The Miscellany News June 6, 2021
miscellanynews.org
Vassar College’s student newspaper of record since 1866 Volume 155 | Issue 13
Congratulations, Class of 2021! Class of ’21 to have in-person Commencement Lucy Brewster and Annabelle Wang
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News Editors
hen COVID-19 emerged last spring, seniors everywhere had their college experience cut short and celebrated the milestone of their graduation over a screen. This year, Vassar’s Class of 2021 will be able to have an in-person Commencement ceremony on June 6; however, friends and family will have to watch from home. Students have expressed excitement about ending a difficult year with an in-person ceremony. However, some have also expressed frustration about not being able to have even fully-vaccinated family members and visitors join them on Vassar’s campus for the ceremony. Graduating senior Marisa Petticord ’21 expressed her dismay: “I view Commencement not only [as one] of my accomplishments over the last four years, but the start of the next step of education and profes-
Inside this issue
Alex Wilson
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sional life … I will say I am very disappointed my parents will not be able to watch me walk in person.” Another graduating senior, Morgan Swartz ’21, also shared his disappointment but acknowledged that the Col-
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Sandro Luis Lorenzo/The Miscellany News.
lege designed Commencement according to COVID-19 safety guidelines: “I would like my parents to be there. I, you know, I feel like everyone wants their parents to be there when they graduate … But I understand that the college has to make their
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Arts Editor
ore than one year ago, as stages across the world went dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vassar Dance Repertory Theatre (VRDT) was one of the many dance companies across the world that had to cancel operations. This year, the company sprung back to life when Vassar returned in person last fall. Director of VRDT John Meehan and Visiting Instructor in Dance and Drama Leslie Partridge Sachs convened with the
rest of the dance faculty over the summer to plan for the new year and figure out how to adjust to COVID guidelines. In a Zoom interview along with Meehan, Sachs, who also serves as the Assistant Director of VRDT, detailed all of the procedures and rules that the Department implemented. From washing down every surface of the studios (from the floors to the bars) to marking the floors with social distancing guidelines while the students were in the studio, the professors of the Dance Department adopted lots of rules
Student-athletes
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Wonder how seniors are feeling right now? Check out Jessica SENIORS Moss’ senior retrospective and read her reflections.
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Do you have music that resonates with particular memories ARTS from your life? Rachael Hahn discusses how music helps her reminisce.
own rules, as much as it is going to disappoint the students.” Despite qualms regarding this year’s unique Commencement, many Vassar seniors are grateful for even having the possibility to attend an in-person See Graduation on page 3
Asst. News Editor
s colleges across the country have worked to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic, students have been forced to grapple with the new normal of a socially-distanced social scene, awkward Zoom breakout rooms and growing pools of peers competing for a shrunken number of internship opportunities. With thesis deadlines having come and gone, Vassar’s Class of 2021 is taking the time to reflect on a senior year riddled with memorable highs and unprecedented lows. For many college seniors, the pandemic has amplified the stress of attending school and job hunting. Employers are expected to hire 7.2 percent more recent graduates than the previous year, but this rise is by no means a return to See Seniors on page 3
Vassar Repertory Dance Theater performs remotely Leila Raines
In response to conflict, the VSA reinstates the Judicial Board. NEWS What does that mean? Read Will Sorge’s article to find out.
Seniors reflect on Covid year
Doug Cobb
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Sports Editor
ven though I felt awful, and I knew beforehand that I was going to feel awful, it was still an exciting thing. I look back on it and I still get excited thinking about it.” This is how Hannah Martin ’21, a member of the Vassar women’s cross country and track teams, described her experience of running her first marathon. Some people are baffled by the idea of training for months just to force your body to run 26.2 miles continuously. Many don’t understand the gratification that comes with not just discovering your physical and mental boundaries, but courageously pushing them. “[The marathon] was a total unknown. I had no idea what was going to happen,”
to ensure a safe yet productive year for student dancers. Despite all of these new rules and regulations, dancer Jalene Medina ʼ23 was happy to return in person with VRDT this year. When I sat down to talk with her in person, her enthusiasm and passion for the company shone through, even when reflecting on the new COVID regulations: “I was relieved that we were even going to get to dance, because I know a lot of the other physical activities on campus had to completely shut down or have been looking super differ-
discuss
Martin said. “With my personality and social settings, I don’t do that many risky or super exciting things. Running gives me a space to challenge myself.” Martin has been a runner for 12 years now. When she was a little kid, she had an abundance of energy and was difficult to control. To try and keep her in check, Martin’s mom had her run laps around the house. Later, during the summer prior to fifth grade, her parents sent her to a sports camp where she chose to partake in cross country. She felt no strong desire to continue with it in the fall, but was too nervous to tell the coach she wasn’t interested in racing, so she stuck with it anyway. But, once she ran that first race, she ceased just being someone who runs, and became a runner.
why
At her small Lutheran school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Martin lined up against kids from the other Lutheran schools in her area. She raced side-by-side with a chatterbox of a boy, who kept nagging her with questions throughout the entire race. She remembered a moment where she thought to herself, “We’re supposed to be racing. Stop talking to me.” That was the first time she took running seriously, discovering that she had a knack for it. It boosted her self-esteem to be able to keep up with the eighth graders as a ten-year-old. She had found her own thing that wasn’t just school work. Similarly, Augusta Stockman ’23, also a member of the Vassar women’s cross country and track teams, fell in love with running at a young age. When she was a
ent than they were pre-COVID.” She continued, “We were lucky enough that we got to be in the studio and got to see each other, even though it was masked, social distanced and with limited capacities,” she described. Medina and all of the other dancers had to wear masks while they were dancing, but as Medina summed up nicely: “It was better to be dancing with a mask than not dancing at all.” The new guidelines did not come without challenges. Bonding between the dancers in See VRDT on page 4
they
run
rising sixth grader, Stockman began to go on runs with her mom over the summer. “It didn’t take long for me to be able to leave her in the dust,” she recalled. Stockman relished that first taste of victory, but when the fall came around, she enjoyed racing and being on a team even more. “I liked being good at it. As an awkward kid, it was nice to have a block of time where I knew exactly what to do.” For Stockman and Martin, running is therapeutic. After lacing up her size 9.5 Hoka sneakers, Stockman will tune into a podcast or music, using running to help escape “deep and hard thinking.” Alternatively, Stockman sometimes reflects on the day or replays conversations in her head. See Running on page 5
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June 6, 2021
THE MISCELLANY NEWS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF MANAGING EDITOR SENIOR EDITORS
Olivia Watson Dean Kopitsky Alex Eisert Janet Song Aena Khan CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Tiana Headley Taylor Stewart Lucille Brewster NEWS EDITORS Annabelle Wang Sara Lawler ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS Alex Wilson Sawyer Bush OPINIONS EDITOR Nina Ajemian ARTS EDITORS Leila Raines Monika Sweeney ASSISTANT FEATURES EDITOR Doug Cobb SPORTS EDITOR Jackie Molloy Isabelle Migani HUMOR EDITOR Madi Donat Alison Carranza SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Acadia Case SOCIAL MEDIA CONTRIBUTOR Sherry Liao ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITORS Grace Rousell Jacqueline Gill COPY EDITORS Phoebe Jacoby Caitlin Patterson Sandro Luis Lorenzo GRAPHICS EDITOR Seowon Back GRAPHIC ARTIST Alex Barnard AUDIO EDITOR Mrin Somani Elizabeth Perkins ASSISTANT AUDIO EDITOR Ben Scharf LIVE EVENTS CHAIRPERSON Emma Tanner BUSINESS MANAGER Logan Hyde ASSISTANT BUSINESS MANAGER Chloe Gjoka WEBMASTER Ian Herz VIDEO PRODUCTION MANAGER Grace Willoughby DESIGN EDITOR Karina Burnett COLUMNISTS Johnathan Dean Ben Fikhman Nicholas Gorman Helen Johnson Xin Rui Ong Danielle Recco Massimo Tarridas Ganesh Pillai Carly D’Antonio Arlene Chen COPY STAFF Katie Gebbia Glenna Gomez Jason Han Sophia Jahadhmy Tori Lubin Bryn Marling Claire Miller Sashinka Poor Melissa Roybal Emma San Filippo Hadley Sparks Mia Stein Simon Goldsmith Reese Collins CROSSWORD
CORRECTION POLICY The Miscellany News will only accept corrections for any misquotes, misrepresentations or factual errors for an article within the semester it is printed. The Miscellany News is not responsible for the views presented within its Opinions pages. Staff editorials are the only articles that reflect the opinion of a two-thirds majority of the Editorial Board.
About the Issue This special issue commemorates the occasion of the Class of 2021’s graduation. We hope that it serves as a physical token of your time at Vassar. Please enjoy this gift, from us to you.
June 6, 2021
NEWS
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Students-only Commencement ceremony to be held in-person Continued from Graduation on page 1
"Commencement is something that I’ve been working towards for the last four years... So I’m really glad that we do get the possibility of an in-person commencement”
graduation ceremony, unlike last year’s fully-remote one. As Swartz stated, “Commencement is something that I’ve been working towards for the last four years. I’ve been worried about everything going on with COVID and trying to make sure that I can kind of get that closure … So I’m really glad that we do get the possibility of an in-person commencement. In response to students who were disappointed that fully-vaccinated parents could not see them graduate, Special Assistant to the President and Secretary of the Board of Trustees Wesley Dixon shared in a written correspondence: “While we fully understand and empathize with some students’ frustration, the combination of our advance planning and the quickly
updating public health guidance left us in a position where plans had to be locked-in and logistically, we were not able to allow guests to the ceremony in a manner that would ensure everyone’s health and safety.” According to Dixon, the event was planned by the Commencement Committee, which is made up of members from Campus Activities, administrators, faculty and students, including the VSA president and current seniors. The Committee made sure to accommodate remote seniors in the festivities by offering them an opportunity to come back to campus for senior week and/or Commencement.“Remote seniors who were eligible for financial aid were eligible for some subsidy if they were interested in
choosing to return under this option,” explained Dixon. “For remote seniors who were not able or interested to return [to campus], the Campus Activities Office and the Office of Alumnae/I Affairs and Development developed a ‘Commencement in a Box’ which included memorabilia, stoles (if applicable) and other Commencement materials so those students could celebrate with their families and loved ones along to the Commencement livestream at home,” he added. Although parents and guests may not be able to attend this year’s Commencement physically, seniors are still able to safely celebrate their final year at Vassar through an in-person ceremony in the context of a world-wide pandemic.
Class of ’21 reminisces on highs and lows of Covid-ridden year Continued from Seniors on page 1 pre-pandemic hiring numbers (CNBC, “New college grad job outlook looks promising for Class of 2021” 04.07.2020). Moreover, Vassar seniors will miss out on certain Senior Week traditions, such as a trip to a local winery and dinner at Shadows on the Hudson. Families will not be invited to the socially-distanced graduation ceremony on June 6. Cait Lewis ’21 expressed disappointment about her senior year experience. “The low was definitely the winter this year,” she said. “It was so hard to not see friends and have nothing to do besides class and nowhere to go because it was so cold. I love the snow, but this was the first time that the snow and cold meant I couldn’t see my friends.” Perri Goodman ’21 agreed that maintaining relationships during the pandemic has proved challenging, adding that missing out on many of the little things has also been difficult. She stated, “From being in the Deece at night, or running into professors at the Retreat and sitting to talk with them, to being in the library with a big group … the last time we did that was in March of junior year—we’ll never get to do that again, and that’s been pretty sad.” Writing collectively as members of Vassar’s administration, Dean of Studies Debra Zeifman, Assistant Dean of Studies Ca-
sey Trocino, Office Specialist Betty White and Advisor to the Class of 2021 Professor Peipei Qiu explained that given the trying circumstances facing the graduating class, they have been hard at work developing specialized support. “During the spring semester of 2020 when the pandemic broke out we also extended NRO options for all courses and allowed students to withdraw a course after the final grade became available,” they explained. Going on, they added that “Although in person meeting became impossible, we have continued supporting students with one-on-one meetings via Zoom throughout the pandemic. We’ve offered academic coaching to students struggling to complete assignments. And on the Fellowships front, we’ve allowed students to defer some awards until international travel warnings are lifted.” Other groups have also worked to provide support, such as the Vassar Student Association’s Health & Wellness Committee, which sends out a Wellness Wednesday Newsletter to “give regular updates on the various health related events, programs, and resources offered at Vassar College.” Many seniors, such as Zoë Turner-Debs ’21, have felt that these support systems have had meaningful impacts. “I’m honestly not sure how the school could have offered more support,” said Turner-Debs, adding that many professors took mean-
ingful added measures—such as lightening up workloads—to ensure that their expectations for seniors were flexible enough to accommodate many of this year’s unusual circumstances. Students have managed to persevere and adapt themselves, looking on the bright side even in these trying times. “Of course, with everything bad, there are silver linings. The biggest one that comes to mind is that this has forced me to just slow down so much,” Goodman remarked. “Our weekends are usually so packed … I was constantly feeling like my social meter was just out of steam, and now with nothing to do on the weekend it’s actually been very nice to have everyone be free and spending quality time with each other. It also makes every [social] connection so much deeper because they’re so much less frequent.” Lewis added that such a dismal winter made the coming of spring—both the weather and social events—even more welcome. “It’s also so lovely to have watched the campus slowly come back to life as the weather got warmer—I missed getting to see [everyone] sitting outside all the time.” As the Class of 2021 enjoys the perks of the warmer weather, they also have the Senior Class Council’s newly-released Senior Week schedule to look forward to. Some events, such as the annual trip to a local winery, have been brought on-cam-
pus in adherence to COVID-19 guidelines, and others, including the MASK-erade themed Senior Formal, will be partitioned into smaller groups in order to make social distancing possible. Nonetheless, a Champagne Reception in the Shakespeare Garden and a mixology course on the Library Lawn are just some of the—often boozy— ways that the senior class’s leadership have found ways to overcome the challenges posed by a pandemic. Goodman, who is a member of Senior Class Council, expressed pride in the Council’s general success in recycling many well-loved annual events into challenging, COVID-safe packages. “It has not been easy and we definitely are not going to get it right all the way. And that’s life. We’re just going to try to make it fun for as many people as possible,” she said. The members of the administration acknowledged that the Class of 2021 has experienced significant loss and been ever more exposed to mental health vulnerabilities, but ultimately expressed hope for the futures of this year’s seniors. “Many of our students are resilient and demonstrate remarkable strength [...] we are inspired by the fact that our students have made the best of a challenging situation, and will draw on these skills when they meet future challenges. We’ve all learned a great deal about ourselves,” they remarked
VSA reinstates Judicial Board after semester of conflict Will Sorge
Guest Reporter
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he Vassar Student Association (VSA) has elected its first Chief Justice and cohort of judicial representatives since dissolving their Judicial Board in 2019, largely in response to an impeachment scandal last month. The removal of the Judicial Board made impeachment procedurally impossible. This became a flashpoint in the recent scandal, and was the primary impetus for restoring the Judicial Board. As several members-elect of the board explained, the Judicial Board was originally removed because it was too inactive and there were too few disagreements over the bylaws to warrant its continuance. But, as Chief Justice-elect Nicole Philstrom ’22 explained, perception of the board’s importance shifted in the past couple of years. “As the VSA has grown and evolved over time, discrepancies started to emerge...I believe [this year] there was some perceived contention and dichotomi-
zation between some of the senators and the Executive Board that led to a less collaborative environment,” Philstrom stated. Representative-elect Alexandra Finio ’23 described how a pressing issue for the next school year will be analyzing and changing the bylaws. “I expect that one of the main agenda items for the VSA next year will be to closely examine the constitution and bylaws and amend them. This requires a Judicial Board in order to ensure the constitutionality of these changes” said Finio. Institutional reform efforts affecting the VSA were one reason why many of the four new Judicial Board members decided to run in the first place. Philstrom said, “There had been a lot of frustration, threehour senate meetings, and general discontent surrounding the current VSA bylaws especially brought to light by events of this past year.” She continued, “My decision for running was prompted by wanting to make sure that, should those events [impeachment or other constitutional issues] unfold in the future, prompt but unbiased
decisions can be made to quickly quell any ongoing issues so that the VSA may continue to operate at its best.” Finio expressed a similar sentiment, explaining, “I ultimately made the decision to run after the events that occurred in the VSA over the past month. I attended the VSA meeting on April 25, and it was evident that the VSA as a whole but especially its constitution and bylaws need to be reformed. I really wanted to be a part of that change.” Other judicial board representatives sought the position for personal enrichment and experience. Representative-elect Maxwell Newman ’24 stated, “I am a passionate and outspoken person. I believe being the class of 2024 judicial board representative is a great role for me to begin making important and effective change on the Vassar Campus.” Similar to Newman, Representative-elect Ava Thompson ’22 added, “I want to pursue a career in law, so I was initially interested in running for a position on the Judicial Board because it seemed like a perfect opportunity to explore that interest of mine.”
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
All newly elected members have plans to use their power wisely and bring positive change to the VSA. Philstrom stressed the importance of efficiency. “Much time was wasted by the senate this semester debating many of the bylaws, discrepancies in them, and how to best go about enforcing them,” she explained. “I hope to use the power of the Judicial Board to do away with these inefficiencies in order to clarify these proceedings, allowing the VSA to put its time into general operation and helping the student body rather than debating amongst themselves.” Newman anticipates direct involvement in constitutional reform, stating, “The first responsibility of the Judicial Board is to revise and modernize the constitution on a constitutional commission with the help of several representatives from the VSA. The Judicial Board must leave as little room for interpretation as possible to create a concrete framework that the board will use in deciding on whether legislation aligns with the constitution moving forward.”
ARTS
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June 6, 2021
Members of Vassar Repertory Dance Theater adapt to Covid Continued from VRDT on page 1 VRDT was difficult due to social-distancing guidelines and the limited capacities of the studios. Although the Dance Department could have 20 people in the studios
performance near the end of the spring semester, which was streamed from April 31 to May 2. The professors recorded the repertory ahead of time, and then compiled and edited the footage to be broadcasted.
Courtesy of Yesmina Townsley ’23. at a given time, the professors still limited class sizes to 14 students. They also utilized Zoom in order to accommodate more students: “We had to keep capacity numbers at bay in our studios, but we didn’t want to reduce the number of students who were enrolled or wanted to take class,” Sachs explained. “Teachers had to learn how to use new equipment with cameras in order to use two studios at once, or three.” Limitations for studio capacity turned out to be particularly challenging for VRDT. With study abroad cancelled, VRDT consisted of 38 dancers, the largest company to date. Even splitting the company in half was not enough to meet safety requirements, so the professors had to divide the company up even further for rehearsals and classes. “It’s a very close company, and just the distancing and the inability to be together in the way that we’re typically together, sort of reduced some of the intimacy, which is inevitable when you can’t come together so closely,” Sachs expressed. “We found a way to get there, but it was definitely challenging.” All of the hard work and commitment of the company culminated in a virtual
“It was beautiful, and it gave the students documentation of what they did. Maybe no audience, but they performed beautifully, and they have documentation of it,” Sachs said. “And people Zoomed in and watched it,” Meehan added, “and people loved what they saw, especially alums. We got quite a few messages from VRDT alums saying how great it looked.” However, the virtual broadcast of the dances reflected another challenge: the inability to host live performances. “I think one of the things that was kind of disappointing was not being able to perform in front of an audience,” Medina commented. When describing the difference between performing live and recording the repertory, she explained, “[T]here’s not the same excitement as the pre-show jitters, or knowing that once you go on stage and do it once, that’s the only time the audience will see it, and that’s all you leave them with. Now, people can rewatch them, and the videos can be edited, and you do multiple takes so you can find the best one.” Despite these challenges, the year was
overall a success for the company. “I think the thing that we’re proudest of is that we actually did make it through two semesters with every single class in person,” Meehan commented. With the promise of a completely in-person, somewhat-normal fall semester, the future of VRDT looks hopeful and much closer to how the company operated prior to the pandemic. “We are following [President Bradley’s] lead in saying that we are anticipating going back to, if not normal, very close to normal behavior,” Meehan stated. “The goal is to just get it back to running smoothly.” Medina shared in this optimism for the upcoming year. “I just hope that next year, if things are back to normal, which hopefully they will be, we’ll just appreciate the time that we have together that much more, knowing that we didn’t have that this year, and we’ll be closer as a company, hopefully,” she said. As for the senior dancers, this year only cemented their positive impact on VRDT. The seniors were also able to guide the other members through these new
times.“They really had such an amazing energy that kept us motivated to keep dancing and keep working hard in the studio, even on days where it was kind of tough or people weren’t as motivated, but they’ve been so dedicated and so amazing and so supportive, and I’m really going to miss them next year,” Medina said. Both Meehan and Sachs expressed their pride for all of their students this
“So, in the face of adversity, I think we prevailed”
year: “They’ve never complained about mask wearing, and I don’t know how. And they complied with everything we did, and they performed beautifully, and they choreographed really well,” Meehan said. “So, in the face of adversity, I think we definitely prevailed.”
Courtesy of Yesmina Townsley ’23.
Where has music taken you? Exploring music and memories Rachael Hahn
Guest Columnist
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hen The Beach Boys’ “Graduation Day” started blasting through my speakers back in February, I immediately thought to myself: It is way too early for this. As much as I may have been looking forward to making the most of some lasts with my friends, I always thought that the urge to make final memories would really manifest itself as the countdown went from months to weeks and eventually to days. In many ways, that’s exactly what happened. And—as many a senior will say—it all happened so fast. As I partake in some of the many lasts that have made for a memorable end to my Vassar experience, from my last first day of classes to the last bite of Deece carrot cake, I am also reminded of the music that saw me through it all. I feel comfort knowing that the songs, just like the memories, will stick with me wherever I go. When I think back to my first year, I’m reminded of daily fall afternoon walks with Tyler the Creator’s “Flower Boy” hammering in my ears. Having only been released a month before orientation, the album saw me through the tumultuous ups and downs of adjusting to college life. “Boredom,” “Glit-
ter” and “See You Again” remain as some of my favorites from the album, and in a way that I still struggle to put into words, “Flower Boy” truly anchored me that first year. In my sophomore year, both members of one of my favorite bands of all time,
"As I partake in some of the many lasts that have made for a memorable Vassar experience... I am also reminded of the music that saw me through it all. I feel comfort knowing that the songs, like the memories, will stick with me wherever I go” Her’s, passed away in an accident. I can still remember coming across the news while brushing my teeth in a rush before a 10:30 a.m. class; a deep feeling of sadness washing over me at that moment. I regretted not
finding the opportunity to see them perform live. I didn’t even know how to respond, and for some time I questioned whether or not I had the right to mourn someone I’d never known. In 2018, the year prior to their passing, the band released its sophomore album, “Invitation to Her’s,” and it has remained one of my most beloved albums of all time. This is the album in which I find the most solace when life tosses me overboard. It’s funny, charming and effortlessly warm; every time I listen to “What Once Was,” “Dorothy” or “She Needs Him” in particular, I feel enlivened again, and I remember to live life in constant pursuit of my dreams. Junior year threw me for a loop—that loop being COVID. After a lively fall semester with my lovely friends as my housemates and a brief stint in intramural volleyball, I soon found myself on the other side of the world in the spring. For two weeks, I feasted with family I hadn’t seen in well over a year and revelled in the cleanliness of the Seoul subway, all while anticipating my semester abroad at Yonsei University. But come the end of February, the pandemic started and I had to let go of a dream that I’d held since my freshman year of high school.On the plane ride home, I fell asleep to Maurice Ravel’s “Le jardin féerique” from his Ma mère l’Oye suite, a piece whose empathetic instrumen-
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
tation I’d constantly come to seek throughout the months-long quarantine. And now, I finally find myself at the end of the beginning: senior year. Having studied remotely in the fall and then in-person this spring, I’ve experienced a mix of moments that have ranged from being rad to downright “unhinged,” as they say. As I write this, I’ve already had to say some goodbyes that have made the upcoming end of this semester all the more real. It makes it difficult for me to pinpoint the songs and artists that have defined the short time I’ve spent back on campus. But in the interest of saving the waterworks of nostalgia for the day I’m handed that $100k scroll, I’ll keep it short and sweet. Two words: Beach Boys. What music has meant to me is likely not too different from the reasons that have made it meaningful to you, especially so at Vassar, where the arts— especially music—are allowed to thrive. We can all think of moments in our lives in which hearing or finding the right song did just the trick, and as long as there is music in the world, those YES moments will never go away. Perhaps the question posed in this article’s title might inspire you to string together the memories you’ve been lucky or unlucky enough to gather. And so I ask: Where has music taken you?
SPORTS
June 6, 2021
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More than a sport: Athletes describe what running means to them Continued from Running on page 1 Similarly, Martin also looks back on her day when she is out on a run by herself. She often runs in the afternoon, but over the summers she gets up early and runs before work. She spends the first 15 minutes or so trying to wake up, then just shuts her brain off and speeds ahead, focusing on her surroundings. “Running lets me connect with an area in an intimate way,” she said. “Some of those summer jobs were not so amazing, but I still have fond memories from those summers because of my runs everyday.” For people like Martin and Stockman, the social aspect is also an integral piece of their running experience. “It is easier to talk to someone when you are running together and don’t have to look right at each other; you can just talk. It is a good space for connecting,” Martin pointed out. But running can link people even in the absence of words; there are very few times in life when you are working as hard as you can and leaving it all out there alongside someone who is doing the same. Stockman explained, “Workouts make me feel solidarity with my teammates. I have a very clear visual in my head of every teammate from behind, their ponytail, their shoes, the letters on the back of their shirt, their distinct stride.” Likewise, Martin said that she admires and respects someone a lot more when she knows they are enduring and pushing through the same pain she is. But for people like Stockman and Martin, running as a hobby isn’t enough; they need to compete. When I asked Martin why she races, she told me she loves to challenge herself and she feels proud when she knows she did her best. She explained, “My high school coach taught me the ‘mirror test.’ Basically, at the end of the day, if you can look yourself in the mirror and be proud of what you see, if you know you did what you could that day, did your best and left it all out there, then you pass the mirror test.” Martin says she enjoys running fast times and placing well at meets, but the real prize is something even more enticing: a state of
meditative concentration and tranquility. “My goal is always to get what I call ‘race brain,’ which is when I am so caught up in the moment that it is all consuming. It is like nothing else is happening, other than what is directly in front of and in me. I know I am giving it everything I have and I am totally in it. Race brain has only happened in a handful of races during my life, but that is what I am always chasing.” Another reason runners love racing is because it is a clearcut opportunity to be better than you have ever been before, which is a rare and addicting experience. Stockman concurred: “I remember the feeling of crossing the finish line in one of my high school races, looking at the clock and not believing the time I just ran. Knowing I had never run faster before and that I did everything I could during that race was really cool.” When asked what her greatest moment as a runner was, Stockman looked off in another direction as she struggled to choose just one. Finally, she started to paint a picture of one of her favorite races. In late fall of 2019, during the last few months of pre-pandemic times, Stockman got some surprising news. As a freshman on the Vassar women’s cross country team, she had had a decent first season, but was not one of the front-runners. Following the Liberty League meet at Bard College, where the entire team was able to compete, Stockman became the alternate for the Regional championship, which only allowed seven runners to be entered. The seven runners on the team ahead of her included the experienced presence of Martin, her classmate Elsa Erling ’21, team captain Meghan Cook ’20, sophomores Anna Hennessy ’22, Sasha Allison ’22 and Keara Ginnell ’22 along with freshman standout Lily Digman ’23. Stockman had expected to take some time to rest and enjoy cheering for her teammates as they attempted to place high enough as a team to qualify for Nationals for the first time in program history. But before Regionals, Erling injured her ankle. Stockman’s season was not over yet.
“I was terrified,” she told me, smiling as she recalled being thrown into the race unexpectedly. As a freshman, she was already intimidated to be put into such a big race, but that season there was the added pressure from the team attempting to make it to DIII Nationals. She had not anticipated toeing the line when it mattered most. “I felt so much pressure to perform at least half of what Elsa was capable of.” She knew all seven of Vassar’s runners needed to come through if they were going to pull this thing off. “My mantra during that Regional Championship was ‘What would Elsa do?’ Whenever it got tough, I just told myself to be Elsa. I ended up running with my teammate Sasha most of the way. It was my best race of the year.” Vassar finished fifth as a team in that race and qualified for Nationals. Stockman was Vassar’s fourth-highest finisher. “It was a good feeling, finding out that we qualified for Nationals,” she recalled. Martin also gazed off into the distance and struggled to find an answer when asked her to pick out her single greatest moment as a runner, but coincidentally she also ended up going with that race; just from a different perspective. As a junior, the 2019 Regional Championship was more than just a great race for Martin, but a redemption for shortcomings of years past. In 2018, Martin’s sophomore year, the team finished seventh, missing Nationals by a few spots following Martin’s literal collapse with the finish line in sight. She got up and finished the race, but the damage was done. Multiple runners had passed her by the time she was able to drag herself to the finish. So when she lined up alongside her teammates on that windy, single-digit temperature November afternoon in Canton, NY for the 2019 Regional Championship, she was seeking not just glory, but revenge. “I remember so clearly coming down the finishing straight away. First of all, making it across the finish upright. I was starting to go fuzzy again and told myself ‘no no no, we’ve gotta make it through the line’ and I
did, I finished where I was supposed to.” But the moment was made so much sweeter by being able to share it with her teammates. “I’ll never forget how Keara on the other side of the finish line just hugged me as I came across. She was so excited. She had gone through her fair share of struggles and we had both made it to the finish. I was just like, ‘We did it.’ We didn’t know yet, everyone else was still coming through the finish line not far behind me, but like, we knew.” Hannah was the second-highest finisher from Vassar, placing 22nd overall (following Keara’s third-overall finish) and earning All-Region honors. After logging hundreds of miles and enduring way too many blisters and muscle pains, Martin’s discipline had paid off. She had reached the mountaintop of her cross country career. Running seems crazy to those who do not partake in it. Non-runners cannot fathom why people willingly put their body through so much pain and their mind through so much struggle. But for those that do run, it is a truly wonderful thing. It creates connections amongst friends and teammates, physical and emotional exhilaration, an almost meditative outlet for stressful days and a unique opportunity to reach heights you have never reached before. I ended my interviews by asking “Could you live without running?” In the most literal sense, the answer was yes. “I have other things in my life that make me happy,” Stockman explained. “But whenever I am injured, I always miss it. I would not give it up willingly.” Martintoo has no desire to stop anytime soon. “When I was abroad last spring, I didn’t run,” she said. “It was nice to have a physical and mental break from competing and training really hard, but running wasn’t ever that far from my mind. Now that I am about to graduate, and I won’t have a team that I am responsible for or practice to go to everyday, I don’t think running will ever be as big a part of my life as it has been for the past 12 years. But it will never fully go away. I will always be chasing that feeling that I get when I am running.”
The Miscellany Crossword “Musical Forays” ACROSS
1. App testing time 5. Per 9. Lee of desserts 13. "Come ____!" (welcome) 14.Austrian political economist Jo seph 17. Hot box 18. Brevity 19.*NASA's Armstrong does prog rock 21. Poem part 22. Wading bird 23. Major for pre-meds 26. HTML go-along computer language 27. ___ Vegas 30. APA works cited abbreviations 31. "Not _____!" (Strong denial) 33. It's around 5 reels, usually 35. *The Madonna covers Madonna 41. Beams 42. Hue 43. Unit defined as 1/12 the mass of
carbon-12 46. Absorb, as a cost 47. Sault ___ Marie 49. Dieter's loss, perhaps 50. Give to temporarily 52. New Mexico county 54. *The Sultan of Swat sings the Princess of Pop 61. Nasty 62. Carry 63. Models 64. Baker's dozen? 65. Sex ed. topics 66. Warrior princess of TV 67. "Bachelor" prize
DOWN 1. Cannon sound 2. Jealousy 3. Links together 4. Couple's yrly. celebration 5. Perfume chemicals 6. What this clue isn't? 7. Friction rub 8. Pursue
By Reese Collins 9. Appears 10. Duel time 11. Make music, in a studio 12. NBA venues 15. Initials of Washington volcano 16. American treat 20. State authoritatively 23. ___ Harbour (Miami village) 24. "That's ___ quit!" (Rhyming rebuttal to being fired) 25. Sturdy tree 27. Dead tree 28. Movie file format 29. Authentic 32. Relay segment 33. Wolfe's "___ Dalloway" 34. Fall Out Boy's genre 36. Through 37. Loan rate, abbr. 38. Nothing's opposite 39. Actor Lowe 40. 2020 or 2021, et al. 43. Theme of this puzzle 44. Doesn’t kid 45. Straighten out 47. Taken illegally
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
48. Pelicans assistant coach Weatherspoon 51. "Blade Runner 2049" director Villeneuve 52. Hair gradient technique 53. None of the above option
55. Fertility lab cells 56. Petty criticism 57. Waters, in French 58. "I hate the Moor" speaker 59. Cups for hot liquids 60. Ultimatum's final word
SENIOR RETROSPECTIVES
Page 6
June 6, 2021
Dear Class of 2o21: On having been and being Jessica Moss
I
have been thinking about inheriting, holding paper and emptying shelves. I once had pages and plastics scattered about my desk, strewn open for a quick reference, some blanketed with dust. They were stacked completely out of order and blocked the wide window to my right. The white light from a cold January afternoon magnified through the glass, flitting across headlines of new anti-smoking regulations, 2008 elections and a moderately offensive crossword from the 80s. I have been thinking about The Miscellany News’ office, which has been the office of many. I have been thinking about beginnings and ends. One of my first tasks at the Misc was organizing the old pages scattered about the office and moving the stacks into the lounge just across the way. I selected favorites from the past and curated a small wall of front pages for inspiration: a snapshot of the few histories I could stomach, the centuries turned to wallpaper. I have been thinking about ink and time. Every page was ink etching out our histories, each dangling participle capturing a moment of fingers dancing on keyboards—that was a weary Sunday afternoon I just touched. That was Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, that one caused an argument. I could slide my hours into my backpack and carry them with me, minutes ticking by while my latest idea drafted in between my ears. I could file the hours away in my dorm room, the small wooden trunk tucked behind my laundry basket. Each week, at least one stack was reserved in the office, a record for those who will come. I did not think that February 27, 2020 would be the last Thursday morning I would hold a history I helped chronicle, a chronicle of my history and yours. I
spilled coffee on it—I’m careless, talking with my hands. I wished I had had just one more second with it. --It is autumn, and as I lay in my campus apartment at night, I imagine last year, and pretend it is today. Back then, I lived in the dorms; I would throw the door wide open to first-years on their first week looking for company or a map. I would beckon with visible white teeth and an ungloved hand; the dining hall is on the other end of campus. I’ll walk you. Room key in my pocket and phone in hand, we’d wander in endless chatter, me and my small bombastic gaggle, close enough to smell minty breath. Now, there are windows between us, ghosts of smiles behind bandana masks. I walk alone, hurried, past bodies that seem nothing more than the noxious air they offer. I count my breaths up the front steps. I time my dining hall visits to the ebb of my fellow students’ appetites, when I will confront the fewest passersby. My room spirals into clutter and odor, and I pretend to release the smell at night when the air is less a vector for neighbors’ breath, and more a patient stillness waiting for the next sun. One morning, I overfill my mug, hot liquid splattering across the island in my kitchenette. I grab the first makeshift towel I can get my hands on: a stray issue of the Misc stuffed in a box with my fragile glassware. I mop up what I can, and promptly forget about it. Hours later, I return from my Zoom class, thoroughly spent for the day. There it is: the stack of paper, ink swimming, a viscous mess of drowned words. At the top, I glean the date. February 27, 2020—a testament to the hours that come and go as they please, indifferent to the things of which they deprive us. --It is a Friday morning and the light is a balm in the humid air. The Times sits in
the driveway, baking in it to kill off any residual virus. My dad insists we leave packages and deliveries outside for several hours. He sprays down the counters, the lids, asks my mother to wipe down the boxes and bags with a soapy goop. When my sister brings the newspaper in in the morning, my dad asks why she brought it into the safe zone. Words have become unsettling, the pages their vessel. Record-keeping at home is different. My bookshelf is lined with stories I never finished. I could never keep up with my diaries, strewn about in my drawers. I still struggle to keep up with social media. I never cared much for records, I remember. I resisted the material clockwork dangling above the dining room table— the picture of me, wearing a helmet—or the preschool art projects lovingly filed in the living room shelf. There are records of me everywhere—of a me who is sloppy, heavy handed—and they can’t be stacked away. However, I grew up on list- keeping. I keep lists everywhere: There’s one on the chalkboard beside my bed, one in my notebook to demarcate my next day, or week, or month. I have no trouble adding to them. My list is my future record-keeping, and I hold onto my lists, my records of the past futures I needed or need to keep. When you dip your fist in ice water, sometimes it feels like it burns. --Dear Class of 2021: This is my last page for you, after four years, after 1,268 pages and just shy of 2,700 articles. How do we chronicle this history we’ve shared? The beginning, the middle—the sloppy, uncharted middle—the backwards and forwards, the back-then-but-notnow; the end? How do you capture the loss of study abroad, the scramble home to “Zoom university,” the anti-gathering regulations, and this final, ceremonial beginning, end? This is our last day here before we
go there, a hundreds-strong gathering of full-toothed smiles, both sinister and warm after all we’ve seen. Here we all are for the first time this year and the last time for a while, holding the final arc of a history we chronicled together: our losses human and experiential, and, yet, into the balm of summer, the beginning of healing. Time moves on. By next year, things will be radically different yet again. But nevertheless, this first-and-last will be frozen in our lives for years to come. There will have been, and will still be.
Jessica Moss/The Miscellany News..
Has it always been like this? Frankie Knuckles
L
e printemps vera, we said, and it did. Creeped up on us in greens and pinks and purples and buttercup yellow. Around December, I start to really miss the smell of Rocky—of paint that was once fresh, wood floor, coffee behind every office door. One time sophomore year I woke up at five a.m. and sat on the floor in the front hallway and wrote eight pages of a philosophy paper, and the building smells like that. I don’t know if it still even smells the same. I haven’t been in there since my junior year. Sitting in the philosophy lounge, connecting remotely to the Misc’s design server to do file maintenance, to tweak the layout, to send it off to print. I’m guessing it smells cleaner now. Less like the slow decay of so many sheets of paper and more like Clorox. In the ravine outside, black shapes gather on trees that would be bare if not for the piles of snow they hold. The crows come almost every day, right around 10 o’clock, and I sit at the table with my third coffee and watch them coalesce into a murder. They call back and forth, swooping from branch to branch. Landing in the little creek and dipping their beaks in. Consistent company. In a nor’easter, the geese lay down on
the frozen lake, necks bent at a strange angle to tuck heads into down. I worry about them, out there in the cold wind that’s howling through my poorly insulated windows. I’ve got vegetables roasting and a dutch oven full of gluten free macaroni and cheese, which they wouldn’t like anyway. But I worry. One day in March we cross the bridge and look down at a log to see five painted turtles. The air remains crisp, but they’ve found their own patch of sunshine. I’m upset the day in May I look down and there are no turtles on the log, until I realize that means they’ve got all the sun they need wherever they are now—they don’t need to strategize. “There’ll be studies on this, I bet,” my housemate says as we all walk under crab apple trees and magnolias. Of the sudden disappearance of our olfactory senses, and then the oversaturation effect afterwards. I swear, stepping outside these days is like walking into a Yankee Candle. The plants are so vibrantly scented that it gives me a headache. Pollen swirls through the air outside our big windows, collecting in cotton-y heaps on the edge of the pavement. “Has it always been like this?” I ask, sniffling through my seasonal allergies. We don’t remember this much pollen before, but then, maybe I just wasn’t looking for it.
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
Courtesy of Frankie Knuckles ’21.
June 6, 2021
SENIOR RETROSPECTIVES
Page 7
Coming full circle: Predictions for the future and anxieties about flogging Hannah Gaven
D
uring my first year at Vassar I was also featured in the commencement issue, so I guess my life really has come full circle. In that issue I detailed my numerous post-graduation plans, and I’m proud to say that nothing has changed; I still plan to mark my territory in every state by peeing on their state flower. Though, I will say that I am less afraid of peeing on Arizona’s state flower, the Cactus, as I’ve started a Hot Girl Summer workout routine that involves a lot of squatting. My friends will still sign me up for “Worst Cooks in America,” which I will still win. If anything, my cooking skills have only deteriorated. I set the stove in my TA on fire twice this year. The first time definitely wasn’t my fault. The electric burner started sparking and then erupted in flames without me doing anything. The second time might have partially been my fault, considering I did choose to use the burner that had miraculously caught on fire previously, despite the fact that my housemate put a sticky note on the dial warning of spontaneous combustion. I, however, was not the reason that the fire department got called to my TA. I also wasn’t the one that caused a fire that forced us to use the fire extinguisher. Okay, if I’m being completely transparent, I might have had a little
bit to do with the fire extinguisher incident. Also if you were curious, fire extinguisher fluid tastes pretty bad and in large amounts can be toxic. Something to keep in mind. After the fire extinguisher incident, facilities came to help us clean out the fire extinguisher fluid from the stove. I would say that learning how to take apart an electric stove was probably my most important learning experience at Vassar. I still plan to get my life story picked up by Netflix. It will be a grueling exposé on an adult who shit her pants two months ago. Apparently eating two eggs when you have a severe egg allergy can really do a number on your cute alpaca bed sheets. Unfortunately the ratings for my life story will be low, but the costuming will be immaculate. Tutus and devil horns only, in honor of impromptu spirit weeks. While it is still my plan to one day write a best-selling romance novel, I’ve always fantasized more about writing the acknowledgement section of a book. Since my novel will most likely end up being a fairly graphic erotica (at least if it’s anything like what I’ve been turning in for my intermediate creative writing class), I fear how personal I will be able to make the acknowledgements section. So, I will take my space here to write some acknowledgements. First, I’d like to thank myself for coming up with the most creative writing
Reflections from the outgoing Graphics Editor
Juliette Pope/The Miscellany News.
topics. I’ve written about pillow princesses for an anthropology class, female orgasms for an evolutionary psych class, my friends drinking my frozen Tito’s vodka without telling me for a philosophy class, my pudding addition for a sociology class and a campy queer Hallmark Christmas play for a drama class. I would also like to thank myself for getting an IUD. I am horrible about taking the pill regularly, so I really came in clutch there for myself. I would like to thank myself for picking such great friends who bake me bread, make me coffee every morning and run beer miles with me. I would also like to thank myself for having such great parents. I’m a little sorry that I told my entire improvisational writing class that you recommended me a book with explicit vampire sex, mom, but they all thought you were iconic. I also would like to thank myself for learning how to jumpstart my car. It only took the battery dying about like five times and 12 Facetime calls to my dad. A thousand thanks again to myself for influencing my little sister to be such an icon. I don’t know what I would do without you calling me at 2 a.m. for help writing your psychology paper. I mean I do know what I would do… I would get more sleep. Also, you promised to Venmo me the grade that you got on that paper in cents. I’m still waiting.
And most importantly I would like to thank the one guy who I scared in the third North Strong hallway. Thank you for not reflexively punching me in the face. The power had just gone out and I swear I was only lurking in the darkness to scare my friend. I thought you were her, and I unfortunately didn’t realize that you weren’t her until I yelled boo, grabbed you and you screamed. That was objectively my bad, and I’m sorry if that one incident is still giving you nightmares. I’m also sorry for slinking back into the darkness and for not apologizing to you in the past two years. But I’m apologizing now, and I hope this gives you the closure we both need from this incident. In honor of my time writing horoscopes for the Misc, I will leave you all with some astrological advice from your favorite humor writer: If you want to make your time memorable, buy your roommate a flogger. It will inevitably lead to a no rules free-flog household where flogging is fair game whether you are in the shower or having diarrhea. While my friends and I no longer have our flogger (because we put it in the time capsule, which I can’t wait to unearth in 20 years!) I still shower in anxiety every day. While we may move on physically from Vassar, my unease in the shower will remain, and I think that is what has made my time here so special.
How do I say goodbye? Natalie Bober
I
n my four years at the Misc, I have copy-edited and made posts about hundreds of articles, yet I have never written one myself. However, I knew that I wanted to memorialize my time at Vassar in some way through a senior retrospective. I have been thinking a lot about how to articulate my emotions surrounding graduating, but it’s as if I can barely remember past the beginning of the pandemic. When I returned to campus this past August, it felt like a 3D model of my college career. The academic buildings were in all the right places, but they did not feel real. I could look at them but not enter. The tables and chairs by Express, where I used to spend hours working and chatting with friends, were gone. I did not step foot in the Loeb, my favorite spot on campus, for months. Production nights in the Misc office seemed like distant memories. I felt, and still sometimes feel, a dull, suppressed pain every time I thought about the things I used to do, places I used to go and people I used to see. For months I felt like I was walking through memories, instead of creating new ones. I mourned my pre-pandemic life at Vassar, but eventually I established a new one. At the beginning of the school year I wondered how I could say goodbye to Vassar. I’ve never lived anywhere else except for my parents’ house, so I don’t know what it’s like to leave a home and not return, at least not for a long time. At a Misc Editorial Board meeting a few weeks ago, our check-in question was “What is on your Vassar bucket list?” When I considered how I would respond, my mind was pretty much blank. Even though my heart ached for the normalcy
MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
of my first three years of college, I was at peace with my time here. Sure, I wish I could have attended traditional senior events, but honestly, all I wanted was to turn in my thesis and graduate. Yet, I still felt like I needed to spend time saying goodbye. I am a sentimental person, so walking around campus over the past few weeks has been emotional. Did you watch the “Hannah Montana” season three finale? It’s the episode when Miley stands outside her old home, peers wistfully into the window, kisses her hand and then waves goodbye. Basically, that has been me every day over the past couple of weeks. I recently went to grab something from the Old Observatory, and as I walked out, I realized it would probably be the last time I stepped foot in that building. As I walked out of the lobby, I looked back and took in the staircase I used to climb to attend class. Last Wednesday I made my last ever Misc social media posts. I didn’t realize one could get emotional posting a couple of comics. Apparently I can. On the other hand, I did not feel as sad turning in my last final the next day. But the nostalgia still overcame me as I hit “Send.” How have I said goodbye to Vassar? Weirdly, the distance that the pandemic created between myself and my memories made it easier to accept that it is time to move on. Miley ended the finale episode slowly walking away from her house, but smiling as she left to see her new one. Looking forward to the future has come slowly but surely for me, but it has come. I guess my next step is figuring out how to come to terms with the fact that I just referenced “Hannah Montana” in my senior retrospective.
SENIOR RETROSPECTIVES
Page 8
June 6, 2021
Everything is okay Holly Shulman
T
o the Misc: The summer after my first year at Vassar, I felt so disconnected. I looked back on the beginning of my time at college and saw a blur of attempts to achieve the illusive bliss that movies had always told me I would feel. At the same time, I rejected the idea of involving myself in orgs, for fear that doing so would brand me in a certain way or somehow box me in. I didn’t feel fulfilled by my academics;they were so far down on my priority list that I gave them very little attention. One day in August, I went to a coffee shop with my laptop. I didn’t have an idea or a goal except to write something fun. What came out was a piece about Roxane Gay and Kanye West, and when I finished, I was proud––a feeling I had sorely missed within my academic work. On a whim, I googled the Misc’s Arts editor and sent the piece in. What followed is a tale as old as 1866: every week, the editors sent a plea for articles and every week I obliged, finding myself far more attracted to the paper than to school. Eventually, I fell into the role of co-Arts editor, and Tuesday nights––complete with the lack of sleep
and hair-tearing computer crashes––became my favorite time of the week. Thank you to the Misc for providing the relief of joyful writing and editing, and for helping me learn that being part of a team isn’t something to fear, but to cherish. You all taught me the value of community and collaboration, and the pride that comes with pouring your soul into a project. To my favorite professor: It feels odd to refer to you that way, as you are so much more than a professor to me. You have been my teacher, yes, but also my confidant, advisor (both academically and, far more importantly, in life) and above all, friend. Your guidance has carried me from my second semester at Vassar through my final year, which I know we both sometimes doubted would come. Having you in my corner to celebrate my successes and reframe my anxieties and fears helped me find the strength to stay true to myself as I navigated these four years. Thank you. To my first boyfriend: Meeting you in the Deece on the first day of orientation was perhaps the single moment that most shaped my Vassar career. I arrived at college having found a deep love for myself after years of insecurity in high school; being with you showed me how to radiate
that love outwards to include another person. Our years together taught me what it is to care for someone in a soul-touching way, even when you infuriated me beyond belief. Our years apart afterward taught me what it is to mourn, and then to pick myself up and step into a changed but authentic version of myself. Our friendship now is teaching me what unconditional love is: I have so much care for you, and I am very glad to share this bond with you after so much time. To my second boyfriend: Getting to know you was the easiest thing in the world. I cannot imagine a day when we run out of things to say to each other. You brought such light into my life at a very scary time and helped me redefine Vassar for my final chapter here. I know I’ve learned so much from you, but I haven’t processed it enough to write it down yet, so I’ll just say this: I will always be on your team, and I am so grateful to have you forever on mine. Also, a huge thank you for encouraging me to ride my bike and play my guitar. To my friends: It took me a while to realize how amazing you are. You always were, though, from the very beginning. I wish I had the space to list each of you
and the impacts you’ve individually had on me; instead, I will thank you collectively for all the support and love we gave one another through the pains and joys of burgeoning adulthood. I literally feel a physical warmth at the thought of how lucky I am to have made so many incredible friends at Vassar. I haven’t always been able to recognize just how many people there are here who love me and whom I love, but at the end of these four years I finally see all of you. Thank you for carrying me, and for letting me carry you. To myself: I have simply the most love for you. College seemed impossible and stupid at the beginning and many times throughout, but look how you’ve grown! Thank you for choosing to spend a year abroad in two different places––you are now able to find yourself wherever you find yourself. Thank you for making the time to sit alone at Sunset Lake at night. Thank you for letting so many people in, and for being so capable of love. Thank you for knowing your worth and not settling for anything less. This time in life is absolutely terrifying, but as you move forward, remember your lifeline phrase from this past Founder’s Day: Everything is okay.
Outgoing Editor-in-Chief dreads another open-ended assignment Ted Chmyz
I
hate open-ended assignments. This hate is just one facet of my deep-seated desire to avoid making decisions. Sitting here attempting to reflect on the entirety of the last four years (a particularly nasty, vaguely-defined task), I have come to a realization: Ironically (or maybe not, I don’t understand what irony is, tbh) most of the decisions I’ve made during my time at Vassar have been made with the singular goal of avoiding making more decisions. I took some economics courses because they sounded cool. And, more importantly, because while I know I’m not a science person, humanities courses came with the threat of open-ended essay assignments. The only decision a Macroeconomics test forced me to make was whether to cry before or after I handed it in. I knew I wanted to go abroad, which forced me to declare a major in fall of sophomore year. I’d taken the most courses in econ, so with two weeks to spare I walked into Blodgett with a major declaration form in hand. While I was there, I mentioned my
desire to go abroad. My advisor-to-be said I should consider the Toulouse program, which he runs. I had never heard of it, and don’t speak a word of French, so I’m sure you can see where this story is going (hint: it’s Toulouse). Of course, it wasn’t just in my academic life that I wandered aimlessly down the path of least resistance. During my firstyear, I hardly left my room (the decisions can’t get you if you’re in your room). When I went home for summer, my mother lovingly informed me that I was getting fat. I figured I should find something active to do on campus, and some of my friends were on the ultimate frisbee team. So that was an easy decision. Even at the Misc, one of the few activities I made an active effort to commit to, my career was determined mostly by my fear of decisions. I joined Copy Staff because that didn’t require choosing article topics. I applied for Assistant Copy when an email came out asking for applicants. Then I became a full (co-)Copy Editor almost by default when the previous year’s team moved on. I spent a year as Copy Editor, the ideal
job from a decision-avoidance standpoint. It’s literally in the job description that you aren’t supposed to have any ideas. I was a point-and-shoot Oxford-comma-eliminating machine. I came in when the Editor-in-Chief told me to, sat down at the first empty computer and edited until the whole paper was done (usually somewhere between 3 and 5 a.m.). If you’ve made it this far, you probably think I was a lazy anxious wreck, with no idea where I was going or what I was doing. This is essentially accurate. However, at this point in my Misc career, things started to change. I decided, all on my own, to run for Sports Editor—even though I knew this probably meant I would have to *gasp* come up with some ideas for myself. At that time, I figured I would stop there. Sure, taking over Sports was a decision, but it was far less of one than committing to an Upper Exec Board position. Plus, the Upper Exec application involves a free-form writing section, which made that an instant no from me. But next thing I knew, I was. I ended up as the Editor-in-Chief of the Misc, making decisions about the paper (with lots and lots of help) on a daily basis.
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I wish I could say this experience fundamentally changed me, and now I am ready to enter the most open-ended assignment of all—the Real World™ and rest of my life— with purpose and confidence. Unfortunately, I can’t. I had roughly 2.7 panic attacks in the process of attempting to write this retrospective. I’m sure I’ll have some more when I start my final final (lol) tomorrow. But don’t feel sorry for me. Because one thing I’ve left out in this tale of my coincidental college career, is that it all (well, mostly all) worked out great. I loved my time as a member of the Vassar Khalij ultimate frisbee team. My time in Toulouse, even though it was shortened by COVID, is something I’ll never forget. My stint as Copy Editor, the long, grammar-filled nights on the second floor of Main, is the part of my Misc career I remember with the most fondness. Okay, maybe I’d take the Econ major back if I had another chance, but even now I can’t think of what major I’d replace it with. But let me make one final decision: I won’t regret my time at Vassar on the whole. As cheesy/sentimental as it is, I’ll treasure the memories.
Juliette Pope/The Miscellany News.
June 6, 2021
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Congratulations Anna! We could not be more proud of the woman you have become. Four years of great friends, classes, and the beauty of Vassar Congratulations Anna! have come to a close. Enjoy the moment and We couldn’t be more proud of the women you have look forward to the next chapter! Love, become. Four years of xxxx, yyy and at Vassar Mom, Dad, Gavin, Lyra zzz & Pippi!
have come to a close. Enjoy the moment and look forward to the next chapter! Love, Mom, Dad, Gavin, Lyra and Pippi!
CONGRATULATIONS SPENCER
So Proud of You Daddy and Pop MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
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Congratulations, Molly! We love you and are so proud of all you've accomplished! Xxxxoooo---Bear, Dad, Mom & Toby MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
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Sam, Congratulations!!! We are so proud of you. Love Mom, Dad, Matt, Mimi, and Sal
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Natalie - We’re so proud of the wonderful woman that you’ve become! Congratulations! Love, Mom & Dad MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
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ĬĦĀŎÃŜšğÃŜĉĬĦŔʨ˘XĉĦæŔÞʬ˘ °ê˘ğĬŷê˘žĬš˘ÃĦæ˘ÃŎê˘ŔĬ˘ ŋŎĬšæ˘Ĭÿ˘žĬšʧ XĬŷêʨ ^Ĭĥ˘ÃĦæ˘#Ãæ
Congratulations, Calvin! The journey is still just beginning. With love, Mom, Dad, Malcolm, and the girls. MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
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CONGRATULATIONS ADAM KRUEGER We are all so proud of you!!!!!! Your extended family MOM DAD TIM AUBREY XELA ALEX ZUBAIR WRIGLEY MOOSE
3.1415926535897932B384626433 83279502884197R169399375105 82097494459230Y781640628620 8998628034825N3421170679821 480865132N823066470938446
Congratulations Rob!!!
Your family loves you lots! MISCELLANY NEWS | VASSAR COLLEGE
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June 6, 2021
Congratulations Maya Janie!!! Congratulations on graduating from your dream school. Your persistence and determination is what got you here. Wishing you the best of luck on your next journey, and to quote from the Notorious RBG... “Real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time.” Love you lots, Mom, Dad, Vahni, and $e7en.
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Congratulations Rachael Hahn and the Vassar Class of 2021!
CONGRATULATIONS JAKE! We are incredibly proud of you and can’t wait to see what you do next! Lots of love from Mom and Dad
Asher-- Carpe Diem! Much love, Mom
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