The Miscellany News | October 27, 2011

The Miscellany News Since 1866 | miscellanynews.com

October 27, 2011

After two years, SAVP coordinator job to be reinstated Aja Brady-Saalfeld

A

Guest Reporter

Very dissatisfied

Erik Lorenzsonn and Aashim Usgaonkar

Somewhat

Senior Editors

dissatisfied

W

Neutral/ mixed

Somewhat satisfied

Very satisfied

VC admissions balance applicant gender ratios Mary Huber

A

Features Editor

lthough many students bemoan Vassar’s skewed gender ratio, the demand for more male students at Vassar and other colleges across the country may disadvantage female applicants.

Vassar’s applicant pool is about 70 percent female and 30 percent male, but only about 60 percent of current students are female and 40 percent are

ust after midnight on Monday, Sept. 21, Manning Wu ’14, the president of Strong House, entered a bathroom on the fourth floor of the all-female dorm. To her surprise, she found two men inside whom she did not recognize. Immediately concerned they might have entered the dorms illegitimately, she called the Campus Response Center (CRC) to report their presence.

Inside this issue

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NEWS

VSA charters new Alcohol Task Force

Courtesy of Fang Island

Courtesy blipfestival.org

Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

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“I was nervous because the two guys did not look like Vassar students,” she said.

At about the same time she called, another student contacted the CRC and voiced his concern about two men who had entered Strong behind him after he had swiped his identification card at the entrance. “A student reported that there were two individuals that piggybacked in the building behind him and See SAFETY on page 3

male. The percentage of male students, in fact, has slowly risen over the past few years to reach 45 percent for the Class of 2015, yet men remain 30 percent of the applicant pool.

This inconsistency raises questions of fairness in the admissions process.

Dean of Admissions at Kenyon College Jennifer Delahunty Britz sparked controversy when she wrote, “The fat acSee ADMISSIONS on page 8

hile most students left Vassar during October Break, the Vassar Board of Trustees convened on campus last week for one of several meetings that occur throughout the year. At the top the agenda this October was continuing the process of governance review that started the previous year, as well as authorizing funding for the new science facilities, welcoming seven new members to the Board, and participating in A Day at Vassar (See “A Day at Vassar draws in community” on Page 5).

As a part of the reaccreditation of the College in 2010, the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools recommended a review of the Governance and charged the College with the task of making it “clearer, simpler and more effective.” In response, the College chartered the Governance Review Steering Committee (GRSC), a joint trustee-faculty-student committee with representation from the Vassar Board of Trustees, the Vassar Student Association (VSA), the Faculty Policy and Conference Committee (FPCC) and the Office of the President. “Our job isn’t to whimsically rewrite the Governance,” said Assistant Professor of English Zoltan Markus, a member of GRSC. Indeed, the charge of the committee is only to develop suggestions to amend the document; theses changes will require approval from the trustees.

“Most schools don’t give students the same voice in governance that we enjoy at Vassar,” said VSA See GOVERNANCE on page 4

ViCE to bring underground, upbeat acts Anamanaguchi, Fang Island

An intrusion into Strong House by two men, as well as vehicle break-ins in places such as North Lot, above, have raised campus security concerns.

News Editor

Trustees convene in break

Satisfaction with male-female balance

Percent seniors

Intruders spark safety concerns

Joey Rearick

Volume CXLV | Issue 6

Data courtesy of the Office of Instituional Research

fter two years without a Sexual Assasult Violence Prevention (SAVP) coordinator, the Vassar College Office of Health Education (OHE) is looking to reinstate the position.

Originally, the position, which was supervised by the director of Health Education, was cofunded by Vassar College and the OHE Department of Justice Grant for the Prevention of Violence Against Women. This collaboration, which began in 2007, expired with the grant in 2009.

According to Vassar Student Association (VSA) Vice President Charlie Dobb ’12, the College was unable to sustain the position alone due to the impact of the recent recession.

Though the OHE has many sexual assault prevention services available, including programs

that educate students about sexual assault and a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART), a coordinator position will create an institutional center for sexual assualt violence. “Having this [the SAVP coordinator] as a unique position will allow more time, dedication and sole focus to the job,” said Director of Health Education Renee Pabst, who took on many of an SAVP coordinator’s responsibilities after the position was eliminated.

Dobb explained that when the position was eliminated, the College saw sexual assault incident reporting plummet. “Students just were not coming forward,” said Dobb. He expects that, once the position is reinstated, there will be an increase in the rate of reporting. However, he emphasized that this does not necessarily indicate an increase in See SAVP on page 4

Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Anamanaguchi, left, will headline the Vassar College Entertainment fall concert on Nov. 19 in Vassar Chapel, which will be free of charge. Opening for them is the power pop group Fang Island, right. Both bands are renowned for their high-energy performances.

Rachael Borné

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Arts Editor

o doubt many members of the student body either sincerely or ironically consider themselves techsavvy 90s babies who reminisce about the good ol’ days of Nintendo’s pixilated graphics and eight-bit soundscapes.

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NEWS

Local elections approaching in November

For this group the upcoming Vassar College Entertainment (ViCE) fall concert featuring chip tune indie rock band Anamanaguchi, will be a dream come true.

Opening for the New York group is Fang Island, a Brooklyn-based band self-identified as progressive power

14 ARTS

pop. Both acts will hit the Chapel stage on Nov. 19 free of charge. “You don’t even have to get a ticket,” said ViCE Publicity chair Eli Schutze ’12, “You just have to show up and party.”

With its hijacked Nintendo Entertainment System beats, Anamanaguchi will See CONCERT on page 16

Work of student photographers on display

The Miscellany News

Page 2

October 27, 2011

Editor in Chief Molly Turpin Senior Editors

Katharine Austin Erik Lorenzsonn Aashim Usgaonkar

Contributing Editors Katie Cornish Carrie Hojnicki Jillian Scharr

News Joey Rearick Dave Rosenkranz Features Danielle Bukowski Mary Huber Opinions Hannah Blume Humor & Satire Alanna Okun Arts Rachael Borné Adam Buchsbaum Sports Corey Cohn Andy Marmer Photography Juliana Halpert Madeline Zappala Online Nathan Tauger Social Media Matt Ortile Managing Qian Xu

In October 1946, Vassar celebrated the inaugration of its sixth president, Sarah Gibson Blanding, the College’s first female president. Blanding was decorated during the inaugural ceremony for her wartime services as consultant to the Secretary of War during the Second World War.

This Week in Vassar History 1916, Oct. 30 “Beginning tomorrow morning,” President MacCracken announced in the Chapel, “Vassar College, by vote of the faculty, will have a system of open marks.” Students had agitated since 1885 to know their marks, but until this time they had only been permitted to know their class standing.

1927, Oct. 29 Cushing Hall, a freshman dormitory, was dedicated. Named in honor of Florence M. Cushing ‘74, who served as alumnae trustee—1887-1894 and 1906-1912—and as a life trustee, 1913-1923, the $400,000 building designed by Allen & Collens had two dining rooms and accommodated 140 students. The campus could now accommodate 1,050 residential students.

1952, Oct. 30 Cornelia M. Raymond ’83, daughter of President John H. Raymond, died at the age of 91.

She came to Vassar at the age of four, and, having taught school for 30 years after her graduation, she returned to the College in 1913 to serve as associate warden. From 1926 until 1931, Miss Raymond was director of the bureau of publications, and she later served as publicity secretary. She was resident in the College at the time of her death.

Assistant Features Ruth Bolster Jessica Tarantine Assistant Arts Charlacia Dent Shruti Manian Assistant Sports Kristine Olson Assistant Photo Carlos Hernandez Assistant Copy Jessica Grinnell Crossword Editor Jonathan Garfinkel Columnists Brittany Hunt Michael Mestitz Tom Renjilian Andy Sussman Reporters Emma Daniels Bethan Johnson Bobbie Lucas Jack Owen Photographers Alex Schlesinger

By Dean Emeritus Colton Johnson

In touch with the College throughout its 87year history, she published her recollections at the time of the 75th anniversary, in 1940, as Memories of a Child of Vassar, including a recollection of her four-year-old self by Sarah Scott, a teacher of rhetoric and mathematics when the college opened, in 1965: “We were under the shadow of the Civil War, some of us mourning lovers or brothers, some having lost our homes, all strangers, some leaving little sisters at home. To us all the sight of a little girl full of sympathy was a great comfort. Little Nellie became a center of life and hope.”

A memorial service was held in the Chapel for Miss Raymond on Nov. 1.

1969, Oct. 30-31 At 3:20 a.m., 34 African-American students— all women and a majority of Vassar’s 59 black students—peacefully took over the central first floor of Main Building, protesting the administration’s failure to respond to the Student Afro-American Society’s nine points. A night watchman left quietly, a small group of African-American men from area colleges and the community guarded the front door and President Simpson spoke briefly with the students through an open window.

Speaking to several hundred students later in the morning from the portico outside the Rose

Parlor, Simpson said that a meeting including trustees, student leaders, member of the faculty and representatives of the group occupying Main would be convened. While disapproving of the action, he said he understood “the spirit of deep frustration and high endeavor” motivating the students, adding “I cannot imagine any circumstance in which such conversations would be improved by the use of force or the threat of force.”

Conversations between the several parties began the following day. The New York Times 1969, Nov. 1 President Simpson and trustee representative Orville Schell signed an agreement with Claudia Thomas ‘71, president of Students’ Afro-American Society (S.A.S.), in which the college agreed to fully implement points one through six of the students’ demands, as well as a modified version of the last three points dealing with an all-black dorm. With brooms and mobs from a utility closet, the students inside Main tidied up, removing the boards that had held the front doors shut. At 9:30 pm, the demonstrating students re-opened Main Building. Claudia Thomas recalled: “We left behind an arrangement of daisies on the switchboard operator’s desk, standing tall in a Coca-Cola bottle. For me, I left more than a clean, wellswept area, and a bottle with flowers in it. I left behind nineteen months of anger.”

Dr. Claudia Thomas, God Spare Life

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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October 27, 2011

NEWS

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Council charters Alcohol Task Force Police respond to trespassing L case in Strong Dave Rosenkranz News Editor

ast Sunday, the Vassar Student Association (VSA) unanimously moved to charter the Alcohol Task Force (ATF) in response to a recent rise of alcohol-related incidents as well as similar trends in previous years. It is an ad-hoc joint committee charged with conducting campus research to better define alcohol’s relationship with campus culture. The ATF, which is a closed committee, is subordinate to and will work closely with the College’s Drug and Alcohol Education Committee (DEC). It will operate throughout the year in two stages.

The first stage will begin this November and has to do with collecting student data. “The purpose of the ATF is to take on the alcohol issue on campus in a comprehensive and creative fashion,” wrote Town Houses President and ATF co-Chair Alejandro Montoya ’12 in an emailed statement.

To that end, the Task Force will administer

a campus-wide student survey to serve as a general guide, organize focus groups to learn more about how members of each class interact with alcohol (there will be one group for each class and two control groups) and manage a tracking study to learn about student behavior over time. Once all the student input has been compiled, the Alcohol Task Force will work with the Psychology Department to organize its data. VSA Vice President for Student Life and ATF member Charlie Dobb ’12 hopes that this research phase will be finished by the end of January.

Once it’s over, the second stage will begin.

At the beginning of next semester, the ATF will analyze the information it collected and produce a recommendation to the DEC and the Dean of the College’s Office. According to DEC Chair and ATF member Jeffrey Carter, nothing is off the table in terms of implementation. “It’s a little too early to speculate because the process has barely begun, but the book is still open,” he explained.

However, Dobb doesn’t think that a collegewide overhaul is likely. “I doubt that any college regulations will be changed. More likely, we’re looking at changes in security policy in terms of enforcement, or changes in education policy in terms of how freshmen are integrated and how freshmen programming is done,” wrote Dobb in an emailed statement, adding, “[The ATF] is interested in the social component.”

In addition to learning about alcohol’s actual role in student life, the ATF also hopes to learn about alcohol’s perceived role. “If the perception is that everyone drinks six drinks a night, then students will try to keep up at that level. Maybe, in reality, they’re only drinking two, or none,” noted Carter.

He hopes that an inquiry into perception will help explain why many students who didn’t drink before they came to Vassar begin drinking dangerously after they arrive.

“Is this an education issue, do we need See ATF on page 3

Candidates gear up for local elections Leighton Suen

O

Guest Reporter

Courtesy of Danfrenchexec.com

n Nov. 8, Dutchess County will hold its annual elections. On odd-numbered years, there are both county and municipal elections. A major race this year is the one for Dutchess County executive, since the position had previously been filled by William Steinhaus since 1991. Duties of this position include appointing the department heads of county government and overseeing the administration of all departments.

The candidates are Daniel French of the Democratic and Working Families Parties and Marc Molinaro of the Republican and Independence Parties.

“The county executive oversees millions of dollars in programs targeted at seniors, children and women—services that have been cut under the current Republican administration,” wrote French in an emailed statement. “I would reverse these reckless policies, drawing from my graduate degree in public administration and my experiences as supervisor of Beekman and as a trustee of Dutchess Community College. I am ready to lead our county.”

Denise Watson of the Republican, Conservative and Independence Parties and Marco Caviglia of the Democratic Party are running for family court judge, another county-wide position. Family courts deal with cases of juvenile delinquency, child support, adoption and domestic abuse, among other things.

“I have spent the past 12 years working exclusively in Dutchess County Family Court as a court attorney to Hon. Peter M. Forman,” stated Watson in an emailed statement. She has over 30 years of legal experience. “I am passionate about the work done there to protect families and children within our community...and to give them the opportunity to succeed within our community.”

“Why do I want to be your family court judge?” Caviglia posed the question in an emailed statement. “Simply because I want to help families in the way I am equipped to do. My upbringing, my life experiences, my 31 years of helping individuals and families in distress, make it clear to me that this job is the most important judiciary role one could ever fill.”

As for the other county-level elections, County Clerk Bradford Kendall, Sheriff Adrian “Butch” Anderson and District Attorney William Grady—all of the Republican and Independence Parties—are running unopposed for their positions. In Member Dutchess County Legislature, Vassar College is represented by Angela Flesland in District Six and Rob Rolison in District Eight; both are also running unopposed.

“Right now I think the biggest issue confronting the County Legislature…is controlling taxes,” declared Flesland in an emailed statement. She was first elected while a senior at Marist College in 2007. “Too many young people are struggling to remain in

Daniel French, above, of the Democratic and Working Families Parties, addresses the community as part of his campaign for Dutchess County executive. His opponent is Marc Molinaro. the area they grew up owing to high taxes and a lack of employment. I am proud of my ability to work with people of all party affiliations to [make] Dutchess County a better place.”

In elections specific to the Town of Poughkeepsie, the contested positions are the two town justices and the six councilmembers representing each of the Wards. The town justices deal with simple traffic offenses, bill collection cases, small claims suits and criminal hearings, among other things. The candidates are Susan Htoo, John Lentz, Paul Banner and Paul Sullivan. The candidates for councilman for Ward Six, which includes Vassar’s campus, are Lydia Biskup of the Republican, Conservative, and Independence Parties and Ann Shershin of the Democratic Party. Lastly, Todd Tancredi, Susan Miller and Miriam Zimet-Aaron are running unopposed for town supervisor, town clerk and library trustee, respectively.

“A significant criticism of local courts is that justices are not available 24/7 for arraignments and bail matters,” began Susan Htoo of the Democratic and Working Families Parties in an emailed statement. Htoo has been an attorney for 30 years; and, if elected, she will become the first woman town justice in 40 years. “I am committed to being available…in a timely manner, and to enforce the laws that keep our community safe and ensure due process for all.”

“I will work extremely hard for all of the constituents in the Sixth Ward,” confirmed Lydia Biskup. She is a professional lecturer on fashion merchandising at Marist College. “I think at the local level, it’s really about the right person for the job.

It transcends party. You have to vote for the person with the strongest background.”

Biskup continued with a message di-

rectly to Vassar College students: “With local elections, I do take issue—as do many voters—to college students mobilizing to vote in local elections. Students do not live here permanently; they are here for a short time, and then go back to their homes.” Biskup recommends that students get absentee votes for their places of permanent residence. “Don’t get me wrong. I am not anti-Vassar. I am an educator, and I am aware that an academic institution such as Vassar enriches the community. But I do not think it is correct for students to vote, because they don’t have a vested interest in the community.”

Political Science Professor Sarita Gregory disagrees with Biskup. Her website Voting Vassar emphasizes that college students have had the right to vote in Dutchess County elections since 2004. “[There is] a 30-day residency requirement, which is usually met by most college students after their freshman orientation,” she wrote in an emailed statement. “So, any argument that college students are ‘temporary’ is no longer merited. It bespeaks a larger problem of demobilizing the college student vote, which deserves greater attention.”

Seth Warner ’14 concurs with Gregory.

“Elections are a crucial opportunity for us to make our voices heard on the issues that we care so deeply about. [For example,] over the past four years, county government cut programming that served 1,200 crime victims annually, and eliminated the area’s Human Rights Commission. And even as local domestic violence cases rose, the county slashed over $100,000 to battered women’s programs.”

“As a community that is conscientious to these issues, it is imperative that we speak up and address the problems present in our own backyard.”

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

SAFETY continued from page 1 didn’t belong,” wrote Director of Safety and Security Don Marsala in an emailed statement about the occurrence. “Officers responded and located the two men.”

Several times a semester, Vassar Safety and Security responds to reports from students regarding suspicious persons in the dormitories on campus. When Security officers find the subjects of such complaints, they ascertain whether or not the person or persons attend Vassar or have a legitimate reason for being present in the dorms, such as visiting a Vassar student. If the responding Security officers identify the subjects of the complaint as uninvited intruders, they typically escort them off campus without contacting police. If the subjects are later found to repeat this first offense, Security usually moves forward with more serious legal measures by contacting local police and reporting a charge of trespassing.

In the case of this incident in Strong, however, Security found the two individuals to be largely uncooperative.

Whereas most trespassers quickly acquiesce to Security’s instructions, the men were obstinate in their refusal to provide basic identification. They also insisted they knew a student on campus. Security officers then decided to contact the Town of Poughkeepsie Police to deal with the individuals. “The police were called because the men were elusive in their answers and wouldn’t produce ID,” wrote Marsala. “The police arrived and established their identities.”

Marsala also arrived at Strong House shortly thereafter. “I’m always called whenever an incident like this occurs, even overnight. I was debriefed by the sergeant on duty,” he said. Eventually more details emerged, despite the intruders’ initial reticence. The police officers determined the pair lived in the local area; one was a resident of Poughkeepsie, while another lived in Hyde Park. “The men stated that they were looking for a friend who was a Vassar student. This was later verified that they do know a Vassar student,” Marsala said. “They were advised about our guest procedures and escorted off campus. We were unable to find the student friend at the time.” Because no student was available to confirm he knew the men, Security had no reason to believe the intruders’ claim that they were looking for a friend. Both men were issued trespass notices ordering them not to return to campus.

The incident was the subject of much discussion at the Vassar Student Association Council meeting on Sunday, Oct. 9. Wu, present in her capacity as Strong president, described her experience to her fellow Council members, many of whom expressed sympathy and concern.

The presidents of Davison, Jewett and Cushing spoke about similar disturbances in their own houses. Other Council members expressed surprise they had not been notified about the incident and wondered why no email had been sent from Security to inform the student body.

Marsala explained that he decides whether he will send an email to the entire campus about a given incident by consulting with other administrators, namely Dean of the College Chris Roellke and Dean of Students David “D.B.” Brown. “Whenever something out of the ordinary happens, a decision is made, usually in consultation with [Roellke and Brown] as to whether or not to send an all student alert or advisory,” he wrote in an emailed statement. “In this case, the men, while very wrong in their actions, didn’t pose an immediate threat to the campus, as they were found, trespassed and escorted off campus by the police. The fact that they knew a student by name also factored in.”

Wu decided to use her experience to improve awareness of Security concerns among Vassar students. “I brought up the issue in our weekly house team meeting and asked the student fellows to talk to their freshmen about safety in Strong,” she said. Wu also addressed the subject at a subsequent meeting of the Board of House Presidents. She and the other presidents of Vassar’s residential houses drafted a letter urging students to take basic safety precautions, and emailed the letter to all residents living on campus. “When using a door that does not have a card reader, please ensure that the door actually closes behind you,” the email read. It continued, “If you notice a door or lock that is malfunctioning, please fill out a service request or contact a member of your house team.”

Wu is hopeful that future trespassing incidents can be handled as effectively as the one that occurred in Strong. “Security arrived at Strong almost immediately after I called them and did a great job apprehending the suspects,” she said. “Again, I would suggest that students raise their safety awareness and call Security whenever they see suspicious activity.”

NEWS

Page 4

Council revives discussion about abuse allegation SAVP continued from page 1 the frequency of sexual assault incidents. A full time SAVP coordinator is also expected to improve the quality of Freshman Orientation activities related to sexual assault.

Although the search for a new SAVP coordinator won’t begin for several months, Dobb hopes that the position will be filled by the end of the year.

“The interview process itself will involve a variety of faculty, administrators and students that work with the SAVP program who will meet with the prospective candidates,” said Pabst, explaining why the process will take as long as it will.

Students played an important part in reinstating the position. According to Dobb, students were very vocal in asking for more focus to be placed on sexual assault awareness. Dobb also said that although Vassar is hardly unique in its concerns about sexual assault, he felt Vassar had a duty as a former women’s college to increase awareness and education. “[Sexual assault] is a violation that happens on college campuses,” Dobb said. “Any number is too high.”

In the capacity as the VSA Vice President for Student Life, Dobb is also working on changing some of the College’s policies regarding relationship abuse. Last year’s VSA Council initiated the process of creating a distinct disciplinary charge for relationship abuse because, in the past, it was charged in the same way as other offenses.

That effort stalled in light of the lengthy VSA restructuring debate. However, the new relationship abuse charge is still in its preliminary stages and no information about the potential consequences of charged by it have been announced yet. Dobb emphasized that these charges are completely separate from the criminal charges that could result from relationship abuse.

“Students always have the right to prosecute,” said Dobb.

October 27, 2011

Trustees, GRSC review Governance GOVERNANCE continued from page 1 Vice President for Operations Jenna Kostantine ’13, addressing the student presence on GRSC. “Being able to participate in conversations on how the College is structured and how decisions are made has really made me appreciate the process,” she added.

GRSC has approached the process of the review by envisioning the document as comprised of three levels: a broad constitutional level that would define the “structure and principles of authority and decision-making” at the College (level A), a level containing laws about the implementation of these principals (level B), and lastly a regulatory document that outlines the nitty-gritty of procedural processes (level C). Each level is then subject to amendments with a different frequency, with level C most readily and frequently subject to revision.

Aside from specific concern voiced by Middle States’ review and the College’s internal review, GRSC will also broadly address stylistic issues. “There was concern that the document is too verbose,” said Markus adding that some “clunky” language will be clarified “while keeping the meaning and intent of the language the same.” At some points in the Governance, however, “the language contradicts itself,” reported Markus.

“This is a problem because conflicts in language do not provide us any guidance” that the document is supposed to provide in certain situations, he added.

The Committee will also revisit the concept of joint-governance that is at the core of the document; specifically, it has in the past and will continue to address the language used to describe this value. At a GRSC meeting held on

Dec. 5 last year, President of the College Catharine Bond Hill noted that while the document delineates the channels of joint governance, it does not mention the importance of the concept to the governance of the College.

To address these concerns, the committee “had to rephrase the principles of shared governance in the mission statement,” said Markus. As of now, the new mission statement is not available to the public.

Stemming from the joint governance mandate of the College is its complex committee structure comprising more than 60 committees charged with a large variety of duties. The streamlining of these committees is also of prime concern to the committee.

“The faculty is overwhelmed by committee duties,” said Markus, adding, “we have too many committees…and they don’t work too well, and there is a feeling that there’s a lot of busy work without many results.”

One method to achieve this streamlining is merging committees with similar mandates. Another is reducing the number of members of each committee to “make the responsibility greater for the individual members.” Overall, however, GRSC’s goal is to make the committee structure “more efficient, effective and productive,” noted Markus.

While GRSC has made headway in terms of identifying issues it wants to address, the amendments are closer to the drawing board than they are to the launching pad. At this stage, the committee has not yet made any concrete decisions in terms of revisions. Markus added that the committee will only make suggestive amendments which must be reviewed and approved by rel-

ATF studies alcohol’s role in student life

News Brief: Meet Me in Poughkeepsie evolves in fourth year Macrae Marran

M

Guest Reporter

Courtesy of Fishkill Farms

eet Me in Poughkeepsie (MMiP) is an annual event that, for the past four years, has aimed to integrate the Vassar and Poughkeepsie communities. MMiP, which is sponsored by the Vassar Student Association (VSA), consists of special trips and activities designed by students.

This year, the VSA Council charged its appointed MMiP committee with renewing the event’s focus.

To meet that mandate, the committee members are attempting to realign the event with its original purpose: to provide students entertaining and informative experiences in neighboring areas. In the past, the event included activities that did not emphasize meaningful engagement with the local community. “Each event should be balanced in terms of its recreational and educational value,” said Noor Mir ’12, chair of this year’s MMiP committee. The committee, which is currently evaluating proposals for MMiP programming, encouraged applicants (typically student organizations and residential houses) to look for creative ways to interact with the local community.

The applications, which are due on Oct. 29, asked potential event hosts questions such as “Who will you meet on your trip?” and “How does your trip highlight what makes Poughkeepsie unique?” The committee hopes that successful forays into the local community will create long-term relationships with individuals who live outside of Vassar’s campus.

Present of the Class of 2012 Pam Vogel ‘12, another member of the committee, described the group’s vision for this year’s event. “Meet Me in Poughkeepsie . . . moves further and further away from its original intention each year. What our committee was trying to do this year is refocus the event so that it better reflects what it was originally set out to do—forge meaningful and lasting relationships with community

Pictured above, the picturesque Fishkill Farms has been a destination for groups participating in the annual Meet Me in Poughkeepsie. The date for this year’s event has yet to be announced. members,” she said.

After reviewing past events, the committee praised certain activities for their educational value, such as the Supernatural Graveyard Tour, which connected Vassar students to the school’s history through a tour of a local cemetery and Matthew Vassar’s grave. Mir explained, “We want all planners to be able to do exactly what they want, we just want to ensure that each activity is both fun and a learning opportunity.” The committee also commended Phocus, Vassar’s photography group, for interacting with the local community by conducting a photo shoot at the nearby Storm King Art Center.

Other activities from previous years included a baking class with Nilda of Nilda’s Cookies, Le Tour de Poughkeepsie with

Vassar Cycling, several physical activities lead by other sports teams, trips to the local Vanderbilt and Roosevelt Mansions, and outings to experience new local restaurants.

Last year’s MMiP occurred more than a month earlier than this year’s will. The MMiP committee has allotted itself more time between the due date for the application forms and the event. This decision indicates the committee’s intention to spend more time deliberating over the possible activities before creating the final list.

Students will be able to participate in multiple activities. There will be no fee, though many of the activities will remind participants to bring cash. The sign-up date has not yet been announced.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

evant bodies such as the faculty floor, the VSA and, ultimately, the trustees.

The committee has no set timetable for its progress, although it must prepare a preliminary report on the status of the project by the end of the academic year for Middle States. While the next meeting for the committee is in February, members will communicate on the revision process via conference calls over the telephone.

“Progress is made primarily between meetings, and I know the faculty is working diligently on the revisions they have undertaken,” wrote Chair of the Vassar Board of Trustees and Chair of GRSC William Plapinger ’74 in an emailed statement.

“The meetings in person of the committee are primarily to review progress and offer guidance and assistance on the steps forward.”

The Board of Trustees, which welcomed seven new members at its meeting over Break—“the most in recent memory,” according to Plapinger­—also focused the status of the Integrated Science Center.

“One of the key decisions made at this board meeting was to authorize the appropriation of additional funds for the next stage of development of the design of the new science facilities some of which will involve renovation of existing buildings,” wrote Plapinger.

The Board also reviewed the previous year’s financial statements, and had a series of meetings on topics ranging from the Class of 2015 to the Library’s digitization projects. According to Hill, Board members especially enjoyed exploring the recently unveiled Miscellany News online archives.

“They were playing around with that a lot, searching for their names in the archives,” said Hill.

ATF continued from page 2 more education? If we do, how do we do that? Is it a policy issue? Do we allow too much of one thing or another to happen? Is it a policing issue?

Is Security not as aware of the issues that are going on? What are our peer leaders doing? Is it enough?” asked Carter, highlighting some of the questions that the ATF seeks to answer.

The Alcohol Task Force will also look over other small liberal arts colleges before making its recommendation. Dobb acknowledged that, in the past, students have expressed frustration that the alcohol conversation hasn’t been Vassar-centric enough. Although Dobb agrees that looking inward is important for the ATF, he also thinks that other schools probably have similar alcohol-related problems and that Vassar can look to them for some solutions. “I think that 2400 coeds in the same age range and [in a place like Vassar] will act similarly,” wrote Dobb in an emailed statement. “We really want to learn about what other campuses are doing,” emphasized Carter, echoing Dobb’s thoughts.

The Alcohol Task Force’s committee meetings will be closed to the student body. Montoya wrote that the ATF was closed because its members are afraid of releasing sensitive personal information. Dobb added that this committee was also closed to maximize efficiency. “We really wanted to be small, focused and have a short time frame. Having an open committee available to students just isn’t always conducive to that. It was really a logistical choice,” said Dobb. In an effort to be somewhat transparent, the ATF will regularly report its progress to and be advised by the VSA Council and the DEC. “Alcohol is always on the Student Life agenda, and it is a constant concern because levels have been trending upward all of last year, and continue to do so this year,” wrote Dobb, but he hopes that the ATF will recommend an effective policy before the end of the academic year.

October 27, 2011

FEATURES

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CLRT crafts individual responses to crises Day at Vassar draws in the I community Danielle Bukowski Features Editor

n the wake of the homophobic grafitti in Davison House, the Campus Life Response Team (CLRT) sprung into action. The CLRT, in fact, has made it its mission to respond within 24 hours to any significant incident on campus that impacts the Vassar community.

The CLRT is a group within the Campus Life and Diversity Office coordinated by the Associate Dean of the College for Campus Life Edward Pittman. The primary goal of the group is to provide support for the individual or group affected, and secondly to identify the impact to the immediate campus community and to recommend a response. Depending on the severity of the incident, this can range from a meeting with a house team to an emailed response from Dean of the College Chris Roelke or President of the College Catharine Bond Hill.

Along with Pittman, the Campus Life Response Team is comprised of several administrators and one student, including Director of Residential Life Luis Inoa, Associate Director of Safety and Security Kim Squillace, Director of Media Relations & Public Affairs Jeff Kosmacher, Dr. Sylvia Balderrama from Counseling, Assistant Director for Campus Life/LGBTQ Programs Steve Lavoie, Associate Dean of the College/Director of Equal Opportunity Belinda Guthrie, Noyes House Fellow Abigail Baird, Vassar Student Association Vice President for Student Life Charlie Dobb ’12, Dean of the College David “D.B.” Brown, and representatives from counseling and campus life depending on the issue.

“Each time we convene the circumstances can vary widely, so there’s no formula for determining the scope or specifics of follow-up communication. What I always do is listen closely to what the other members of the committee have to say, because they work much more directly with the student body.

As our conversations progress and ideas for next steps begin to take shape, I try to offer some big picture feedback to the process,”

Kosmacher wrote in an emailed statement.

Beyond their mission statement to aid in the response to any crisis, the way in which the CLRT handles each issue varies. The severity of the issue and whether it impacts locally— like within one house—or even beyond the campus are all important factors.

The incident regarding the homophobic graffiti in Davison was a more local issue for the CLRT. Said Pittman, “In the Davison case the house team responded very effectively.

They saw the message and they took a photo, removed [the graffiti] and held a house team meeting, which one of the CLRT members— Steve Lavoie, Assistant Director for Campus Life and LGBTQ Programs—attended.” Last year the CLRT took a broader approach to the incident of swastikas on a bench outside of Blodgett because the graffiti was in a much more public space. “We met and had our discussion, but we also recommended that the president send out an email, which did go out to the community,” said Pittman.

Another goal of the group is to separate fact from fiction. Many students learn about events through word of mouth, so the CLRT develops a response that will state the facts and weed out rumors. Pittman thinks it is best for the messages to come from the top. “In most cases students look for those messages to come from the President or Dean, as it is symbolically important to know that they are aware of [students’] concerns. If I sent it out, of course people expect me to involved, so it is reassuring to know someone else is involved with these issues as well,” Pittman said.

The group has also had to decide upon responses regarding the outside community as well, like in the case of the Moderate, Independent Conservative Alliance incident several years ago. Said Pittman, “The incident was over a publication that students put out and we responded to that both internally and externally: within the student community but also with the various extremist groups that had picked up on the comments online and made threats to various students involved,

particularly students of color.”

Kosmacher stated, “The committee works well because it represents a variety of campus perspectives, and our process relies on mutual respect among the members. As we’ve accumulated experience together we’ve become more and more effective.” Pittman said that over time the group has learned that while it is always important to respond locally, a critical step is determining how to alert the broader community. “We have to think through at what point does something become an issue for the entire community. It’s often hard to decide but we have to think about erring on the side of letting everybody know.”

The role of a student representative on the council was created as a liason between administrators and students regarding an issue.

Dobb wrote in an emailed statement, “I really see it as my job to act as a barometer for the team’s responses. As a student, I can provide some insight into how a particular responsive step might be received by the student body and make sure that a response will have the intended effect.”

As the group is primarily a response team, they do not deal in preventative measures, but work to ensure that the outcome is handled in the best way possible with the most support available to the community. There have been educational measures taken in the past, such as in the case of a noose placed in Jewett hall a few years ago. “We did have a community forum, in which education was seen as a viable tool, and a professor of history came to talk about the history of nooses and their historical presence, and their context within African-American history,” said Pittman.

Pittman said other campus groups deal with prevention: “There are resources in the Dean of College division, Counseling Services, Accessibility and Educational opportunity like Health Education, plus various campus life cultural centers, that work to create an environment that is inclusive. An inclusive environment is often best preventative [for these issues].”

Behind the boxes post office active, alive Lea Brown

Guest Reporter

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Mia Fermindoza/The Miscellany News

ost Vassar students’ only interactions with the Post Office are delight at receiving a care package from home, confusion over a lost mailbox key or simply relief at not having to walk to Shipping and Receiving, yet know very little about its inner workings.

The Vassar College Post Office isn’t an official post office; it is a “contract post office,” meaning that it acts as a satellite for the United States Post Office and is paid to perform certain tasks. “I work for Vassar College and everybody in here works for Vassar College,” said Post Office Manager John Viola.

“The Post Office just contracts out facilities as a cost-saving measure to them so that they don’t have to put postal employees in every site.” “[It] still provides the same services that a normal post office would provide,” Viola noted. “We sell stamps, we sell money orders, we take in parcels and we distribute mail to post office boxes.” Not only does the Post Office provide the same services, but it also offers the bonus of convenience for the Vassar community. “They don’t have to go through the Arlington Branch or [the] main Post Office and wait in line there,” said Viola. “It’s very convenient that they can get just about everything that a normal post office has right here [on campus].”

That the Vassar College Post Office isn’t an official post office doesn’t mean that it isn’t just as busy. “We get about 1000 to 1500 lettersize pieces, and we get about 1200 to 1500 flats and magazines [each day],” said Viola.

The Post Office also receives intercampus flyers and notices that it sorts, along with regular mail, into the mailboxes. Items that are too big to go into the mailboxes are logged in to the Post Office computer system and identified by a number, which is then sent to Computing and Information Services (CIS).

CIS then sends an email to the recipient notifying them that they have a package that is to

Post Office employee Gwendolyn Frenzel-Shakur ’15, above, sorts through a shelf of packages waiting for pick-up. The Office receives approximately 1000 to 1500 letter-size pieces of mail every day. be picked up at the Post Office. 18 students are employed at the Post Office, and two to five work there at any given time.

Said Viola, “[The recipients] sign electronically when they get here to pick up the article.

We can go back years and identify any article that was ever received at this office, taken in, logged in and issued to a student or whomever.

And we have a signature on file electronically, so it’s a great system. There’s no paperwork, we’re not destroying any trees, and it works extremely well.”

The Post Office is open from 7:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, and work rarely stops during that time: Two shipments of mail have to be sorted, outgoing mail must be processed and packages have to be logged in and picked up by students. By 3 p.m., when most students are getting out of their classes and coming to pick up packages, the lines get long, and the work is more hectic.

Despite the busy schedule, Viola said, “I try to make it a pleasant place to work.” Viola’s dedication to his employees, particularly the students, is evident. “It’s the highlight of the

job, seeing the kids, and working with them, and seeing them grow,” he said. The turnover rate for student employees at the Post Office is 50/50. Some stay for all four years while others look for jobs more applicable to their resumes. Viola did note that no student has left because they didn’t like the job.

Alexandra Evans ’12 said, “I love coming to work. Not only do I see fellow employees who I’m friends with, but the other employees, the older ones are very nice and sweet, and if we can’t find a package then they’re always there to help us.”

Nada Mohamed ’13 agreed, “The people here are great. It’s definitely one of the better parts of the job. They’re really comfortable talking to me. I can talk to them about anything including my personal life.”

The goal of the Vassar College Post Office can perhaps be summed up by a quote by Andrew Carnegie on Viola’s office door: “People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they’re doing.” It aims to provide excellent, convenient service, but not at the expense of having fun.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Molly Turpin, Editor in Chief Erik Lorenzsonn, Senior Editor

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rom a birthday cake bakeoff in the Villard Room to a Lincoln Center gala in New York City, Vassar’s sesquicentennial has thus far primarily been celebrated by students, faculty and alumnae/i. But on Saturday, Oct, 15, while most students were away on October Break, the College opened its doors to members of the Hudson Valley community to join in the celebration with A Day at Vassar. The event allowed attendees to enjoy a day as a Vassar student, replete with free classes, tours and performances.

“It was our sesquicentennial birthday present to the Hudson Valley,” said Director of Regional Programs and co-Chair of the Sesquicentennial John Mihaly ’74. “In addition to the volunteer activity by members of the College community, we should also offer our intellectual property.”

Mihaly explained such an occasion in which a university opens its doors to the community is a common tradition in Europe and one that he hoped to emulate at Vassar. “We’ve been planning it all year,” he said, though he noted that the planning stages kicked into high gear in the last month.

The event’s outreach effort encompassed the alumni/ae associations of other colleges and universities, local schools, clubs, newspapers, radio and television stations and churches. For Arlington and the local Poughkeepsie community, Mihaly and Regional Programs Associate Russell Woron-Simons relied on some of the event’s 56 Vassar student staff members to distribute flyers: “We put invitations in the doors of every house in the neighborhood,” said Mihaly.

The outreach effort yielded an overwhelming response: According the Mihaly, the event was fully booked with 625 community members attending. Because registration closed after this number was reached, some would-be attendees had to be turned away. “There were a lot of community members who wanted to come, but we couldn’t accommodate them,” said Woron-Simons. “I would say that was the biggest pitfall.”

The day itself began as many do for Vassar students, with early-morning classes. Professor of Psychology Abigail Baird, who was one of 42 professors who volunteered to teach for the event, gave a lecture on her field of speciality: the teenage brain. She approached teaching her classroom of “students” as she would any other.

“The lecture itself is one that I have given before,” said Baird, explaining that this aligned with the spirit of the event: “If the idea is ‘What’s it like to go to Vassar,’ then I will teach like it’s a class at Vassar.”

After a lunch at the ACDC featuring addresses from Dean of the College Chris Roellke and Dean of the Faculty John Chenette, attendees enjoyed an array of afternoon activities, including a walking tour of campus, a student-faculty recital in the Skinner Hall of Music, a performance of “Vassar Voices” in the Martell Theater and exhibitions in the Palmer Gallery and the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center.

All things considered, Mihaly, Woron-Simons and Baird concur that the event was a success.

“It accomplished our goals, and I think the faculty enjoyed it, too,” said Mihaly. “We’ve been surprised to receive so many emails from members of the community thanking us.”

There has already been discussion about repeating A Day at Vassar next year and making it a tradition of Vassar’s own. Mihaly noted that President of the College Catharine Bond Hill has already requested that it happen again.

Baird believes that the event successfully linked Vassar campus with the Mid-Hudson Valley community. “My favorite thing was that in both my classes, I asked how many alums were in the room,” said Baird. “It was maybe 10 percent of the people. I thought it was so great that most [of them] were from the community.”

Another highlight for Baird was that trustees were on campus the same weekend as A Day at Vassar. “Lisa Kudrow was in my second class,” said Baird. “I can tell you that I can die happy, because not only did she stop to tell me how much she enjoyed the lecture, but she said something about me being funny. I feel complete as a person. I can retire now.”

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October 27, 2011

Orgs offer enriching, alternative school break plans Ruth Bolster

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Assistant Features Editor

Courtesy of Outing Club

fter an unrelenting onslaught of papers and exams, both October Break and its spring semester counterpart are welcome respites, a time when sleeping for 12 hours at a stretch is not only possible but encouraged.

Yet some more adventurous Vassar students trekked across the Adirondacks with the Vassar Outing Club (VOC), and the Vassar Haiti Project (VHP) is planning a trip to a mountainous village in Haiti for Spring Break.

After last year’s successful October Break camping trips to the Catskills and Tennessee Smokey Mountains, the VOC organized a hiking trip and canoeing trip in the Adirondacks.

“There’s a lot to see in the Adirondacks, especially since it has a higher elevation than you see on the rest of the East Coast,” noted VOC President Stephen Platz ’13. “You get above tree line in most places—and since it is so far north, tree line can be at up to 3600 feet. It is just a very pretty place.”

Led by Platz and Kristian Georgiev ’13, the VOC-organized hiking trip lasted five days and took eight Vassar students over approximately 40 miles worth of trails. The hikers began their journey in Keene Valley, located in Essex County and home to 15 of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. Traveling past the Adirondack Mountain Club’s Johns Brook Lodge, the group trekked over the Gothics, which are part of the High Peaks, before setting up a base camp. During the five days, the group also hiked over Mt. Marcy, which, at an elevation of 5344 feet, is the highest point in New York State.

The canoeing expedition led by Josh Hawthorne-Madell ’14 lasted four days, over the course of which nine students boated over 40 miles around Tupper Lake, which is located in Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties.

Although multi-day hiking and canoeing trips may seem too rigorous for those who do

Members of the Vassar Outing Club enjoy a trek through the wilderness at Mount Hunter. Over October Break, the organization sponsored both a hiking and a canoeing excursion to the Adirondacks. not consider themselves to be expert campers, the VOC encourages those of every skill level to join their expeditions.

“The people who go on these trips aren’t experts,” said Platz. Although he later notedthat most do have some rudimentary camping skills, “We outfit them with all the gear that they have and we help them out if they need it. But they get the hang of it really quickly.”

While members of the Outing Club were hiking through mountains during the October Break, 10 students participating in the VHP’s trip to the mountain village of Chermaitre, Haiti will partake in some hiking during their 12 day trip this Spring Break. Allowing for two days in their itinerary to travel to Chermaitre from the northern city of Cap Haitian, the group is anticipating at least a seven-hour drive over rough rural roads and riverbeds before

hiking for approximately an hour and a half to the village itself.

However, unlike the Outing Club’s excursion into the Adirondacks, the purpose of the VHP’s trip is far from recreational; the group ultimately hopes to use their time in Haiti to evaluate the progression of the various initiatives that the VHP sponsors.

Specifically, members of the Vassar Haiti Project intend to visit Chermaitre’s school buildings, the village’s water purification station and it’s reforestation site in order to perform an on-site assessment of their progress.

During this time, the group hopes to meet with Chermaitre’s teachers to discuss the school’s needs in terms of supplies for the upcoming academic year.

As part of a medical assessment that began during the group’s visit in 2008, VHP plans

on recording the heights and weights of the over 300 schoolchildren in Chermaitre in order to check for potential health issues such as malnourishment. During their stay, the Vassar Haiti Project also hopes to buy and collect Haitian art, including sculptures, paintings and handicrafts.

The 10 students who will be participating in the trip will be selected based on their responses to an application distributed by the VHP. They will be accompanied by the co-founders of VHP, Director of International Services at Vassar Andrew Meade, Lila Meade and a nurse from the Trinity Episcopal Church in Fishkill.

“The group will begin preparing by meeting regularly to discuss itinerary, equipment and fundraising plans. VHP will also hold mandatory Creole lessons once a week, to help build up our language skills while in Haiti,” wrote co-President of the Vassar Haiti Project Fiona Koch ’12 in an emailed statement.

“Although the official language of Haiti is French, and it is taught in primary schools, most of the population speaks Haitian Creole—a local vernacular,” stated Koch. “It is very important for visiting students to have basic communications skills when talking to local Haitians.”

Ultimately, this Spring Break trip will prove beneficial for the students as well as the residents of Chermaitre. “For students, this trip is important because it bridges the gap between learning and experience; students will get the chance to meet the people they support, and will gain valuable firsthand experience in assessing an on-going project,” noted Koch.

Whether appreciating New York State’s natural beauty or ensuring that others have necessary provisions, both the Vassar Outing Club’s excursion into the Adirondacks and the Vassar Haiti Project’s trip to Chermaitre are ensuring that their participants will have fulfilling, enriching mid-semester breaks.

New professor brings eclectic background to economics Thomas Lawler Guest Reporter

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Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

rofessor of Economics Ben Ho has given the Vassar student body high marks after only several weeks at the College. A behavioral economist, Ho joined the Vassar faculty this year after teaching at Cornell University. A supporter of the arts and a lover of food, Ho is an intriguing new face on Vassar’s campus.

“I was raised in a very math-centered, science-heavy family,” said Ho, who considers New York to be his hometown. He graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2000 with a Bachelors of Science in mathematics, economics and computer science and a Master of Engineering.

After MIT, Ho was at an intersection between academics and the professional field, when he heard about China joining the World Trade Organization. “If I could be so excited by such an arcane piece of news, I figured I should probably work in the [economics] field,” said Ho. He attended Stanford University where he received his Ph.D. in economics from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business in 2006.

According to Ho, “Economics is a way to apply mathematical tools to understand people.”

After completing his Ph.D., he joined the White House Council of Economic Advisors as the lead economist for energy.

“Most economic grad students want to go save the world, I want to do something no one has ever done before,” remarked Ho. This led him to behavioral economics and specifically to research such topics as the importance of apologies in maintaining a relationship or the function apologies have in medical malpractice lawsuits. He acknowledgeed, “Behavioral economics tends to focus on the psychology component. I like to bring in sociology and anthropology.”

Currently, Ho is exploring the factors that shape a person’s predisposition toward climate change. Ho admitted, “Climate change, like poverty, has been focused on and written about abundantly. I am looking at the factors that shape a person’s attitude towards the issue.”

Ho is taking a vastly different approach that many neglect and looking at the human aspect of perception. People indisputably disagree about whether or not climate change exists— Ho is interested in why this occurs.

This semester, Ho is teaching two courses: Behavioral Economics and Microeconomic Theory.

Ho emphasized the classroom dynamic and the students’ willingness to interactive and debate topics. Ho said, “I have been very impressed by the students preparation for class.

Many come with questions already prepared.”

He is pleased that Vassar students are not afraid of challenging or disagreeing with the teacher.

Instead of having to pry for responses, Ho has fortunately discovered an engaged, articulate collection of students in his class.

Ho also said, “I am a strong believer in an interdisciplinary education.” This is made evident by his academic career and research as a behavioral economist. Ho is contemplating the idea for a class that would chart the development of economic theory and literary works of the time.

“You would read a contemporary economics work with a contemporary novel; such as reading Karl Marx then Louisa May Allcot or Adam Smith then Defoe,” he said. Economics has an impact on everything, from fiction and the arts to social and political movements.

Outside of the classroom Ho has felt equally welcomed. Ho thought Fall Convocation was a great example of the traditions he has observed here on campus. The service, complete with insightful speeches and choir performances, was a poignant reflection on Vassar’s history with an optimistic look towards the future classes.

Coming from Cornell, Ho finds the familiarity amongst students and faculty members refreshing and conducive to a productive intellectual environment.

Venturing into Poughkeepsie, Ho has been pleased to find multiple restaurants to satisfy his love of food. He said, “I get excited by great food. I’ve gone to the Culinary Institute [of America (CIA)] in Hyde Park several times.”

He gave a strong recommendation to the res-

Above, Professor of Economics Ben Ho is a fresh face on campus. A former member of the White House Council of Economic Advisors, Ho now brings his savvy in behavioral economics to the classroom. taurants at CIA and plans to return yet again.

With nearly a full year still ahead of him, Ho is excited to explore the food and culinary culture of native Poughkeepsie.

When in need of a break from economics, Ho finds relaxation in an assortment of hobbies. “I like music, theater and the arts in general. And I also enjoy hiking and roller hockey,” said Ho, who never seems at a loss for what to do. He is particularly keen on utilizing the hiking trails nearby in the Hudson River Valley. Also, be sure to check out his blog of Ideas and Rants on his website, www.benho.org. Ho’s latest post dealt with United States’ education rankings

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

and his interpretation of declining U.S. test numbers in math and science.

Being new in any community —whether one is a freshman student or a new economics professor—can be overwhelming at first. But for Ho the enthusiasm and passion that students bring to their classes and activities makes the transition easier, even exciting.

His plans for this year are to get acclimated with his new community, which does not mean the Economic Department. As he continues to work and research on his latest personal academic pursuits, Ho is glad to be able to call Vassar his new home.

October 27, 2011

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Tree City serves up ethical coffee, enticing conversation Joanna Hamer Guest Reporter

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Democrats discuss, debate politics on Vassar campus Divya Pathak

Guest Reporter

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mong Vassar’s strong suits, student involvement and discussion ranks high on the list, and members of the Vassar Democrats are eager practitioners. Secretary Emma Lowe ’12 described the group’s mission: “We are not ideologues; no one in the group is there because they are pressured to subscribe to the Democratic Party. It’s not about blind allegiance; it’s more a forum to express the way they believe.”

This forum system allows for open discussions for a different topic every week. In a typical meeting, members talk about recent and upcoming events. In the most recent meeting, members discussed the issues surrounding Wall Street, and candidates in Poughkeepsie’s upcoming elections came to talk to students and gain their support. “We try to get involved in the community,” said Lowe.

David Lopez ’13 said, “With the candidates, we had the chance to get informed and learn about new issues that normally are not thought about ... I think Vassar Dems is a great source to find issues that you can be passionate about.”

One of the Democrats’ biggest priorities each year is making sure that all Vassar students have the opportunity to register to vote. Lopez said, “I’m excited that Vassar Dems has been very engaged in local campaigns. We build a healthy relationship with the community through coordinating things like this and being there to support. We’re also getting ready for ‘dorm storming,’ in which we knock on doors and give people the opportunity to vote if they are registered.” Expanding on this, Rachel Ellenberger ’13 said, “We really want people to be involved if they are registered. We’re not there to solicit for the Democratic Party; we’re there to solicit the importance to vote in general.”

Lowe said, “It doesn’t matter what side, it matters to vote ... It’s our privilege in this country and it’s critical that people understand its importance.”

In addition to being politically active on the local level, members also take part in politics on the national level. Lowe said, “There is agreement to support President Obama in the 2012 election, however, there is not agreement for why—generally people vote for people they hate the least.”

Lowe continued, “While we’re still trying to hammer out the details, we definitely want

to have an event with the Moderate, Independent, Conservative Alliance (MICA) in which we watch the Republican presidential debates together.”

The group is also attempting to get Wyatt Cenac from the Daily Show with Jon Stewart to come speak. “It will most likely be in the Chapel so everyone can come. Even if people aren’t too interested in politics, it will be fun to experience some political comedy,” said Lowe.

The Democrats also want to continue their annual debate with MICA at the end of the year, now in its third year. Lowe said, “It’s a good time to come together and share our love for politics and debate. It’s also great to clear any misinterpretations we may have of each other.” The groups decide ahead of time on a topic that is fair and relevant. The purpose is always to raise awareness of a specific issue and to get people more involved and caring. Last year, the groups debated the issue of immigration.

Lopez recalled last year’s debate: “There were people who showed up who weren’t in either organization. It was positive that we could come together for this and talk about issues without negative reductionist thinking that doesn’t help.

It’s more about defending ideas and expressing concrete opinions.” Ellenberger, who also attended the debate, added: “It can be contentious in the heat of the debate but in the end it’s about the love of debate. I remember I clapped for one of my friends in MICA because I thought he debated strongly.” She’s looking forward to this year’s debate.

As for the relationship between MICA and the Vassar Democrats, Lowe stated, “I don’t think we have an antagonistic relationship, as most people like to think we do. Everyone has different perspectives and there is a spectrum of interests. It’s all just about creating dialogue and raising awareness about politics and how it plays a role in our daily lives.”

Seth Warner ’14, the Communications Director of the group, wrote in an emailed statement, “It’s a joy to be involved. My favorite part about the Vassar Democrats is that the group is a great way to meet new people while advocating for the common-sense, progressive values that so many of us share. By discussing and promoting various policy issues, we get to know the community around us—both locally and nationally, both on campus and off. It’s a group that opens doors for those involved.”

Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

he four co-owners of the Tree City Coffee company, Noah Chilton ’12, Misha Epstein, Harry Kelley ’09 and Jackson Kroopf ’11, believe that there is a parallel between the extraction of a cup of coffee and the global processes by which coffee beans are produced and consumed. Through their coffee cart, they intend to highlight the politics and history of coffee from bean to cup while producing excellent and ethically sourced coffee for the Vassar community and beyond.

The cart can be found on Wednesdays and Thursdays in Kenyon Hall and on Sunday evenings in the 24-hour study space, as well as on contract with the Lehman Loeb museum for Late Nights on Thursday.

The owners are all current students or alumnae/i of Vassar, and all engaged with what it means to brew and drink coffee. “As [we] became more and more interested in coffee,” Kroopf said, “the more excitement we felt about the discretionary consumers we became, but even more so about how much we could share with our friends and family. Isn’t that the essence of good education, learning something that you want to pass on to someone else?”

The Tree City Coffee cart is more than just a distributor of great coffee: It seeks to begin a conversation between the customer, the employee and the story of the bean. The birch and maple coffee cart was custom designed and built by Chilton, who intended it to be extremely mobile and so fitted it with its own water, trash and compost. The shape of the cart is “designed to engage the spaces it in-

habits by literally unfolding, that is, ‘opening into’ them,” said Chilton, and its size enables the cart to travel to almost anywhere around and off campus.

Each week Tree City has at least three different roasts, representing the major growing regions of Central and South America, Africa and the South Pacific. They also utilize three different extraction methods: Pour-Over, French Press and Clever Dripper. The cart owners provide information about different ethical sourcing models, such as organic, Rainforest Alliance and Fair Trade. By having this range of choices, the cart hopes to give each customer the exact coffee he or she wants while at the same time providing information about each roast and extraction method for less knowledgeable drinkers. The beans are weighed, ground and cupped in front of the customer, allowing him or her to watch the process and creating time for the conversation that Tree City hopes to foster.

“Part of what we love about coffee is the way it brings people together,” said Kroopf. “We strive to educate customers on extraction and terroir, but we also want to create a space for people to take a break and meet a friend to vent for a while.” The conversations that Tree City creates space for may revolve around papers and schoolwork, the taste of the coffee or the growing collective of Ethiopian women that produced the beans, but all are equally important to the cart’s mission.

Along with the four owners, student volunteers and Field Work interns work the cart, learning about the different beans and extraction processes and engaging in discussion

Misha Epstein, left, and Noah Chilton ’12, right, are two of the owners of the Tree City Coffee Company. The enterprise hopes to start a dialogue about the politics and history of coffee consumption. about the global human relationships of coffee production and consumption. Students earn credit in disciplines such as geography and economics by staffing the cart, and are also responsible for additional readings on related subjects and for hosting a Terroir Talk, which Chilton envisions as “an opportunity for community members to offer a short lecture and lead discussion about the presence of coffee in their respective disciplines.”

In addition to educating employees about coffee, Tree City hosts comparative cuppings on Wednesdays that encourage community

members to try a broader range of coffee and stimulate conversations aimed at increasing coffee knowledge and vocabulary.

The cart was recently featured in a New York Times Style Magazine article on student entrepreneurship, and its owners have grand plans for the future of the company. To catch a great cup of coffee, an engaged discussion on the intricacies of individual cups and transnational processes and to support Vassar students who are running their own business, stop by the Tree City coffee cart and become part of the conversation.

Vassar’s literary scene differs from peer schools Jessica Tarantine

Assistant Features Editor

F

rom providing Vassar students with angsty poetry and baked goods on Valentine’s Day to creating a forum for the exploration and celebration of student work, Vassar’s literary community commands a presence that’s hard to close the book on.

Helicon, the College’s current literary magazine, was authorized as an organization by the Vassar Student Association (VSA) in 1991.

“Helicon’s purpose is to provide a quality, annual magazine of our students’ artistic and literary work to the campus. We’ll accept just about anything—poetry, prose, essays, photos, photos of paintings or sculptures, etc.—as long it is exceptional in its craft, creativity and is entertaining,” said Helicon Editor-in-Chief Dan Minty ’12.

He added that Helicon as an organization was a venue for artists to come together on campus and enjoy each other’s work, “In a way, it allows for a sense of community among student artists, when in reality, most artistic hobbies can be rather lonely.” The club additionally sponsors programming such as scrabble tournaments, poetry bake sales and writing workshops.

Helicon is the only broad-spectrum literary publication on campus, and has been around for only 20 years.

Vassar’s previous literary magazine, the Vassar Review, was founded in 1927 and endured in various forms until 1993 when it was decertified by the VSA for violating its constitution by not publishing for several semesters. It originally published four times a year and worked on a subsciption basis. Their focus was similar to Helicon’s now, although they also took parts of senior theses and interviews with writers.

However, Vassar’s history of literary magazines is small compared to other similarly sized liberal arts schools.

Beyond the numbers, a great deal more breadth of outlets for students seems to exist at peer institutions. Consider that of the five student-run literary societies at Kenyon College, one, the NightCAPS, is devoted solely to exploring literary late at night, another dedicated to satire and two more general publication accepting any kind of

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

submission. Swathmore College has six literary publications: Mjumbe is dedicated to producing the works of black students, while ñ (Enye) is focused on all work written in Spanish, and Remappings publishes works with Asian themes.

“In the past there have been some other literary and art magazines which have catered to a more specific message—Asian Quilt, for example, my freshman year—but their presence has always been small,” said Minty.

While Helicon is the school’s major literary magizine, it does not enjoy a formal sponsorship from the College or the English Department, like some other publications at peer institutions. “We’re affiliated with the English Department but for all intents and purposes we’re pretty much an independently run student literary magazine,” explained Writer-In-Residence Coordinator and English Department Liasion for Helicon Christie Musket ’12.

While Helicon’s budget comes from the VSA, the English Department can provide additional funds if they go over their budget. But Musket explained that their role is still limited, and they don’t have input in terms of what goes in the magazine.

“Of course, there are some troubles with Helicon being the dominant literary magazine ... In having one magazine, however, we’re allowed to break some of the barriers that a more specific magazine would create: Just in last year’s magazine we had experimentally formatted poetry, work concerning gay issues, work written in Spanish, as well as formal works side by side.”

He elaborated, saying, “In having one magazine, as well, we’re allowed to approach a high standard of quality. We can be selective about what we put in the magazine, because we have a year’s worth of submissions to choose from, coming from all sorts of students.”

He does not see Helicon’s dominance an issue: “I think that some people may read Helicon cover to cover because it is the only publication...a one-stop shop for seeing a wide range of student works; in solidarity, the magazine demands more attention, more readers, and a readership for our student artists is exactly what we want.”

FEATURES

Page 8

Apples of New England hold wealth of history, key vitamins Roxanne Ringer

F

Guest Columnist

Apple Spice Muffins

Courtesy of Smittenkitchen.com

all in New England is all about annual trips to the apple orchard. There you consume every possible form of the fruit: apple cider, apple pie, apple butter.

The average person eats 65 apples a year and the apple is New York’s official state produce. But the apple wasn’t always the wholesome fruit it is today.

Originating in the mountains of Kazakhstan, the fruit spread to Europe and eventually made its way to the United States. The apple’s taste and appearance are rarely passed on through its seeds, which carry a wide variety of genes. In 2010 the genome of the apple Golden Delicious was decoded to have over 57,000 genes. That’s roughly 30,000 more than humans. For each seed you plant you’ll get a completely different apple looking very little like its “parent.” A majority are bitter, some sour, some sweet. Most apples are developed using the ancient technique of grafting, in which a bud from an apple tree with pleasant fruit is inserted into a developing tree. It’s a primitive kind of cloning.

At the turn of the 19th century John Chapman, born in 1774 in Massachusetts, started his famous travel across pioneer America; planting and selling apple seeds. This man became the basis for the legend of Johnny Appleseed. Because of his adherence to Swedenborgian Christianity, Chapman did not use the grafting technique but rather planted his apples from seed.

A huge variety of apples developed across the United States, but most of the trees bore bitter fruit. So in

the apple’s early career it was rarely eaten and usually used for making hard cider, which was the staple alcohol of rural America for many years. With prohibition in the 1920s, the apple was villainized, a forbidden fruit once more. The prohibitionist Carrie Nation is famous for carrying a hatchet not just to break down bars but also to chop down apple trees. With their main product illegal, cider orchards raced to find the rare sweet tasting apples so they could graft sweet bearing trees.

They rebranded the apple a health food and promoted the campaign, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Today there are very few apple varieties in commerce. In the super market you can choose from the familiar Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, Granny Smith and the Macintosh. The big suppliers of apples have restricted the species’ natural ability to evolve by cloning rather than planting from seed. This is not good news for the apple. As soon as you freeze its evolution by growing them in monocultures it loses its defense against pests. Today they are routinely sprayed with pesticides. An orchard with a couple hundred acres spends a $.5 to .75 million a year on chemicals and one of the biggest consumers of pesticides in this country is the apple crop.

Organic fruit, once only available in health food stores is now a regular staple in every supermarket, Apples are a great source of anti-oxidants, provide vitamins and fiber, and are free of fat, sodium and cholesterol. There is hardly fruit more iconic and representative of fall than the apple. Here’s a delicious and super easy to make treat that will warm you up. Try them with some sweet (non-alcoholic!) cider.

October 27, 2011

Ingredients: »» 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour »» 2 teaspoons baking powder »» 2 teaspoons baking soda »» 1/2 teaspoon allspice »» 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg »» 2 teaspoons cinnamon »» 1 large pear or apple »» 1 can unsweetened pineapple juice concentrate »» 1 tablespoon vanilla »» 1 cup of smooth unsweetened applesauce »» 3 eggs

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter muffin tins or use paper liners. Combine all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix well. Grate apple into bowl and toss to coat. Combine thawed pineapple concentrate, applesauce and eggs. Pour into the dry ingredients and quickly stir well. Fill tins 2/3–3/4 full and bake apple spice muffins for 16-18 minutes.

NOTE: The high fruit content of this batter reacts with the baking soda to create light muffins even though they use whole wheat flour! Serve with additional sauce to dip and a smear of almond butter.

VC, peer institutions manage imbalanced gender ratios

Courtesy of hte Office of Institutional Research

ADMISSIONS continued from page 1 ceptance envelope is simply more elusive for today’s accomplished young women.” (“To all the girls I’ve rejected,” New York Times, 23.3.2oo6).

In a 2007 article, Alex Kingsbury found that girls faced lower acceptance rates at liberal arts schools than boys. (“Many Colleges Reject Women at Higher Rates than Men,” U.S. News and World Report, 17.6.2007). Vassar was one of the schools listed as particularly uneven in terms of admissions: The acceptance rate for female appicants was 12 percentage points lower than that for male applicants.

Controversies like these contributed to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights launching an investigation in 2009 as to whether admissions practices regarding gender at public colleges and universities violated anti-discrimination laws. (Private institutions are exempt from gender-based discrimination laws in admissions, to allow for the existence of single-gender schools.) The investigation was later disbanded for undisclosed reasons.

Though men have a clear numerical advantage in admissions, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid David Borus maintained that all accepted students were qualified to attend Vassar, regardless of gender. He disclosed, “In the early days of coeducation at Vassar, there were probably times when it was easier for men to get in than women, in that less qualified men may have received preference over more qualified women. But those days are long gone.”

“Today we have about 2500 men applying each year, and we’re looking to enroll 300 to 330. So there are lots of great candidates in the applicant pool,” said Borus.

“All the students we admit have to have valid academic credentials, but beyond that there are a whole host of other factors we consider.”

Claimed Borus, “There are just so many more female applicants, but our admitted men and our admitted women are equally well qualified academically.”

Data from Director of Institutional Research David Davis-Van Atta sup-

As seen in the above chart, Vassar ranks low amongst its peer institutions with regard to the percentage of freshman applicants who are male. While males comprise 30 percent of the Vassar applicant pool, they represent 40 percent of students. ported Borus’s statement. Male Vassar students average slightly higher composite SAT scores, while female Vassar students average slightly higher high school GPAs—in line with national trends. At Vassar, the average GPA and graduation rates for men and women are roughly the same each year.

According to an emailed statement from Davis-Van Atta, “We’ve been at 30 percent male in the applicant pool for as far back as we have good data.”

That is just under 10 years.

“This is nothing new,” Borus agreed. “It stems in part from our history as a women’s college ... It is the same issue for other women’s colleges which have gone coed—such as Connecticut College, Wheaton [College] and others.”

However, Borus stressed that colleges across the country deal with imbalanced gender ratios. “57 percent of all college students nationally—at small schools and large ones, public and private—are women,” he said.

Vassar, however, has some unique challenges in recruiting male applicants and students. “Our application ratio may be a bit more skewed because we don’t have some of the traditional academic or athletic programs that draw men. We don’t have an engineering program or technical fields. Some of our peer schools like Union, Trinity and Swarthmore [Colleges] all have engineering programs,” said Borus.

The current gender ratio could also affect Vassar’s applicant pool. As Britz wrote in her editorial, “Once you become decidedly female in enrollment, fewer males and, as it turns out, fewer females find your campus attractive.”

Despite these difficulties, many Vassar studentsdemand a greater male presence on campus. In the 2010 Senior Survey, fewer than 10 percent of female Vassar students reported being Somewhat or Very Satisfied with the gender ratio on campus, while a little over 40 percent of male students say they are Somewhat or

Very Satisfied with the gender ratio.

Davis-Van Atta stated he had never seen such a difference in opinion between male and female students on any other issue, at any school.

“For Vassar’s women students in particular, 60/40 simply is not working well, hardly at all. And even men don’t express high satisfaction with it,” claimed Davis-Van Atta, noting that only five percent of male students in the 2010 Senior Survey said that they were Very Satisfied with the gender ratio on campus.

Most students had no problem with the advantage men receive in admissions, so long as it helped narrow the gender gap. “I think we benefit from having guys on campus ... I mean, if we had wanted to stay an allfemale school we would have,” said Katie Adrian ’14.

Emily Dowling ’14 concurred. “I think it’s beneficial, as long as academic qualifications are coming before gender,” she said.

Matthew Corry ’13 said of the ac-

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

ceptance gap, “I think [the gender ratio] has been a bigger issue in students’ minds. I know girls who are like, ‘Why is the gender ratio so bad?’

So I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s fair, but I understand it.”

Admissions tries to maintain as even a gender balance as possible while acting fairly. “We really do look at each applicant individually,” Borus continued. “But we are aware that, socially and academically, the campus is healthier if we’re at or around national norms in terms of gender balance. And gender is one of the factors we keep in mind, along with many, many others.”

When asked if the treatment male applicants receive amounted to affirmative action, Borus responded, “Schools have begun to pay more attention to gender when thinking about diversity on campus, but the comparison to the treatment underrepresented students receive is not quite accurate. I can understand why someone would make it, but I think it’s a bit glib. We’re not at that point in higher education.”

Vassar may see a more balanced campus, gender-wise, in the future.

Wrote Davis-Van Atta, “While we have been slowly rising in [percentage of male applicants], our peer college sector of higher education has been slowly, but very steadily, falling in [percentage]­—becoming increasingly female, as a sector as well as individual colleges.”

He continued, “The two trends have met, probably this year (we will know only once we have the peer college data for 2011). That is, Vassar’s new student class is now just as much male, and as much female, as are Vassar’s peer colleges … This is a first in our history.” The Class of 2015—at Vassar and most peer schools—has a 45/55 male to female ratio.

Davis-Van Atta believes the gender ratio will hold at 45/55 for the near future. “I suspect it will, at most, remain at that ratio in subsequent years,” he stated. “But if Vassar’s peer sector of higher education keeps falling in percent male, we are likely, eventually to see some erosion as well.”

OPINIONS

October 27, 2011

Miscellany News Staff Editorial

Sexual assault, violence cannot be ignored Break the Silence, SAVP provide integral forums T

he week before October Break, the website Break the Silence at Vassar (breakthesilenceatvassar.wordpress.com) was launched. Intended as “an online community dedicated to highlighting the importance of ending personal violation through the sharing of personal stories,” according to the site’s About section, it is a forum where members of the Vassar community can post anonymously about instances of sexual abuse, harassment, violence and assault. These are very real issues in our college community and should be recognized as such by students, faculty, staff and administration alike.

While organizations such as CARES and Sexual Assault and Violence Prevention (SAVP) have existed for years in order to eradicate sexual violence and counsel victims on the Vassar campus, recently there has been a surge in awareness. Most notably, the position of SAVP coordinator will soon be filled after a year-and-a-half-long vacancy. The position was funded by a grant from the New York State Department of Justice; when the grant expired in 2010, it was terminated in light of the College’s financial situation. The Vassar Student Association (VSA) endorsed the reinstatement of the position that year, but its loss became one of the more unfortunate results of the College’s stressed finances. Many of the SAVP coordinator’s primary duties, such as addressing policy concerns and arranging community training and programming were filled by Director of Health Education Renee Pabst, but even Pabst herself noted that this left noticeable gaps in students’ health and wellness services (as discussed at the April 11, 2010 VSA meeting). We would like to commend Pabst for providing those extremely important resources to the best of her ability. Furthermore, we applaud the College for filling this muchneeded position despite the financial diffi-

culties involved; sexual violence is far too important and sensitive an issue to afford shortcomings in support.

Last year, the VSA introduced the idea of creating a specific domestic violence charge in the Student Handbook. Currently, that project has been put on hold. As it stands now, such crimes can be applied to a wide variety of charges, but there is no one single charge that explicitly condemns and punishes such behavior. We at The Miscellany News believe that it is extremely important for this charge to be pursued and implemented by the VSA, not only for disciplinary purposes but also to show our philosophical commitment as a community to banning domestic violence at Vassar. We urge the new Council to take up the initiative, especially in light of the recent momentum from both administrators and students.

The Break the Silence forum is well poised to continue this momentum. There is already a thriving online Vassar community in the form of blogs and other websites, and we believe that this new site is an important addition to that network of voices. The link has been reposted over 1,000 times, primarily by current Vassar students and recent alumnae/i, and dozens of stories are currently posted on the site itself.

This is an extremely valuable opportunity to raise awareness, and yet it must be used wisely in order to continue to be a positive resource. We must understand as readers that we have a responsibility when reading these stories to recognize that they are not posted lightly and, therefore, should not be taken lightly. The issue of anonymity is a delicate one, because it is possible to post namelessly on the Internet without checks or consequences. In this case, however, anonymity is essential to the authors’ abilities to post. Ultimately, specificity is not the point of this site. These posts highlight

the importance of truth over fact; it does not matter that each story cannot be factchecked meticulously, because, either way, the sum total of the posts shed light on a dangerous, prevalent aspect of our culture that needs to be addressed.

While these three developments—Break the Silence, the filling of the SAVP position and the VSA initiative—are not necessarily linked, we believe that they speak to concerns from all quarters of campus that sexual assault and violence should not and will not be ignored at Vassar. We also understand that these implementations cannot address the issue entirely on their own.

The new SAVP coordinator will arrive on campus in the spring semester, and in the meantime students should be aware of the resources already available to them. CARES, which deals specifically with instances of sexual assault and violence, and The Listening Center are both 24-hour telephone hotlines with trained student listeners. The Sexual Assault Response Team, comprising faculty and administrators, also provides 24-hour assistance and guidance. All are valuable resources for anyone seeking support and information. Metcalf Hall houses mental health and professional counseling services in the form of on-campus one-onone or small group therapy and off-campus referrals. Additionally, Pabst continues to provide support in her capacity as director of Health Education. We at The Miscellany News appreciate Vassar’s victim-oriented approach to issues of sexual assault and domestic violence. We are heartened by the progress made toward creating a safer, healthier campus culture and hope to see this trend continue.

—The Staff Editorial represents the opinion of at least two thirds of the 21-member Miscellany News Editorial Board.

Sukkahs speak to religion’s presence at VC Noah Cogan

R

Guest Columnist

ecently, the Princeton Review revealed their annual rankings for colleges. Among other distinctions, Vassar College ranked fourth among the least religious schools.

How was this rank established? According to Robert Franek, author of the book Best 376 Colleges, who was quoted in an article posted on CNN.com, the Princeton Review compiles their rankings by having employees ask college students across the country questions about their current institution and their fellow students.

For this particular poll, students were asked how religious they thought their fellow classmates were on a scale of one to five. This is an incredibly difficult question to answer when you think about it. Do we, as students, keep tabs on how religious our classmates are?

Can you rate religiousness on a scale? What does “religious” even mean?

If the fine folks at Princeton Review had asked me this question before this school year, I probably would have answered with a two. As a member of the board of the Vassar Jewish Union (VJU), I see first-hand how difficult it can be to plan popular religious programming. We always try to come up with ideas for events that any Vassar student might want to come to, however we usually don’t get as many people to come to the events as we would like.

In fact, there are many organizations at Vassar, some religious and some secular, that wish they had more people attending their events.

The answer to the riddle of low attendance lies within another exceptional trait possessed

by Vassar. So many Vassar students weave themselves into the very fabric of this campus, doing all they can to make Vassar the amazing

places that it is. Students do all of these things while balancing academic work, so it’s no surprise that people may not have time to attend secular events, let alone religious events. In my mind, if you attend religious events you qualify as “religious” and since not many people come to the VJU’s events my choice seemed pretty obvious. So that is, or was, my justification for a ranking of two for Vassar. Then my perspective changed completely.

This fall, I participated in the Sukkah City project, which was modeled after a similar event that took place in New York City last autumn. The Sukkah City project at Vassar involved studio art majors undertaking an independent study of designing Sukkahs to be displayed on the Vassar campus. Some of you might be wondering what a Sukkah actually is and what purpose it serves.

A Sukkah is a structure erected to celebrate the holiday of Sukkot, a harvest festival. According to Jewish tradition, Sukkot celebrates the time of year when the first harvests are brought in from the fields. People traditionally celebrate the holiday by spending time in a Sukkah, which is a structure set out in nature and sometimes adorned with organic materials such as corn stalks, enjoying the beauty and bounty of nature. Jewish scholars have perfected a list of guidelines for building a Sukkah over the years which makes the task of constructing one very difficult.

However, this did not deter the studio art majors who participated in this truly amazing project. They all devoted countless hours to creating these Sukkahs; from creating the layout to welding frames to harvesting reeds, every single one of them truly gave everything they had to turn this dream into a reality. To be a small part of implementing this grand scheme was truly

a privilege and I personally want to thank everyone who helped out.

It was most amazing to me personally to see people working so hard on this project who were not Jewish. I realized that many people probably helped out for the sake of the art or to help out friends, but it struck a resounding chord with me. It made me think about what really constitutes religion and the idea of being “religious.” Does participation in building a Sukkah for art make someone religious? In a way, I think it does.

As a result of the Sukkah City Project, many individuals came together to work on a common goal of enriching the Vassar community.

Is not the act of people coming together to work on achieving a common goal part of religion? People come together every day at Vassar to work to achieve a common goal. I’m not saying that every organization at Vassar should be considered religious, but some core components of the layman’s definition of religion can be applied to many situations that may not be directly affiliated with a religion.

Being “religious” is not something that can be quantified. It’s an amorphous term, an idea that has been changing throughout the history of humanity. If there’s one thing that this experience has taught me, it’s that working together as a community is one of the greatest feelings you can possibly experience, perhaps it is even akin to the idea of religious fulfillment.

In short, to the people at the Princeton Review and my past less-enlightened self, in today’s day and age when everything about colleges needs to be broken down and analyzed, remember: There are some things to which you can’t put a number.

—Noah Cogan ’13 is a Greek and Roman studies major.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

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‘Let Her Die’ bill harmful for women Emma Russell

Guest Columnist

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little over a week ago, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill nicknamed the Let Her Die bill. This bill would “prohibit federal funds from being used to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion services.”

It also would allow hospitals to deny abortions to women when their lives are at risk.

This bill is a part of a larger battle going on right now, one that liberals and feminists alike are naming the Republican “war on women.”

We live in a society where we can’t seem to stay out of each other’s business. We know everything about each other’s lives, we know what restaurant someone is currently eating at and who they’re sleeping with and what they feel about the movie they just saw. We’re plugged into everything, and everyone, and I think we’ve lost the ability to distinguish the line between our lives and someone else’s.

I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have any involvement in other people’s lives—we are friends and family, we comfort and support and give guidance, and all those actions are positive and loving. The issue comes when we desire to have control over people’s lives that isn’t ours to have.

And it comes down to anonymity. As a culture, as a people, we have lost on a large scale what we have on a small scale every day: intimate connection. It is easy to find compassion and understanding for someone you know, someone you’re sitting next to.

But when we talk, regulate, address people as large, faceless, impersonal groups, it is easy to forget that they are people, and not objects or enemies. The politicians who seek to regulate abortion are trapped in a large, convoluted political system that they have to cater to or be eaten up by—I understand that.

But these people, these leaders, are playing a game that only serves to harm people. It is easy for a politician to propose a bill denying abortion when the people it affects are faceless, nameless and impersonal. When they get stuck on a mantra of “pro life” instead of recognizing what they mean is taking away people’s control over their own bodies.

Society exerts influence and control over our bodies already­­­—everyday we are faced with messages telling us what we should look like, what we should desire, how we can improve ourselves. Everything is about control, and a control that is only possible because the objects are not real people, they are numbers and statistics.

The war over abortion has used pathos, the invocation of emotion, to gain supporters who don’t really understand what they’re supporting. They think they’re supporting the saving of a life, the protection of “unborn babies,” the suppression of evil feminist killers who are out to abort every fetus they can find. In reality, they are supporting the continued system of impersonal control over people’s bodies and choices. On a small scale, we are kind and loving and helpful. On the large scale, we are not a compassionate society. We do not care about other people the way we care about our friends and family. A “pro life” bill is not being supported because its constituents really care about the people it will affect. As soon as those cute and lovable babies are born into the world, they become faceless numbers to be regulated, in the eyes of the law—and suddenly they are not as important. Having a baby is not a walk in the park, it is a long and painful commitment that shouldn’t be enforced on anyone. Sometimes, as hard as it may be to understand, having an abortion could be the thing that saves someone’s life—literally and metaphorically. The Let Her Die bill is exactly that: not a good-intentioned attempt to save babies, but an impersonal attempt to regulate people’s lives and bodies.

—Emma Russell ’13 is an English major.

OPINIONS

Page 10

October 27, 2011

Occupy Wall Street, like 15-M, comes at crucial juncture Lane Kisonak

T

Guest Columnist

his past weekend the world was supposed to end, according to Harold Camping. It was also supposed to end five months ago, and 17 years ago. In the meantime, Camping’s followers, bruised, disillusioned and many bereft of their jobs and savings, are left to confront a world they thought would be gone. Camping, who has gone into hiding and canceled his radio show, has been rightfully ridiculed for his crackpot prophecies. It might also feel easy to poke fun at his followers, but are the impulses that drove them to drop their lives and prepare for Judgment Day really all that foreign to the rest of us?

Each of us, as we’ve watched these past few years with anxiety at the saga of political failure and economic injustices unfolding before us, has anticipated a certain turning point—an event which changes, and perhaps brings together, the minds of either the very few with power, or the very many with their votes and voices. Such an event, signaling a true departure from the status quo, would open a new chapter in the story of our civilization. It might bring the global economy roaring back to life and produce better prospects in each of our own lives. It might plunge us into chaos— or into a new Great Depression. It could mean revolution. Most of us won’t break out the Bible and cipher tools, but through armchair punditry, thought experiments and simply our greater aspirations, we all sometimes like to play the prophet.

This description of societal angst I just laid out is vague and insubstantial. But one has to resort to cloudy terms when attempting to encapsulate the broad, collective thought process of all the middle-class and poor members of Western civilization––the 99 percent.

Each of us pursues unique goals, adheres to a unique belief system, and is uniquely affected by our political and economic systems. But those of us who are paying attention have long been desperate for something to change. Most are simply too busy treading water to do anything beyond donate or vote. Some, however, take to the streets.

Let us first look at the situation in the

United States: It is no wonder that the Occupy Wall Street protests began when they did, just over a month ago; in the United States, a measure called the National Misery Index (a sum of unemployment and inflation rates) just hit a 28-year peak—this comes years after the Great Recession technically ended. Whereas the Democratic establishment has failed to capitalize on Republican efforts to sabotage the economy, the Occupy movement has resonated surprisingly well among Americans; polls in October show support for the protests reaching as high as 59 percent, with most settling above 50 percent.

Now that the Occupy movement has gained a foothold in the mainstream media, its founders are fending off criticism for defining their philosophy too simplistically and neglecting to voice a set of tangible demands.

But do these members of the vanguard really have any choice in the matter? A leftist protest movement—simply by its nature—has a snowball’s chance in hell at thriving in modern America. The closest thing to a progressive groundswell any late-Echo Boom college student has witnessed was the election of Barack Obama—and if there’s one thing we can all remember since then, it is the swiftness with which both the post-inauguration spirit of national unity and support for Democratic policy initiatives crumbled.

A quick look at the chants shouted by the protesters in Madrid and Cairo and Lisbon and now New York (‘¡Unidos por un cambio global!’ United for global change!; ‘Esta dívida não é nossa!’ This debt is not ours!; ‘We are the 99 percent!’), and the slogans all sound distressingly familiar to the Democratic rallying cries of 2008 (‘Yes, we can!’; ‘Change we can believe in’ and ‘A new beginning’ all come to mind). Just as vague and equally problematic. Of course it is impossible for thousands of protesters to present a manifesto of policy demands in a form easily offered to the media and the public, especially when they are being kettled into confined spaces and attacked with tear gas and pepper spray by increasingly belligerent police battalions.

To many of us it has doubtless occurred that the 99 percent (a phrase that protestors

around the world have quickly embraced) must necessarily include most of the very wealthy. Indeed, in the United States, the 99th percentile tops out with those households making $506,553 per year, according to the Tax Policy Center. To include people with such opulent wealth in what is ostensibly a populist movement shows a measure of desperation. And yet, while expanding effective eligibility for membership so close to totality must impose limits on the specificity of messaging and render a singular set of goals less likely for the group, Occupy’s strategy makes sense given the circumstances under which it came about.

While commentators have recently made comparisons to the Tea Party, for a more prototype of Occupy we can turn to Spain’s 15-M movement, so named because it began on the May 15 of this year, during what can only be called an unemployment catastrophe. The youth unemployment rate in Spain has for 2010 and 2011 been stuck above 40 percent, a staggering level even for a country whose overall unemployment rate remains the highest in the European Union. In terms of group dynamics, Occupy and 15-M function in a similar manner, both touting their lack of formalized leadership and making decisions through general debates. Public support within Spain for the 15-M, who have labelled themselves indignados, polls as high as 80 percent despite the group’s amorphous nature.

Members of the 15-M movement are now organizing with demonstrators across national lines and leading marches into cities such as Brussels, the de facto European capital, demanding freedom from greedy financiers and an alternative to oppressive austerity measures. Two weekends ago, the indignados marched through Spain in the hundreds of thousands, advancing through dozens of cities including Barcelona, Seville and Madrid, where marchers made a pilgrimage to the site of 15-M’s inception, the Puerta del Sol public square.

The 15-M movement, having a four-month lead on Occupy Wall Street, has already brought about significant political reform in Spain. Time will tell if the Occupiers are

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sufficiently persistent, and steadfast in their nonviolence, to persuade hitherto incorrigible Republicans to lay down their arms against President Obama and the Democrats. A big question remains, though, as to whether Occupy Wall Street is, well, occupying the right place. Protestors in Spain have taken their message all over the country, but the epicenter of American demonstrations remains in Zuccotti Park.

Though much blame for the current mess can be assigned to the financial institutions, as much or more can be laid on Washington for enacting the policies which allowed it all to happen in the first place. A rally, perhaps on the National Mall—a real one, not like last year’s Rally to Restore Sanity—could do a great deal to sway some of the skeptics who shy away from Occupy because it is “anti-capitalist.” Until that happens, or perhaps simply with the passage of time and increasing pressure, it seems many in the mainstream media will continue to look upon the Occupy protests with derision.

The fact that it is often the fringe of society who first resort to protest is what makes me unable to make fun of the followers of Camping. I will not try to guess what the thousands of people Camping managed to attract to his movement were thinking, but suffice it to say many of them were desperate for something in their lives, or in the world, to change.

Most people, thankfully, are searching for the sort of change that comes from the entering a voting booth or standing in a plaza with homemade signs alongside one’s compatriots. To each person, that change is something a little different. But, only by taking the time to understand each person’s reason for showing up—or, at the very least, not mocking the efforts of hundreds of thousands based on a wayward few—can movements such as Occupy Wall Street have a chance at coming together, forming a message over several months, and shaming our elected officials into stacking the deck a just a bit better in favor of the 99 percent.

—Lane Kisonak ’13 is a political science major.

OPINIONS

October 27, 2011

Page 11

Libya-NATO alliance worrisome Hydrofracking poses risks to public health Noor Mir

Guest Columnist

F

or those readers who have, as an unfortunate result of their curiosity and the Internet, seen the pictures and videos showcasing the gruesome, final moments of Moammar Gaddafi’s life, I hope we can agree that they rate highly on the scale of revulsion. Nonetheless, the show of the Colonel dragged out of a graffitied concrete drainpipe, shot in the head and legs, beaten and then paraded on the hood of a truck strikes a very different chord from the executions of his fellow terrorists-cum-dictators of recent years—Saddam Hussein’s hanging was frozen in time by the shoddy work of a camera phone by a spectator and Osama bin Laden was tossed to sea after a private viewing by certain government officials.

What is it about this particular monster that merits a multi-angle documentation and a public showing at a Sirte meat locker? This distinctly “hands-on” approach to the capture and defeat of Colonel Gaddafi, alongside the extent of great-power intervention and aid in the Libyan uprising, complicates the question of the readiness of Libya to launch forward into this essential transitory period.

The first urgent issue to address is the potency of western intervention in the Libyan case and the space opened for an error, akin to the Iraqi mistake. My trouble in understanding the American rejoicing over Gaddafi’s death is centered on the mystery of American-Gaddafi ties in the past. Known transactions of weapons sold to Gaddafi are vestiges of a past

that the Obama administration has failed to address thus far. Similarly, the question of natural resources remains central to skepticism towards the role of the NATO alliance, which, despite its superficial commitment to a peacekeeping function, is a symbolic representation of a great-power investment in the revolution itself, and consequently, a voice in its transformation. There is a repertoire of frenzied media accounts of NATO involvement, such as the French terming of the revolution as “Sarkozy’s war,” to name one. Now, the death of Gaddafi vis-à-vis NATO warplanes further increases the debt of gratitude, as the power holders of a symbolic end to a struggle. Surely, western companies will play an integral role in the post-war reconstruction effort, and billion-dollar contracts in oil exploration and construction will solidify the long-term presence of NATO powers in the region. Libyans must step away from the symbolic death of Gaddafi and remain wary of their precarious place in the postwar state of great-power intervention.

The debt of gratitude operates in creating a surface relationship of trust and seeming honesty, with Obama’s recent statement that NATO forces must depart, that this moment is Libya’s, that the war is over. With the largest oil reserves in Africa, Western intervention is a double-edged sword.

Its physical departure from on ground does not signal a simultaneous exit from the culture of gratitude that it has created and that will most definitely shape its presence in the region in the transitional years to come.

My view is that in light of speculative but highly possible great-power interest in Libyan resources and the culture of a debt of gratitude that results from intervention and aid, a burial of Gaddafi must occur. My stance is not to simply push aside NATO intervention as completely fickle, selfish and unnecessary—its efficacy exists, as does the fact that the alliance entered as per request of the NTC. I do not wish to bemoan the demise of a crushing and brutal dictator. Instead, I only hope that Libya proceeds with caution. It must remain constantly aware of great powers that, previously nonplussed about Gaddafi’s 42-year rule, will most definitely act in some degree of self-interest. It has been a proven trend in the Western relationship to the Middle East, sustaining economic alliances with authoritarian rulers in order to open up access to resources. A burial of Gaddafi would serve to demystify the direct role of NATO in a symbolic victory that is visually reinforced worldwide— the “murder” must be taken into the hands of the people that caused this revolution instead of being shuffled amongst great powers that will only reinforce this image to cement their purposeful debt of gratitude. Instead, Libyans must try to march forth with a dignity that belongs to them, above and beyond air power and investment that is only fetishized by a sort of morbid curiosity with the image of a dictator felled by benevolent Western peacemakers.

—Noor Mir ’12 is a political science major.

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Gabriel Dunsmith

T

Guest Columnist

his past summer, Governor Andrew Cuomo declared his desire to lift a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in New York. If Cuomo doesn’t act quickly to ensure that the ban stays in place, the move could spell disaster for millions of people in the second-most-populous state in the country.

Fracking is an increasingly popular process by which companies drill for natural gas, or methane.

A drill bores a hole thousands of feet down, and when the drill meets the shale it turns horizontally. Then, explosions are detonated and hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and chemicals are pumped into the hole at such a high pressure that the shale fractures—the fracking. Methane from these splinters in the shale flows back up the well and is contained.

New York sits on the Marcellus Formation, one of the largest reserves of natural gas in the country. Shale in the formation contains enough methane to provide all of the United States’s natural gas needs for 14 years.

Too bad fracking is such a catastrophe.

In 2005, then-Vice President Dick Cheney inserted a clause into that year’s Energy Act called the Halliburton Loophole. The

clause stripped the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of any authority to regulate fracking through the Safe Drinking Water Act. (Halliburton, whom Cheney formerly headed, pioneered fracking technologies.)

Why would the EPA need to regulate fracking? It’s because chemicals used in the process can wind up in people’s drinking water. The documentary Gaslands follows several people whose water supply has been contaminated by fracking chemicals to such an extent that people can light their drinking water on fire. Across the country, residents have documented chemical spills that have occurred at the wells and swept over land—polluting lakes, streams and vegetation along the way. As soon as the chemicals touch groundwater, people’s health is in danger.

The methane industry, meanwhile, maintains that fracking is safe.

The chemicals that fracking companies pump into the ground stay there. Once they’re in microscopic fissures in the rock, it would be a herculean task to suck them back out. Instead of considering that people may be impacted by fracking, natural gas companies use compounds that they already know are harmful to human health—like diesel fuel.

What other chemicals are used See FRACKING on page 12

OPINIONS

Page 12

October 27, 2011

U.S. must invest in renewable energy FRACKING continued from page 11 in the fracking process? Lead, a huge contaminant in the United States; Benzene, a known carcinogen; Xylene, toluene and ethelbenzene; harmful volatile organic compounds. And there are hundreds of others. Overall, the fracking industry uses 2500 fracking products that contain over 750 different chemicals.

Chemicals identified in fracking liquids are known to cause bone, liver and breast cancer; adrenal tumors; gastrointestinal, circulatory, respiratory, developmental, brain and nervous system disorders; and dozens of other health issues.

Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club, says that the fracking industry should “limit the amount of toxic chemicals to a point of zero.” None of these chemicals should ever have been employed in the first place, especially when people’s health is at risk.

Furthermore, waste products from fracking often contain radioactive Radium 228. Waste effluent from Pennsylvania wells is dumped across state lines, including into landfills in New York State.

New York does not monitor its waste for radiation, nor does it have any mechanism to safely contain such radioactive material. Streams, rivers and lakes— much of New York’s sources for drinking water—are not tested for radioactivity.

Gas companies have bombarded television and newspapers with advertisements claiming that natural gas is the gateway to America’s energy independence. Except that simply isn’t true. Our cars don’t run on natural gas, and until they do fracking won’t move us an inch away from OPEC. Unfortunately, the true consequences of fracking may only become apparent if massive drilling projects ensue. Imagine

the scenario when millions of people are drinking tainted water and exposed to radiation. Not only do these chemicals and hazards induce cancer, shorten lifespans and death, but they wreck havoc on our hormones, assail our immune, nervous and reproductive systems, and cripple our fertility. If fracking is allowed, the next generation is in peril and inundated by toxins.

In New York, bad signs lay ahead.

Shell Oil has already nabbed 90,000 acres for drilling. Other gas companies are grabbing as much land as they can.

But the anti-fracking movement is attracting bipartisan support. After all, fracking isn’t necessarily a political issue but an issue of well being and human health. State Senator Greg Ball, a Republican, is an avid fracking opponent and has called on Governor Cuomo to disallow fracking in the state.

He notes that fracking companies have corrupted officials of both parties and blinded them to the environmental hazards of the practice; he also warns that the methane industry is “on the precipice of receiving red-carpet treatment here in New York State.”

Ball has also proposed a so-called Property Owners’ Bill of Rights, which initiates bold individual protections against the fracking industry. He calls on mandatory water testing for fracking chemicals; mandatory remediation of water, paid for by fracking companies; free medical checkups for life; and reimbursement of real estate value at 150 percent; among other provisions.

Celebrities have also gotten involved in the campaign. Actor Mark Ruffalo, who lives in New York, has recently committed himself to blocking the natural gas industry from invading the Em-

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pire State, along with attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Fracking is disgracefully short-sighted. Natural gas drilling ignores the larger issue of energy consumption in the first place: No matter what we do to wean ourselves off OPEC, no matter if we consume millions of tons of methane from Marcellus shale, no matter if we pump oil out of Alaska or the gulf, no matter if we blow up every mountain in Appalachia to dig out the coal, the United States—and the world—is still going to run out of fossil fuels. We are using them unsustainably. They will not last.

In addition, the methods we employ to extract such fuels wreck our environment and gamble with human lives.

Now is the time to transition to renewable energy. All the money that fracking companies have invested in their dirty drilling mechanisms, they should divert to clean energy. New York State should boast the newest generation of solar panels and wind turbines. In the long run, renewables will be not only more profitable but build a better future for the United States. If natural gas companies truly want to create an energy-independent United States, they wouldn’t think about fracking in the first place.

Fracking is dirty. The chemicals used are toxic. Fracking companies exploit our water without apology, and clean drinking water should be a right for every person. To set an example for the rest of the nation, New York should place a permanent ban on hydrofracking as soon as possible. It’s the right thing to do for our natural resources, for our health and for the future.

—Gabriel Dunsmith ’15 is a member of the Vassar Greens.

Crossword by Jonathan Garfinkel ACROSS 1. “Entourage” agent Gold 4. Tom, Dick, and Harry, say (abbr.)

7. Party on the left, briefly 10. Certain 39-Down, briefly 13. ___-Hur 14. Early 1st century year 15. Pitcher’s stat 16. ___ of war 17. Corn unit 18. Supportive 22. ___ diavolo sauce 23. Vied 25. Color 26. Aspirin company 28. Famous pharaoh 30. Certain nav. officer

31. “The Joy Luck Club” author, Amy ___ 32. Iroquois tribe 35. Eau de junior high, say 36. Toothy member of a sea-monster duo 40. Buckeyes of the NCAA 41. Group with no desire for scrubs 43. “___ humbug” 44. Be sick 45. Sterilize 47. Half man, half horse 51. “There was a time...”

52. “I’m ___ boat!”

53. Takes charge 54. Do as wine, say 55. Certain mischievous Shakespearean 56. Agree to marry 58. Hies hence

Answers to last week’s puzzle

60. Pittsburgh-Philadelphia dir.

61. Weep 62. Avatar actor, Worthington 64. Orbiting habitation (abbr.)

65. Strike from the record 67. Partner of flow 70. Awe 72. “Quiet!”

73. No seats left, briefly 74. Take to court 75. Lassitude 78. Roadside assistance org.

79. “Ignition (_____)” (R. Kelly masterpiece) 83. Parisian’s “me” 84. Art practiced in the 90-Across 89. Cash machine (abbr.)

90. (Matthew’s) pit of debauchery, perhaps 91. Deface 92. Lament 93. Take advantage of 94. Remains after a fire 95. Sault ___ Marie, MI 96. Rapper, Cudi 97. Item in a thesaurus entry, briefly DOWN 1. Assist 2. Back 3. Inscription on a cross 4. Bridge 5. Lapel item 6. [“not my mistake”] 7. Federal narcs 8. Mess up 9. German luxury automaker 10. Hit-or-miss 11. Little hole 12. Lab nutrient 19. Thought 20. Wild kitty 21. ____-majeste 24. Season to visit the Cote d’Azur 27. Whichever 29. Baby powder

31. Winter Palace ruler 32. Help!, briefly 33. Promote 34. Subtle 37. Lazy 38. Permission 39. Beer type 42. Perez Hilton subject 43. Heady sculptures?

46. Himalayan bovine 48. (The) interwebs 49. Content of certain L.A. pits 50. Afoot 51. Paddle 55. Each 56. All of two 57. Partner of hems 59. Khazakstan for one, formerly (abbr.)

61. Rifts

63. Sat shiva 66. Tempe sch.

67. Biblical ginger twin 68. Bric-a-____ 69. Tabletop vessel 71. Born (fr.)

75. Jane Austen comedy 76. Intellect 77. Near 80. Spiegelman Pulitzer winning graphic novel 81. Tiny 82. Wolverine et. al.

85. Consume 86. Lyrical Dr. 87. Peeve 88. Aye (fr.)

Correction: In the Oct. 6 issue of The Miscellany News, the Crossword was incorrectly attributed to Jonathan Garfinkel. The puzzle was written by Jack Mullan.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

HUMOR & SATIRE

October 27, 2011

Page 13

OPINIONS

How I spent my October Break: A facial hair live blog experience Tom Renjilian

I

Columnist

barely recognized my family when I got home for October Break.

Everyone had changed. Since I left home in August, my dog has been neutered, my dad started wearing hats and my sister—who just two years ago thought Ralph Nader was a member of Green Day—has “Occupied” six different Pennsylvania cities; she’s also occupied my bedroom closet with “cute protest outfits” from locally-owned hub of countercultural fashion, Charlotte Russe. Granted, some things did stay the same. Every day that week, as my mother walked in after another rough day at work, I could hear her calmly whispering the lyrics to “Last Resort” by Papa Roach. It’s been her favorite song for 11 years.

Unchangeable facts of life aside, everyone else in my family had embraced new and exciting identities as hat-wearing socialist eunuchs, and I was just the same old Tom. Since coming out of the closet four years ago, I haven’t changed at all. I mean, that was a pretty good one, but it only gets you so far before you stop being shocking and everyone gets bored with you again: “Oh, shirtless Anderson Cooper is STILL your desktop background…cool.”

I knew I needed to do something to really shake it up, something that would change how the entire world perceived me; I needed to completely reinvent myself. I decided to grow facial hair—not any of that ironic handlebar mustache bullshit—just some good old fashioned “manicured stubble,” as Askmen.com called it. It was the perfect plan. It actually involved a reduction of effort on my part and would immediately transform me into the gruff, manly gay I always knew I could be, the kind of gay who can do things like eat red meat and go hiking. I kept a thorough record in order to document what I believed would be a deeply spiritual transformation.

Saturday 12:00 a.m.-11:59 p.m.- No noticeable growth.

Sunday 11:00 a.m.- I wake up.

11:01 a.m.- I realize significant growth occurred in the night. I am pleased.

11:59 p.m.- My mother asks, “Are you sure you showered today? Your face looks filthy.”

12:01 p.m.- I brood and admire my nascent stubble in the mirror.

Monday 11:00 a.m.- My facial hair pleases me.

2:00 p.m.- My facial hair continues to please me.

7:00 p.m.- My facial hair becomes unbearable itchy. I scratch vigorously.

7:01 p.m.- Scratching is unsuccessful. Desperate, I sprint to the kitchen and procure a butter knife, resume scratching with new tool.

7:05 p.m.- “Get the silverware away from your oily skin!” my mother exclaims. “I’m sorry. It’s just—there’s only so much grease soap can get off.”

Tuesday 4:00 p.m.- My mother asks me, “Are you still doing that stupid thing to your face?”

4:01 p.m.- My mother informs me that there are “better ways to hide your acne.”

4:02 p.m.- My mother asks me if this is a “cry for help.”

4:03 p.m.- My mother storms to her room screaming that she “just wants her son back.”

4:04 p.m.- Whenever-Soul-is-Consumed-by-the-Darkness-of-Night p.m.- I lock my door, turn off all the lights and listen to My Chemical Romance. My razor glares at me from across the room.

Wednesday 10:00 a.m.- To complete my image, I decide to shop for more masculine attire.

12:00 p.m.- Homeless man sitting on garbage bags outside the Gap of-

fers me a dollar, a cigarette and a bag to sit on. I accept ironically.

12:05 p.m.- I barter my Urban Outfitters “Navajo Hipster Panties” and vintage skinny jeans for his vintage overalls covered in blood stains.

12:07 p.m.- I find a banana peel in my new back pocket.

12:08 p.m.- I love my new identity.

Thursday 5:05 p.m.- I add “Tom Renjilian” to the Wikipedia page for “Famous Facial Hair.”

5:06 p.m.- Someone removes “Tom Renjilian” from the Wikipedia page for “Famous Facial Hair.”

5:07 p.m.- I add “Tom Renjilian” to the Wikipedia page for “Famous Facial Hair.”

5:08 p.m.- Someone removes “Tom Renjilian” from the Wikipedia page for “Famous Facial Hair.”

5:09 p.m.- I tell my mother to “OH. MY. GOD. Stop it!” and wish I never taught her the difference between “going on the Internet” and “doing typing drills on Mavis-Beacon.”

Friday 11:00 a.m.- I wake up.

11:30 a.m.- I look in the mirror.

11:31 a.m.- I see the splotchy mess covering my jaw and upper lip 11:32 a.m.- I become acutely aware that I’ve made a grave mistake.

11:33 a.m.- I shave.

So maybe I didn’t become a gruff manly gay. In actuality, I looked more like those guys in low-quality webcam pics who lurk in AOL kids-only chat rooms asking preteens their “A/S/L.” But I did learn something from my experience. As I stood there looking at my new facial hair in the mirror, go figure, I had an epiphany.

My mother, standing beside me with her hand on my shoulder reminded me of an important fact I had been ignoring all along. “What you look like, and how much you change on the outside doesn’t matter,” she told me, “because no silly makeover can compensate for your deeply rooted personal and psychological shortcomings as a human being.”

Weekly Calendar: 10/27 - 11/2 Thursday, 10/27 3 p.m. Tea. Dear Diary: October Break through the years.

Rose Parlor.

Friday, 10/28 3 p.m. Tea. Freshman year: “Dear Diary, It’s soooo good to finally go home and see my mom and dad and sister and schnauzer! But I don’t know, Diary, I just feel a little too big for this town now, you know? Too many bagel stores and not enough Nietszche.” Rose Parlor.

8 p.m. Raymond Haunted House. What, pray tell, constitutes a haunted house for Raymond residents? Someone blasting “Wicked” too loudly on a wellness hall? A game of Apples to Apples gone rogue? A shadowy figure (GASP) dumping your laundry all over the floor before your dryer time is up?!? Rocky.

10 p.m. 2013/2015 Mug Night. The theme is “My Girlfriend’s Abroad and You’ll Have Dumped Your High School Boyfriend By Thanksgiving Anyway, So Why Not?” Mug.

Saturday, 10/29

What your costume choice says about you this Halloween Brittany Hunt

Guest Columnist

H

alloween is a very important time for a Vassar student.

You have a free pass to dress however you want, eat high caloric candy and grind on that hottie in your a cappella group in the Villard Room. The identity that you choose to assume on Halloween shows the deep inner workings of your mind and how you want others to perceive you. I’ve compiled a list of popular Halloween choices and consulted with all of the psychology professors as well as a board of certified psychics to see what these costumes indicate about their wearers.

Slutty Cop/Firefighter/Nurse: You should transfer to a vocational school in the local area, where far more people will understand your passion for the classic occupations that keep our nation running. Also more people will understand your passion for giving guys blow jobs behind dumpsters in exchange for Mardi Gras beads and/or mini Almond Joys.

Sheet Ghost: You’re not the brightest guy in your Basic Drawing class, but you are the most resourceful. That time your professor told you to draw something that inspired you, you drew your syllabus and a can of Sunkist orange soda. When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. When life gives you a plain white sheet, you cut two holes in it and wear it over your head.

Disney Princess: Sure, you lack creativity and any form of intellect, but you look great in pink. When you were just a little girl your mother told

you that if you put your mind to it you could be anything that you wanted to be. Her and her female sisters fought for women’s rights so that you could obtain all your dreams. They chained themselves to trees and burned their bras so that you could be a princess, goddamnit, and you’re sure as heck going to make them proud! A sweet baseball bro dressed as a sweet baseball bro will take you back to his TH, take your virginity then never speak to you again. It’s okay though; your Prince Charming is out there!

Virginia Woolf: We get it, you’re a women’s studies major and haven’t shaved your legs since last December when you constructed a teepee in the woods with your bare hands and read Emily Dickinson poetry for the entirety of Winter Break in order to get yourself more attuned to your own femininity. You own lots of floral prints and write sonnets about the patriarchy and being sexually attracted to your mother. You’ll someday marry a man who owns a medical supply company, have three kids and develop a drinking problem. No one understands you.

Except for maybe Jewel.

The Spice Girls: You have four best girl friends in the world who are *omigod* so fun. You’re the fab five, the fierce five, the five that no one else can tolerate. At least one of you is a lesbian and at least one of you will be impregnated by a C-list movie star..

You and your 27 best friends go as an entire mouth full of teeth: You’re a comedic genius.

by Alanna Okun, Humor & Satire Editor

11 a.m. Halloween Fun Run. Because nothing is more fun than projectile vomiting a pound of candy corn all over your new Nikes first thing in the morning. Quad.

10 p.m. Halloween Party. Single dudes, take note: I’ll be the girl dressed in sweatpants and my glasses, in a daring interpretation of a senior English major who doesn’t give a fuck.

Villard Room.

Sunday, 10/30

Tuesday, 11/1 3 p.m. Tea. Junior year: “Dear Diary, Since I decided not to go abroad, my dad gave me some money to take a roadtrip to Montreal over break! Except the only problem is that all of my friends are in Prague/Edinburgh/Madrid right now, so it’s just gonna be me and Weird Sam. Here’s hoping we don’t get searched at the border; I think he brought his garter snake.” Rose Parlor.

8:37 a.m. Your Walk of Shame Home from Davison, Wearing Nothing But the Remnants of Your Sexy Steve Jobs Costume That Seemed Like Such a Good Idea the Night Before. Quad.

10 p.m. Trivia Night. Question #952: How hot is it, on a scale from one to panties dropping, when that kid in your poli sci class spends 10 minutes talking about how totally lifechanging it was when he occupied Wall Street for like an hour over break? Mug.

Monday, 10/31

Wednesday, 11/2

3 p.m. Tea. Sophomore year: “Dear Diary, Now that I have the lay of the land I’m way too cool to go home for break anymore, so I’m staying at school and getting cray with my former fellow group! I had to miss the trip to Walkway Over the Hudson today because I woke up at St. Francis with minor alcohol poisoning and no pants, but you win some, you lose some.” Rose Parlor.

2 p.m. Discover America. I feel like that happened already, but someone should Wikipedia it just in case. Villard Room.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

3 p.m. Tea. Senior year: “Dear Diary, Even the time I am taking to write these words is detracting from the time I should be spending on my thesis. Woke up at one, today’s a bust, guess I’ll kill that handle of Jose Cuervo and try again tomorrow.” Rose Parlor.

ARTS

Page 14

October 27, 2011

Student photo exhibit captures generations of experience Burcu Noyan

F

Reporter

Katie De Heras/The Miscellany News

orget about classes, forget about work and forget all applications. The sound of the gushing water fills your head as you’re lying down on your back; you open your eyes and the world is upside-down. Your eyes follow the view forming a mirror image right below, completely merging into the other. They touch.

The view is complete. Your world is perfect.

Absolute. Your neck hurts, but you like that the scene reminds you this is not a dream, it is all real. Or at least, it is the border where illusion meets reality.

This sensation describes an untitled photo taken by Gretchen Heinel ’15 that captures three students experiencing this quintessential Vassar moment: Lying down on that little bridge over Sunset Lake and watch the perfectly aligned view of the lake’s surrounding trees and hills meet their reflection in the water. Heinel’s photo is one of the many that are displayed in the Palmer Gallery exhibition Through the Student Lens: Photographs of and

by Vassar Students, 1865-2011 that will be in view from Oct. 27 to Nov. 22.

As part of the many sesquicentennial festivities that have marked this year, the exhibit aims to honor 150 years of Vassar student experience through a collection of perspectives as seen through their camera lenses. The exhibition compiles the selected works of students who have attended Vassar in 2011, the sesquicentennial year. “We juried a selection of photos submitted from five classes of Vassar students, from the students who recently graduated in the spring to the Class of 2015,” said the Associate Director of the Palmer Gallery Monica Church, a noted Hudson Valley artist.

“We received 468 photo submissions and selected between 80 to 90 of them to showcase,” explained Church, who organized and curated the event. “I was really pleasantly surprised by the large number of good submissions.” Integrated with these recent photos will also be historic ones dating back to 1865, the year of

“Rose,” a photo from the series “In Their Spaces,” by Katie De Heras ’13 is on display in the Palmer Gallery as part of the exhibit Through the Student Lens: Photographs of and by Vassar Students 1865-2011.

Vassar’s first graduation. Church made a selection of these images from the Vassar Archives and Special Collections.

A slide show of the older images will play on a plasma screen, inviting the visitors to journey back in time. The printed images will be up as they are, without any frames or L hooks.

Bare and direct to the human eye, the photos will seem more approachable, as they will be easier to look at without being locked behind a glass screen.

“I thought the exhibition was a great way of showcasing the work of students who are not necessarily art students, because there is a lot of creative work being done everyday,” wrote Madeline Zappala ’12, one of the students who has submitted works for the exhibition, in an emailed statement (Disclaimer: Zappala is a Photography Editor for The Miscellany News).

As for the more experienced photographers like herself, the exhibition is still a great opportunity, since it is a chance to display photos not necessarily taken for a class or a student publication. “I think the three photographs that were chosen really represent this category of my photography—photos taken just for the sake of photography and capturing a moment of my life,” added Zappala.

“I’m not an expert; I’ve never taken a photography class. I just try to capture the feeling of particular times and places, since it’s the feeling of a moment that I know I’ll want to remember later,” explained Jackie Kory ’11, in an emailed statement. It was also an opportunity for her to contribute one last thing to Vassar, right before she graduated last spring.

The range of the subject matter is very diverse. “We asked all students to send us any

image that they have taken, as long as it’s about their experience at Vassar,” explained Church.

For example, some off campus subject matter such as Junior Year Abroad experiences or community projects are also featured in the show.

Katie de Heras ’13 submitted various blackand-white photographs that explore perhaps the most personal and intimate spaces on campus: the student rooms. “We all call Vassar’s 1000-acre campus home, but the only place that is truly yours is that 140 square feet of dorm room. You begin to live your entire life inside those poster-clad walls: working out, making music, eating breakfast, building friendships,” wrote Heras in an emailed statement. Her photography has always been detail-oriented. “ ‘In Their Spaces’ intends to capture the details of a 2011 Vassar student’s life in a way you’d never see on a campus tour,” she concluded.

A contrast to Heras’ zooming in on the indoors, the submissions by Ethan Hofmayer ’15 focus on the vast outdoors. “I enjoy taking pictures that evoke a sense of travel. Something about the passage of time and movement through space intrigues me,” explained Hormayer in an emailed statement. He added, “Photographs have the amazing ability to capture and preserve a moment during the journey.”

Hofmayer’s subject matters includes adventures common among many Vassar students: “Rain boots worn on our first trip to the farm, a biker whizzing past on a nighttime walk, breakfast at Acrop at four in the morn, the expansive sky after Phantogram and a glowing Rockefeller Hall one night when we went climbing the trees on campus,” he explained. Surely these scenes sound familiar, as they in many ways epitomize definitive moments of the Vassar experience.

No doubt the compilation of works displayed in Through the Student Lens exhibition will evoke those instances that will one day remain as sweet nostalgia, archived as photos in the stacks of Special Collections.

Broadway hit ‘Altar Boyz’ coming to Vassar’s own stage Adam Buchsbaum

“I

Arts Editor

Courtesy of Altar Boyz

didn’t know anything about the show. I just heard boy band.

Backstreet Boys. Christian parody.

And that got me hooked,” said Devin McDufee ’14, a lead actor in “Altar Boyz.”

Future Waitstaff of America’s upcoming musical comedy, “Altar Boyz” presents a concert by the Altar Boyz, a Christian boy band composed of five members: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Juan and Abraham. Its satire is evident from the names alone. Abraham is Jewish, yet still in the band, Luke has been through alcoholism, and Mark is secretly, obviously gay.

But perhaps you noticed the event disappear from the Campus Calendar. “Altar Boyz” was originally set to run this week, but ran into trouble.

Rodgers and Hammerstein denied the production’s application for the rights to perform the musical during the summer; Vassar’s Drama Department had owed dues to the agency.

The department later payed, the production re-applied for the rights and gained approval. But Rogers and Hammerstein stipulated that a license approval must be five weeks in advance of the show debut, forcing a delay.

The production no longer had a space to perform. The production had reserved the Shiva Theater for the original date range. The Drama Department, in a rare and surprising gesture, offered the Powerhouse Theater for the production.

This will be the very first time a student theater production uses the Powerhouse Theater, which is typically used solely for Drama Department productions. “I was surprised,” Thomas Hochla ’13, the musical di-

rector, said. “I really didn’t think they were gonna do that,” said Michael Graceffa ’13, the director. “It really is a fine line no one has ever crossed.”

This potential setback fortunately worked out for the better. For one, just having more time will allow the production to polish itself. “We were jamming in rehearsal,” said Graceffa.

“It was just really messy. It needed a lot of work. We’ve just taken time to breathe for a second.”

Rehearsal had become a matter of simply being able to put the show on. “I was in the mode of just being ‘Here’s what it is! Here’s what is is!

Run it again!’” Hochla said. They rehearsed at every spare moment, every day for two to three hours leading up to showtime. With the extra time the production can be that much better. “It becomes much more of a process as opposed to just slapping it up there,” Hochla said.

In addition to having more time to produce the show, having access to the Powerhouse Theater means a better show. “It’s a dream come true because the show would work so well in that space,” Hochla said.

Graceffa is a little nervous to use the space, but only because of the added pressure. McDufee worries about potential stipulations on when and how they can use the space. Still, the production seems assured in performing a good show.

Jeremy Busch ’14, one of the leads, agreed completely with Hochla and Graceffa. “We were told it was a blessing in disguise. There is no disguise,” Busch said. “Here’s the deal: We have two more months, in a better space with better sound equipment and better light equipment. It’s a blessing.”

The biggest challenge now is con-

In the upcoming Future Waitstaff of America production of the musical “Altar Boyz,” the main cast, seen above, satirically portray a Christian boy band. After encountering legal issues, the play has been pushed back to a December performance date. tinuing to ready the show itself. The entire cast, the entire five-member Christian boy band, is always onstage without one break. Each of its 13 musical numbers is a large, technically challenging production that requires extensive and energetic singing and dancing.

“I don’t think people realize how intricate music is. I think one of the most challenging if not the most challenging part of the show is getting these songs down,” Hochla said.

“You’re singing in five-point harmony. With harmony, the littlest thing can switch it off. You have to have a really keen ear.”

Graceffa plans to slow down the rehearsal schedule now that time

isn’t so precious. Going at a steadier pace will prevent exhaustion and staleness from excessive rehearsing, and allow for more natural development. The production still plans to maintain a strong pace, however, with rehearsal four times a week. “[Graceffa] told us at the audition he wasn’t going to dumb any of the choreography down, and that it was going to be really hard, and that we were keeping all the harmonies,” Busch said. “It’s a lot to learn. It’s always been a lot to learn.”

Ryan Norris ’14, another one of the leads, chimed in. “It was scary, but at the same time really exciting,” he said. “Knowing you have a production team that wants this show to

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

be as amazing as it can be is really exciting.”

Graceffa, Hochla and Busch all find fun in the production despite its hardships, the expected or unexpected ones. “The best thing is just everyone in the whole process,” Graceffa said. “It’s great to work together and create.”

The show will run Dec. 8 to 10 in the Powerhouse Theater. The time is still to be determined with the Drama Department. Live music will accompany the musical.

“I think if nothing else the audience will have an amazing time just because of the material,” Norris said.

“It’s a very funny story, and then it gets very touching.”

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October 27, 2011

Page 15

A ‘Tempest’ brewing on the Antioch Ensemble an horizon with show, classes outsider a capella act Matt Hauptman

T

Guest Reporter

he Actors from the London Stage will be at Vassar from Thursday, Oct. 27 to Saturday Oct. 29 to perform William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” at the Martel Theatre. Now in its 35th year, Actors from the London Stage (AFTLS) is one of the oldest touring Shakespeare theater companies in the world. The troupe tours alongside five British Shakespearean artists—currently including Jennifer Kidd, Richard Neale, Laurence Pears, Dale Rapley and Adam Smethurst—who perform all the roles in a production, and represent such companies as the Royal Shakespeare Company, Royal National Theatre of Great Britain and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.

The group’s goal is to make accessible to students the works of Shakespeare through energetic performances, but also to share knowledge of the acting craft through educational programs. According to Assistant Professor of Drama and Director of Theater Shona Tucker, “They are at the top of their craft and performing right in our living room.”

During their stay on campus, the actors will devote ample time to lectures, workshops, seminars and informal meetings with students. As Tucker explained, “Their stay provides students and faculty with unique opportunities both to observe extraordinary performances and to work together with one or two actors in smaller groups.” Not only will these programs provide the Vassar community with insights into theater making and production, but they will also attest to the unique learning experiences made possible through drama: “The classroom sessions are designed to discuss drama, theater and dramatic situations in-depth, and, perhaps more importantly, to demonstrate the beneficial role of drama and embodied learning in our classrooms,” added Tucker.

The production itself is a highly innovative and witty interpretation of Shakespeare’s play. Rapley said that he and his four colleagues strive to make their productions clear and accessible within a limited budget. The actors’ props and costumes, for example, all have to fit into a single suitcase. As Rapley wrote in an emailed statement, “That is the challenge. And that is our convention—five actors embodying all the characters and telling the story.”

Tucker attested to this special quality of the troupe, explaining, “A shawl after having been worn by one character several times, may be held up to represent that character while the actor playing that character assumes a different role.”

Shakespeare’s plays traditionally fall into one of

three categories: tragedies, histories and comedies.

Most dramaturges and scholars agree that “The Tempest” belongs to the latter category, but they would also agree that these facile labels are used for convenience rather than accuracy. As Rapley observed, “There is a lot of humor in the play, but ‘The Tempest’ is not simply a ‘comedy.’ The traditional Shakespearean ‘clowns,’ Trinculo and Stefano, a jester and a butler, respectively, and drunken ones at that, are characters who comically, but at the same time, quite darkly, exploit Caliban’s gullibility for their own pathetic ends.” Assistant Professor of English Zoltan Markus agrees that “The Tempest” is a mixed-genre comedy that harbors comic and tragic elements in its humor. “For Shakespeare and his contemporaries, the most important requirement of a comedy was not irresistible hilarity but a marriage (or two) at the end of the play,” Markus said.

“The Tempest” is noteworthy not only in its bawdy, dark humor, but also in the fact that it is Shakespeare’s final play. Some critics have suggested that Prospero, the play’s protagonist, is Shakespeare’s representation of himself. As such, these critics argue, Prospero’s decision to abjure his magical powers at the end of the play is analogous to Shakespeare’s decision to leave the London theater scene and retire to the country. But Rapley is skeptical of this reading: “That sounds a bit too easy and sentimental about so great a work.”

The play has drawn scholarly attention in recent years largely because of its political dimensions. According to Markus, “For us, it is impossible to read or view this play without acknowledging that it is obsessed with the issue of authority, power, politics, imperialism and—indeed—the project of colonialism.” The play’s thematic connection to colonialism is especially apparent in Propsero’s abuse and enslavement of Caliban. For these reasons, “The Tempest” has troubled many a viewer. Tucker herself indicated that she has had fundamental issues with the play in the past because she has viewed it through a postcolonial lens, but, as she also mentioned, “I look forward to having my views challenged in the production.”

And indeed, the postcolonial reading of “The Tempest” is certainly not the only viable reading of the play. As Markus went on to explain, “I hope that many students, professors and other members of the larger Vassar community will be able to join us to view the Actors from the London Stage’s production of ‘The Tempest’ and decide for themselves what this superbly thought-provoking play means to us today.”

Shruti Manian

14

Assistant Arts Editor

years ago when a group of students from Westminster Choir College were asked to play a quartet for a small local church, little did anyone know that they would soon become one of the world’s most renowned and talented choral ensembles. The Antioch Ensemble has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Recognized as one of the most preeminent chorals in the world, the Ensemble was founded in 1996. A number of members of the Ensemble met each other and decided to play together when they were students in Westminster Choir College. By 2001, Antioch had gained 12 members comprised from various other music schools as well, and today Antioch has 13 members including an impressive line-up of sopranos, baritones, tenors, altos and a pianist.

Since its inception, the ensemble has gone on to win numerous laurels in the United States and various international forums. In 2008, the Antioch Ensemble placed first at the Tolosa International Choral Competition in Spain.

The Antioch Ensemble recently performed for the first time ever a piece composed by celebrated composer Bruce Adolphe at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for an exhibition featuring the works of artist Agnolo Bronzino. The choir has also performed at a number of notable venues like Carnegie Hall, the Nautilus Choral Festival in Nova Scotia and the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston.

Antioch has also been a part of prestigious international choral platforms like the Festival des Choeurs Laureats in France. With all these accolades under their belt, the Antioch Ensemble has established itself as one of the finest choral ensembles in the world.

The group’s unique ability to communicate with audiences was made particularly clear in a 2011 review published

by Fanfare Magazine: “Part of the choir’s success is its ability to characterize each piece fully, communicating its individuality; they make the performance about the listener, not the singer.”

The Antioch Ensemble plays a var-

ied and eclectic array of choral music.

The ensemble plays music that spans over eras ranging from the 15th century to the 21st century. Of late, the focus of the Ensemble’s performances has been the music of living and current choral composers.

However, for their upcoming concert at Vassar, the Ensemble will play a wide range of music to give Vassar students a glimpse into the diversity and richness of choral music.

“There will certainly be something for everyone!” explained the Artistic Director of the Antioch Ensemble Joshua Copeland in an emailed statement. He added, “The first part of our program will be sacred choral music that goes from the soaring soprano lines of English composer John Sheppard to the recent choral hit ‘Ubi Caritas’ by Paul Mealor, which debuted at the Royal Wedding this past March.”

“The second half of the program will take us from Monteverdi’s passionate Italian madrigals to Eric Whitacre’s ‘City and the sea’ (which Antioch gave the European Premier in July 2010) and we will finish it off with a set of lighter Jazz music,” Copeland wrote. Copeland is a baritone in the Ensemble and is also the founding member of the group.

The ensemble is playing at Vassar for the very first time and Copeland expressed his enthusiasm at the idea of performing in front of young college students. He emphasizes the importance of ensuring that students are exposed to good music that retains its finesse and is unaltered by technology. “I feel it is extremely important to engage the younger generations in hearing quality music that hasn’t been auto-tuned,” wrote Copeland.

The Ensemble will perform at Skinner Hall on Saturday Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. It will also lead a master class with the vocal ensembles that afternoon. “This concert will appeal to a wide range of audiences from the Vassar and Poughkeepsie communities,” Andrew Gaines ’12 wrote in an emailed statement. “This is an exciting opportunity to hear a professional choral chamber ensemble.”

Professor Antelyes spearheads new comic curriculum Charlacia Dent

A

Assistant Arts Editor

methods used in analyzing comics.”

According to Antelyes, in analyzing any form of image representation, the politics of race, class and gender are frequent topics. “While there are a number of class sessions devoted specifically to the representation of gender and race in comics, I can’t remember a time when these and related issues didn’t arise in the normal discussion,” Antelyes said. His class works to truly understand, analyze and contextualize how comics draw their imagery from their own cultures, delving into the medium’s potential for reinforcing stereotypes.

“Comics are a particularly rich field for the examination of stereotypes as, in a more overt sense than most media, they are an arena of visual simplification and abstraction,” Antelyes noted. “Certain comics are filled with, and even defined by, prejudice—the market and the culture and the readers see to that—and one must remain vigilant in identifying and criticizing those prejudices as they are embedded in both the content and form of the works.”

Antelyes has been searching for a student program where students create their own comics to further explore the field. Although still unsuccessful in finding one, his seminar class has pursued other viable

Jonah Bleckner/The Miscellany News

ssociate Professor of English Peter Antelyes can’t remember a time when he wasn’t interested in popular culture. “My first forays into the field were in teaching, when I began to include movies, music, comics and other popular culture texts into my syllabuses,” Antelyes wrote in an emailed statement. “My scholarly work followed suit, as I became more knowledgeable in the area, and as popular culture studies became more sophisticated and more settled in the academy.”

Since this early discovery, his journey has included him writing on the literature of Jewish and AfricanAmerican singers, Irish-American popular song and Jewish women in vaudeville. He tackled topics such as the “red-hot mama,” an adventurous, sexually empowered and dangerous maternal figure that emerged around the turn of the century thanks to well-known Black blues singers.

Similairly, he explored issues of redface, a cousin of blackface, especially in the the evolution of Jewish Indian song, finding that Jews in early vaudeville would don themselves in Indian dress that eventually established the practice as something ethnically acceptable.

This year Antelyes introduced Comics, Cartoons and Graphic Novels, a fitting follow-up to his previous seminar Cartooning and Comic Art, which he co-taught with New Yorker cartoonist Liza Donnelly. “Donnelly brought a focus on single-panel cartoons and great first-hand knowledge of the practice of cartooning to the class. I had wanted to teach another course on the subject since then, but the opportunity didn’t present itself. This year I was able to do so under the English Department’s 362: Text and Image Rubric,” Antelyes explained.

The course explores a very diverse range of graphic art beyond the superheroes of Marvel and DC comics. It examines work such as the great modernist comic strips of Winsor McCay, numerous social commentary strips, feminist comics and the memoirs of Art Spiegelman, the author of Maus.

“I’ve decided to approach the materials from a wide range of angles: historical, theoretical, formalist and thematic,” Antelyes wrote. “By the end of the term, I’d like the students to be acquainted generally with the sweep of comics history, or at least key moments in the development of its various forms—to be conversant with various approaches to and

Associate Professor of English Peter Antelyes, above, has written on the literature of Jewish and African-American singers and Irish-American popular song. alternatives. In choosing to write papers, students may integrate their own comics granted that their integration betters their exploration of the specific topic. As another option, Antelyes has encouraged his students to include embedded visual

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

examples into their papers. This has proved successful, but may change as alternatives emerge.

“In short, I’d like them to be informed, skillful and enthusiastic participants in the emerging field of comics studies,” Antelyes concluded.

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Page 16

October 27, 2011

Fall concert emphasizes collaboration Guitarist Lau inspired by the otherworldly Jack Owen

K

Reporter

atie Lau ’12, a philosophy major, has been musical since her early years. She took violin lessons at age eight, taught herself the guitar by age 12, and plays the bass, ukulele and piano. But it wasn’t until late in high school that she began writing songs. She used her dreams and imagery to inspire her lyrics.

She has been involved with bands on-campus and the orchestra.

But now her attention is set on her newly formed group, Painted Zeros. “I used to take lessons in Skinner and played violin in the orchestra,” she said. “Right now, I’m mainly focusing on writing and recording.”

Lau teamed up with bassist Andy Dymond ’12 and drummer Jordan Kaye ’12 a few months ago to form Painted Zeros, and the band itself was shaped in a vision.

“Painted Zeros was born in a dream,” Lau stated. While hiking the Appalachian Mountains in Maine, Dymond and Lau had a lifealtering experience. “We were ill-equipped for the hike and we became semi-delirious,” she said. “I felt at once frightened and completely lucid,” she added. Still, the images the pair saw apparently challenged them to explore new musical directions. “Part of that night included visions of zeros filling my head. We realized that we needed to play the songs that had formed and settled in our minds, because it was the only thing we could do.”

This sense of urgency prompted them to incorporate their friend Kaye into the fold, and the group has since joined a legion of up and coming bands on Vassar’s campus.

“When I write songs they just come out.

We each bring our ideas to the music, and it grows organically into whatever it becomes,” Lau said when asked to describe the band’s musical style.

In turn, because Painted Zeros is a relatively new band, their style has yet to fully formulate, and they draw inspiration from others.

“My friends are an enormous source of inspiration for me,” Lau furthered. “Many of them also make music, and their work never ceases to inspire me.” Still, the group’s emphasis on conceiving music organically and working off of each others’ ideas has proven to be a good method for them.

“Andy and Jordan are great. They’re very

Juliana Halpert/The Miscellany News

CONCERT continued from page 1 bring some throwback tunes to the concert, but with an unexpected twist. Instead of relying entirely on the electronic sounds of video game platforms, the band fuses the traditional with the electronic, layering guitar, bass and drums over digital mash-ups. In an interview with The Village Voice, lead singer Peter Berkman described the band’s approach to building such a multi-dimensional sound: “You literally have to construct the sound from the ground up. The fun about synthesis is that you make your own sound. If you don’t, it’ll sound like shit.” What makes Anamanaguchi so original is the fact they make a simple type of music seemingly doomed to the confines of a MacBook DJ kit. Their DIY mentality allows them to handpick and deconstruct beats of yesteryear, gathering up the fragments into energetic musical assemblages. Also of note, of course, is the fact that Anamanaguchi played an acoustic set to mourn the loss of the iconic beverage Four Loko at a candle light vigil in Union Square last November.

Fang Island, on the other hand, describes its vibe as “everyone high-fiving everyone.”

The group’s music induces instant happiness, with positive energy and pop/punk power chords spiraling from a whopping three guitarists. Fun is the bottom line for Fang Island—they cater to the young and old in the hope that the band’s extreme danceability will bring the crowd together in a musical group hug. Perhaps most interesting about the choices for the concert is just how different they are from each other, and moreover how different they are from the type of show traditionally associated with the Vassar Chapel aesthetic. According to Director of ViCE Mitchell Gilburne ’12, “We’re all about subverting expectations this year, and after the success of the Yeasayer concert, we’re excited to take the wow factor up a notch.”

In addition, ViCE has taken this year’s concert as an opportunity to not only be conscious of their current financial situation, but also to expose students to a couple of bands they might not necessarily have heard of. “We’re on a tight budget, but that doesn’t mean we can slack on the quality of our entertainment,” Gilburne explained. “We have a fiscal map for the year and having a free fall show is part of the plan.”

Because Anamanaguchi and Fang Island are slightly more underground acts than those brought to Vassar in previous years, ViCE is taking advantage of WVKR to familiarize students with their music. By fostering a collaboration between a student-run music entertainment organization and a studentrun radio station, ViCE’s approach to the concert is particularly grassroots. This past week, student shows Cuddle Fest, Frontier Psychiatrist and The Campus Current all featured tracks from ViCE’s fall performers.

According to Ester Clowney ’12, student DJ of Frontier Psychiatrist and No-ViCE chair, “WVKR doesn’t sponsor shows anymore, but we do publicize ourselves at the shows by having a table, and we announce and play music by ViCE performers. It’s a good reciprocal relationship.”

WVKR Music Director and Cuddle Fest DJ Thea Ballard ’13 explained the potential for growth that such collaborations make possible: “I’d love to get more people listening in, checking our blog or making suggestions, and hopefully this will help remind everyone to do these things,” she said, adding, “I think it’s great for ViCE to bring slightly lesser-known acts, since colleges—especially schools like Vassar—play such an important role in supporting independent music.”

Gilburne concluded by saying, “I don’t think that it’s either important or unimportant if students have or have not heard of the acts that we are bringing. Our concerts will either affirm your good taste or expand your musical palette,” he explained. “Either way you’re going to get some ear candy and you better be dancing your ass off!”

Philosophy major Katie Lau’ 12 founded the musical group Painted Zeros. The band came to fruition after Lau and bassist Andy Dymond ’12 had visions while hiking in the Appalachian Mountains. talented, and we work well together,” she said.

“Our conflicts are never anything but usefully challenging.” In any event, the trio finds that any arguments they may have ultimately foster better music, allowing each individual to showcase his or her own ideas and individuality.

Dymond described Lau’s stance as “anarchistic” when asked to illuminate his experiences working with her. “[Anarchy] is thought, incorrectly, to mean unplanned upheaval and disorder. But anarchy is regularity and order created not by an external and ultimately powerless force, but by the feeling for the good,” said Dymond. “Katie Lau in this sense is truly anarchistic: She not only reflects the spiritual standpoint already conquered but also embodies the spirit as a materializing

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force, ripe for revelation.” Clearly, Painted Zeros, for the group, is engendered by a spiritual and philosophic process.

Despite the band’s abstract conception and ideas, Lau most enjoys the connection between the audience and the music while performing. “Connecting with the audience and having this shared experience with them while playing music is one of the best feelings in the world,” she said.

Still, Lau insists that she can get nervous prior to a performance. “There’s always a little bit of anxiety before you go onstage, knowing that you’re about to present yourself to an audience and show them something that you made, but the moment I start playing it vanishes,” she explained. “I feel most comfortable when I’m playing music.”

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October 27, 2011

Page 17

Gordon-Levitt, Rogen shine in 50/50 Katharine Austin Senior Editor

50/50 Jonathan Levine [Mandate/Point Gray]

I

n the opening scene of Jonathan Levine’s 50/50, Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) goes for a morning run. Coming to an intersection, he jogs in place while waiting for the light to change. A fellow jogger approaches the intersection, quickly surveys the complete absence of traffic, and keeps running. Adam looks aghast. He peers around and sees that, despite the sign flashing a red neon hand instructing him to wait, it’s safe for him to pass as well. He continues to jog in place, however, until he gets the official okay. Just in case.

This scene demonstrates just how much Adam plays by the rules. He doesn’t smoke.

Or drink. He recycles. His mother smartly remarks that he uses protection.

Adam also plays it safe. His friends chauffeur him around because he doesn’t drive; he doesn’t even have a license. Cars are too dangerous.

More than just risk-averse, Adam is accommodating of others—too much for his own good. He doesn’t want to be or cause any trouble. Everything’s fine.

No matter how cautiously and virtuously Adam tries to live his life, however, fate—as it so often does—has other plans. At 27, Adam is diagnosed with spinal cancer.

The film is loosely inspired by the life of the screenwriter, Will Reiser, who was diagnosed with a spinal tumor at the age of 25. A

Campus Canvas

close friend of Seth Rogen, who plays Adam’s best friend Kyle in the movie, Reiser based the film on what happened in their friendship after he received his life-altering diagnosis. (Reiser has now been cancer-free for six years.) While 50/50 provokes several laughs, Reiser brings a tone of honesty and real sentiment to the story.

I’m not always a fan of Rogen’s brand of comedy, but he brings an endearing sensitivity to the role of Kyle, no doubt influenced by his real-life experience with Reiser. Notwithstanding certain similarities between Kyle and Rogen’s standard Judd Apatow roles— he persistently pressures Adam to use his cancer as a hook-up strategy despite Adam’s protests—Kyle is one of the few characters in the film who offers the kind of support Adam needs.

The other people in Adam’s life certainly don’t help. Adam’s doctors are aloof and insensitive. His girlfriend is unprepared and unwilling to take on the role of caretaker.

(She does get him a retired race greyhound named Skeletor, however, which provides Adam with the simple comfort only a dog could give.) His coworkers tell him they’ll miss him as if he were already dead. And his mother’s extreme concern, while appropriate, becomes another burden that Adam just wants to avoid.

While Kyle’s character at first seems confined to his Apatow-esque boundaries, he proves himself to possess far greater depth and thoughtfulness as the film progresses.

He still treats Adam like a person, not letting Adam’s illness change the dynamic of their friendship. Adam’s mother, played by Anjelica Huston, likewise breaks free from her status as the smothering mother to achieve

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greater character dimensionality.

Seeing Michael Giacchino’s name in the opening credits—the Academy-Award-winning composer of Pixar’s Up who brought tears to my eyes with four simple notes—I was expecting the music in particular to have me weeping in a movie filled with so much real feeling.

The soundtrack to 50/50, however, was not very prominent or memorable. As a lover of film music, I found this somewhat unfortunate, but the film doesn’t need a moving score to communicate its emotional resonance. Its characters are more than enough.

The emotion of the film really hinges on Gordon-Levitt’s performance, and he doesn’t disappoint. 50/50 seems to use more close-ups than most films these days.

In focusing on Gordon-Levitt’s face, the film conveys more about Adam’s troubled mental and emotional state than dialogue ever could. The audience can see the fury and frustration just bubbling under Adam’s cool exterior, just waiting to erupt. That Adam, who works for Seattle Public Radio, is putting together a story about a volcano is a more than appropriate analogy for his predicament.

In some ways the film is more emotionally resonant for viewers around Adam’s age— like ourselves—because those suffering from cancer are not usually in their twenties. At the moment when Adam finds his life starting to take shape, he must face the one in two odds of its imminent end. And while Adam at first attempts to cope with this dilemma with the same calm accommodation with which he approaches most obstacles in his life, cancer cannot and will not ever care if he’s being overly obliging. He needs to get angry.

“Dexter, Supernatural and Glee.”

Jacob McEntire ’13 “Chuck Testa on the viral youtube video about taxidermy.”

Dan Freeman ’13

“Community.”

Zach Williams ’12

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“The Good Wife.”

Jenny Feldman ’15

“Dirt: The Movie.”

Maddie Szkobel-Wolff ’14

“Boardwalk Empire.”

This is one of the first pieces I did for my Drawing II class this semester, and also the first time that I used ink wash, collage and drawing all in one piece. I loved the experience of layering different mediums and having the freedom of such contrasting textures and tones. Spilling undistilled black ink onto the drawing was scary at first, but it quickly became incredibly liberating—I’ve done it on a ton of my other drawings since. To be honest, I only have a vague idea of what this piece means

to me, and I like to think that it could say something different for me in a month, and will say something completely different to someone else who’s looking at it. I used a picture of men carrying a mummy for reference, but what came out seems to have morphed into another story in and of itself. I hope I get to keep working with this subject and maybe figure out what it’s all about.

—Mara Gerson ’13

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Nick Johnson ’12

—Rachael Borné Arts Editor

SPORTS

Page 18

October 27, 2011

In seventh year Gillman leads young fencing teams Nathan Tauger

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Online Editor

Courtesy of Vassar College

esides being an integral part of Vassar athletic life, Bruce Gillman is the most successful and longest tenured fencing coach in school history. With six years of coaching experience under his belt, Gillman is preparing for the upcoming season.

The Long Island native began fencing when he enrolled at the University of Rochester in 1982. “I was looking for a club to join and chose to stay with fencing over Tae Kwan Do,” he wrote in an emailed statement.

What may have seemed like a minor decision became a defining aspect of Gillman’s life.

After graduation, Gillman became the graduate assistant and armorer for the Ohio State University fencing team, before returning to New York where he was assistant coach at the Rye Country Day School for two years, Sacred Heart University for three years, and head boys coach at Garden City High School and administrator of the Fencing Center of Long Island for three years.

Gillman has been at Vassar for seven years, witnessing and influencing some of the most notable events in Vassar fencing history. “I remember sabre fencer Justin Mertz ’06 coming up to me at Rutgers [University] in our first season to tell me that sabre had just clinched our first ever victory over Yale [University], [and] foilist Jesse Bisignano ’10 winning the deciding bout for our first ever win over Brown [University].”

Championships, awards and spectacular performances from Vassar athletes are not lost on Gillman. “Three years ago when the women’s epee squad of Sophie Courser ’11, Molly Soiffer ’12 and Meryl Franklin ’09 won the NEIFC [New England International Fencing Conference] Championships for the first time and the next two years when Caitlin Clevenger ’13 and Veronica Weser ’12 helped [Courser] repeat that squad win two more times. [Courser] won The Big One three times, the NEIFC Championships three times and was chosen as the first ever winner of the Eliot Lilien award for sportsmanship and an excellent parry system by the

coaches of the Northeast Fencing Conference.”

The historic 2010-11 season still luminesces in Gillman’s mind, when the women’s team finished first in the Northeastern Conference and the men’s team finished second, both school bests. “Brian Rouse ’12 and Andrew Fischl ’11 both qualified for NCAAs last year at Regionals here at Vassar last March and Johnny Arden ’14 made the finals of the sabre that day.” The conclusion of the season yielded the most poignant rewards. “At the Conference meeting in May we were presented the Conference Championship trophies for first place for the women’s team and first place combined, in addition to the Sachs trophy for fencer with the best record in the league who started fencing in college (sabre fencer and this year’s team captain Brooke Schieffer ’12).” The team comically had trouble dealing with its success. “We had to try to figure out how to fit those three big trophies into Coach Albright’s Saturn Skye with us for the trip back from Brandeis [University].”

Reminiscing about last year emphasizes what obstacles lay ahead for Gillman’s groups. On the men’s side, the team lost four-time NCAA Championship qualifier, All-American Honorable Mention and Olympic hopeful Fischl at sabre, as well as Dennis D’Urso ’11, another accomplished sabreur.

“The sabre squad will be hurting big time with Arden as its only truly experienced fencer. He needs to bring along second-year sabre fencers Gabe Perez ’14 and Kenny Lee ’14 and try to transition foilist Matt Steinschneider ’14 to sabre as well.” The fate of the foil squad is also uncertain. “If Alex Bue ’14, Gio Zaccheo ’14, Alex Vastola ’13 and Rafe Pegram ’15 can reach their potential this year, we should be okay.” And despite the loss of D’Urso’s brother Mike ’11 at epee, Gillman sees promise within the squad. “Rouse, Nick Johnson ’12 and Tavish Pegram ’13 are all back and NCAA Championship contenders.”

An uncertain future looms ahead for the women’s team as well. “We lost our most experienced fencers on all three squads in Carlsen, Courser and Jackie Kory ’11. Clevenger and Jillian Josimovich ’13 are on JYA for the fall and

Fencing Head Coach Bruce Gillman, pictured above, is the most successful and longest tenured fencing coach in Vassar history. With the graduation of many talented fencers, the club’s future is uncertain.

Victoria Weiss ’13 goes in the spring.” Guidance makes up for the lack of seniority on the women’s team. “We have great leadership in captains Schieffer and Alia Heintz ’12, but that may not be enough without the experienced fencers.” Foil still has Katie Leclair ’13 as our [No. 1].

Heintz, Katharine Sweeney ’13, Liz Ilechko ’12 and Kathleen Konno ’15 really need to step up to help her out. Veronica Weser ’12 and Victoria Weiss need to bring along new fencers Noelle Sawyer ’14 and Anastasia Stevens ’15 with the help of experienced freshman Megan Lewis ’15.

Sabre is very thin until Josimovich returns, but Schieffer, Tracy Bratt ’13 and Hallie Stotler ’14 have the experience to bring Rachelle Brown ’12 along quickly. I don’t think we will be conference champs again this year, but we can make a respectable showing.”

Apart from his life as fencing head coach, Gillman is an integral part of Vassar’s recre-

ational athletic life, serving as assistant director of Athletics: Facilities. “I am in charge of making sure home games are set up correctly, buildings and fields are maintained and student workers in the AFC and elsewhere are scheduled and busy,” he wrote.

Through bearing these responsibilities and remaining at Vassar for so many years, Gillman has noticed changes in the zeitgeist of the campus. “It seems like the climate for athletics has changed for the better. There is more general interest than there was the first year I was here.”

Expect more from the fencing team and Gillman in the coming months, The Big One at Smith College will be the first meet, scheduled for Nov. 5. With three-time Champion Courser now graduated, her former teammates will seek to replicate her performances and bring home their own title.

World Series more entertaining than meets the eye Sam Scarritt-Selman

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Guest Columnist

wouldn’t blame you for not watching the World Series this year. For one, if you do care about baseball at all, you probably looked at this year’s matchup between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers and concluded that the Baseball Gods got it wrong. Most likely, none of “your teams” are playing in it. The New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies, the two best teams in baseball during the regular season, were both eliminated in the first round.

The same fate befell the Tampa Bay Rays who, after staging an improbable comeback to wrest the American League wild-card, failed to win more than one game once they reached the playoffs. The Boston Red Sox didn’t even make the playoffs, but it probably would have been pretty fun to watch them play for another title.

The Detroit Tigers, led by the virtuosic pitching of Justin Verlander and representing the undying spirit of the Motor City, were derailed by injuries and fell in the American League Championship Series (ALCS). Then there are the Milwaukee Brewers, the team that went all in on this season, trading away their top prospects so that they could assemble a winning team because this season was their season. There were so many compelling narratives available, all of which would be perfect for the type of dramatic tension that always and only happens in October. Nope, it’s the Cardinals versus the Rangers. I feel actively unexcited just writing that.

Over the past couple of seasons, the Texas Rangers have built a quietly dominant team, running away with the American League West and making their second World Series trip in as many years. They have made their reputation by boasting one of the most productive and complete lineups in baseball, and they complement this with quality starting pitching and a surprisingly deep bullpen. Given how smartly the team has been run from a personnel standpoint and the boundless resources now avail-

able to the team through a lucrative TV deal, there’s reason to believe that the team’s success will continue for the foreseeable future.

However, there is still something unimpressive about this technically sound team. Perhaps it’s because, after 40 years of almost unqualified irrelevance, the Texas Rangers and their sudden ascendance to the top of baseball is slightly disorienting. At any rate, I clearly am not ready to accept that the Texas Rangers are a very good baseball team.

Meanwhile, who cares that the St. Louis Cardinals are good? It seems like the Cardinals are always in the playoffs. They have appeared in eight of the past 11 postseasons and made it to the World Series twice in that span. Really?

Again? Despite their undeniable success over more than a decade, they lack a certain dynastic mythos, meaning that their continued winning comes across as monotonous. This year, the Cardinals weren’t supposed to make the playoffs. In late August, the Cardinals trailed the Atlanta Braves by a seemingly insurmountable 10.5 games. Yet, facilitated by a Braves collapse that oddly paralleled the more highly publicized Boston Red Sox collapse, the Cardinals overcame the Braves in the wild-card hunt on the last day of the season, just barely sneaking into the playoffs. Normally, the fact that a team so close to missing the postseason is now playing for the World Series would seem incredible, but, for some reason, with the Cardinals, this seems annoying.

Part of the splendor of sports fanaticism is that it gives one license to be selectively perceptive, only seeing what one wants to see, even if that means accepting a distorted truth.

I, for one, rejoice in the winning ways of my beloved Yankees while trying incredibly hard to not think about how their massive payroll privileges them, thereby enforcing baseball’s traditional hierarchies in a manner that I would normally characterize as unfair. If I wanted to, I could fully accept this and let myself become cynical about the team for which I cheer, but

I’d much rather just enjoy the pinstripes. Being a fan is about being able to convince yourself that your team is some type of perfect, even if this entails delusion, because it is bliss to view your team as unimpeachable in its integrity or, at least, endearingly flawed. Unfortunately, this wonderful myopia renders us far too dismissive at times, particularly when it is not our team that wins the day. It is so easy for one to write off the World Series as boring and uninspiring when it’s not one’s team playing for a championship. The truth is, the drama and tension for which the phenomenon of October baseball is renowned is not undone just because “your team” didn’t make it, for the game is bigger than just “your team.” If we can divest ourselves from our fanaticism for a single best-ofseven series, we might able to see some value in another team’s success.

Let us, then, take inventory of what is truly great about this Fall Classic and appreciate it for what it is. There are some captivating narratives, if you know where to look. For the Rangers, there’s utility infielder Michael Young, who just happens to be the Texas Rangers’ all-time hits leader. There’s pitcher Colby Lewis, who has experienced a career renaissance after spending two seasons playing in Japan. There’s Nelson Cruz, a powerhitting right fielder on a historic tear who, in the ALCS, set a record for most home runs in a single series. Then there’s Josh Hamilton, one of baseball’s most complex and intriguing characters. Once living a cautionary tale whose career was almost derailed by drug abuse and alcoholism, Hamilton is now sober and a born-again Christian; he’s also one of the purest hitters in baseball today and the centerpiece of the Rangers’ lineup. Still, Hamilton has been playing through the pain of a severe groin injury. Each of his swings this series has thus connoted the desperation of a man hopelessly trying to will the ball out of the park, for his body’s betrayal has hobbled him and robbed him of most of his power.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

For the Cardinals, there’s pitcher Chris Carpenter, a veritable ace in an era in which the title “Ace” is ascribed far too generously. There’s Yadier Molina, unanimously considered to be the best defensive catcher in baseball. He threw out an astonishing 42 percent of runners attempting to steal a base, and even that stat undervalues him, for most ballplayers possess the good sense not to run on him. There’s St. Louis manager Tony La Russa, one of the most consistently respected and reviled managers in baseball who has won two World Series as a manager and has also been the target of possibly the greatest sports insult ever (This summer, a Milwaukee Brewers fan yelled at him “I hope you get shingles again!”) Of course, the most dynamic character in this series is the Cardinals’ Albert Pujols. Undeniably the greatest hitter of our generation, Pujols has surprisingly not had a tremendous amount of postseason success. When the Cardinals last won the World Series in 2006, it was not Pujols but David Eckstein, a player famous for being short and “sparky,” who was named Series MVP. In addition to the need to exorcise these on-thefield demons, Pujols also faces impending free agency in the offseason and may sign an enormous contract somewhere other than St. Louis, meaning that a hitter who, for practically a decade, has been inextricable from the identity of the St. Louis ball club will soon be wearing another team’s uniform. This is further complicated by the fact that Pujols suffered a potentially career-altering wrist fracture this season.

After returning early from the disabled list, Pujols slowly battled to regain his typical power in the face of an incredible amount of pressure, for his success this year directly affects the type of contract he receives next year.

Who knows what will happen? Pujols has already had a historic performance in this series with three home runs on 5-6 hitting in Game three. All I know is that, even though I can’t root for “my team,” I have plenty of reasons to watch.

SPORTS Faculty embrace role of athletics at Vassar October 27, 2011

Kristine Olson

Assistant Sports Editor

V

assar varsity student-athletes face the responsibility of balancing academic stress with athletic commitments. While these obligations might sometimes come into conflict, their professors nevertheless value the role of athletics on campus.

Professor of Francophone Studies Christine Reno described a tension caused by the idealized philosophy surrounding the relationship between academics and athletics by student-athletes. Reno simply stated, “There’s what someone says, and then there’s practical reality.” Reno elaborated: “It’s important for students to be able to play sports if they want to; and athletics are important to those that do play them. But there are times when practices and games conflict with classes, and students have to make compromises.” In 9 a.m. classes, Reno has observed that some athletes compromise sleep, others compromise their attentiveness in class, while still others compromise class attendance entirely.

All of this, she affirms, not only affects an individual’s academic experience but also that of their peers’.

Professor of Studio Art Laura Newman shared that students have also missed her classes, but on rare occasions. In addition, Newman said: “I think [student-athletes’] understanding of discipline, teamwork and bodymind relationships translates in good ways to studio art classes.” In an emailed statement, Professor of Art Susan Kuretsky shared a similar sentiment: “My impression is that those who take part in athletics have to organize their time very carefully and so are often the most disciplined students about their academic work.”

“There also seems to be a special camara-

derie that develops when people are part of the same team and working toward a common goal,” she added.

Some professors, like Professor of Greek Art and Architecture Eve D’Ambra, notice no difference between their varsity and non-varsity students. She stated: “I know students participate in athletics, but I don’t see evidence of it.” She added that she is more aware of dancers who have asked her to attend their performances in the past.

On the other hand, D’Ambra remembered, “Before [the] Liberty League there wasn’t as much pressure on athletes. Now the athletics program seems more serious.”

D’Ambra recognizes the importance of balance on a personal level as well. “I think it’s important to be well-rounded,” she said. “I ride horses, but I was never a part of organized team sports.”

Reno explains that athletics are no different from other activities in that they have “crunch times” or periods of the semester in which events and performances interfere with class time and/or student engagement.

According to D’Ambra, the relationship between athletics and a liberal arts education at Vassar is not one defined by a sports-versusacademics rubric. Professor of Biology Lynn Christenson agreed, stating: “To me there’s no difference between being a chemistry, English or biology major. We’re a mix of all those things and more and not one dominates over us. And that’s what I value about Vassar: We’re here to challenge ourselves and support each other in being who we want to be.” Christenson continued, adding: “We have people quietly pursuing their goals, athletes included; and we [professors] know they’re there. We recognize that everyone’s a unique individual and we all have to make choices.”

In D’Ambra’s professional opinion, a liberal arts education, including an athletic component, is characterized by “grace, balance and dignity.” “It’s very Greek,” she said with a smirk. It also seems to be very Vassar, from what professors have observed and shared of their interaction with students and studentathletes.

The tension Reno has pointed out in conjunction with the disclosure of several professors that they have been unaware of their students’ athletic participation, however, reveals a noteworthy incongruity in the relationship between academics and athletics at Vassar, or how it is approached.

Asked whether she has been or is involved in athletics or attends athletic events, particularly those associated with Vassar, Reno initially stated, “rarely,” but qualified, “when students mention athletic events and that they’d like me, the professor, to attend, then I am pleased to go watch them.”

Based upon faculty observations, in general it appears students directly communicate with their professors about athletic commitments when excused absences are concerned, rather than discuss their participation or invite them to competitions. And yet the appreciation professors have for their students’ participation in varsity athletics as a component of their education is evident in the observations they make about the indirect influence of athletics on their students’ ability to learn and participate in class.

As “grace, balance and dignity” characterize a liberal arts education with an athletic component, as D’Ambra asserted, a similar combination can be and has been sought, specifically in regards to how student athletic participation is communicated, between studentathletes and their professors and peers.

Sports Calendar: 10/28-10/30

by Andy Marmer, Sports Editor Friday, Oct. 28 5 p.m. Men’s Swim-Dive vs. Worcester Polytechnic Institute The men’s swim-dive team is looking to make a big splash in the 2011-2012 season, which they open at Kresge Pool.

Saturday, Oct. 29 Madeline Zappala/The Miscellany News

11 a.m. Vassar Halloween Fun Run The third annual Fun Run is sponsored by Run Vassar.

12 p.m. Women’s Cross Country vs.

Liberty League Championships Last year, the Brewers finished a strong second in the Championships to St. Lawrence University. Three runners—Johanna Spangler ’12, Kelly Holmes ’13 and Aubree Piepmeier ’14—finished in the top seven and were named First Team All-Liberty League.

12 p.m. Men’s Soccer vs. Bard College Vassar welcomes new Liberty League foe Bard College. These teams last met on Sept.

15 of last year, with the Brewers cruising to a 5-0 win.

1 p.m. Men’s Cross Country vs. Liberty League Championships The men’s cross country team finished second last year at the Championships while St. Lawrence took home the title. Zack Williams ’12 finished seventh overall and was named First Team All-Liberty League.

3 p.m. Women’s Soccer vs. Union College The last time Vassar squared off against Union, on Oct. 24 of last year, the Brewers squeaked out a 1-0 victory.

4 p.m. Women’s Volleyball vs. Kean University The Brewers have one final tune-up match prior to the Liberty League Championships next weekend at Clarkson University.

Saturday provides an ideal time for sports fans to sample the wide variety of activities

The men’s rugby team engage in a scrum in a recent match. The team is set to take on William Paterson University in a bid for the Metropolitan New York Rugby Championship this Sunday. offered on campus. If you like to compete, jump on over to the third annual Halloween 5K Fun Run. Registration begins at 10 a.m. on the quad outside of Rockefeller Hall; the race begins at 11 a.m. Registration is free, though a $5 donation is suggested to help support the Vassar Haiti Project. However, if you’d rather watch others do the running, you can head to the Vassar Farm for the Liberty League Cross Country Championships. The women’s race starts at 12:00 p.m. while the men begin an hour later. If games with balls are your thing, then you can instead venture over to Gordon Field for a soccer doubleheader. The men kick off the action with a noon start for Senior Day against Bard College, while the women’s Senior Day will take place at 3 p.m. against Union College. While you’re honoring the Vassar senior athletes, venture over to Kenyon Hall as the playoff-bound women’s volleyball team celebrates its lone senior Amy Bavosa before they take on Kean University at 4 p.m.

Sunday, Oct. 30 10:15 a.m. Men’s Rugby vs. William Paterson University (Metropolitan New York Rugby Championship Tournament) 11:30 a.m. Women’s Rugby vs. Marist College (Metropolitan New York Rugby Championship) If you’re an early riser and not hungover (or even if you are), the Vassar Farm will be hosting three rugby playoff games in the Metropolitan New York Conference. Marist College and Fairfield University start the action on the men’s side at 9 a.m. before the two Vassar games. The men’s team will look to avenge their sole loss of the season against William Paterson University at 10:15 a.m. The women’s championship game will immediately follow against Marist College. The last time these two teams met, the Brewers walked away with a 39-22 victory.

MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE

Page 19

Games an opportunity for campus Lea Rendell

Guest Columnist

I

t’s a Saturday morning, and I walk sleepily into the All Campus Dining Center (ACDC), get my food and sit down. A pamphlet catches my attention: “Come to the men’s soccer game.” Apparently they are playing the No. 1 team in the nation. Who would have known? That pamphlet is the first and last thing I see about the soccer game.

This experience may seem typical to most Vassar students. Aside from the athletes, sports at Vassar have little or no impact on the everyday lives of the student body. Has anyone actually seen crowds of students decked out in gray and maroon heading over to the fields or gym together, chanting phrases of Vassar’s superiority? It’s rare to overhear a group of students discussing the result of a sporting event; it’s much more common to hear about the last play or a cappella performance. While information about events seems to be plastered around the school, knowledge about sports at Vassar seems limited to a few posters around Main and the occasional pamphlets left on the table in the ACDC. On Friday nights at my high school, hundreds of students all dress up in the theme of the night and join their friends in the stands or the bleachers to cheer on the team. The chants of the student section can be heard from blocks away. There is a sense of unity among the whole student body for those hours. Coming from that environment where sporting events are at the center of the school, it’s a little shocking to enter a community so far removed from sports. Maybe my years as a cheerleader have made me delusional, but I just cannot help but think that people are missing out on the anticipation and participation in the game.

Sporting events have a way of pulling the school together, uniting everyone in the stands under one common goal. When you cheer on Vassar’s teams it reinforces your pride for your school and builds community—a community that is different from the one built from sharing classes, dorms or activities.

I get it. We are a liberal arts school. People are more concerned with what play, singing event, comedy show or dance routine is occurring. But are we really too artsy for sports? Sports can be dramatic, entertaining and funny, too.

It’s not that I think everything should change so sports become the center of college life. It’s refreshing that Vassar does not spend the majority of its budget on athletics while forgetting all other aspects of the campus—like other universities where football dominates life. I love how our school appreciates the arts; theaters and auditoriums should be packed during production night. But that does not mean that the field and gym should be nearly empty.

I recently went to a rugby game where there were a total of 20 spectators— although at times, people running at the Vassar Farm pushed the total to 25 or 30.

Rugby is an awesome sport, and if you take the time to watch it, you’ll find it’s a really captivating game with exciting twists and turns. Every sport has its charms.

Sporting events can be a fun way to spend part of your weekends. Maybe some of you are adamantly opposed to the sports scene—in which case you’ve probably already crumpled my column—but if you have even a small amount of interest in sports, or just want something new to do this weekend, go check out a game. I’m not asking you to paint your body and run screaming down the quad holding a giant banner with “GO VASSAR” on it, but if you do call me first so I can join you!

SPORTS

Page 20

October 27, 2011

Brewers back from a Fall Break full of competition Andy Marmer Sports Editor

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Kathleen Mehocic/The Miscellany News

hile the Vassar campus largely empties during Fall Break, a select contingent of Brewers remain behind. Most students were out gallivanting the east coast, visiting friends or returning home, Vassar’s autumn athletes competed in a number of crucial contests.

The field hockey team completed Liberty League play last weekend, finishing in sixth place with a 2-4 conference record. On Oct. 21, the Brewers welcomed St. Lawrence University to Poughkeepsie, and although the Vassar field hockey squad had proven unsuccessful in its first 11 attempts to conquer the Saints, it was not intimidated by history. Seven minutes into the affair senior Katy Hwang gave Vassar a 1-0 lead. Dara Davis ’15 added an insurance goal just under four minutes into the second half, as the Brewers’ defense held firm, shutting out St. Lawrence despite 17 shots.

With a game against first-place and No. 6 nationally ranked Skidmore College looming the next day, the Brewers found themselves tied with the University of Rochester for fourth place. Since Rochester defeated Vassar earlier in the year, 3-1, the Brewers needed a victory and a Rochester loss to second-place William Smith College to clinch a playoff berth. Although Vassar got the help it needed, and pushed the Thoroughbreds to the limit, they were unable to secure the victory.

The Brewers’ Senior Day contest against Skidmore felt like a heavyweight fight, as the Brewers absorbed body-blow after body-blow, exhibiting a bend-but-not-break mentality. After numerous shots were turned away, Skidmore eventually got on the board at the close of the first half and added an insurance goal midway through the second. Vassar weathered the storm and countered, as Tina Caso ’14 capitalized on a flurry of activity around the cage and converted off an assist from Cami Felt ’14 just three minutes after the second Skidmore goal, with just 13 minutes remaining in the contest.

The goal reinvigorated Vassar’s attack, but they could not break through for the crucial second goal. Maggie Brelis ’14 once again turned in a stellar effort, mustering 13 saves under constant bombardment from the 21 Skidmore shots.

Currently at 7-8 the Brewers will have a shot at the program’s first .500 season since 2000 if they can defeat Kean University on Friday.

Elizabeth Feltch ’12 of the field hockey team, makes a charge for the ball in a match against Keystone College. The Brewers will have a shot at the program’s first .500 season since 2000 with a win on Friday.

The men’s soccer team currently finds itself in the thick of the Liberty League playoff race.

With two contests remaining as of Oct. 25, the Brewers at 8-5-2 have assured themselves a winning season; however, the possibilities of a playoff berth remain very much up in the air.

The Brewers began break with a road trip to Hobart College and Liberty League newcomer Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), dropping both matches 2-0. After a 0-0 tie against Skidmore the week prior to break, Vassar holds a conference record of 2-3-1, good for a fifth place tie with Union College and Skidmore, despite the Brewers’ offensive struggles. Although Vassar had not scored a goal in four games during the month of October, their offensive drought ended just as break did.

On Oct. 22 the Brewers hosted City College of New York in a non-conference showdown and, six goals later, the Brewers’ struggles were no more. Behind five first half goals, including two from Casey Rice ’13, the Brewers routed their opposition 6-1. Harrison Freund ’12 also scored twice in the match.

At the time of publication, Vassar has two

Liberty League games remaining, against Union on Oct. 26 and Bard College on Oct. 29. With two wins, the Brewers can assure themselves of a playoff spot; however, with Union also still to play Skidmore, a number of situations can still result in a Vassar playoff berth.

The women’s soccer team struggled over Fall Break and as of Oct. 25 has dropped four of their past five contests. The Brewers currently maintain a 7-8-1 record (2-4-1 in the Liberty League) and have been eliminated from Liberty League postseason contention. Vassar began the break hosting RIT on Oct. 15, in what proved to be a 3-1 defeat. The next day, the Brewers faced No. 2 nationally ranked William Smith in a rematch of last year’s Liberty League Championship Game. Although the Brewers defense proved tough, as it did in last year’s contest, the Herons’ 29-shot onslaught yielded a single goal, more than the Vassar offense could muster.

The Brewers have one game remaining, Senior Day against Union College on Oct. 29.

The Brewers women’s volleyball had a busy break, finishing Liberty League play prior to a team trip to Costa Rica. The team finished

Liberty League play tied with Union College for fourth place with a 6-6 record. The Brewers, though, will qualify for the Liberty League tournament, edging the Dutchwomen by virtue of Vassar’s 2-0 record over Union. The Brewers bested Union 3-2 (19-25, 25-20, 17-25, 25-23, 15-8) on Oct. 1 at St. Lawrence University and again 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-13) on Oct. 15 at RIT. The Brewers have two more Liberty League matches, hosting State University of New York at New Paltz on Oct. 26 and Kean University on Senior Day on Oct. 29. The Brewers will then travel to Clarkson for the Liberty League tournament the following weekend. As of Oct. 25, Vassar has a 16-11 record.

The women’s cross country team defended its Seven Sisters Championship title on Oct. 15 at Bryn Mawr College. The Brewers placed five runners in the top-10, led by Kelly Holmes ’13 who finished second, by just a fraction of a second. Vassar finished with 33 team points, well ahead of second place Wellesley College (59).

Vassar’s tennis teams were busy as the brothers duo of Andrew ’13 and Ben ’12 Guzick finished in sixth place at the ITA National Small College Championships. The Guzicks became the first Vassar doubles team to win a match when they defeated a team from Gustavus Adolphus 6-1, 0-6, 10-7 in the consolation match.

The Brewers were joined at the tournament in Mobile, Ala. by a counterpart from the women’s team, Ava Sadeghi ’15. Sadeghi became Vassar’s first freshman singles competitor as well as the first women’s singles player to compete in the tournament. Sadeghi dropped three competitive matches, finishing eighth in the tournament.

While Sadeghi was in Alabama, her teammates made the less strenuous journey to Rochester, N.Y. to compete in the New York State Championships. While all nine of Vassar’s entrants advanced to the semi-finals of their respective tournaments, only Lindsay Kantor ’14 was able to win her respective flight, earning the No. 4 Singles Championship.

The men’s and women’s rugby teams handled State University of New York New Paltz in their respective contests. The men’s squad improved to 6-1, earning first place in their division with a 35-12 victory, while the women emerged with a 29-0 to finish the regular season with a 5-2 record.

Bavosa looks to finish senior season in top form Corey Cohn

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As a seasoned captain, Bavosa is right in the middle of this constant encouragement. She wrote that, this year, she was looking to continue to improve her leadership skills in addition to enhancing her personal play on the court. “It’s so great having a group that not only I can depend on, but also [one] that expects and needs things from me,” she wrote.

As team-oriented as she is, though, Bavosa was still able to achieve a very special individual accomplishment this season. On Oct. 3, during the second set of a match against Clarkson University, she became the eighth player in school history to reach 1000 kills. Bavosa said the achievement helped her assess how far she had come in four years.

“Reaching 1000 kills makes me realize how I’ve grown as both a player and a person,” she wrote. “Coming in my freshman year, I would have never thought I would be a player who would reach such a milestone.”

During the past three years, Bavosa increased her kills per set, from 1.97 in 2008 to 2.92 in 2010.

Now, however, Bavosa has one more goal in mind. Going into this season, she wrote, “I couldn’t help but come in wanting to win [the Liberty League Championship] since I haven’t in my time at Vassar.” She added that since the Brewers have already secured a playoff spot, “this goal is still in sight!”

This means, of course, that Saturday’s Senior Day won’t actually

Tim Serkes/The Miscellany News

his Saturday, with its home game against Kean University, the Vassar College women’s volleyball team will not just close the book on the 2011 regular season. It will also honor the roster’s lone senior, hitter Amy Bavosa.

Bavosa, serving her third season as captain, was initially introduced to Vassar through a family friend. Her father’s co-worker, a Vassar alumna, mentioned that Bavosa seemed like a good fit for the school. Bavosa initially disagreed. “I didn’t really think Vassar would be for me,” she wrote in an emailed statement. Fortunately, a club volleyball tournament set at the College helped change her mind. “[I] loved the campus, and that’s where I came to be in contact with Coach [Jonathan] Penn,” she wrote.

After an overnight stay with the volleyball team, Bavosa was sold, adding, “Coach Penn made it seem as if I would already have a family waiting for me on campus.”

Bavosa admitted that her first season as a Brewer was probably the toughest. “[2008] was a building year for the team,” she recalled. “We didn’t win many games at all, making it a really difficult season at some points.” The Brewers went 11-23 that year, recording their lowest win total in 11 seasons.

Things picked up from there, however. “[In] my sophomore year a big freshman class came in, and our team

was really competitive that year and has been ever since,” Bavosa wrote.

The Brewers bounced back in 2009 in resilient fashion, boasting a 24-9 record. Bavosa added that she has enjoyed observing the way her teammates have grown into the various roles they have since assumed.

Of course, Bavosa has made significant strides herself, both on and off the court. She attributes much of her development to her commitment to the Brewers. “Volleyball has been a huge part of my Vassar experience,” she wrote. “The goals and values we set for the team have also carried over into my academic and social life.” With regards to her social life, Bavosa affirmed what Penn had implied during her initial stay at the College: “[In the offseason], we still work out together, get meals together and end up seeing each other a lot. Some of the best friends I’ve made at Vassar have been my teammates. We’re also very close with the men’s volleyball team, so it’s kind of like having a family on campus.”

This season, however, the family this team best resembles might be the Brady Bunch. “I’ve never been part of a team with so little tension,” Bavosa wrote. “We get along so well, which carries over into our play.”

Of course, athletic ability is always a nice complement to team chemistry. “This is the most talented team I’ve ever been a part of,” she added.

“Practices are great because we can all push each other to be better.”

Amy Bavosa ’12, a hitter on the women’s volleyball team, is one of the team’s most dynamic members. She is the eighth player in school history to reach 1000 kills. be the last time Bavosa suits up in maroon-and-gray. She imagines that, when that final match does arrive, it will be hard not to get too sentimental. “[I will] probably be trying not to tear up too much,” she wrote.

“I’ve become really emotionally connected to not only the team, but the program as well.”

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Ultimately, though, Bavosa knows what her main priorities will be.

“Hoping that my last game of the season will be the finals of the Liberty League tournament, winning will be the most important thing in my mind, but also having fun and enjoying my last time on the court by playing great volleyball.”