting impact on my community, the two places my feet took me this summer are even farther apart than a party and a hospital bed.

English major reflects on struggles of being bilingual Kimberly Nguyen

Outreach Coordinator

I

f you ever ask me what being bilingual is like, I would tell you that I’m not sure if my brain knows that it’s bilingual. In my brain, there is no separation between English and Vietnamese. I form sentences that meld the two together seamlessly. There are so many words that I only know how to say in Vietnamese, and some things I don’t know how to say at all.

This weird melding of languages has always been something I’ve been self-conscious—even embarrassed—about. I want a language that covers all my bases, a language that I know and use skillfully in every situation I face. In many situations and conversations, even when I have much to contribute, I have chosen to remain silent for fear that my language will not deliver me, that there will be large gaps in what I want to say. But when I try to visualize what the language discrepancy in my head looks like, I try to imagine that the two languages are parts of the same choir, with Viet-

namese as the alto and English the soprano. They both are necessary to the choral piece; one just fills in notes where the other cannot reach.

I’m sure that there is a fancy linguist or psychologist who can break down precisely why my brain is so confused, but as I’ve been writing and thinking more about it, I’ve realized that the spaces where both my languages fall short is more about access than proficiency. For example, I only know how to describe the process of dissecting a worm in English because I learned how to dissect a worm in English. On the other hand, I can only teach someone how to tend a rice farm in Vietnamese because I learned how to farm rice in Vietnamese.

My language has, for better or worse, been shaped by the people who surround me. An example of negative consequence is how I respond when I’m called in Vietnamese, a much more relational language. For instance, in English, we have the standard I/you construction, but in Vietnamese, I/you is complicated by your relationship in age and gender to the person to whom you’re speak-

ing. Growing up in Nebraska, the only Viet people I ever spoke to were my parents, their friends and their elders. So completely out of habit, whenever my name is called I respond with a respectful “da.” This gets interesting when my friends call me and I respond “da” automatically, but it’s inappropriate to use it with peers. Things get even more complicated when I’m trying to talk to my friends and am forced to carry things I experienced in one language to the other. Translations are always tricky and rarely an exact art, and despite my love for language, I’m not good at it. I either understand whatever is said in its original language or I don’t.

A family Thanksgiving tradition is to find an English translation for the word “vô duyên,” which is impossible. The fact that this game can be played, year after year, is a reminder that a lot of who I am is untranslatable. My language exists in two spheres that barely understand each other, if at all.

They say that the best way to learn a language is through immersion. This gives me hope that if I bathe myself in both languages long enough, I can

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

fill in the gaps. English is easy. I am privileged to have ample access to texts and media in English.

But it’s not quite as easy to access reading material and media in Vietnamese. Nevertheless, I’m still aching for things to read, for language in which to dip my tongue. I’ve been asking family and friends to ship me books all the way from Vietnam, to send me links to their favorite songs, to send me their favorite TV shows. So far, I’ve received two books, and I’m excited to get through them. I will have to live with my language my whole life. I want it to be as complete as it possibly can be.

The end of Melissa Lozada-Oliva’s poem “My Spanish” has always stood out to me. It describes perfectly what being bilingual is like. She writes, “there are letters that will always stay silent/there are some words that will always escape me.” As I come to terms with myself and my ability to express myself, there are moments I will always stay silent, just like Lozada-Oliva. There are moments my language will escape me. And I need to learn to be okay with that.

September 13, 2018

FEATURES

Page 11

O’Connor’s passion for stagecraft inspires theater lovers Andrea Yang

Features Editor

A

nyone who has taken DRAM 103: Introduction to Stagecraft would likely agree that they have fallen in love with the behind-the-

The Miscellany News: How long have you been working at Vassar, and what drew you to stay?

Paul O’Connor: This will be my 19th year; I started in 2000 because I knew the math would be easy.

The first day that I walked onto stage to meet with students, they were working on the counterweight rigging system. Someone had mistakenly removed weight from the wrong line and scenery began to fly uncontrolled onto a stage full of people. I impulsively grabbed the line to keep the set from crashing, I was lifted up the wall but managed to get control before anyone got hurt. I could not have planned a better way to meet new students and establish myself as a worthy hire. So my advice to anyone who lands their dream job is to manufacture a scenario where you can be a hero on the first day.

The Misc: The Vogelstein Center is home to many Drama and Film Studies professors and students. Which part of the building do you like the most?

O’Connor: I love the scene shop the most.

This is where I can most likely be found. It has terrific natural light, and to me is an inspiring place to create. I like to keep a tidy shop and maintain tools so that students and I can work through projects elegantly and safely… Plus it

The Misc: What do you need to consider when you design props and sets? Do you have a personal favorite prop that you designed/made?

O’Connor: If I am designing props or scenery I try to not only consider the needs of the production, but also what will break down into good learning opportunities and exciting stagecraft projects for students.

Some of my favorite props from the past are hanging from the ceiling of the scene shop… and occasionally end up on my porch at Halloween.

Andrea Yang/The Miscellany News

scenes artistry of theater. This is largely owing to the enthusiasm and energy of the course’s instructor—Technical Director of the Drama Department Paul O’Connor, who has shared some of his fascinating stories at Vassar via an emailed statement.

has these great loading doors that open up to let [in] even more light, fresh air and the occasional duck from Sunset Lake.

The Misc: What have been some of the recent productions that you worked on?

O’Connor: I recently designed the set for “Crimes of the Heart,” and also the elephant that is currently in the lobby of the Martel Theater.

The Misc: Could you share a fond memory working with the students?

O’Connor: My favorite part of my job is working with students. Some of my students are Drama majors, some are in my stagecraft class and some are part of my student employment team. I have many fond memories, but this one jumps to mind… one night, my work-study students and I built a very large piece of scenery that had to be stored in the scene shop and rolled on stage in between acts. At the last second there was a question about whether the math was right and if it would actually fit through the door.

When the time came, the piece glided smoothly through and onto stage. My team all screamed in joy, jumped and high-fived all around. To see everyone so invested in the success of a project and to see the joy of successful collaboration is an amazing thing in any line of work.

The Misc: Does your job make you look at dra-

Here, O’Connor introduces his favorite circular power saw at Vassar. Note that the giant arrow behind him points toward his office in the scene shop so that students won’t miss it! ma productions from a different angle?

O’Connor: Yes, I can’t see a play or film without trying to figure out how everything was done. And I always want to see backstage. I love the complete illusion from the front, and the practical and structural elements hidden from view.

The Misc: What do you enjoy doing the most outside of the classroom?

O’Connor: I love working on my home in Ulster County. I built my dream woodshop in the backyard and I am constantly working on projects in and around the house. Every year I bring the Drama Department work-study students over for a giant kickball game and barbecue. I also love playing competitive badminton and organize weekly badminton games on campus.

The Misc: Do you have any advice for people who are interested in theater?

O’Connor: I think it is important to know that the skills you can learn from studying theater can help you no matter what you end up doing with your life.

Learning to collaborate effectively, be a problem solver, think on your feet, doing the best you can with what you have, remain calm in the face of setbacks and change, allow ideas to evolve, use precise language and articulate clearly… these are just some of the skills that are part of everyday life in the theater.

So my advice if you are interested is to take a class or get involved with a production! And pay attention to how the skills involved cross over into many aspects of your life and work.

Japan Association for Students works toward inclusivity Duncan Aronson Reporter

F

movement continued to influence and modernize us.” Sharing a personal anecdote, she continued, “I once saw a fancy cafe with the appearance of a traditional Japanese home in the middle of the rice fields, but with Norwegian minimalist furniture, and serving coffee and macarons.”

Tanaka thinks more along the lines of human universals. She remarked, “I think Japanese culture is interesting because it shows a different aspect of human nature. At first it might seem ‘exotic’ but when you examine it, Japanese culture and Japanese people just have followed a different way of interpreting and understanding society. I think it’s always great to understand the world through the ideas and experiences of others.”

When asked how she would go about removing this exoticism barrier, Tanaka replied, “Sometimes cultural exports create a caricature of the nation/ culture it originates from. I think it creates a sense of wonder that might at first seem like a compliment to the culture but in the end creates a ‘us (normal) vs. them (unusual)’ mentality. I hope the culture we are trying to show will create a more

well-rounded picture of what Japan is like.”

While JAS is still in its incipient stages, its first order of business is hosting Japanese seasonal celebrations. For autumn, the members plan on hosting Otsukimi. As Migita explained, “Otsukimi is a traditional harvest celebration in Japan, where people offer susuki grass, rice dumplings and other crops to the full moon, as a show of gratitude for the harvest. This celebration has adapted to the modern culture very well, and it is currently a day where people eat rice dumplings under the full moon. JAS is trying to do this at Vassar, where we eat sweet rice dumplings and other Autumn Japanese snacks, while doing cute arts and crafts with fallen leaves and twigs and, of course, origami. It will be a cute and chill study break with tasty snacks, so please come!”

The festival will encapsulate the values and philosophies that the org aims to convey. As a burgeoning pre-org, JAS is carrying forward a variety of cultural activities for Vassar.

[Full Disclosure: The author is a member of the Japan Association for Students.]

Courtesy of Julie Zhang

rom the Asian Students’ Alliance, South Asian Students Alliance and Southeast Asian Students Alliance to the Chinese Student Community and Vassar’s Korean percussion and dance orgs, the College’s Asian community may appear to be well-represented. However, despite being a major international player with the world’s third-largest economy, Japan’s footprint on campus feels hardly visible. With this year’s significant influx of students from Japan, some savvy sophomores are seizing the opportunity to establish a Japan-oriented student org: the Japan Association for Students (JAS). Founding members of JAS Miku Migita ’21, Hikari Tanaka ’21 and Karen Nakayama ’21 shared through email their blueprint for the organization and why they deem its founding necessary.

All three members agree that JAS’s fundamental philosophy is built on a foundation of inclusivity.

They even carefully sculpted the name, “Japan Association for Students,” to reflect this. It is not an organization exclusively for Japanese students, but rather a space for all students to come together and associate through their personal interest in Japan.

The founding members are a microcosm of varied forms of connection with the culture. Nakayama has lived in Japan for most of her life, Migita has spent some time overseas and went back home to attend a returnee-oriented school and Tanaka has lived in the United States since age three.

Nakayama explained, “I want this org to provide a space for people to convene and talk/enjoy anything about Japan. Japanese culture doesn’t need to be strictly defined. All of us come from different backgrounds and we interact with various cultures differently. If a student is interested in Japanese culture, we can provide a space and events to interact with Japanese culture at Vassar. But in the end, each student can find their own Japan.” Migita then expanded on the idea of “finding their own Japan,” saying, “JAS can be a homesickness rem-

edy. For students on campus who are interested in Japan, it should be an opportunity for them to learn/come in touch with Japanese culture. Either way, I want JAS to be an inclusive and wholesome space where everyone is connected by their love and interest in Japan and its culture.”

Tanaka aspires to go beyond celebrating Japanese culture. She stated, “I want this org to be a place for people to freely talk about Japan, in terms of both its good and bad aspects.” She hopes that JAS can foster critical discussion and enjoyment of Japan and its culture, and that everyone can come away with new considerations and perspectives.

For those with direct connections to Japan, it may seem natural to seek out hubs of Japanese culture within the Vassar community. Yet there are also students who don’t have any personal tie but may still be interested in cultures other than their own. Speaking on which aspects of Japanese life may spark such students’ interests, Nakayama and Migita agreed that Japanese culture is a unique fusion of tradition and modernity. They differ, however, on where and how they draw that divide.

Migita highlighted technology and its juxtaposition with the traditional: “It’s a weird feeling—on the way to the train station I would see beautiful shrines surrounded by nature, and a couple minutes later I would be on the most high-tech train you’ll ever see with high-quality TVs and comfy seating. Even Japanese houses symbolize the synchronization of modern and traditional culture— usually, people have both tatamis and flooring in their houses. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Nakayama, though, focused on the hybridization of the familiar and the foreign. She added, “I think Japanese culture is cool because it is a good mixture of tradition and modernity. Japan derives many aspects of tradition, food and kanji characters from the ancient Chinese civilization … On the other hand, we have always had a fascination with the Western culture since the industrialization in Meiji Ishin (1868), so the Western culture and art

Pictured here, three founding members of the Japan Association for Students and our reporter strike their most dazzling poses for their very first group photo in the Deece.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

FEATURES

Page 12

September 13, 2018

Inquisitive student digs into process of plastic compost Yunfei Liang

whole environment a feeling of close connection to nature. It was a far cry from the industrial, synthetic environment I had imagined.

The site looked like a construction zone for a building before any foundations have been con-

Guest Reporter

T

he story begins toward the end of last semester, the first year after Vassar switched to Bon Appétit as its primary food service man-

Courtesy of Yunfei Liang

agement company. As a student who’s eaten for two school years under the management of the former provider, Aramark, I find Bon Appétit’s offerings to be superior. Something that I noticed from the new food service providers that wasn’t present with the previous is an apparent increase in compostable materials.

When I first used the compostable plastic cups and silverware that are now available at Express and the Retreat, I just assumed them to be regular plastic cups and threw them into the recycling bin. Weeks later, however, I noticed that these cups actually are engraved with words indicating that they are compostable.

This got me curious. I’m used to thinking about plastic as something that will never compost— an eternal material. I’d heard of the Great Pacif- Holding up a handful of soil, Shabazz Jackson explains to the author how the composting process ic garbage patch and how plastic dumped into occurs. Jackson works for Greenway Environmental Services, which composts Vassar’s food waste. alksdjhfalskjdfh the ocean has been gathered at a common point, proving that the materials of which humans than Vassar simply employing some nameless wastes are normally managed or posted. When have disposed in the sea might outlive any one subcontractor. Vassar students actually devel- I read that PLA typically is converted from its 2. Accolor marmaof us. The plastic used at the Retreat and atACROSS the oped the process to sort our food wastes into plastic state to a compostable state by being Deece during Late Night looked, at least to1. myShoes the categories mixed with hot water (a process known as hy3. What bookies give that fitof trash, in a compost drain and recyclables. eyes, identical to the plastic that will never comI began an investigation through the Bon Ap- drolysis), I assumed that I was going to walk into 4. Chocolate coins 6. Floor washers post. So what makes them different? pétit management, which referred me to Roy- an industrial building filled with metal drums 5. Superior expression out of I started digging for information on the10. in- "Get al Carting, the here!" company that’s responsible for and belts carrying our food waste. ternet. First I went on the website of Eco Prodtransporting down our wastes to the compost facility.

When that Sam Kobrin ’19 and I arrived 6. Shoes Spider-Man loves at the 14. Weighed ucts, the company whose name is on the plastic I ended up contacting Josephine Papagni, one of scene, all we saw were what I thought were 7. Large, sweet cherry 15. Wheel connector cups and silverware we use at Vassar. I found the key members of Greenway Environmental mounds of dirt and soil. There were a few pieces 8. Desperate appeal 16. Jason's vessel that they use “corn plastics,” or polylactic acid Services who composts our food waste. Papagni of heavy machinery, including some backhoes, (PLA), a material made from corn. Then I asked invited me to tour the compost facility and cona wood chipper and a mound of chipped wood 9. Google's wheelhouse 17. Confuse Bon Appétit about the material and how it’s pro- duct an interview at the site. piling several stories tall. The whole area was 10. Alamo city 18. Cronus' better half cessed. The way our college disposes of these I admit that I do not have a solid of grasp of enclosed by a densely packed forest. The road 11.from Shoes that you'll see in a giving whilethe 19. What PM is materials is far more connected to our history material3:00 chemistry, norafter do I know how food the entrance was also unpaved,

20. Halcyon days 22. Common skin condition 23. Indian monarch “Walk A Mile” 24. Incense burner by 26. And so on and so forth 30. The profession 47. Alegal kindled candle ACROSS 49.

PETA’s peeve 1. Shoes that fit in a drain 31. A Derby accessory 50. A kiln for drying hops 6. Floor washers 32. The 'genius' of a place 51. Jeez!

10. “Get out of here!”

54.

A college brotherhood 14. Weighed down 33. 'Entering' preposition 56. Fountains or quills 15. Wheel connector 35. Astro Boyconnections or the Iron Giant 57. Missed 16. Jason’s vessel 63. Brick, blood, and rose 17. Confuse 39. Ocean edge 64. Muddy fen 18. Cronus’ better half 41. Imply 65. Transient lake 19. What 3:00 PM is after 66. Twelfth month of the Jewish Civil 20. Halcyon days 43. Makes changes Calendar 22. Common skin condition 44. A67. soft shoe made of fabric Nameless 23. Indian monarch 68. Shoes for anaoil rig looker 24. Incense burner 46. This flower's real 69. See in Shakespeare 26. And so on and so forth 47. A70. kindled Filter bycandle kind 30. The legal profession 71.

An array of affirmatives 49.

PETA's peeve 31. A Derby accessory 32. The ‘genius’ of a place 50. ADOWN kiln for drying hops 33. ‘Entering’ preposition 1. A potter’s medium 51. Jeez!

35. Astro Boy or the Iron Giant Accol- or marma 39. Ocean edge 54. A2. college brotherhood 3. What bookies give 41. Imply 56. Fountains quills 4. Chocolateor coins 43. Makes changes 5.

Superior expression 44. A soft shoe made of fabric 57. Missed connections 6. Shoes that Spider-Man loves 46. This flower’s a real looker 63. Brick, blood, and cherry 7. Large, sweet cherry Word Puzzle 8.

Desperate appeal 64. Muddy fen 9. Google’s wheelhouse 65. Transient lake 10. Alamo city There Is No Spoonerism 11.

Shoes that you’ll in Hewbrew a while 66. Twelfth month ofsee the 12.

Ago, archaically Boxing match inside a bee’s house Civil Calendar 13. What printers never seem to have Lectured a puddle of slime 21. Full of insane rage 67.

Nameless Barry Allen’s spine and abs 25. Work for One copy of my awesome new tape 68. Shoes an oil rig 26. “...orfor ____!”

27. Ain closed kind of shoe 69. See Shakespeare When camping, be careful when you 28. Health food berry 70. Filter by kind fight a liar, or you’ll be singing a bad 29. Not energetically salad. Out there, you can’t just put it 34.array Happening (shockingly?)

71. An of affirmatives

12. Ago, archaically 13. What printers never seem to have 21. Full of insane rage Benjamin Costa 25. Work for 26. 40. "...or ____!"

Egyptian magic deity 42.

Widely 27. A closedcultivated kind of seedpod shoe veggies 45. Deal suggestor 28. 48.

Health food berry Founding father, or train engine A killing (or shopping) adventure 29. 51.

Not energetically 52. Shoes for an obedient dog 34. 53.

Happening (shockingly?)

Location at last

structed. We eventually noticed a silhouette of a man inside one of the backhoes. The man sported a blue onesie and introduced himself to us as Shabazz Jackson. He compared the company’s composting technology to the human stomach in how it breaks down the food wastes the facility receives using a biochemical method and anaerobic bacteria. Protein and PLA alike are transported by Royal Carting to Greenway, and then, using the shovel scoop, that waste is mixed into the mound of soil. The fluids of the dirt allow for the breaking down of the high protein and PLA. Within six to seven hours, the food decays underneath the top layer of compost, which can be used for agriculture—for example, to fertilize the apple farms in nearby Greenway.

At the end of our conversation, Jackson used his backhoe machine to dig into the mound of Ben compost, showing us the remains of Costa fruits (I remember seeing a piece of a mango) and milk cartons buried in the dirt. The rest of the com36. them make postTwo lookedof like rich, dark soil. a He then walked us near the front of the gateway, where we could Polynesian island see a garden that was cultivated with the nutri37.

Elevator inventor ent-rich soil composted perhaps only hours ear38. exam,theorfood pHwaste strip lier. An Apparently, to output ratio is something like 75:1, and Jackson claimed the soil 40.

Egyptian magic deity to be many times more nutrient rich than soil 42.

Widely cultivated seedpod produced by Greenway’s competitors. veggies My investigation has prompted my curiosity and Deal urged me to conduct more research on the 45. suggestor ins and outs of the subject. I find the process 48.

Founding father, or train behind plastic recycling to be much more fasciengine nating than I realized.

51. A killing (or shopping) adventure 52. Shoes for an obedient dog 53. Location at last 55. Pointed toes 58. wine 55. Roman Pointed toes 58.

Roman wine 59. Elmer's adhesive 59. Elmer’s adhesive 60. actors (or cheesy 60.Cheesy Cheesy actors (or cheesy sandwich meats) sandwich ingredients) 61. Letterpress input 61.

62.Press Backtalkinput 62. Backtalk

The Miscellany Crossword

out with a __ __ __ __ !

36. Two of them make a Polynesian island 37. Elevator inventor DOWN 38. An exam, or pH strip

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2018

September 13, 2018

OPINIONS

Page 13

The Miscellany News Staff Editorial

Looming Court confirmation marks key role of activism I

n Spring 2016, when a vacancy opened up in the Supreme Court after the death of Antonin Scalia, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell vowed to prevent then–President Obama from nominating a replacement during the last year of his presidency. He claimed, “The overwhelming view of the Republican Conference in the Senate is that this nomination should not be filled, this vacancy should not be filled by this lame duck president” (NPR, “Senate Republicans Agree To Block Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee,” 02.23.2016). It was a controversial decision; there was no precedent in modern history for the legislative branch to decline to consider a sitting president’s Supreme Court nominee, and certainly no Senate leader had ever suggested that this was their right (Politico, “McConnell throws down the gauntlet: No Scalia replacement under Obama,” 02.13.2016).

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called the decision “outrageous.” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) argued that leaving a Supreme Court seat vacant for an entire year would be a shameful abdication of one of the Senate’s most important Constitutional responsibilities (Politico). A nationwide poll

by Monmouth University found that only 16 percent of respondents agreed with the Senate Republicans’ choice to not even consider the nominee, while 77 percent said that Senate Republicans were just playing politics (U.S. News & World Report, “Even GOP Voters Think Senate Should Confirm SCOTUS Nominee,” 03.21.2016). However, none of that mattered to Senate Republicans, who declined to give nominee Merrick Garland a proper hearing for 293

days until his nomination expired on Jan. 3, 2017 (The Wall Street Journal, “President Obama’s Supreme Court Nomination of Merrick Garland Expires,” 01.03.2017).

Two years later, Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement in June and both McConnell and President Trump made it clear that they planned on nominating a replacement immediately, just four months before the anticipated November midterm elections. Democrats highlighted the hypocrisy of the sudden policy shift. Senate Republicans’ response was that midterm elections are not the same as presidential elections. “That was a presidential election year, so it was very, very different,” said Senator James Lankford (R-OK) (Vox, “Republicans are fine confirming a Supreme Court justice in a midterm year because ‘it’s different,’” 06.28.2018).

As a result, the Senate committee is on the road to confirming Trump nominee Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative-leaning judge who argued in 2009 that a sitting president should not be subjected to criminal investigation or trial (PBS Newshour, “What you should know about Brett Kavanaugh’s life and record,” 09.03.2018).

In addition, Senate Democrats have criticized President Trump for withholding 100,000 pages of records on Judge Kavanaugh from both the senators and the public and demanded that he must release them so that the American people can evaluate Kavanaugh’s nomination properly (The Boston Herald, “Senators demand release of Brett Kavanaugh’s records,” 09.04.2018).

Moreover, regardless of Kavanaugh’s statements regarding presidential powers, he has

shown himself to be markedly partisan and conservative. As a lawyer and judge, he has consistently stood against abortion rights and the Affordable Care Act, and favored policies that would hinder efforts to combat climate change.

Through his rulings, he has revealed his support of issues such as gun rights, habeas corpus laws mandating that certain individuals can be lawfully detained if they appear to be a “national security threat” and immigration restrictions.

Here at Vassar, it is key to point out that Kavanaugh’s values gravely contradict with the goals of social justice, equality and women’s empowerment around which the College has historically based its mission. Kavanaugh’s position on Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision legalizing abortion, is particularly concerning. In a 2003 email, Kavanaugh stated, “I am not sure that all legal scholars refer to Roe as the settled law of the land at the Supreme Court level since Court can always overrule its precedent, and three current Justices on the Court would do so” (Time, “Kavanaugh Said He Was ‘Not Sure’ Roe V. Wade Was Settled Law in 2003 Email,” 09.06.18). This blatant disregard for legal precedent is not only alarming, but also revealing of his anti-abortion leanings.

Some Vassar students have already begun to take action toward healing on the local and national levels. Community Fellows, for example, are assigned a full-time job with area not-forprofit agencies, including the Mediation Center of Dutchess County and the REAL Skills Network, where Fellows provide services to Poughkeepsie residents (Vassar Stories, “Making a difference all summer – and beyond,” 08.14.2018).

Some Vassar orgs work with Planned Parenthood, including CHOICE, the Women’s Center and Vassar Voices for Planned Parenthood.

Others have broader missions; for example, Democracy Matters arranges activities such as lobbying officials or holding workshops to increase engagement among students.

Such examples prove that political involvement is at our fingertips. Join one of the aforementioned orgs—or one with a like-minded mission statement—or start your own. Research your senator’s stance on the issues, determine whether their views align with your own and contact them either way. Even if one call seems insubstantial, it does have a discernible impact.

Finally, vote. Despite millennials’ increasing political power, they have the lowest voter turnout of all age groups, with only 46 percent voting in the last presidential election (NPR, “Millennials Now Rival Boomers as a Political Force, but Will They Actually Vote?” 05.16.2016). To influence elections, young voters must get to the polls. Here at Vassar, Democracy Matters can help you register, and on election day they provide shuttles to the voting center.

Before casting your ballot, educate yourself on who and what you want to support. It is imperative that we as a nation express our voices, and not stand idly by as we watch our representatives decide on a nominee who could help determine legal policy in very tangible ways for generations.

—The Staff Editorial expresses the opinion of at least 2/3 of The Miscellany News Editorial Board.

Mental health services should prioritize talk therapy Isabella Boyne

Guest Columnist

I

n my first few days here at Vassar College, I had a panic attack, which is nothing new for me and is something that I have dealt with independently for a long time. What was new, however, was the fact that at my mandatory session at the Health Service, I was immediately pushed into trying medication. The topic was brought up two sentences before the counseling center was even mentioned.

Like many other surprises I had already discovered as an international student here (everyone uses letter-size paper instead of A4, there are soda machines everywhere, you don’t enunciate half of the t’s in the word “tater tot”), medication as the first line of defense for mental health issues seems to be something that is uniquely American.

So much so, in fact, that Americans make up less than five percent of the world’s population but consume a majority of the world’s psychological medications, an extraordinary 66 percent (The Guardian, “Profiting from mental ill-health,” 03.15.2011).

Clearly, this phenomenon is not just unique to Vassar, but rather exists across the United States.

In a country such as this one, where the government doesn’t pay for healthcare, patients who are dealing with mental disorders must turn to what their insurance covers—which most of the time is drug therapy, not talk therapy.

Talk therapy, otherwise known as psychotherapy, is based on the idea that discussing things that are bothering the patient helps to put those things into perspective and clarify the issues at hand, whereas drug therapy or medication therapy focuses on using psychoactive medicine to treat the patients’ symptoms. Traditional psychiatrists would usually have talk therapy sessions with their patients, lasting for around 45 minutes, treating 50–60 patients a week. Nowadays, many psychiatrists treat thousands of people in

15-minute sessions that are often many months apart (The Guardian, “Profiting from mental illhealth,” 03.15.2011). In fact, a government study in 2005 demonstrated that only 11 percent of psychiatrists offer talk therapy, a rate that has been falling since and is likely continuing to fall (Arch Gen Psychiatry, “National trends in psychotherapy by office-based psychiatrists,” 08.04.2008). This is no surprise considering that, in America’s private healthcare industry, what happens in the market is dictated largely by insurance, and insurance reimbursement rates and policies tend to discourage talk therapy and promote drug therapy instead.

Furthermore, a psychiatrist would earn significantly more money from a drug therapy session than a talk therapy session. An example quoted in The New York Times suggests that a psychiatrist would earn approximately $90 for a 45-minute talk therapy session, but $150 for three 15-minute drug therapy sessions (The New York Times, “Talk Doesn’t Pay, So Psychiatry Turns Instead to Drug Therapy,” 03.05.2011). It is therefore no surprise that the mental health services in this country are leaning more and more toward drug therapy. An interview with Dr. Richard Friedman, the director of the Psychopharmacology Clinic at Weill Cornell Medical School, reiterated the idea that market forces drive this shift toward drug therapy. Although he does suggest that some change has come from better understanding of the basic mechanisms of brain function and developments in neuroscience, he believes that the shift occurred largely due to market forces, mainly in the ways how insurance is administered (NPR, “Psychiatrist Shift Focus to Drugs, Not Talk Therapy,” 10.22.2012).

In truth, the problems with mental health in America have become an epidemic, and the switch from talk therapy to drug therapy hasn’t done much to slow it down. There is overwhelming evidence demonstrating that psychological medications fail at restoring mental health. In

fact, a study by Harvard professor Irving Kirsch demonstrated that most, if not all, of the benefits from antidepressants are caused by the placebo effect, meaning that antidepressants typically work no better than a placebo. Some antidepressants increase serotonin, some maintain the same level and some decrease it (Z Psychol, “Antidepressants and the Placebo Effect,” 02.28.2015).

Plus, side effects such as nausea, constipation, increased anxiety and even thoughts of suicide are among the reasons to caution against using drug therapy as the first line of defense when it comes to mental health (BBC, “The ‘extreme’ side-effects of antidepressants,” 10.19.2016). Talk therapy, on the other hand, does not have these kinds of side effects, despite its ability to change brain and body chemistry (ScienceDaily, “Talking therapy changes the brain’s wiring, study reveals for first time,” 01.17.2017).

Furthermore, many studies have shown that for some mental disorders, particularly those associated with anxiety, talk therapy may even be more beneficial than drug therapy, in addition to being free of such side effects. A study published

by The Lancet Psychiatry found that cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was more effective than medication in treating patients with social anxiety disorders. The study also suggested that the benefits of talk therapy, CBT in particular, may continue after treatment ends, whereas people who suffer from social anxiety see a worsening in their symptoms after discontinuing medication (The Lancet Psychiatry, “Psychological and pharmacological interventions for social anxiety disorder in adults: a systematic review and network meta-analysis,” 09.25.2014).

Not only is drug therapy not as effective as many doctors and patients believe, but the companies behind these drugs have also much left to be desired in terms of corporate social responsibility. An article published by The Guardian in 2011 claims that of the 30 different brands of anti-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

depressants on the American market, all of them have suffered lawsuits within the first five years of becoming available (The Guardian “Profiting from mental ill-health,” 03.15.2011). For example, Eli Lilly & Co., the creator of Fluoxetine, also known by brand names such as Prozac, was faced with a high-profile federal lawsuit in the 1990s after a man murdered his co-workers and then proceeded to commit suicide, actions which the lawsuit claimed were caused by Prozac (Drugwatch, “Prozac Lawsuits,” 08.24.2018).

Furthermore, the same Guardian article has stated that all of the major healthcare companies who sell drugs to treat mental illness have been, or are currently being, investigated for healthcare fraud. Despite the clear issues they pose to society, antipsychotics continue to make the pharmaceutical industry over $14 billion a year. In fact, Xanax, an anxiety medication, generates more revenue than Tide detergent (Charles Barber, “Comfortably Numb,” 02.05.2008). In a system where selling drugs leads to billions of dollars in profit, pharmaceutical companies may find it easier to ignore lawsuits and investigations and just keep producing these psychiatric drugs, as there is clearly a market for them.

Everyone’s individual experience with mental health is different. For some people, medication may work, and for others it may not, or its side effects may outweigh its benefits. It is up to the individual to decide what is right for them. However, medication should not be treated as a magical Band-Aid, nor should anyone feel pressured to follow a path that he/she/they does not feel is right for them.

We as Vassar students are fortunate enough to be able to see counselors, attend group therapy sessions and participate in workshops for free.

Thus, we should not have to become victims of the status quo dictated by big pharmaceutical corporations who focus primarily on profit over people.

Page 14

OPINIONS

September 13, 2018

Society fails to recognize female scientists in history SCIENTISTS continued from page 1 ences. In 2017, for instance, a male software engineer at Google secretly circulated a 10-page manifesto within the company that argued why women aren’t drawn to STEM. “I’m simply stating that the distribution of preferences and abilities of men and women differ in part due to biological causes and that these differences may explain why we don’t see equal representation of women in tech and leadership,” wrote the author (The Guardian, “Google staffer’s hostility to affirmative action sparks furious backlash,” 08.06.2017).

This isn’t an isolated case, either. Even after Google fired the engineer, other men have expressed sympathy for the discharged employee.

In response to the scandal, David Brooks of The New York Times commented that the firing was an example of ideology prevailing over reason (Scientific American, “Darwin Was Sexist, and So Are Many Modern Scientists,” 12.18.2017).

This type of noxious, arrogant mentality is, unfortunately, prevalent in the education system as well. Countless female students have shared stories where people have told them that they were just not smart enough for science. Examples ranged from male peers laughing at the idea of a girl interested in robots and programming to a now-fired physics professor who purposely tried to fail his female students because he openly believed that women didn’t belong in the field of physics (Huffington Post, “These Stories Will Help You Understand Why It Can Be Hard To Be A Woman In Science,” 10.06.2014).

It’s honestly baffling how these “men are innately smarter at science” arguments keep multiplying despite mounting evidence against them. Numerous scientific studies from the past several decades have disproven this claim multiple times. For example, just two months ago in July, researchers from the University of Chicago found that there were no differences in mathematical ability between boys and girls at all stages of numerical development. The results of the study, which examined over 500 children between the ages of six months and eight years, made it clear that gender does not play a role in how proficient you are at math or other quantitative areas (Medical Xpress, “Boys and girls share similar math abilities at young ages, study finds,” 09.10.2018).

In another recent study involving 202 university students in an upper-level physiology class, researchers from Arizona State University found that there was no performance difference between male and female students regarding who answered more questions correctly and who had a better understanding of the material (The New York Times, “Do Men Think They’re Better at Science Than Women Do? Well, Actually…,” 04.07.2018).

In fact, the only observed difference was that male students were three times more likely than female students to think that they were smarter than their peers, despite similar scores.

This isn’t even the first paper to point out such an observation. Nearly 20 scientific papers on self-estimated intelligence over the past 50 years have concluded that men rate themselves higher than women on self-evaluations (ScienceAlert, “Men Aren’t Better at Science - They Just Think They Are,” 04.10.2018).

So why are there so few women in the sciences if they’re clearly qualified to excel in them? There are many possible reasons. One line of thinking asserts that, due to the barrage of negativity surrounding women in STEM and the large gap in self-confidence between male and female STEM students, women may feel inclined to believe the harmful stereotype and voluntarily leave the sciences for fear of failure (Futurism, “Men And Women Equally Good

At Science, But Men Think They’re Better,” 04.09.2018).

The gender gap in the sciences is not an easy problem to fix, largely because the root of the problem is so tightly ingrained in our male-driven culture. However, there is one solution that may help uproot this pervasive mentality: normalize the idea of women in the sciences.

“Well duh,” you may say. Isn’t that what all the advocates for gender equality in STEM are doing? That’s true, and they’re doing an absolutely amazing job of inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers. However, “normalizing the idea of women in the sciences” doesn’t refer to talking about how important it is for more women to become involved in STEM. Instead, it’s referring to how we should be doing everything we can to make the notion of a woman working in STEM completely unsurprising. In other words, we need to persuade society that it’s absolutely ordinary and even typical for a woman to be a scientist or engineer.

Understandably, this may seem counterintuitive. After all, it makes sense to make the STEM fields as appealing to as many women as possible and advertise all the opportunities that are now available for women in the modern world.

Of course, that method certainly works. However, I think it’s also important to remind people, especially the younger generation, that a woman being active in the sciences is not some mind-blowing, revolutionary change that only just recently came about in the 21st century.

If you scour the Internet, you’ll find numerous stories and videos that feature prominent female leaders in science and technology talking about how they became inspired in their field. What’s noteworthy about these accounts is that most of them seem to stress just how rare and abnormal it was for a woman to become involved in science or engineering in the past.While this sort of message does emphasize the injustices that women have faced in accessing proper science education opportunities, I fear that it may also unintentionally suggest that men so overly dominated the past several hundred years of science that there are only a handful of important female scientists in history. Unfortunately, the way our education curriculum is structured only serves to facilitate this fallacy.

Here’s a test: Think of a list of 10 female scientists who were alive before the 21st century.

Now exclude Marie Curie and Rosalind Franklin and count how many people you have.

If you’re like most people, your list is probably blank. According to a 2014 study by geologists Cynthia Burek and Bettie Higgs, a survey of over 1,100 people found that almost one in five participants could not name a single female scientist, alive or dead (Women In Science Research Network, “Public Perception of Women Scientists,” 2014).

“[W]e should be doing everything we can to make the notion of a woman working in STEM completely unsurprising.”

Thirty percent of the participants could only name one female scientist in history. For 90 percent of that 30 percent of people, or 27 percent of the total participants in the survey, that sole name was Marie Curie. Ultimately, only 1.2 percent of the participants could actually name 10 female scientists (Women In Science

Research Network).

The utter scarcity of the public’s knowledge about history’s female scientists and engineers is incredibly worrisome, not only because they remain unrecognized for their incredible accomplishments but also because it bolsters the perception of the sciences as a boys’ club.

Perhaps this is why so many men today remain resistant toward the idea of women in STEM: If science has made countless world-changing advancements in the past when men completely dominated the field, then why should they care whether women enter an occupation that has already found incredible success with only men?

What these people don’t know is that, even in the past, science was not built solely on the backs of men. History is full of countless women who achieved groundbreaking feats in science, yet did not receive the recognition that they deserve simply because they were female.

Take astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell, for example. Born in 1943 in Northern Ireland, Burnell attended the University of Cambridge for graduate school to study quasars, which are extremely distant celestial objects in space that emit a large amount of energy. In 1967, during her research analyzing the data on galactic radio waves, she noticed strange squiggles in the background signals of her data sheets. When she asked her mentor, Antony Hewish, about this phenomenon, he wrote it off as negligible human interference. However, that didn’t stop Burnell. After arduous work investigating the pattern and finding more pulsing signals across the cosmos, she realized that they were something completely new.

In essence, Burnell discovered the existence of pulsars, rapidly spinning neutron stars that emit radio waves and other electromagnetic radiation. To scientists today, the discovery of pulsars is considered one of the greatest astronomical discoveries of the 20th century because it proved the existence of neutron stars and showed that they could be observed. However, the 1974 Nobel Prize in Physics honoring the discovery of pulsars was instead given to Hewish, since Burnell was still a graduate student.

Only recently in 2018, Burnell was awarded the $3 million Breakthrough Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in science (The Washington Post, “She made the discovery, but a man got the Nobel. A half-century later, she’s won a $3 million prize,” 09.08.2018). Rather than spending it on herself, Burnell donated the prize money to fund graduate scholarships for people from underrepresented groups who aspire to study physics like her (NPR, “In 1974, They Gave The Nobel To Her Supervisor. Now She’s Won A $3 Million Prize,” 09.06.2018).

While Burnell was eventually recognized, the male-centered science world still refuses to acknowledge the accomplishments of many other women. Austrian physicist Lise Meitner, who had previously discovered new radioisotopes in her research, invited German chemist Otto Hahn to team up with her to find a way to create new atomic elements (Famous Scientists, “Lise Meitner,” 09.27.2016). Together, they bombarded uranium with neutrons and became the first to discover nuclear fission with uranium in the 1930s, which set the stage for the creation of the atomic bomb. In 1944, while Meitner was trying to flee from the Nazis, Hahn alone received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

American Astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin was the researcher who discovered what makes up the sun and other stars in the universe (Documentary Tube, “Cecilia Payne - The Woman Who Discovered What the Sun was Made of, But Never Given Credit,” 05.11.2015). By accurately relating the spectral

classes of stars to their actual temperatures using ionization theory, 25-year-old Payne determined in 1925 that the sun was made out of silicon, carbon and other metals and that stars in general are largely made up of helium and hydrogen. She was the person who first argued that hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. However, fellow astronomer Henry Norris Russell stopped her from publishing her results and then published them himself without giving proper credit to Payne.

The list of examples doesn’t come close to stopping here.

“[I]t’s important to remind people...that a woman being active in the sciences is not some mind-blowing, revolutionary change...”

Early–20th century physicist Marietta Blau was the first person to develop a photographic emulsion technique to study cosmic rays as well as the first to use nuclear emulsions to detect neutrons (Jewish Women’s Archive, “Marietta Blau,” 03.01.2009).

Microbiologist Esther Lederberg was a pioneer in bacterial genetics who discovered the lambda phage in the 1950s and paved the way to understanding how bacteria transfer genetic information. However, her husband took the credit for her work and won the Nobel Prize in 1958 (The Jackson Laboratory, “Invisible Esther: The ‘Other’ Lederberg,” 12.18.2016).

Experimental physicist Chien-Shiung Wu was a Chinese immigrant turned experimental physicist who worked on the Manhattan Project in 1944 and helped develop the process for separating uranium metal into U-235 and U-238 isotopes using gaseous diffusion. When she co-established that the law of conservation of parity does not hold true during beta decay, only her male colleagues were given the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics (Atomic Heritage Foundation, “Chien-Shiung Wu”).

Geneticist Nettie Stevens conducted research in 1905 that was crucial to establishing the theory of sex determination. Her experiments with mealworms led to the discovery of sex chromosomes, also known as X and Y chromosomes (Nature, “Nettie Stevens: A Discoverer of Sex Chromosomes”).

Even as far back as the early 1800s, mathematician Ada Lovelace is considered the world’s first computer programmer (Biography, “Ada Lovelace Biography,” 04.02.2014).

As everyone should plainly see, women have always made revolutionary contributions to science and technology, even with the challenges they have repeatedly faced. No one should be surprised to see women in STEM, because they have been present in STEM all throughout human history. Yet, given how three out of four scientists depicted in elementary school textbooks are male, it’s little wonder that so many people aren’t aware that female scientists even existed in the past (The World University Rankings, “Male scientists ‘outnumber women 3:1’ in school textbooks,” 12.06.2016).

Everyone, especially the easily impressionable younger generation, needs to understand that it’s not peculiar or even atypical to see women working as scientists and engineers.

Once we firmly instill this knowledge into our society, maybe then we will actually have a chance at closing the harmful gender gap that continues to plague the sciences.

The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

September 13, 2018

OPINIONS

Musk smoking pot reveals double standard Sylvan Perlmutter Columnist

I

t was the most expensive puff of marijuana smoke in history. The day after billionaire Elon Musk took a drag from Joe Rogan’s spliff while appearing on his podcast in California, two top executives resigned from Tesla and the company’s share price fell by nine percent (Vox, “Elon Musk’s week of pot smoking and wild emails, explained,” 09.08.2018). This is only the latest episode in Elon Musk’s saga of bad judgment and desperate need to appear cool, but it is illustrative of the transitional period in which the United States finds itself regarding marijuana usage.

Silicon Valley is far more tolerant, even encouraging, of drug use than other parts of the country. In 2016, WIRED published an article about how microdosing LSD was a trend among young professionals in tech who wanted to boost their creativity on the job (“Under pressure, Silicon Valley workers turn to LSD microdosing,” 08.24.2016). However, the negative reaction of investors to Elon Musk’s use of legal marijuana on camera shows that expectations for CEOs remain more conservative than the eccentricity of Silicon Valley might lead one to believe. Recreational use of marijuana is legal in California, but “respectable” people need to keep it behind closed doors.

While Elon Musk might be facing reproach from some investors and employees, his tremendous wealth and power still exempt him from dealing with any serious consequences. Musk, in his capacity as CEO of the aerospace company SpaceX, holds a high-level security clearance from the United States Air Force. SpaceX launches hardware into space for the U.S. Air

Force, so it’s essential for Musk to have access to confidential information. Neither the Air Force nor any other part of the federal government allows the use of marijuana for its members or those who hold security clearances. According to the rules, the U.S. government would have immediately stripped Elon Musk of his security clearance or had it suspended, and SpaceX would no longer have been able to do business with the Air Force unless it replaced him.

Nevertheless, the Air Force released the following statement to the press: “[I]t’s inaccurate that there is an investigation. We’ll need time to determine the facts and the appropriate process to handle the situation” (The Hill, “Air Force says it’s not investigating Elon Musk for smoking pot,” 09.08.2018). It is likely that if the Air Force has not taken action against Musk already, it’s because it has no desire to do so. Ending its relationship with someone so influential and wealthy would be too high a price to pay for following a dated policy on marijuana use. As always, even at the highest levels of government, there is a different rulebook for the wealthy.

Elon Musk continues to have access to government secrets while millions of people, disproportionately people of color, are arrested simply for possessing marijuana (ACLU, “Marijuana Arrests By the Numbers”).

The disconnect between state and federal policies on marijuana has unnecessarily complicated hiring processes and restricted the labor pool for federal employment. Nearly 55 million adults use marijuana in the United States, but if you are a marijuana user who lives in one of the nine states where recreational marijuana is legal or the 30 states where medical marijuana is legal, employers will prevent you from seek-

ing employment in the local branch of a federal agency like the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture or the Internal Revenue Services (The Washington Post, “11 charts that show marijuana has truly gone mainstream,” 04.19.2017). At least Elon Musk, to his credit, allows people who work at his factories to use marijuana outside of work as long as the THC does not exceed a certain limit in their bloodstream (The Hill, “Ex-Tesla employee who alleges she was fired for failing drug test: Musk smoking weed ‘like a slap in the face,’” 09.08.2018). By unnecessarily restricting the size of the applicant pool for federal jobs in many states, the government is undoubtedly turning away many talented and hardworking people who would like to commit to public service.

On a happy note, because of a shrinking labor pool due to high employment, companies in the private sector are increasingly dropping drug testing requirements to make up for the shortfall in applicants. As a March article in Bloomberg puts it, “pre-employment testing is no longer worth the expense in a society increasingly accepting of drug use” (“The Coming Decline of the Employment Drug Test,” 03.05.2018). Yet this trend has yet to carry over into the public sector, especially with anti-marijuana crusaders like Jeff Sessions in power.

Elon Musk may only have taken a single drag off of Joe Rogan’s spliff, but it was enough to bring all the present-day contradictions in the United States marijuana policies up to the surface. Legalization of marijuana at the state level is great, but America desperately needs legalization at the federal level in order to sort out these inconsistencies in employment prospects and accountability to the law.

Democratic voters must reject Cynthia Nixon Jesser Horowitz Columnist

C

ynthia Nixon should not be the next Governor of New York. She is not qualified for the position, nor does she have the ability to deliver on the promises she makes. While Andrew Cuomo is not significantly better and I urge New Yorkers to vote for Stephanie Miner in the general election, it is essential that the Democratic Party sends a message that we want qualified progressives. I want a good challenger to Andrew Cuomo, someone who will bring honor back to Albany and move our state forward.

If Stephanie Miner or Zephyr Teachout challenged him in the primaries, I would vote for one of them. As neither of them are, I am forced to choose between two choices I find unpleasant. Of those, Cuomo is the least bad option.

If Nixon had opted to seek a seat in the House of Representatives, I may have supported her.

Throughout her career, she has done excellent work for education and equal rights, such as when she lobbied state lawmakers in Albany to legalize same-sex marriage in New York in 2011 (Time, “Here’s What You Need to Know About Cynthia Nixon’s History of Political Activism,” 03.19.2018).

In addition, she has been a strong advocate for women’s health care and has fought aggressively for reproductive rights. Nixon has every right to be proud of what she has accomplished.

With that said, Nixon has always served as more of a mouthpiece than as a central organizer. As someone new to the realm of politics, she lacks experience drafting policy or serving public office. Even in her own advocacy group, there is very little evidence that she has taken a significant leadership role within the movements she supports aside from serving as a figurehead (AQENY, “Cynthia Nixon & AQE”). Compare Nixon’s political background to that of Zephyr Teachout, who

challenged Cuomo in 2014 and is currently one of four Democrats running for Attorney General. Like Nixon, she has never served in public office. However, Teachout has other kinds of executive leadership experience, including serving as the first national director of the Sunlight Foundation and co-founding “A New Way Forward,” a campaign to protest the current bailout plan (ZephyrforNY, “Meet Zephyr”).

However, the problem is not that Cynthia Nixon has never served in public office. There are a variety of other ways in which a person can demonstrate executive leadership. Nixon, however, has not been a part of any. That concerns me, even as she faces off against a governor that I strongly dislike. I worry how Governor Cynthia Nixon would handle a crisis. If another major hurricane or snowstorm hit New York during her time in office, could she respond adequately? Perhaps she could, with the right staff. But, I am unsure, and this lingering doubt matters. There is more to serving in public office than supporting policies with which I agree: A strong candidate has to be ready to fulfill all the responsibilities of the positions. I’m far from convinced that Nixon is.

Frankly, that was not helped by her performance at the gubernatorial debate. Cuomo and Nixon both came across as petulant children, constantly bickering and pointing fingers at each other more than offering their own solutions. Cuomo remained unable to speak about anything other than Donald Trump and failed to put forward his own vision of what his third term would entail. He frequently blamed every failure of his governorship on the state legislature and even claimed that, in regard to filing tax returns, the only person less transparent than Nixon is Trump (The Independent, “New York primary debate: A look inside the claims made by Nixon and Cuomo during their only direct faceoff,” 08.03.2018).

Clearly, this isn’t a good look for him. He has spent this entire primary season on the defensive, allowing Nixon to push him increasingly leftward.

While I do not think that her momentum will cost him the nomination, it leaves him vulnerable, especially if Cynthia Nixon decides to challenge him in the general on the Working Families Party (WFP) line. Nixon is running a decent campaign, and probably a better one than Cuomo. However, as demonstrated in the debate, she is a worse candidate. There is one moment in particular that sticks out to me. About 15 minutes into the debate, Nixon was asked about how she plans to enact and pay for her single-payer healthcare in New York State.

The moderator pointed out to her that this proposal would double the state budget, require tripling the tax rate for an average family and lead to significant cuts in other areas. Instead of answering, she defended her proposal in principle, repeatedly ignoring the question posed to her (CBS New York, “NY Democratic Gubernatorial Debate - Andrew Cuomo v. Cynthia Nixon,” 08.29.2018).

This scares me. I want single-payer health care in the United States. I think it is absolutely necessary. However, if we enact single-payer healthcare in New York State without a plan to pay for it and it fails due to that very reason, then this misstep may prevent such a system from ever being implemented on a national level.

That’s the problem with Nixon: She has a lot of good ideas and no knowledge of how to execute them. I would rather vote for a status-quo corporate Democrat with whom I agree on most issues, even if he will not follow through on a lot of the ideas he proposes, than someone with whom I agree on most issues, but is unable to fulfill them to such an extent that she sets back the progressive movement. I don’t know if Nixon is the latter, but there is a good possibility that she could be. New York Democrats cannot take that chance.

Page 15

Word on the street How do you respond when someone knocks on the bathroom stall?

“Occupied.”

— Emma Bauchner ’21

“I don’t say anything, I just panic.”

— Isabel Morrison ’19

“Come in.”

— Francisco Andrade ’22

“Seat’s taken.”

— Romario Ortiz ’22

“Clench quietly.”

— Devon Arceneaux ’22

“Opens door aggressively.”

— Yold Delius ’19

Hannah Gaven, Humor & Satire Hannah Benton, Photography

The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. The weekly staff editorial is the only article which reflects the opinion of the Editorial Board.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

HUMOR & SATIRE

Page 16

September 13, 2018

Breaking News

From the desk of Hannah Gaven, Humor & Satire Editor

Overwhelmed by receiving hundreds of emails after org fair, student figures their only option is to drop out Interrupting admirer cursed by chiseled god Isabella Migani Forever Cursed

W

Courtesy of JWikipedia

e’ve all been there. There’s this gorgeous blue-eyed, blonde-haired classmate in high school that is waaaay out of your league, but you’re still very in love with him anyway. He was somehow EVERY teacher’s favorite student (even though you were clearly much, much better at physics and deserved the attention).

You would go on to spend two more years crushing on this chiseled god, expecting something to happen while you did absolutely nothing to initiate it.

When you graduated, it was very hard to let him go. You knew you’d never really forget him. Flash forward a year later—it’s summer and you are thankfully no longer a first-year, so you’re chilling like a villian. You’ve all but forgotten him.

The “it” place to be in your small town is the library, so that’s where you go. You’re feeling yourself and all of these books give you a weird yet unshakable sense of power. Almost TOO much power.

Then you see him. He’s studying with his headphones in, so it’s obviously not a good time to say something. But you’re stupid and don’t pick up on painfully obvious social cues.

You go over to say hello. He takes off his headphones and looks at you, confused. You have literally never said a word to him in your life.

The first thing that comes out of your dumb, stupid mouth isn’t “Nice to see you!” or “How’s college?” Instead you blurt out, “What are you doing here?”

Clearly startled by such an unprompted and unnecessarily accusatory question, he just stares at you. You try and backpedal hard, it’s

not working, the questions are getting more and more odd, this is bad, this is REALLY bad, but you literally can’t shut up. Your friends have left you—it’s too hard for them to watch this horrible trainwreck. You give up. The mood has gotten weird and something is off. As he watches you go, the room grows cold. You find your friends at the back of the library. You all nod.

That was bad.

The moment you go to read the spine of Betty White’s memoir, something changes. It’s subtle, but it feels like a ripple in space time.

It’s a very specific m o o d. But if you know, you know.

Weird things start happening after that.

You feel it. Your friends feel it. Something’s changed. People start acting weird, the weather is whack, relationships fall apart one after another, pop culture is a flaming hot mess, politicians are just winging it.

Everyone you tell about this says everything just seems normal. You and your friends know it really isn’t. Something happened in that library, something truly horrible. Nothing to do with Betty White, though that woman is a real saint.

You and your friends reconvene. You have to find what caused this. Suddenly, it hits you.

You’ve all been cursed. By who? You all know— it was him. Your suspicions were correct. All that time, he wasn’t just likable, he was a wizard—some otherworldly being. And you, talkative and dumb, have managed to get yourself cursed.

There’s no discernable way to get out. You and your friends are trapped. The curse follows you everywhere. Somewhere, he is laughing.

Never again will he be judged for spending time in a library like a completely normal goddamn person.

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Advertisement by the people, for the people. We want you. We need you. I need you. Be my friend. I need friends. The humor section is sad without cartoons. Make it happy.

Jaded Jewett-dweller tells tale of infamous Coffin Single Nam Nguyen

Interior Designer Specializing in Coffins

A

lthough newcomers to Vassar College might find themselves intrigued by Jewett and its veneer of hotel decadence, believing that such a luxurious building can only house the most spacious of rooms, residents of this century-old dorm know the real tea. Not only are the doubles painfully ordinary—some even substandard—but sophomores who aren’t blessed with an elected position on House Team and who decided against becoming a student fellow risk finding themselves trapped in the infamous “coffin singles”: rectangular, comically limiting blocks of space in the tower in which one can embalm themself in sweat during the summer and mummify themselves in blankets during the winter. Knowing my luck in terms of lodgings, I didn’t jump for joy when I found out I had the last single available in Jewett, yet by no means did I expect a solitary confinement unit upon returning to Poughkeepsie on a 100-degree summer afternoon. Shoving my carry-on dejectedly into my feeble excuse of a closet, I mumbled to myself: “At least they shoved my dresser and my desk under my bed so I could actually walk to it.

At least this whole situation is funny AF.”

Those who have undergone the arduous process of room draw know that getting a good room, especially a single, is far from “easy peasy lemon squeezy.” In fact, it’s more like “stressful as heck, the person who agreed to be my roommate backed out at the last minute, and now I have to spend time worrying about getting a single with my shitty draw number and rooming with some rando instead of studying for finals, lemon, refreshing the Residence page every minute to see if the room I want is taken.”

I had no say in whether or not I got the coffin I now have; it was the only one left after an hour of page-refreshing in the Deece, and without knowing what was awaiting me, I went through the necessary motions and now here I am. My floor is eerily quiet at night, my neighboring coffins silent like the interior of a mausoleum.

“We’re all in this together” goes that song from “High School Musical,” but instead of rising musical stars, we’re merely a gaggle of lifeless and unfortunate sophomores. I should hit up Kenny Ortega and see if he could whip up a score or two with this sad cast.

In the summer, I visited Eastern State Peniten-

tiary in Philadelphia, a historic prison whose solitary confinement system proved quite a scandal in the 20th century, and I swear some of the cells were even bigger than my single. During the first few days, I attempted to liven up my coffin with some summer memorabilia, plastering my walls with pictures I had taken, writings I had created and achievements in which I took pride, yet they end up just resembling dull jail decorations that might take on significance decades later as historic annals of a sad Vassar past, probably in the Loeb. For the moment, I’m still waiting to have my bed lofted in order to use the desk they had so thoughtfully shoved underneath it. Without my fan blowing hot air out of my room, I believe I would be like those twins in “Final Destination 3,” the girls who burned to death in tanning beds.

When (or if) I get my bed lofted, I run the risk of having nightmares along those lines every night, marinating in my own sweat and tears. Maybe instead of shooting that movie “Shirley,” they should consider reviving the long-defunct “Final Destination” franchise, featuring only the Jewett coffin singles. I would love to be the Michael Stuhlbarg of that film!

The silver lining? My window does afford a

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

beautiful view of Arlington. The quiet mausoleum atmosphere of my floor is actually conducive to sleeping at night, especially after a long day of drudgery. And how can one forget about the bathrooms, the pristine, spacious comfort stations unique to the tower, equipped with shower units that come with doors and not just curtains?

I don’t think I’ve given Jewett enough credit; I’ve met the most wonderful, intelligent and devoted people there, and its interior really does resemble that of a hotel. Well, one is likely to think that until one walks into a room like mine and it suddenly becomes “The Shining.” I apologize for all the terrible movie references I’ve made throughout this article; after all, I am a media studies major. Some have even mistaken me for a drama major, which is understandable after having read this theatrical piece of writing…Yikes! Cracking up over my dramatic rendition of a predicament is the point of this article, but bear in mind that it might be your predicament some day, unseasoned Jewett dwellers! The Jewett coffins are far from myths; they’re realities poised to pounce on any unsuspecting rising sophomore!

Composed with love from my coffin, Nam.

September 13, 2018

HUMOR & SATIRE

Page 17

Student prepares for semester, forgets summer woes Blair Webber

More Than a Counter Wiper

F

to wipe down the counters.” That is what I do not like. I don’t want to be sold on the job I sought out and showed up for five days a week. Of course I have to wipe down counters. I’ve wiped down counters at other jobs and I wiped down counters at that bakery before the new owner took over, but if that is a job that is “just for me,” I guess I seriously need to reevaluate my skill set. I think pretty much everyone can do at least one other thing besides wipe down a counter, and it’s not like I was at a loss for things to do in the bakery.

I was in the middle of finishing wholesale orders

HOROSCOPES

and filling out the bills when he said that, and Jake was also working that day, so what was he thinking?

Who wipes down which counters and why is beside the point. The point is: No matter what we did this summer, whether it was bring sustainable irrigation to the entire continent of Africa or listen to our coworker say “shabbat shalom” to everyone who bought challah on Fridays (90 percent of whom didn’t know how to pronounce it), summer is over. It’s time for us all to move on and be present here at Vassar.

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

or some, summer vacation means huddling over a microscope, saving the world from bacteria; interning for a congressman, saving the world from politicians; or working for an independent production company, saving the world from massive blockbuster movies. Others don’t save the world at all but still find summer jobs, like working in a bakery across from the Green Hills Mall. For every student, summer comes to an end at some point and they must return to the hustle and bustle of Vassar’s campus. Rather than dwell on how frustrating their commute was due to the huge construction projects shoving oversized buildings into undersized lots in formerly residential neighborhoods where there isn’t parking or appropriate infrastructure for a whole huge apartment building, students must leave the summer behind them to focus on academics and creating beautiful memories with their fellow students that will last a lifetime.

Take me, for example. As I drove away from my home in Nashville, TN, I vowed I would dedicate my full attention to succeeding both inside and outside the classroom. I swore I would focus on my assignments while still finding time to care for my friends and myself. I’d let go of all the things customers said to me, like that it’s hard to find a husband at an all-women’s college, and focus on the affirming environment for trans* individuals that the people I’ve met on this campus work to build. No longer would I grumble to myself about how the new owner would point to me and say, “The girl will ring you up,” and sure, I wasn’t out as trans* at work, but for Christ’s sake!

“The girl?” Are you kidding me? My name is one syllable, one freaking syllable. How is it easier to say “the girl”? Just say “Blair.” Professors who have never met me before I walk into their classroom, much less have my social security number on file for payroll, manage to just say “Blair.”

That’s the kind of thing I won’t focus on throughout my semester. It’s over, I don’t have to work for him anymore, it’s done. Finished. Fin. Fine. I can focus on the things I love: wearing pajama pants every day, dancing, writing for the Misc, not being hit on by customers. It’s not hard to say, “Can I have a sample of that?” without saying, “Give me a sample as big as that last guy’s, otherwise I’ll know you think I’m ugly.” What the hell does that mean? We give big samples because the baked goods taste great, and muffins go stale really quickly sitting in the open air. We don’t ration based off of attractiveness. How can anyone think that’s at all appropriate? I’m there to make sure you give us money so we can bake more bread so you can give us more money, not to pass judgement on everyone’s appearance.

Sometimes I would slice the bread and put it in bags, but I’m done with that job. I can concentrate on my role as an org leader, honing my skills as a communicator and dance teacher, not wiping down counters because, according to my boss, “That is a job just for YOU.” Don’t get me wrong: I am not above wiping down counters. I will work 1,000 jobs where I have to wipe down counters.

What I’m above is a middle-aged man pointing at me up close, like the ghost of Billy Mays, and saying, “You were the first person I thought of when I knew this job needed to get done—I saw it and I thought, this is perfect for the girl. You get

Pictured above is the elusive yet condescending ghost of Billy Mays. I know it seems terrifying because it is extremely real and lively. He is known for making fun bakery jobs unbearable. You’ve been warned.

Hannah Gaven

amateur astrologist

ARIES

March 21 | April 19

TAURUS

April 20 | May 20

GEMINI

May 21 | June 20

CANCER

June 21 | July 22

LEO

July 23 | August 22

VIRGO

August 23 | September 22

The light of the moonbeam and other ancestral spirits makes it clear to me that ice cream is the only medium that will help you push through this week.

I encourage you to take a giant tub of it out of the Deece and feast.

LIBRA

September 23 | October 22

If the heat hasn’t killed you yet, it soon wil—metaphorically speaking. However, it feels like literally speaking. One game I suggest playing to enjoy the heat is trying to rub your sweat all over your friends while attempting to avoid getting their gross juice on yourself.

SCORPIO

It can be hard to find people with whom to crunch on lunch. If you do end up going to the Deece alone and feel embarrassed about sitting by yourself, there are many ways around it. Since I’m always at the Deece, you could come eat chocolate ice cream with me.

SAGITTARIUS

With the new school year starting, you can become the new you. So ditch your significant other, friends, parents, sister and fortune teller for me. I will clean your undies, smother you with love and write you weekly horoscopes. Stay tuned.

Never use photos that look like you for your VCard, so lots of people can use it to get in the Deece because you’ll be unrecognizable. Also, you will never be called on in class because the professor won’t be able to figure out who you are from your Moodle picture.

Going to the bathroom without friends allows so many things to go horribly wrong. You could get trapped in the shower by a cockroach or stuck cleaning up your vomit alone. Worst of all, you might even have to brush your own teeth.

October 23 | November 21

November 22 | December 21

CAPRICORN

December 22 | January 19

AQUARIUS

January 20 | February 18

PISCES

February 19 | March 20

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

You will find your little posse or squad at Vassar if you write or draw a cartoon for the Humor section because I’ll be your friend. Since I only leave my blanket fort for food, I don’t have a lot of friends.

I would like to cuddle in my blanket fort with someone.

Avoid farting on your crush’s foot or in their room or their bed…Apparently people don’t like that even though it’s a natural function. I also would avoid farting while spinning fire, unless you want to light your farts on fire. Does that actually happen or was it busted by Mythbusters?

Kiss all of your friends. It’s a good method to get close quick and an effective way to get mono if you want to rest in bed for a month. I know I can already use a break from stress and classes, so hit me up for a smooch.

Do you know the muffin man, the muffin man, the muffin man? Do you know the muffin man who lives on Drury Lane? If you do happen to know the muffin man please point him in my direction, as I am a big connoisseur of muffins and men.

Napping in people’s crotches is ideal. It’s very comfortable, as it makes you feel like you are crawling back up into the womb. Just make sure to get consent first and inform your roommate because it can be an awkward scene to walk in on.

Pull the fire alarm at 3 a.m. This is a good way to make friends with everyone in your dorm because they’ll all be outside complaining and gossiping, and ultimately everyone just wants to know what happened and who set off the alarm. You’ll be so popular if you can provide all of the details!

SPORTS

Page 18

Upcoming event calendar Cross Country

Class Year: 2019

The entire Bachelor Nation enterprise.

Where do you call home?

You’re stranded on a deserted island. What

Fairfield, CA, but I moved around a lot growing up, so I spent two years in Hong Kong and three years in Bangkok during high school. My family lives in Rockville, MD, now, so home is kind of all over!

Major/Correlate:

three non–survival related items would you take?

Iced coffee, a swimsuit and probably a good book?

What it your absolute hottest take?

The lime cucumber Gatorade flavor isn’t as bad as you would think.

Psychology, with a correlate in History.

Rugby position:

Glassboro, NJ, 12 p.m.

Sept. 29, Saratoga Invitational,

Saratoga Springs, NY, 12 p.m.,

What else do you do on campus?

Flyhalf/#10

Sept. 15, vs Oneonta,

Gordon Field, 12 p.m.

Sept. 19, vs Montclair State,

Gordon Field, 4 p.m.

Sept. 22, at RIT,

Rochester, NY, 2 p.m.

Sept. 29, at Union,

Schenectady, NY, 2 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

I’m a campus tour guide, an academic intern in the Psychology Department and a member of the Psych Majors’ Committee.

Who was your favorite athlete growing up?

What’s your favorite building on campus?

Swift because it has the best single-stall bathrooms.

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life. what would it be?

I started played touch rugby my sophomore year of high school, but I didn’t learn the tackle/15a-side version of the game until I got to Vassar!

What’s your favorite memory from playing at Vassar?

White rice.

Celebrity crush?

Noah Centineo...from the new Netflix rom-com that everyone is obsessed with.

What’s your guilty pleasure movie or TV show?

What are your team goals for this season:

Yards after contact, setting up a quick defense line and massive hits!

What do you like most about playing VC rugby?

I love the family I’ve gained as a result of playing rugby here. Not only do we have a huge team of current players, both men and women, to support each other, we have an incredible alumnae/i network that continues to follow our progress throughout our season, showing up at the farm week in and week out and also at the games we play all across the country.

What’s one game everyone should come to this semester?

Hoping we get this far, if we end up hosting any of the national playoff games, it would be great to have everyone come out and show support at these!

If you had to give one piece of advice for first-

Playing in the championship game in the Final Four last school year. Despite a heartbreaking loss, it was an incredibly humbling moment to represent Vassar at the national level and I’ll never forget playing a sport I love alongside some of the

years...

Now is probably a good time to stop wearing your lanyards around your necks.

Any last words?

Nah

Courtesy of Makena Emery

Men’s Rugby

As captain and flyhalf, I see my role on the team as one that necessitates a lot of leadership, communication and good distribution of the ball.

When did you start playing rugby?

Mia Hamm.

Senior flyhalf Makena Emery led the women’s Rugby team with 174 total points last year, with a particularly eye-catching 68 conversions.

When she’s not kicking and tackling on the Vassar Farm, catch Makena giving tours on campus or making her usual Dunkin’ run.

Women’s Rugby Sept. 15, at RPI,

Troy, NY, 12 p.m.

Sept. 23, vs Siena,

Vassar Farm, 1 p.m.

Sept. 29, vs Marist,

Vassar Farm, 12 p.m.

What do you see as your role on the team?

best people I’ve met at this school.

Courtesy of Makena Emery

Sept. 15, at Oneonta,

Oneonta, NY, 2 p.m.

Sept. 18, vs Wesleyan,

Gordon Field, 4 p.m.

Sept. 22, vs Rit,

Gordon Field, 1 p.m.

Sept. 26, at Bard,

Annandale-on-Hudson, NY,

7 p.m.

Sept. 29, vs Union,

Gordon Field, 2 p.m.

Makena Emery

Athlete Spotlight:

Sept. 15, Bill Fritz Invitational,

Women’s Soccer

September 13, 2018

Sept. 16, at Monroe,

Bronx, NY, 12 p.m.

Sept. 23, vs Union,

Vassar Farm, 11 a.m.

Sept. 30, at New Paltz,

Field Hockey Mahwah, NJ, 4 p.m.

Sept. 19, vs Montclair State, Weinberg Turf

Field, 7 p.m.

Sept. 22, at RPI,

Troy, NY, 2 p.m.

Sept. 26, vs Hartwick,

Weinberg Turf Field, 4 p.m.

Sept. 29, vs Skidmore,

Weinberg Turf Field, 1 p.m.

Women’s Golf Sept. 15 & 16, Ann S. Batchelder Invitational,

Wellesley, MA

Sept. 22 & 23, Mount Holyoke Invitational,

South Hadley, MA

Sept. 29 & 30, Williams Fall Invitational,

Williamstown, MA

Women’s Volleyball Sept. 15, at Stockton,

New York, NY, 12 p.m.

Sept .15, at Hunter,

New York, NY, 2 p.m.

Sept. 21, vs Skidmore,

Kenyon Hall, 6 p.m.

Sept. 22, at Union,

Schenectady, NY, 4 p.m.

Sept. 26, vs Stevens,

Kenyon Hall, 6 p.m.

Sept. 28, vs Kean,

Desmond Curran

New Paltz NY, 12 p.m.

Sept. 15, at Ramapo,

Managers: Soccer fashion’s new frontier

Kenyon Hall, 7 p.m.

Guest Columnist

E

xcuse me, Mr. Mourinho, who are you wearing? This week, millions of fans from around the world will tune in to watch the English Premier League. While their attention is focused on their hopes of witnessing a 30-yard screamer, or a brilliant piece of technical skill, they may miss out on perhaps the most peculiar feature of modern soccer: the manager’s attire. I invite you to join me on a venture into the largely unexplored topic of touchline fashion and the coaching catwalk.

The Premier League markets itself as the most competitive league in the world; any given team can beat anyone, on any day. It celebrates the unexpected and the thrilling. Fans and pundits heatedly debate both on- and off-field events: player contracts, managerial disputes, tactics, even club owners. One area of particular focus is managerial performance, yet while the soccer world devotes an enormous amount of attention to managers’ behavior and quotes, their fashion choices too often go undiscussed.

Perhaps the unpredictable, frequently ridiculous attire of the players deflects attention from the wardrobe choices of their managers. (The players’ haircuts belong in a conversation of their own.) Either way, the managers are never given a chance to flash their best Blue Steel.

One can classify managers’ apparel into two general yet distinct groups: athletic attire, such as club-branded athletic gear; and formal, which ranges from business casual to three-piece suits.

Both groups share equal representation among managers in the Premier League. And yet there

is no specific reason for this difference.

One might assume that more prestigious clubs demand more formal vestments from their managers. Arsene Wenger always sported a three-piece navy blue suit accompanied with a bright red tie, occasionally including a sports parka, much to the glee of the internet (Google “Arsene Wenger Zipper”). Yet Jurgen Klopp habitually dons slick New Balance shirts, pants and especially shoes. Both managed two of the largest clubs in England: Arsenal and Liverpool.

While there may not be much consistency in actual attire, appearances are always slick.

The manager is, after all, the figurehead of the team. His sideline manner is constantly on display throughout any match. When one might succumb to a moment of rage, frustration or even misfortune and produce a memorable gaffe, it’s better to do so while well dressed, rather than slovenly. In moments of great triumph or elation, the pomp of attire only adds to the surrounding aura.

A manager’s choice of clothing may also reflect the image they wish to project. For instance, Jose Mourinho has recently adopted an almost Bond-villain aesthetic. In Manchester United’s game against Burnley, he could have very well been Christoph Waltz in disguise. The smooth, bright grey hair, with a taupe, heathered cashmere sweater covering a grey cotton shirt—he even speaks English well, but with a heavy foreign accent! It does make sense for those familiar with Mourinho; he commands a great deal of control over his squads, hand-picking his right-hand (or right-foot) men to do his bidding to the end. For a manager whose play-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

book is only successful with the uncompromising loyalty of his players, the villain look would serve Mourinho well.

As for Jurgen Klopp, his sneakers, sweatpants and Liverpool training shirt don’t appear to play a direct role in his aura. Rather, their athletic nature serves primarily to ventilate Klopp’s body. Klopp is among the most expressive managers in the Premier League, gesticulating wildly along with the ebb and flow of the match.

His celebrations are marked by jumping and fist pumps, his fury with short sprints toward the fourth official to leer over him and elaborate his afflictions. Klopp is rather vigorous on the touchline; thus, his New Balance tracksuit suits his exertion, in the same way that Liverpool’s uniforms suit the players.

It would be ignorant for the world of soccer pundits and analysts to continue to remain silent on the discussion of managers’ appearances. For all the work the manager does to prepare his team for matchday, the clothes that he chooses to wear may truly be the only part of the goings on over which he has absolute control.

A manager can train his players, teach them his desired tactics, cajole the referees, even dictate the length of the grass cut on his home pitch (Yes, Pep Guardiola does even that), but once the game begins, the result is out of his control. The players will do what they do, the referees will make the calls and the manager will stand, occasionally yell, isolated on the sideline. It may even offer some consolation to him. He can think to himself, “We may have lost 5-0, but I looked damn good.”

September 13, 2018

SPORTS

Page 19

Women’s volleyball holds court at weekend tournament Daniel Bonfiglio Guest Reporter

O

Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton

n Sept. 8 and 9, at the annual Vassar Invitational Tournament, the Vassar Women’s Volleyball team kicked off its home season. According to senior defensive specialist Lauren Ninkovich, the team’s goals for the campaign are nothing short of making it back to the finals of the Liberty League tournament and ultimately a birth in the NCAA tournament.

The Brewers began the tournament with a face-off against the Oswego State Lakers, and, after dropping the first set, won the next three in commanding fashion to take the contest. The first set saw the Brewers trail by as many as six points, but—in a sign of things to come—they battled hard and scored three consecutive times on set point to make it close. The team had found their groove.

Oswego State fought hard for the next three sets, but big Vassar runs in each proved too much for the visiting Lakers to overcome. A kill from junior Jennifer Kerbs ended the second set and two from Lauren Ninkovich saw off the third and fourth, with Vassar holding Oswego under 20 points in each. Senior hitter Devan Gallagher led the Brewers as a whole, with 15 kills and six aces in the match.

No more than 30 minutes later, the Brewers once again took the court to face the University of New England Nor’easters, riding their momentum to a victory in straight sets. Strong runs dominated the flow of the game, with efficient serving from multiple players making it difficult for the Nor’easters to hang with the Brewers.

Gallagher paced the Brewers with 12 kills and five aces while not recording a single error, with Ninkovich adding 11 kills of her own. Kerbs and junior hitter Jane McLeod also put up strong

stat lines on the day, with 11 and 20 kills over the two matches respectively. Another of the day’s top storylines was the encouraging play of firstyears Claire Bialek, Madison Wilson and Claire Basler-Chang in both victories.

The second day of play proved to be more challenging than the first for the Brewers, but served to show the team’s resilience. The opening match on Sunday saw the Brewers square off against the Fredonia Blue Devils. The first set started off close—Fredonia battled the Brewers to a 9-9 tie before going off a run that would see them take the set 25-18.

The second set was competitive as well, with multiple lead changes and momentum swings.

Vassar rallied to tie the set 14-14 and later pulled within one to make it 22-21. However, one final run from the Blue Devils saw Vassar finally drop the set and go down 0-2. The Brewers, refusing to be swept in their own tournament, battled back and took the third set in a commanding fashion by claiming an early lead and never looking back. The fourth and deciding set was the most hotly contested set Vassar would play in the tournament, seeing 12 ties and five lead changes, as Fredonia tried to end it again and again and Vassar vied to stay alive.

With the score knotted at 25-25, the set continued, the Brewers once again showing their refusal to quit. In an exhilarating back-and-forth, the Blue Devils forced four match points with Vassar drawing even after every one, until, eventually, Fredonia struck the final blow to take the set 31-29 and the match 3-1. Gallagher led the Brewers with 17 kills in the contest, alongside 10 from McLeod and five from first-year Sara Ehnstrom.

In their final match of the tournament Vassar drew Scranton, and it was to be another display

The Brewers celebrate a point during the annual Vassar Invitational Tournament on the weekend of Sept. 8 and 9. Vassar won their first two matches before dropping the final two. of Brewer determination and fight. Mirroring the Fredonia match, the Brewers dropped the first two sets and found themselves in a hole.

Scranton held an early 6-1 lead in the third set, but the Brewers rallied to capture the frame.

They retained their momentum, taking the next set 25-17 to force a deciding fifth set. In the shorter final set, another Scranton early lead proved too much to overcome, but having been down 0-2, the team’s character still shone through.

Once again Gallagher, McLeod, Ehnstrom and Ninkovich led the Vassar squad.

The Brewers won’t be too dejected at their setback. “[The team] is still getting a sense of how to play together successfully on a consis-

tent basis,” admitted Ninkovich. And there are real positives to take from the weekend. Ninkovich continued, “I think we really showed that against Scranton, even though the result was not what we wanted, we didn’t make it easy for them…we gave it all we had.”

It is that same fight and grit that earned Coach Jonathan Penn’s team second place in the preseason Liberty League polls and that, after a weekend of triumphs and body blows, will have their sights set even higher. In Vassar’s next home match, against Stockton on Sept. 15, the team will look to build upon the positives from the tournament and fight toward their ultimate goals.

Kaepernick’s message gets Nike’s corporate whitewash KAEPERNICK continued from page 1

athlete in the celebration of a multinational corporation’s 30 years of vicious, profit-hungry production. The tensions bubbling through the surface of Nike’s Kaepernick-defined, glossy facade are palpable.

Kaepernick sacrificed his NFL career for the sake of a cause. Guided by conversations he had with those most acquainted with political activism in sport, like Harry Edwards, Kaepernick

described his cause carefully and powerfully.

When asked about the reasoning behind his protest in its early days, Kaepernick stated: “I’m going to continue to stand with the people that are being oppressed. To me, this is something that has to change. When there’s significant change and I feel that flag represents what it’s supposed to represent, and this country is representing people the way that it’s supposed to, I’ll stand.” He went on, “This stand wasn’t for

Courtesy of Football Schedule via Flickr

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who opted out of his contract with the San Francisco 49ers before the 2017 season, still hasn’t been signed after publicly protesting racial injustice and police violence.

me. This is because I’m seeing things happen to people that don’t have a voice, people that don’t have a platform to talk and have their voices heard, and effect change. So I’m in the position where I can do that and I’m going to do that for people that can’t” (Cbssports, “Colin Kaepernick: I’ll keep sitting for anthem until meaningful change occurs,” 08.28.2016).

In his aptly titled article “On Colin Kaepernick’s Nike Ad: Will the Revolution Be Branded?,” The Nation’s sports editor, Dave Zirin, notes, “Nike has been for decades a target of protests by student activists, with organizations like United Students Against Sweatshops on the front lines, for notoriously poor labor practices.”

He goes on to highlight: “Earlier this year, the company was accused [in a New York Times exposé] of fostering a sexist work environment with chronic harassment.” Even at the very top of Nike, reminds Zirin, there is Chairman Phil Knight, who just last year gave $500,000 to Oregon Republican gubernatorial candidate Knute Buehler (The Nation, “On Colin Kaepernick’s Nike Ad: Will the Revolution Be Branded?, 09.04.2018). (As an Oregonian, I can humbly attest that Knute Buehler’s name is seriously indicative of how cool Knute Buehler is.)

The oppressive status quo embellishes Nike’s bottom line. Indeed, caught in the crosshairs of a company that has no consequential qualms about the effects of structural racism, globalization, patriarchy and class hierarchy are 1 million-plus employees occupying the space of both capital and labor for one of the world’s most powerful corporations.

Nike’s motivations are transparent. As Fox Sports analyst Nick Wright put it, “Nike is making a bet that history will judge [Kaepernick] much more favorably than he’s being judged right now. And they want to be on the right side of that history” (Twitter, @FTFonFS1,

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

09.04.2018).

The right side of history is not one, for Nike, defined by moral righteousness or standing with oppressed peoples. The right side of history, for Nike, is the side of history with the most valuable stocks. Nike’s online sales saw a 31 percent increase the day after the release of Kaepernick’s ad.

Kaepernick now kneels not on the sidelines of an NFL team but instead on a thin tightrope of righteous activism and corporate sponsorship. As Zirin notes, Nike advertises that Kaepernick is “moving the world forward.”

That sounds much more like a vacuous talking point chiseled from the pumice of a recent neoliberal Presidential campaign than the radical message Kaepernick has advocated.

This whitewashing of Kaepernick’s message is unsurprising and in lockstep with grander corporate appeals to a younger, more progressive generation, as Ben Carrington and Jules Boycoff note in The Guardian. “[Kaepernick’s partnership with Nike] is also a reminder,” they write, “that late-modern capitalism can embrace and even promote radical, chic rhetoric as long as it does not call into question the ideology of capitalism itself” (The Guardian, “Is Colin Kaepernick’s Nike deal activism – or just capitalism?, 09.06.2018).

For Kaepernick, Nike’s business decision to make him their coverboy is a victory—it’s meritocratic validation of a years-long pursuit for place. But I believe, at least for the moment, that it is a pyrrhic victory. At the heart of my skepticism is a fundamental question, a question with which Kaepernick appears to be wrestling: What does it mean to be a financially successful public figure in an intersectionally unequal, imperialist, capitalist society?

Nike’s profitable, milquetoast branding of Colin Kaepernick’s revolutionary activism may provide an answer.

SPORTS

Page 20

September 13, 2018

With strong senior class, women’s soccer ready to rise Myles Olmsted Sports Editor

T

Vassar College 2, Stevens 1

Vassar College 4, Wash & Lee 0

September 9, 2018

September 8, 2018

Stevens

S H SOG G A

POS

Player

Vassar College

S H SOG G A

GK

Walsh

0

0

0

0

GK

McCarthy

0

0

0

0

D

Trasatti

0

0

0

0

F

Komar

6

2

0

0

DeBenedictis

M

Chroscinski

F

Chernet

M

Totals.......

Walsh

0 0 1 0 0 0

3

Tanner

Goalie

0

0

Moss

D

1

0

Ferry

D

1

0

Lavelle

M

0

1

Seper

D

0

0

Saari

M

First-year Emma Tanner, of Florence, MA, has already scored twice for the Brewers this season, providing a fresh spark of talent to a team already rich in senior experience.

Women’s Field Hockey

Player

D

to finally get the W,” said Coughlan. Chroscinski called the win a culmination of her career. “We proved to ourselves we can play with these nationally ranked teams,” the goalscorer added.

An arrival, perhaps.

Yet it is still early. While the ultimate goals for the season still loom—William Smith, the Liberty League Tournament, NCAAs—the seniors know where their focus must lie: “Getting better,” said Chroscinski, “Making sure we’re staying healthy, taking care of our bodies…stay consistent, show up and be aggressive for every match.”

These seniors know it’s a long season. They know they must lead the way. And they know that, come November, they want to be ascending to new heights.

Women’s Soccer

Vassar College POS

together.”

A long, productive preseason quickly gave way to games, however, and with games came adversity. After a season-opening 2-0 win against New Paltz, the Brewers were dealt a handy 5-1 defeat by NYU. What had historically been a close, competitive fixture was this time anything but; the mood after the game was somber, downtrodden. The tone soon flipped, however.

What stuck with the team—particularly the seniors—were the lessons learned. “We left feeling motivated to come back the next day ready to work at practice and never let a loss like this one happen again,” stated Chernet. Cascone affirmed, “NYU was a tough one for us, but it served as a learning tool. We were frustrated and ready to go out and play better soccer after NYU.” Progress. Ascension.

The next match saw Vassar battle #21 Swarthmore to a close 2-1 loss. Progress. Just two days later, the breakthrough came for the Brewers when they kicked off against Stevens Institute of Technology on Sunday, Sept. 9. This senior class had never before beaten Stevens.

A first-half goal from first-year Emma Tanner saw the Brewers take the lead, before the Ducks of Stevens evened it up part-way through the second half on a penalty kick. The game was poised on a knife’s edge, there for either team to snatch. It only made sense that one of the seniors was the one to lead the way.

Only minutes after the Stevens equalizer, Chroscinski got her head on a free kick from junior Jordan Moss, sneaking it past the keeper.

2-1. A little over twenty minutes later, the final whistle blew with Vassar on top.

The seniors all realized the significance of the win. “This was the first time we had beat them since I joined the team, so it was a great feeling

Courtesy of Carlisle Stockton

here’s something different about the class of seniors on the Vassar women’s soccer team, perhaps because this cohort is Coach Corey Holton’s first recruiting class. It gives the group of nine students—large for a senior class—a certain poetic symmetry. A certain understanding of role and place. A certain appreciation for progress. And perhaps a certain feeling of arrival.

Senior midfielder and captain Dahlia Chroscinski has noticed the advances made by the program in the last few years. “Each year I’ve been here we’ve gotten better,” she remarked.

“We’ve consistently ascended in our league.”

That ascension saw the Brewers charge all the way to the Liberty League finals last year, only to fall to perennial powerhouse William Smith.

For the senior class, it’s all about the next step. Said senior forward Rachel Chernet of the team’s goal-making process: “Every year we talk about what our goals are, starting with our ultimate goals of the season followed by mid-range and everyday goals we need to have to get us there.”

The ultimate ambitions this year? A top-two Liberty League finish, beating William Smith, a birth in the NCAA Tournament and a 3.7 team GPA. The seniors seem to understand the role they must play if they are to continue their year-byyear climb. Mused Chroscinski: “I think with our seniors this season, because there are so many of us, we can really change the dynamic of the team in any direction we want to.”

Speaking on her classmates’ roles in shaping the vibe and direction of the group, Chroscinski conntinued: “It’s our job to maintain...positive energy and just let people know what our cul-

ture’s all about and set the precedent early on about how we want things to be—what kind of team we want to be, basically, and how we want to play soccer.”

Chernet echoed the significance of this senior class, commenting, “Being such a large class and presence on the team, it’s important that we show the other classes how to lead in order to have success in the program for the years to come.”

If Coach Holton’s first class is to launch the program to new heights, they realize the hard work that lies before them, not just as players but also as leaders. Luckily, the entire team came into the fall further ahead than ever before: “I was impressed with how fit everyone came in and how well the freshmen fit in,” Chernet shared. “It really showed how hard everyone worked over the summer.”

Chroscinski agreed, pointing out: “Since everyone came in pretty fit, we focused more on gameplay, technical skills...we played 11v11 the first day of preseason instead of doing the normal fitness testing, so we definitely jumped right into things and focused more on the soccer stuff, and I think that really made a big difference.” According to Coach’s Assistant Arianna Cascone, a senior ruled out this season by injury, a longer preseason also allowed the team to bond and incorporate their new players.

This cohesion may be the squad’s greatest asset this year. Senior defender Megan Coughlan mentioned working to create a team-oriented atmosphere built on trust. Others described the team as tight, comfortable and close-knit. “Being on a team where everyone is friends makes the players more excited to show up to practice everyday and work hard,” Chernet reflected. “I really feel it helps us with both our team chemistry on the field and how we overcome adversity

Minutes 90:00

1

7

3

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

1

0

2

2

M M F B B M F B F

1

Damrell

0

0

Butera

0

2

Brewster

0

0

0

22

Totals.......

0

0

0

0

O’Kelly

0

1

0

1

Cassiano

0

0

3

1

Whitlock

0

0

0

5

Panko

0

0

0

0

Mellett

0

0

0

0

Budka

0

0

0

6

0

1

0

GA

Saves

Goalie

Minutes

GA

Saves

1

5

McCarthy

90:00

2

1

POS

Player

Wash & Lee

S H SOG G A

M

AquilinaPiscitello

0

0

0

0

M

Feeley

0

0

0

0

M

Caveny

10

7

1

2

M

Lopez

3

3

1

1

M

More

7

5

1

1

F

Poehlein

2

2

1

0

D

Plante

1

1

0

0

D

Youse

0

0

0

0

M

Johnston

0

0

0

0

F

Young

1

0

0

0

GK

Rotolo

0

0

0

0

Totals.......

Goalie Rotolo

27

19

4 4

POS

Player

S H SOG G

A

M

Noels

2

0

0

0

M

Caruso

0

0

0

0

F

Thole

0

0

0

0

D

Fennessy

0

0

0

0

M

Hancock

0

0

0

0

D

Hewitt

0

0

0

0

D

Berman

0

0

0

0

M

Hamilton

0

0

0

0

F

Weise

0

0

0

0

D

Doran

0

0

0

0

GK

Yavalar

0

0

0

0

Totals.......

5

2

0

0

Minutes

GA

Saves

Goalie

Minutes

GA

Saves

70:00

0

1

Yavalar

70:00

4

15

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE